Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a religious and cultural holiday held on March 17, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Check your local listing, many Irish bands are on tour now, making March a whole month of celebration. We just recently saw Traditional Irish band Altan on March 7 and Irish punk band Dropkick Murphys on March 6.

Euro-Country by CMAT (Aug 29, 2025)

CMAT

Remember Irish pop star CMAT? Recently she appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform “When A Good Man Cries,” (which you can watch on YouTube.).

CMAT at Fine Line

I love the stage decoration and the playful dressup, much like her previous appearance at the Fine Line in Minneapolis earlier in Sep 2025, where we wrote, “How best to describe CMAT? Critics reference Patsy Cline, Kate Bush and Mazzy Star with a Bridget Jones wit. Somehow, she seems to pull musical genres like country and rock into a fused pop sound. She has a bright mind, a sharp tongue, and bubbly persona. There is also a great voice, and the ability to captivate the room whether she was line dancing through “I Really Don’t Care” or setting it straight in “When a Good Man Cries.” CMAT spent quite a bit of time between songs, chatting with the crowd, even asking their names and professions as if a music club had turned into an Irish Pub. She even took a request and sang “Coronation Street” and became best friends with Jonah in the front row. For a moment she didn’t know if she grabbed her or Jonah’s water. So she chatted with him as if there were no more songs to sing. She then offered her drink to him, and after a beat she added that she was sick, joking, “I’m a pop star. So you’re welcome.””

Tour Dates

Apr 10, 2026 — Coachella — Indio, CA
Apr 17, 2026 — Coachella — Indio, CA
Apr 19, 2026 — Castro Theatre — San Francisco, CA * HEADLINE
Apr 21, 2026 — Crystal Ballroom — Portland, OR * HEADLINE
Apr 22, 2026 — The Showbox — Seattle, WA * HEADLINE
Apr 25, 2026 — The Granada — Lawrence, KS * HEADLINE
Apr 28, 2026 — Benchmark International Arena — Tampa, FL ** (Opening for Florence + The Machine)
Apr 29, 2026 — Kaseya Center — Miami, FL ** (Opening for Florence + The Machine)
May 1, 2026 — State Farm Arena — Atlanta, GA ** (Opening for Florence + The Machine)
May 2, 2026 — Bridgestone Arena — Nashville, TN ** (Opening for Florence + The Machine)
May 4, 2026 — Moody Center — Austin, TX ** (Opening for Florence + The Machine)
May 5, 2026 — Toyota Center — Houston, TX ** (Opening for Florence + The Machine)
May 7, 2026 — Dickies Arena — Fort Worth, TX ** (Opening for Florence + The Machine)
May 10, 2026 — 9:30 Club — Washington, DC * HEADLINE
May 14, 2026 — Brooklyn Paramount — Brooklyn, NY * HEADLINE
May 15, 2026 — Brooklyn Steel — Brooklyn, NY * HEADLINE
May 16, 2026 — House of Blues — Boston, MA * HEADLINE
July 26th, 2026 — Newport Folk Festival, Newport RI
August 2nd, 2026 — Montreal QC, Osheaga

Everybody’s Irish by Andy Cooney (Mar 10, 2026)

Andy Cooney

“Irish America’s Favorite Son” Andy Cooney just released his music video for his new single, “Everybody’s Irish (You Know The Way)”. Watch the music video (directed by the Emmy winning Kieran McGirl) now via YouTube.

The 40-year-old song in the making, began in 1986, as Cooney explains:

People send me songs all the time to record and, I listen to every one of them — you never know when you’ll find a great one. A writer from the Bay Area, Darrin Mazzille, sent me this song he began writing in Santa Monica on St. Patrick’s Day, 1986. Here we are, 40 years later, and it’s finally seeing the light of day!

Cooney is currently on the road with his 2026 Irish Celebration Tour, featuring comedian George Casey, Emerald Fire Dance, and The Guinness Irish Band.

Tour Dates

March 10 — Danversport Yacht Club, Danvers, MA
March 11 — The Argyle Theatre, Babylon, NY
March 12 — St. Anne’s McCloskey Auditorium, Garden City, NY
March 14 — The Wayne Theatre, Waynesboro, VA
March 15 — Theater at North, Scranton, PA
March 16–20 — Hunterdon Hills Playhouse, Hampton, NJ
March 21 — The Paramount Theater, Middletown, NY
March 22 — Our Lady of Angels ~ Msgr. Kevin B Noone Auditorium, Brooklyn, NY

People Are Mad by Sean Griffin (Apr 17, 2026)

Sean Griffin

Northeast-based singer-songwriter Sean Griffin (frontman of the Irish punk band The Ruffians) announced a debut solo album People Are Mad due out April 17. The record merges traditional Irish instruments with a punk rock sound.

Currently the lead single, “Be My Girl,” is available to listen now, as Griffin describes:

It’s a raw expression of deep loneliness and daily grind, where the weary, isolated narrator pleads for a woman to become his partner and provide the companionship and understanding needed to escape his emotional pain and empty routine. The idea of complementarity and purpose in a vocational approach to a relationship and marriage.

People Are Mad Tracklist

People Are Mad
Space Girls
Wrong Child
Be My Girl
Gypsy Girl
That’s All She Wrote
Youth Is Wasted On The Young
JFK
Nothing
Molly

Celtic Voices by Putumayo (Mar 13, 2026)

Celtic Voices

Our favorite World Music label Putumayo is right on top of things! Their upcoming curated album Celtic Voices is due out this Friday (March 13) and will spotlight melodies of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, and Cape Breton, performed by some of our favorite artists in today’s Celtic music scene.

Look, I’m a fan of lovely Celtic singing, so count me in.

Artists and brief biography of each artist, as presented by Putumayo below:

Rura with Julie Fowlis (Scotland): Acclaimed Scottish folk band Rura is joined on their featured song by Julie Fowlis, one of contemporary Gaelic music’s biggest stars.
Filkin’s Drift (Wales): The duo Filkin’s Drift, made up of Seth Bye on fiddle and Chris Avery on guitar and vocals, blends Welsh folk songs and English dance tunes with close vocal harmonies.
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (Ireland): A multi-award-winning singer, flutist, and media personality, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh is one of Ireland’s most celebrated traditional musicians.
Annie Baylis (Cornwall): Singing in Cornish, a language once threatened with extinction, Annie Baylis crafts gentle protest songs that are as melodically compelling as they are quietly defiant.
Tulua (Ireland): From southeast Ireland, Tulua is a young Irish band who have played across Europe, North America and Australia, performing renditions of traditional Irish folk songs.
Cynefin (Wales): Welsh historian and songwriter Owen Shiers channels folk song, oral history, and the Welsh folk poet tradition into Cynefin, a musical project rooted in the landscapes and disappearing stories of rural Wales.
Goitse (Ireland): Goitse is a five-piece Irish ensemble who, over fifteen years of touring, have built a following for their blend of original compositions and traditional tunes.
Mary Beth Carty (Cape Breton): Nova Scotia singer and multi-instrumentalist Mary Beth Carty draws on the rich Scottish Gaelic heritage of Cape Breton, bringing its traditional folk songs to life with her own warm and distinctive arrangements.
Ainsley Hamill (Scotland): Inspired by Scottish myth and folklore, singer-songwriter Ainsley Hamill merges traditional Gaelic song and Scottish folk with contemporary songwriting and arrangements.
Brona McVittie (Northern Ireland): Northern Irish singer-songwriter and biologist Brona McVittie, blends traditional ballads with nature-inspired original songs that draw on folklore and mythology while using a mix of acoustic and electronic instrumentation.

Hate That I Care by Dea Matrona (June 5, 2026)

Dea Matrona

Irish rock powerhouse Dea Matrona returned with their second album Hate That I Care, set for release on June 5, 2026. The band started out as a duo, then added an additional member (Mollie’s younger sister Mamie McGinn), but now is back to being just Orláith Forsythe and Mollie McGinn.

Tour Dates

10 Mar 2026 — Barcelona, Spain — Razzmatazz 3
12 Mar 2026 — Paris, France — O’Sullivans Backstage By The Mill
13 Mar 2026 — Rotterdam, Netherlands — Rotown Rotterdam
15 Mar 2026 — Brussels, Belgium — Cirque Royal
16 Mar 2026 — Hamburg, Germany — Uebel & Gefährlich
17 Mar 2026 — Berlin, Germany — Badehaus Berlin
18 Mar 2026 — Köln, Germany — GARAGEN
Mar 2026 — København, Denmark — Ideal Bar
21 Mar 2026 — Stockholm, Sweden — Debaser Nova
22 Mar 2026 — Oslo, Norway — John Dee
2 May 2026 — Liverpool, United Kingdom — Liverpool Sound City Festival
15 May 2026 — Brighton, United Kingdom — The Great Escape 2026
17 Jun 2026 — Zagreb, Croatia — Arena Zagreb
18 Jun 2026 — Budapest, Hungary — MVM Dome
20 Jun 2026 — Isle of Wight, United Kingdom — Isle of Wight Festival 2026
23 Jun 2026 — Vilnius, Lithuania — Kalnų parkas
24 Jun 2026 — Sopot, Poland — Forest Opera
6 Jul 2026 — Nîmes, France — Festival de Nîmes 2026
12 Jul 2026 — Chiclana De La Frontera, Spain — Concert Music Festival
13 Jul 2026 — Fuengirola, Spain — Marenostrum Fuengirola
15 Jul 2026 — Granada, Spain — Plaza De Toros De Granada
17 Jul 2026 — Figueira Da Foz, Portugal — RFM Somnii
18 Jul 2026 — Sevilla, Spain — Icónica Sevilla Fest 2026
20 Jul 2026 — Marciac, France — Jazz in Marciac
26 Jul 2026 — Arc-et-Senans, France — Saline Royale d’Arc-et-Senans
28 Jul 2026 — Vienne, France — Les concerts de l’été
30 Jul – Sun 2 Aug 2026 — Derbyshire, United Kingdom — Y Not Festival 2026
30 Jul – Sun 2 Aug 2026 — Lowther, United Kingdom — Kendal Calling 2026

Doomsday… Don’t Leave Me Here
by Rosie Carney (Feb 27, 2026)

Rosie Carney

Hampshire-born, Ireland-based artist Rosie Carney just released her album Doomsday… Don’t Leave Me Here on Ultra Records.

Carney began experiencing what she describes as “severe existential dread, and feeling like I’m about to die”. Feeling like the walls were closing in, these seemingly lighthearted studio conversations over coffee brought with them a framework and theme that spoke to her current despair. A theme began to appear — Don’t Leave Me Here serving as a physical representation of her dread, but also her desire to break beyond it.

Doomsday… Don’t Leave Me Here Tracklisting

Everything Is Wrong
Here
In My Blue
Fragile Fantasy
Hope Like Hell
The Evidence
Down
Sixteen
Love So Blind
Tethered

Carving The Causeway To The Otherworld
by Coscradh (Feb 20, 2026)

Coscradh

Irish black/death metal outfit Coscradh is currently on tour in support of their sophomore album Carving The Causeway To The Otherworld, which came out last month on 20 Buck Spin.

Coscradh thanks the people involved in crafting the album:

Highest Exaltations to the dedication, expert craftsmanship and contributions of the following:
Shauny Cadogan (Recording/Mixing)
Last Light Recordings
Artwork by Stefan Todorović (Artwork)
Michał “The Fall” Stępień (Sample Compositions)
Dan Lowndes (Mastering)
David Adelson (20 Buck Spin)

Tour dates: