•Local Ye Vagabonds fans have two reasons to rejoice: The duo just released its new album, “All Tied Together,” and is going to be in town – on Feb. 1 at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge. Carlow brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn are known for their subtle, pastoral take on folk music (both traditional and contemporary), with vocals that draw on the Ulster singing tradition intermingled with Americana-influenced harmonies. Having done refreshing new takes on “The Parting Glass,” “I’m a Rover” and “The Foggy Dew,” among others, the Mac Gloinns have increasingly turned to their own material, which comprises “All Tied Together.” Tickets, details here.

•Not claiming to have a finger on the pulse of popular culture, but seems like events commemorating St. Brigid’s Day (Feb. 1) are becoming a thing. There are at least two here in Greater Boston of note: The Burren will host a performance on Feb. 1 by The Here Comes Everybody Players with poetry, drama, and songs to celebrate “the feminine spirit of Ireland and the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc” as well as honor Ireland’s female patron saint. Details here.

The following day, Feb. 2, the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston presents “Spreading the Cloak: Brigid’s Legacy of Leadership & Creativity,” a discussion on how St. Brigid can serve as an inspiration in areas of entrepreneurship and stewardship. Speakers will include Liz McConnell and Conor Coyne from the Kylemore Abbey Trust in Connemara, bestselling author Betsy Cornwell, State Representative Leigh Davis, and ICCGB President and Mná Mheiriceá founder Martina Curtin. Tickets and information here. 

•The Burren’s Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series will host the trio of Seán Heely, Jesse Ofgang and Kevin Elam on Feb. 18. Heely is a former US National Champion in Scottish fiddle and in Gaelic song who’s often appeared in town, not to mention places like the Kennedy Center and Festival Interceltique de Lorien. Ofgang is a high-octane Highland bagpiper, and a recent recruit of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, but is equally proficient on uilleann pipes, border pipes, whistles, and percussion. Elam is an All-Ireland Champion singer and multi-instrumentalist, awarded first place in men’s singing at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, who in addition to traditional balladry is well grounded in jazz piano and choral music, and has a solo album, “If I Were a Small Bird.”

Tickets.

 On Feb. 28, The Burren and the Legacy Series will team up with Somerville Theatre for a concert featuring Lúnasa and special guests Daoirí Farrell and Cathal Hayden. Lúnasa has been acclaimed for its layered, harmonically sophisticated, and quite modern treatment of Irish traditional music, marked by inspired and polished arrangements full of passion and power. The band’s high-quality sound derives from the melodic and harmonic chemistry between Kevin Crawford (flute, whistle), Cillian Vallely (uilleann pipes, whistle), and fiddlers Sean Smyth and Colin Farrell; of equal stature are rhythm players Trevor Hutchinson on string bass and guitarists Ed Boyd and David Doocey (the band uses different line-ups depending on tour locations).

Farrell worked for 10 years as an electrician before turning to music full time, which proved to be a shrewd choice: He’s won copious praise for his clarity, command, and expression as a singer and for his astute bouzouki accompaniment. The winner of two BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Farrell has four solo albums to his credit, most recently 2023’s “The Wedding Above in Glencree.”

Hayden is known for his prowess on fiddle and tenor banjo, winning All-Ireland titles on both instruments. He was a founding member of the highly popular, and lovably idiosyncratic, Four Men and a Dog – the first Irish band to win a coveted Folk Roots Best Album award, for their 1991 debut “Barking Mad” – and has toured with guitarist Seamie O’Dowd and accordionist Mairtin O’Connor; more recently, he’s performed with his brother Stephen and guitarist Niall Murphy as the Bow Brothers. Tickets 

•Sligo-style fiddler Gerry O’Connor will be at the first event of the Boston College Gaelic Roots series’ 2026 schedule, on Feb. 19 at Connolly House (300 Hammond Street in Chestnut Hill). He’s toured and recorded with the likes of The Chieftains, Boys of the Lough, Bothy Band and De Dannan, and co-founded the bands Skylark (whose other members included accordionist Mairtin O’Connor and singer Len Graham), La Lúgh, and Orialla. A violin maker himself, he has put out two solo albums and received the Bardic Award by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann for his contribution to the traditional arts. O’Connor also served as a consultant for the film "Boys and Girls of County Clare” and worked as fiddle coach with Colm Meaney, Andrea Corr, Bernard Hill, and Patrick Bergin. Information on Gaelic Roots events here. 

•Those who might yearn for the Irish/American “jamgrass” of We Banjo 3 – which is on an extended break – can take solace in Gadan, a new project by WB3 co-founder Enda Scahill that will be at The Center for the Arts in Natick on February 5. The band’s official slogan is “Irish Music/American Flavor/Italian Seasoning,” which references its members’ nationalities as well as musical interests: Original members Italians Jacopo Ventura (guitar, bass), Lorenzo Testa (tenor banjo, mandolin, vocals) and Joan Gatti (fiddle) joined forces with Galway native Scahill (tenor banjo) and San Francisco-born but Appalachian Pennsylvania-raised Eric Long (vocals, clawhammer banjo). The Irish/Appalachian/bluegrass/Americana/folk-pop path has been well traversed over the past decade or more – with JigJam and I Draw Slow as well as WB3, among others – but this stuff is quite infectious in a live setting. Tickets 

•The Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Weekend – a winter paradise of Scottish and Cape Breton music held annually in Groton – is unfailingly sold out mere minutes after the website starts accepting registrations, but fortunately there’s its kick-off event, The Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Concert, on Feb. 12 at the Groton Hill Music Center. In addition to founder/director Hanneke Cassel, 2026 PDB faculty/performers include Jeremy Kittel, Jenna Moynihan, Katie McNally, Keith Murphy, Eamon Sefton, Elizabeth Anderson Howe, Natalie Haas, Scottish Fish, Conor Hearn and still others. Tickets here. 

•Harvard Square’s Club Passim features three events in February of interest to big-tent Celtic music listeners, starting on Feb. 11 with a concert by Kate Gregory (fiddle, shruti box, vocals) and Brendan Hearn (cello, guitar, vocals) to launch their EP “One Year Since.” Although neither reside in Greater Boston, they have each performed here in other collaborations and debuted as a duo at the 2023 Boston Celtic Music Fest. Both American old-time grooves and Irish lilts and strokes, along with references to other traditions, are present in their repertoire, which also includes original tunes and songs (such as Gregory’s ode to her dear, departed Subaru). Opening for Gregory and Hearn is American roots fiddle/guitarist/vocalist Micah John.    

On Feb. 24, Skye Consort & Emma Björling will bring their “chamber-folk” mix of Scandinavian, Irish, British Isles, and French-Canadian music as well as their own compositions. Percussionist Björling — who’s also worked with a cappella Scandinavian group Kongero — shares lead vocals with Seán Dagher (bouzouki, banjo), while Amanda Keesmaat (cello), and Alex Kehler and Simon Alexandre (nyckelharpa, violin) provide a striking bowed-string presence. Their most recent album “Ode & Ballade” includes a pairing of the French-Canadian song “Un Ivrogne à Table” with the Irish jig “Foxhunter’s,” a set of Shetland tunes, a quite solemn take on the confessional ballad “Sam Hall,” and the maritime rouser “Blow the Windy Morning.”

Fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger, a one-time Boston resident who was in town recently for the 2026 Boston Celtic Music Fest, returns on Feb. 26 for a concert that will spotlight her original tunes and songs. A Maine native, Schneckenburger’s fiddling has long reflected her interest in Downeast New England traditions, with an abundance of Scottish and French Canadian, and in the early 2000s she was part of popular Boston-based quartet Halali. Over time, she began to concentrate increasingly on songwriting, drawing inspiration in particular from her experiences as a foster and adoptive parent. This new direction led to her 2023 album “Falling Forward,” which she will revisit during this show. Joining her will be pianist Rachel Aucoin and accordionist Samuel Foucher.

Information, tickets for Passim events here.

•City Winery Boston features a pair of Celtic-influenced rock acts this month. On Feb. 14, it’s The Young Dubliners (who carry the requisite disclaimer that they’re not related to those “other” Dubliners of old), the creation of Dublin native and rocker Keith Roberts (guitar, vocals), who more than three decades ago opened an Irish pub in the US with the intent of focusing more on Irish traditional music. Recruiting other musicians (Chas Waltz, violin, keyboards, vocals; Dave Ingraham, drums; Justin Pecot, guitar, vocals; and Ethan Jones, bass) to join him as the bar’s Saturday night band, they blended influences that included Thin Lizzy, The Pogues and The Waterboys with Irish folk. Since then, The Young Dubs have toured internationally, appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “CBS Early Show,” and released nine albums (they’ve started a crowdfunding drive to make a 10th) and a DVD, “Home Movies.” 

On Feb. 22, Haggis X-1 will make its Boston debut, although most of the band are no strangers to the area: Craig Downie (bagpipes, vocals), Tom Barraco (drums, percussion, vocals), and Trevor Lewington (guitar, vocals) are stalwarts of popular Canadian Celtic rockers Enter the Haggis, which has often come through town – and which, like We Banjo 3, is currently on an extended break; they’re joined by fiddler/stepdancer Emily Yarascovitch and multi-instrumentalist Rob Barraco. Haggis X-1 shows every inclination to sustain the spirit of fun and adventure of their predecessor, judging by the band’s mission statement: to boldly go where no bagpipe has gone before.

Tickets are available through the City Winery Boston website.