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The acclaimed Drawing from the Well concert series comes to the U.S. for the first time with two exceptional concerts in the Somerville Theatre on Thursday April 30 and Friday May 1.
Tickets| April 30th Tickets | May 1st
Start Date: April 30, 2026
End Date: May 1, 2026
Venue: Somerville Theatre, Somerville MA.
Multiple Grammy award winner Aoife O’Donovan and Matt Molloy of the Chieftains are among the legendary figures of Irish music who will headline the Drawing from the Well concert series in Boston next month.
The acclaimed international series, curated by the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA), comes to the US for the first time with two exceptional concerts in the Somerville Theatre on Thursday April 30 and Friday May 1.
The star-studded line-up includes RTÉ Folk Instrumentalists of the year Cormac Begley and Aoife Ní Bhriain, TG4 Musician of the Year Noel Hill, former TG4 Young Musicians of the Year Liam O’Connor, Seán McKeon, Conor Connolly, Diarmuid Ó Meachair and Ciarán Ó Maonaigh, award-winning dancers Edwina Guckian and Cáitlín Nic Gabhann, TG4 Composer of the Year 2025 Johnny Óg Connolly, leading singer, fiddle player and broadcaster Doireann Ní Ghlacáin along with a host of other outstanding traditional artists.
The acclaimed Drawing from the Well concert programme platforms leading Irish traditional musicians, singers and dancers, with performances staged in Dublin, Paris and London last year. An ongoing initiative by ITMA, the unique series connects contemporary artists with archival materials to inspire exciting new work.
ITMA’s exceptional US-related collections reflect the extraordinary history of Irish traditional music, song and dance in America and the importance the United States played in its survival and development. As part of an America250 programme, the Drawing from the Well: Boston concerts will celebrate that connection; travelling artists will engage with those archival treasures to inspire a unique performance.
Drawing from the Well: Boston will take place as part of the Tunes on the Charles Irish Music Festival in Boston. In addition to the concerts, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (DCCS) will partner with ITMA to support additional satellite cultural events in celebration of America250, highlighting Ireland’s deep historical, cultural, and familial links with the United States. This is part of a wider project between ITMA, the DFAT and the DCSS to commemorate America250, which will also include the creation of a digital map highlighting Irish music, song and dance in all 50 US States.
A scholarship in memory of the late Brian O’Donovan will support musicians attending lessons at the Tunes on the Charles festival. As ITMA marks the living tradition of Irish music across all fifty states through its US250 initiative, Boston remains a special meeting place where artists from both sides of the Atlantic continue to gather, learn and share.
Speaking about the concerts, ITMA CEO Liam O’Connor said:
“The story of Irish music, song and dance is inextricably linked with America. Boston has long been central to that story, both as a birthplace and a landing ground for many of the most influential artists in Irish traditional music. Historical and contemporary figures such as Robert Dwyer Joyce, Dan Sullivan, Joe Derrane, Paddy Cronin, Séamus Connolly, Tommy McCarthy, Louise Costello, Jackie O’Riley, John Gannon, Máirín Ní Chéide and Brian O’Donovan have championed a living tradition that has endured for generations in Boston and continues to flourish today.
“Institutions and venues such as Boston College, through its Gaelic Roots programme, along with The Burren, The Druid and others, remain vital hubs for this music and its community.
“With these Drawing from the Well concerts, ITMA is proud to contribute to and celebrate this remarkable living tradition in Boston.”
Seán Clohessy of the Tunes on the Charles festival committee added:
“Tunes on the Charles is about celebrating the living tradition of Irish traditional music in Boston, and we’re delighted to be partnering with ITMA for our inaugural festival. These concerts and the festival will bring together artists from Ireland with our own incredible local community to strengthen American-Irish cultural collaboration through traditional music, song and dance. We are beyond excited to support the first Drawing from the Well concert series in the United States.”
Tickets are available at https://www.somervilletheatre.com/events/
Concert promo: https://youtu.be/s0VHkyYqres
Full lineup:
Thursday, April 30th
Aoife O’Donovan (song); Aoife Ní Bhriain (fiddle); Johnny Óg Connolly, Pádraig Ó Dubhghaill & Clíodhna Costello (accordion, guitar & banjo); Joey Abarta & Jackie O’Riley (uilleann pipes & dance); Conor Connolly (accordion); Tommy McCarthy & Louise Costello (fiddle & accordion); Cormac Begley (concertina); Liam O’Connor (fiddle)
Friday, May 1st
Tommy McCarthy & Louise Costello (fiddle & accordion); Seán McKeon (uilleann pipes); Caitlín Nic Gabhann & Ciarán Ó Maonaigh (sean-nós dance, concertina & fiddle); Doireann Ní Ghlacáin (fiddle); Andrew Caden & Diarmuid Ó Meachair (fiddle & accordion); Matt Molloy (flute); Edwina Guckian (sean-nós dance); Noel Hill (concertina); Liam O’Connor (fiddle)
