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Showing posts from November, 2013

Irish duo Brendan and Maureen Brown playing at the Burren Pub tonight

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Accordionist Brendan Brown and fiddler Maureen Brown are performing at the Burren Pub, front room, in Davis Square, Somerville, on Saturday, November 30, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. Here's a schedule of upcoming music at the Burren . Find year round Irish activities in greater Boston at IrishBoston.org .

A Celtic Christmas Extravaganza with Cherish the Ladies at Merrimack College on December 6

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The famed Irish traditional ensemble, Cherish the Ladies , is performing A Celtic Christmas Extravaganza at the Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College on Friday, December 6, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are nearly sold out, but you can purchase them by calling the box office at 978 837-5355. Or, take a chance to win a free pair of tickets through Boston Irish Tourism Association . Led by the great flutist Joanie Madden , Cherish the Ladies also includes fiddle great Grainne Murphy from Lowell, Massachusetts.  Here are bios of the band .  Here is a schedule of upcoming concerts at the Rogers Center for the Arts . Find more Irish and Celtic performances by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com . For visitor information go to MassVacation.com .

Lunasa and Karen Casey Performing Christmas from Ireland concert at Mechanics Hall in Worchester on Sunday, December 1

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Irish traditional band Lunasa and singer Karen Casey are presenting a concert entitled Christmas from Ireland at Mechanics Hall in Worcester on Sunday, December 1, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $30 and you can purchase them online . Also, you can win a pair of tickets to the show through Boston Irish Tourism Association .  The winner is being picked on Friday, November 29. Here is a schedule of upcoming concerts at Mechanics Hall . For year round Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Boston Irish group issues free Travel & Culture Guide for the Christmas season and winter

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(Boston) — The Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA) released its annual Travel & Culture Guide of Irish cultural activities in greater Boston and throughout New England.  The 28-page color magazine details upcoming holiday concerts and theater, plus selected Irish pubs, gift shops, cultural venues and hotels for visitors from out-of-town. The Guide is available for free at tourism centers across the state and at museums, hotels, Irish venues and cultural outlets. See distribution centers . This issue of Travel & Culture Guide includes a round up of Christmas and Celtic music concerts in December, plus a calendar of cultural activities through March 2014.  A story on local theater previews Once: The Musical , presented by Broadway In Boston this January, and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest , presented by Moonbox Productions through December.  Also in this issue is an interview with Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, plus p

Irish musicians Claudine Langille and Triona perform at Irish Ceilidhe Club in Cranston RI on Sunday, November 24

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Claudine Langille   Irish musicians Claudine Langille and Triona are performing in concert at the Irish Ceilidhe Club of Rhode Island in Cranston on Sunday, November 24, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets to the concert are $15 and can be purchased at the door. Here are directions to the club . A native of Connecticut with roots in Nova Scotia, Langille is a master on the mandolin and banjo, and a singer/songwriter.  She is equally adept in the music of Ireland, Scotland, Canada's Maritime and American Appalachia. Find more information on upcoming concerts at the Irish Ceilidhe Club .  You can find more information about Irish and Scottish cultural activities in New England by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com .

Comas Irish traditional band performs at Blackstone River Theatre on Saturday, November 23

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Comas , an all-star quartet of Irish traditional musicians, is performing at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are $15 and can be purchased at the theater. The band includes fiddler Aidan Burke, uilleann piper and flutist Isaac Alderson,  guitarist Philip Masure, and bodhran player Jackie Moran. Here is a schedule of upcoming events at Blackstone River Theatre .  Find year round details on Irish cultural activities throughout New England at IrishMassachusetts.com .

Oscar Wilde's classic play, The Importance of Being Earnest, in Boston Through December 14

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Oscar Wilde Moonbox Productions is presenting The Importance of Being Earnest, by Irish playwright O scar Wilde , at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theater in the South End from November 22 through December 14, 2013. Tickets are $30-$35 and can be purchased online .  The classic play, described as a comedy of manners, shows Wilde's wit and sarcasm at its best, as he lampoons the social fashions of 19th century Victorian England. Boston Irish Tourism Association is giving away five pairs of tickets to the December 1 matinee.  Enter the contest here . For more information on Boston's Irish cultural scene year round, visit IrishBoston.org . For visitor information go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .

John F. Kennedy & The Way We Were, November 22, 1963

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“We would like to live as we once lived.  But history will not permit it.” President Kennedy, November 22, 1963 Half a century later, we allow ourselves to be captured in time. To imagine earlier days that must have been better days. It was the time of our life, our nation’s life, when idealism trumped cynicism, when grace and beauty took their rightful place in how we saw ourselves, how the world saw us. Televisions were black and white, just like the battle between good and evil. New frontiers opened up, old prejudices broke down. We felt that anything was possible. The Boston accent, summers on the Cape, boats swaying in the bay, clam bakes and ocean waves. The beauty of youth. It all seemed endless. Fifty years later, we hold our memories gently and remain wistful of that time interrupted. Even now, we carry the promise of possibility in our hearts - from Boston Irish Tourism Association

Congratulations to Caroline Kennedy, US Ambassador to Japan

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Caroline Kennedy was sworn in as the US Ambassador to Japan on Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at the US State Department. At a reception later that evening at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, DC, US Secretary of State John Kerry gave welcoming remarks to those who gathered, saying that the appointment of Ambassador Kennedy to Japan is "a symbol of reconciliation, a symbol of possibilities, a symbol of people who know how to put the past behind them and look to the future and build a future together. That is, in today’s world, both remarkable and beautiful." Ambassador Kennedy made brief remarks at the reception. Kennedy is the honorary president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in Boston.   Her most recent book, Rose Kennedy's Family Album , was published in October, 2013. For year round details on Boston's Irish cultural activities, visit IrishBoston.org .

Boston Irish Pastoral Centre Honors Former Irish President Mary McAleese at Dorchester Banquet on November 16

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The Boston Irish Pastoral Centre is holding its annual banquet at Florian Hall in Dorchester on Saturday, November 16, 2013, starting at 6:30 p.m.  Tickets to the banquet are $100 per person and can be purchased by calling 617 265-5300. Mary McAleese , former President of Ireland, is the special guest of honor at the event.  Music is being performed by Kevin Doherty & Friends , with dancing by the Brady Academy of Irish Dance. Formed in 1987, the Irish Pastoral Centre of Boston celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012, assisting Irish immigrations in making a positive transition to living in the United States.  Read a recent story on the Centre in BITA's Travel & Culture Guide . Find year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com .

Fiddle Champs Hanneke Cassell and Jeremy Kittel Performing with Keith Murphy at Blackstone River Theatre on November 9

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Hanneke Cassel and Jeremy Kittel , both US National Scottish Fiddle champions, are performing along with Newfoundland guitarist Keith Murphy at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI on Saturday, November 9, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets to the show are $15 in advance and $18 at the venue the day of the concert. The trio will perform an array of Scottish and Irish music as well as tunes from the Canadian Maritimes and Quebec. Here is an interview with Cassell, who graduated from the Berklee College of Music. Check out these upcoming events at Blackstone River Theatre . For year round details on Irish and Scottish cultural activities in New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan Sings God Bless America at Marthon Finish Line During Red Sox Celebration

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Famed Irish tenor Ronan Tynan gave an incredible rendition of God Bless America today as Boston Red Sox players paused at the Boston Marathon finish line in Copley Square to remember victims of the marathon bombing in April.  Tynan was on the flatbed truck carrying the Dropkick Murphys , who played throughout the duck boat parade celebrating the team's 2013 World Champions victory in the world series.  A Red Sox blogger captured the performance here . Tynan is performing live at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Sunday afternoon, November 3, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. For more Irish concerts coming up in the Boston area, visit IrishBoston.org .