‘The Festival comprises an extensive programme of events including concerts, workshops, masterclasses, choral events, events for children, community events, session trail, band competition and much more. It features some of the world’s finest musicians from Ireland, Scotland, England, Scandinavia and Canada, with music from a wide range of genres represented, including Irish traditional, roots, world and folk ... The Irish tradition of spontaneous, unplugged traditional music sessions is one of our most exclusive cultural offerings, and it is the backbone of the festival, ensuring that even the most casual visitors will be immersed in a unique cultural tradition throughout the festival.‘ Held Late January - Early February. (Imbolc ‘is a Gaelic traditional festival marking the beginning of spring. Most commonly it is held on 1 February, or about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox’. [Wikipedia 17 January 2018])