IT'S BEEN 12 years since Glasgow hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 23rd iteration of the event—the 2026 Glasgow games—has now kicked off again in the city, far sooner than anyone would have predicted back in 2014.

AN ATTENTIVE audience of family, friends and invited guests—including Theresa C Gallagher, chair of Comhaltas in Britain and Rosemarie Cassidy, chair of the Scottish Region of Comhaltas—enjoyed the St James the Great Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Branch’s annual summer concert in Pollokshaws Burgh Hall, Glasgow recently.

PRESIDENT Catherine Connolly made her first visit to Britain as she met with Irish community groups from across the country and was welcomed by King Charles in London.

THE Scottish Fleadh took place on the last weekend of April to record numbers of competitors in a celebration of Irish music, song and language.

AT THE recent civic St Patrick’s Day Festival Parade in Glasgow, there was a familiar face among all the flags being held aloft.

THE journey towards the All-Ireland Fleadh will begin this month at the Scottish Fleadh which is taking place in Woodfarm High School on April 26.

ST JAMES the Great Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann recently visited Ireland to forge close links with two branches of the Irish cultural organisation, and it was music, music, music all the way.

WITH St Patrick’s Day approaching as I write this, I pondered the question: What does it mean to be Irish? And how do we define ourselves in modern society?

AS PAUL Brady once sang: “It’s nothing but the same old story.” And lately that line feels painfully accurate.

CALLS have been made to end the intransigence which sees young traditional Irish musicians on Scotland unable to receive academic recognition for their musical talents in school examinations.

FOR those of involved with Tír Conaill Harps GAA Club, it has always been about more than football. Since the club’s foundation in 1994, its members have worked to build something that reflects the very best of community sport—a club where young people thrive, families feel welcome and culture, wellbeing and connection sit alongside competition. Three decades on, the Harps remain a living, growing expression of that original vision.

ON MARCH 14, 2026, the Glasgow St Patrick’s Festival Parade will once again bring colour, music and life to the heart of the city. This year’s theme ‘A Celebration of Irish Immigration to Glasgow’ is more than a commemoration. It is a declaration of who we are, where we come from, and the immeasurable contribution our community has made to Glasgow for almost two centuries.

THIS time of year is known as the season of goodwill and that phrase may be one that, for some, has lost a little meaning in recent times.

ON SATURDAY September 27, the Consulate General of Ireland hosted the Irish Culture and Heritage Day in Edinburgh; an event that has been firmly re-established as an annual opportunity for Irish people of all ages and generations to come together to celebrate our shared heritage.

I AWAITED the publication of this book with great anticipation as my mother’s people hail from the mountainous region of Sliabh Beagh, near where the three counties of Monaghan, Fermanagh and Tyrone meet.

THE All-Ireland Fleadh took place in the beautiful town of Wexford at the start of August and, as ever, scores of musicians from Scotland were taking part in some form. Many musicians, singers and storytellers from Scotland were competing, having qualified from the All-Britain Fleadh in June. It was clear, though, from early on Friday that this was going to be a fleadh to remember as the results just kept on coming.

THE Consulate General of Ireland recently announced that this year’s Irish Culture and Heritage Day will take place at the Grange Cricket Club in Stockbridge on Saturday September 27.

THE All-Britain Fleadh took place during the last weekend of June and for those attending from Scotland they weren’t just bathed in sunshine, they were bathed with medals too.

A FANTASTIC year of celebration and new activity has followed St Roch’s Marching Band (above) since they were crowned All Ireland Champions at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉiréann in Wexford, but they will hit new heights next month after being invited to perform in front of a capacity crowd at Croke Park.

THE Irish community in Scotland was shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden passing of much-loved Comhaltas musician, Fabian Greenan...