BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Maine Irish Heritage Center - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Maine Irish Heritage Center REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251204T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251204T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250806T214735Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250806T214735Z UID:10000593-1764867600-1764874800@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Writes: December DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to present our inaugural season of Maine Irish Writes\, an inclusive monthly Writer’s Group that will meet in the MIHC Library on the first Thursday of each month! \nLed by the incredible poet and author Robert Breen\, this welcoming writers group is open to all—whether you’re just starting out or deep into a manuscript. Bring your works in progress\, share your voice\, and receive supportive\, thoughtful feedback in a relaxed and inspiring setting. Together\, we’ll explore storytelling\, poetry\, memory\, and the written word in all its forms. Come to listen\, come to write\, come to connect. \nCheck out the rest of the series dates HERE! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-writes-december-25/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Writes-banner-Dec-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251211T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251211T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250708T213611Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250708T213611Z UID:10000576-1765481400-1765486800@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Reads 'Old God’s Time' by Sebastian Barry DESCRIPTION:Maine Irish Reads\, our monthly book club\, meets every second Thursday here at the Center!\n\n\n\nFrom 7:30 – 9 PM in the MIHC Library. Bring a friend. The more\, the merrier. \nAbout this month’s book:\nRecently retired policeman Tom Kettle is settling into the quiet of his new home\, a lean-to annexed to a Victorian castle overlooking the Irish Sea. For months he has barely seen a soul\, catching only glimpses of his eccentric landlord and a nervous young mother who has moved in next door. Occasionally\, fond memories return of his family: his beloved wife June and their two children\, Winnie and Joe. But when two former colleagues turn up at his door with questions about a decades-old case\, one which Tom never quite came to terms with\, he finds himself pulled into the darkest currents of his past. \nA beautiful\, haunting novel in which nothing is quite as it seems\, Old God’s Time is about what we live through\, what we live with\, and what may survive of us. \nNamed a Best Book of 2023 by the New Yorker\, Washington Post\, NPR\, and Kirkus Reviews \n“You should be reading Sebastian Barry. [He] has a special understanding of the human heart.” —The Atlantic \n“A prose stylist of near-miraculous skill. . . Barry reaches deep into the messenger bag of mystery fiction and turns the whole business inside out . . . marvelous.” —The Washington Post \n“An unforgettable novel from one of our finest writers.” —Douglas Stuart\, author of Shuggie Bain \nFrom the five-time Booker Prize nominee and 2018-2021 Laureate for Irish Fiction\, a virtuosic\, profound novel exploring love\, memory\, grief\, and long-buried secrets URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-reads-december-2025/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:Maine Irish Reads ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Reads-Dec-25-banner-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251221T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251221T153000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20251127T000116Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251127T000116Z UID:10000615-1766325600-1766331000@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Solstice Storytelling at the Maine Irish Heritage Center DESCRIPTION:The Maine Irish Heritage Center is bringing the cherished Irish tradition of storytelling to Maine this winter! We will have warm drinks\, and the light in the Great Hall on the Solstice is incredible – watch the Stained Glass come to life as we share stories with each other! \nIn days gone by neighbors would gather at night in the local ceili house\, the home of a storyteller. They came for conversation\, and to hear stories of their community\, its history\, old tales handed down by the ancestors\, some music. These gatherings helped build community and preserve the culture and values of the Irish people. \nWe invite you to join us this Solstice in the Great Hall! Bring a story\, a poem\, a song\, or simply come to listen and enjoy an evening among friends—or friends-in-the-making. \nEvent Details:\n\nLocation: 34 Gray Street\, Portland ME\nTime: 2:00pm-3:30pm\nHost: Cathy Furness\nStory Guidelines:\n\nStories\, songs\, or poems should be 10 minutes or less\nA timekeeper will help us keep things moving\nNo hate speech – creative freedom is welcome\, but kindness and inclusivity are essential\n\n\nAll are welcome – come to share or simply to listen\n\nStorytelling is central to Irish culture—as it is to so many cultures around the world. This gathering of storytellers is part of MIHC’s mission to share this tradition across Maine. Let’s build community together\, one story at a time. URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/solstice-storytelling-at-the-maine-irish-heritage-center/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/SOLSTICE-Storytelling-banner-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251231T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251231T220000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250827T222716Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T183728Z UID:10000606-1767204000-1767218400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:New Year's Eve on Irish Time with Bailey's Mistake DESCRIPTION:Wednesday\, December 31st\n7:00pm\nDoors open at 5:30pm\nCome ring in the New Year at the Maine Irish Heritage Center with Bailey’s Mistake\, a Celtic-inspired\, four-piece folk band from right here in Maine. Known for their pulsing sound driven by bass\, drums\, and guitar\, and lifted by hearty vocal harmonies\, thrilling bagpipes\, and whistle tunes\, Bailey’s Mistake creates an irresistible energy that fills the room. \nDoors open at 5:30; Happy Hour at 6 PM – with opening act Jim Sharkey! The main show starts at 6:50 with a 10-minute countdown to the New Year’s celebration in Dublin at 7 PM. Advance general admission tickets are $35; $45 day of the show. There will be a cash bar with plenty of bubbly available for your New Year’s toast! Grab your friends\, fill a table\, and prepare to rock in the new year! \nAnd come hungry because we will have Noble Barbecue here selling their amazing sandwiches! What better way to ring in the New Year than with great music\, amazing food\, and some good craic. \nWe also have table packages available. These packages include tickets\, light snacks\, a bubbly toast\, and celebratory New Year’s swag! Tables are only available in advance! See below for pricing. \nAbout the Band: Celtic American roots music from Maine’s Bold Coast\n \nBailey’s Mistake is a not-quite-traditional\, Celtic-inspired\, four-piece folk band from Maine. The group mixes traditional music from Ireland\, Scotland and Newfoundland with brand new songs about contemporary life in New England. Bailey’s Mistake’s pulsing sound is driven by bass\, drums and guitar and topped off with hearty vocal harmonies and thrilling bagpipe and whistle tunes. \nBailey’s Mistake is made up of four seasoned musicians who all went to the same rural high school in Maine — aptly named Bonny Eagle. Collectively\, they have about 110 years of touring musical experience. \nTroy R. Bennett plays guitar\, sings soulful lead and writes most of the band’s original songs. Travis Cote learned to play the bagpipes at 10 and thrills audiences with his rhythmic\, majestic sound. Dean Clegg is the band’s inventive percussionist and oversees all technical aspects of every show. Rob Babson plays bass\, sings delicate harmonies and is the band’s musical leader. \nBailey’s Mistake has played gigs all over New England. The band is also recording and releasing one new song\, every month\, throughout 2025. \nThe band takes its name from a legend told for generations along the Maine coast. Back in the 19th century\, there was a certain ship captain named Bailey. He was trying to guide his vessel safely around West Quoddy Head Lighthouse and into Lubec Harbor. Unfortunately\, it was a foggy night and he missed. Instead of safe harbor\, Bailey ran aground in a shallow\, rocky inlet just south of the lighthouse. \nBut rather than face the wrath of the ship’s furious owners in Boston\, Bailey and his crew unloaded the lumber they had on board\, built houses in the cove and settled down with several local ladies. \nTo this day\, on most good maps\, that little harbor is simply labeled “Bailey’s Mistake.” \nLearn more about Bailey’s Mistake: https://www.baileysmistakemusic.com/ \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n  \nAbout the Opening Act: Jim Sharkey\nJim grew up in County Roscommon\, Ireland. His songs reflect the Irish tradition as well as singer-songwriter music he grew up listening to. Regarding his original compositions Sean Smith\, BostonIrish Contributor\, November 2024 writes “there’s such an innate gentleness to his music\, a care and concern expressed about our humanity\, on a large and small scale\, and that tenderness is once again abundant on his fourth album\, “Our Old Village”.   \nLearn more at https://www.jimsharkeymusic.com \n  \n  \n  \n  \nThe Food!\nWe are so excited to have Noble Pizzeria and Barbecue back at the Center! Come with an empty stomach to make sure you don’t miss out on their delicious sandwiches – for sale 5:30-8:30pm! \n \nA little bit about Noble: \nWe started as a scrappy mobile wood-fired pizza business\, slinging pies at events from upstate New York to the coast of Bar Harbor. We quickly grew into a Maine-inspired\, full service\, wood-fired catering company. Ten years and more than 600 weddings later\, the Fire & Co. flame is still burning strong. \nFrom our love of food\, traditions\, and hospitality\, Noble Barbecue was born. Always searching for better ingredients and techniques\, the Noble crew has taken numerous Southern BBQ “vacations” and East Coast pizza road trips — hard work\, but someone has to do it. \nOver the years\, we’ve watched Portland\, Maine evolve into a culinary highlight of New England. We feel confident that we have the right menu\, experience\, and people to make a new Portland institution in one of the best neighborhoods around. \nLearn more at noblepizzaandbbq.com  URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/baileys-mistake/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Baileys-Mistake-nye-banner-CORRECT-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260106T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260106T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250806T215100Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250806T215100Z UID:10000594-1767718800-1767726000@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Writes: January DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to present our inaugural season of Maine Irish Writes\, an inclusive monthly Writer’s Group that will meet in the MIHC Library on the first Thursday of each month! Please note\, in January we will be meeting on TUESDAY the 6th to accommodate the New Year’s Holiday! \nLed by the incredible poet and author Robert Breen\, this welcoming writers group is open to all—whether you’re just starting out or deep into a manuscript. Bring your works in progress\, share your voice\, and receive supportive\, thoughtful feedback in a relaxed and inspiring setting. Together\, we’ll explore storytelling\, poetry\, memory\, and the written word in all its forms. Come to listen\, come to write\, come to connect. \nCheck out the rest of the series dates HERE! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-writes-january-26/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Writes-banner-JAN-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260108T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260108T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250708T213944Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250708T213944Z UID:10000578-1767900600-1767906000@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Reads 'Wild Houses' by Colin Barrett DESCRIPTION:Maine Irish Reads\, our monthly book club\, meets every second Thursday here at the Center!\n\n\n\nFrom 7:30 – 9 PM in the MIHC Library. Bring a friend. The more\, the merrier. \nAbout this month’s book:\nThe riotous\, raucous and deeply resonant debut novel from “one of the best story writers in the English language today” (Financial Times) Wild Houses follows two outsiders caught in the crosshairs of a small-town revenge kidnapping gone awry. \nWith his acclaimed and award-winning collections Young Skins and Homesickness Colin Barrett cemented his reputation as one of contemporary Irish literature’s most daring stylists. Praised by the Oprah Daily as “a doyen of the sentence\,” and by the Los Angeles Times as a writer of “unique genius\,” Barrett now expands his canvas with a debut novel that contains as much grit\, plot\, and linguistic energy as any of his celebrated short stories. \nAs Ballina prepares for its biggest weekend of the year\, introspective loner Dev answers his door on Friday night to find Doll English— younger brother of small-time local dealer Cillian English—bruised and in the clutches of Gabe and Sketch Ferdia\, County Mayo’s fraternal enforcers and Dev’s cousins. Dev’s quiet homelife is upturned as he is quickly and unwillingly drawn headlong into the Ferdias’ frenetic revenge plot against Cillian. Meanwhile\, Doll’s girlfriend\, seventeen-year-old Nicky\, reeling from a fractious Friday and plagued by ghosts and tragedy of her own\, sets out on a feverish mission to save Doll\, even as she questions her future in Ballina. \nSet against Barrett’s trademark depictions of small town Irish life\, Wild Houses is thrillingly-told story of two outsiders striving to find themselves as their worlds collapse in chaos and violence. URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-reads-january-2026/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:Maine Irish Reads ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Reads-Jan-26-banner-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260201T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260201T140000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260112T225950Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T183742Z UID:10000624-1769950800-1769954400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Women in Social Services Panel DESCRIPTION:Sunday\, February 1st\n1:00pm-2:00pm\nJoin us for an incredible and lively panel discussion on Women in Social Services in honor of  Brigid’s Day. We will be joined by a group of phenomenal panelists who will discuss their experiences and the current healthcare climate. \nThere will be light food and warm beverages available for purchase. All are welcome for this free event! \nOur Panelists:\nCatherine Cooper\, Suicide Prevention Coordinator for VA Maine\nCatherine Cooper is a clinical social worker with more than 25 years of human services experience. She currently serves as VA Maine’s Program Manager for the Suicide Prevention Program and has been in this role since August 1\, 2022. Previously she was an Emergency Department Social Worker in Massachusetts and has held a variety of leadership positions for agencies serving adults with disabilities\, unhoused individuals and children involved in the child welfare system. Catherine also maintains a small\, part-time private practice as a therapist. She lives with her spouse and their cat in the 1840’s house of their dreams in Augusta. \nHannah Longley\, Clinician and Critical Incident Responder\, Dochas Wellness\nHannah Longley\, LCSW is a mental health clinician\, educator\, and advocate with nearly two decades of experience in crisis intervention\, trauma-informed care\, and statewide systems development. She is the Owner of Dochas Wellness\, LLC\, providing mental health training\, consultation\, and specialized support to organizations and communities across Maine. Hannah serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Central Maine Community College\, where she teaches public safety\, psychology\, and sociology courses and contributes to workforce development in crisis response.\nPreviously\, she was Director of Advocacy and Crisis Intervention at NAMI Maine\, leading statewide training initiatives\, advancing Platinum-level Crisis Intervention Teams\, managing state and federal grants\, and advocating for mental health policy and crisis system reform. Her earlier work includes leadership roles in crisis services and serving as Psychological Health Coordinator for the Maine Army National Guard. Hannah is nationally recognized for her work in law enforcement–mental health collaboration and has received multiple state and national awards. She holds a BA in Psychology from Wheaton College and an MSW from Boston College\nMary Ann Folley\, School social worker\, Bonny Eagle Middle School\nMary Ann Folley\, LCSW. I graduated with my master’s degree in Social Work concentration Child Welfare\, in 2003 from the University of Vermont. While in graduate school\, I started with grassroots social work\, working as a residential counselor for Northeastern Family Institute NFI. Upon graduation\, I went to work for SRS (current day DCF) in Vermont. I remained in that position in Vermont until 2009 when I moved to Maine. I worked for DHHS in Biddeford Maine from 2009 until 2015. After the death of my college friend and colleague Lara Sobel in Vermont\, I began to question the safety of my position. Lara was shot and killed in the parking lot of the DCF office I worked at\, by an angry parent. That same weekend\, a friend and principal at Bonny Eagle Middle School reached out and asked if I would apply for a job at his middle school. Although my heart lay with children in foster care\, I took the chance and got the job. This is my 10th year with Bonny Eagle Middle school as their General Education Social Worker. This means any student\, whether they have a special education identification or not\, can meet with me. We also have 2 other dedicated Special education social workers in our building.  I pull from all of my social work experience and schooling in each position I have held.  I thoroughly enjoy working with students in some of the most challenging schooling years of their life. If I can be a blip on their radar\, that they recall with fondness then I have done my job. \nKiley Wilkens-O’Brien\, Public health strategist\, death doula\, and leader in suicide prevention\, postvention\, and crisis system reform\, Covenstead\nKiley Wilkens-O’Brien is a public health strategist\, death doula\, and nationally recognized leader in suicide prevention\, postvention\, and crisis system reform. Her work bridges frontline care and systems change\, grounded in a deep commitment to dignity\, consent\, and meaning-making. She has led the development of Maine’s Suicide Mortality Review initiative\, supported the launch of 988 and oversaw creation of novel community-based crisis services\, such as the Living Room Crisis Center and Children’s Behavioral Health Urgent Care. She advises state and national partners on ethical\, person-centered approaches to distress. Through her community practice\, Covenstead\, she creates spaces for honest conversations about grief\, survival\, and the realities of being human. URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/women-in-social-services-panel/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:Community ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/BD-panel-26-banner-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260201T143000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260201T163000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20251222T235329Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T183737Z UID:10000616-1769956200-1769963400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Multigenerational Writing Workshop with Irish Author Áine Greaney DESCRIPTION:In collaboration with The Telling Room!\nSunday\, February 1st\n2:30-4:30pm\nAll are welcome\, entry is free!\nJoin us at the Center for an exciting afternoon of storytelling and reflection with acclaimed Irish author Áine Greaney\, in partnership with The Telling Room. This multigenerational writing workshop invites participants to come just as they are—no prior writing experience required! \nRooted in the spirit of Imbolc\, this session will explore themes of looking back and looking forward\, drawing inspiration from personal memory\, family stories\, and hopes for the season ahead. The workshop will include guided writing prompts\, followed by an optional sharing circle. Áine will also share selections from her own work\, alongside participants who wish to read aloud. \nDesigned for middle schoolers and up\, this program is ideal for individuals\, families\, and friends who want to write together across generations. Expect an encouraging\, accessible environment that centers voice\, story\, and connection. All are welcome\, however\, and we will have activities for any young friends who may not be ready to engage in the writing but wish to attend! \nDetails:\n At the Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray Street\, Portland Maine\n 2:30–4:30 PM\nCoffee\, tea\, hot cocoa\, juice\, and light snacks will be provided! \nThis is a special opportunity to take a workshop with Áine Greaney and engage directly with an internationally published Irish writer in an intimate\, community-centered setting. \nAbout Áine Greaney: \nÁine Greaney grew up on a small farm in County Mayo\, Ireland. In the late 1980s\, she joined the 200\,000 (approximately) young Irish who left their native land to emigrate to the U.S.\, the U.K. and elsewhere. \nGreaney’s fifth published book\, “Trespassers and Other Stories” was released in spring 2025 and is now available to order from the publisher and wherever good books are sold. Trespassers is a transatlantic collection of literary stories about characters (mostly women) who feel perpetually displaced or stuck in misfit places. \nIn America\, Greaney’s work has been cited in “Best American Essays\,” and her second novel\, “Dance Lessons” was named a “great group read” by the Women’s National Book Association. Her essay\, “Sanctuary” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. \nIn addition to her books (Simon & Schuster\, Writers Digest/Penguin Random House\, Syracuse UP)\, her essays\, features and stories have appeared in Creative Nonfiction\, The Boston Globe Magazine\, The New York Times\, Books Ireland\, KevinMD\, Another Chicago Magazine\, NPR’s WBUR Radio\, Salon\, The Mindful Word\, IMAGE Magazine\, The Irish Times\, The Wisdom Daily\, Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine\, Tendon\, Johns Hopkins Center for Medical Humanities and many other publications. \nA trained teacher with a master’s degree in English and certified in leading expressive writing workshops\, she has designed and led creative and wellness writing events for 20+ years. \nLearn more about Aine Greaney: https://www.ainegreaney.com/ \nAbout the Telling Room: \nThe Telling Room was founded in 2004 by three writers—Sara Corbett\, Mike Paterniti\, and Susan Conley—who imagined that getting in touch with the youth of Portland and their stories could be like putting your ear to a seashell and hearing the whole ocean. They were right! \nEnthusiasm and demand for our programs grew exponentially—The Telling Room now works with over 2\,500 young writers each year\, reaching students and teachers from over 50 schools and serving more than 100 communities across the state of Maine annually. \nOur accomplishments have been recognized with awards and major funding from the National Endowment for the Arts\, the Maine Alliance for Arts Education’s Imagination Intensive Communities program\, Maine Arts Commission\, and the Maine Humanities Council among many others. \nIn November 2015\, our Young Writers & Leaders program won a prestigious National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award as one of the top 12 youth arts and humanities programs in the nation. In 2024\, we were awarded the Golden Apple Award by the Maine Education Association. \nLearn more about the amazing organization and the programs they offer here: https://www.tellingroom.org \n  \nGenerously Sponsored by Holiday Inn by the Bay! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/multigenerational-writing-workshop-with-irish-author-aine-greaney/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Telling-Room-Writers-Workshop-1-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260203T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260203T203000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260112T215718Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T183740Z UID:10000622-1770143400-1770150600@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Author Talk: Betsy Cornwell DESCRIPTION:In conversation with Patrisha McLean\nTuesday\, February 3rd\, 2026\n6:30pm\nDoors open at 6:00pm\n  \nJoin us for another Brigid’s Day program: a Maine Irish Author Talk with Betsy Cornwell! Focusing on her new memoir\, “Ring of Salt\,” Betsy will be in conversation with Patrisha McLean\, founder of Finding our Voices. We will have books for sale (and signing!) at the event from Print: A Bookstore! \n  \nAbout the Author:\nBetsy Cornwell is a New York Times bestselling author of six novels and founder of The Old Knitting Factory\, an arts residency and retreat space for single parents in Connemara. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame and a BA from Smith College\, and currently teaches at the University of Galway. She serves as a mentor for the Irish Writers Centre and was the first recipient of their Blue Mountains (Australia) Residency in 2023. \nLearn more here: https://www.betsycornwell.com/about \n  \n\n\nAbout the Book:\n“Extraordinarily moving\, exquisitely written and socially revolutionary”—The Irish Times \n“Ring of Salt is so vast and tender and urgent\, it’s almost like reading a novel. I couldn’t put it down. I haven’t cheered for a heroine like Betsy in ages.” —Jen Hatmaker\, author of Awake \nFor readers of Maggie Smith and Stephanie Land\, an inspiring and lyrical memoir about a writer and mother who flees an abusive marriage and must learn to reclaim the story of her life through a search for home on Ireland’s wild\, western coast. \nAt twenty-four\, Betsy Cornwell runs away to Ireland for a fresh start. Leaving behind a painful past\, she chases her dream of becoming a novelist to the misty shores of the Aran Islands. There she meets a handsome and charming horse trainer\, and her life takes on the glow of a fairy tale when they elope to Gretna Green. \nFive years later\, her happy ending has twisted into a nightmare. Betsy is trapped in an abusive marriage\, isolated and afraid with a newborn baby. On her son’s first birthday\, she must flee home again\, this time turning to the women around her—her local survivor support group\, a trusted family friend\, and an online Smith College alumnae network—for help she’d never known she could ask for. \nAfter a brush with homelessness\, she struggles to scrape together a living for herself and her son. On sleepless nights\, she scrolls through real estate listings that might as well be castles in the air\, and starts to foster an impossible dream: What if she could use her writing to buy a home\, one that no one could take away from her and her baby? One that might become a haven\, not just for her family\, but other single parent artists and writers\, too? \nWhen she discovers a historic knitting factory and former cinema on Ireland’s rugged Connemara coastline\, left empty and crumbling for years\, that precarious dream becomes her lifeline. Over the next two years she works to crowdfund the old knitting factory’s purchase by sharing its story and her own\, in candid posts that range from the unexpectedly steep learning curves she encounters with home renovations and internet dating\, to her heartbreaking fight to keep custody of her son\, with her growing online community. But as the deadline to buy nears\, she realizes she will have to reckon with everything she believes about family\, survival\, and what happily-ever-after truly means for her dream to have any chance of coming true. \nRing of Salt combines a powerful and relatable narrative of survivorship and healing with lush writing about the windswept landscapes and rich mythology of rural Ireland to craft a real-world fairy tale about the ordinary\, but no less life-changing\, forms of magic we can all access: vulnerability\, community\, and the power of telling your own story. \n\nAbout Patrisha McLean:\nPatrisha McLean is the Founder+CEO of the grassroots nonprofit Finding Our Voices which is breaking the silence of domestic abuse across Maine.. She is also the host of the Let’s Talk About It podcast that is conversations with survivors of domestic abuse\, and an online book club featuring authors talking about the domestic abuse in their books\, lives\, countries. \nBetsy Cornwell is the guest of the online Finding Our Voices Book Club on March 24 at 1 p.m. Info and sign-up is here: https://findingourvoices.net/book-club \n  \nAbout Finding Our Voices:\nFinding Our Voices is the grassroots nonprofit breaking the silence of domestic abuse across Maine as well as providing resources and peer-support to women survivors. Its programs include preventive and educational outreach to students; access to donated dental care; financial assistance; and online support groups and Healing Together retreats. For more information visit https://findingourvoices.net \n  URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-author-talk-betsy-cornwell/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:book-talk ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Betsy-Cornwell-Banner-1-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260205T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260205T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250806T215429Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250806T215429Z UID:10000595-1770310800-1770318000@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Writes: February DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to present our inaugural season of Maine Irish Writes\, an inclusive monthly Writer’s Group that will meet in the MIHC Library on the first Thursday of each month! \nLed by the incredible poet and author Robert Breen\, this welcoming writers group is open to all—whether you’re just starting out or deep into a manuscript. Bring your works in progress\, share your voice\, and receive supportive\, thoughtful feedback in a relaxed and inspiring setting. Together\, we’ll explore storytelling\, poetry\, memory\, and the written word in all its forms. Come to listen\, come to write\, come to connect. \nCheck out the rest of the series dates HERE! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-writes-february-26/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Writes-banner-FEB-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260206T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260206T213000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20251230T230228Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T183739Z UID:10000618-1770406200-1770413400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Brian Conway & Brendan Dolan Live in Concert DESCRIPTION:Friday\, February 6th\n7:30pm\nDoors open 7:00pm\nJoin us for an evening of incredible music from two legendary artists: Brian Conway and Brendan Dolan! Don’t miss your chance to immerse yourself in some traditional Irish tunes. General Admission tickets are $25\, or you can snag priority seating for just $35! Don’t wait – General Admission prices go up at the door\, and priority seating is only available in advance! \nAbout the Artists:\nBrian Conway:\nNew York born fiddler Brian Conway is a leading exponent of the tastefully ornamented Sligo fiddling style made famous by the late Michael Coleman. The winner of two All- Ireland junior titles in 1973 and 1974 and the All-Ireland senior championship of 1986\, Brian’s early studies were with his father Jim of Plumbridge\, County Tyrone and with Limerick born fiddler/teacher Martin Mulvihill. However\, it was the legendary fiddler and composer Martin Wynne who taught him the real secrets of the County Sligo style. Later\, Brian met and befriended the great Andy McGann of New York\, a direct student of Michael Coleman\, who further shaped his precision and skill on the instrument. \nIn 1979\, Brian recorded a duet album\, The Apple In Winter (Green Linnet) with fellow New York fiddler Tony Demarco. He released his debut solo CD\, First Through the Gate\, on the Smithsonian-Folkways label in July 2002. This CD was voted the Album of the Year by the Irish Echo. Brian is also featured on the CD\, My Love is in America\, recorded at the Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival\, and on the documentary “Shore to Shore” which highlights traditional Irish music in New York. He is considered one of the musical rocks of the New York area. \nIn 2007\, Brian released a CD titled A Tribute to Andy McGann on the prestigious Irish Label Cló Iar-Chonnachta. This CD pairs up Irish Music legends Joe Burke and Felix Dolan along with Brian in a CD which has received glowing accolades since its release in the summer of 2007. Brian followed this CD with a much-anticipated Solo CD titled “Consider the Source” in deference to the rich environment from which Brian learned his music. This CD was released in 2008 on the Cló Iar-Chonnachta Label. This CD features guest appearances by music greats Niamh Parsons\, Dan Milner\, Billy McComiskey\, Joannie Madden\, Felix Dolan\, and Brendan Dolan. Earle Hitchner of the Irish Echo described this CD as “Easily one of the best releases this year.” Brian followed up that recording with the highly acclaimed Pride of New York\, and last year\, in 2017\, recorded with the group Gailfean\, featuring John Whelan\, Mairtin DeCogain and Don Penzien. \nBrian remains faithful to the rich tradition handed down to him. The distinctness of his tone\, the lift of his playing\, and the deft ornamentation he brings to the tunes have placed him among the finest Irish fiddlers of any style\, Sligo or otherwise. He has performed all over North America from San Francisco to New York and places in between\, such as Chicago\, Milwaukee and Colorado. His talents have also been enthusiastically received throughout Ireland and the rest of Europe. He is also considered one of the premier instructors of traditional Irish music who has mentored many fine fiddle players\, including several who have gone on to win All-Ireland championships. \nLearn more at www.brianconway.com \n“Certainly one of the finest Irish-American musician fiddlers…”\n– Dirty Linen Magazine  \nIrish Echo’s Top Trad Artist for 2008 \nBrendan Dolan:\nBrendan is the son of legendary pianist\, Felix Dolan\, and set dancer\, Joan Dolan. Brendan learned his music from his parents while growing up in Golden’s Bridge\, NY. playing frequently at events with their neighbors\, Eugene and Celia Clancy and their children at Irish events around Westchester County.  While at college at Brown University\, Brendan connected with local musicians in Providence\, Rhode Island and became passionate about the music.  With New York transplant\, Jimmy Devine and his student Tina Lech\, Brendan began playing ceilis and occasional sessions with the Providence Ceili Club.  After graduation\, Brendan starting playing regular ceilis with accordionist Kevin Killeen at St. Mary’s in Woodside where he was encouraged by accordion great\, Gerry Lynch. \nThroughout the 1990s\, Brendan worked in advertising and played ceilis\, sessions and concerts on the weekends\, most often with accordionist\, Patty Furlong and Mayo native fiddler\, Fiona Doherty.  At the same time\, Brendan regularly played for dance competitions along with his father throughout the year. \nDuring this time\, Brendan learned the whistle and the flute from his father and from the great flute players\, Joanie Madden and Catherine McEvoy.  He got to know and play with many of the great New York musicians such as Eamon O’Leary\, Patrick Ourceau and Dana Lyn playing sessions at places like Mona’s and The Scratcher. \nIn the late 90s\, Brendan went back to school to study music at SUNY New Paltz and music education at Queens College.  After teaching at St. John’s Preparatory School in Astoria and at Franklin Central School in Franklin\, NY\, Brendan began teaching Irish music at the Mineola Irish Center and the New York Irish Center in Long Island City. He also started teaching and coaching groups in the Pearl River assisting the great musicians and teachers\, Rose Flanagan\, Margie Mulvihill and Patty Furlong. \nAfter earning a Master’s degree in Irish Studies at NYU\, Brendan spent the next three years as the main archivist on the Mick Moloney Irish-American Music and Popular Culture Collection. \nHe is currently Music Director at Avenues: The World School in Manhattan\, while continuing to play and teach Irish music. \nOver the years\, Brendan has recorded with Patrick Ourceau\, Patty Furlong\, Kathy Ludlow and Mary Coogan\, Billy McComiskey\, Brian Conway\, Mick Moloney and The Green Fields of America and the Pride of New York\, of which he is a member. \nBrendan also taught at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins West Virginia\, and continues to teach at the Irish Arts Week in East Durham\, New York. \n  URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/brian-conway-and-brendan-dolan/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Brian-Conway-Brendan-Dolan-banner-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260212T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260212T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250708T214235Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250708T214235Z UID:10000579-1770924600-1770930000@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Reads 'These Days' by Lucy Caldwell DESCRIPTION:Maine Irish Reads\, our monthly book club\, meets every second Thursday here at the Center!\n\n\n\nFrom 7:30 – 9 PM in the MIHC Library. Bring a friend. The more\, the merrier. \nAbout this month’s book:\nTwo sisters\, four nights\, one city. \nApril\, 1941. Belfast has escaped the worst of the war – so far. Over the next two months\, it’s going to be destroyed from above\, so that people will say\, in horror\, My God\, Belfast is finished. \nMany won’t make it through\, and no one who does will remain unchanged. \nFollowing the lives of sisters Emma and Audrey – one engaged to be married\, the other in a secret relationship with another woman – as they try to survive the horrors of the four nights of bombing which were the Belfast Blitz\, These Days is a timeless and heart-breaking novel about living under duress\, about family\, and about how we try to stay true to ourselves. \nThese Days won both the 2023 Walter Scott Prize For Historical Fiction and the 2022 E. M. Forster Award URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-reads-february-2026/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:Maine Irish Reads ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Reads-Feb-26-banner-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260220T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260220T200000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20251126T234543Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251126T234543Z UID:10000614-1771612200-1771617600@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:POSTPONED: The Irish Famine Immigrant Experience on Staten Island DESCRIPTION:This event has been postponed due to inclement weather! Stay tuned for a new date!\nThe Irish Famine Immigrant Experience on Staten Island:\nA Lecture with Loretto Leary\nFriday\, February 20th\n6:30pm\nDoors open at 6:00pm\nIn the wake of the Great Irish Famine\, thousands of men\, women\, and children crossed the Atlantic in search of survival and opportunity. For many\, the Port of New York represented the promise of a new beginning. Yet for countless others\, it marked the tragic end of their journey. \nAt the Staten Island Marine Hospital and Quarantine Station—now the site of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal—thousands of famine immigrants perished shortly after arrival. Their suffering and resilience are commemorated in two nearby burial grounds that remain vital to understanding this chapter of Irish and American history. \nJoin Loretto Leary on Friday\, February 20th at the Maine Irish Heritage Center at 6:30 PM for an illuminating exploration of Staten Island’s profound connection to the Irish Famine immigrant story and the enduring legacy of those who never reached the lives they dreamed of. \nAbout the Speaker:\nLoretto Horrigan Leary\, originally from Portumna\, County Galway\, has made her home in Connecticut for over three decades. A seasoned educator\, she has taught Language Arts at the elementary and middle school levels in Darien\, New Canaan\, Norwalk\, and Stamford. \nAs a freelance journalist\, her writing has appeared in publications such as The Irish Echo\, Irish Central\, Irish Examiner USA\, and Australia’s Irish Scene. \nCurrently\, Loretto serves as Educational and Cultural Director of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield and is also Co-Chair of the Connecticut–Ireland Trade Commission. \nLoretto is pursuing her PhD at Trinity College Dublin\, where her research focuses on Irish American Famine memory and the memorial landscapes of New York\, with particular attention to Staten Island’s role in this transatlantic story of loss\, survival\, and remembrance. URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/the-irish-famine-immigrant-experience-on-staten-island/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Irish-Famine-Lecture-banner-postponed-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260301T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260301T170000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20251230T233410Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251230T233410Z UID:10000619-1772366400-1772384400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Irish Day at the Maine Celtics DESCRIPTION:Maine Celtics vs. Windy City Bulls\n\n\n\nMarch 1st\, 2026 at 12:00 PM\n\n\n\nPortland Exposition Building\, 239 Park Ave\, Portland\, ME 04102\n\n\n\nPurchase Deadline: Feb 15\, 2026 11:59 PM EST\n\nThe Maine Celtics are excited to host the Maine Irish Heritage Center on March 1 at 12 PM as we take on the Windy City Bulls at the Portland Expo! All tickets purchased through this special ticket offer will include a FREE Maine Celtics Hat! \n*$5 from every ticket purchased will be donated back to the Maine Irish Heritage Center! \nYou will receive an order confirmation email from letsgo@fevo.com immediately after your purchase. All tickets are mobile. All sales are final. \nYou will receive an email before the game with instructions on how to pick up your free hats at the game. \nGet your tickets here: https://www.gofevo.com/event/MIHC25 URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/irish-day-at-the-maine-celtics/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Irish-Day-at-the-Maine-Celtics-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260305T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260305T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250806T215746Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250806T215746Z UID:10000596-1772730000-1772737200@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Writes: March DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to present our inaugural season of Maine Irish Writes\, an inclusive monthly Writer’s Group that will meet in the MIHC Library on the first Thursday of each month! \nLed by the incredible poet and author Robert Breen\, this welcoming writers group is open to all—whether you’re just starting out or deep into a manuscript. Bring your works in progress\, share your voice\, and receive supportive\, thoughtful feedback in a relaxed and inspiring setting. Together\, we’ll explore storytelling\, poetry\, memory\, and the written word in all its forms. Come to listen\, come to write\, come to connect. \nCheck out the rest of the series dates HERE! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-writes-march-26/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Writes-banner-MAR-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260306T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260306T213000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260112T221822Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T183741Z UID:10000623-1772825400-1772832600@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Paul Byrom LIVE in Concert DESCRIPTION:Friday\, March 6th\n7:30pm\nDoors open at 7:00pm\n***Meet & Greet after the Show!***\nFollowing the huge success of his 40 city tour with Celtic Thunder\, original member\, Paul Byrom returns to America this March with his own solo tour “Songs From Home”. Performing many fan favourites from his 8 solo albums and telling endless amounts of stories in between. This is a concert like no other. So whether it’s songs such as Danny Boy\, You Raise Me Up\, Irelands Call or Isle Of Hope\, this is a show that will take you on a journey to the isle across the sea. General Admission tickets are only $40\, or score yourself early access to a meet and greet with Paul for only $55! \nGet your tickets now: CLICK HERE!\n \nAbout Paul\n\n  \n\nPaul Byrom is considered by many to be one of Ireland’s finest crossover tenors. Starting in the business at a very young age\, the Dublin-born singer has been in the music industry for over 30 years. Paul has performed in a wide range of productions\, from operas and oratorio to recitals and in particular\, musical theatre. \nAfter releasing his first album at age 14 (The Golden Voice of Paul Byrom)\, Paul got a taste for recording studios and soon became a recording artist. Subsequently\, he recorded his first major album as a tenor (VELVET)\, in 2005 and swiftly followed this with his first Christmas album (I’ll Be Home for Christmas) in 2008. \nThis has led to many appearances on Irish television and national radio stations. \nPaul is also very fond of acting and made his onscreen debut in Ireland’s longest-running soap\, “FAIR CITY” where he appeared regularly as Maurice the chef for a short stint. \nHis talent as a singer has taken him far and wide\, and some of his many career highlights include performing for dignitaries such as Emperor Akihito of Japan\, former Irish Presidents Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson\, and more recently\,  United States President Barack Obama. \nIn 2007\, Paul was approached to become one of the original soloists in the hit show Celtic Thunder. He toured America\, Canada and Australia with the group and had six No. 1 World Billboard Chart albums with the group. This allowed Paul to perform on many international TV shows including “The Today Show.” \nAfter leaving the production in 2010 to continue his solo career\, his subsequent album (This is the Moment) debuted at No. 1 on the World Billboard charts and was shortlisted for a Grammy nomination. \nThis has led to a successful solo touring career and he now performs his shows regularly throughout Ireland\, North America and Canada. In 2013\, Paul filmed his first solo TV special for Public Television\, called “This is the Moment Live”\, with his orchestra. It has aired throughout the United States\, Canada\, Australia and indeed at home here in Ireland. Paul followed this up with his 6th studio album\, (Thinking of Home) which reached the top of the iTunes\, Amazon and World Billboard charts and features two of his own\, original songs. He has been named IRISH TENOR OF THE YEAR by the Irish Music Association on two separate occasions. \nPaul is an avid sports fan and has been invited regularly over the past 15 years to perform the anthem for the Boston Celtics and again recently he did this on his past tour. He has also performed at six All-Ireland Finals\, and at many international rugby games including a recent performance for the Ireland v England game in Dublin. He was hugely honoured to be the official voice on “Ireland’s Call” for the Rugby World Cup in 2011 which has now been streamed over 3 million times. \nDespite 2020 being a catastrophic year for many in the music and entertainment business\, Paul released his biggest album to date with a full 65 piece orchestra (What I Did for Love). The album showcases Paul in his best light. What I Did For Love is his most crossover album to date and debuted in the top ten IMRO charts and no.1 on iTunes. \nPaul’s latest album BY CONTRAST  is as the title suggests\, completely different to the previous\, in that it is an acoustic album with some of his favourite Irish and crossover songs on it. \n2025 has picked up where he left off with a recent tour of North America and will be returning to Celtic Thunder this Autumn after 15 years to tour with them for two months across America. \nLearn more at https://paulbyrom.ie/ URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/paul-byrom-live-in-concert/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Paul-Byrom-March-26-banner-1-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260308T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260308T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260120T002542Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T183742Z UID:10000625-1772989200-1772996400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Shalom and Shamrocks: an Irish-Jewish Corned Beef Feast (SOLD OUT) DESCRIPTION:This event is SOLD OUT!\nSunday\, March 8\, 2026 \n5:00 PM\nAt the Maine Irish Heritage Center\nIrish corned beef dinner or Jewish corned beef sandwich on rye? Why choose one when you can have both? \nJoin the Maine Jewish Museum and the Maine Irish Heritage Center for our second annual Shalom & Shamrocks\, a festive\, flavor-forward evening celebrating shared foodways\, music\, and immigrant histories — bringing together the luck of the Irish and the chutzpah of the Jews for a joyful night in Portland. \nWhat’s on the menu (literally):\nCorned beef\, cabbage\, and colcannon alongside a Jewish deli buffet — plus red ale and Dr. Brown’s.\nAnd for dessert? Guinness brownies and black-and-white cookies\, because Irish-Jewish harmony is sweet. \nThe story behind the feast:\nDid you know the iconic Irish corned beef dinner has Jewish roots? \nIn the early 20th century\, Irish and Jewish immigrants often lived side by side in American cities. Irish immigrants noticed that the corned beef enjoyed by their Jewish neighbors was similar to bacon — but cheaper and more accessible. Kosher butchers\, in fact\, counted nearly as many Irish customers as Jewish ones. \nIn that spirit\, Shalom & Shamrocks brings together people of all backgrounds to celebrate shared immigrant experiences through food\, music\, and memory\, right here in Portland. \nLive music & special guests\n\nKlezmer musicians\nWill Woodson (flute\, uilleann pipes) & Cait Finley (fiddle)\, performing dynamic Irish music rooted in early-20th-century Irish-American traditions\nSpecial appearance by Hasia R. Diner\, author of Hungering for America\, exploring Italian\, Irish\, and Jewish foodways in the age of migration\n\n Expect sparky tunes\, deep roots\, and a room full of joy. \nTickets\n\n$60 — General admission\n$100 — Supporter ticket (helps fund future programs like this)\n\n ️ Space is limited — and we sold out last year — so don’t wait! \nTickets go on sale at 10:00am on Monday\, January 26th! \nAbout the Artists:\nHasia R. Diner \nHasia R. Diner is Professor Emerita at the Departments of History and the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University\, and Director of the Goldstein-Goren Center for American Jewish History. She is the former series editor for our Goldstein-Goren series in American Jewish History. Among her many books are Hungering for America: Italian\, Irish and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration\, The Jews of the United States\, 1654 to 2000\, We Remember With Reverence and Love: American Jews and the Myth of Silence after the Holocaust\, 1945–1962\, and Immigration: An American History\, with Carl Bon Tempo. \nWill Woodson & Cait Finley \nWill Woodson (flute\, uilleann pipes) and Cait Finley (fiddle) play sparky and driving traditional Irish music that’s grounded in the textures and rhythms of the rich Irish-American soundscape of the 1920s and 30s. With roots in the living Irish musical cultures of Boston\, New York City\, and Philadelphia\, and a tremendous admiration for the first generation of recorded Irish musicians\, the duo conjures up the sounds of the dance halls\, vaudeville theaters\, and house sessions central to Irish-American music from the first half of the twentieth century. In 2019\, the two recorded their debut album\, “The Glory Reel” alongside box player and piano accompanist Chris “Junior” Stevens\, which Dan Neely of the Irish Echo called “a fabulous album from three of Irish America’s finest.” During the pandemic years\, the two made “The Phonograph Project”\, a Patreon-supported series examining 78 recordings of traditional Irish music made in New York City in the 1920s and 30s. More recently\, they’ve made musical appearances at the St. Louis Tionól\, the Patrick J. Touhey Memorial Weekend in Boston and the Ward Archives “Archiving Irish America” conference in Milwaukee. Cait and Will live in Portland\, Maine\, and host a regular weekly session at The Continental that starts at 8 pm on Sundays. You can find them online at woodsonfinley.com. \nKlezmer Musicians \nThe Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine has hosted a monthly Klezmer Open Jam Session since May 2023. Sponsored by the JCA and led by members of the Maine’s very own klezmer band\, the Casco Bay Tummlers\, it has proven to be popular with local musicians – of all levels – interested in the music of eastern European Jewry. We have an average attendance of 15-25\, so there’s room for you\, too! All instruments and singers are welcome.  Or just come to listen and enjoy the heimish vibe! (Check out www.mainejewish.org/jcaevents for more info). \nThe Casco Bay Tummlers have been moving audiences – in their hearts and on their feet – for well over 30 years in southern Maine and beyond. We are very happy that we are still performing and playing for all sorts of celebrations and delighted to have the opportunity to share our love of this music through the JCA’s jam sessions. For more information on the band\, visit cascobaytummlers.com. All four of our albums are available at cascobaytummlers.bandcamp.com and on most of your favorite streaming platforms. \n  \nThis event is generously sponsored by The Holiday Inn by the Bay! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/shalom-and-shamrocks-2026/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Shalom-and-Shamrocks-banner-UPDATED-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260312T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260312T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250708T214538Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250708T214538Z UID:10000580-1773343800-1773349200@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Reads 'Say Nothing' by Patrick Radden Keefe DESCRIPTION:Maine Irish Reads\, our monthly book club\, meets every second Thursday here at the Center!\n\n\n\nFrom 7:30 – 9 PM in the MIHC Library. Bring a friend. The more\, the merrier. \nAbout this month’s book:\nNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER \n“A masterful history of the Troubles. . . Extraordinary. . .As in the most ingenious crime stories\, Keefe unveils a revelation — lying\, so to speak\, in plain sight.”—Maureen Corrigan\, NPR \nFrom award-winning New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe\, a stunning\, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions \nIn December 1972\, Jean McConville\, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten\, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders\, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia\, no one would speak of it. In 2003\, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland\, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville’s children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress–with so many kids\, she had always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes. \nPatrick Radden Keefe’s mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war\, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children\, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland\, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war\, but simple murders. From radical and impetuous I.R.A. terrorists such as Dolours Price\, who\, when she was barely out of her teens\, was already planting bombs in London and targeting informers for execution\, to the ferocious I.R.A. mastermind known as The Dark\, to the spy games and dirty schemes of the British Army\, to Gerry Adams\, who negotiated the peace but betrayed his hardcore comrades by denying his I.R.A. past–Say Nothing conjures a world of passion\, betrayal\, vengeance\, and anguish. URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-reads-march-2026/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:Maine Irish Reads ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Reads-Mar-26-banner-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260313T191500 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260313T220000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20251230T234630Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251230T234630Z UID:10000620-1773429300-1773439200@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Irish Heritage Night at the Maine Mariners DESCRIPTION:Maine Mariners vs Norfolk Admirals\n\n\n\nMarch 13th\, 2026 7:15 PM\n\n\n\nCross Insurance Arena\n1 Civic Center Square\, Portland\, ME 04101\n\n\n\n\nPurchase Deadline: Mar 13\, 2026 6:59 PM \n\n\nYou are invited to join the Maine Irish Heritage Center at the Maine Mariners game on Friday\, March 13th @7:15pm as we celebrate Irish Heritage Night\, please stop by the community spotlight table in the concourse to say hi and make a donation! \n*PORTION OF EVERY TICKET SOLD WILL BE DONATED BACK TO THE MAINE IRISH HERITAGE CENTER* \nTO PURCHASE TICKETS: \n1.) Head to https://www.gofevo.com/event/MaineIrishHeritageCenterMarch13th \n2.) Click GET TICKETS \n3.) Choose your section\, row\, and seat locations \n4.) Hit REVIEW ORDER & CONTINUE TO PAYMENT \n5.) Enter information and check out \nTICKET DELIVERY: \nYou will receive an email from FEVO (noreply@fevo-enterprise.com) to access to your tickets through Account Manager URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/irish-heritage-night-at-the-maine-mariners/ LOCATION:Cross Insurance Arena\, 1 Civic Center Square\, Portland\, 04101\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Flyer-Maine-Irish-Heritage-Center-2-1.png ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260314T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260314T110000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260219T004910Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T004910Z UID:10000628-1773484200-1773486000@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Irish Flag Raising: Portland Observatory DESCRIPTION:March 14th\n10:30 am\nat the Portland Observatory\n138 Congress St\, Portland\, ME\nJoin us as we raise the Irish Flag to the sound of bagpipes at the Portland Observatory! \nRSVP below! \nWant to join for our other flag-raising? Click HERE to learn more! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/irish-flag-raising-portland-observatory/ LOCATION:Portland Observatory\, 138 Congress St\, Portland\, ME ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Irish-Flag-raisings-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260314T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260314T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260219T010316Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T010316Z UID:10000629-1773487800-1773489600@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Irish Flag Raising: Charles J. Loring Memorial DESCRIPTION:March 14th\n11:30 am\nat the Charles J. Loring Memorial\nCorner of Eastern Promenade and North Street\nJoin us as we raise the Irish Flag to the sound of bagpipes at the Charles J. Loring Memorial! \nRSVP below! \nWant to join for our other flag-raising? Click HERE to learn more! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/irish-flag-raising-loring-memorial/ LOCATION:Charles Loring Memorial ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Irish-Flag-raisings-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260315T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260315T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260219T204913Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260219T204913Z UID:10000630-1773576000-1773579600@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:St. Patrick's Day Parade DESCRIPTION:Saint Patrick’s Parade\nPortland\, Maine – March 15\, 2026. The Saint Patrick’s Parade by the Irish American Club of Maine will be held this year on Commercial Street in Portland. \nThe parade starts at Noon on Sunday\, March 15th\, beginning at the Portland Fish Pier parking lot on the corner of Center Street and Commercial Street. The parade proceeds east along Commercial Street\, ending at the reviewing stand at Bell Buoy Park between RiRa Irish Restaurant and the Casco Bay Parking Garage by Franklin Street. \nThe parade features the Claddagh Mhor Pipe Band\, the Dunlap Highland Band\, and the Stillson School of Irish Dance (who will be doing a short performance in front of RiRa at the end of the parade). Other participants include the Maine Irish Heritage Center and Portland Gaelic Athletic Association. They will be joined by\, among others\, mascots from local teams and companies\, superheroes\, local dignitaries\, public safety representatives\, and the Irish American Club Parade of Flags. \nSpecial guest marchers will be the Grand Marshal—Portland Fire Chief Chad Johnston\, Maine Maritime Academy from Castine\, Maine\, along with Saint Patrick himself. \nThe Irish American Club of Maine was founded in 1973 and has preserved and promoted Irish-American culture\, history\, and community in Maine for over 50 years. In addition to the parade\, the Club offers céilís with live music\, Irish language lessons\, and opportunities for cultural travel. \nFor more information on the organization\, please visit irishofmaine.org or email club2@irishofmaine.org \nWant to march with the MIHC?\nWe’d love to have you! Meet us at our float at the Portland Fish Pier at 11am on Sunday March 15th! For more information\, please email volunteer@maineirish.com! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/st-patricks-day-parade/ LOCATION:Commercial Street\, Commercial Street\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot-2026-01-25-9.25.18-AM-1.png ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260315T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260315T160000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260129T223335Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T194510Z UID:10000627-1773579600-1773590400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:St. Patrick's Day Celebration at the Maine Irish Heritage Center DESCRIPTION:Sunday\, March 15th\n1pm-4pm\n\nJoin us after the IAC St. Patrick’s Day Parade over at the Maine Irish Heritage Center for a sham-rocking good time! \nCelebrate St. Patrick’s Day with music\, dance\, food\, and family-friendly fun at the Maine Irish Heritage Center! This annual community celebration brings together traditional Irish culture\, local performers\, and festive activities for all ages inside our historic building. \nEvent Schedule\n1:00–3:00 PM – Live music with Jim Sharkey\n2:00–2:30 PM – Photo opportunities with Saint Patrick\n3:00–3:45 PM – Performance by Stillson School of Irish Dance\n3:45–4:00 PM – Raffle winners announced \n(times subject to change) \nAvailable Throughout the Event\n\nTraditional Irish Bake Sale – Enjoy a selection of homemade Irish and Irish-inspired treats prepared by community volunteers\, including breads\, sweets\, and seasonal favorites. Items will be available for purchase while supplies last.\nBar Serving Irish Classics – The bar will feature a curated menu of Irish beer\, cider\, and Irish Coffee\, along with non-alcoholic options.\nBook and Rummage Sale in the Library – Browse a wide assortment of gently used books\, Irish literature\, music\, and unique finds. Proceeds support ongoing programs\, archives\, and preservation efforts.\nKids’ Crafts and Activities With Jennifer Comeau – Family-friendly craft stations and hands-on activities designed to introduce children to Irish culture through creativity and play.\nGuided Sanctuary Tours – Step inside the historic sanctuary for informal tours highlighting the building’s architecture\, history\, and its role in Portland’s Irish community.\n\nCheck out our Food Trucks!\nNoble BBQ\nServing slow-smoked meats and classic barbecue sides\, Noble BBQ brings bold flavors and hearty comfort food perfect for a winter celebration. Learn more: noblepizzaandbbq.com \nCheese the Day\nOffering gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches with creative combinations\, plus vegetarian-friendly options and warm comfort-food favorites. Learn more: www.cheesethedayme.com \nFred’s Fried Dough\nFreshly made fried dough served hot with a variety of sweet toppings\, delivering a classic festival treat for all ages. Learn more: www.facebook.com/fredsfrieddough/ \nPlot Twist Pretzels\nHandcrafted soft pretzels with both savory and sweet flavor twists\, paired with house-made dips and sauces. Learn more: www.facebook.com/plottwistpretzels/ \n \nMore about our Kids Corner with Jen Comeau!\nAuthor\, Songwriter\, and Storyteller Jennifer Comeau is excited to read and lead a call-and-response song from her children’s book\, “The Inside of ME\,” which features nine special outdoor places in Maine. She also has a crafty game she wants to share: Create Me a Story\, where families or groups draw 3 characters\, 2 places\, and 3 objects. Using these prompts\, together\, they create a story! Expect laughter\, props\, mischief\, broken rules\, and always a “happily ever after” ending!\n\n\nAbout Jennifer:\n\nOf Irish descent\, anything connected with creativity\, storytelling\, singing\, and laughter is Jennifer Comeau’s jam. She inspires humans big and small to remember their connection with the rest of the natural world. A certified Forest Therapy Guide\, singer-songwriter\, and author-speaker\, Jen is published in four anthologies. Her children’s book\, “The Inside of ME” won a Nautilus Gold for Books that Change the World and received a 5-star rating from Reader Views. Her debut novel\, A Moon in All Things—a heroine’s journey to reclaim the old nature ways—[2025 12Willows Press]—was a finalist in the Independent Author Network’s Best Book of the Year contest and received 5 stars from IndieReader Reviewhouse. Jen has produced two albums of original music. \nWebsite: www.jennifercomeau.com Email: jen@jennifercomeau.com \n\n  \n  \n  \nJoin us for an afternoon of music\, tradition\, and community as we celebrate Irish heritage together. This event is family-friendly and open to all. \n  \nFor more information on the parade\, click HERE! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/st-patricks-day-celebration-at-the-maine-irish-heritage-center-2026/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/St.-Patricks-Day-at-the-Maine-Irish-Heritage-Center-2026-banner-1-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260317T083000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260317T100000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20251230T235418Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251230T235418Z UID:10000621-1773736200-1773741600@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:St. Patrick's Day West End Walk DESCRIPTION:Join us for a celebratory walk through the West End\, and an Irish flag raising in Harborview park! We will gather in the Function Room before ringing our historic bell to kick off our walk. Followed by tea and Irish bread at the Center to warm up and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! \nThis event is free for all to attend! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/st-patricks-day-west-end-walk-2026/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/St.-Patricks-Day-West-End-Walk-2026-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260320T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260320T203000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260219T220028Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T193915Z UID:10000631-1774031400-1774038600@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:World Storytelling Day: The Light in the Dark DESCRIPTION: World Storytelling Day: Light in the Dark\n With the Maine Irish Heritage Center\nFriday\, March 20th\, 6:30pm\nCoffee by Design\n1 Diamond St.\, Portland ME\n$10 suggested donation \nThis celebration of the power of the spoken word has been spreading throughout the world since 2003. Join story lovers from over 70 countries who are gathering on this day to share stories that reflect the theme for 2026.  Bring a story\, a poem\, or a song for the open mic and help us fill the night with light.\nJoin the Maine Irish Heritage Center at Coffee By Design where we will take part in a worldwide day of storytelling.  This global celebration of oral storytelling has been held on March 20 since 2003 with an annual theme chosen by participating storytellers themselves. Light in Darkness was the theme chosen for 2026.  The event will be open to storytellers from across Maine’s vibrant communities\, offering a rich diversity of voices and perspectives. The program will begin with two featured storytellers sharing their tales. After a brief break\, we will have an open mic\, inviting attendees to sign up and share a 5-10 minute story. \n“Storytelling creates community\, breaks down barriers\, shares wisdom and tradition\, with vivid and intimate experiences\, powerful and deep. More and more people each year discover what they’ve been missing!” \n Join us for our World Storytelling Day event\, and become part of an global community that can inspire us all\, and help build bridges between fellow Mainers! \nFeatured Storytellers:\nTae Chong\nTae Chong is a dedicated advocate for Maine’s underserved communities and a pioneer in local leadership. In 2019\, he became the first Asian American elected to both the Portland City Council and the Portland School Committee. \nCurrently the Executive Director of Furniture Friends\, Tae leverages over 30 years of experience in economic development and workforce diversity. An MBA graduate from the University of Southern Maine\, he has consulted for major organizations like Allagash Brewing and Hannaford. Beyond his professional impact\, Tae is an acclaimed storyteller\, frequently sharing his journey from South Korea to Maine on stages like WGBH. \n\nCathy Furness\nAlthough three generations removed from the family farm in County Laois\, Cathy felt drawn to Ireland from a very young age. She followed that gravitational pull to Dublin\, where she earned a graduate degree in Irish literature and folklore. She also studied traditional music while she was there by attending sessions at O’Donohue’s on Merrion Row nearly every night.\n\nCathy retired early from her professional life in New York to take a deep dive into storytelling. Since then\, she has told stories on two continents to audiences of all ages. She likes to share the layered wisdom of folktales of many cultures\, but is especially drawn to the heroes\, heroines and stories of her Irish ancestors. Now living in the woods outside Brunswick\, Maine\, she shares her home with Redmond\, Conor\, Molly and Desmond\, four very spoiled cats.\n\n\nHow World Storytelling Day Happens\nWorld Story Day has been celebrated around the world with great success since 2003. \nThroughout that one day\, oral storytellers around the world are busy inspiring audiences\, and creating community\, by telling classical tales\, local stories\, glorious\, horrendous\, happy\, challenging\, spooky\, romantic and dramatic epic stories. Some wrapped in music\, some staged and others intimate – but every story is told in a unique and compelling way\, by a storyteller whose heart is full of great tales to bridge our divides and remind us what it is to be human \nOral storytelling is tens of thousands of years old\, and has strongly regained popularity because of its deeply satisfying power to unite and entertain. Here’s what storytellers have in store for you on this special day… \n\nProfessional and amateur storytellers all over the world choose a theme together\, then find relevant oral stories to inspire adults or children\nStorytellers schedule live local events\, and virtual online events\, on or around 20th March each year\, to celebrate\, entertain\, and inspire with these themed oral tales. You’re welcome to join in!\nAudiences gather in person or online\, for big group concerts or single stories\, for adults or children\, for money or free\nStorytelling creates community\, breaks down barriers\, shares wisdom and tradition\, with vivid and intimate experiences\, powerful and deep. More and more people each year discover what they’ve been missing!\n\nLearn more at https://momentofimpact.co.uk/wsd \nHosted by Coffee By Design!\nCoffee By Design is a woman-owned\, Maine-made\, farmer-focused coffee roaster\, retail\, and wholesale business. Since 1994\, Coffee By Design has always been about doing things the right way\, not the easy way. From day one\, we made choices rooted in values\, not shortcuts. We believe every bean has a story. Every farm deserves respect. And every cup should be as thoughtful as it is delicious. Every coffee we roast reflects our commitment to quality\, integrity\, and impact. This isn’t coffee made for trends. It’s coffee for people who care. You’ll taste layered\, complex flavors — because we roast to reveal the bean’s origin\, not hide it. And you’ll know every cup supports real farmers\, real communities\, and real change. \nLearn more at https://coffeebydesign.com/ \n  URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/world-storytelling-day-the-light-in-the-dark/ LOCATION:Coffee By Design\, 1 Diamond St\, Portland\, ME\, 04101 ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/World-Storytelling-Day-1-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260402T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260402T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250806T220059Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250806T220059Z UID:10000597-1775149200-1775156400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Writes: April DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to present our inaugural season of Maine Irish Writes\, an inclusive monthly Writer’s Group that will meet in the MIHC Library on the first Thursday of each month! \nLed by the incredible poet and author Robert Breen\, this welcoming writers group is open to all—whether you’re just starting out or deep into a manuscript. Bring your works in progress\, share your voice\, and receive supportive\, thoughtful feedback in a relaxed and inspiring setting. Together\, we’ll explore storytelling\, poetry\, memory\, and the written word in all its forms. Come to listen\, come to write\, come to connect. \nCheck out the rest of the series dates HERE! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-writes-april-26/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Writes-banner-APR-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20251031T161416Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T193304Z UID:10000613-1775244600-1775250000@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Paddy Cullivan's 'The Murder of Michael Collins' DESCRIPTION:Friday April 3rd\, 7:30pm\nDoors open at 7:00pm\n  \nPaddy Cullivan returns to the Maine Irish Heritage Center! Join us for an incredible evening of history\, entertainment\, and good craic. \nGeneral admission tickets are $25 in advance\, or snag priority seating for $35! Don’t wait to get your tickets: general admission goes up at the door\, and priority seating is only available in advance! \n\nABOUT THE SHOW: THE MURDER OF MICHAEL COLLINS\nHistorical Entertainer Paddy Cullivan brings you the incredible story of the death of Ireland’s first Commander-in-Chief. An audio-visual spectacular featuring hundreds of images\, shocking new research and incredible songs\, Paddy dares to unravel the secrets and lies around what happened that fateful day in Béal na mBlath\, 22nd August 1922. \nDid Michael Collins have a secret son in London? Was he really going to keep to the Anglo-Irish Treaty or was he planning to resume the war? If the anti-treaty side shot him\, why did the Free State instigate a massive cover-up? How can one of the most important men in Irish history have no autopsy report\, no investigation\, inquest or even a death cert? And who really shot Michael Collins? Why is there such reticence from certain quarters – to this day – to find out the truth? \nNo less complex or mysterious than the death of JFK and with as many twists and turns\, ‘The Murder of Michael Collins’ is a fascinating rollercoaster ride that will change your perceptions of Irish history forever… \n  \nABOUT THE ARTIST:\nPaddy Cullivan is an acclaimed Irish entertainer renowned for his versatility in music\, comedy and historical storytelling. As frontman of The Camembert Quartet he captivated audiences for 20 years with the band’s unique blend of humor and musical talent. This led to their becoming House Band on the world’s longest running chat show\, the (Irish) ‘Late Late Show’ for over a decade\, along with presenter Ryan Tubridy. \nCullivan’s passion for history is evident in his solo ‘historical entertainment’ shows which he devised and performed since 2016\, including “The Murder of Wolfe Tone” and “The Murder of Michael Collins”. These shows combined storytelling\, music and visuals to explore pivotal events in Irish history. His latest project\, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Ireland\,” offers an optimistic vision of a future United Ireland\, combining humor and hope to inspire audiences. Paddy Cullivan continues to be a dynamic force in Irish culture\, engaging and educating through his diverse creative endeavours. \nFor more info\, visit https://www.paddycullivan.com/ \n  \nREVIEWS\nA huge hit online\, Paddy has brought this mind-blowing solo show to the stage – here are just some of the reviews… \n★★★★★ \n‘Mesmerising stuff – a complicated story\, brilliantly told.’ – Ronan McGreevy (Irish Times) \n★★★★★ \n‘Agatha Christie meets Monty Python – a century-year-old mystery with the best form of comedy; tinged with unpalatable truth’ – Oliver Callan \n★★★★★ \n‘Begging for the live stage – superb job’ – Erskine Childers \n★★★★★ \n‘This is worth watching for the tune about mediocre Irish political leaders through the ages alone! ‘Safe Pair of Hands’ – instant classic.’ – Tadhg Hickey (online political comedy genius) \n★★★★★ \n‘In awe of the research you have done\, the way you have put the story together and presented it.’ – Mags Amond (Trinity College School of Education) \n★★★★★ \n‘Great show Paddy\, scholarly and entertaining’ – Mick O’Dea (Former RHA President) \n★★★★★ \n‘A must watch for anyone interested in Irish history and politics’ – Dr. Wayne O’Brien (Northumbia University) \n★★★★★ \n‘Amazing work – hard history told with a light touch. Comhghairdeas’ – Mary Lou McDonald (President of Sinn Fein) \n★★★★★ \n‘Greatest show on the Emerald Isle!…essential viewing for the price of Dublin pint!’ – Sean Napier (The 1798 Belfast walking tour) \nSupport for Paddy Cullivan’s tour comes in part from Culture Ireland URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/paddy-cullivans-the-murder-of-michael-collins/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Paddy-Cullivan-MOMC-banner-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260409T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260409T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20250708T215021Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250708T215021Z UID:10000581-1775763000-1775768400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Reads 'The Spinning Heart' by Donal Ryan DESCRIPTION:Maine Irish Reads\, our monthly book club\, meets every second Thursday here at the Center!\n\n\n\nFrom 7:30 – 9 PM in the MIHC Library. Bring a friend. The more\, the merrier. \nAbout this month’s book:\nWinner of the Irish Book Award\nFinalist for the Booker Prize \nThis “affecting” debut is “reminiscent of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying” as it paints a vivid portrait of a working-class community in contemporary rural Ireland (New York Times Book Review). \n“One of my favorite Irish books . . . Moving\, atmospheric and beautiful.” —Tana French \nIn the aftermath of Ireland’s financial collapse\, dangerous tensions surface in an Irish town. As violence flares\, the characters face a battle between public persona and inner desires. Through a chorus of unique voices\, each struggling to tell their own kind of truth\, a single authentic tale unfolds. \nThe Spinning Heart speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel. Wry\, vulnerable\, all-too human\, it captures the language and spirit of rural Ireland and with uncanny perception articulates the words and thoughts of a generation. Technically daring and evocative of Patrick McCabe and J.M. Synge\, this novel of small-town life is witty\, dark\, and sweetly poignant. Donal Ryan’s brilliantly realized debut announces a stunning new voice in fiction. URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-reads-april-2026/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States CATEGORIES:Maine Irish Reads ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Maine-Irish-Reads-Apr-26-banner-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260411T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260411T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260314T004726Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T192846Z UID:10000633-1775934000-1775941200@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:Maine Irish Poetry Night DESCRIPTION:Maine Irish Poetry Night\nIn Celebration of National Poetry Month & Seamus Heaney’s Birthday\n\n\nSaturday\, April 11th\n\n7:00pm\nDoors open at 6:30pm\nJoin us for an evening of poetry in celebration of National Poetry Month and Seamus Heaney’s birthday! We will have readings from three incredible poets\, followed by a Q&A with the audience. \nDoors open at 6:30 PM\, and readings begin at 7:00 PM. Admission is free\, and books will be available for purchase at the event \nStay tuned for more details soon! URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/maine-irish-poetry-night-2/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/Poetry-night-2026.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260419T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260419T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T133526 CREATED:20260312T195632Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T192405Z UID:10000632-1776621600-1776632400@maineirish.glacialsites.com SUMMARY:A Fragile Peace: Documentary Screening and Talkback DESCRIPTION:Sunday\, April 19th\n6:00pm\nDoors open at 5:30pm\nA FRAGILE PEACE\nBREXIT AND NORTHERN IRELAND\nTHE INTERNATIONALLY AWARD WINNING FILM\nWill Brexit destroy the peace and bring back violence to war torn Northern Ireland? \nJoin us on Sunday\, April 19th\, for a screening of this incredible documentary\, immediately followed by a talkback with Director Rory Duffy! General admission tickets are just $20\, or snag priority seating for just $30! Don’t wait to buy your tickets – prices go up at the door\, and priority seating is only available in advance! \nSYNOPSIS \nA Fragile Peace: Brexit and Northern Ireland is a film about the intersection of history and the present\, about a peace agreement that many assumed was solid but now faces new and unexpected challenges due to Brexit. \nThe Good Friday Agreement\, signed in 1998\, created a delicate balance of identities\, political parties\, and loyalties within Northern Ireland. However\, Brexit has reopened a wound that many thought was healed\, casting uncertainty on the future of this hard-won peace. \n  \nDIRECTED BY RORY DUFFY\nRory Duffy is an award winning documentary filmmaker\, and adjunct professor of United States history at City College of New York. As an actor\, Rory has had recurring roles on Blue Bloods\, Law and Order SVU\, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. His masters thesis on the John F. Kennedy Administration won the Judith Stein Prize in Political Economy. \nOn stage and screen\, he has worked with director Hal Hartley\, Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons\, and Amy Sherman-Palladino. \nHis production company Maci Duffy Productions\, which he co-runs with his wife Hyun Joo Lee\, produces films with a concentration on history\, politics\, and art. \n  \n\nTHE SUBJECTS:\nDAMIAN MCGENITY \nPolitical Activist and Farmer \nDamian McGenity is a political activist and farmer who faces financial ruin due to Brexit. A supporter of peace in Northern Ireland\, Damian joined Border Communities Against Brexit to maintain the peace and save his family farm. \n  \nMARTINA ANDERSON \nPolitician and former combatant \nMartina Anderson is an Irish politician from Northern Ireland. She became involved in the Irish Republican movement in the late 1970s and is a former IRA volunteer. \nIn June 1986\, she was convicted of conspiring to cause explosions and sentenced to life in prison. Today\, she is working towards uniting Ireland through politics. \n  \nARON HUGHES \nPolitical Activist \nAron Hughes was too young to vote in the Brexit referendum and has taken to the streets to advocate for a second Brexit vote. He now runs an organization that brings the youth of Belfast together in a safe welcoming space. \n  \nCREW CREDITS\nHYUN JOO DUFFY\nProducer \n \nRONAN KILLEEN\nCameraman \n \n  \nPRESS\n“Responsible history as it occurs\, frankly portrayed.”\n— Hal Hartley\, director Henry Fool\, Ned Rifle \n“The acclaimed documentary keeps picking up prestigious new awards.”\n— Cahir O’Doherty \n“A Fragile Peace reminds us that we should always be careful whenever we believe history has reached an endpoint.”\n— Patricia Harty\, Editor in Chief\, Irish America \n  \nAWARDS\nBest Picture\nLondon Movie Awards \nBest Documentary Feature – Winner\nNew York Monthly Film Festival\nNew York Movie Awards\nCrown Points International Film Festival\nQueens (Unisphere) Film Festival\nCork Indie Film Award\nMassachusetts International Film Festival \nBest Film Essay\nArea 51 Film Festival \nBest International Documentary Feature Film\nAustin International Art Film Festival \nBest Feature Documentary – Nominee\nCopenhagen Doc Only\nBig Apple Film Festival\nLiverpool Indie Awards \nFinalist\nOut of the Can International Film Festival\nDarkland Film Festival\nHawaii International Film Awards\nPrazske Filmove Ceny\nIndiemania \n  \nGET IN TOUCH\nEmail\nAFRAGILEPEACEFILM@GMAIL.COM \nInstagram\n@AFRAGILEPEACEMOVIE URL:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/event/a-fragile-peace-documentary-screening-and-talkback/ LOCATION:Maine Irish Heritage Center\, 34 Gray St\, Portland\, ME\, 04102\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://maineirish.glacialsites.com/wp-content/uploads/fragile-peace-banner.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Maine Irish Heritage Center":MAILTO:maineirish@maineirish.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR