Doors at 6pm
Show at 7pm
A festive and joyous celebration of an Irish Christmas, weaving together dance, music, and stories
"An Irish Christmas with Ishna" isn’t just a concert: it is a celebration of the holiday spirit.
Incorporating stories, ancient Irish ballads, Christmas standards, lively fiddling and award-winning step dancing, this show is sure to leave audience members with a most memorable Christmas experience.
Ishna is a Boston-based contemporary Irish folk band, exploring the traditional repertoire of Ireland within the context of a global setting. It is fronted by husband-wife duo Ciaran Nagle and Tara Novak, and has been together as this lineup of 6 musicians for more than a decade. Over that time, the group has evolved, honing in specifically on the acoustic traditional music of Ireland, while finding ways to allow each band member to bring their unique musical vocabulary to the overall sound.
Ishna recorded their debut album, “Slí Amach: Way Out”, over a week in 2025, in a barn in Peterborough NH. It was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Oscar-and-Grammy-winning Robert L. Smith at Defy Recordings, and the artwork was designed by the legendary Steve Averill (creator of all the logos and artwork for U2).
Ishna is fronted by Irish Tenor Ciarán Nagle and fiddler/vocalist Tara Novak (both of Riverdance and the Three Irish Tenors). The husband-and-wife duo bring their humor and dynamic energy to the stage, and are accompanied by their stellar band of traditional musicians: Dan Meyers: Uilleann pipes/whistles; Bjorn Wennas - guitar; David McGrory - accordion/banjo; Brian O’Neill - bodhran/percussion. They are joined by brother-and-sister dancing team Kevin and Maureen Doyle, who will thrill and charm audiences with their championship-winning steps.
Ishna’s performance is energetic and uplifting, infusing new rhythms and harmonies into the beloved music and stories of Ireland.
For Ishna, Christmas is about community and common connections, bringing young and old together at this special time of year.
Come share in the holiday joy!
