Irish Arts Center will present its much loved annual musical celebration AN IRISH CHRISTMAS from December 6-21 at the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan.

For the 7th year running AN IRISH CHRISTMAS will run for 13 performances at the Irish Arts Center (553 West 51st Street, between 10th and 11th Avenue) from Friday, December 6 – Saturday, December 21.  The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at both 3 PM and 8 PM and Sunday December 8th at 3 PM and 8 PM. Tickets are $60 general admission / $48 for IAC members and are available online at irishartscenter.org or by phone at 866-811-4111.

AN IRISH CHRISTMAS is the Irish Arts Center’s joyous annual seasonal celebration and is hosted by traditional Irish music legend and folklorist Mick Moloney. It features an eclectic mix of tunes ranging from the traditional to the contemporary, including such titles as “The Holly, She Bears a Berry”, “Christmas in the Trenches”, and “The Bushes of Jerusalem” as well as sing-along favorites such as “The Wren Song” and “Miss Fogarty’s Christmas Cake”. World-famous fiddler Athena Tergis (Riverdance) joins an incredible line up of musicians, including Moloney on banjo, mandolin and vocals, button accordionist Billy McComiskey, singer/fiddler Liz Hanley, dancer Niall O’Leary , jazz vocalist Tamar Korn, Filipino chant singer Grace Nono, and pianist Donna Long. 

Each show at the Irish Arts Center will also feature a performance, interview or story from a different special guest, that in past years have included Gabriel Byrne, Christine Quinn, Colum McCann, Ellen McCourt, Isaiah Sheffer, Susan McKeown, Michael Patrick McDonald, and Bill Whelan.

On Sunday December 15th AN IRISH CHRISTMAS will travel to Symphony Space on the Upper West Side for a special fundraiser with Special Guest Grammy award-winner Bill Whelan. The performance will take place at 7 pm at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway, New York, NY 10025). Tickets for this special event are $65 for Balcony/Rear Orchestra seating and $100 for Orchestra. There are a limited number of VIP Packages available. For more information on VIP Packages, please contact Adam Lamberg at adam@irishartscenter.org or 212-757-3318 x203.

The Irish Arts Center, founded in 1972, is a New York-based arts and cultural center dedicated to projecting a dynamic image of Ireland and Irish America for the 21st century, building community with artists and audiences of all backgrounds, forging and strengthening cross-cultural partnerships, and preserving the evolving stories and traditions of Irish culture for generations to come.  Our multi-disciplinary programming is centered around three core areas: Performance – including live music, dance, theatre, film, literature, and the humanities; Exhibition – including visual arts presentations and cultural exhibitions that tell the evolving Irish story; and Education – with dozens of classes per week in Irish language, history, music, and dance.  Located in New York City, a world capital of arts and culture, Irish Arts Center serves as a dynamic platform for top emerging and established artists and cultural creators to reach a New York, national, and global audience, and as a gateway for other institutions to access first-rate Irish and Irish American culture. www.irishartscenter.org