Irish Massachusetts

"For sixty years, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann – Irish Musicians Association – has been spreading the gospel of traditional Irish music all over the world, setting up over 400 community-based branches, including 44 in North America. Today many consider Comhaltas to be one of Ireland’s most successful cultural groups, having trained generations of Irish to study, perform, promote and preserve traditional Irish culture. Tens of thousands of youngsters have learned to play music on traditional instruments, while over two million people attend the sessions, concerts, festivals and workshops sponsored by Comhaltas annually."   Read the full article by Michael Quinlin in Irish America Magazine. 

  Jazz and roots singer Madeleine Peyroux is returning to Boston on Friday, October 7, 2011 for a 7:30 p.m. concert at the Berklee Performance Center in the Back Bay.   You can purchase tickets here, or enter the MassJazz Contest to win a pair of tickets.   The singer/songwriter, who garnered acclaim for her rich interpretations of Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf, has a new album, Standing on the Rooftop , which includes eight original compositions and covers of songs by Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan and the Beatles.   Directions to Berklee Performance Center located at 136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston. For year round jazz concerts,  festivals,  brunches, campus events and other jazz-related activities across Massachusetts, visit MassJazz.com . For tourist information visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com .

Séan McCan n , a founding member of Great Big Sea , performing with his group, The Committed, at the Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury, Massachusetts on Thursday, October 6, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $25 and can be purchased online .  Also, the Boston Irish Tourism Association is raffling off two pairs of tickets to this special show.  If you want to enter the contest, visit the Contest Page . McCann, a talented singer/songwriter from Newfoundland who excels on the guitar and bodhran, is joined on this tour by two veteran Canadian musicians: Kelly Russell on concertina, fiddle and tin whistle; and Craig Young on slide guitar, mandolin and background vocals. For more upcoming concerts at the Blue Ocean Music Hall, click here . For ongoing cultural activities in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

by Michael Quinlin Like the history of the Irish in Boston itself, the Irish Social Club of Boston has an illustrious story.  The Club dates back to June 27, 1945, when it was first incorporated as a non-profit group by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  It operated out of  Hibernian Hall in Dudley Square, Roxbury, where the Club held Sunday afternoon ceili dances each week, created step dancing feisanna for children, and beginning in 1962, organized charter flights from Boston to Ireland for its members. Founding members included Nora (O'Brien) Hart, the first president of the Irish Social Club, who died in 1946, and Mary Concannon, who was described as the 'heart and soul of the organization' until her death in 1975. The early days of the Irish Social Club were vibrant, as returning GIs from World War II and a new generation of Irish immigrants vitalized the Boston Irish community.  This was particularly true about Dudley Street in Roxbury where the ...

The Black Rose Pub in Boston has live Irish music this afternoon and evening  - Saturday, September 24, 2011. The action kicks off at 4:00 p.m. with Dublin singer Tom O'Carroll performing downstairs.  Then at 9:30 p.m the Celtic Clan perform downstairs while the McTaggerts play in the upstairs room. Now celebrating its 35th year, the Black Rose Pub has live Irish music seven days a week.The Rose opened at 160 State Street in Boston in 1976, when Richard Ford was US President and a few months before Faneuil Hall first opened.  Since then it has gained a world-wide following, and offers live Irish music seven nights a week, a great menu and drinks selection , and a special ambiance that keeps people coming back. For a schedule of upcoming entertainment click here . Today the Black Rose Pub is owned by Glynn Hospitality Group , a family-run business with roots in County Galway, which has eight dining and entertainment locations in Boston.  You can f...

Boston accordion master Joe Derrane   is the subject of a lecture by Earl Hitchner this evening at Gasson Hall, Boston College campus, on Thursday, September 22, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Afterwards, Derrane will play some tunes with mandolinist John McGann, professor of strings at Berklee College of Music, and Seamus Connolly , All-Ireland fiddle player and head of the Gaelic Roots Irish Music program at Boston College. The event is free and open to the public. For more details on Boston College's Gaelic Roots fall schedule, click here . For year round information on Irish music, dancing, theatre, literary events, as well as Irish gift shops, pubs, cultural centers and more, visit IrishBoston.org .

Legendary Irish singer and songwriter Paul Brady is performing at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI, on Thursday, September 22, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the show. To reserve tickets call 401 725-9272. Brady , from Strabane, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, has been a seminal figure in Irish music since the 1960s, melding Irish traditional music with folk, rock and jazz while maintaining a distinctly Irish sound.  His songs have been recorded by various artists including Bonnie Raitt, Tina Turner, and Carlos Santana. For a full schedule of great musical events this season at Blackstone River Theatre, click here . For year round information on Irish music, dance, theater, culture and special events, visit IrishMassachusetts.com.

Famed Irish tenor Ronan Tynan is performing at the Rogers Center at Merrimack College in North Andover on Satuday, October 1, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the concert are $35 ($32 for seniors) and can be reserved online . Also, the Boston Irish Tourism Association is raffling off three pairs of tickets to lucky contestants who enter the contest .   The winners will be announced on the site on Thursday, September 29. Tynan is an inspirational figure and rare talent who has gained a loyal following of music lovers that crosses generations and musical genres. He has performed before presidents and prime ministers, and in opera houses and ballparks, including Fenway Park and  Yankee Stadium. The Rogers Center for the Arts is a magnificent, 600 seat concert venue with wonderful acoustics and a welcoming ambiance.  For a complete schedule of upcoming events, click here . For year round information on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts and the New Englan...

One hundred and thirty bagpipe bands from across Canada and the United States are convening at the 36th annual New Hampshire Highland Games at Loon Mountain this weekend, September 16-18, 2011. Many of the bands and individual pipers are competing in competitions taking place on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m on Sunday, with the Pipe Band awards and closing ceremonies taking place on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. For a complete schedule of this year's Highland Games, click here . For tourist information, including hotels, restaurants, and sightseeing opportunities, visit New Hampshire Travel & Tourism .  For year round details on Irish and Celtic activities in Massachusetts and the New England region, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Singer Shane Dunn is performing at the Four Green Fields Pub in Boston on Saturday, September 17, 2011, at 8:00 p.m., as part of the pub's Halfway to St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Four Green Fields opened in Boston in February 2011 and is located at One Boston Place , at the corner of School and State Street.  It's near Boston City Hall and the Massachusetts State House, and a block from the Irish Famine Memorial on Boston's Irish Heritage Trail . You can follow Four Green Fields on Facebook . For year round information on Irish festivals, parades, concerts, sessions, pubs, gift shops and heritage sites, visit IrishBoston.or g. For tourist information, visit BostonUSA.co m.

The 36th annual New Hampshire Highland Games is taking place this weekend, on September 16-18, 2011 at Loon Mountain. The three-day event features a rich assortment of Scottish music, dancing, athletic competitions, and other cultural activities for people of all ages.  For a schedule of music and dance performances click here . You can get full details on visiting New Hampshire, including hotel information, local restaurants, and other fun things to do, by visiting New Hampshire Travel & Tourism , or by calling (603) 271-2665.

Joshua Tree The Black Rose Pub , Boston's most famous Irish pub,  is celebrating halfway to St. Patrick's Day n Saturday, September 17, 2011, featuring Joshua Tree , the premier tribute band to U2, who perform starting at 9:30 p.m. The event is part of the world-famous Black Rose 35th anniversary celebrations taking place in 2011. The Rose opened at 160 State Street in Boston in 1976, when Richard Ford was US President and a few months before Faneuil Hall first opened.  Since then it has gained a world-wide following, and offers live Irish music seven nights a week, a great menu and drinks selection , and a special ambiance that keeps people coming back. Today the Black Rose Pub is owned by Glynn Hospitality Group , a family-run business with roots in County Galway, which has eight dining and entertainment locations in Boston.  You can follow Black Rose Pub on Facebook , or visit the BlackRose web site . For a full schedule of Irish activities in greater ...

The Mediaeval Baebes , one of Britain's most popular singing ensembles, is performing at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $28 in advance and $32 the day of the show.  To make reservations, call 401 752 9271. Formed in 1990, Mediaeval Baebes has revived a rich opus of medieval music from across Europe, as well as poetry set to music and original compositions.  The musicians capture the medieval sound using vintage instruments like the auto-harp, hurdy gurdy, and recorder alongside the guitar, violin and piano. This show opens the 11th season of the Blackstone River Theatre, one of New England's most innovative cultural programming venues.  For a full list of concerts taking place, visit Blackstone River Theatre . For music and cultural activities throughout the year in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum is opening a new exhibit on Wednesday, September 14, 2011, entitled In Her Voice: Jacqueline Kennedy The White House Years .  The exhibit is based on an oral history series of conversations in 1964 between Mrs. Kennedy and historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., in which she speaks about her years at the White House and about President Kennedy. Caroline Kennedy , president of the JFK Library Foundation , is releasing the interviews in a new book, Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy , schedule for publication on September 14, 2011.  To read an interview with Caroline Kennedy in Parade Magazine, click here . For details on upcoming events at the JFK Library, click here . For year round information on Irish culture, heritage, and history in the Boston area, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Huntington Theatre Company , celebrating its 30th season,  is presenting Candide by Voltaire from September 10 through October 16 2011.  Featuring Leonard Bernstein's soaring score and lyrics from some of the wittiest writers of all time, this acclaimed new production directed by the Tony Award-winning Mary Zimmerman ( Metamorphoses ) enchants with some of the most memorable music ever written for Broadway. For ticket and seating information, click here . Check out the full schedule of Huntington Theater Company's 2011-2012 season . For more cultural activities in Massachusetts throughout the year, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .