Arts and Entertainment
Northern Irish traditional singer Len Graham, Boston-area fiddle band Halali, and cross-genre Canadian singer Ruth Moody of The Wailin’ Jennys join the cast for the ninth annual “Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” the popular holiday-themed showcase of music,... Read more
One of Greater Boston's most popular Irish pubs, The Burren in Somerville's Davis Square, has relaunched its "Backroom" series of concerts featuring top-notch Irish/Celtic performers from the Boston area and elsewhere.
Fiddler Winifred Horan and... Read more
On one recent early autumn evening, a severe rainstorm with winds of up to 70 mph battered the 150-year-old house in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, that Boston-area fiddler Doug Lamey now calls home. In a couple of months, the rain will be replaced by an even... Read more
Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" has long ranked as one of the great novels of English literature. Written in 1851, the classic tale follows the tyrannical Captain Ahab in his relentless pursuit of the great white whale Moby Dick. Despite having already... Read more
First of two parts
For most of his adult life, Andy Irvine has been true to the advice he set down in one of his best-loved songs: Never tire of the road.
Irvine’s ongoing odyssey – which this month brings him to Boston, where he’ll perform on Oct. 6 at... Read more
Joe DerraneA special tribute to the legendary Joe Derrane – and a performance by the Boston-born Irish accordionist and composer himself – will highlight this fall’s Gaelic Roots Music, Dance, and Lecture series. The series, under the direction of... Read more
By Sean Smith
Special to the BIR
There is no one formula or blueprint for forming a band. Sometimes it's by conscious design, sometimes it's a matter of happenstance, a confluence of the right factors at the right time.
And then there's Long Time Courting... Read more
By R.J. Donovan
Special to the BIR
Actor, singer, pianist and director Will McGarrahan has been part of Boston's theater community for more than a decade. During that time, he has established himself as one of the city's most reliable and diverse talents... Read more
By R. J. Donovan
Special to The BIR
Award-winning Broadway star Patrick Cassidy represents one branch of a far-reaching family tree of musical performers. His Mom is Shirley Jones (he was actually conceived during the filming of “The Music Man”). His... Read more
By Sean Smith
Special to the BIR
One of Massachusetts’s favorite Irish imports, the rock band The Saw Doctors, returns this month for its annual appearance at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis, with performances on Aug. 11 and 12. Formed in Tuam in the... Read more
By Sean Smith
Dan Isaacson’s Simple System, “Traditional Irish Music for the Flute”—Isaacson is fondly remembered by many Boston-area Irish musicians and listeners for his playing at local sessions, and in particular with the band The Magic Square, whose... Read more
A column of news and updates of the Boston Celtic Music Fest (BCMFest), which celebrates the Boston area’s rich heritage of Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton music and dance with a grassroots, musician-run winter music festival and other events during the year... Read more
By Joe Leary
Special to the BIR
Filled with deep laughter, happy songs, humorous political history lessons, and Dick Flavin’s magnificent acting, this one-man performance of “According to Tip” holds the audience’s attention riveted to the stage.
Flavin... Read more
By R. J. Donovan
Special to The BIR
Fans of ABC-TV’s “Dancing With The Stars” may have noticed that a good-looking young Irishman joined the show this past season as a member of The Dance Troupe. His name is Tristan MacManus, but what not everyone may... Read more
A column of news and updates of the Boston Celtic Music Fest (BCMFest), which celebrates the Boston area’s rich heritage of Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton music and dance with a grassroots, musician-run winter music festival and other events during the year... Read more
New England acts The Makem and Spain Brothers and the Joshua Tree join Derek Warfield & the Young Wolfe Tones, The Screaming Orphans, McPeake, Enter the Haggis, and The Prodigals as headliners for this year’s Boston Irish Festival, which will take... Read more
Veteran Boston broadcaster and politician commentator Dick Flavin is a man with a mission. To keep alive the memory of the life and times of the beloved Massachusetts politician and former Speaker of the U.S. House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill.
A decade ago,... Read more
Triptych, “Triptych” – There is something innately refreshing about Triptych, a trio with strong ties to Boston that has now released its long-awaited first CD. Whereas the trend in performing Irish/Celtic music is often “more is more,” Triptych opts for... Read more
BY R. J. DONOVAN
SPECIAL TO THE BIR
McCaela Donovan (no relation, by the way) has had a connection to Boston since she was a child and used to come here from upper state New York with her father to soak up local history. Today, the actress has carved out... Read more
BY PATRICK GALLAGHER
SPECIAL TO THE BIR
For award-winning Irish author Colm Toibin, writing is often about trying to distract readers from a story’s true destination, only to catch them off-guard when it is finally revealed. Toibin did just that last... Read more
