The Upstate Irish Arts Center, Inc is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization committed to promoting Irish arts, culture, and music through education and performances. 

New additions coming soon!

We're excited to announce that Celtic Hall/Capital District Celtic Cultural Association has awarded us funding to expand our instrument library. We've added one fiddle and one button accordion, with more to come. This generous contribution will allow us to add as many as four new instruments. In addition the the fiddle and accordion, we're also expecting an Anglo concertina to join the line up. What else would you like to see?

A single Mandolin with a sunburst design

Here we grow again!

Thanks to a recent grant by the Albany County Legislature, we've added two MANDOLINS and two lap HARPS to our instrument library! The Epiphone A Mandolin is great for smaller musicians who are interested in a guitar or have played violin - it is tuned the same (G-D-A-E).  Our new Harpsicle Harps are great for beginners; it is primarily played in the key of C. We make the instruments available at our young musician sessions and to those learning with one of our programs. We're also happy to bring these to local schools so our young people can explore the wonderful world of traditional Irish music and its instruments!

People playing instruments in a group

Young Musician Sessions

Join us monthly for our Irish Trad Session for Young Musicians when we return this fall! Find the date of our next session on our events calendar or on our Facebook page. Sessions start at 11:00 a.m. and feature one or two adult musician mentors to help with young musicians at any level.  This is a slow session that focuses on learning and improving tunes.

A watercolor illustration of a ceili band with instruments and dressed in green

Ceili Band?

We're currently gauging interest in the area in forming a young musician ceili band here in the Albany area! A typical Céilí Band had around 10 instruments - most all melodic with some percussion accompaniment. Common instruments include the fiddle, flute, button accordion, Anglo concertina, uilleann pipes, banjo, mandolin, tin whistle, drums and piano. Contact us to let us know that you are interested!

Totally Trad promotional image that shows the skyline of the City of Albany looking west from across the Hudson River

Totally Trad 2024

Join us this fall for our rescheduled Totally Trad at Celtic Hall in Albany/Colonie featuring live Irish music workshops and performances with Ship in the Clouds. **This event was originally scheduled for May 18, 2024, but the artist was unable to make it due to unforeseen circumstances.**

Young musicians posing with tin whistles and their instructor

Music Workshops

On December 9, 2023, more than 20 dancers and musicians joined us for our FREE tin whistle workshop at Celtic Hall in Albany.  Classes were led by Kieran McCarthy Fell from NYC and included musicians of all ages from Grade 1 and up!  We also welcomed musicians who are also dancers in our local Irish dance schools including:

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