The 12th annual Summer BCMFest, which takes place July 5 at Club Passim, is previewed here while fiddle trio The Bowtides makes its long-awaited first Boston-area appearance at The Burren’s Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series on July 26 – read an interview with band member and local resident Ellery Klein here .

•Club Passim also offers two opportunities to hear local four-part vocal harmony group Forsyth, the first on July 11. The quartet of Kate Knudsvig, Kat Wallace, Helen Kohar and Erin Hogan represent wide-ranging musical talents, interests and experiences (ranging from Americana-styled songwriting to contra dance to classical to pure-drop traditional Irish) that join together to present songs from Celtic and other music traditions. Forsyth puts its focus squarely on their voices – solo, in unison or harmony, with little or no instrumental accompaniment – and the words and melodies squarely in the spotlight. More here.

On July 12, Passim presents Forsyth in a unique format: a “hiking concert” at Land’s End in Hingham as part of the Scenic Songs Series in collaboration with The Trustees conservation/preservation nonprofit. Info/tickets here .

Back in the Club on July 29, it’ll be Kittel & Co. — multi-genre fiddler Jeremy Kittel and his band of mandolinist Josh Pinkham, guitarist Quinn Bachand, bassist Jacob Warren and hammered dulcimer player Simon Chrisman. The versatile Kittel imbues his forays into Irish and Scottish music with jazzy, improvisational riffs as well as bluegrass, classical and other styles. He’s worked with a wide range of artists, including local American Scottish fiddler Hanneke Cassel, Boston native singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, and celebrated cellist Yo Yo Ma; he also was a member of the Grammy-winning quartet Turtle Island. More here.

•Now this sounds like a most impressive collaboration: John Doyle, guitarist/vocalist supreme; Eamon O’Leary (guitar, bouzouki, vocals), who performs with Doyle as part of The Alt, and with Jefferson Hamer in The Murphy Beds; cross-cultural singer and fiddler Lily Henley; and multi-instrumentalist Duncan Wickel team up for the Lowell Folk Festival, taking place July 24-26. Details here.

•Northern Irish-born country singer Gareth – now based in Nashville – performs at the Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston in Canton on July 19. Growing up amid Irish folk music in Castleberg, Co. Tyrone, Gareth  (full name Gareth Hammond) also was inspired by the likes of Hank William Jr. and George Jones, and has cultivated a sound that draws on the glossy pop-country styles of Nashville as well as the emotional depth of his Irish roots. “My songs aren’t Americanized,” he said in a 2025 interview with Hot Press. “A lot of people can slip into that – thinking, because they’re doing country music, they have to say this or that. But no one else can sing about Castlederg, and really mean it, apart from me and the people from there.” Last fall, he released the EP “Bluebird” at the outset of his debut American tour. Tickets here.

•If you missed The High Kings and their “Rocky Road Tour” earlier this year, they’ll be appearing at the Shalin Liu Performance Center for two shows on July 17 (4 and 8 p.m.). The quartet of Finbarr Clancy, Darren Holden, and Brian Dunphy and Paul O’Brien built on the classic Irish ballad style of the 1950s and ’60s popularized by such bands as the Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners, broadening their repertoire and style along the way. This new direction is evident on their 2023 album “The Road Not Taken,” which featured collaborations with Irish artists such as The Script, Kodaline, Picture This, Ryan Sheridan, JC Stewart, and Wild Youth, and guest appearances by icons like Steve Perry (Journey) – on the single and associated video “The Streets of Kinsale” – and Sharon Corr (The Corrs).  Tickets here, 

•Haggis X-1, an offshoot of popular Canadian Celtic rock band Enter the Haggis, will be at the The Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN) on July 17. Craig Downie (bagpipes, vocals), Tom Barraco (drums, percussion, vocals), and Trevor Lewington (guitar, vocals) are longtime members of EtH – known for head-banging, arena-friendly Celtic rock as well as more nuanced, lyrical, indie-type offerings, combining a versatile repertoire with sociopolitical conviction – which is in the midst of an extended break. Completing the band are 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: one of their current album projects is “Shamrock Jamrock,” which they describe as “Celtified Grateful Dead.” Tickets, etc.