Which astronaut played Irish instruments on the ISS for Saint Patrick's Day 2011?

Catherine Coleman played Irish instruments on the International Space Station for Saint Patrick’s Day 2011.

Coleman, an American NASA astronaut and polymer chemist, was also a trained flautist. During her Expedition 27 mission aboard the ISS, she performed Irish music in orbit while marking the holiday. The unusual performance combined a familiar Irish cultural tradition with the practical realities of making music in microgravity.

The instruments had a remarkable provenance. Coleman took an Irish flute associated with Matt Molloy and a pennywhistle associated with Paddy Moloney, both members of the renowned Irish traditional group The Chieftains. She also had a flute connected with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Their presence in orbit made the performance more than a symbolic gesture: it used instruments connected with major figures in Irish and folk music.

Coleman is sometimes confused with Chris Hadfield because both astronauts became associated with Irish-themed music from the ISS. Hadfield sang “Danny Boy” there in 2013, while Coleman’s Saint Patrick’s Day contribution came two years earlier and involved playing instruments. Mae Jemison, Peggy Whitson and Eileen Collins did not perform this specific 2011 ISS tribute.