Decent gigs may be thin on the ground in January, but there are several festivals around the country to keep music fans busy as the month draws to a close.

As well as the annual Temple Bar TradFest next week, folk and trad fans also have the Ballincollig Winter Music Festival (whitehorse.ie) in Co Cork. The third edition of the festival runs from January 26th to 29th and will see luminaries of the Irish folk scene perform in the town, including Paul Brady, Paddy Kevin Glackin, Caomhín O’Raghallaigh and Brendan Begley, as well as Cathy Davey and her band. There will also be a photography exhibition, storytelling, masterclasses and a number of childrens’ events running across the weekend, too.

Meanwhile, in Galway, Grandmaster Flash headlines a very different sort of gathering next weekend at the Once Upon a Time Back the West festival, a series of gigs spread across several venues in the city’s West End. Joining the hip-hop legend on the eclectic bill from January 26th to 28th are improv rap duo Abandoman, Katie Kim, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Kopek, TR-One and several latenight DJs.

And if none of those sound like your cup of tea, a Country Western Weekend also takes place in the southwest Donegal town of Ardara. Saddle up.