Celtic Violinist Eileen Iver Performs at Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, NY

Fiddle fever Celtic violinist Eileen Ivers gets her Irish up in Peekskill on St. Paddy’s Day

It’s that time of year again, when tucking into a plate of corn beef and cabbage and quaffing green beer is commonplace. Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day is a national obsession, whether your ancestors hail from the Emerald Isle or not.

Local performances of authentic Irish music and dance are at a premium this month. There are no less than nine concerts and dance recitals taking place in the region — from Michael Flatley’s wildly popular “Lord of the Dance” to Celtic alt-rock band Enter the Haggis. (Check out the listings here for the complete lineup.)

Fiddler Eileen Ivers — “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin,” according to the New York Times — plays a concert of both traditional and contemporary Celtic music with her band, Immigrant Soul, on March 17. We asked Ivers what it’s like to play a concert on the holiday. “Every concert show is powerful,“ Ivers says. “But on Saint Patrick’s Day itself, it is a little more electric. Everybody wants to be Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day. It’s really wonderful to see support for the Irish heritage.”

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Ivers, who grew up in New York, has another, more personal reason to look forward to her show at Peekskill’s Paramount Center for the Arts. “Most Saint Patrick’s Days we are away from the New York area, so this is special for us. It’s nice to be close to home,” she says. “And the Paramount is a beautiful venue; it can really feel like a small Irish pub — unfortunately, minus the Guinness.”

» Return to St. Patrick’s Day Guide

 

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