Upstate Irish Arts Center

04/08/2026

NEXT WEEK! Join us Wednesday, April 15 from 7:30 – 9:00 pm for the Traditional Irish Slow Session led by Sean McCorkle at the Old Songs Community Arts Center (37 S Main St, Voorheesville, NY).

This is a friendly, repertoire-building opportunity to play your new tunes slowly and work on your old tunes at a reasonable tempo. We will focus specifically on traditional Irish music, and all Irish-appropriate instruments are welcome (i.e. wooden flute, tin whistle, concertina, button or piano accordion, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, fiddle, harp). We encourage tape recorders, and focus on learning tunes by ear. Music stands and continuous use of sheet music discouraged. Bring snacks to share. Recommended $5 donation. 3rd Wednesday of the Month (Sept. – May). See you there!

Learn more about Old Songs and our mission to keep traditional music and dance alive in the New York State Capital Region through the presentation of festivals, concerts, dances, and educational programs: https://oldsongs.org/events/

04/01/2026

Join us today at O’Toole’s for our new traditional Irish kazoo class featuring the finest handmade, imported, artisanal wooden kazoos!

02/17/2026

TOMORROW! Join us Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 7:30 – 9:00 pm for the Traditional Irish Slow Session led by Sean McCorkle at the Old Songs Community Arts Center (37 S Main St, Voorheesville, NY). Play traditional Irish music with others and learn as you play. Recommended $5 donation. 3rd Wednesday of the Month (Sept. – May). See you there!

Learn more about Old Songs and our mission to keep traditional music and dance alive in the New York State Capital Region through the presentation of festivals, concerts, dances, and educational programs: https://oldsongs.org/events/

01/25/2026

We’re THRILLED to have our instrument library headed to the festival for the weekend! Kids (and their adults) will get to meet Tina, Jo, Dion, Ron, Rose, and Lin!

🍀 Celebrate Irish Culture at the East Durham Irish Festival! 🇮🇪
Get ready for an unforgettable Memorial Day Weekend, May 22-24, 2026, at the Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural & Sports Centre in historic East Durham, NY, a place often called the Emerald Isle of the Catskills thanks to its deep Irish-American roots and welcoming community atmosphere.

This beloved annual festival is one of the longest-running Irish celebrations in the United States, drawing music lovers, families, culture seekers, and history fans from across the East Coast and beyond.

Explore more than music and dancing, and discover Irish heritage brought to life on 58 acres of scenic grounds, including the world’s largest map of Ireland laid out in red bricks with every county marked and labeled.

From lively performances and cultural demonstrations to food, fun, and community spirit, this festival honors Irish tradition while giving everyone a chance to make new memories together. 🍻🎶

🎟 Tickets available now
📅 May 22-24, 2026
🍀

01/17/2026

Welcome harp #3! We hit the road this week to pick up our third from a new friend in Ithaca. We’re gonna need to start naming these…

Be sure to check out the harp workshop coming up later this month. You can find that event on our FB page.

01/11/2026

Here we GROW again! We’re excited to welcome these fiddles to our library! These look like regular fiddles - except these are our fractional sizes. Thanks to our good friend Stephen at Shaker Violin who set these beauties up, we have a 3/4 and 1/2 size fiddles available to lend. And these two already have summer plans believe it or not!

01/05/2026

01/01/2026

Wishing you a happy new year! May you find more music in 2026!

12/24/2025

We ❤️ our BTID friends!

Here’s your chance to join our growing family of recreational Irish dancers! A new class is being added on Saturday mornings at 10am starting FEBRUARY 7th. Open to boys and girls ages 7 and up. See our website or click the link to register. Contact us if you have any questions! https://form.jotform.com/251746509965167

12/21/2025

Hey Albany! We’re looking for a pub with space available on the first or second Tuesday each month after 5pm or 6pm until about 8pm and interested in hosting a SLOW Irish session. Family friendly ✅ available parking, including on-street ✅ neighborhood location ✅ reserved table up front, or in a corner ✅ are all pluses. Any suggestions?