Celtic Nashville
The Source for Celtic and Folk Music Happenings in Nashville and Middle Tennessee
Welcome to Celtic Nashville! This site is devoted to providing Celtic and folk music lovers with updated information on concerts, gatherings, and other local events.
Celtic News
Music City Irish Fest 2024
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Music City!
March 10-17, 2024
Follow this link to the homepage for the Music City Irish Fest 2024. Performances are listed here, but links to the actual ticket sources are through:
https://musiccityirishfest.com/
Irish Fest Events
- Nashville St. Paddy’s 5K & Half Marathon — March 9 @ 8:00 a.m.
- Celtic Rhythms on Fire (step dancing) — March 10 @ Capitol Theater, Lebanon TN (1:00 & 5:00 p.m.)
- Nashville Irish Step Dancers — March 15 @ Grand Ole Opry (7:00 p.m.)
- St. Patrick’s Day Parade — March 16 @ Five Points – East Nashville (10:00 a.m.)
- Eireann, A Taste of Ireland (step dancing) — March 16 @ Franklin Theater, Franklin TN (8:00 p.m.)
- Panel Discussion — March 17 @ Country Music Hall of Fame (1:00 p.m.)
- St. Patrick’s Day Festival (vendors & games) — March 17 @ Geodis Park, Nashville TN (11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
- Drinks/Specials — March 17 @ Friends in Low Places (all day)
Irish Fest Music
- Tim O’Brien — March 12 & 13 @ The Station Inn (8:00 p.m.)
- Claire Cunningham — March 13 @ City Winery (7:30)
- The Irish Tenors with the Nashville Symphony — March 14 @ the Schermerhorn Symphony Center (7:30 p.m.)
- Sean O’Meara — March 14 @ Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge (6:00 p.m.)
- Sean McNamara — March 15 & 16 (6:00 p.m.) & March 17 (10:00 a.m.) @ McNamara’s Irish Pub
- Chloe Agnew — March 15 @ Hutton Hotel (6:30 p.m.)
- Tommy & Saundra O’Sullivan — March 16 @ Hutton Hotel (6:30 p.m.)
- The Sternwheelers — March 16 @ Assembly Food Hall (12:00 p.m.)
- Riah Butler & Matt Fredericksen — March 16 @ The Pub – Gulch (4:00 p.m.)
- Sean O’Meara — March 16 @ Glasshaus (4:30 p.m.)
- The Sternwheelers — March 16 @ Williamson Co. Performing Arts Center (7:00 p.m.)
- JJ&J and Rory Makem — March 17 @ 3rd & Lindsley (1:00 p.m.)
- All Day Music/Specials — March 17 @ The Lost Paddy (all day)
- Specials/Performances — March 17 @ Nelson’s Greenbrier Distillery (10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.)
- Kirwan the Band — March 17 @ Puckett’s Grocery (6:00 p.m.)
- Clare Cunningham — March 17 @ Whiskey Bent Saloon (2:00 – 6:00 p.m.)
- Sean O’Meara — March 17 @ 6th & Peabody (8:00 p.m.)
- Cary Novotny & Cul an Ti — March 17 @ Kimbro’s (8:00 p.m.)
Don’t Miss the Dickson County 1st Annual Luck of the Irish St. Patrick’s Day Festival!
Saturday, March 16, 2024 @ 11:00 am-6:00 pm (Dickson County Fairgrounds)
Spotlight on McNamara’s Irish Pub & Restaurant
McNamara’s Irish Pub & Restaurant is an Irish food and music institution in the Donelson area of Nashville, just north of the Nashville International Airport. I was familiar with the restaurant as I had seen it featured on Tennessee Crossroads. My daughter and I decided to sample its food and music as a preview of the St. Patrick’s Day festivities for 2024. What an impressive evening. The establishment itself is a light and airy, well-decorated, two-story building that was once a funeral home. We were quickly seated in the combination music room/bar so that we could hear the owner and his trio – Sean McNamara and Nosey Flynn – while we dined. Our server was attentive, and our orders arrived at the table promptly. We ordered traditional Irish fare – Irish Stew and Shepherd’s Pie with Kettle Chips as an appetizer. Neither of us are beer drinkers, so we went for a pint of cider instead. However, the full bar serves Guinness, Harp, Carlsberg, and Smithwicks on draft. The kettle chips were thick and crisp, and they were served with a homemade ranch dressing. The Irish Stew was loaded with root vegetables and tender chunks of beef in a rich tangy broth. The Shepherd’s Pie substituted savory ground beef for lamb and included peas and carrots under a blanket of thick mashed potatoes with a topping of melted cheddar cheese. We got a slice of Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake to go which turned out to be positively decadent. In addition to the delicious food, the entertainment was top-notch. Owner McNamara and his two musical comrades are thoroughly entertaining multi-instrumentalists whose lively playing and engaging personalities kept the audience engaged throughout the set. In sum, it was a lovely evening, and I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting some Irish food and fun. We will definitely return and bring friends with us!
McNamara’s Irish Pub & Restaurant – 2740 Old Lebanon Road, Nashville, TN 37214 https://www.mcnamarasirishpub.com/
Folk Music News
An Evening with Peter Mulvey
- March 22, 2024 @ City Winery, Nashville TN (tickets on sale)
Emmylou Harris: Woofstock at the Winery with Emmylou Harris & Friends
- April 2, 2024 @ City Winery, Nashville TN (limited tickets available)