Thursday, November 19th, 2026 

The Maine Irish Heritage Center’s Claddagh Awards return on Thursday, November 19^th!

The Claddagh Awards are a cherished tradition honoring the Irish values of friendship, loyalty, and community. Each year, the award is presented to a distinguished individual in Maine whose life of service strengthens our communities and inspires others through their leadership and commitment.

This year, we are honored to present the 2026 Claddagh Award to Pat Callaghan in recognition of his extraordinary career in news and broadcasting, serving for decades as a trusted and judicious voice in the state of Maine.

The evening will also include the presentation of the Halla Cairde Award to Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee of Castlebay, recognizing their enduring contributions to our community. 

Evening Program 

6:00 – 7:00 PM | Reception in the Great Hall
Enjoy a glass of bubbly and conversation in the Great Hall. Surrounded by gorgeous architecture, stained glass, and live music from the MIHC Session Players, hosted by Bryce Potts!

7:00 PM | Bell Ringing and Toast
Guests are invited to gather as the bell rings out across Portland in honor of our Claddagh Recipient.

7:00 –7:45 PM | Food & Bar Open in the Downstairs Function Room
Food, drinks, and community. Complete with live music from Halla Cairde members, Will Woodson and Cait Finley!

7:45 – 8:45 PM | Awards & Speeches

8:45 – 9:30 PM | Dessert and Social Connection
An opportunity to reconnect, celebrate, and enjoy community in the spirit of the Claddagh.

2026 Claddagh Award Recipient: Pat Callaghan

Pat Callaghan began his broadcast journalism career in 1978 at New Hampshire Public Television.

Beginning in 1979, he spent 43 years as a news anchor and reporter for NEWS CENTER Maine (WCSH6 in Portland and WLBZ2 in Bangor). Notable stories along the way included being on the air live when the Challenger space shuttle exploded in 1986, and reporting from Belfast, Northern Ireland when former Maine Sen. George Mitchell chaired the talks that culminated in the Good Friday Agreement. In 2015 Pat produced award-winning reports on efforts in Utah to end chronic homelessness.

Pat spent much of his time covering politics, with extensive reporting from Washington, DC and Augusta, as well as covering Maine’s delegations at numerous national political conventions. He produced documentaries on notable Maine figures including Ed Muskie, Bill Cohen, Olympia Snowe and George Mitchell.

He is the host of “In The Arena,” a Maine politics podcast available on the WMTW TV website and everywhere you get your podcasts.

Pat holds a BA in History from the University of New Hampshire. He is a member of the Maine Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the New England Emmy Awards “Silver Circle.”

He and his wife Karen are the parents of two grown children

2026 Halla Cairde Inductees, Castlebay: 

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 1,000 songs, from which the duo have selected and arranged music for performance. 

In addition to singing these versions of old Irish music, Castlebay shares 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 

Past Claddagh Award Recipients 

• 2025 – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
• 2019 – George Campbell, Jr.
• 2018 – David T. Flanagan
• 2017 – Senator Susan Collins
• 2016 – Michael Connolly
• 2015 – Jim Wellehan
• 2014 – Sara J. Burns
• 2013 – Moira Hastings Fuller
• 2012 – Senator George J. Mitchell
• 2011 – William J. Ryan
• 2010 – Cynthia Murray Beliveau
• 2009 – Gerard P. Conley, Sr.
• 2008 – Governor Joseph E. Brennan

Learn more about past claddagh winners here: https://maineirish.com/videos/ 

This Year’s Performers:

Will Woodson and Cait Finley, Halla Cairde Members

Caitlin Finley (fiddle) and Will Woodson (flute, uilleann pipes) play sparky and driving traditional Irish music that’s grounded in the textures and rhythms of the rich Irish-American soundscape of the 1920s and 30s. With roots in the living Irish musical cultures of Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, and a tremendous admiration for the first generation of recorded Irish musicians, the duo conjures up the sounds of the dance halls, vaudeville theaters, and house sessions central to Irish-American music from the first half of the twentieth century. Their sophomore album, “Once Through the Hall”, released in May 2026 and hailed as “a masterpiece” by Dan Neely of the Irish Echo, is a celebration of this music, and features fiery duet playing on uilleann pipes, fiddle, and flute. The entirety of the material is sourced from early wax cylinder and 78 recordings, “echoing the influence of past masters, but delivered in a manner which shows Caitlin and Will are truly masters in their own right” (John McEvoy). The duo have performed or taught at many of the premier traditional Irish music concert series, festivals, and tionóls around the US, and are increasingly being featured in Ireland as well, most recently in Dublin as part of Na Píobairí Uilleann’s concert series, “Session with the Pipers”. Cait and Will live in Portland, Maine.

MIHC Session Players, hosted by Bryce Potts

Irish Sessions are social music gatherings, where musicians play for themselves more so than any audience that might be present. The MIHC Session Players meet every Wednesday in the MIHC Library to play Irish Traditional tunes with others. All instruments and experience levels are welcome.

Bryce Potts is a fiddle enthusiast living in Portland, Maine. Focusing on Celtic, Old-Time, and Contra Dance musical traditions, they organize social playing events around southern Maine. To learn more about traditional music opportunities in the area, contact them at [email protected].

If you are interested in learning more about the weekly sessions, head here: https://maineirish.com/series/beginner-intermediate-irish-session/

Robert Breen

Robert (Bobby) Breen was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, where he served for decades as a Boston firefighter. His poetry is deeply rooted in Irish-American heritage, working-class life, and the storytelling traditions of New England. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston, Breen honed his craft through Harvard University’s Summer Writing Program and has been published in The Harvard Summer Review. His work has earned numerous awards, including the Joy of the Pen competition and the Margaret F. Tripp Poetry Award. Breen’s writing reflects a lifelong friendship with Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, who celebrated Breen’s fireman’s helmet in his poem “Helmet” and considered Breen’s work rich with personal voice and lyrical strength. He lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Karen, and continues to write about place, memory, and the endurance of ordinary people.

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Library Sponsors:

Patricia McDonough Dunn

Rose Window Sponsors:

Richard Brown & Family

Coffee By Design

WMPG 90.9 FM

Stained Glass Sponsors:

Portland Downtown

John Foley

Mary McAleney

Cairde Sponsors:

Kat Moraros Photography

Interested in becoming a sponsor for this event? See more details below

To secure your sponsorship, click HERE or email [email protected]