Maine’s premier Celtic folk duo Castlebay will perform a concert of traditional Irish Music at Broad Bay Congregational Church on St. Patrick’s Day. Julie Lane and Fred Gosbee will sing ballads and blarney gleaned from Maine’s rich Irish tradition, with a 12-string guitar, Celtic harp, fiddle, and tin whistle.

For decades, the two musicians have been exploring the archives of music collected in Maine, gathering hundreds of traditional songs, many of which came from the Irish who immigrated and made their homes here.

In between songs, Castlebay will share the lore and history of Maine’s musical legacy of ballads of romance and rogues, shipwreck and survival, and humor and blarney.

Many of the songs, transcribed and “mended” by Castlebay, are in their first book, “Songs of Ships and Sailors,” 2021, Loomis House Press, and part of their series, “Bygone Ballads of Maine.” Castlebay has toured the eastern U.S., Scotland, England, and Ireland and released over two dozen recordings. For more information, see: www.castlebay.net

This concert is one of three free St. Patrick’s Day events in the village which are:

• The film “Riverdance 25” at the Waldo, at 2PM

• Live local music at Odd Alewives Farm Brewery, from 3-5 PM

• Castlebay at Broad Bay Congregational Church, at 4:15, where donations are gratefully accepted.