The Irish Cultural Center invites you to an afternoon of Irish fiddle and folk music with the group House of Hamill. This new collaboration is comprised of Brian Buchanan (of Jubilee Riots, formerly Enter the Haggis), and Rose Baldino (of Burning Bridget Cleary). This intimate, relaxed performance will include trad Irish sets and songs, and original compositions.

House of Hamill will perform on Sunday, July 19 at 3:00 pm at the Collegian Court Restaurant, 89 Park Street in Chicopee, MA.

Tickets are limited for this intimate event. Advance purchase by July 16 is recommended. Cost is $15 for ICC members, and $18 for non-members. Tickets are available online or by calling the Irish Cultural Center at 413-265-2537.

You may purchase food and drinks at the Collegian Court during the show. Parking is available in the Collegian Court lot, on street, and at the Center Street Chicopee Savings Bank, which is a short walk across the street to the restaurant. Please note the direction of one-way streets when planning your visit.

About House of Hamill

In 2014, Brian joined Rose onstage at the Folk Alliance conference in Kansas City. The two performed with virtually no rehearsal for over an hour, and their connection was powerful and immediate. A few months later Brian moved from Canada to Philadelphia, and as a tribute to the first tune Rose ever taught to Brian, House of Hamill was born.

Brian and Rose are both accomplished traditional fiddle players and classical violinists, and despite being young, have over 25 years of writing and performance experience between them. Together, they write unusual new fiddle tunes while also breathing new life into traditional and contemporary songs. Both are confident and unique lead vocalists, and the blend of their two voices in harmony is hypnotic and irresistible.

Whether House of Hamill is covering one of their favorite songs in a new way or stomping through a set of original jigs and reels, their chemistry onstage is always engaging and often hilarious. Spend an hour listening and you’ll leave with tired feet, a huge smile, and a new appreciation for the versatility of folk instruments in a modern context.

Special thanks to our Summer Concert Series Sponsors:
Mary Ellen O’Brien | DPM Associates, Inc. |

All sales are final. Refunds are given ONLY in the event of cancellation by performers.

The Irish Cultural Center invites you to an evening of music with Searson, from Ontario, Canada. Searson are known for their own original Ottawa Valley style music mixed with Celtic, East Coast, and Scottish, which includes high energy fiddling, passionate vocals and step dancing. This is a special album release show! Local Irish dance students will join in the fun, as Searson premieres songs from their latest album.

The sisters perform on a variety of instruments, including Colleen Searson on fiddle and vocals, and Erin Searson on piano, tenor guitar and vocals. Rounding out the group are seasoned musicians Danno O’Shea on drums and percussion, and Fraser Gauthier on bass and acoustic guitar.

Searson will perform on Saturday, July 11 at 8:00 pm at the Delaney House, 3 Country Club Road (Route 5) in Holyoke, MA. Doors open at 7:00. The Delaney House opens at 5:00 for those who wish to have dinner; reservations are recommended.

Tickets are general admission, table seating. Cost is $20 for ICC members, and $23 for non-members. Limited tickets are available at the door for $28. Tickets are available online until 8:00 am on July 11 or by calling the Irish Cultural Center at 413-265-2537 (phone orders end on July 9).

Searson has just released their eighth studio album. This Celtic Roots album contains a mix of original vocal and instrumentals as well as traditional instrumental tunes. “Stars Above the Farm” is named after the sisters’ parents’ farm in the Ottawa Valley, Ontario where the girls grew up. The concept for this album has been rooted around stories and tunes about the Ottawa Valley and the history of the Searson family. Along with the band’s original fiddle sets on this album, listeners will hear a wide variety of Canadian and Irish style of fiddling on “Stars Above the Farm.” Searson has been touring for over a decade throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. Composing all their own songs and fiddle tunes have made them the accomplished performers that they are today. Learn more about these dynamic performers.

Special thanks to our Summer Concert Series Sponsors:
Mary Ellen O’Brien  |  DPM Associates, Inc.  | 

All sales are final. Refunds are given ONLY in the event of cancellation by performers.

The ICC’s annual Lá Gaeilge, which normally takes place in early May, has been moved due to scheduling issues, most likely to this October or November. Please sign up for our email list and like our Facebook page for the latest updates on this event.

Pass on the Heritage | July 27 –31, 2015 | Download a registration form.

Celtic Adventures for Kids is a week-long program designed to give children in Grades 1 through 9 an introduction to the richness of Irish culture, through the auspices of the Irish Cultural Center at Elms College in Chicopee, MA. Space is limited. Sign up early!

Daily Activities Include:
– Irish language
– Irish dance
– Irish music
– Arts & crafts
– Storytelling/literature
– Games

What to bring: Sneakers with non-marking soles; soft dance shoes if your child has them; swimsuit and towel; lunch (optional: money to purchase snacks.) The Maguire Center swimming pool will be available for the children to use daily during the week; lifeguard is on duty.

The program is in session from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Participants should be dropped off between 8:45 and 9:00 am at the Maguire Center. Pick up is promptly at 3:00 pm at the Maguire Center.

WHEN: Monday, July 27 to Friday, July 31, 2015
WHERE: The Maguire Center at Elms College, Chicopee, MA
COST: $200 per child; $20 discount for Irish Cultural Center members; $20 discount for each additional child from the same family
NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT: $50 with registration due by June 11, 2015
BALANCE DUE BY JULY 10, 2015
Please make check payable to Irish Cultural Center at Elms College.
Download a registration form.

Sunday, April 12 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm at the Elms College Alumnae Library. Free and open to the public. 

The Irish Cultural Center will present a lecture on the USS Jamestown’s voyage to Cork, Ireland in 1847, “It is Not an Everyday Matter to See a Nation Starving: Captain Robert Bennet Forbes and the 1847 Voyage of the USS Jamestown to Cork, Ireland.” The lecture will be given by Catherine B. Shannon, Ph.D., professor emerita, of Westfield State University on Sunday April 12, 2015 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm in the Elms College Alumnae Library Theater.

Dr. Shannon will discuss the voyage of the USS Jamestown which left Boston on March 28, 1847, loaded with more than 800 tons of provisions and supplies for the starving people of Ireland in the darkest months of “Black 1847,” the year the Irish Famine peaked. The New England Relief Committee, which was comprised of Boston Catholics and Protestants cooperating in an effort to collect money, and bring food to Ireland, organized the voyage. The committee collected approximately $150,000 in food and cash, which accounted for half of the $300,000 that was sent from Boston to Ireland in 1847.

Dr. Shannon describes that “she will discuss Captain Forbes’s effort to insure that the supplies reached the Irish people in the most efficient and fastest way possible, and his reactions to what he witnessed in Ireland upon arrival there in mid-April.” Shannon relates: “This episode was a unique instance when the historic suspicions and hostility that divided the Boston’s Irish and Yankee Communities were cast aside and were replaced by cooperation for a great humanitarian purpose.”

Dr. Shannon will be honored for her works by the Eire Society of Boston on Saturday April 25, 2015 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel at the 78th Gold Medal Dinner and Award Ceremony at 6:00 pm. Each year the Eire Society honors a person who exemplifies the best of Irish Culture and ideals.

The Irish Cultural Center invites you to a special evening with Saw Doctors guitarist Leo Moran and sax player Anthony “Anto” Thistlethwaite. With The Saw Doctors taking a break from touring the world after twenty five years, Leo and Anto have put together an acoustic show that includes fresh takes on Saw Doctors’ fan favorites and lesser-known songs, and some brand new tunes. The evening promises to be full of great laughs and stories as well.

WHEN: Saturday, April 11, 2015
WHERE: Munich Haus (second floor), 13 Center Street in Chicopee, MA. Get directions.
TIME: Leo and Anto take the stage at 7:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm.
TICKETS: This show has SOLD OUT. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Please note: Tickets are general admission, table seating. Tables are long, banquet-style. Food is not available during the concert; the bar will be open. Those who wish to eat at the Munich Haus before or after the show will receive 10% off their food order by showing their ticket or purchase confirmation. Parking is available in two Munich Haus lots and on street.

About the Tour

Ireland’s ever popular band The Saw Doctors are renowned for creating party-like atmospheres with their raucous blend of Irish roots rock. Hailing from Tuam, County Galway, the quintet’s principle players notched a string of singles in their native land with “I Useta Lover,” “Bless Me Father” and “N-17” in the late 80’s, and have been bringing their energetic live shows stateside for the better part of twenty five years. In the summer of 2013 they decided to take some well-deserved time off.

Leo and Anto launched their first acoustic tour here in the US in the fall of 2013. Now the two musicians and friends will be back this spring with their acoustic tour once again. Says Leo, “Touring with just the two of us is all new and fresh and challenging and scary and exciting at the same time.” This is the third time they visit the US and, due to popular demand, they will be hitting more cities, many of which will be for the first time. They have released two new CDs for their acoustic tour, “Pushin’ It” and “Flyin’ It,” which have received great reviews from the music press.

Since their first shows together, Leo and Anto have toured parts of Europe, the UK, and the US, and most recently played in of some of the most remote parts of Russia. On New Year’s Eve 2014 the BBC recorded a live version of Leo Moran’s song and popular Saw Doctors hit, “Clare Island,” backed by the Scottish group Skipinnish with Anto playing the sax solo.

Learn more about Leo & Anto, read reviews and see their latest videos at www.leoandanto.com.

All sales are final. Refunds are given ONLY in the event of cancellation by performers.

The Irish Cultural Center invites you to an afternoon of traditional Irish music with Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde, a celebrated sean-nós singer from Co. Donegal. This intimate, relaxed performance will also include piano, accordion and uilleann pipes.

Doimnic, from the northwest Gaeltacht of Donegal, has been immersed in the culture of the area from a young age. This last Gaelic speaking area in Ulster preserves not only the Donegal sean-nós songs, but also songs from all over Ulster. He has released four highly commended CDs, and in 2009, he won the prestigious Corn Uí Riada, the highest accolade in Ireland for sean-nós singers.

The event will be held at Collegian Court, 89 Park Street in Chicopee, MA at 2:00 pm on Sunday, March 1. Parking is available.

Tickets are limited and must be reserved by February 26. Cost is $12 for ICC members, and $15 for non-members. Please note: Sales for the show have ended. We will be unable to admit anyone not on our attendee list as the show is sold out. Thanks for your interest!

Learn more about Doimnic.

The Irish Cultural Center and Elms College are pleased to offer a range of Irish classes for the 2014/2015 academic year. In addition, this partnership is again successful in bringing to campus our fifth consecutive Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Vikki Ní Bhréin, from Dublin. She brings a great deal of talent and enthusiasm, and is helping us showcase the language in our community.

There will be two sections of Introduction to Irish 1. We are pleased to offer a brand new beginner’s class, with no prior study needed, on Monday evenings. Gerald Costello, who has participated in Immersion Programs in Kerry and Connemara and has taught Irish at local schools, will teach this class. Kathleen Gilhooly, a recently retired English teacher at Central High School, and a language instructor at the ICC’s Lá na Gaeilge and the Celtic Adventures Camp, will teach the second semester introductory session on Saturday mornings.

Introduction to Irish 1+ will be offered for students who have had an introduction to the language but are not yet prepared to enroll in the intermediate class. Tom Moriarty, professor emeritus at the Elms College, founding member of the ICC, and participant in Immersion Programs in Kerry and Donegal, will teach this class on Tuesday evenings.

Vikki Ní Bhréin will teach a Novice class for credit on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. In addition, she will continue the second semester of the Intermediate Advanced Practice class, which may be taken on a credit or non-credit basis. This meets on Wednesday evenings.

Classes begin the week of January 19. For class times and more information, visit our website. The cost is $175 for novice and intermediate classes, and $150 for Introduction 1 and 1+. Irish Cultural Center members receive a $50 discount. To enroll, please call the Registrar at 413-265-2314, or download a registration form from our website.

The Candle in the Window

A lighted candle in the window is an Old Irish custom to show that Joseph and Mary, who found no room at the inn in Bethlehem, would be welcome in the house. The large white Christmas candle, known as Coinneal na Nollag, is decorated with holly and lit by the youngest child in the family at six o’clock on Christmas Eve.

Nollaig shona agus athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh.
Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year to you, from the Irish Cultural Center.