Brunch With ALTAN - 30 Years at The Burren
“THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE CELTIC REALM” – The Boston Globe
“A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN” and “THE BEST TRADITIONAL IRISH BAND” – Dolly Parton on her collaboration with Altan on two of her albums Heartsongs (1994) and Little Sparrow (2001)
The spirit and sound of Altan comes from the deep and rich musical tradition of their native Co. Donegal. On one of his many visits to the Donegal Gaeltacht of Gaoth Dobhair, Belfast born flute player Frankie Kennedy met fiddler and singer Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, sparking off a deep musical connection, marriage in 1981, and a journey that took them all over the world. Their vision was to bring the unique repertoire of Donegal music to the world and that mission is still as strong as ever.
https://altan.ie/
The Burren was opened in January 1996 by owners Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello, who are both musicians (Tommy a fiddler and Louise a banjoist and accordionist). They met in Boston in 1986, playing on the Irish trad scene and later married. Located in the heart of Davis Square, just steps from the red line and Somerville Theatre, The Burren has become the hottest live music venue, with nightly shows featuring local, national and international acts. Shows include all genres from Irish Traditional, Folk, Americana, Bluegrass, old-timey, and Gypsy jazz, to Rock, Pop, Indie and everything in between. Well-known Irish performers who have appeared at The Burren include members of De Dannan, John Carty, Lunasa and Sharon Shannon.
Tommy & Louise have built a reputation for serving up a truly authentic Irish experience at each of their three bars. In addition to The Burren, they also own The Bebop, on Boylston St, in Boston, and the recently opened McCarthy’s Pub (and Toad), in Porter Square, Cambridge.
Brian O’Donovan – The Burren Backroom Series
Back in 2011, Tommy approached Brian O’Donovan, the host of WGBH’s Irish music show Celtic Sojourn about hosting a weekly series at The Burren. Brian agreed and The Burren Backroom Series was born. Brian continued hosting the series for 12 years, featuring world class traditional and contemporary music from around the Celtic world. Sadly, Brian died in October 2023, but his legacy continues with the “Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series”, helmed by Tommy, Brian’s wife Lindsay, and The Burren’s music-booking agent, Tom Bianchi.
**Doors open at 11am for food and drinks. There will be limited table service after 12pm when the show starts - please do come early! Reserved seats will be held until 15 minutes after show time.**
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3351357-0
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3351357-2
