Mec Lir, Kinnaris Quintet & Four Men and a Dog

Mec Lir are well-known for their tight, lightning-fast playing and huge sound, fusing trad with unapologetically electro synths and drums – yet all the while with the fiddle melody at the forefront. Based between the Isle of Man and Glasgow, the group return to Celtic Connections for their biggest show in the city to date - following a festival-packed summer, with appearances including the Cambridge Folk Festival and a return to Brittany's Festival Interceltique de Lorient. Mec Lir’s live shows are the stuff of legend – and not to be missed!

Renowned for having a style quite like no other - powerful, fresh, euphoric, cinematic, raw, enigmatic and highly emotive - Kinnaris Quintet have quickly become the must-see act on the live music scene, with sold out shows at Celtic Connections year in, year out. Expect to be utterly uplifted with driving harmonies, technically dazzling arrangements, and sheer joy in abundance. You’ll hear hints of traditional Scottish, Irish, Bluegrass, Classical, Scandinavian and Appalachian music.

Four Men and a Dog is a traditional Irish folk band with a twist. Veterans of the scene, they first emerged in 1990 during the Belfast Folk Festival. The band blends vivacious, high-energy Irish 'trad' with rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, swing, salsa, polka and even rap. Expect an enthusiastic and infectious set, full of spontaneous foot-stomping tunes and energy to fill the Barras!