Irish Boston History & Heritage

Dervish , one of Ireland's great traditional music ensembles, is performing at the Lowell Folk Festival in Lowell Massachusetts, July 29-31, 2011. The band is performing throughout the festival: Saturday, July 30 at 3:00 p.m. at Boarding House Park Saturday, July 30 at 5:00 p.m. at Market Street Sunday, July 31 at 4:15 at JFK Plaza. In addition, members of the group will participate in instrument and vocal workshops throughout the weekend. Also, radio host Brian O'Donovan of the Celtic Sojourn program on WGBH 89.7 FM is broadcasting live from the Lowell Folk Festival on Saturday, July 30, 2011, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m..  For more details, visit the Lowell Folk Festival Schedule . For other musical performances in Lowell this summer, visit the Lowell Summer Music Series .  For other Irish cultural events in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com .

Gaelic Storm , a traditional Irish music ensemble, performs at the historic Wilbur Theatre in downtown Boston on Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the concert are $25-$45 and can be purchased online . The band formed in 1995 in Los Angeles and since then has performed around the world.  Their music was on the sound track to the movie Titanic. For more details on Irish cultural events in Boston, visit IrishBoston.org .

Irish rockabilly star Imelda May is performing in Boston on Saturday, July 30, 2011 at the Brighton Music Hall in the city's Allston neighborhood. The over-18 show starts at 9:00 p.m.  Tickets are  $17.50 and can be ordered online at Ticketmaster . The Dublin-born singer has been performing a unique style of American rockability fused with Irish sensibility for years, and performed at the College Green concert for President Barack and Michele Obama in May. For a full schedule of concerts at Brighton Music Hall this summer, click here . For concerts throughout greater Boston and Massachusetts, visit IrishBoston.org For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com .

You'll find lots of good Irish music at the 2nd annual Cape Cod Irish Summer-Fest taking place at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 starting at 3:00 p.m. Among the featured performers:  Irish singer Aoife Clancy, the Glengarry Bhoy s from Canada, the Screaming Orphans from Donegal, as well as top Irish performers from Cape Cod and the New England region. Tickets to the event are $20.00 for adults, $10.00 for children ages 6-16, and free for children five and under.  Tickets can be purchased online , but there is an additional fee. The festival benefits two local organizations: the Cape Cod St. Patrick's Day Committee , and the Sons of Erin Cape Cod in West Yarmouth. For more details on the Festival or for directions to the Melody Tent, click here . For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts and the New England region, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information visit MassVacation.com .

The Boston Irish Tourism Association is raffling off a pair of tickets to see singing star Josh Groban in concert at the TD Garden in Boston on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.. To enter to win, just go to the Contest Page on BITA's website and fill in the form. Groban's hit songs include You Raise Me Up, whose lyrics were written by Irish composer Brendan Graham . You can also order tickets directly through Ticketmaster . For a schedule of great music this summer in Massachusetts and New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information, visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .

Irish fiddle star Eileen Ivers is performing in New England this summer with her band, Immigrant Soul. On August 20 she appears at the Lowell Summer Music Series at Boarding House Park in downtown Lowell, starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the show are $21 in advance and can be ordered online . Then, Ivers and her band performs on September 4 at the Newport Irish Festival over Labor Day weekend, which runs September 3-5.  For more information on Irish music in New England this summer, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

  American country singer Martina McBride is performing with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at the Fourth of July music and fireworks extravaganza at the Boston Explanade on Monday, July 4, 2011. McBride is replacing Lionel Ritchie, who had to cancel his performance because of strained vocal chords. The annual celebration along the Charles River has become America's most popular Fourth of July celebration with great musical stars alongside the famous Boston Pops Orchestra , culminating in a massive display of fireworks. Also performing at this year's concert: actor Michael Chikilis and jazz singer Amanda Carr .  The tradition of a musical concert in Boston to celebrate Independence Day was actually started by Patrick S. Gilmore , an Irish immigrant who began giving free concerts on Boston Common on the Fourth of July in 1855. For musical concerts and festivals in Massachusetts this summer, visit IrishMassachusetts.com or MassJazz.com . For tourist infor...