From time to time we get requests for Irish musicians and Trad players to play at parties, events or pubs.
Sometimes we can help, and sometimes there simply isn't time (especially in March!)
to play intermediary for the musician and the people trying to hire them.
Here's a list - by no means complete, and in completely random order -
of a few Boston based Irish musicians who do gigs.
This page is for informational use only. We are not agents, and do not specifically endorse or recommend any of these performers over any others.
Sometimes we can help, and sometimes there simply isn't time (especially in March!)
to play intermediary for the musician and the people trying to hire them.
Here's a list - by no means complete, and in completely random order -
of a few Boston based Irish musicians who do gigs.
This page is for informational use only. We are not agents, and do not specifically endorse or recommend any of these performers over any others.
If you are a Trad performer and wish to be added to this list, please let us know.
Matt and Shannon Heaton
With engaging stage presence and masterfully-crafted music, Boston-based Matt & Shannon Heaton offer well-travelled Irish music from the heart. Steeped in sessions in County Clare and brewed in the acoustic music scenes of Chicago & Boston, their flute/guitar/bouzouki instrumentals and sweet husband-and-wife harmony singing draw deeply from the Irish tradition.
Matt and Shannon are poised, passionate American performers with Irish roots and universal appeal. |
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NØÍR
Centered around the admiration each musician has for regional European roots music, NØÍR sought to create a unique sound by combining the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle (Hardingfele), Irish fiddle, and Irish uilleann pipes. This new voice, combined with solid rhythmic underpinnings of the bouzouki and guitar, breathes new life into the enduring melodies of their respective traditions.
Mark Oien - Fiddle & Hardanger Torrin Ryan - Uilleann Pipes Stuart Peak - Guitar & Bouzouki |
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Michael O'Leary
Michael O'Leary is a traditional singer of Irish, Scottish and Maritime songs and ballads. He has performed at the Boston Celtic Music Festival, the Irish Connections Festival, the New England Folk Festival, The Volvo Ocean Race Festival, the Gloucester Seaport Festival, Salem Maritime Festival. He has sung with the groups The Beggar Boys, Corner House and Urban Myth and is a chanty singer on the Gloucester based schooner the Thomas E. Lannon. He has studied traditional Irish singing with, among others, Frank Harte, Andy Irvine, Niamh Parsons, Aoife Clancy and Tim Dennehy. Michael hosts Celtic music sails on the schooner Lannon out of Gloucester, and hosts Celtic music sessions at The Landing in Manchester, MA,
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NorthEast Céilí Band
Formed in June of 2004, the NECB is comprised of musicians from the Boston and New York areas who have played together extensively in the past, and who appreciate ceili band playing as a particular skill within the broader spectrum of Irish traditional music.
The band provides music for the dancers on "Cape Cod Ceili Weekend", which takes place every January at the Cape Cod Irish Village. Mike Flanagan, Rosemary Flanagan, Tara Lynch, Pat Reynolds, Kevin Killeen, Kieran Flanagan, and Bill Black |
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The Ivy Leaf
Joey Abarta
Joey Abarta has spent the last sixteen years touring North America, Europe, and Asia, teaching and performing music on the uilleann pipes, the irish bagpipe. His musical skills have been further honed by several visits to Ireland, a year-long stint working in Japan, and continuing relationships with master pipers. In August of 2009, Joey’s accomplished playing won him an All-Ireland championship, placing second worldwide at the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann. In the fall of 2014 Joey became the first American uilleann piper to win first prize at the An tOireachtas, one of the biggest competitions for traditional music in the world. In 2015 Joey was honored to be a recipient of a traditional arts apprenticeship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council meaning he was awarded a grant to teach his art to the next generation.
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Stanley and Grimm
Fiddler Nikki Engstrom and guitarist and singer Sean Brennan have been playing throughout New England as the duo Stanley & Grimm at concerts, house parties, pubs and festivals. Nikki and Sean made their debut appearance as Stanley & Grimm at the 2005 Cape Cod Celtic Festival where they opened for the internationally known Cape Breton group Beolach. In the following years they have recorded three CDs of traditional material and original compositions and arrangements, opened shows for Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill, Liz Carroll & John Doyle, and traveled throughout New England playing concerts, house parties, festivals, weddings and pubs to a growing base of fans. The duo takes its name from the makers of Nikki’s fiddle and bow, fiddle maker and inventor of the Stanley steam engine, F.O. Stanley, and Grimm, respectively.
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Headin' Home
Headin' Home, the father-daughter duo featuring Christine Hedden on fiddle and Dan Hedden on vocals and guitar, loves sharing their music: with family, with friends, and with each other.
They have been performing together for over ten years, traveling throughout New England and beyond. In June 2013, they released their first CD, "The Baker's Dozen." They draw upon New England folk music, and Irish traditional music. |
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Ensoleil Band
Nadine Dyskant-Miller (flute and feet)
Christine Hedden (fiddles) Nicole Patrick (percussion) Tanner Porter (voice and cello) Annika Socolofsky (voice, fiddle and bouzouki) Traditional and contemporary Irish, Scottish, Québécois, New England, and classical influences with original tunes, songs and pieces. While firmly grounded in tradition and culture, we also believe that traditions evolve and shape themselves to the present. |
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Fellswater
Formed in 2008, Fellswater has performed for audiences ranging from 20 to 8,000. The ensemble has delighted audiences at New Hampshire Highland Games, Maine Highland Games , Blackstone River Theatre, Boston Celtic Music Fest, Colonial Williamsburg and the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. The band has been invited to perform at the prestigious Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2018.
Fellswater has released two CDs - Fellswater, and Thursday Night. Available to hire for a wide range of indoor and outdoor events; from full-length concerts to weddings, anniversaries and special events. Travel range is primarily throughout the Northeastern U.S. The ensemble can appear in typical concert casual wear or formal attire. |
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The Press Gang
The Press Gang perform the instrumental dance music of Ireland on fiddle, accordion, and guitar. Based in Portland, Maine (but travel far afield), these three musicians have become popular over the past four years for their skillful playing and deep understanding of the music–and for their humorous stage presence.
“The Press Gang is one of those rare bands that are ingenious, driving, thoughtful and yet have great respect for the tradition.” – John Doyle |
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Pendragon
Having celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2013, Pendragon has embraced that tradition and created a timeless sound of its own, performing roots music with an unmistakable contemporary edge. Pendragon's music celebrates the lives and lore of generations of New Englanders who brought traditions from Ireland, Scotland, French Canada and other distant shores to the banks of the Blackstone River.
Bob Drouin - fiddle, tenor banjo and bouzouki Russell Gusetti - guitar and concertina Josh Kane - flute and whistles Mary Lee Partington - vocals and bodhrán Kevin Doyle - step dance and percussion |
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Cat's Melodeon
Founded by Bill Black in 2005, Cat's Melodeon is a group consisting of some of the finest Irish traditional musicians on Cape Cod. They perform at sessions, concerts, festivals, and private functions. The group includes fiddle, guitar, flute, recorder, uilleann pipes, banjo, accordion, harmonica, concertina, bouzouki, whistle, mandolin, and bodhrán. Repertoire consist of the Irish dance tunes - primarily reels, jigs, and hornpipes - that have been the staple of the Irish instrumental tradition for hundreds of years.
Cat's Melodeon is primarily an acoustic group but can supply a sound system if required. Although the group totals about fifteen members, they are quite capable of performing in smaller units depending on the requirements of the audience or the venue. |
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The Lindsays
The Lindsays play a mix of contemporary songs, old ballads, and Irish traditional jigs and reels. Susan plays sax, Irish flute, and whistle, and Stephen, a native of Dublin, Ireland, plays guitar and sings. In full-band configuration, they are joined by Ted Mello on upright bass. The music is a reflection of who they are and where they've been, from rock to Irish to blues to jazz to world. The only rule: It just has to be a good song. The first studio CD “From the Green to the Blue” was released in November 2010. Their live CD, “Live at Church of the Pilgrimage” came out in 2007.
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Emerald Rae
Known for her powerhouse dance tunes and technical prowess, Emerald is an adept and masterfully soulful fiddler. Growing up in a musical family where performance was encouraged from a young age, Emerald fell in love with Scottish fiddle music and never looked back. She went on to win the US National Scottish Fiddle Championship and graduated from the Berklee College of Music. She has performed with a wide range of musical acts over the years including, Irish-American singer/songwriter Cathie Ryan, the pan-Celtic international supergroup The Outside Track, and Mick Moloney’s Green Fields of America to name a few.
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Robbie O'Connell
Robbie O’Connell was born in Waterford, Ireland and grew up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He began to play guitar and sing at age thirteen and soon became a regular performer. He spent a year touring the folk clubs in England before enrolling at University College Dublin where he studied Literature and Philosophy. During school vacations Robbie worked as an Irish entertainer in the U.S.A. A nephew of the Clancy Brothers, he began touring with his uncles in 1977 and recorded 3 albums with them. In 1979 he moved to Franklin, Massachusetts. In 2006 he began an ongoing collaboration with his cousins Aoife and Donal Clancy. The Clancy Legacy, their first CD together was released in 2010. Robbie regularly appears at festivals around the USA.
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The Shamrogues
The Shamrogues play all type of traditional tunes on the tin whistle, low whistle, highland pipes, guitar, bodhrán, banjo, fiddle, wooden flute, mandolin, bouzouki, mandocello, concertina, accordion, spoons and bones. There are superb vocalists who share their ballads and songs and encourage audiences to join in. When you hire The Shamrogues, you'll be supporting our concert series. We're all volunteers and nobody gets paid, as all donations are used to underwrite our concert series.
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Colm O'Brien
Colm O’Brien was born, bred and buttered in Dublin. As a child, he was surrounded by music. His father, grandfather, grand uncles and great grandfather were all members of the famed Fintan Lalor Pipe Band. His grandmother, May Keogh O’Brien, was a legendary fiddler in Irish music circles and played at the All-Ireland dancing championships for 50 consecutive years.
Colm honed his skills as a live performer with numerous Dublin bands and appeared on Irish television and radio. He moved to the U.S. in 1999, and plays regular gigs at Durty Nelly's, Mr. Dooley's, Paddy Barry's and many other pubs in the Boston area. |
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Runa
Quickly gaining recognition as one of Irish music’s new “super-groups,” RUNA has been enchanting audiences by pushing the boundaries of Irish folk music since their formation in 2008. Interweaving the haunting melodies and exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and intoxicating rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco and blues, they offer a thrilling and redefinition of traditional music.
The group has been honored internationally, winning Top Group and Top Traditional Group in the Irish Music Awards and four Independent Music Awards including Best Live Album, Best World/Traditional Song and Best Bluegrass Song. |
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Rose Clancy
Rose Clancy is a much respected, high energy musician playing fiddle, mandolin and banjo at concerts and festivals throughout the Northeast.
Clancy’s unique fiddle style embraces, Northern Irish, Scottish, and some French Canadian influences. She plays with The Clancy Tradition, and runs two high level sessions; at The Squire, Chatham MA and Tinkers Son, Norwell, MA . A graduate of the violin making program at North Bennet Street School in Boston, Clancy founded and runs The Chatham Fiddle Company. See her on Vimeo. |
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