Arts and Entertainment

Two-time Tony Award winner Bill Irwin is a master actor, director, writer, and clown known for an outstanding body of work crossing stage, film, and television.  Most important for Boston audiences, he’s coming to town to share an explanation and... Read more
It’s a niggling question familiar to the evenings-and-weekends musician who holds down a so-called “real job” (as if managing a full-time musical career isn’t a real job, but never mind) while performing concerts or participating in jam sessions off-hours... Read more
Guitarist/mandolinist Flynn Cohen is taking the old better-late-than-never maxim to heart, and on the road – “late” as in 20 years late. A longtime pillar of Greater Boston’s Irish/Celtic music scene now living in Vermont, Cohen will mark the two-decade... Read more
By Sean Smith, Boston Irish Contributor “Live in Concert,” The Kilfenora Céilí Band • The Kilfenora Céilí Band has been around since before ceili bands were even a thing: As far back as 1888, it was a fife and drum band that, by about 20 years later, had... Read more
The Boston College Center for Irish Programs was co-host, along with  the BC Center for Human Rights and International Justice, in early September to the American launch of “REDRESS: Ireland’s Institutions and Transitional Justice,” a book of essays based... Read more
“Live in Concert,” The Kilfenora Céilí Band • The Kilfenora Céilí Band has been around since before ceili bands were even a thing: As far back as 1888, it was a fife and drum band that, by about 20 years later, had morphed into the ceili band model as we... Read more
A sampling of this month’s Irish/Celtic music-related events in, or slightly beyond, Greater Boston. •The Burren Backroom series begins this month with an appearance by The Alt (Nuala Kennedy, John Doyle, and Eamon O’Leary) on Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Click... Read more
 For Irish musician, singer and composer Nuala Kennedy, life is often analogous to one’s personal library, replete with inspirations, memories, lessons, cautionary tales, and every emotion on the human spectrum – the scale of it sometimes beyond our... Read more
Dermot Byrne and Yvonne Casey, “As We Feel It” • Byrne’s Donegal-influenced accordion playing has been a hallmark of Altan for nigh on three decades now, while Casey is a fine exponent of the Clare fiddle style who has played with the Ceili Bandits as... Read more
Already one of the more intriguing and multifaceted live music offerings in the Greater Boston area, the third Rockport Celtic Festival will take place the weekend of August 19-21 at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, with an array of events that pull... Read more
Everything subject to change pending possible Covid-related developments. •The Burren Backroom series is justifiably celebrated for its traditional music offerings, but organizer Brian O’Donovan and crew have never been shy about exploring other... Read more
Stuart Peak is grateful to the music community for its generosity after health emergency Community reaches out to help one of its own in need: It’s a classic feel-good tale often found amid the pages of newspapers, on TV news broadcasts, or, in more... Read more
Respected Boston actress, singer, and musician Erica Spyres is a cast member of “Paradise Square,” one of the most ambitious new musicals on Broadway this season. Locally, she has been a long-time favorite, appearing in everything from “Light in the... Read more
A look at Irish/Celtic events in Greater Boston and elsewhere in Massachusetts during this month. All subject to change pending possible Covid-related developments. •The rural roots of Irish traditional music, and its connection to the natural world, are... Read more
Téada, “Coiscéim Coiligh (As the Days Brighten)” • Almost as old as the 21st century, Téada has long been at the forefront of Ireland’s tradition-oriented bands, built around the vibrant, skillful triumvirate of fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada, accordionist... Read more
By R. J. DonovanSpecial To Boston Irish Enda Walsh knows a thing or two about creating a hit musical.   The multi award-winning Irish playwright and director previously spent time in Boston writing the stage adaptation of the musical “Once,” which went on... Read more
‘Riverdance’ at 27: It’s right for the times,  still larger than life, but perhaps closer to us           Dancers parse message: ‘Unity’ … ‘A journey’ … ‘A love story, too’  Among the many millions of people who watched the original “Riverdance” – the... Read more
Summer BCMFest – the warm-weather version of the Boston Celtic Music Fest (BCMFest) – will return to its in-person on-stage format this year on July 3, with a slate of afternoon and evening performances at Club Passim in Harvard Square featuring some of... Read more
Above all, Boston-area Irish music-playing spouses Matt and Shannon Heaton are quite happy to be back performing in person.  After a handful of live events in 2021, the duo’s recent and upcoming schedule by comparison is fairly dotted with in-person gigs... Read more
“The Christmas Revels” has long been one of Boston’s most beloved holiday traditions. Historically, the production highlights a different culture and heritage each season. This year marks the show’s 52nd production.  In an effort to be more inclusive, the... Read more

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