Please join us for the second "Rock Your Irish" celebration to kick off the St. Patrick's Day season in Clinton. All proceeds will help people with developmental disabilities in Massachusetts through the Polus Center for Social and Economic Development.

The Screaming Orphans are a pop-rock band and are four fun, high-spirited, musically-obsessed sisters from Ireland. Our sound has been compared to the Bangles and the Cranberries and our musical influences range from the Beatles, R.E.M., Indigo Girls, Abba, to traditional Irish music. We’re excited to share our musical journey with you and hope to meet you at one of our live shows!



Listen: Christmas In Killarney (MP3, 3.7 Mb)

The Gobshites are an acoustic Irish themed folk-punk band in the style of The Pogues. Their lineup includes Vocals, Guitar, Fiddle, Bass, Banjo, Mandolin, Tin Whistle, Bouzouki and Accordion. You may have seen them these past three years in the South Boston Saint Patrick's Day Parade or heard them on the Don Imus Radio Show. They have played The Shamrock Fest in DC, The Providence Fleadh, multiple Harpoon Brewery Festivals and Irish 2000 in Albany. They have opened for many Irish acts including Black 47, The Tossers, Gaelic Storm, The Young Dubliners, 7 Nations, Derek Warfield and The Street Dogs.

"The Gobshites are a gifted bunch of merrymakers, who will put a smile on your face and make you want to sing along." -- Tommy Ramone, RAMONES/Uncle Monk

What started as two friends singing some songs for Paddy's day quickly changed into a study of Irish music. The rich history captured our attention and we began to uncover some incredible music that we had never heard before and so in August 2009 we began playing live at open mics. One year later (a change of guitarist later) and the education continues. But our passion for spreading the messages in these songs has brought us to playing some of the more well known musical venues in and around Boston such as The Tinker's Son, The Greyhound and Mr. Dooley's and the Old Timer’s in Clinton!



The Stone Clovers is an Irish Folk Rock Group from Worcester, MA. They perform an array of traditional/contemporary Irish and original music. The group was formed by former Fergus bandmates Cait Sargent (vocals) and Tom Lubelczyk (bass) along with Irish singer/songwriter Tony Gahan, from Co. Tipperary. The idea for The Stone Clovers was to merge the Irish music they so love with their original songs and eclectic musical tastes. Their songwriting speaks to the Irish emigrant's experience as well as the Irish-American's reverence for it's heritage. The core of the group's sound could find itself at home in any Irish pub but is augmented by many musical flavors (rock, jazz, blues, funk, reggae, among others. The combination of of all of this has allowed the band to create music that is reflective of the Irish and Irish-American community of their home of Worcester.

Talented Irish step dancers from the Irish Rhythm Dance School will perform throughout the acoustic show. They may even show you a thing or two!

At right: Rachel McGown, one of the Irish Rhythm School dancers.
Founded in 1979, The Polus Center began by contributing to the development of innovative alternative service models to support people with developmental disabilities. Our individualized shared living programs throughout Massachusetts, USA, help establish and support households where people with and without disabilities live in mutually beneficial relationships, enabling people with disabilities to live and work within the community. Because of this innovative alternative service model, many individuals who would have spent years in institutional care are now competitively employed and have homes in the communities of their choice.

In 1997, the Polus Center entered into the international arena by coordinating humanitarian efforts in Central America aimed at addressing the long-term needs of people with disabilities, particularly those individuals who lost limbs due to acts of war, landmines and diseases. Several prosthetic outreach programs and clinics have been established, and access, mobility projects and economic reintegration efforts have now been implemented in various countries in Latin America and Africa, and the Polus Center has recently begun victim assistance efforts in Jordan.

Over the years, The Polus Center has broadened the scope of its mission beyond the provision of direct care services, to include planning and development consultation services on the national and international level. By collaborating with other non-governmental organizations plus local business and humanitarian groups, the Polus Center has been able to provide key financial and strategic aid that result in long-term, self-sustaining solutions.

In late 2011, the Polus Center opened the Coffeelands World Gifts Espresso Café at 50 High St. in Clinton. The World Gifts Café provides employment opportunities for people with developmental and physical disabilities while serving the best coffee and specialty drinks in town and offering a unique set of fair trade gifts from around the world.