Irish Massachusetts

The Gaelic Roots Series at Boston College is presenting an Irish Accordion, Fiddle, & Song Concert by Seamus Begley & Oisin Mac Diarmada on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  The concert, which is free and open to the public, takes place at the Walsh Hall Function Room, 150 St. Thomas More Road on BC's campus in Chestnut Hill.  Here are the directions . The program is organized by Seamus Connolly , Sullivan in Residence Artist at Boston College and All-Ireland fiddle champion.   You can find year round details on Irish cultural activities in greater Boston by visiting IrishBoston.org .

New England fiddle star and folk singer Lissa Schneckenburger is performing at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $15 and can be purchased at the door. Also on the stage is Cantrip , a trio of exceptional Scottish and American musicians. For directions to the theatre, click here . For year round details on Irish and Celtic music in Massachusetts and the New England region, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Boston Irish Tourism Association is offering a guided walking tour of Boston's Irish Heritage Trail on Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 12:30 p.m., leaving from the Boston Common Visitor Center at 147 Tremont Street in Downtown Boston Cost of the tour is $15 per adult, $8 for children ages 6-12, and free for children under five. The 75 minute walking tour by an experienced tour guide covers 12 of the 20 stops on the Trail (sites 1-12 on the map).   You’ll discover the Irish role in the Revolutionary War, learn about the 19th century Famine generation and the Irish part in the Civil War.  And you’ll discover famous and infamous politicians - from Curley and White to Collin and the Kennedys - who put their indelible stamp on the history of the city and the nation. Reserve your spot on the tour by filling out the reservation form .  Or, you can also purchase tickets the day of the tour at the front desk of the Boston Common Visitors Informat...

Due to popular demand, the Huntington Theatre Company has extended the run of its production of Kirsten Greenidge's The Luck of the Irish to May 6, 2012.  The added performances are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, May 1 – 3, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, May 4 at 8pm, Saturday, May 5 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 6 at 2 p.m.. The Luck of the Irish plays at the Huntington’s Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End. The play deals with the tensions and perceptions that ensue when a white couple ghost-buys a house in the suburbs for a black couple in the 1950s.  Racial integration in Boston over the past half century, and the longing for place that everyone feels, is examined with sensitivity and care. The Boston Globe says The Luck of the Irish is “superb” and “beautifully realized,” and “Greenidge is a writer of compassion and deep understanding. A [plot] summary does not begin to capture how rich Green...

Irish fiddle champion Seamus Connolly , head of the Gaelic Roots Music Program , is kicking off this year's Arts Festival at Boston College on Thursday, April 26, 2012 at O'Neill Plaza, starting at noon. Connolly , a noted musician, composer and educator, and Sullivan Artist in Residence at BC's Irish Studies Program, will lead an ensemble of Irish teachers and students to perform a 45 minute set of music and dancing. The three-day festival, which runs from April 26-28, 2012, highlights the wealth of music and dance, literature and theatre, film studies and arts at Boston College .  For a full schedule of activities, click here . For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts and the New England region, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Division 8 of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Lawrence, Massachusetts is holding its annual Commemoration of the Great Hunger to take place at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at the Immaculate Conception Cemetery on Barker Street in Metheun.  Guest speaker is Dr. Joe Downs, AOH State Historian. The event is free and open to the public.  Division 8 A.O.H. President William J. Sullivan stated, “It is fitting and appropriate that we pay tribute to the Irish of Lawrence and to the famine descendents who settled in Greater Lawrence. It is our turn to give back to those who gave so much. This monument stands as a testimony to their accomplishments and their lives!” The An Gorta Mor Memorial in Lawrence was formally unveiled on May 6, 2006, thanks to the efforts of the late Dave Burke and members of Division 8 AOH, who raised over $40,000 to create the monument.  Former Boston Mayor and US Ambassador to the Vatican Ray Flynn was guest speaker. For more ...

Berklee College's American Roots Music Program is performing at Club Passim in Harvard Square, Cambridge, on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets to the show range from $5-$10 and are available for purchase online or at the door. The American Roots Music Program was formed at Berklee by faculty members Matt Glaser , Bruce Molsky and the late John McGann . For a full schedule of upcoming concerts at Club Passim, one of America's most beloved folk clubs, click here . For year round details on Irish and Celtic music in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For information on visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com . 

Irish-born author Aine Greaney is reading from her acclaimed novel, Dance Lessons , as part of the Newburyport Literary Festival taking place on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28, 2012 in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Greaney is reading at the Old South Church community hall at 29 Federal Street in Newburyport on Saturday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public. Greaney is being joined by gifted fiddle player Kate Hanlon, who will accompany parts of the reading. Among the other authors at the festival is Scott Alarik, former music reporter for the Boston Globe and author of the book, Deep Community: Adventures in the Modern Folk Underground. For a full schedule of readings at the Newburyport Literary Festival, click here . Find year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts and the New England states by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com . For information on visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com . 

Boston audiences are giving Riverdance a final last hurrah this weekend, as the hit revue of Irish dancing and music makes its final Boston appearance at the Boston Opera House on Sunday, April 15, 2012. On opening night Friday, the troupe received numerous encores and standing ovations, recognizing that Riverdance is finalizing its American performances with this current tour. The show, which has been seen live by over 22 million people, has always been a favorite of the Irish community in Boston and the New England region. In fact, several local dancers and musicians have starred in Riverdance from the area, including World Champion Irish dancers Liam Harney from Walpole and Scott Doherty from Lawrence, and All Ireland accordion play Sean Gannon from Dorchester. The final two performances of Riverdance take place on Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. For ticket information click here . For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachuset...

The Chatham Fiddle Company in Chatham, Cape Cod, is presenting Irish traditional band 4 Core in concert on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at 7:30 p.m.  Suggested donation is $15. The band consists of brothers Tomas and Patrick Bowling on fiddle and flute respectively, Torrin Ryan on uilleann pipes and Stuart Peak on guitar and other plectrum instruments.  Located at 875 Main Street, The Chatham Fiddle Company sells a variety of hand-made traditional stringed musical instruments and carvings, and offers music lessons on several instruments.  The shop presents high quality music concerts throughout the year.  For directions click here . Find year round details on Irish cultural activities taking place in Massachusetts and the New England states by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com . 

Melissa McCarthy Performing at Christmas Celtic Sojourn ( Photo by Vic Dvorak) Congratulations to Melissa McCarthy of Norfolk, Massachusetts, who recently won the prestigious World Irish Dancing Championship that took place at Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland .  She bested other dancers from around the world in the Girls 15-16 age category. The fifteen year old learned to dance at the Harney Academy of Irish Dance in Walpole, founded and led by Liam Harney , himself a World Irish Dancing Champion who was also the lead dancer in Riverdance and a longtime professional dance instructor.  Harney's mother Sally is also an excellent Irish set dancer and teaches at the Academy. Read Rich Fahey's story in the Boston Globe about the Academy and its talented young dancers. For an account of this year's Championships held in Belfast, read Kathleen O'Reilly-Wild's Irish Dance Blog .  The World Irish Dancing Championships are coming to Boston , Ma...

Singer and songwriter Carole King is discussing her new book, Natural Woman, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston on Thursday, April 12, 2012, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.  To register to attend, click here . King gives an excellent interview on NPR about her work as a songwriter, and her hits like Up on the Roof, You've Got a Friend, Tapestry and Natural Woman. To see a full schedule of upcoming events at the JFK Library, click here . For year round details on upcoming concerts, literary events, festivals and other cultural activities, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com . 

Stoney Batter Looking for live Irish music on Friday, April 13, 2012?   Here are some suggestions from Boston Irish Tourism Association . Black RosePub 160 State Street Downtown Boston Popular band Celtic Clan plays downstairs at the Rose, starting at 9:00 p.m., while Sunday's Well takes the stage on the second floor, starting at 9:30 p.m. Burren Pub 247 Elm Street Davis Square Somerville Traditional Irish music takes place in the front room of the Burren, musicians are welcome to join in.  Cherrie Bomb rocks out with tunes from the 70s. Fiddlers Green Hibernian Cultural Centre 19 Temple Street Worcester Traditional Irish band Stoney Batter, based in Ashland, is performing from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with a great selection of traditional dance tunes and songs. Four Green Fields One Boston Place Corner of Washington & State Downtown Boston  Scottish-born singer and songwriter Mick Carr takes the stage playing a hit list of ...

The Gaelic Roots program at Boston College is presenting traditional Irish singer Cathy Ryan in concert with her band on Thursday, April 12, 2012 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  She is joined by Patsy O'Brien on guitar and Matt Mancuso on fiddle.  The concert, which is free and open to the public, takes place at the Walsh Hall function room, located at 150 St. Thomas More Road on the BC campus. For directions, click here . Born in Detroit, Ryan is an exceptional traditional singer who toured for eight years with the Irish ensemble Cherish The Ladies .  Gaelic Roots was founded by Irish fiddle champion Seamus Connolly , Sullivan Arist in Residence at Boston College, as a way to explore the rich traditions of Irish and Celtic music and dance in an academic setting. Connolly was also instrumental in starting the Irish Music Center at BC's John J. Burns Library, which contains thousands of rare and important recordings of traditional Irish music collected by Connolly ...

The  Boston Irish Tourism Association  is giving away a free pair of tickets to see the hit show  Riverdance , which makes its final Boston appearance at the Boston Opera House on April 13-15, 2012.  Enter the contest  and take a chance to win a pair of tickets for the April 13 show.  Or you can  purchase tickets online  to this phenomenal show or call Ticketmaster at 1 800 982-2787. Riverdance  has been seen live by over 22 million people, and changed the way Irish dance was perceived by the entire world.  Don’t miss this final tribute to one of the most successful Irish shows in history. Here's a schedule of upcoming shows by  Broadway in Boston . For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts, visit  IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information visit  MassVacation.com  and  BostonUSA.com .

The United States Census Bureau has released the 1940 records of the US Census, a genealogical treasure-trove for millions of Americans doing family history research. The records, which were released on Monday, April 2, 2012,  are available at the National Archives web site and are free to the public. This is the first time that US Census figures have been initially released digitally. Locally,  The Irish Ancestral Research Association ( TIARA ) in Massachusetts is working with the FamilySearch Research Project to create digital indexes of documents from 1940.  And genealogy expert Michael Brophy is giving a lecture, The Irish in the 1940 Census: Chronicling the Great Depression into World War II,  at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton   on Friday, April 6, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.  To pre-register, contact the ICC Library Committee at  library@irishculture.org . Family history researchers can also purchase from Boston Irish Tourism Assoc...

Kyle Carey , singer, guitarist and composer, is giving a Gaelic Song concert at Club Passim at 47 Palmer Street in Harvard Square, Cambridge, on Monday, April 9, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.   Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online or at the door. The event is part of the Celtic Music Monday Series hosted by Boston's Celtic Music Fest , a non-profit group that promotes Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton music in the greater Boston area. Carey's debut album, Monanagh was produced in Ireland in 2011 and has been critically acclaimed. Her songs mix poetry and storytelling, and cover topics ranging from miner's battles to traditional love songs.  Established in 1958, Passim has been one of the region's most important concert venues for over half a century, presenting both new and well-established artists in genres ranging from folk and Celtic to jazz and blues.  You can find a schedule of concerts coming to Club Passim by clicking here . For year round details o...