40 Shades of Green: New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Gathering in Long Island City. Photo: NY Irish Center
Feb. 27, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
The New York Irish Center will host its popular “40 Shades of Green” Celtic Cabaret on St. Patrick’s Day. The six-hour cavalcade will feature entertainers and luminaries from across Ireland and the US.
The event, which runs from 3 to 9 p.m. on Monday, March 17, will take place in the Reilly Room, a storefront theater located in the New York Irish Center at 10-40 Jackson Ave. in Long Island City.
The St. Patrick’s Day celebration features a rotating series of emcees who introduce each performer and special guest. Throughout the day, renowned Irish and Irish-American musicians and dancers take the stage.
Performers on the day include traditional Irish fiddler Nathan Bishop, traditional duo Donie Carroll & Mo O’Connor, husband-and-wife duo Bronagh and Bob Batch and several other musical acts. Meanwhile, Trisha McManus & the McManus School of Irish Dance and performers from Darragh Carr Dance will be among the performers providing displays of traditional Irish dance during the St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
Via Instagram @nyirishcenter
Representatives from the NY Irish Center noted that Time Out NY has listed the event as one of the top St. Patrick’s Day activities in New York for each of the last three years.
George Heslin, executive director of the NY Irish Center, said the center hopes to see New Yorkers of all backgrounds at the St. Patrick’s Day event, adding that a number of performers are not of Irish descent, reflecting the diversity of the surrounding neighborhood.
“Over generations, it is often said that all New Yorkers are Irish on St Patrick’s Day,” Heslin said in a statement.
“That is why we have such an expansive approach to programming on the big day… our performers are mostly of Irish decent, several are not… all are our friends and neighbors and many are here from Ireland for the first time and have never performed in New York before.”
Tickets for the event are available for $35 and are selling fast, according to staff at the NY Irish Center. Children under 12 will be admitted free of charge, while the center’s downstairs lounge will also be open throughout the day.
Heslin encouraged anyone interested in the event to secure their tickets as soon as possible.
“We limit the number of tickets to ensure that everyone gets in and is welcome to stay as long as they want.”
The event is sponsored by Tourism Ireland, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Government of Ireland and the Office of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.
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