Dropkick Murphys at Roseland Ballroom
March 6 (sold out) and 7, 8 p.m.; $29.50 to $33
Loyal Bostonians and raucous Celtic punks Dropkick Murphys will (as always) be playing their home city on the big day, so New Yorkers will have to celebrate with them a bit early. As if you needed an excuse.
The Pogues at Roseland Ballroom
March 12 to 14, 8 p.m.; $59.50 to $65
Shane MacGowan and his band of old-school Irish rockers bring the St. Paddy’s party like no other. Check this one out if you’re looking for a beer-drenched sing-along with a couple thousand brand-new friends.
Joe Hurley’s 10th Annual Allstar Irish Rock Revue at (Le) Poisson Rouge
March 14, 6:30 p.m.; $20 to $50
This year, Hurley’s annual “Paddy Rock & Roll Circus” is also the 80th-birthday party for the Irish-American newspaper The Irish Echo. Hurley and friends will perform hits from U2, Van Morrison, and the like, while Guinness will be on special all night.
Black 47 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
March 17, 7 p.m.; $25
Unabashedly political, these expat pub-rockers have been going strong for nearly twenty years. But the heavy subject matter won’t be a downer, as the horn-heavy, traditional Irish sound keeps the crowd bouncing along.
Pierce Turner at Joe’s Pub
March 17, 7 p.m.; $23
A folksy singer-songwriter, Turner (whose version of the Dubliners classic “Dirty Old Town” was used on The Wire) promises a calmer, less-earsplitting evening of Gaelic tunes than most of his counterparts.
