Niagara Celtic to host Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy

Press Release

The Niagara Celtic Heritage Festival & Highland Games will feature the following bands for the 2025 event: On Saturday, Sept. 13 the opening band, Tuatha Dea, from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, starts out the evening at 6. At 8:30 p.m., the headliner taking the stage is Canada’s queen and king of Celtic performers: Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy. They will be joined by their very talented children.

MacMaster, known for her virtuosic skill and charm, was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2006, won two Canadian Juno Awards, 19 East Coast Music Awards, and has released three Gold albums. Leahy led the family band Leahy to double-Platinum status, won three Canadian Juno Awards, and was the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Leahys: Music Most of All.”

 MacMaster and Leahy have passed their musical talent and dancing on to their children. While their focus is the fiddle, they also play a variety of musical instruments accompanied by the Cape Breton style of step dancing. Prior to the festival, the family will present three private workshops for music students at Lockport-area schools.

Tuatha Dea tours and performs nationally and internationally and have been celebrated for their uniqueness and energy. Songs “Appalachia Burning” and “Kilts and Corsets,” drawn from personal experiences, relate the depth and heart of the band’s creative spirit. Powerful hard-hitting tunes “Wisp of a Thing,” “Morgan La Fey” and “Amy” reflect the group’s rock edge. 

To finish the weekend on Sunday, starting at 5 p.m., The Mudmen will bring a blast of Celtic energy to the event. The Mudmen have performed at festivals, theaters, events and clubs in eight different countries. Mudmen have guested and or opened for Glass Tiger, The Irish Rovers, The Chieftains, and, of course MacMaster.

To see these three world-class bands and many more performers on five music stages, visit the largest Celtic gathering in New York State, the Niagara Celtic Heritage Festival, on Sept. 13-14 at the Niagara County Fairgrounds. Enjoy authentic highland games, pipe bands, clans, dancers, bonfires, history groups, animal presentations, workshops, artisans, merchandise vendors, the “Taste of Celtic” with 30-plus food vendors, adult beverages, pageantry and a special kid’s area.

To find out everything you need to know about this exciting and extensive celebration of Celtic culture, or to purchase tickets before they are sold out, visit niagaraceltic.com.