Arts and Entertainment

By R. J. Donovan Special to The BIR Actress-singer Kathy St. George knows a little something about legends. As readers of the Reporter will recall, she is a descendant of the folks who owned historic Tyrone House in Galway. She can also trace her roots... Read more
Traditional music from Ireland, as well as France, Canada, and a few other places, will be the order of the evening on July 7 when Donegal accordionist Dermot Byrne and French harpist Floriane Blancke perform at Worcester’s Hibernian Cultural Centre.... Read more
By Sean Smith Special to the BIR It sounds like the kind of moment only the imagination of a singer-songwriter—like, say, Bob Bradshaw—might cook up, only it really happened. The quick lead-in: Irish native moves to the US at the tail end of the 1980s,... Read more
By R. J. Donovan Special to The BIR Boston theater audiences love Mary Callanan. Period. From her performances at SpeakEasy Stage, New Rep and Lyric to the hot night spots in Provincetown, she’s known for her razor-sharp way with a funny line as well as... Read more
Boston Irish Festival begins Friday at ICCNE, Canton Gaelic Storm, the irrepressible Celtic folk-rock quintet, headlines this year’s Boston Irish Festival, set for this weekend, June 8-10 at the Irish Cultural Centre of New England in Canton. Other... Read more
Riverdance in farewell visit to Boston- Don't miss it! In 1996, Bill Clinton was president, William Weld was governor of Massachusetts, the old Boston Garden was still standing, the Red Sox were still in search of their first world championship since 1918... Read more
The international sensation known as "Riverdance" has played in 40 countries across 4 continents in more than 350 venues to a worldwide audience surpassing 22 million people. That's astounding when you consider that the two-hour celebration of Irish... Read more
There are the recording projects that try a musician’s soul: long, exhausting hours in the studio spent doing take after take of the same track; fretting about various post-production details; squabbling with accompanists about this or that artistic... Read more
Reagle Music Theatre’s popular revue “A Little Bit of Ireland” returns on March 17 and 18 for its 14th season. The show is a colorful celebration of Irish music, dancing, and light-hearted comedy based on what Reagle’s Producing Artistic Director and... Read more
The Greater Boston area resounds with Irish and other Celtic music all year round, of course, but March seems to be a particularly active period – perhaps because of a certain holiday that falls on the 17th. Here’s a look at some of the events taking... Read more
It seems like yesterday that Moya Doherty and I sat down in the chill winter of 1993 in a small café on Dublin’s Baggot Street to discuss the germ of an idea that was to become Riverdance. Little did we dream that by 2012, this small germ would have... Read more
Brian Conway makes no bones about it: He understands that his particular tutelage in the Irish music tradition was a profoundly rare thing, and he feels very fortunate as a result. “I think that, in my upbringing, I definitely got the music pure,” says... Read more
Baritone, pianist, and conductor Bradford Conner is on a mission. He sincerely hopes you’ll love great American music as much as he does. One conversation proves he has a devotion and an insight for it that few others possess. Classically trained, Brad... Read more
BY SEAN SMITH SPECIAL TO THE BIR It seemed like most any typical all-ages holiday gathering, and in many ways, it was. A Christmas tree stood in the corner of the living room, right by the entry to the dining room. Christmas decorations graced the... Read more
By Sean Smith Special to the BIR It’s not just Irish dance aficionados and child development experts who can find grist for conversation in “Jig.” Add classical philosophers to the list, too. Sue Bourne’s documentary on Irish competitive dancing, released... Read more
BY R. J. DONOVAN SPECIAL TO THE BIR Nestled on 10 acres of waterfront property along Dorchester’s Columbia Point, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum faces the sea, an apt location given JFK’s love of the ocean. If you’ve never visited the... Read more
Rockette Courtney Grassia performs in ‘Radio City Christmas Spectacular’ When The Radio City Rockettes light up the stage at The Wang Theatre all this month with their new “Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” there’ll be a Boston-area native front and... Read more
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

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