IHEG's Celtic Required Listening Series this March- Not Optional

The Celtic Required Listening Series, as the name makes clear, is not a suggested listening series. If you don’t attend at least some of these shows, we will send the constable to your home and transport you there post haste. But look at it this way. Because of the restorative qualities of music from Ireland (and Guinness) especially in March, it’s reasonable to equate the price of a ticket with a deductible for a typical doctor’s visit. And we won’t make you change into a johnny.

Altan

Tuesday, March 9^th 7PM Iron Horse

No Irish traditional band in the last dozen years has had a wider impact on audiences and music lovers throughout the world than Altan who marks their 25th Anniversary this year. With their exquisitely produced award-winning recordings, ranging dynamically from the most sensitive and touching old Irish songs all the way to hard hitting reels and jigs, and with their heartwarming, dynamic live performances, Altan have moved audiences from Donegal to Tokyo to Seattle.

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Grada, Sarah The Fiddler

Special 2-for-1 ticket deal on this show!

Friday, March 12^th 7PM Iron Horse

"Grada is to Irish music what Arcade Fire is to Indie”- The Washington Post. - Gráda is based in Ireland, where they began playing together in 2001. The group draws from a wide range of influences, which has seen them working with Dave Hingerty (ex Frames / Josh Ritter); Vyviene Long (Damien Rice); and, as a producer, Trevor Hutchinson (Lúnasa, Sharon Shannon, The Waterboys). This promises to be an amazing show. Bring a friend for free! For each ticket you buy, we'll automatically include a free ticket at the door night of show. Advance sales only.

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The Big Bad Bollocks 20^th Annual St. Patrick’s Show

Saturday, March 13^th- Iron Horse 7PM

“In 1989 Big Bad Bollocks was just two guys wandering up and down Pleasant Street each Wednesday night doing the “Open Mic Tour” which meant we signed ourselves up for the sessions at Sheehan’s Café and The Old Watering Hole.” So begins singer and band founder John Allen’s recent essay looking back over two decades, on the hazy history of the Valley’s stalwart keepers of the celtic-rock-punk flame (and proof positive of the youth sustaining qualities of Guinness).

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Battlefield Band

Monday, March 15^th 7PM Iron Horse

Veterans of the Scottish folk scene, the Battlefield Band have kept the best traditions of Celtic music alive for over 40 years. Their new album "Zama Zama..Try Your Luck," is riveting; the howling pipes, ululating fiddle and crashing keyboards are as darkly magnificent as anything the Battlefield Band has ever recorded. Their live shows are both steeped in tradition and completely relevant to the present.

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De Dannan

Tuesday, March 16 7PM Iron Horse

Original founding member and world famous fiddle player Frankie Gavin has unleashed a new De Dannan for the 21st century with Michelle Lally on vocals, Damien Mullane on accordian, Mike Galvin on bouzouki & guitars and Eric Cunningham on percussion, flutes & whistles. De Dannan’s line-up over the years read like a Who’s Who of Irish music: Dolores Keane, Mary Black, Maura O’Connell, Eleanor Shanley, Tommy Fleming and Johnny Moynihan.

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Zoe Darrow & the Fiddleheads

Wednesday, March 17^th 7PM Iron Horse

Zoë Darrow ignites the stage with her distinctive blend of traditional Cape Breton, Scottish, and Irish fiddle tunes. With Phil Darrow on guitar and Tom Coburn on piano, she breathes life into fiery reels, lively jigs and hornpipes, and soulful airs. The Valley Advocate named them "Best Celtic Band, 2007" and Celtic Heritage Magazine says, "Zoë Darrow is destined to add savory spice to the global mix." Come experience this local rising star!

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Maura O’Connell

Friday, March 26^th 7PM Iron Horse

Since her first appearance as a lead vocalist with the celebrated traditional Celtic group DeDanaan in 1981, Maura O'Connell has married an unmistakable deep, rich, flexible voice and her signature talent for finding what's most potent in the work of a select but broad array of genre-jumping songwriters, to pull the listener right along with her--to the heart of a song.