Understand, it’s not as if Aodán Coyne and brothers Shane and Fiachra Hayes – known collectively as “Socks in the Frying Pan” – had some grand scheme to become one of the most in-demand Irish bands to make the trek to America.

For a good while, they were quite content to play in and around their native Ennis in Co. Clare. But through a succession of happy events, and the requisite hard work, the three – ranging in age from 25 to 30 – saw their popularity mushroom, culminating in their first American tour in 2014. They’ve returned to the US twice since then, including a visit this year that brought them for the first time to The Burren in Somerville, where they performed in the early fall to a full house as part of the pub’s Backroom series.

“It all just came out of nowhere,” said Coyne, as he and the Hayeses relaxed prior to the show, reflecting on the last couple of years. “We made an album pretty much for the sake of making it – so we’d have something to sell in the pubs – and it found its way into the right hands. Then when we got over here, we met all these bands and performers we’d looked up to, and we got to tour and play together on the same stages. And that just got everything rolling.”

The Boston Pops annual holiday concerts rank among the city’s most enduring Christmas traditions. They began in 1971 under the baton of venerable Arthur Fiedler with a three-concert series at Symphony Hall.  Those initial performances, titled “A Pops Christmas Party,” were enthusiastically embraced by the public.

More than four decades later, the tradition continues stronger than ever. The 2016 holiday series at Symphony Hall, featuring The Tanglewood Festival Chorus, encompasses 40 evening and matinee concerts, including seven special Kids Matinee performances, through December 24.