Travel & Culture 2026 Winter Issue Takes Visitors to New England and Ireland

PRESS RELEASE

November 10, 2025
Contact: Michael Quinlin
Irishmassachusetts@comcast.net

(Milton, MA) — The Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA) today released its 2026 Winter Issue of Travel & Culture, a free tourism magazine highlighting cultural activities in New England and Ireland.

The 48 page magazine, with a shelf-life through early March, 2026, is distributed at visitor centers and cultural venues across Massachusetts and New England.  Read the online digital magazine here. 

The winter issue offers readers a curated selection of top-tier Christmas and Celtic concerts, dances and theater, ranging from A Celtic Christmas, Celtic Woman and Vienna Boys Choir to traditional ensemble Lunasa, vocalist Chloe Agnew and fiddle star Eileen Ivers.   Live theater productions include ‘A Sherlock Carol’ at Lyric Stage Boston and ‘An Irish Carol’ at the Greater Boston Stage Company. 

Christmas shoppers can find inspiration from local Irish and museum gift shops, reviews of four newly published books, or they can purchase concert tickets for their loved ones. 

Travel and tourism leaders profiled in this issue include MBTA CEO Phil Eng, Mass Convention Center CEO Marcel Vernon, Sr. and hoteliers Stephen Johnston of Boston Harbor Hotel and John Murta of Omni Parker House.  The latest upgrades at Boston Logan International Airport is also featured, while three visitor organizations – Meet Boston, Discover Quincy and the newly-named Revolutionary Valley CVB – are profiled.   

In the cultural realm, Russell Gusetti of Blackstone River Theatre and Pete Lally of Spectacle Shows are profiled, along with performers in the Celtic Christmas show at Boston Center for the Arts, step dancer Hannah Cunniffe and musician Simon Lace.  The latest exhibits and seasonal events of JFK Presidential Library in Boston and the JFK Museum in Hyannis, Cape Cod, are included.

In the Irish community, read stories about Irish American Partnership, four Irish organizations and three cultural leaders on the move: BC Irish music librarian Beth Sweeney, ICC program manager and champion dancer Declan Crowley, and South Shore heritage leader Brenda O’Connor. 

A full calendar of Christmas events, including Christmas Tree lightings, holiday markets and winter activities, is included and later in the magazine, a winter/spring calendar of events from January through May.

For readers interested in visiting Ireland in 2026, read ‘Ireland for all Seasons,’ with 32 travel ideas in all for provinces.  A story entitled ‘Cliffhangers’ chronicles seven magnificent coastal cliffs all around Ireland, while ‘Movie Locations’ covers the new feature film ‘Four Letters of Love’ and the upcoming season of ‘Game of Thrones,’ both filmed in Ireland.

For history and heritage lovers, read about new additions to Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail, including the Tom Brady statue at Gillette Stadium and the Harry McDonough Sailing Center in South Boston.  A new Revolutionary Irish Trail is being prepared for American 250 celebrations in 2026, to include iconic landmarks Bunker Hill and Dorchester Heights monuments, as well as storied institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts and American Ancestors. 

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EDITORS: photos, interviews and additional information are available upon request. Contact Michael Quinlin at irishmassachusetts@comcast.net

About Boston Irish Tourism Association (BITA)

Formed in 2000, BITA is a year-round, cultural tourism organization that promotes the state’s largest ethnic community. BITA publishes three issues of Travel & Culture, each March, June and November.  For further details on year-round cultural activities in New England as well as tips on traveling to Ireland in 2025, visit irishboston.org.