Arts and Entertainment
An immigration-themed performance event that premieres February 9-11 at the Boston Center for the Arts will feature a specially commissioned piece by Charlie Lennon – one of Ireland’s most distinguished tradition-influenced musicians/composers – and a... Read more
BY R. J. DONOVAN
SPECIAL TO THE BIR
Apollinaire Theatre Company kicks off the New Year with a production of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters,” as adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts. Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques, performances run... Read more
BY SEAN SMITH
SPECIAL TO THE BIR
Please, don’t call them “kids” any more.
This past year, the Cape Cod-based ensemble of school-age Irish musicians formerly known as “Keltic Kids” changed its name to “Celtic Roots.” The time was ripe, members say: When... Read more
BY SEAN SMITH
SPECIAL TO THE BIR
For this month’s column, we’re going to take a look at some recent recordings by Celtic artists with Massachusetts and New England ties.
The Press Gang, “Fortune It May Smile” • Formed in 2009 amidst the proliferating... Read more
Destination: Southeast Ireland
Featuring two nights at Dunbrody House, Wexford, and a chat with its master chef Kevin Dundon
BY ED FORRY
BIR PUBLISHER
I visited Ireland’s southeast coast late last summer, a trip that, for me, was truly an eye-opener.... Read more
THE BIR’S ARTS CALENDAR OF IRISH/CELTIC EVENTS
January 2018
The BCMFest Nightcap concert, “From Spark to Flame,” will be devoted to the stories that define the lives of musicians and singers, according to festival organizers. The concert, which takes... Read more
By Sean Smith
Special to the BIR
It’s hard to say if Boston-area native Jeremy Carter-Gordon chose folk music, or if it chose him. But, ultimately, that doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that Carter-Gordon has made folk music an integral part of... Read more
By Sean Smith
Special to the BIR
It’s hard to say if Boston-area native Jeremy Carter-Gordon chose folk music, or if it chose him. But, ultimately, that doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that Carter-Gordon has made folk music an integral part of... Read more
Naturally enough, holiday-themed events – like “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn” (see story elsewhere in this issue) – are plentiful in this month’s Irish/Celtic calendar.
• At Club Passim in Harvard Square, festivities include “A Fine Winter’s Night” on Dec.... Read more
John and Maggie Carty, “Settle Out of Court” • There’s no guarantee, you know, that traditional music gets passed down to the next generation, no matter how strong the legacy in a family. Maybe the younger ones just don’t take to it – or even if they do,... Read more
It’ll be 15 years – and the start of a new era – for “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn” when the curtain for the annual holiday show goes up on Dec. 12 at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport.
“Sojourn” makes its customary stop at the Cutler Majestic... Read more
Boston Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” stands as a “must see” family-friendly holiday tradition. And in the midst of glistening snowflakes, dancing mice, and battling tin soldiers stands principal dancer Kathleen Breen Combes.
In artistic director Mikko... Read more
A look at Irish/Celtic music events this month in Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts:
• Boston-based fiddle ensemble Childsplay has announced its 2017 fall tour schedule, which includes a stop in Somerville Theater on Nov. 19, where they will play... Read more
Paul Brady, “Unfinished Business” • What kind of lens should you use in scrutinizing Paul Brady? Do you take the long-distance view, back to his early Irish folk revival days with The Johnstons and, of course, his seminal work in the 1970s with Planxty... Read more
If you foresee disaster looming in a friend’s romantic relationship, is it fair game to speak up? And if you do speak up, will your criticism ruin your own relationship with that friend?
Those are the challenges faced in “Robyn is Happy,” kicking off the... Read more
There’s nothing in the Musician’s Universal Handbook that says you have to be friends with your bandmates: creative differences, artistic temperament, hours of rehearsal, schlepping to and from gigs – all that can be pretty demanding on a relationship.... Read more
For a dozen years now, fiddlers from Greater Boston and elsewhere have gone to their own special hell – and they couldn’t be happier about it.
Massachusetts Fiddle Hell, which takes place Nov. 3-5 in Westford, is an annual gathering that brings together... Read more
Kevin Crawford, Dylan Foley and Patrick Doocey, “The Drunken Gaugers” • Two-thirds of Lúnasa (Crawford and Doocey) meet one-third of The Yanks (Foley), but of course, there’s more to it than that. All three are supremely accomplished musicians who are... Read more
Newton native Colin Kadis may look like your average, happy-go-lucky, unassuming college freshman. As his friends will tell you, however, he’s about as serious an Irish musician as there is: Someone who doesn’t just play the notes but who is a dedicated... Read more
Evan O’Brien is a man steeped in history. As creative director of the award-winning Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, he manages the creation and maintenance of all exhibits, programming, tour scripting and special events for the museum. He also... Read more
