Billed as Ireland’s biggest Irish and Celtic music festival, the fourth World Fleadh, which runs until August 8th, has decamped from Portlaoise, its home for the past two years, to Castlebar this year. Widening its scope to include folk and country, it is hosting what the organisers call “Ireland’s Music Awards” as well as the “Irish Country Music Awards”. There will also be competitions in set dancing and sean-nós singing.

As well as headliners Frankie Gavin and De Dannan, the week will see performances from the Sharon Shannon Big Band (Shannon pictured, right), the Kilfenora Céilí Band, The David Munnelly Band, Moving Hearts, Cherish the Ladies and Pauline Scanlon. Kildare-born singer Heidi Talbot, herself a graduate of Cherish the Ladies,will team up with Scottish fiddler and producer John McCusker.

The country music baton will be carried by Hal Ketchum, Randy Travis, Georgette Jones (daughter of George Jones and Tammy Wynette) and Martina McBride, while the exhilarating Crooked Still will fly the bluegrass flag. UK jazz-folkies Carmina will make a welcome appearance, following the success of their last collection, My Crescent City. In the past, this festival of concerts, céilidhe and song and dance workshops has skirted the bad weather with some success. Here’s hoping it does it again. See theworldfleadh.com