The Burlington Irish Heritage Festival celebrates and raises awareness of Irish and Irish-American culture in Burlington, Vermont and the surrounding region, with a special focus on the calendar period around St. Patrick’s Day. The BIHF works with local musicians, dancers, writers, historians, artists, and co-sponsors to create a core set of events during the week closest to St. Patrick’s Day.

Schedule of Events:

February 28, 2025

8:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Solas

Solas is hailed by The Boston Globe as “the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced” and The Wall Street Journal as “an Irish traditional band bearing all the marks of greatness.” Since forming in New York City in 1995 they have been a galvanizing element in the Irish music scene – a lightening rod of talent and inspiration that set new standards for musicianship, repertoire, and intensity. Over the course of twelve critically acclaimed albums and endless international touring, Solas brought their love and respect for the traditions of Irish music, and their sense of melodic and instrumental adventure to the world.

In 2017, after a remarkable two decade career, Solas decided it was time for a break. Now, after eight years, the break is over and Solas is back and ready to celebrate their 30th Anniversary! The musical adventure continues in 2025.

Cost: $24 – $42.50

Location: Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main St., Barre, VT 05641

March 2, 2025

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Community Ceili

An afternoon of live traditional Irish music and dance, this ceili (community celebration) will feature the traditional social dances of Ireland, along with a few special performances and live music by local Irish band One More Time. Dances will be taught on the day, and all are welcome to participate! No experience and no partner needed. Please bring clean, soft-soled shoes and join us for an afternoon of dancing, music, and fun for all ages!

Suggested donation:
Individual: $8
Student/Senior: $5
Family: $20

Location: Richmond Free Library Community Room, 201 Bridge Street, Richmond, VT

March 5, 2025

5:30 pm - 8:30 pm: Irish Traditional Music Session

Come to the Burlington Beer Company for an Irish Music Session. Irish musicians are welcome to bring their instruments and join in with the group. Non-musicians are welcome to enjoy the music and good craic!

Cost: Free

Location: Burlington Beer Compnay, 180 Flynn Ave, Burlington, VT 05401

March 8, 2025

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Introduction to the Irish Language with Chris Branagan

Chris is a Vermonter with a lifelong interest in the Irish language. He has tailored an informational session for people who have had little or no previous contact with Irish (also known as Gaelic) and are interested in learning more about it. Topics will include:

History and current status of the language
Guidelines for pronunciation
Basic sentence structure
Useful phrases, proverbs, etc.
Dialects of Irish
Description of available courses for adult learners

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Session on Main – Album launch concert

Warm up for St. Patrick’s Day with a lively concert by Session on Main, a nationally-known and loosely-organized group of Irish musicians who have hosted a renowned session in the Montpelier area for years.

They will be launching their album,  “The Wild Geese: Irish Traditional Music from Montpelier, Vermont”, now available on Bandcamp.

Cost: Free

Location: Fletcher Free Library, 235 College Street, Burlington, VT 05401

March 9, 2025

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Celtic Company Irish dancing

Celtic Company is a performance dance troupe based out of Waterbury VT. The team is made up of classically trained Scottish Highland and Irish dancers and their choreography combines aspects of both dance styles. Celtic Company offer a mix of traditional and contemporary elements in their performance pieces and enjoy touring around the state of Vermont and sharing their love and passion for Celtic dance!

2:15 pm - 3:00 pm: Greg Delanty – Irish Poet

Join us at Ri Ra Irish Pub for poetry readings by Greg Delanty.

Greg was born in Cork City, Ireland, and maintains dual citizenship in Ireland and the United States, where he has lived since 1986. He is the author of Book Seventeen, The Ship of Birth, and No More Time, among many other books, and he has received numerous awards for his poetry, including a Guggenheim Fellowship. He teaches at Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. His newest title is The Professor of Forgetting, published by LSU Press.

3:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Irish Music Pub Singalong

Join us for an Irish singalong at RÍ RÁ the Irish Pub’s back room. Bring your favorite Irish songs, ballads, shanties or recitations to sing – or just listen and/or join in with the chorus! Joining us this year will be special guest, Irish poet Greg Delanty, who will share a reading from 2:15PM – 3PM.

Location: RiRa Irish Pub, 123 Church St., Burlington, VT

March 10, 2025

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Genealogy Workshop: Finding Your Irish Roots with Ed McGuire

The Vermont Genealogy Library and the Burlington Irish Heritage Festival are again hosting an in-person presentation by Ed McGuire entitled “Researching Your Irish Ancestors.” This talk will provide a brief history of Irish immigration to North America and then discuss some of the major problems facing researchers. Ed will discuss techniques for finding your ancestors’ parish, and he will highlight the major record sets in Ireland. The talk will also cover major new collections that have recently come online and provide a handout with links to resources. A Q&A period will follow.

Ed McGuire is part of a group of library members who focus on Irish research, and he speaks often on this topic. His great-grandparents came to Connecticut from counties Donegal, Limerick and Kilkenny.

To register visit VTGenLib.org.

Cost: Free

Location: Vermont Genealogy Library, 57 River Rd, Route 117, Essex, VT 05452

March 11, 2025

6:00 pm - 7:45 pm: Free Slow Music Session

Intro to Playing Irish Traditional Music – Are you new to playing traditional Irish music? Looking for an opportunity to play with others in a welcoming, slow-paced session? Join us for an informal gathering where we will play tunes together, review session etiquette, share resources and do our best to answer your questions. Feel free to bring Irish tunes to share that others may know for maximum participation. Questions? Please RSVP: [email protected].

Cost: Free

Location: Fletcher Free Library, 235 College Street, Burlington, VT 05401

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm: RambleTree

RambleTree (formerly The County Down) returns to Ri Ra!

Boil and mash together: Clancy Bros. and Tommy Makem, Dubliners, Pogues and sea chanteys -with- Grateful Dead, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Jam band and World music. Season with homegrown original material.

Reagh Greenleaf Jr. – voice, bodhrán, djembe
Daniel Brown – voice, guitar, harmonica, percussion

Cost: Free

Location: RiRa Irish Pub, 123 Church St., Burlington, VT

March 12, 2025

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Irish Traditional Music Session

Irish musicians are welcome to bring their instruments and join in with the group. Non-musicians are welcome to enjoy the music and good craic!

In this special St. Patrick’s week session, we’ll be treated to readings by Angela Patten who was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. She is author of four poetry collections and a prose memoir, High Tea at a Low Table: Stories from an Irish Childhood, and is a Senior Lecturer Emerita in English at the University of Vermont.

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Angela Patten – Irish Poet

Angela Patten joins musicians at the Irish Traditional Music Session at Arts Riot to share readings and recitations.

Angela was born and raised in Dublin and now lives in Burlington, VT. Her publications include five poetry collections, most recently Feeding the Wild Rabbit, and a prose memoir, High Tea at a Low Table: Stories From An Irish Childhood. Her award-winning work has appeared in many literary journals and anthologies. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, she maintains dual citizenship in Ireland and the United States where she has lived since 1977. She is a Senior Lecturer Emerita in the English Department at the University of Vermont.

Location: Arts Riot, 400 Pine St, Burlington, VT 05401

March 13, 2025

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Finn McCool and the Fenian Warriors

Explore the tales of heroic warriors who served the Irish High King under the command of Finn McCool around the 3rd century CE, as preserved in the oral history of the fiannaiocht cycle. In modern times, they were the inspiration for the Fenian Brotherhood who fought to restore the independence of Ireland.

Location: South Burlington Library, 180 Market St, South Burlington, Vermont

March 15, 2025

10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Free Children’s Crafts and Instrument Petting Zoo

Share the Irish heritage with a new generation, or expand your children’s cultural horizons by creating some Irish-themed crafts. All ages are welcome.

Location: Fletcher Free Library, 235 College Street, Burlington, VT 05401

March 16, 2025

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Burlington Irish Heritage Festival Ceili – With McFadden Academy of Irish Dance

The annual Festival Ceili, co-sponsored with Young Tradition Vermont at Vermont Folklife, is fun for the whole family with Irish step dancing and some fine traditional musicians. Hear fiddles and flutes, Irish pipes and penny whistles; and the bodhrán, an Irish frame drum. This music features the Young Tradition Vermont Fiddleheads Residency with Sarah King. Area musicians are welcome to bring their instruments and join in for a lively seisun, led by Denise Dean. Members of the McFadden Academy of Irish Dance will perform and also lead audience participation in ceili dances.

Free! Donations welcome

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm: The Murphy Beds

Eamon O’Leary and Jefferson Hamer (aka The Murphy Beds) present traditional and original folk songs with close harmonies and deft instrumental arrangements on bouzouki, guitar, and mandolin. In 2021 they released their second album, titled “Easy Way Down”, which The Irish Echo called “an incredible collection of songs delivered with grace and ease.” They have toured extensively throughout Europe and North America, with performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., Alaska Folk Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival, WGBH Boston’s Celtic Sojourn, Doolin Folk Festival (Ireland), and Unamplifire Festival (London)

$25 donation suggested/requested

Location: Contois Auditorium City Hall, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT 05403

March 17, 2025

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: The Fenian Brotherhood in Vermont

Tipperary-born John Lonergan escaped the Great Hunger in Ireland in 1849, brought by his parents to Burlington as a child. He commanded his Irish unit, Co. A, 13th VT, in the battle of Gettysburg, receiving a Medal of Honor for gallantry. As the head of the Fenian Brotherhood in Vermont, he organized “circles” throughout the state. In 1866 and 1870, Lonergan was involved in both Fenian attacks on Canada, blows struck for Ireland against British rule.

Location: South Burlington Library, 180 Market St, South Burlington, Vermont

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm: The McFadden Academy of Irish Dance

Enjoy the lively steps of the McFadden Academy of Irish Dance!

5:00 pm - 8:00 pm: One More Time

Join One More Time for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Burlington’s favorite Irish pub! One More Time is a 6-piece traditional Irish band based out of central Vermont. Instrumentation includes guitar, fiddles, banjo, button accordion, and vocals. They play traditional Irish music with some Americana and folk thrown in for good measure.

Location: RÍ RÁ Irish Pub, 123 Church St., Burlington, VT 05401

March 22, 2025

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Secret of Roan Inish – film screening

The Burlington Irish Heritage Festival, in partnership with Champlain College, offers an evening of Ireland related films. The Secret of Roan Inish, a John Sayles film from 1995, centered on Irish selkie folklore. This will be followed by several film shorts from Champlain College students who’ve spent a semester at Champlain’s Dublin campus.

We are very fortunate to have Mason Daring, the composer of the music score for the Secret of Roan Inish, attending this screening. Mr. Daring will speak about his work melding music to moving images and the creative process this type of composition entails. All films will be shown in Champlain College’s auditorium.

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Mason Daring – Film Composer and Record Producer

Mason Daring, the composer of the music score for the Secret of Roan Inish, will kick off the evening’s screening of the film. Mr. Daring will speak about his work melding music to
moving images and the creative process this type of composition entails.

Mason Daring is a film composer, record producer, and former Associate Professor of Berklee College of Music. He maintains homes in Savannah, Georgia, Marblehead ,Massachusetts, and Pawlet, Vermont. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Suffolk Law School, and a member of the Massachusetts bar. He has composed music for over 75 feature films, including 16 with John Sayles, including Eight Men Out, Passionfish, Matewan, Lone Star, The Secret of Roan Inish, and Go For Sisters. He was nominated for a Prime Time Emmy in 2001, and the Chicago Critics award in 1995. He has worked with such established producers and directors as Wes Craven, (Music of the Heart) Tom Hanks( Earth to the Moon),  Tony Goldwyn (Walk on the Moon) and Matt Williams ( Where the Heart Is).  In addition to dramatic scoring, Mason Daring has written scores for dozens of documentaries, He co-wrote the theme for the PBS series Frontline, which is the longest running TV theme currently on the air (40 years). For over twenty years he was the proprietor of Daring Records, a subsidiary of Rounder Records in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he produced such well known artists as Butch Thompson,  Jeanie Stahl ( with whom he has performed nationally for almost fifty years), Duke Levine, and Guy Van Duser and Billy Novick. For further information please consult his homepage at Masondaring.com, or IMDB or Wickepedia.

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Champlain College Student Filmmaking Showcase

Since 2008 Champlain College has maintained a study abroad campus in Dublin where part of the curriculum includes documentary filmmaking.  Three short works from recent students will be featured.

A screening of the film The Secret of Road Inish will kick off the evening and precede the student films with a special appearance by the film’s composer, Mason Daring, who will share highlights of the making of the film.

Location: Champlain College Auditorium, 163 S Willard St, Burlington, VT 05401

Date: March 2, - 22, 2025

Location: Various Locations in Burlington, VT

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