GREATER SPRINGFIELD – Bo Fitz and the YankCelt Band have announced their “Farewell Tour” in March.

After 26 years, the renowned YankCelt Band has scheduled their final nine performances.

The Western Massachusetts grand finale will visit local pubs, churches, theaters, social halls.

Theirs is a unique style of Celtic music, and is truly an iconic piece of Western Massachusetts history: Robert Emmet Fitzgerald started the YankCelt Band in 1990. Known as Bo to his friends and fans, Robert Emmet and guitarist Jeff Sullivan had previously played Irish Music together for 20 years with the legendary band “The Dustmen.”

The “Yank Celt” spark was ignited with the collaboration of Guy DeVito.

Founding member of the rock band FAT, DeVito produced Bo’s eclectic “Minstrelsy” CD and injected legendary Western Massachusetts “fiddler supreme” Craig Eastman as well as Steppenwolf drummer Ron Hurst into the mix, to form the original YankCelt Band. The combination of rock and the traditions of Celtic music marinated as Bo sang stories of love and honor, rebels and cops, gangsters and politicians – a living aural history connecting our time with the ages.     Ron Hurst passed the torch to drummer Billy Klock three years later, and the band harpooned Galway Ireland's Mixie Clarke for a guest appearance’ in 2004, one that lasted another 11 years.

 See the full schedule at www.yankceltband.com or www.craigeastman.com.