Saturday, November 7^th, 2026

At the Maine Irish Heritage Center

Workshop: 4:00pm-6:00pm

Dinner: 6:00pm-7:00pm

Concert: 7:30pm, doors open at 7:00pm

A CONCERT OF MAINE’S TRADITIONAL IRISH SONGS

Maine’s premier Celtic folk duo Castlebay will present a concert of Maine’s traditional Irish songs at the Maine Irish Heritage Center in Portland on Saturday, November 7th at 7:30pm The concert will include ballads and blarney gleaned from Maine’s vibrant Irish tradition accompanied with 12-string guitar, Celtic harp, fiddle and tin whistle.

This performance offers a rare opportunity to experience Maine’s Irish musical heritage in an intimate setting. With over three decades of touring throughout the U.S., Scotland, England, and Ireland, and more than two dozen recordings, Castlebay brings authenticity, scholarship, and artistry to every note!

In addition to the concert, Castlebay will be offering an exclusive workshop, and the opportunity to have dinner with the artists!

Go deeper into the living tradition of Maine’s Irish songs with an intimate, hands-on workshop led by Castlebay (Julia Lane & Fred Gosbee), Maine’s premier Celtic folk duo. Building on their concert performance, this workshop will guide participants through the fascinating process of uncovering, preserving, and performing songs collected in Maine’s Irish communities during the early 20th century.

This workshop offers a unique opportunity to not only enjoy Maine’s traditional Irish songs but to actively engage with them. Whether you are a musician, singer, historian, or simply curious about Maine’s cultural heritage, you’ll come away with new insights into the stories, humor, and humanity woven into this potent musical legacy. We’d also love to encourage our workshop participants to bring and share their family songs! Whether it’s the lullaby your grandmother used to sing, or something that’s been passed down for generations, we’d love to hear it.

In the break between the workshop and concert, the artists would love to invite workshop participants to join them for a communal dinner. This will be BYO food, with light snacks and drinks available for purchase from the Center!

About the Artists:

Julia Lane & Fred Gosbee have been exploring and transcribing archives of music collected in Maine in the early 20th century. Collectors ranged throughout the state gathering hundreds of traditional songs many of which are from Ireland brought by the people emigrating and settling here and working on the coast, in the woods, farms and factories. Field recordings and journals document over 1000 songs from which the duo have selected and arranged music for performance. In addition to singing these versions of old Irish music, Castlebay will share the lore and history of this potent musical legacy which embodies stories of romance and rogues, shipwreck and survival as well as a good dose of humor and blarney. The duo has transcribed many of these songs, “mending” them, and publishing a series titled “Bygone Ballads of Maine”. Volume 1, “Songs of Ships and Sailors” was presented by Loomis House Press in 2021 and is available in local bookstores as well as online. Castlebay has recorded two albums of these songs “Bound Away” and “The Maid on the Shore” which are available from their website. A subsequent volume and recording of Maine’s Irish songs is in process.

For over 30 years, Castlebay has toured the eastern US, Scotland, England and Ireland being appreciated at arts centers, folk clubs, festivals, schools and on radio and television. They have released over two dozen recordings and their music has been used on numerous video soundtracks. More information is available at their website www.castlebay.net.