As you might imagine, holiday-themed events are as ubiquitous this month as candy canes and eggnog. That’s not meant to be snarky, however, because there are some quality Irish/Celtic concerts coming up which celebrate and uplift this special season. But let’s start with a couple that aren’t specifically related to the holidays.

•On Dec. 11, the Brian O'Donovan Legacy Series at The Burren will present the duo of Colm Gannon and Sean Gavin, who are officially launching their album “Boys of 25.” Dorchester-born Gannon – who was influenced by his father, John, an exemplar of the Connemara accordion tradition – is a former All-Ireland Fleadh champion who toured as part of “Riverdance” for five years as well as with bands such as Dervish and Dé Dannan, and is a mainstay of the local trad scene (as those who have seen him at The Druid Pub Sunday session, among others, know full well). Flutist/uilleann piper Gavin has played with Téada and Bua, and as part of a trio with his father Mick and brother Michael, and was musical director for the PBS show “I Am Ireland” and the “Atlantic Steps” stage show (whose performers included local dancer Kieran Jordan). 

Burren events are at burren.com/music.html. 

•Ennis trio Socks in the Frying Pan returns to the Center for the Arts in Natick on Dec. 12 to celebrate the release of their fifth album, “Waiting for Inspiration.” The band – guitarist Aodán Coyne and brothers Shane (fiddle, banjo) and Fiachra Hayes (accordion) – is known for a stage presence that rides on showmanship, humor, and, above all, an ability to connect with audiences. They’re damn good musicians who roar through instrumental sets but also exhibit a polished, sweet-voiced singing style and sound. Their repertoire encompasses material well beyond the Irish trad realm to Scottish, Cape Breton, and American folk, and to songwriters ranging from Guy Clark to Charlie McGettigan to Phil Ochs.  

See tcan.org for tickets and other details.

•Going back to The Burren, Nova Scotian sisters Cassie and Maggie MacDonald will be at the O’Donovan Legacy Series on Dec. 15 for a 4 p.m. matinee holiday show. Originally more of an instrumental act in presenting their home island’s distinctive fiddle and stepdance tradition, the pair went in a new direction for their 2016 album “The Willow Collection,” exploring various archives for both Celtic and American folk songs built around themes and symbolism of the willow. Among their honors are Live Ireland Radio Vocalists of the Year, multiple Canadian Folk Music Awards, and the Chicago Irish-American Emerging Artist Recording of the Year.

An accomplished pair of Irish trad denizens, John Doyle and Mick McAuley, bring their “An Irish Christmas” show to the Legacy Series on Dec. 18, and will play material from their brand-new album, “The Christmas Tree.” Former members of Solas, Doyle – a guitar icon who also plays other fretted-stringed instruments – and McAuley (accordion, low whistle, guitar) have been part of numerous collaborations: Liz Carroll, Karan Casey, The Alt, Usher’s Island (Doyle); Colm O Caoimh, Paddy Keenan, Sting (McAuley). Each has earned plaudits not only for his instrumental prowess but also for fine singing and songwriting. All such qualities were on display on their 2023 album, which also confirmed their talent for arrangements and, above all, their general artistry. 

•Also, the New England Irish Harp Orchestra will perform a “holiday extravaganza” at The Burren on Dec. 14. NEIHO is a multi-generational group of harpists who play Irish traditional tunes, slow airs, and songs in various combinations as well as a full ensemble – including with fiddlers, flutists, and singers. The group has released four albums.

For all Burren events, see burren.com/music.html.

•Youthful Boston-based Celtic string quintet Scottish Fish – which, somehow, is well into its second decade – has been around long enough that they’ve now made a tradition of presenting a holiday show at Club Passim, this year on Dec. 22 with two performances (5 and 8 p.m.). Fiddlers Ava Montesi, Julia Homa, Caroline Dressler, and Maggie MacPhail, and cellist/pianist Giulia Haible have cultivated an energetic and creative approach to presenting Scottish, Cape Breton, and other Celtic music, as well as their own work. And even as they’ve done so with great respect for these traditions, the Fish have often injected a sense of fun into the proceedings – as evidenced by the track “Santa Kills Me” on their EP of holiday music, “Tidings.”

Ainé Minogue offers her own seasonal concert, “To Warm the Winter’s Night,” at Club Passim on Dec. 23. Minogue is widely recognized as a premier Irish harpist and singer who conveys the lyricism and richness of Irish music, mythology, and poetry, and is attuned to the traditions, rituals, and celebrations associated with the ancient Celtic world. In addition to having released numerous holiday season albums, Minogue won a New England Emmy Best Producer nomination for the “A Winter’s Place” TV special.

Tickets and information for these shows available through passim.org.

•Lúnasa, one of the most influential and respected Irish bands of the last couple of decades, makes its annual holiday trip to Eastern Massachusetts, with special guest Dave Curley. Known for inspired and polished arrangements full of passion and power, the group’s compelling 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). They’ll be at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport on Dec. 8 at 3 and 7 p.m., returning to the Bay State on Dec. 15 at the Spire Center for the Performing Arts in Plymouth, and the Groton Hill Music Center on Dec. 21. (For the record, Lúnasa also is booked for the Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series at The Burren, but the show is sold out.)

•Also at the Shalin Liu Performance Center will be “Christmas with The Celts,” on Dec. 8. Originally a holiday special that aired on PBS, it has since become a yearly touring event, featuring The Celts – formerly The Nashville Celts – performing Irish Christmas carols and traditional Irish dance as well as contemporary songs, with an Americana tint. The band is led by Nashville songwriter, producer, and band leader Ric Blair on vocals, guitar, bodhran, and piano; other members – who have worked with artists ranging from Sting and U2 to Bill Whelan and Mumford and Sons – include lead singer and fiddler Maggie Lander; Patrick D’Arcy on uilleann pipes, whistle, and mandolin; Fiachra O’Regan on uilleann pipes and tenor banjo; and Matt Menefee on five-string banjo, mandolin, dobro, and vocals. Gloucester native fiddler/vocalist Emerald Rae, fondly remembered by many in Greater Boston, will be on the stage as well. 

More at rockportmusic.org/celts-christmas-24.

•Two other shows of note at the Spire Center in Plymouth: Cherish the Ladies’ “Celtic Christmas” is on Dec. 20. The all-female band was a revelation when it first began performing in the 1980s and has become a dearly loved mainstay and valuable exponent of Irish American heritage. As co-founder Joanie Madden (flute, whistle, vocal) put it in a 2019 Boston Irish interview, the music they play is “like a golden chalice passed down. Cherish the Ladies is all about being true to the tradition and legacy, not just putting on a tune.” Madden’s bandmates are Nollaig Casey (fiddle, viola), Mary Coogan (guitar, banjo, mandolin), Mirella Murray (accordion), and Kathleen Boyle (keyboards, vocals). They have three holiday albums to their credit, including “A Star in the East,” which includes a Cajun/Irish take on “Rise Up Shepherd and Follow.” Tickets, etc. at spirecenter.org/event/cherish-the-ladies-celtic-christmas.

Canadian Celtic-folk-rock-fusion-and-more outfit Enter the Haggis will be at the Spire on Dec. 27. From head-banging, arena-friendly Celtic rock to more nuanced, lyrical, indie-type offerings, ETH combines a versatile repertoire with sociopolitical conviction – all of which is in evidence on their most recent studio album, “The Archer’s Parade,” which they released at the very beginning of the pandemic. This year, the band released a 20th-anniversary commemoration of its milestone album, “Casualties of Retail”; the CD also includes two remakes of songs from “Gasoline” and “Down with the Ship” featuring ETH’s current line-up: Craig Downie, bagpipes, guitar, keyboards, whistle; Rose Baldino, fiddle; Brian Buchanan, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, accordion; Trevor Lewington, guitar, mandolin, keyboards; Mark Abraham, bass, banjo; and Bruce McCarthy, drums. See spirecenter.org/event/enter-the-haggis-2.

•The Midwinter Revels has long held a special place amidst Boston’s holiday-related entertainment, noted for its devotion to folklore and folk traditions from many places, including that of Ireland. This year’s production, “The Selkie Girl and the Seal Woman,” brings together Celtic mythology and Irish music with dance, drumming and traditional songs from Cabo Verde. The show runs from Dec. 13 to Dec. 28 at Sanders Theater in Cambridge. 

See revels.org.

•A cappella close-harmony quartet Windborne will present “Music of Midwinter” at City Winery Boston on Dec. 15. Each active from an early age in the New England folk and traditional music community, Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan, Lauren Breunig, and Jeremy Carter-Gordon are as much folklorists as folk singers: conversant in the origins of the songs and the cultures from which these emerged. They’re also rooted in the activism and support for movements that uphold the oppressed, the poor, and the disenfranchised. This fall, Windborne – which has appeared regionally in “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn,” and at the Blackstone River Theatre, Caffe Lena, and the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston – released “To Warm the Winter Hearth,” a book and album of music for midwinter. 

More at citywinery.com/boston.

•The Pipes of Christmas, which includes Scottish and Welsh as well as Irish elements of Celtic holiday traditions, will make its Boston-area debut on Dec. 12 at the Old South Church. A quarter-century old, the event features (as you might guess) Highland bagpipes, but also smaller ensemble performances that include fiddles, harp, small pipes and piano, and songs and poetry in Gaelic as well as English. The concert, hosted by the Learned Kindred of Currie, also helps support the global Scottish community, such as funding scholarships for deserving students and preservation of historical sites. 

More at pipesofchristmas.com.

•The Chatham Fiddle Company will present "A Celtic Christmas Concert" with Rose Clancy, Gene Clancy, Max Cohen, John Alden, and Clayton March, along with special guest Kevin Doyle, on Dec. 14 at 3 and 7:30 p.m. at Chatham Drama Guild on the Cape. Rose Clancy runs the Chatham Fiddle Company, a locus for traditional music lessons, instrument sales and other activities.

For details, go to chathamfiddlecompany.com.

•Celtic Woman, which marked its 20th-year anniversary in 2024, brings its “White Christmas Symphony” show to Lowell Auditorium on Dec. 18. This tour sees the return of former member Lisa Lambe, while Emma Warren – who joined the quartet earlier this year – prepares for her first child; the group’s other members are Muirgen O'Mahony, Mairéad Carlin, and fiddler Tara McNeill. Tickets and details at lowellauditorium.com/ticketed-events.

•The Irish Cultural Centre of Greater Boston in Canton has a trio of holiday concerts, starting on Dec. 6 with Celtic Woman charter member Chloë Agnew's “Celtic Christmas.” Among the highlights of her solo work have been performing at Croke Park’s massive “Stars, Choirs and Carols” Guinness Book of Records concert, collaborating with Emmy award-winning tenor Eamonn McCrystal on his album “And So It Goes,” and appearing on PBS shows “The Power of Music” and the Nathan Carter “Celtic Country Show.”

Paul Byrom, an original member of Celtic Thunder, will be at the ICC on Dec. 15. Since his Celtic Thunder days, Byrom has pursued a highly successful solo career that includes a PBS special ("This Is the Moment") and albums ("Thinking of Home," "What I Did for Love") – not to mention numerous invitations to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Boston Celtics home games. This past summer, he released a new single, “How Will You Remember Me.”

Contemporary Irish folk band Ishna, headed up by husband-wife duo Ciaran Nagle and Tara Novak (of "Riverdance" and The Three Irish Tenors fame), performs “An Irish Christmas” at the centre on Dec. 22. The group plays familiar Irish and holiday fare, as well as tunes (often with dancing), with instrumentation that includes fiddle, pipes, whistle, accordion, keyboards, guitar, and percussion.

Information on all these events at irishculture.org.