Winter ain’t over yet

This month will see the return of the hugely popular Ballincollig Winter Music Festival with yet another great mix of artists and events.

The festival, which is centred around The White Horse pub and music venue close to the centre of the town, runs from 24-29 January.

Festival goers are in for a jam packed week with a host of fantastic national and international headline artists including Dirk & Amelia Powel, I Draw Slow, North Cregg, Kevin Burke, and The Goodman Trio.

Festival highlight North Cregg have spent the past 25 years producing some of the freshest and finest sounds in the country. Rooted in the vibrant traditional music of their native county Cork, the group embraces musical influences from around the world to create one of the most distinctive and charismatic voices in Irish music. They play The White Horse on 27 Jan, joined by special guests The Céilí Allstars and Cork poet Cónal Creedon.

Bringing the festival to a close with a bang on the Sunday night, multi-Grammy winner and multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien will duet with his wife Jan Fabricius who also plays mandolin. On-lookers can expect rootsy acoustic instrumentation and sweet harmony singing, interspersed with O’Brien’s self-deprecating humour. Tim has been delighting audiences the world over since 1975 with his warm vocals, string wizardry, and heartfelt original songs.

Throughout the festival, visitors will also have the opportunity to catch various other talented artists including Diarmuid Ó Meachair, Nic Gareiss, Ultan O'Brien, and Yonder Boys. Many of these name will be joining the daily trad sessions in the main bar which are free and open for all to attend.

The busy schedule also includes a selection of workshops, short films, and for the younger fans there will be 2 children's concerts on the Sunday morning with Fiona Kelleher, suitable for 3-6 year olds.

For a full schedule of festival events and to book tickets for workshops and concerts, visit whitehorse.ie.