Irish Arts Center

09/14/2026

Did you know some of your favorite karaoke songs can be sung in joyful protest?

This Saturday, you're invited to karaoke night with Array Collective!

Join us for Under Seavaillance Protest Karaoke and let your favorite songs liberate you. Sing your heart out to anything from "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" to "Fight the Power" on a night out with NYC-based artist and activist Viva Ruiz. The theme is just a sea-ggestion, so come as you are, or feel free to dress up in your best aquatic-inspired protest apparel—digital pirates, urchins of the deep, sirens of the streets, pearls of the proletariat welcome!

Tickets: irishartscenter.org/event/array-collective

09/11/2026

Listen to Forest Issac Jones discuss his book, GOOD TROUBLE: THE SELMA, ALABAMA AND DERRY, NORTHERN IRELAND CONNECTION 1963-1972, on the NEW BOOKS IN IRISH STUDIES podcast ahead of his September 17 talk with Professor John P. Waters at IAC: https://megaphone.link/NBNK4547407871

🎟️ irishartscenter.org/event/forest-issac-jones

In GOOD TROUBLE, the American historian Forest Issac Jones explores the strong connection between the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the Catholic Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland—specifically the influence of the Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965 on the People’s Democracy march, from Belfast to Derry, in 1969. Building on unprecedented access and interviews with participants in both movements, Jones crafts a gripping and moving account of these pivotal years for both countries.

The author joins us in conversation with Professor John P. Waters of NYU on September 17: https://irishartscenter.org/event/forest-issac-jones

09/10/2026

Curious about next weekend's Array Collective symposium? Here are the details:

🖌️ Fabric printing at 1:30pm
💁‍♀️ Interactive panel discussion at 4pm
🧑‍🎤 Under Seaveillance Protest Karaoke at 7pm. Note: the theme is just a sea-ggestion. Wear whatever you want! Request your favorite songs: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0y0YfknbVqsksUn9i5ZeoiCILrQ5i6vGEGK1_wMJC7W8BIA/viewform?usp=header

Reserve your spot for the day, or just for a session, via the link in bio: irishartscenter.org/event/array-collective

IN THE ROUND draws from a trajectory of work developed over the past several years by Array Collective, a group of 11 Belfast-based artists who create collaborative actions in response to socio-political issues affecting Northern Ireland. The show will feature pieces from the Turner Prize-winning installation THE DRUTHAIB’S BALL; AN DÚN, created for the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s (IMMA) 2023–2024 SELF-DETERMINATION: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE project; and THE GOOSE AND THE COMMON, an exhibition commissioned by Rua Red South Dublin Arts Centre that upends the language of protest, surveillance, defense, and displacement.

The exhibition begins with an opening night reception on Friday, September 18 and day-long symposium on Saturday, September 19, featuring a fabric printing workshop, a panel discussion with members of Array and invited artists, and protest karaoke, with gallery hours continuing through December. Learn more: https://irishartscenter.org/event/array-collective

09/10/2026

"Oona Doherty’s SPECKY CLARK evocatively muddles biography and fiction: While its point of departure may be the working-class life of her great-grandfather in Belfast, the piece quickly ventures into fantastical—and darkly funny—territory."—NEW YORK TIMES

Read more and find tickets to 's SPECKY CLARK—on at IAC October 25 through November 15—via the link in bio.

09/10/2026

"Oona Doherty’s SPECKY CLARK evocatively muddles biography and fiction: While its point of departure may be the working-class life of her great-grandfather in Belfast, the piece quickly ventures into fantastical—and darkly funny—territory."—NEW YORK TIMES

At IAC October 25 through November 15: https://irishartscenter.org/event/specky-clark-oona-doherty

Also this season, the return of Balanchine’s “Pithoprakta” at New York City Ballet, a choreographer guides audiences on a nature hike, and reflections on this American moment.

09/04/2026

Irish Traditional Music Archive / Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann and IAC present two evenings of world-class live performance inspired by ITMA's archival collections, demonstrating how historical holdings continue to inspire today’s musicians and cultural life on both sides of the Atlantic. Drawing on ITMA’s "Across the States: An Irish Cultural Atlas of America" project documenting 250 years of Irish music, song, and dance in the U.S., these events will primarily celebrate New York—its extraordinary musical heritage and archival legacy, its communities, and the ongoing dialogue between Ireland and Irish America—and feature NYC-based artists alongside a visiting Irish ensemble.

October 13 & 14. Find tickets and more information: irishartscenter.org/event/itma-drawing-from-the-well

Photo: © 2024 Colm Keating. All rights reserved.

09/04/2026

Singer-songwriter Jo Kroger headlines this month's Big City Folk show at Irish Arts Center on Thursday, September 10.

Make your reservation for a night of free music: https://irishartscenter.org/event/big-city-folk-song-club-fall-2026-spring-2027

Niall Connolly's free concert series BigCity Folk returns to IAC this fall with special guests Jo Kroger on Thursday, September 10; Robert Bock (The Locksmiths) on Thursday, October 22; and Sean Kiely on Thursday, December 3.

Read more and join us: irishartscenter.org/event/big-city-folk-song-club-fall-2026-spring-2027

09/04/2026

09/03/2026

The Irish Arts Center family is heartbroken at the passing of our dear friend and colleague, the legendary musician Cassandra Wilson.

An icon of American music, Cassandra infused jazz with influences from blues, folk, pop, and country music—and with her beautifully textured, one-of-a-kind voice, phrasing, musicianship, and improvisational talent, expressed in dozens upon dozens of recordings and countless live performances, enlivened America's native art form and left a legacy that is enduring.

Cassandra's eclecticism and musical curiosity extended to Irish music, and she was proud of her Irish heritage. She joined us at a turning point in the life of our organization, as we launched our capital project with a landmark concert in April 2016 at Symphony Space featuring a house band led by Henry Hey and a lineup of guest artists curated by Bill Whelan and Paul Muldoon.

Few will forget the transporting and moving duet that night between Cassandra and Liam Ó Maonlaí on Van Morrison’s "Tupelo Honey." As they entered the musical interlude after Liam’s second verse, sung in Irish, the two artists came together in a warm slow dance that melted the audience and continues to remind us what art and Irish Arts Center are all about. Cassandra and Liam later joined us for a Masters in Collaboration residency and tour to Dublin, Chicago, and L.A. with the brilliant David O’Rourke and a host of top musicians from Irish and American jazz traditions. We also fondly remember her guest appearance in one of our many Martin Hayes residencies when she led a stunning take on Neil Young’s "Harvest Moon."

Shine on, dear Cassandra. You will be missed and remembered.

09/02/2026

In his October 1 workshop, Bow Like a Pro, Canadian Grand Master Fiddle Champion Tom Fitzgerald shows students how to explore a simple melody and then, phrase by phrase, how to build a bowing scheme in real time.

Learn more and register: https://irishartscenter.org/event/bow-like-a-pro-master-class