Tourism Group Issues Schedule of Irish and Celtic Summer Festivals in New England This Summer

-


(Boston) – The Boston Irish Tourism Association has released its annual schedule of outdoor festivals and concerts featuring Irish and Celtic music throughout the New England region and upstate New York.

Kicking off this year’s schedule is the 1st annual Summer Solstice Festival, taking place on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at Diamond Hill Park in Cumberland, RI.  Organized by the Blackstone River Theatre, a non-profit group promoting culture and the arts year round, this year’s festival features Aoife Clancy and Robbie O’Connell, the Heatons, Pendragon, Annalivia, atwater-Donnelly Trio and more.  With five stages, there’s continuous music, set dancing and ceili dancing throughout the day, as well as children’s area, vendors and food and craft vendors.

The 17th annual Catskills Irish Arts Week, in East Durham, NY, takes place July 10-16, 2011, and features some of the world’s best Irish musicians, singers and dancers.  It’s a summer school format, with over 75 teachers, 120 daily classes and workshops, and nightly concerts and sessions.  The week culminates in an all-day music festival on Saturday, July 16 from noon to 7:00 p.m.

The 18th annual Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival takes place on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at Look Park in Florence, MA, just next to Northampton.  The festival features Canadian group, Enter the Haggis, Boston Blackthorne, the Bell Family, Charlie Zahm, as well as clan gatherings, Scottish games, food courts and vendors, spinning and weaving demonstrations and more traditional folk arts.

On July 26 the 2nd annual Cape Cod Irish SummerFest takes place at the Melody Tent in Hyannis on Cape Cod, MA.  Organized by the Sons of Erin and the Cape Cod St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee, it’s a great day and night of Irish music and dancing, food vendors and crafts.

The 25th Lowell Folk Festival takes place in Lowell, MA on July 29-31 in downtown Lowell’s National Park.  Featuring six stages of traditional ethnic music, authentic crafts, ethnic foods and activities for children, this year’s Festival features Irish traditional band Dervish, along with various performers representing dozens of cultures.

On September 3-5, the 13th annual Newport Waterfront Irish Festival takes place at the Newport Yachting Center in downtown Newport, RI.  This Labor-Day festival features fiddle star Eileen Ivers and her band Immigrant Soul, the Screaming Orphans, Makem & Spain Brothers, and more.  There’s a special snug package available this year that provides VIP amenities and opportunities for guests.

On September 16-18, the 36th annual New Hampshire Highland Games take place at Loon Mountain, NH.  Billed as the largest Scottish gathering in the northeast, the Highland Games includes continuous Scottish music and dancing, athletic games, bagpipe bands, arts and crafts and plenty of Scottish food and beverages, vendors, and family-activities.

 For details on other concerts and dances, theater and literary events, cultural activities and festivities year round, visit IrishMassachusetts.com. 

To find out about Irish-American heritage and history in Boston, visit IrishHeritageTrail.com. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Declan Crowley is new Cultural Programming Manager at the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston

-
Image
The Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston (ICC) has announced the appointment of Declan Crowley as its new Cultural Programming Manager. Declan's primary role will be to curate a diverse lineup of Irish, Irish-American, and Celtic artists to perform at the Centre throughout the year, from musicians, singers and dancers to writers, filmmakers, historians and artists, while catering to a wide audience of people who cherish Irish culture. Crowley brings a wealth of experience and artistic vision to his new role.  Originally from Burnt Hills, NY, he is an eight-time Regional, two- time National, and All-Ireland Champion Irish dancer, as well as a two-time silver and bronze medal holder at the World Championships and a NFAA youngArts™️ Silver Medalist in World Dance, Crowley began touring internationally with Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” in 2009, where he played the principal role of ‘Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord’ until 2013. While completing his B.A. in English at the College
Read more

General Edward L. Logan, Namesake of Boston's Logan International Airport

-
Image
General Edward L. Logan (1875-1939), namesake of Boston’s Logan International Airport , died on July 6 1939 from a sudden 'heart ailment.'  His brother, Reverend Leo J. Logan, presided over the funeral mass at the Gate of Heaven Church in South Boston, with tributes by leading politicians like Senator David I. Walsh , former Massachusetts Governor and Boston Mayor James M. Curley and former Mayor John F. Fitzgerald .  Logan is buried at the Calvary Cemetery in West Roxbury.  A first generation Irish-American, military leader, civic leader and municipal judge with family roots in Galway and South Boston,  Edward was the oldest of nine children of Lawrence and Catherine (O’Connor), according to Michael Cummings of Milton, an expert on the Logan Family. Edward’s father Lawrence immigrated to Boston from Ballygar, County Galway, in 1858, and became a successful businessman at a young age when he became president of the Boston Brewing Company in South Boston.  The family resided a
Read more

"Blazing the Trail" depicts early Irish filmmaking, showing on November 23 in Brookline

-
Image
The Boston Irish Film Festival is presenting a fresh new look at early Irish filmmaking with the presentation of Blazing the Trail: The Story of the Kalem Film Company in Ireland. The multimedia event takes place on Monday, November 23, 2009, at the historic Coolidge Corner Theater at 290 Harvard Street in Brookline, MA, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The project was created by film scholar and director Peter Flynn, founder of the Boston Irish Film Festival , and produced by Dawn Morrissey. They will show a selection of rarely-seen films from the early 20th century, as well as several short films that put the historical film in retrospect and modern context. Live music will be interspersed between the films to create an old-time Nickelodeon atmosphere. Musicians are pianist Peter Freisinger and vocalists Victoria Hayes and Liz Hayes. There is also a chance to win free tickets to this premier event through the Boston Irish Tourism Association . Tickets to the show are $9.75 and are availa
Read more