A Celtic Holiday Tradition Comes to Life at The Suffolk

The Suffolk will present “Christmas With The Celts” on Thursday, December 18, at 8 p.m. The performance features top Irish musicians joined by leading Nashville players, creating the group’s signature blend of Irish Americana. The Celts combine roots-driven originals and tight vocal harmonies with fiery traditional Irish instrumentals.

The Celts include award-winning lead singer and fiddler Maggie Lander; Ric Blair on vocals, guitar, piano and bodhrán; Patrick D’Arcy (U2, Sting, Josh Groban) of Dublin on pipes, whistle and mandolin; Fiachra O’Regan (Waterboys, Bill Whelan) of Connemara on pipes and tenor banjo; and Matt Menefee (Bruce Hornsby, Mumford & Sons) on five-string banjo, mandolin, dobro and vocals.

The group’s national PBS special, “Christmas With The Celts,” aired on more than 200 stations across the United States and Canada and ran for three years on the BBC in Ireland. The program sparked widespread demand and launched more than a decade of touring across performing arts centers, theaters and major casinos.

Now celebrating 14 years on the road, “Christmas With The Celts” features ancient Irish Christmas carols, lively Irish dance and contemporary holiday songs performed with traditional Irish instrumentation. Each year brings new songs, original works and fresh dance arrangements, ensuring that no two seasons are the same.

The show also includes the trademark humor, or craic, shared among the musicians and with the audience, along with the always-popular high-energy Irish dancers.

“You can’t listen to Celtic music and not be happy,” show founder and producer Ric Blair said. “‘Christmas With The Celts’ isn’t just a concert; it’s a spiritual experience of music and dance uniting communities. It brings young and old together. It’s a music of the people, and that’s why this melding of modern Christmas hits and organic Celtic instrumentation continues to resonate and grow in popularity every year.”

Tickets are $59 to $99 at thesuffolk.org. The Suffolk at 118 East Main Street.