Arts and Entertainment

Rachel Reeds (pictured) will lead a Cape Breton “house party” as part of the BCMFest 2017 Nightcap concert, while Shannon Heaton presents a live multimedia performance of her “Irish Music Stories” project.When a festival has gone on for almost 15 years,... Read more
Anyone who has listened to Irish/Celtic music the last two decades has almost certainly – sometime, somewhere – heard Dublin native John Doyle. Perhaps it was with Solas, the trailblazing Irish American, Grammy-nominated band he co-founded; or one of his... Read more
Chloe Agnew and Eamonn McCrystal in performance. Photo courtesy Hedge Hog Entertainment Dublin born-and-raised Chloe Agnew was the youngest member of Celtic Women when she joined the group at age 14. Now, 24, she is poised to blaze her own path to... Read more
Understand, it’s not as if Aodán Coyne and brothers Shane and Fiachra Hayes – known collectively as “Socks in the Frying Pan” – had some grand scheme to become one of the most in-demand Irish bands to make the trek to America. For a good while, they were... Read more
Seamus EganWhen you’re the music director for “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” says Seamus Egan, Christmas comes early. “Actually,” he quips, “Christmas tends to last all year.” Egan is finishing up his first decade overseeing the musical end of things for... Read more
The Boston Pops annual holiday concerts rank among the city’s most enduring Christmas traditions. They began in 1971 under the baton of venerable Arthur Fiedler with a three-concert series at Symphony Hall.  Those initial performances, titled “A Pops... Read more
Some of the faces may change for Childsplay (shown here in 2012), including new singer Karan Casey but artistic director and namesake Bob Childs sees a lot of continuity in the group -- especially its core sound. After a hiatus in 2015, the Boston-based... Read more
The show-stopping “I’ll Build A Stairway To Paradise.” Matthew Murphy photo “An American in Paris” ranks as one of the most popular film musicals of all time.  Starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, it tells the romantic tale of an American soldier, a... Read more
Conor Lovett in the Gare St Lazare Ireland production of “Here All Night.” Hugo Glendinning photoConor Lovett and Judy Hegarty Lovett share a great deal in life. Aside from being husband and wife, the talented duo are founders and co-artistic directors... Read more
“We didn’t want this to be a ‘themed’ record, but we felt ‘Copley Street’ would be a nod to the past generations of musicians,” says Joey Abarta, right, of the album he made with Nathan Gourley. Louise Bichan photo Copley Street is a little longer than a... Read more
Tommy FlemingThe Norwood Theatre welcomes Irish tenor Tommy Fleming on Saturday, October 15th at 7:30pm. After 25 years honing his craft, Tommy is now taking his place at the forefront of popular music across the globe. The mere mention of a Tommy... Read more
By Sean Smith Special to the BIR Shannon Heaton: “I think it’s amazing that so many of us have come to Irish music in different ways. I’m eager to tuck into the backstory behind so many influential, innovative, important voices in the tradition. ” Andy... Read more
By R. J. Donovan Special to the BIR Ian-Lloyd Anderson, Lloyd Cooney and Liam Heslin in the Abbey Theatre production of Sean O’Casey’s “The Plough and the Stars,” playing the American Repertory Theater from September 24 to October 9. Ros Kavanagh photo “... Read more
Sean McGibbon plays Cosmo Brown in the beloved musical “Singin’ in the Rain” at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly from August 16 - September 4. By R.J. Donovan, Special to the BIR Sean McGibbon is an unabashed lover of the Golden Age of Musicals. ... Read more
If you grew up in the County Tipperary town of Cloughjordan, like Boston-area resident Martin Butler did, you couldn’t help but know about Thomas MacDonagh. Poet, playwright, educator, MacDonagh is a compelling figure in Irish history, a co-leader of the... Read more
Right on the heels of the release of their eagerly anticipated new album, Legacy, Volume Two, Celtic Thunder will kick off a 75 city tour of the US and Canada this summer. Known for their theatrical performances of traditional music, the five member... Read more
by Kiera Murray BIR Correspondent People join the Boston Irish dance scene for a variety of reasons, maybe to embrace their Irish heritage, learn about Irish culture, engage in challenging physical activity, or perform and compete all over the world. For... Read more
By SEAN SMITH Special to the BIR If you look at the combined resumes of fiddle-guitar duo Nollaig Casey and Arty McGlynn, it’s nearly impossible not to be impressed. Casey has played violin with the RTE Symphony Orchestra and fiddled for two of Ireland’s... Read more
By SEAN SMITH Special to the BIR In addition to Summer BCMFest [see story below], here are some other Irish/Celtic-related music events taking place in Boston this month: • The Burren Backroom series will present the legendary Sliabh Luachra duo of Matt... Read more
By R. J. DONOVAN Special to the BIR We face choices every day. Which flight to take, which job to accept, which person to date? You try to make an informed decision, but the question quietly lingers: What if you had chosen differently? How might your... Read more

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