2026 Brian O’Donovan Legacy Fund Grant Winners Revealed by Passim

Passim has announced the recipients of the Brian O'Donovan Legacy Fund. Now in its second year, the Fund honors Brian O'Donovan, the longtime host of GBH's radio show A Celtic Sojourn, for his significant contributions to Passim and the New England Celtic Music community. Each of the six recipients will receive a $2,500 grant to support upcoming tours in New England. Grant recipients include The Adam Hendey Band, The Bow Tides, Duncan Wickel, Jenna Moynihan & Màiri Chaimbeul, Malvenn, and Scottish Fish. 

The recipients were announced Saturday evening at the Boston Celtic Music Festival (BCMFest) Nightcap Finale. The Nightcap began with a moment to remember Brian O'Donovan and the countless contributions he made to the Boston Celtic music community. One of the six grants each year will be earmarked to bring an act to perform at BCMFest. This year, the grant supported the Boston-based group, Scottish Fish.

Brian joined GBH in 1986 to host a weekly radio show: A Celtic Sojourn” — where he explored traditional and contemporary music from around the Celtic world. In the 90's Brian started “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,”an annual mix of live music, dancing, and storytelling, where he transported the audience to the Christmases of his childhood in Ireland. The show became a holiday tradition for New Englanders for over 20 years. 

Brian's work in celebrating and raising awareness of Irish music earned him special appreciation from the city of Boston. In 2017, Mayor Marty Walsh declared December 14 Brian O'Donovan Day “in recognition of his contributions to immigrant communities in Greater Boston.”

The 2026 grant recipients include: 

The Adam Hendey Band will head out in Fall 2026 on a nine-day Northeast tour to promote and celebrate the January release of Adam's solo album, "Illuminate."

The Bow Tides are ready to sail into New England and invite audiences to enjoy a joyful and entertaining evening of Celtic music.

Award-winning multi-instrumentalist Duncan Wickel will be heading out solo to unite old traditions and new sounds across the Northeast

Jenna Moynihan & Màiri Chaimbeul will tour New England and beyond to launch their second full-length album, coming later this year.

Trio Malvenn will bring their unique sound, rooted in French dance music, to New England. 

For more information on past grant recipients and Brian, head to passim.org/odonovan/.