It's An Irish Thing - Neil Byrne in Concert
2026-05-24 19:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | ME
Sunday, May 24th
7:30pm
Doors open at 7:00pm
Celebrated and award winning Artist Neil Byrne brings Soulful Storytelling and Ancient Tradition to The Maine Irish heritage Center on Sunday, May 24th, bringing the haunting beauty of Celtic tradition and the intimacy of modern folk songwriting to audiences from Chicago to Portland Maine. PLUS, we’re offering the opportunity to meet the artist before the show: from 6:30pm-7:00pm, before the house opens, we’ll have a Meet & Greet with Neil! M&G Ticket holders only, don’t miss out on great conversation, good craic, and the chance to ask all your burning questions!
General Admission tickets are $45 and you can snag an exclusive Meet & Greet ticket (complete with priority seating) for just $70! Don’t wait to buy your tickets, prices will increase at the door!
With a voice described as “both timeless and contemporary” and performances that weave together myth, memory, and melody, Neil has captivated audiences across America, Canada, Australia, Ireland and beyond drawing on the deep well of Celtic heritage, while blending in personal storytelling, creating a sound that is rooted in tradition and alive with fresh emotion.
The East Coast tour will include stops at iconic venues offering listeners a rare opportunity to experience the raw power and delicate grace of Neil Byrne’s music in an intimate live setting.
Neil’s music is known for its lyrical depth and evocative soundscapes, earning recognition from awards for short films to documentaries.
“Touring the East Coast is always an exciting opportunity,” says Neil. “The connection between Celtic folk music and the American folk tradition runs deep. It always excites me to share stories and songs with audiences who feel that same spirit of home and journey.”
Learn more about Neil at https://www.neilbyrnemusic.com/

Maine Irish Writes: June
2026-06-04 17:00 - 19:00 | Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
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!
Led 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.
Check out the rest of the series dates HERE!

Onóir: Live in Concert
2026-06-09 19:00 - 21:30 | Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
Tuesday, June 9
7:30 PM
Doors open at 7:00pm
Meet & Greet from 6:30-7:00pm!
Experience the electrifying sound of Onóir live in concert at the Maine Irish Heritage Center. Hailing from Ireland’s West Coast, Onóir brings a fresh, contemporary edge to traditional Irish music, blending rich vocal harmonies with modern arrangements and deep roots in the Irish tradition.
Known for their dynamic performances and innovative sound, Onóir creates music that is both grounded in heritage and unmistakably of the moment. This concert offers an intimate opportunity to hear one of Ireland’s most exciting young groups in a historic setting that celebrates Irish culture, past and present.
Whether you’re a longtime lover of Irish music or new to the tradition, this promises to be an exceptionally memorable evening of live performance.
General admission tickets are $40 in advance, and Meet and Greet tickets are $55 in advance. Don’t wait to get your tickets, prices will go up at the door!
About the Band:
Contemporary Irish folk group Onóir formed in 2020, when Donegal musicians; Tom McHugh, Declan Gaughan, Deane Connaghan, and Diarmaid McGee, joined forces to create a contemporary version of the famous Irish folk ballad; “The Auld Triangle”, the video went on to be seen by over 3 million people worldwide. These talented musicians with distinctive vocal styles are setting new standards with incredible musical arrangements and harmonies that mark them out as unique.
Onóir are selling out venues in record time as their impassioned audiences are taken on a musical odyssey. From their new take on traditional Irish ballads all the way through to up-tempo modern Irish classics. From tears to laughter, enjoy the onstage chemistry, excitement, and banter in a show not to be missed.
Learn more about the artists at: https://onoirmusic.com/home

Maine Irish Reads 'Our London Lives' by Christine Dwyer Hickey
2026-06-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St, Portland, ME, 04102, United States
Maine Irish Reads, our monthly book club, meets every second Thursday here at the Center!

From 7:30 – 9 PM in the MIHC Library. Bring a friend. The more, the merrier.
About this month’s book:
‘Huge of heart and soaring of soul’ CLAIRE KILROY
‘A profound love story…Like Barbara Kingsolver, Hickey captures the pulse of the living moment’ COLUM McCANN
1979. In the vast and often unforgiving city of London, two Irish outsiders seeking refuge find one Milly, a teenage runaway, and Pip, a young boxer full of anger and potential who is beginning to drink it all away.
Over the decades their lives follow different paths, interweaving from time to time, often in one another’s sight, always on one another’s mind, yet rarely together.
Forty years on, Milly is clinging onto the only home she’s ever really known while Pip, haunted by T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, traipses the streets of London and wrestles with the life of the recovering alcoholic. And between them, perhaps uncrossable, lies the unspoken span of their lives.
Dark and brave, this epic novel offers a rich and moving portrait of an ever-changing city, and a profound inquiry into character, loneliness and the nature of love.
