March 10 

Barra , featuring CIM instructor John McCormick, will be performing at The Oak Center General Store at 8pm.

 

Rumgumption , with CIM instructors Chad McAnally and Shawn McBurnie, will be at the NE Farmers Market at the Eastside Food Co-op.   

 

Catch CIM instructor Danielle Enblom with Northern Gael at the  'Saturday Live!' series for kids and families at the St. Paul Central Library at 11:15am.  

 

Head over to The Celtic Junction for the 1st Saturday Irish Set Dance Ceili at 7pm.

 

March 11 

St. Patrick's Family Day at Kieran's Irish Pub, 11am-3pm.

  

Come meet the artists of The Celtic Junction's North Studios at an open house from 1-5pm.

 

Join in a family ceili with Danielle Enblom at Barton Open School in Minneapolis,  3-5pm.    

  

March 12

Take in a solo Todd Menton performance at "Harmony For Mayo" Concert Series, 12pm at the Barbara Woodward Lips Atrium, Charlton Building, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN     

 

March 13

Join Paddy O'Brien and CIM instructors Brian Miller and Nathan Gourley (Chulrua) with author Erin Hart at 7pm at the  R. H. Stafford Library in Woodbury for an evening of discussion and tunes.   

 

March 16 

An Luan, CIM's Wednesday Adult Ensemble, will perform at the Good Samaritan Society, Westview Acres building, 433 West 5th Street, Waconia, from 11:30-1:30.

 

Boiled in Lead travels to Menomonie, WI for a concert at the Mabel Tainter Memorial Theaterat 7:30pm. 

 

Barra, with CIM instructor John McCormick, provides the tunes for the 4th Annual Irish Ceili for Guatemala at St. Joan of Arc Church from 7-10pm.

 

Join Paddy O'Brien and CIM instructors Brian Miller and Nathan Gourley for a Chulrua Concert and Ceili at the Friends Meeting House in St. Paul at 7pm. 

 

CIM instructors Danielle Enblom and Patrick McCormick perform with Murphy's Empty Shot at The Garage in Moorhead.      

 

March 16 & 17

The HiBs will perform at The Cascade Lodge in Grand Marais.  

 

March 17 

Join in the festivities and music at the IMDA's St. Patrick Day Celebration at The Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul, 10am-5pm.  For a schedule of CIM performances, see the column at right.       

 

Danielle Enblom performs with Northern Gael at the Annual Celtic Festival in Moorhead, MN 

    

CIM instructors Danielle Enblom and Patrick McCormick perform
with Murphy's Empty Shot at The Cabooze in Minneapolis, 8:30pm.   

  

Barra, with CIM instructor John McCormick, will perform at the 21st Annual Irish Ceili Dance at CSPS Hall, upstairs from the Glockenspiel Restaurant, in St. Paul.  

 

Enjoy tunes and songs with Rumgumption, featuring CIM instructors Chad McAnally and Shawn McBurnie, at 2:30pm at The Amsterdam Bar & Hall.

 

Don't miss a rousing night of new tunes and old with Boiled in Lead, featuring CIM instructor Todd Menton!  At The Cedar Cultural Center, 8pm. 

 

Clairseach, featuring CIM instructor Charlie Heymann and his wife Ann will be performing at The Oak Center General Store at 8pm.

 

Two Tap Trio will be at the Moonshine Showcase in Wabasha 

 

Katie McMahon perofrms at a concert at The O'Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Kate's, 7:30pm.

 

Dance the night away at the St. Paddy's Day Ceili at The Celtic Junction, with music by the Twin Cities' Ceili Band, 7-11pm.

 

March 18  

Join in the festivities and music at the IMDA's Day of Irish Dance at The Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul, 11am-5pm.  For a schedule of CIM performances, see the column at right.   

 

Our CIM family session will run as usual from 2:30-4pm at The Celtic Junction!

 

March 23

Boiled in Lead will perform at The Oak Center General Store at 8pm.

 

Two Tap Trio brings their talents to the Sunshine Kitchen and Moonshine Lounge in Brainerd, 8pm. 

 

March 24 

Brigid's Cross Pub in Bemidji hosts the Two Tap Trio at 8pm.   

 

Dance your socks off at the Belfast or Bust Fundraiser ceili at The Celtic Junction! 

March 25   'A Ross Sutter Bananaversary' arrives at the Celtic Junction, 3-5pm. Children's songs with Scottish and Irish influence. Also joined by Laura MacKenzie, Daithi Sproule and Danielle Enblom. Banana Splits served too!

 

Two Tap Trio performs at Hope Christian Church's 11th Annual Sunday Evening Concert Series in Shoreview. 

 

March 28

Two Tap Trio will perform at The Dubliner Pub from 9:30pm-12:30am.

 

March 31

Come on over to The Celtic Junction for The Macalester Pipe Band's spring concert! 

 

June 14-17 

Save the date for our Minnesota Irish Music Weekend!  After a much-needed year off, we are very excited to present a new and improved incarnation of our beloved Young Irish Musicians Weekend for all ages!  Children and youth will still have their own independent programs with visiting Irish musicians, but due to popular demand we will be expanding the adult programming for the weekend.

  

This is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of all of the possible events within the Irish community in the Twin Cities.  For more listings, please visit the IMDA's Event Calendar, which is a great schedule of local events. 

 

 

Do I dare say that all of us in the Irish music community both look forward to and dread the Saint Patrick's Day season? It's the time of year when anyone can be Irish and for a day and when Irish music is the best music in the world.  (We all know that this is true every day of the year!)

All curmudgeonly thoughts aside however, Saint Paddy's Day is the perfect time to sit back and enjoy all of the music you've learned over the year as you share it with friends and family, even adoring strangers dressed up in shamrock-shaped Guinness hats!  Here is what I encourage you to do at some point this week - take a moment to sing your favorite song for a friend, organize a session, have that first family-band practice you've been talking about or get a babysitter and go out to see a great live concert (Lunasa, anyone?).

This St. Patrick's Day season, there are more opportunities than ever to hear The Center for Irish Music's ensembles performing.  If you've never been to IMDA's events at the Landmark Center on St. Paddy's Day, that is a must go-to event (see CIM listings below).  Follow up with a ceili at The Celtic Junction with music by the Twin Cities Ceili Band, or go home to a quiet session with good friends. 
 
In between gigs with the Two Tap Trio, I am spending this coming weekend finalizing artists for the Minnesota Irish Music Weekend taking place June 14-17th.  So far, we have Harry Bradley (flute & pipes), Felix Dolan (piano) and Jesse Smith (fiddle) booked with one or two more top-notch traditional players and teachers coming right here to Saint Paul.  Mark your calendar and keep checking back to the website to register and buy tickets for the June 16th concert featuring these world-class artists.  You won't want to miss this year's June workshop event.

Last, but most importantly, I would like to take a moment to thank you for your support in making Eigse CIM, A Gaela Event, a massively successful night of music, dance, and fundraising for the CIM.  Special thanks go to Lisa Forrette, our fearless event chair and brain behind CIM's fundraising efforts, to Emily Flagstad for taking on the massive task of the silent auction (and for her unfailing support of the CIM in the form of countless, highly-skilled volunteer hours), and to the CIM board, staff, instructors, volunteers and student ensemble.

Also, thank you to YOU for supporting our fundraiser by donating auction items, WOW raffle items and coming to the event.  We could not do it without our families and students.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day - enjoy the music!

Executive Director

Each year the Irish Music and Dance Association of the Twin Cities (IMDA) hosts two rousing days of celebration at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul.  The Center for Irish Music is grateful to be a part of these celebrations, both through performances by our ensembles and instructors, and by providing information about our one-of-a-kind school at our information booth.  To volunteer, see the link at the bottom of this article.

March 17th
10:00am  Our Intermediate Youth Ensemble performs up in
                the Tea Room
11:20am  Join Two Tap Trio for tunes on the Weyerhauser
                stage downstairs
11:30am  CIM's Chad McAnally and Shawn McBurnie perform
                upstairs in the Tea Room
12:15pm  Join CIM for an instrument "petting zoo" on the
                downstairs children's stage
12:45pm  Watch for Pat McCormick and John McCormick as
                part of the Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band on the main
                stage
12:45pm  Join CIM in a "songs for the little ones" mini
                workshop on the downstairs children's stage
1:00pm    Clairseach, with CIM's Charlie Heymann and wife
                Ann, perform upstairs in the Tea Room
2:00pm    Join An Luan, the CIM's Wednesday Adult
                Ensemble, in the Tea Room for tunes

March 18th
11:00am  Our Advanced Youth Ensemble performs up in
                the Tea Room
12:00pm   Our Advanced Youth Ensemble performs down in
                the Weyerhauser Auditorium
12:30pm  Join the CIM's Thursday Adult Ensemble upstairs
                in the Tea Room for tunes
 1:10pm   Enjoy tunes from Northern Gael, with CIM
                instructor Danielle Enblom, in the Weyerhauser
                Auditorium
 2:15pm   Danielle Enblom will give a workshop for all
                levels and all ages on traditional Irish dancing
                downstairs in the Weyerhauser lobby


**For a complete listing of both days' events, please visit the IMDA's website.  Schedules will also be available at the door when you purchase your ticket at the Landmark Center.**

Check out our summer camps for kids!  Camp listings are available now...peruse all of the options for your children this summer.  We offer discounted rates if you register before March 31st!  Don't miss these culturally enriching, educational, and fun opportunities! 

CIM is on !
 

The Irish Music & Dance Association offers educational grants to help students of any age to pursue an interest in the traditional arts of Ireland.  Over the years many of their grants have gone to musicians.  The CIM encourages all of its students to apply.