Irish Massachusetts

Irish Heritage Month  in Lawrence comes to a close on Sunday, March 29, 2015, when George and Terri Kelley present their annual concert,  Ireland in Song , at the  Lawrence Public Library  on Lawrence Street .   Sponsored by the Irish Foundation and the Friends of the Lawrence Public Library, the concert begins at 2:00 p.m. and is free and open to the  public.  The Kelleys are long-time entertainers in the Merrimack Valley area who were inspired to take up Irish music after meeting the late  Larry Reynolds , a Galway fiddler who settled in Waltham.  Here is a  story in the Andover Townsman  about the married couple.  Irish Heritage Month in Lawrence was created by the men's and women's chapters of the Ancient Order of Hibernians,  Division 8 .  The month-long celebration of the city's Irish-American heritage includes a series of lectures, exhibits, concerts, film screenings, and socia...

Former U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion  Hanneke Cassel  teams up with virtuoso contemporary cellist Mike Block and guitarist Keith Murphy at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI on Saturday, March 28, 2015, starting at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at the door. The concert features innovative Scottish and Irish fiddle music and songs from Eastern Canada and Quebec . Here is a schedule of upcoming events at Blackstone River Theatre . For year round details on Irish and Scottish activities in New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Excitement is building for the new Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate , which opens its doors to the public on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. We spoke with Bill DeWalt, Executive Vice President & Museum Director, about Boston ’s newest visitor attraction. How influential was the late Senator Ted Kennedy in shaping the Institute’s vision and mission? Certainly, the Senator was very involved with the conceptualization and initial planning of the Institute. He even kept a model of the building on his dining room table. His wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, who is the co-founder of the Institute and the president of our board, has done a masterful job leading us to where we are today. Although the Institute bears Senator Kennedy’s name and is infused with his love of public service, he was very clear that he did not want this to be a memorial to him. He wanted the Institute to be a non-partisan center of learning about the important role that the United ...

The annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Lawrence , MA is taking place on Saturday, March 28, 2015, beginning at 1:00 p.m.  The parade starts at the intersection of Essex and Amsbury Streets and proceeds through town, ending at Market and Loring Streets. This year's grand marshall is Tom Murphy. The parade had previously been set for March 8, but that was postponed due to the weather.  You can also follow the parade on facebook. For more about the Irish community in Lawrence. visit the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 8, Lawrence website . For year round information on Irish activities in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Photo by Caitlin Cunningham, 2014 On March 10, 2015, the Gaelic Roots program at Boston College presented "From an Irish Country Kitchen to the World Stage: Celebrating Irish Music and Dance with Live Performance, Historical Images and Commentary."   Here are video clips from the sold-out show .  This celebration of Irish music and dance is part of the Alumni Education Events series at Boston College. The program was hosted by master fiddle player Séamus Connolly , Sullivan Artist-in-Residence in Irish Programs at the college, and Kieran Jordan , an award-winning performer, choreographer, and teacher in the field of Irish dance.  Find out more about Irish programs at Boston College . For year round details on greater Boston's Irish community, visit IrishBoston.org .

St. Patrick's Day parades continue in Massachusetts this Sunday, March 22, 2015, as the nation's most Irish state continues its month-long celebration of Ireland's patron saint. The Abington parade begins at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday in Abington Center at the corner of Orange and Washington Streets. The Holyoke parade at 11:00 a.m. starting at the K Mart Plaza. There are two more remaining St. Patrick's Day parades after this weekend: one in Lawrence on Saturday, March 28, and the final one in Scituate on Sunday, April 12. Find year round details on Irish cultural events in Massachusetts at IrishMassachusetts.com .

Dervish and the Burren : talk about a natural symmetry.  Since 1989, Dervish has been hailed as one of the top traditional music bands in Ireland , touring the world and creating a body of work that captures the essence of Irish dance music and song.  Since 1996, the Burren Pub in Somerville has been America ’s Irish music headquarters, offering nightly music sessions and an exceptional concert series. Dervish  performs at the Burren on Sunday, March 22, 2015, but both shows have already sold out, a testament to the band's popularity in greater Boston.   The concerts are part of the Burren Backroom Series , which gives Irish music fans a perfect opportunity to see world class music played in an up-close, intimate setting.  It was founded by Burren owners Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello – two excellent musicians in their own right – and is hosted by Brian O’Donovan of WGBH Celtic Sojourn. Dervish is no stranger to the Burren, having play...

Check out the Boston Irish Heritage Trail tour today on the Boston Common, starting at 1:00 p.m. Led by tour guide Ted Kulik, the tour takes you on over 300 years of Boston Irish history, from the Revolutionary era to the present time. The trail was featured on this morning's St. Patrick's Day coverage on New England Cable News . For more about the state's Irish community and activities, check Travel & Culture Guide  or following IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston  presents its annual show, A Little Bit of Ireland , on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15, 2015 at the Robinson Theater in Waltham.  Tickets to the show range from $35-$63, and are available online .  Discounted group tickets are available by calling 781 891 5600. Now in its 17th year, A Little Bit of Ireland showcases the best features of Irish culture, especially its music, song, humor and dance.  This years performance features Broadway stars Rick Hilsabeck and Sarah Pfisterer, along with comedian Jerry Walker, the Harney Academy of Irish Dance, the Massachusetts Harp Ensemble, Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and a full choir. For details on other Irish events in greater Boston this month, visit IrishBoston.org

Film actor and Northern Ireland native Liam Neeson has done the narration for Tourism Ireland 's St. Patrick's Day video, entitled The World Goes Green on St. Patrick's Day . Neeson says,  ‘I’m delighted to be helping Tourism Ireland celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  It will be wonderful to see the world turn green again on the 17 th  of March as nations come together to celebrate the fun and warmth of the Irish.” For information about traveling to Ireland, visit Ireland.com .  To find out about the Irish cultural scene in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . 

The Beehive , known for its live jazz, blues and world music, is featuring the Irish band Cat & The Moon , on Wednesday, March 11, 2015 to celebrate the St. Patrick's Day season. Inspired by Irish, Celtic and Bluegrass music, Cat & The Moon is a lively ensemble specializing in upbeat jigs and reels with jazz and classical riffs. Beehive's executive chef, Marc Orflay is offering an Irish-inspired menu that includes Grilled lamb and colcannon mashed potatoes and Finnan Haddie Smoked Fish & Chips. The Beehive is located at 541 Tremont Street in Boston's South End and is open from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. For more Irish activities in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org .

The Irish Film Festival Boston celebrates its 15th anniversary in March 2015, as one of New England’s premier ethnic film festivals and also one of Ireland ’s most representative film festivals abroad.  We talked with Dawn Morrissey, director of the festival. Congratulations to IFFB for reaching 15 years! How do you account for the festival’s longevity? We show great films and have a huge loyal following, I know people who have been attending the festival since its inception. We also have stellar volunteers, and are lucky to have the backing of so many Irish groups both here in the US and Ireland . It benefits us that we are a not for profit organization also. It also helps that we were included in Moviemaker Magazine’s list of 20 Coolest Film festivals in the World in 2010. Toth Branding gave us “ Clover” our sheep logo - that has made a huge difference to our reputation globally. The Mayor of Somerville, MA awarded the festival with an official citation f...

The Chieftains , recognized as one of Ireland's greatest traditional ensembles in a generation is performing at the Fine Arts Center at University of Massachusetts in Amherst on Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets range from $10 - $60 and can be purchased at the venue. The Boston Irish Tourism Association gave a way a free pair of tickets to the show, plus a free night at the famous Lord Jeffery Inn on the Amherst Common, courtesy of the Fine Arts Center . Here are directions to the Fine Arts Center on UMass/Amherst campus. Formed in 1962 by uilleann piper Paddy Moloney, the band has flourished for 50+ years, traveling the world and serving as ambassadors to Ireland and its culture. Here is a profile of The Chieftains . For year round information on Irish cultural events in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA) has released its annual Travel & Culture Guide , a compendium of cultural events in Massachusetts and travel tips to Ireland. The Guide is available to read online , and starting March 10, copies of the Guide are available at visitor centers and cultural venues around Massachusetts.  The Guide has a schedule of St. Patrick's Day parades , Irish Heritage Trail guided tours , concerts and dances, literary and museum activities and hospitality news. Several people are profiled in this issue, including Boston Pops Maestro Keith Lockhart , Irish Festival Festival Boston Director Dawn Morrissey , Sligo Man of the Year Bill McGowan , and Edward M. Kennedy Institute Museum Director Bill DeWalt . Also featured in this issue: details on the William B Yeats celebrations in June, marking the 150th anniversary of the poet's birth; and information on Ireland's Wild Atlantic West promotion from Cork to Donegal. Find year round ...

Rowman & Littlefield $14.95 paperback /$13.95 eBook / 280 pages / March 2015 “A lovely gathering of lyrical, lively writings.” – The Book Watch (March 2, 2015) Rowman & Littlefield has just published Tales from the Emerald Isle and Other Green Shores: Classic Irish Stories, edited by Michael Quinlin. First published in 2005 by Lyons Press, this 10 th anniversary edition includes 20 short stories and excerpts from a variety of master short story writers.   In his Introduction, Michael Quinlin writes, “While other nations have cultivated visual arts, architecture or even cuisine to define their civilizations this race of storytellers has always used language to express the deepest dimension s of their cultural identity.” The writers in this volume include: Liam O'Flaherty, Arthur Conan Doyle, William Butler Yeats, Sarah Orne Jewett, George Moore, Frank Mathew, Samuel Lover, Bram Stoker, Katharine Tynan, Ellis N. Myles, Finley Peter Dunne, T. ...

(Image courtesy of Cape Cod St. Patrick's Parade) As a lead-up to St. Patrick's Day, check out these events taking place in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on March 7-8, 2015. Saturday/ March 7 The St. Patrick’s Parade on Cape Cod kicks off at 11 am this work, starting in South Yarmouth and traveling two miles down to West Yarmouth .  Celebrity guests this year include New England Patriot running back Jonas Gray and Channel Five meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon . As part of Lawrence Irish Heritage Month , check out the 144th annual Saint Patrick’s Day Banquet & Dance at the Fireman Association Hall in Lawrence , starting at 6 pm.  The evening includes a traditional corned beef & cabbage dinner, music by the Jolly Tinkers, and awards to deserving recipients. The Irish Cultural Centre in  Canton  presents an Evening of Story & Song with Kate Chadbourne , starting at 6pm.  The popular singer, storyteller and poet is an expert on C...

St. Patrick's Day is being celebrated in style on Cape Cod as the Chatham Fiddle Company presents "Voices of Poetry, Voices of Erin," on Friday, March 6, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $15, or $5 for students (and under 21). The poets include Jeanette de Beauvoir, Kevin Carey, Maggie Cleveland and Lee Roscoe, while musicians include Rose Clancy on fiddle, Stuart Peak on guitar, Rev. Edmund Robinson and Pheobe Schraft on harp.  The Chatham Fiddle Company is owned by Rose Clancy , a well-regarded instrument maker and traditional musician.  Her father is Gene Clancy of the well-known musical family from County Armagh.  Find year round details on Irish activities in New England by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com .   

Governor Charlie Baker proclaimed March 2015 to be Irish Heritage Month in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. For a schedule of upcoming cultural activities throughout the Commonwealth, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For information about visiting Massachusetts, go to MassVacation.com .