February 28, 2026
Aoife O'Donovan performs as part of a special concert honoring her father, Brian O'Donovan, March 14 in Symphony Hall.
This is the behemoth of months for Irish/Celtic music and dance in Greater Boston, with events in venues great and small and in-between. And indisputably, one of this year’s highlights is “Celtic Night: A Tribute to Brian O’Donovan and ‘A Celtic Sojourn,’” on March 14 in Symphony Hall, a homage to one of the Boston area’s foremost advocates and promoters of Irish and other Celtic music – and, crucially, a mentor for young performers. This event features O’Donovan’s daughter, Aoife O’Donovan, an acclaimed Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, and groundbreaking band Solas – including founding member Seamus Egan, a creative force all his own for decades – in collaboration with the Boston Pops Orchestra and conductor Eímar Noone. Tickets and other information at https://www.bso.org/events/celtic-night-2026?performance=2026-03-14-19%3A30.
Four days later (March 18), Symphony Hall will be the place for another Irish/Celtic event: “An Irish Celebration” curated by master fiddler Martin Hayes. A paragon of East Clare fiddle – with its somewhat slower, relaxed feel compared to other traditions, marked by long, fluid bowing – Hayes is renowned for his fruitful partnership with guitarist Dennis Cahill (who died in 2022) and more recently, his Common Ground Ensemble whose work encompasses traditional Irish music , improvisation, arrangement, jazz, avant-garde, and cutting-edge contemporary classical. They’ll be teaming up with an impressive array of special guests: singer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Amidon; sean-nos singer and harpist Síle Denvir; dancers Stephanie Keane and Nic Gareiss (he’ll be at the March 15 Groton Hill St. Patrick’s Day Celebration – see below); and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon. Details, tickets at www.vivoperformingarts.org/productions/martin-hayes-and-the-common-ground-ensemble
•Solas also will be at the Groton Hill Music Center on March 1. The band’s debut in the mid-1990s heralded the arrival of a new generation of performers in the Irish/Celtic music revival that had taken root three decades before, as well as an increasing interest in exploring commonalities across musical genres. Solas reunited in 2025 after an eight-year hiatus with a line-up that included three original members – Seamus Egan (flute, low whistle, mandolin, banjo, nylon-string guitar), Winifred Horan (fiddle) and John Williams (accordion) – and new recruits Nuala Kennedy (flute, whistle) and Alan Murray (guitar, bouzouki); vocalist Moira Smiley, who was part of the band in the mid-2010s, also appears on selected dates.
On March 15, Groton Hill will present its annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, organized by fiddler Katie McNally and pianist/step dancer Neil Pearlman. They’ll be joined by Boston-based duo Nathan Gourley and Laura Feddersen, whose twin-fiddle performances of traditional Irish tunes displays a high degree of connectivity and expressiveness; The Murphy Beds (Jefferson Hamer, vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin; and Eamon O’Leary, vocals, bouzouki, nylon string guitar), known for their intricate, intense yet engaging interplay and a repertoire drawing mainly on Irish, American, Scottish, and English folk traditions; and Nic Gareiss, a one-man percussion dance revolution, blending numerous influences and styles from Ireland, Appalachia, and elsewhere, imbued with expression and ebullience. Tickets and information at grotonhill.org/concerts.
•The Burren’s Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series will host Dervish for a pair of shows on March 18. Cathy Jordan (vocals, bodhran, bones), Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute, whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola, mandolin), Michael Holmes (bouzouki), and Tom Morrow (fiddle) have built a compelling sound around the instrumental and song traditions of Sligo, Leitrim, and North Roscommon. Dervish was the headlining act at last year’s Boston Celtic Music Fest. Information about events at The Burren is at burren.com/music.html.
Dervish also will appear on March 20 at the Shalin-Liu Performance Center in Rockport. Tickets, details at rockportmusic.org/upcoming_shows/dervish
The Burren has another major occurrence this month, of course: Its annual St. Patrick’s Day Variety Show, hosted by and featuring the pub’s indefatigable owners Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello who – in case you didn’t know already – are highly well-regarded musicians themselves. There will be a bevy of special guests at the show, which takes place multiple times during March 13-17. Tickets available via burren.com/music.html.
•The Patsy Touhey Memorial Weekend has been a welcome addition to Boston’s assemblage of recurring traditional Irish music events. Launched in 2022, the weekend honors the legacy of renowned uilleann piper Patsy Touhey (1865-1923) – who spent part of his very eventful life in Boston – with workshops and presentations, appearances by acclaimed musicians and scholarly experts, as well as concerts and sessions. On March 1, there will be a benefit concert at McCarthy’s/Toad in Porter Square beginning at 1 p.m. to support the Touhey Weekend (which takes place April 17-19 this year), headed up by founder Joey Abarta and fellow uilleann pipers Peadar Giles, Michael Stribling and Will Woodson – who’ll be joined by fiddler Caitlin Finley – with, one imagines, other welcome guests.
•Also on March 1, the Gore Place Carriage House “Music, Tea and Biscuits” matinee series in Waltham will present Mrs. Wilberforce, the duo of Kyra Davies (fiddle, viola, vocals) and Sean Smith (guitar, bouzouki, tenor banjo, vocals) at 3 p.m. – the aforementioned tea and biscuits are at 2:30. Mrs. Wilberforce plays music from Ireland, Scotland, and Cape Breton – but also farther afield, like Shetland, Brittany, and Galicia, among other places. Rooted in tradition, they draw upon influences from the classical and contemporary folk/folk-rock domains. More here: https://goreplace.org/whats-on/mrs-wilberforce
•Elsewhere , you can read an interview with Shannon Heaton about the forthcoming concert she and husband Matt will play at Club Passim on March 13 with Japanese Irish trio O’Jizo and Boston-area Celtic harpist Riko Matsuoko.
Also at Club Passim this month is Kalos on March 10. The trio of Ryan McKasson (fiddle), Jeremiah McLane (accordion), and Boston-area native Eric McDonald (guitar, mandolin, vocals) plays a repertoire from, and inspired by, the Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian, and North American music traditions, with a focus on maritime-related songs and tunes. exploring what they call the “dark edges” floating on the rims of tradition. This concert will be the official launch of Kalos’s 2023 album “Headland,” which includes original tunes and songs in addition to those from tradition. Tickets, information at passim.org.
•March isn’t just about St. Patrick: It’s also International Women’s Day (March 8) and Cherish the Ladies will mark the occasion with a performance at City Winery Boston. The all-female band was a revelation when it first began performing in the 1980s and has become a dearly loved mainstay and valuable exponent of Irish American heritage. As co-founder Joanie Madden (flute, whistle, vocal) put it in a 2019 Boston Irish interview, the music they play is “like a golden chalice passed down. Cherish the Ladies is all about being true to the tradition and legacy, not just putting on a tune.” Madden’s bandmates are Kate Purcell (lead vocals, guitar), Nollaig Casey (fiddle, viola), Mary Coogan (guitar, banjo, mandolin), Mirella Murray (accordion), and Kathleen Boyle (keyboards, vocals). It’s likely they’ll be joined by an Irish step dancer or two. Tickets at citywinery.com/pages/events/boston.
•The Boston College Gaelic Roots series will host its annual ceili, free and open to the public, on March 27 at 6:30 p.m. in Gasson Hall on BC’s Main Campus. Attendees can take part in ceili dancing (no experience is necessary) under the direction of Jackie O’Riley, with music by Gaelic Roots Director Sheila Falls and some local musicians. See events.bc.edu/group/gaelic_roots_series.
•The “Live at The Druid” series in Inman Square – at The Lilypad, right next to the titular pub – continues apace with a St. Patrick’s Day matinee performance from 1:30-2:30 p.m. by series organizer accordionist-melodeonist Diarmuid Ó Meachair, fiddlers Seán Clohessy and Ellie Egan, and John Coyne on bouzouki and vocals. The descriptive phrase “pure drop trad” would definitely apply here. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-at-the-druid-st-patricks-day-show-matinee-tickets-1981450308211?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
On March 24, the series will go in a different, and fascinating, direction. First, a screening at 7:30 p.m. of “Tommie Potts: The Fireman Fiddler of the Coombe,” the 2020 documentary about one of the truly unique personalities in the Irish traditional music revival. Potts learned to play fiddle from his father but took his own very idiosyncratic path, bringing elements of improvisation – in a manner often compared to jazz – to his renditions of traditional tunes. His 1972 solo album “The Liffey Banks” is regarded as a rare gem, showcasing this combination of traditional ornamentation and bold experimentation. But there was more to Potts’s life than music: For a while, he was a full-time member of the Dublin Fire Brigade, enduring the risks that go with the job of firefighting (he was injured in a fire that killed three of his colleagues).
Following the screening will be a concert by the filmmaker Macdara Yeates, who has emerged as one of the more high-profile young singers in the Dublin folk and traditional music scene. His debut album “Traditional Singing from Dublin” was nominated for two RTÉ Radio One Folk Awards and included among MOJO magazine’s “Top 10 Folk Albums of the Year.”
•The Cabot in Beverly has been holding smaller-scale events a short walk away at “Off-Cabot,” 9 Wallis Street. That will be the place on March 13 for Maine quartet Bailey’s Mistake and its “St. Patrick’s Celebration” show. The band (Troy Bennett, guitar, vocals; Travis Cote, bagpipes; Dean Clegg, percussion; Rob Babson, bass guitar, vocals) – which takes its name from a 19th-century Maine legend about the founding of a scenic rocky cove – plays a jaunty mix of traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, and Newfoundland (including familiars like “Si Bheag Si Mhor,” “Wild Mountain Thyme,” “Paddy on the Railway,” “Come Down Ye Roses”) with folk-rock original songs drawing on contemporary New England life. More at thecabot.org/event/baileys-mistake-st-patricks-celebration.
North Shore musicians Bob and Jen Strom, along with Emily Peterson, at the Waltham Museum on March 8.
•North Shore Irish/Celtic musicians Bob and Jen Strom, along with concertina player Emily Peterson, will present a free concert on March 8 at 1:30 p.m. in the Waltham Museum (25 Lexington Street). The Stroms – Jen plays fiddle, Bob guitar, and both sing Irish and American folk songs – and Peterson have long been denizens of the north-of-Boston Irish/folk scene, appearing at pubs, coffeehouses, and festivals as well as helping anchor sessions (including The Cut in Gloucester, CK Pearl in Essex and The Backbeat in Beverly). The Stroms also have recorded the albums “’Round the Bend” and “Heading Home,” and Bob has published a two-volume book related to Salem’s musical history. Space is limited at the event, and those interested in attending should call the museum at 781-893-9020 or email info@walthammuseum.org with name, phone number & email, and number of participants.
Rose Clancy and Max Cohen, March 22 at the Cape Cod Museum of Art.
•Meanwhile, down south – so to speak – in Dennis, the Cape Cod Museum of Art’s Music & More Winter Concert Series will host the duo of Rose Clancy and Max Cohen on March 22 at 4 p.m. Clancy began playing Irish fiddle at a young age and over the years played occasional gigs in her family’s band, then learned how to make violins and eventually opened the Chatham Fiddle Company, where she runs an instrument shop and hosts occasional events. Cohen is a fingerstyle guitarist who has appeared on numerous recordings and in numerous collaborations across genres, including one with singer-songwriter Lui Collins, fiddler Donna Hébert and poet Jane Yolen. Information available at www.ccmoa.org/music.
•Back in Boston proper, Somerville to be precise, the Gwen Johnston Trio will give a free concert at Aeronaut Brewing Company on March 14 beginning at 2 p.m. Johnston studied under renowned Irish fiddler Laurel Martin – who herself was a student of Seamus Connolly – and has cultivated a style and repertoire that includes Celtic, old-time, bluegrass, and contemporary folk; she also is known to sing a song or two. Accompanying her are fiddler Roisin Kelly and cellist Aubrey Breen. The Aeronaut website is at www.aeronautbrewing.com.
•Some Irish/Celtic-themed big-stage productions – many of them quite well-known – will be in through town as well during March. “Riverdance: The New Generation (30th)” is at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium during March 2-4; “Celtic Woman: ‘A New Era’ Tour” on March 5 in the Orpheum Theatre ; The Chevalier in Medford presents “Dancing with The Celts” on March 13 and The High Kings’ “Rocky Road Tour” on March 14.
Another extravaganza is Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy with The Celtic All Stars, presented by Global Arts Live at the Somerville Theatre on March 5. Fiddlers MacMaster and Leahy are, of course, arguably the highest-profile exponents of Cape Breton and other Canadian Maritime music traditions today, and their daughter Mary Frances Leahy has now become a fixture in their performances. Joining them at this event are Karen Matheson, singer with the Scottish band Capercaillie; Ross Ainslie, a virtuoso on the Scottish highland and small pipes who incorporates various global influences into Scottish traditional music; and Enda Scahill, an accomplished Irish tenor banjo player and member of We Banjo 3, pioneers of Celtgrass music. Tickets at my.globalartslive.org/1544.
