The Young Irelanders
By Michael Quinlin
St. Patrick’s Day season takes up the entire month in New England, as hundreds of events take place celebrating Irish heritage. Here is a selection of cultural activities worth supporting through the month of March.
MUSIC AND DANCE
On March 10, the Irish Balladeers perform a family show at the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester.
Singer Karan Casey of Country Waterford performs at Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI on March 10, followed by the High Kings on Sunday, March 11.
On March 11, Dublin Irish Dance: Stepping Out, comes to Mechanics Hall in Worcester. Featuring champion Irish dancers and musicians, the show is framed in a narrative that begins with pre-Famine rural Ireland and ends up in America.
Téada, featuring fiddler Oisin Mac Diarmada and accordion master Seamus Begley, comes to the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton on March 11.
On Wednesday, March 14, rollicking Scottish band the Red Hot Chilli Pipers play at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH.
St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn with radio host Brian O’Donovan comes to Showcase Live in Foxboro on March 14, The Cabot Theatre in Beverly on March 15; Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in New Bedford on March 16; and two shows at Sanders Theatre in Harvard Square, Cambridge on Saturday, March 17.
On March 16, the Silver Spears Irish Show Band performs at the 49th annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon sponsored by Division 8 AOH in Lawrence.
On March 17 Irish band Gypsy Reel, led by Claudine Langille, performs at the Sitting Bull Lounge, and later at the Killarney Irish Pub, both in Ludlow, VT.
The mighty Chieftains, Ireland’s foremost traditional ensemble for half a century, perform at Lynn Auditorium in Lynn on March 18.
Also on March 18, the Young Irelanders, exceptional musicians and dancers from Ireland, perform at the Rogers Center for the Arts at Merrimack College.
Celtic Nights: Ocean of Hope comes to The Cabot in Beverly on Saturday, March 24, telling a compelling story of immigrants moving across oceans to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
LECTURES/ON STAGE
The Greater Boston Stage Company presents Frank McCourt’s compelling cabaret, The Irish and How They Got That Way, from March 8-25 in Stoneham.
On March 11, Penn Rhodeen discusses his book about Bruce Morrison, entitled “Peacerunner: The True Story of How an Ex-Congressman Helped End the Centuries of War in Ireland,” at Lawrence State Park Visitors Center.
FILM
The annual Irish Film Festival Boston the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square runs from March 22-25, featuring an A-list of feature films, shorts and documentaries that define contemporary Ireland. The documentary, “It’s Not Dark Yet,” tells the story of Irish filmmaker Simon Fitzmaurice, who was diagnosed with ALS and continued to make films even through complete physical incapacitation.
On March 24, an all-day Irish Film Festival, organized by AOH Division 8, runs at Lawrence heritage State Park, featuring the best Hollywood favorites on the Irish.
PARADES
Cape Cod: Saturday, March 10 at 11 a.m. Lawrence: Saturday, March 10 at 1 p.m. Providence, RI: Saturday, March 10 at Noon. Worcester: Sunday, March 11 at Noon. Newport, RI: Saturday, March 17 at 11 a.m. Abington: Sunday, March 18 at 1 p.m. Boston: Sunday, March 18 at 1 p.m. Holyoke: Sunday, March 18 at Noon. Scituate: Sunday, March 18 at 1 p.m.
IRISH HERITAGE TRAIL TOUR
The Boston Irish Tourism Association offers guided tours of the Irish Heritage Trail on March 17 and 18, led by experienced history guide Ted Kulik. Covering 300 years of Boston’s illustrious Irish history, the 75 minute walking tour starts at the visitor center on Boston Common, and tickets can be purchased at the visitor center or IrishHeritageTrail.com. More details at IrishMassachusetts.com.
