Irish Boston History & Heritage

Brownstone's Restaurant in Boston is celebrating New Year's Eve on Saturday, December 31, 2011.  Tickets are $40, which includes two drink tickets, passed hors d'oeuvres and a champagne toast at midnight. The quaint little wine and martini bar is at 111 Dartmouth Street, on the border of Boston's Back Bay and South End.  For directions click here . To order tickets online and to find out about other New Year's Eve celebrations in Boston, click here .  For year round details on Irish cultural activities in greater Boston visit IrishBoston.org .

The Burren Pub in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts is kicking off New Year's eve celebrations with the band Red Square , starting at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 31, 2011.   Admission is $20 and doors open at 8:00 p.m.  For a schedule of music at the Burren in January 2012, click here . For year round details on Irish cultural activities in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org . For tourist information visit MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .

The Clancy Traditio n, a family of accomplished traditional Irish musicians, perform at the Holy Redeemer Church at 57 Highland Avenue in Chatham, Cape Cod, on Saturday, December 31, 2011 at 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. The group includes Eugene Clancy on guitar and vocals, his daughter Rosemary on fiddle and mandolin, Patrick on piano and accordion, Pat’s daughter Liadain singing vocals, and Brendan Dolan on piano and flute. It's part of the First Night activities in the seaside town of Chatham on Cape Cod, one of seventy performances taking place to usher in the New Year.  For a full list of the performances, click here . For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For tourist information visit MassVacation.com or CapeCodChamber.org .

The Four Green Fields Pub in downtown Boston is powering up for the New Year with a night of great music and dining on Saturday, December 31, 2011. The pub is featuring the acclaimed Irish rockers, The Prodigals , with opening act Colm O'Brien .  The show starts at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 and includes a champagne toast at midnight. Four Green Fields is also offering a New Year's Eve special Prime Rib Dinner, including salad, shrimp cocktail, prime rib, baked or mashed potato and desert for $49.95. The price includes reserved seating for the show. For reservations, click here or call 617 367-4747. Opened in February 2011, Four Green Fields is Boston's newest Irish pub, located along the city's Irish Heritage Trail .  You can follow FourGreenFields on Facebook . For year round details on Irish activities in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org .

The famous Phillips Candy House on Morrissey Boulevard in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood has a great selection of hand-made candies for this holiday season, including the ever-popular turtle chocolates the company made famous. Founded in 1925, the Phillips Candy House is Boston's oldest chocolatier.  It is located next to the Ramada Inn and Comfort Inn , Freeport Tavern and Boston Bowl , a family entertainment venue that includes bowling alleys, pool tables and a game room. There's also a Phillips Candy House at the South Shore Mall in Braintree. For year round details on gift shops, hotels, pubs and restaurants and Irish cultural activities in the Boston area, visit IrishBoston.org .  For tourist information visit MassVacation.com or BostonUSA.com .

Irish harpist, singer and composer Aine Minogue is performing at Club Passim in Harvard Square, Cambridge, on Friday, December 23, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online . For upcoming Irish concerts in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org .

The Irish-owned Butcher Shop Market in Boston's Adams Village, Dorchester, is taking holiday orders for fresh turkeys, ham, roast and platters this week. The shop specializes in hand cut meats of all varieties from the traditional (beef and chicken) to the exotic (pheasant, wild boar) and everything in between (pork, lamb, turkey)! It also carries a full range of Irish products and hand-made sauces and spices.  For a profile of the Butcher Shop Market, click here . You can also follow Butcher Shop Market on Facebook . For more on Boston's Irish community and year round cultural activities, visit IrishBoston.org .

A Christmas Celtic Sojourn finishes its successful two week tour around New England with four performances at Boston's Cutler Majestic Theater this weekend, December 17-18, 2011. Tickets range from 25-$75 and can be purchased online . Hosted by WGBH radio personality Brian O'Donovan , A Christmas Celtic Sojourn is a look back at traditional Christmas celebrations in rural Ireland, with a full evening of high caliber  music, songs, dancing, poetry and storytelling. This year's cast features Len Graham , legendary folk singer from Derry, Northern Ireland; Canadian singer Ruth Moody , fiddler Hanneke Casel and her group Halali , uileann piper Kieran O'Hare , the Harney Academy of Dancers and musical director Seamus Egan . Read the Irish Echo story about this concert and other musical events in New England in December. For year round information on the Irish community in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .

US Senators Scott Brown (R-MA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced the Irish Immigration Reform and Encouragement (IRE) Act of 2011 , which adds the Republic of Ireland to the E-3 visa program , providing 10,500 employment visas that have no limit on the number of renewals allowed. "This legislation rectifies the decades-long plight by including the Irish in a special visa program that encourages their skilled workers to come to our shores," said Senator Brown in a statement.  “Legal immigration is the foundation of America, and we must continue to find ways to improve our visa and green card programs, especially when it comes to the treatment of our strongest allies and closest friends.” For more about the Irish community in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com .  To know more about Boston Irish history, visit IrishHeritageTrail.com . 

The Burren Pub in Davis Square, Somerville, is hosting its Saturday Local Artist Market on December 17, 2011 from noon to 4:00 p.m.  The open air market showcases the work of local artists working across a range of media.  For directions click here . Follow Burren Facebook page for news about Irish music and other holiday specials.  For year round details on Irish music and cultural activities, pubs and restaurants, gift shops, cultural groups and travel to Ireland, visit IrishBoston.org .

The Dunn Band is performing at the Four Green Fields Pub in Boston on Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.   Admission is free and open to the public. The classic pub band consists of Shane Dunn on vocals and guitar, Josh Oliver on bass, Damon Leibert   on fiddle and Rodrigo Bonelli on drums. Four Green Fields opened in February 2011 and is located at One Boston Place in downtown.   It has one of the largest television screens in Boston for sports, and a full-service menu . Follow Four Green Fields Facebook page. For details on Irish cultural activities, pubs and restaurants, gift shops and campus events in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org .

Irish traditional fiddle ace Helena Delaney is leading a session at the Skellig Irish Pub in Waltham on Friday, December 16, 2011 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.   Delaney, who is from Galway, is being joined by some of the area's leading traditional Irish musicians. The session is free and open to the public. For a schedule of upcoming performers at the Skellig, click here . For year round details on Irish events in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org  

Singer and guitarist Mick Carr is performing at the Four Green Fields Pub in Boston on Friday, December 16, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.   Born in Glasgow, Scotland to Irish parents, Carr is a versatile and engaging musician who has been entertaining in the New England region for 20 years, performing popular songs like Fields of Athenry, Spencil Hill and the Leaving of Liverpool to his large following of fans.  Located at One Boston Place in downtown Boston, Four Green Fields is the city's newest Irish pub, opening its doors in February 2011. It is located on the city's Freedom Trail and Irish Heritage Trai l. For more information on Four Green Fields, follow it on Facebook . For year round details on Irish cultural activities in greater Boston, visit IrishBoston.org .

Melissa McCarthy from the Harney Academy Dance A Christmas Celtic Sojourn is finishing its successful two week tour around New England with five performances at Boston's Cutler Majestic Theater on December 16-18, 2011. Tickets range from 25-$75 and can be purchased online . Hosted by WGBH radio personality Brian O'Donovan , A Christmas Celtic Sojourn is a look back at traditional Christmas celebrations in rural Ireland, with a full evening of high caliber  music, songs, dancing, poetry and storytelling. This year's cast features Len Graham , legendary folk singer from Derry, Northern Ireland; Canadian singer Ruth Moody , fiddler Hanneke Casel and her group Halali , uileann piper Kieran O'Hare , the Harney Academy of Dancers and musical director Seamus Egan . Read the Irish Echo story about this concert and other musical events in New England in December. For year round information on the Irish community in Massachusetts and the New England state

  The 4th annual Christmas Celebration at Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI takes place on Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door. The concert features a host of well-known musicians from New England, including Aubrey Atwater, Cathy Clasper-Torch, Erika Damiani, Elwood Donnelly, Bob Drouin, Russell Gusetti, Josh Kane, The Miller Family, Mary Lee Partington, Torrin Ryan, and the Swamp Meadow Victorian Carolers. For a schedule of concerts coming up in 2012 at Blackstone River Theatre, click here . For year round details on Irish and Celtic performance in New England, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . 

Andy Cooney   The Boston Irish Tourism Association is giving away a pair of tickets each to two lucky winners to see A Classic Irish Christmas , starring Andy Cooney and a host of Irish performers. The concert takes place on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. To enter to win, go to the BITA Contest Page . You can also purchase tickets directly by clicking here . For a full schedule of upcoming events at Mechanics Hall, click here . For more holiday concerts and Irish music in Massachusetts and New England, visit IrishMassachusetts .

The Charitable Irish Society and Eire Society of Boston are holding their annual Christmas Celebration on Sunday, December 11, 2011 from 4:00 to 6:00 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. Tickets to the event are $50.  For more information call 617 327-4876. The Charitable Irish Society, formed in 1737,  is the oldest Irish organization in the United States, and is celebrating its 275th anniversary in 2012.   The Eire Society of Boston was formed in 1937, and celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2012. The Copley Plaza Hotel has longstanding connections to the Boston Irish community dating back to the early 20th century.  Irish tenor John McCormack stayed there when performing at Boston Symphony Hall, and Ireland's prime minister Eamon deValera stayed at the hotel when he visited Boston. For year round details on Irish activities in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . To learn more about Irish history in Boston, visit IrishHeritageTrail.com . .

The acclaimed new singing group, The Canadian Tenors , perform at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston on Monday, December 5, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $40-$61 and can be purchased online or at the theatre. Hailed as one of the great new musical groups coming out of Canada, the Tenors consists of four extraordinary vocalists who have all had successful solo careers. They'll be performing songs from their new holiday CD, The Perfect Gift, . including their hit song Hallelujah . For a schedule of concerts coming up at the Wilbur Theatre, click here . Find more Irish cultural activities and concerts by visiting IrishMassachusetts.com .

The Butcher Shop Market in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood is now carrying Irish newspapers from around the 32 counties. Owner Alan Gibson says that he gets customers from all parts of Ireland into his shop, and many of them are looking for newspapers from home they can read each week. New issues of the papers will arrive each Saturday. The shop is located at 782 Adams Street in Adams Village, Dorchester, a popular destination for Irish emigrants and Americans who like authentic Irish meats and imported products.  For a list of products, click here . The Butcher Shop Market also has a dining area in the back, Mrs. Murphy's Kitchen , which serves Irish breakfast and other meals throughout the day. For more information call 617 288-5100. For directions click here . You can follow Butcher Shop Market on Facebook to find daily specials and other news about other Irish products. Submitted by Boston Irish Tourism Association .

Irish harpist and singer Aine Minogue is performing a concert of Winter Solstice and Christmas music at Boston College on Thursday, December 8, 2011, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public and takes place at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton. For directions click here . The event is part of the Gaelic Roots series directed by Séamus Connolly , Sullivan Artist-in-Residence and sponsored by the Center for Irish Programs at Boston College. For a list of similar holiday concerts taking place this Christmas in Massachusetts and the New England states, visit IrishMassachusetts.com . For visitor information, go to MassVacation.com and BostonUSA.com .