Irish traditional music will be the focus of the fall 2010 Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture Series at Boston College.

The series, sponsored by BC's Center for Irish Programs, has often featured music from Scotland, Cape Breton and Appalachia as well as Ireland. But there will be a distinctly Hibernian flavor to this fall's events, which take place at Connolly House (300 Hammond Street near BC's Chestnut Hill Campus) beginning at 6:30 p.m. All are free and open to the public.

• Fiddler Oisin McAuley and flutist Jimmy Noonan will kick off the series on Sept. 30. McAuley, a member of the popular band Danu, has become a mainstay in the local session scene since moving to Boston several years ago. Noonan teaches in BC's Irish Studies Program and has played at numerous concerts and festivals with an impressive array of musicians including Seamus Connolly - director of Irish music programs at BC - Louise Costello, Tommy McCarthy and Chris McGrath, among others.
• On Oct. 21, the duo of Brendan Begley (accordion, vocals) and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (fiddle) will make a return appearance to Gaelic Roots. Widely respected as soloists, Begley and Ó Raghallaigh have garnered praise for their collaboration, which produces music that can be equally mesmerizing and subtle as it is powerful.
• Renowned accordionist James Keane will present a combination lecture and concert, "Living in the Tradition," on Nov. 18. In addition to his superb musicianship, Keane is known as a shanachie and folk-historian who brings to life great Irish tradition-bearers through his presentations at colleges, retreats, tours and other events. He also has performed and recorded with some of the leading Irish musicians of the age.
• Fiddler Laurel Martin and multi-instrumentalist Mark Roberts will conclude the fall series with a concert on Dec. 7. Martin, a protégé of Seamus Connolly and a former member of the BC Irish Studies music faculty, released her first CD, "The Groves," in 2006 and also has recorded with the fiddle ensemble Childsplay. Roberts, who plays guitar, banjo, flute and whistle, has recorded and toured extensively for more than 25 years; his music was featured in the John Sayles film "The Secret of Roan Inish."

For information, see bc.edu/gaelicroots or send an e-mail irish@bc.edu.