Irish Massachusetts

Christmas with the Celts at City Winery  Boston Irish Tourism Association has listed dozens of great holiday concerts leading up to Christmas on its December calendar page . Concerts range from the Boston Pops Holiday concerts at Boston Symphony Hall and numerous Christmas shows at  Mechanics Hall in Worcester throughout  Newport, RI . Performers in various Irish & Celtic holiday shows include Canadian group Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy , the Celtic Tenors , Christmas with the Celts featuring Nashville star Nic Blair and  A Christmas Celtic Sojourn with Brian O'Donovan. Venues with lots of Christmas and Irish music include the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland and RI, the Irish Cultural Centre of New England in Canton, MA, and the Lynn Auditorium  and City Winery in Boston. You can also find stories on these events in the winter issue of Travel & Culture magazine, which you can pick up for free at these venues.

The Cabot Theatre in Beverly present premier Canadian band Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy performing A Celtic Family Christmas at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 2, 2017. Tickets are $38.50 - $58.50 and can be purchased online . Also, you can enter a contest to win a pair of free tickets from the Boston Irish Tourism Association.  Deadline ends tonight and winners are announced on Thursday, November 30. A Celtic Family Christmas intersperses classic Christmas songs with timeless Celtic melodies by two of Canada's leading traditional musicians.  Five of their six children are also musicians and perform in the show. Here are upcoming concerts at The Cabot . Find year round information on Celtic music and culture at IrishMassachusetts.com .

Tourism Ireland has released a new video entitled "Ireland in 60 Seconds," a colorful recap of Ireland's many natural, historical and cultural charms. "Take a minute to find out what you've been missing in Ireland" reads the promo. Watch the video here: Find out more stories about Ireland from the Boston Irish Tourism Association.

Erika Damiani of Tir Na Nog   The Blackstone River Theatre 's 18th annual Homecoming Concert and Silent Auction takes place at 6:30  p.m. on Saturday, November, 25, 2017 in Cumberland RI.  Tickets are $20 .  The concert features Atwater-Donnelly, Evelyn Cournoyer, Eastern Medicine Singers, Torrin Ryan, Mary Lee Partington & Ed Sweeney and the Vox Hunters, as well as an Irish session set with local musicians and dancers, including Tir Na Nog's Erika Damiani. Auction prizes include CDs, jewelry, original artwork, Christmas gifts and gift certificates.  100% of proceeds go to the Blackstone River Theatre for year-round programming and operating expenses. Read more about Blackstone's Executive Director Russell Gusetti here. Here is a schedule of upcoming concerts at Blackstone River Theatre . For year round details on Celtic cultural activities in New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Boston Irish Tourism Association has a nice selection of Irish books that make perfect gifts for the Christmas season.  Visit the Gift Shop here.  Prices listed include postage/handling charges. The books include:   ⬐ Irish Boston : A Lively Look at Boston ’s Colorful Irish Past, $20 ⬐  Irish Writing in the 20th Century: A Reader $45 ⬐  Rose Kennedy's Family Album $45 ⬐  Elegant Irish Dining $35 ⬐  Tales from the Emerald Isle and Other Green Shores:  Classic Irish Stories, $16 Orders placed via PayPal or by check will be shipped within 24 hours via United States Postal Service (USPS). Follow Irish cultural activities year round at IrishBoston.org .

The AIG Fenway Hurling Classic and Irish Festival ,supported by Aer Lingus , is taking place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 19, 2017 at Fenway Park in Boston. This year's hurling competition debuts a new three-game tournament championship format, featuring two semi-final matches followed by a final match where two teams go head to head for the championship trophy.  Counties Clare, Dublin, Galway and Tipperary are the teams represented this year. In addition, families can enjoy an Irish festival of music, dance and fun prior to the competitions right in the park.  Performers include the Burren Traditional Band, Brian Boru Pipe Band from Cape Cod and U2 tribute band Joshua Tree.  Fenway   Park is one of America's most iconic sporting venues with a distinguished history of hosting  Irish sporting events at the park .   Read about  Charles Logue , an Irish immigrant from County Derry who built Fenway Park in 1912. ...

Boston ’s Irish PastoralCentre celebrates its 30 th anniversary with a Gala Event on Saturday, November 18 at Florian Hall in Dorchester .  Tickets are $100 and can be purchased online or at the hall, which is located at 55 Hallet Street. Special guests and honorees include former Vatican Ambassador and Boston Mayor Ray Flynn and Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald , Ireland ’s deputy head of government.  Music is by Irish band Devri .  The Centre was founded in 1987, when young Irish were emigrating due to a faltering economy. Co-founders Fr. Dan Finn and Sr. Veronica Dobson operated the Centre at St. Mark’s Parish in Dorchester and St. Columbkille in Brighton . In 2012 the Centre moved to St. Brendan’s Parish in Dorchester . Read profile of IPC's 25th anniversary . For year round details on the Irish community in Boston, visit IrishBoston.org . 

( BOSTON ) -- The Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA) has released its winter issue of  Travel & Culture , a free magazine that promotes the New England region’s Irish community as well as mainstream cultural events for visitors. Holiday concerts are featured in this issue, with stories on Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart and a round-up of Celtic Christmas shows.  Additionally, St. Patrick’s Day activities are included, from parades and concerts to cultural events. The cover photo features Haley Richardson, one of the performers at this year's A Christmas Celtic Sojourn concerts taking place in Boston, Rockport, Worcester, New Bedford and Providence.  The “Travel Ireland ” section has stories on Irish Christmas markets throughout the country and on a new museum honoring poet Seamus Heaney in County Derry . There are also stories on new upcoming flights to Ireland on Delta Air Lines and Norwegian Air. Other stories include a profil...

The Jeremy Kittel Trio is performing at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 11, 2017.  Tickets are $18 and can purchased at the venue or by calling 401 725-9272. Kittel is an a ward-winning fiddler, violinist, and composer, a master in Celtic, classical, jazz, and bluegrass traditions, according to BRT. He is gifted in fusing and revitalizing these diverse styles. Jeremy was a member of the Turtle Island Quartet for five years. Here is a schedule of upcoming concerts at Blackstone River Theatre. For information on year-round cultural activities in New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

Irish singer Moya Brennan is performing at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton on Thursday, November 9, 2017.  Tickets are $25 general admission ($20 for ICC members) and can be purchased at the door. A native of Donegal,  Moya Brennan  and her band Clannad helped jump start a revival of Irish traditional music in the 1970s, while also shining a spotlight of the rich body of music in the Irish language. Here is a schedule of upcoming activities at the Centre . For year round details on Irish cultural activities, visit IrishBoston.org .

Marty Walsh won a convincing victory over opponent Tito Jackson to secure his second four-year term as Mayor of Boston.  The 50 year old son of Irish immigrants from Connemara, County Galway, was first elected in November 2013.  Since then he has become one of the state's most popular politicians who has built a solid record in affordable housing, economic development, arts & culture, immigrant rights and opportunities for all Boston residents.  Read Marty Walsh's full speech at The Boston Globe site. "Today, I am more determined than ever to make Boston a city where everyone’s dream can come true—a city that’s a hub of opportunity for every individual in every neighborhood," Walsh told his jubilant followers at Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston's Back Bay.  "A city for all of us. That’s what the next four years will be about." Walsh has gained national attention this year for his fierce advocacy of immigrant rights in the Uni...

The Boston Irish Tourism Association is giving away 25 free pairs of tickets to the AIG Fenway Hurling Classic, supported by Aer Lingus , taking place on Sunday, November 19, 2017 in Boston.  Gates open at 11 a.m. and the final match takes place at 3 p.m. Enter the contest here , and we'll notify the winners on Friday, November 17. Or, order your tickets online  now to make sure you're part of this amazing annual event.  There are also special packages for hotel rates and opportunities to meet the players.  Fans are able to get a 10% discount on Aer Lingus flights to attend the match. This year's hurling competition debuts a new three-game tournament championship format, featuring two semi-final matches followed by a final match where two teams go head to head for the championship trophy.  Counties Clare, Dublin, Galway and Tipperary are the teams represented this year. In addition, families can enjoy an Irish festival of music, dance and fun ...