St. Patrick’s Day is more than three months away, but Irish fiddler Eileen Ivers thinks Christmas is as good a time as any to share her rich heritage with the Athens community.

The nine-time All-Ireland fiddle champion will put an Irish twist on the holiday season when she and her band, Immigrant Soul, perform “An Irish Christmas” at Hodgson Concert Hall on Sunday.

The holiday program includes traditional carols and holiday classics along with Irish reels and jigs selected from her recent CD release, “An Nollaig: An Irish Christmas.”

“Our band is rooted in folk tradition,” Ivers said. “There is a wealth of Irish songs dating as far back as the 12th century that really get to the meaning of the holiday that we want to share with the audience.”

According to Ivers, much of the program features Irish carols, but there will be a few traditional Christmas carols with an Irish swing.

“As a kid, I loved ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas,’” Ivers said. “Our program will certainly incorporate those kinds of holiday favorites.”

Ivers, the daughter of Irish immigrants, grew up in the Bronx, New York, immersed in Irish tradition. She began playing the violin when she was 8 years old, taking lessons from an Irish-born teacher.

“My folks pushed me toward piano,” Ivers said, “but something about the violin just grabbed me. It’s such a demanding, but fulfilling instrument. When you play it, you get to the heart and soul of people.”

Ivers is famous for playing her special blue violin, which has electronic pickup for better sound quality.

“Having [electronic pickup] on every string really makes the sound come alive, and it broadens the instrument’s capabilities,” Ivers said.

After leaving the original production of “Riverdance” in 1998, Ivers put her band together.

Immigrant Soul features American vocals, African and Latin percussion and bass guitar, and Irish instrumentalists. It is a testimony to Ivers’ love of multicultural sounds.

Lead singer and percussionist Tommy McDonnell loves the excitement he gets out of being a part of Immigrant Soul.

“The band is the perfect collection of musicians,” McDonnell said. “The songs are very exciting and we reinvent them every night for a new, exciting show the next day.”

The holiday concert in Athens features a choir and dancers to accompany Ivers and Immigrant Soul.

Bobby Tyler, marketing and media relations director for the UGA Performing Arts Center, said he expects Ivers’ show to be a hit.

“Our audience has been very enthusiastic when we’ve presented concerts featuring Celtic music and musicians,” Tyler said. “One of our most popular concerts was ‘A Scottish Christmas’ with Scottish fiddler Bonnie Rideout, so we know people will equally enjoy ‘An Irish Christmas’ with Eileen Ivers.”

Ivers said she is very excited to be playing to a younger crowd.

“We definitely hope to attract a young audience to our show,” Ivers said. “They bring such an energy to the show, which already has an interactive nature. They really appreciate the live quality. I hope we get them dancing in the aisles.”