GIVE in to the playful jigs, rousing reels and traditional hornpipes and have yourself a merry little Irish Christmas now. In the hands of virtuoso fiddler Eileen Ivers, guests will feel like they’re home by the hearth during An Nollaig: An Irish Christmas holiday show.

   Best known as the fiery violinist in the original Riverdance and as a founding member of Cherish the Ladies, Ms. Ivers will capture the spirit of the season at the State Theatre in New Brunswick Dec. 11. Along with her band — Tommy McDonnell (lead vocals, harmonica and percussion), Buddy Connolly (accordion, whistles and keyboard), Greg Anderson (acoustic guitar, bouzouki and backing vocals) and Leo Traversa (bass guitar) — Ms. Ivers invites listeners in for a tuneful, soulful celebration.

   ”We all know how crazy this time of year is and we’re inundated with advertisements — the show brings it down to simpler times and the meaning and message of this incredible time of year,” Ms. Ivers says. “Family, friends and being together is a big part of an Irish Christmas.”

   The “Irish Christmas” tour began Dec. 2 in Huntsville, Ala., and will end Dec. 23 at Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. At each concert, Ms. Ivers invites local Celtic dancers and choirs to join her ensemble on stage for a few songs. At the State Theatre, New Brunswick’s First Reformed Church Choir, choir director Benjamin Berman and Broesler School of Dance will take part in the show. Community involvement is a wonderful facet of the psyche and tradition of folk music, Ms. Ivers says, and the band is known to have post-concert sessions with local musicians on occasion.

   In putting together the set list, Ms. Ivers and the band researched centuries-old ballads and tunes, and looked into a couple of songs outside of the Irish tradition as well. The result is a mix of age-old Wren Day songs, beloved American carols, sing-alongs and even a humorous tune about a Christmas cake gone horribly wrong. “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” becomes a playful jig, the 20th-century classic “Do You Hear What I Hear?” becomes a rousing reel and “Deck the Halls” will be played with a traditional hornpipe feel. Even Bach takes on an Irish lilt in Ms. Ivers’ rendition of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”

   ”Irish music is very emotional anyway,” says the Grammy Award-winning artist. “There are a lot of beautiful airs and slower melodies that are really haunting and grab you and, of course, a lot of joy in our dancing, the jigs and reels. There’s lots of pure joy in the music.”

   A bit of storytelling in between will enlighten the audience about the tradition and history behind the music. “When I go to concerts myself, I like to understand the backgrounds of the tunes,” Ms. Ivers says. For example, audience members may not be familiar with Wren Day, a celebration in Ireland Dec. 26 that involves music and crowds dressed in masks and straw suits. (We’ll leave additional explanation to Ms. Ivers.)

   The daughter of Irish immigrants, Ms. Ivers grew up in the Bronx and remembers listening to Irish traditional music, and even country and bluegrass recordings in her household. They spent summers in Ireland to visit the large extended family they left behind (it helped that Ms. Ivers’ father worked for an airline). Initially, Eileen tried Irish dancing as a hobby, but her sister was much better at it. “I didn’t really take to it,” she recalls. “Thankfully, Mom listened.”

   Although her mother would have preferred she pursue piano, Eileen convinced her parents to let her play the fiddle. “She probably didn’t want to hear a beginner on violin,” Ms. Ivers says, laughing. Starting at age 8, the budding musician proceeded to win nine All-Ireland fiddle championships, a 10th on tenor banjo and more than 30 championship medals, making her one of the most awarded persons ever to compete in these prestigious competitions.

   About eight years ago, they built a family home on her father’s land in County Mayo, Ireland. “They’ve come full circle,” Ms. Ivers says of her parents. “They left Ireland in the ‘50s and never thought they’d get back... it’s great now to see them over there interacting with their brothers and sister.”

   Surprisingly, Ms. Ivers studied mathematics at Iona College in New York with dreams of working for NASA. In many ways, she finds that math is a big part of music, from simple harmonies and proportions of notes to counter melodies and the logic of fitting all the aspects together.

   ”Math is such a great discipline,” she says. “I never really had a dream of performing music as a career. Obviously life is amazing how opportunities open themselves up. I feel really blessed that I found something I love so much that affects folks in good ways when you play. In many ways I think music is a form of healing and brings a lot of joy and emotions to people.”

Eileen Ivers’ An Nollaig: An Irish Christmas will be performed at the State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, Dec. 11, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $32-$52. 732-246-7469