New England Celebrates its Irishness in March 2022

 

Danú in Rockport, MA

 New England is decidedly the most Irish-American region in the United States; five of the region’s six states boasts 16-20% of their residents claiming Irish ancestry. 

 That said, here is just a sampling of Irish cultural, culinary and heritage activities during Irish Heritage Month in March. 

Téada in Cumberland, Rhode Island

Blackstone River Theatre

Rhode Island’s popular concert venue presents Rock Hearts, a veteran band of Southern New England bluegrass and old time musicians, at the Theatre on March 12 at 8 p.m. On March 19 at 8 p.m. the Theatre presents Téada 8 p.m., a past winner of "Best Young Irish Traditional Act" at Ireland's Music Awards.  On Saturday, March 26, the Theatre welcomes Mile Twelve, a line-up of five young up-and-coming musicians specializing in bluegrass at 8 p.m.

 Irish Cultural Centre of New England

The hub of Irish culture in greater Boston, the ICCNE presents Irish tenor Paul Byrom, former star of the PBS-group Celtic Thunder, performing a special concert on March 12 at the ICCNE in Canton, starting at 7:30 p.m.  On March 17, the  Centre presents a full day of live Irish music, song and dance, with Simon Lace & Aoife Griffin, For Folks Sake and Jen O'Shea & Friends. Special Dance Guests include Greene O'Leary School, Haley School, Heavey Quinn Academy, Harney Academy.

Tom Garvey Tribute in Lawrence, MA 

Lawrence Heritage Month

The Lawrence AOH chapter has a month of activities in this mill city north of Boston.  On Friday, March 11, the popular Silver Spears Irish Show Band, led by Tim O’Leary, performs at the 51st Annual Saint Patrick's Day Luncheon in Lawrence, starting at Noon.

On Sunday, March 27 Lawrence Heritage Month presents a special tribute to the late great Irish pianist Tom Garvey, with music by pianist Terri Kelley and vocalist Bill Donelan. The concert takes place at the Lawrence Public Library at 2 p.m.

 Shalin Liu Center in Rockport

On Wednesday, March 16, Rockport Music Presents A St. Patrick's Day Celtic Sojourn
with Brian O'Donovan at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport at 8 p.m. This beautiful concert hall overlooking the ocean is renowned for its exquisite acoustical perfection.

On Saturday, March 19, Rockport Music Presents, Danú, one of Ireland’s most cherished Irish traditional bands, at the Shalin Liu Performance Center starting at 8 p.m.

Máiréad Nesbitt in Lynn, MA

Irish Tenors & Máiréad Nesbitt

On Thursday, St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, Lynn Auditorium presents The Irish Tenors In Concert with a full orchestra.  The singers - Ronan Tynan, Anthony Kearns and Declan Kelly - are joined by special guest Máiréad Nesbitt, former fiddle star of Celtic Woman and known a successful soloist.

The Clancy Tradition

Centered around West Chester and Cape Cod, the Clancy Tradition performs at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT on March 19 starting at 7:30 p.m. The band features Armagh’s own Eugene Clancy, Rosemary Clancy, Mike Micanopy, John Clancy and Brendan Dolan.  The Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance also performs.

Celtic Woman

On Thursday March 24, Chevalier Theatre in Medford, MA presents “Celtic Woman: Postcards from Ireland” at 8 p.m. The Grammy-nominated group is considered the most successful all-female Irish group in history.  Celtic Woman also performs at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, ME on Tuesday, March 29 at 7 p.m. and wraps up its New England tour on Wednesday, March 30, at the Flynn Center in Burlington, Vt.

Dancing

 In Canton, the Irish Cultural Center has set dancing every Monday night, starting at 6:30 p.m. with Cate Bracken. On March 19 from 9:30 am - 1 pm, a children’s day is planned with live music by Dave Try and step dancing from the Haley School of Irish Dance.

 In Watertown, Comhaltas holds its popular Watertown Set/Ceili Dance Workshops on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. at the Canadian-American Club in Watertown, led by Sally Harney.

 In West Springfield, the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England presents an Irish Dance Performance on March 17, starting at 5 p.m., featuring the Cassin Academy of Irish Dance and the Black Rose Academy of Irish Dance

 Arts + Community Events

 Through March 20, the Greater Boston Stage Company presents “Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help,” a hilarious play about an Irish Catholic family in New Jersey during the 1970s.

 On March 19, Lawrence Heritage Month presents a free Irish Film Festival at the Lawrence Heritage State Park. 

 Newport’s Irish History Museum on Thames Street offers a number of Irish exhibits about immigration, culture and the Newport Irish experience.  The museum is open weekends on March 11-13 and March 18-20.

 After the Newport parade on March 12, head to the Martin Recreation Center for an alcohol-free, family event that includes bagpipers, Irish step dancers, pirates, face painters, magicians and more.

 Dining

 In Boston, the wildly popular Dine Out Boston annual event runs from March 13-26 and includes 125+ restaurants offering multi-course prix fixe deals on lunch and dinner. 

 In Newport, the Winter Food Stroll takes you to local favorites on Thames Street, starting at O’Brien’s Pub and continuing from there.

Parade in Worcester, MA 

Parades

Boston Irish Tourism Association promotes Irish culture, history, heritage and learning throughout the year in New England. For more details, visit IrishMassachusetts.com.

 This article originally appeared in the Irish Echo newspaper on March 9, 2022.