Daté na Ireland Matsuri Returns!
Listen, Dance, Create, Learn!
Free admission
Remember to wear something green on the day!
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【Date】11th April 2026 (Sat)
【Venue】Sendai Mediatheque, 1F Open Square
【Performances】12:00-17:55
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Timetable
11:30 Doors
11:50 Opening Remarks
12:00 Band Performances (20 mins per band) Featuring additional stage contents
14:20 Dance Workshop
17:55 閉会挨拶
17:55 Closing Remarks
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What is Daté na Ireland Matsuri?
The year is 2025. A young Irish fella obsessed with Sendai meets a group of people obsessed with Irish music, and Daté na Ireland Matsuri is born – the first celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in Sendai for 16 years.
For the second installment, the event has moved location to Sendai Mediatheque, in the centre of Sendai, and has incorporated new elements in addition to live performances, including an interactive dance workshop which we hope will bring Ireland closer to the people of Sendai. We invite you to experience Ireland with us for a day and join us as we add yet another shade of green to the City of Trees!
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Band Lineup
① Weekend Fantasia
② Tohoku University Celtic Music Research Group Iris
③TRAD
④Bochii Band
⑤Tetrahedron
⑥Arc Light Duo
⑦Irish Moonlight Ensemble
⑧Tohoku Irish Big Band
(Formed from Sendai Irish, and other bands from all over Tohoku)
※The timetable may change on the day. For details please refer to our website and social media.
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Join in our Dance Workshop!
We are delighted to welcome Koko Miyazawa, an Irish dance instructor with many years of experience teaching in Japan, to lead a dance workshop for the audience in between performances.
Beginners are welcome! Participation is free! Music for the workshop will be performed by Bochii Band. There are not many chances to try Irish dancing in Sendai, so we strongly encourage you to make the most of this rare opportunity!
Irish Dancer / Dance Instructor
Koko Miyazawa
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Katsumi Murakami’s Exhibition Corner!
Katsumi Murakami, illustrator, kiri-e (collage) artist, and creator of the art book “Ireland Pub’s Tipsy Diaries” will join us to exhibit and sell pieces of his work.
Murakami’s exhibition corner will be open throughout the event, so don’t forget to check it out. Enjoy the music while immersing yourself in Murakami’s Ireland and his unique kiri-e interpretations of pub culture!
Illustrator / Kiri-e artist
Katsumi Murakami
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Brigid’s Cross Craft Corner!
Brigid’s crosses are Irish traditional protective charms made from reeds fashioned into the
shape of a cross. There will be a craft corner where participants can try their hand at making and bringing home their own Brigid’s cross! For details please refer to our website and social media.
Reeds provided courtesy of Sasaki Tatami-Kojo, Kami-machi
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Join in the performance!
After the band performances finish, there will be a session which is open for all musicians in the audience. The songs to be performed will be announced in advance, and beginners are more than welcome to join! For details please refer to our website and social media.
Greetings from the Chairperson Emeritus
Dia dhuit, a chara! My name is Eli Unger, Chairperson Emeritus of the Daté na Ireland Matsuri Committee. It’s hard to believe a whole year has passed since the first event last year, and the second edition is now so close on the horizon.
In last year’s remarks, I mentioned how this event would not have been possible without the support of the people of Sendai, and this year I must say it feels even more the case. This year as we scale up the event, we have incorporated many of the opinions of the committee, and have added many new exciting elements that we were not able to achieve last year. This year’s committee has made a conscious effort to create an event that even more people can enjoy, whether they are new to Ireland or know it like the back of their hand.
Apart from Irish music, this year will feature a panel exhibition introducing links between Ireland and Japan, an Irish-style crafts corner, dance workshops and an introductory talk on Irish culture, with the aim of making Ireland feel just that little bit closer for our Japanese audience – despite being on the other side of the planet.
I would like to extend a special word of thanks to the Chairperson for this year, Koide, and Vice-chair Sakai, for their work in making this year’s event possible. As always, I was constantly moved by the level of passion and work poured into this project by the committee members.
The things you can experience and do at Date na Ireland Matsuri are a little different to what you might see at a St. Patrick’s Day event in Ireland. However, this event has been built up with the people of Sendai at its core, and for me, one of the aims of this event is to convey what is so great about Sendai, with the focus not only on Ireland.
And so, I invite you to come and enjoy our wee St. Patrick’s Day celebration, born from a unique blend of Sendai and Ireland, and the kind of which could only be found in the City of Trees.
Tá súil againn go bhfeicfimid tú ann!
Daté na Ireland Matsuri / St. Patrick’s Day in Sendai
Committee Chairperson Emeritus Eli Unger（イーライ・アンガー）
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① Weekend Fantasia
Weekend Fantasia from Barm’s is an Irish band that performs original songs. Our start can be traced back to 2019, in an Irish pub in Itsutsubashi called “Barm’s”. Our music will make you feel like you have stepped into a world of fantasy.
② Tohoku University Celtic Music Research Group “Iris”
Iris is a music club consisting of students from Tohoku University, which performs Celtic music with a particular focus on the Irish tradition. Our Irish music is energetic, and features flute and strings center-stage.
③TRAD
TRAD are a husband and wife duo that perform Irish music, in addition to traditional music from Cape Breton in Canada, which is home to many people of Irish descent. We are particularly fond of lively and up-tempo songs. We also host sessions at Irish Pub DOLAN’s in Hirosaki every month.
④ Bochii Band
Bochii Band was formed in 2000. We primarily perform Irish music and dance, but you can also find us playing Scottish and Scandinavian music as well.
⑤Tetrahedron
We are Tetrahedron. Our philosophy is to put on a good performance, when we like, with who we like. We are an enigma of a band, sometimes with 5 faces, sometimes 6, depending on our members at any given time.
⑥Arc Light Duo
We are a duo consisting of Murata (Flute, Whistle) from Ofunato and Suzuki (Guitar) from Sendai. We mainly perform traditional dance tunes, with a measure of original tunes in the mix.
⑦ Irish Moonlight Ensemble
The Irish Moonlight Ensemble was formed in 2012 following the Great East Japan Earthquake. We began as a duo, but now perform as a band of six. We’re proud to say the name of our band in Japanese（愛蘭月光楽団）has the most complicated kanji of any in Sendai! We are looking forward to meeting everyone!!
⑧Tohoku Irish Big Band
We are a large band consisting of Irish music enthusiasts from across Tohoku. Centred on the Miyagi-based Irish music club, Sendai Irish, our members have gathered from Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Yamagata, Fukushima and Niigata.
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What is St. Patrick’s Day?
Often shortened to “Paddy’s Day”!
St. Patrick’s Day is the largest festival in Ireland, and is held on the 17th of March every year.
On St. Patrick’s Day, people celebrate by wearing something green and taking part in parades. There are also traditional music performances and buildings are illuminated green. Ireland is also known as the “Emerald Isle” for its rich green landscape, and green is regarded as the national colour of Ireland.
Originally St. Patrick’s Day was a day to honour the death of St. Patrick, who spread Christianity to Ireland. However, the festival has since evolved to become a broad celebration of Irish culture around the world.
In Japan alone, there are large parades held around the country every year, such as in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya and Fukuoka.
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Official website and social media
WEB：sendai-irish.main.jp/stpatricks/
X：datena_ireland
Instagram：datena_ireland
Inquiries: sendaistpatricks[at sign]googlegroups.com
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Location and access
Sendai Mediatheque 1F Open Square
2-1 Haruka-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, 980-0821
Subway
・Take the Namboku Line to Kotodai-Koen Station. The venue is a 7 minute walk from the Park 2 (公園2) Exit.
・Take the Tozai Line to Omachi-Nishikoen Station. The venue is a 13 minute walk from the East 2 (東2) Exit.
・Take the Tozai Line to Aobadori-Ichibancho Station. The venue is a 17 minute walk from the North 2 (北2) Exit.
Bus
Ride the municipal bus for “Transportation Bureau/University Hospital via Jozenji-dori/City Hall”* from the No. 60 Sendai Station bus stop**, getting off after 10 minutes at “Mediatheque-mae” bus stop.
*The bus number will begin with either J or X.
**No. 60 bus stop is located in front of the Sendai TR Building, and the Central 2 (中央2) Exit of Sendai Subway Station
Car
10 minute drive from the Sendai Miyagi Interchange on the Tohoku Express.
※There is paid parking available.
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【Organized by】Daté na Ireland Matsuri St. Patrick’s Day in Sendai Committee
【Subsidised by】Irish Network Japan
【Support】 City of Sendai | Embassy of Ireland, Japan | Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce | Sendai Convention, Tourism and International Association (SenTIA)