The U.S.’s Biggest Irish Rock Festival Comes to Boston
Expect family-friendly vibes with enough street cred to satisfy the Guinness-and-Jameson crowd.
James Fearnley, Spider Stacy, and Jem Finer of the Pogues. / Photo by Dan Comerford
Liam Lynch has learned a thing or two about selling Boston on Irish music. One of the concert promoters behind the late-’90s Fleadh festival is back with Seisiún, a two-day Celtic celebration hitting the Stage at Suffolk Downs September 6 to 7. This time, he’s armed with the Pogues, Dropkick Murphys, and a lineup that spans Irish punk legends to the latest Eire-inspired indie rockers. “I want it to feel like a fully enjoyable day out, whether you come with your husband or wife, or you come with the entire family, or with some of your best friends,” Lynch says of the festival launching with his former Fleadh partner Joe Killian and the Bowery Presents. Translation: family-friendly vibes with enough street cred to satisfy the Guinness-and-Jameson crowd.
The timing isn’t accidental. Irish acts are having a moment—think Hozier, Fontaines D.C., Inhaler, nevermind all those actors. Lynch says they had been thinking for the past few years about creating another festival with the resurgence of Irish bands. “From a cultural attachment perspective, a community support perspective, this city is the true capital of Ireland,” Lynch says. “All roads lead to Boston.”
Dropkick Murphys. / Photo by Travis Schneider
His “catalytic moment” came during the Pogues’ Dublin reunion show, where the band didn’t try to replace Shane MacGowan—their beloved, brilliant frontman who died in 2023—but instead had younger artists sing his songs. Soon, Lynch was pitching the band on headlining Seisiún alongside rising acts like the Scratch, Lisa O’Neill, and John Francis Flynn.
“Boston has always had a special place in our hearts,” says Pogues cofounder Spider Stacy, who’s eager to introduce fans to the next generation extending their tradition. The festival also features Once star Glen Hansard, the Hold Steady, the Waterboys, and Belfast’s Stiff Little Fingers, who have been blasting Irish punk since the summer of ’77. “I’m hoping this is actually just the start,” Stacy promises. “We can go deeper and wider—it’s such a broad canvas to be painted on.”
This article was first published in the print edition of the September 2025 issue with the headline: “Sláinte!”
