For Greater Boston, and slightly beyond:

•It’s already one of this year’s musical highlights: the return of Solas, whose tour will include two shows in Eastern Massachusetts. Read more here.

•The Berklee Performance Center will be the venue for a pair of performances that would certainly appear to be of the high-octane variety, both courtesy of the hard-working folks at Global Arts Live.

On Feb. 8, Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC) will present its newest production, “JIG,” which promises to be a new direction in the big-stage incarnation of Irish dance that’s been all the rage since Michael Flatley and Jean Butler trod the boards. TIDC, though, is no newbie itself: Founded by Mark Howard, the innovative company has been around for nearly 35 years, and was at the forefront of the progressive movement in Irish dance that would have its apotheosis in “Riverdance” and other such productions. Judging by the sneak previews, the concept involves having a live band – with a demonstrably heavy rock sound – prominently located on the stage and sharing the space with, and playing off on, with the dancers. Doesn’t seem likely to be dull.

Nor will the next Global Arts Live show at Berklee, which takes place Feb. 22: a mash-up of Talisk, the Scottish trio known for its propulsive, raucous, and tightly-knit blend of Scottish and Irish music elements, and the Gardiner Brothers — not just spectacular Irish dancers but self-proclaimed (deservedly so) “content creators” who put the dance tradition in thoroughly modern milieus. Talisk is led by the ever-effusive Mohsen Amini, whose fleet-fingered, vibrant concertina playing has to be seen to be believed and is built around his chemistry with fiddler Benedict Morris and Charlie Galloway on guitar. The Colorado-born sons of Irish parents, Michael and Matthew Gardiner have between them amassed more than 40 major international Irish dance titles including five world championships. The title for this show is “Unleashed,” which seems apt.

•Located on a quieter, more low-key, but no less prominent place along the Celtic music spectrum is The Murphy Beds, who perform on Feb. 27 as part of the Boston College Gaelic Roots series. Jefferson Hamer, who grew up in Massachusetts, and Dublin native Eamon O’Leary crossed paths in New York City and have been performing for well more than a decade. The appeal of The Murphy Beds lies in an often intricate, intense yet engaging interplay between their respective instruments – O’Leary on bouzouki and nylon string guitar, Hamer on acoustic guitar and mandolin – that weave riffs and motifs behind exquisitely matched close harmony vocals. Though much of their repertoire draws on Irish, American, Scottish, and English folk traditions, O’Leary and Hamer branch out into more contemporary material, as demonstrated on their second album, “Easy Way Down,” released in 2021. They have toured extensively throughout Europe and North America, with performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, Alaska Folk Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival, Ireland’s Doolin Folk Festival, and London’s Unamplifire Festival.

•Originally a small retreat/workshop for advanced Scottish-style fiddle players, the Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Weekend is now a major gathering over President’s Day Weekend in Groton that features instruction, performances, and tons of jamming with an impressive faculty. The camp portion is already sold out, but you can catch the kick-off concert on Feb. 13 at the Groton Hill Music Center. PDB director Hanneke Cassel will lead the proceedings with appearances from fellow fiddlers Kevin Henderson, Katie McNally, Jenna Moynihan, Calum Bell, Sarah Collins, and Laura Risk; duo San Miguel Fraser and quintet Scottish Fish; cellists Natalie Haas and Brendan Hearn; guitarists Conor Hearn, Keith Murphy, and Eamon Sefton; and pianist Neil Pearlman.

•On Feb. 12, the Burren’s Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series welcomes San Miguel Fraser, the spousal duo of Maria San Miguel and former Berklee College of Music student Galen Fraser. The partnership brings together Fraser’s modern, multi-influenced Celtic fiddling (he also plays cittern) – which he has showcased as part of Soulsha and the Atlantic Folk Trio (Fraser and San Miguel with guitarist Jesus Enrique Cuadrado) – and San Miguel’s store of ebullient Spanish fiddle traditions, notably those of Galicia, Castilla, the Basque country, Cantabria and flamenco from the south. Their 2023 debut album, “Dots of Light,” presents these elements, as well as their own compositions, with a chamber music-like vibe. Their concert at The Burren will include guest appearances by several musical friends.

•Also at The Burren this month will be Rockland County, NY-based Celtic folk quartet Sheridan Rúitín on Feb. 16. Their origin story sounds almost too good to be true: During the COVID lockdown, Billy Houlihan began frequenting a “pandemic pub” in the garage of neighbor John Sheridan, finding it an ideal place to  relax, play guitar, and sing. Sheridan got a drum kit to accompany Houlihan, and the pair enlisted musician friends to record YouTube videos of their renditions of Irish songs – notably a cover of Brian Flynn’s “Irish Pub Song” – which helped build them a vast social media following. The core four of Houlihan (tenor banjo, vocals), Shannon Cokeley (guitar, vocals), Tommy Ma (bodhran, vocals), and Michael Zayas (accordion, mandolin, vocals) began touring with a repertoire of well-known classics like “Tell Me Ma,” “Marie’s Wedding,” “The Foggy Dew,” “Star of the County Down,” and even “Ni Na La.” The inspiration for their band name came when Sheridan fell off a barstool in his garage, breaking his ankle – “rúitín” being Gaelic for “ankle.” They’re playing at The Burren as part of their “St. Patrick’s Tour.”

Birth of a new tradition? Last year, The Burren hosted “A Tribute to The Pogues,” with The nÓgs, a band of veterans of the Cambridge/Somerville music scene who – as they put it – “joined forces to unleash jubilant Poguetry around the world.” Well, they’re at it again on Feb. 28. 

•Lest we forget, Feb. 1 is St. Brigid’s Day, and to mark the occasion, you can go to the “Brigid's Day Boston Blowout Brat Bread n' Butter Bonanza Cross Concert” featuring Melanie Beth Curran, Jimmy Kelly, and Patrick Coppinger at 4:20 p.m. at The Lilypad in Cambridge. The concert portion will feature Irish American music as well as songs in Irish (gaeilge), and there will be a workshop on making your very own Brigid’s Cross. Curran is a singer-songwriter (among her compositions is an ode to Brigid) with Donegal ancestry who explores the commonalities of the Irish American experience with various social movements and is working on an album of Irish American folk music inspired by field recordings and historical recordings. Bostonian Kelly comes from a family steeped in Irish music, and is a familiar figure at many area sessions, where he shares a repertoire ranging from traditional Irish songs and tunes to his own often quirky works. Coppinger, a Lowell native, plays cello and fiddle.

•Club Passim in Harvard Square hosts captivating traditional/contemporary Celtic fusion trio Inn Echo on Feb. 22. Ottawa native Karson McKeown (fiddle), British Columbian Tuli Porcher (five-string cello, fiddle), and Tom Gammons (guitar), from Butte, Montana, met as music students in Prince Edward Island and developed a rapport – and then an instrumental repertoire of mostly original material that certainly has rhythmic and stylistic elements of Celtic but offers the occasional reference to blues, pop and classical, among other things. Their second album, “Hemispheres” (2023), includes a couple of live tracks, so you get a little preview of what they’ll be like when they’re playing at 47 Palmer Street.

•Galway’s much-loved quartet We Banjo 3 has been on hiatus for about two years now but lead singer and guitarist David Howley has already forged a successful and productive solo career, which will bring him to the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston in Canton on Feb. 28. Though steeped in Irish traditional music, Howley has long pursued interests in Americana, bluegrass, country, and rock, with a charismatic voice and personality to match. He also has amassed an impressive portfolio as a songwriter, penning some of WB3’s most popular songs, some of which have dealt with mental health awareness and the plight of immigrants. His 2023 debut solo album, “For Venus,” was well received, and he has released a passel of new songs, including “Shadow,” a pensive reimagining of Orpheus and Eurydice.

•Boston-area duo Mrs. Wilberforce plays at the Gore Place Carriage House on Feb. 5. Kyra Davies (fiddle, viola, vocals) and Sean Smith (guitar, bouzouki, tenor banjo, vocals) feature a repertoire from Ireland, Scotland, and Cape Breton – but also farther afield, including Shetland, Brittany, and Galicia. Although their sound is rooted in tradition, they readily draw upon classical and contemporary folk/folk-rock domains, bringing out the distinctive qualities of each tune or song for the enjoyment of their audiences. Mrs. Wilberforce appeared at last month’s 22nd annual Boston Celtic Music Fest.