We are excited to present Rory Makem in concert on 1 November 2025. TBD and Get Reel will round out the evening at the Irish Cultural Society of Calgary, Bunratty Hall. This will be an evening to remember with a little something for everyone.
The evening is in a concert format (attentive audience), with three acts and the ICS bar. There will not be food at this event. Cash and electronic payment options for tickets and bar.
Previous concerts have sold out, so don’t wait to get your tickets – you’ve been warned. Tickets are available on the Eventbrite website or at the secure embedded checkout at the bottom of the page.
Rory Makem
A seasoned performer with over 34 years on the road, Rory has toured extensively with The Makem Brothers, and the Makem and Spain Brothers and for 17 years played guitar with his father, Tommy Makem. He has played sold-out venues, festivals, and theaters throughout the United States, Canada, England, Scotland and Ireland. At his best on stage, Rory captivates his audiences with charisma, passion for the songs, poetry, history, humor and skilled musicianship.
The love of song runs deep in the family. Continuing a legacy handed down from his Grandmother, the legendary source singer Sarah Makem, Rory pulls the songs of the worker, the sailor, the lovers, the fighters and the land from the pages of history and breathes life into them. An adept interpreter of folk songs, he masterfully accompanies himself on guitar, banjo, mandolin or bouzouki.
Not limiting himself to the stage, Rory has played on movie soundtracks including A Fool and His Money, and The Lightkeeper. His compositions can be heard as the backdrop for PBS series as diverse as Tommy Tang’s Modern Thai Cuisine to It’s an Age Thing, to Simply Painting.
Learning from those that came before you is the essence of folk music and Rory has had the great honor to learn from the best. Of course there were the many years at his father’s side… absorbing the master at his craft. He has also recorded with some luminaries of modern folk music; Tom Paxton, Noel Paul Stookey, Bill Staines, Eric Weissberg, Roger McGuinn, Dave Mallett, Gordon Bok, Jonathan Edwards, Rick and Ron Shaw, and Schooner Fare.
Through more than 34 years of plying his craft, Rory has established himself as one of the leading forces in the song tradition of Irish music… and so… the tradition continues.
TBD
Waiting for confirmation with details coming soon.
Get Reel
Our jolly ship’s crew will explore a lively set of songs and fiddle tunes from the East Coast, Irish, Scottish, Folk, and other Celtic traditions. Blending a mix of harmonies into their songs, Get Reel is:
- Doug Wagner (vocals, bodhran, guitar, and fiddle),
- Greg Black (vocals, guitar, electric bass, and octave mandolin) and
- Tony Hogan (vocals and percussion).
Over many years, Get Reel has performed in numerous venues around Alberta, including the Water Valley Celtic Festival, the Irish Cultural Society, Okotoks, and the High River. We are also the house band for Celtic Folk.
When the fog is just right, you can almost smell the ocean, see the shipwrecks, hear the crashing waves with “a tiny trace of fiddling in the distance far behind him.”
Show Details
Date and Time: Saturday, 1 November 2025 at 7 pm (doors open 6:30)
Location: Irish Cultural Society – Bunratty Hall (downstairs) – 6452 35 Ave NW, Calgary, AB
Cost: $35 per person (plus processing fees)
Important Notes
It is a concert format (attentive audience) in an authentic pub-style setting. It is not a pub night. The ICS provides the bar service. Please be responsible and reasonable while enjoying the performance so everyone else can enjoy their evening.
Bunratty Hall is upstairs at the Irish Cultural Society. As a private venue, children are permitted. However, they should be old enough to focus on the performance or another non-disruptive activity and must be supervised by a parent at all times.
Doors open at 6:30 pm.
Due to the nature of running concerts, all ticket sales are final.
Tickets via Eventbrite
Tickets via the secure embedded checkout below or on the Eventbrite website – use this link if you have problems with the embedded form.
