The Temple Bar TradFest, the biggest festival in January, is being expanded this year as part of The Gathering.
City Hall will be transformed into a hub with a greater international dimension for musicians from overseas.
Tradfest takes place between January 22nd and January 27th and is now in its 10th year.
There will be music from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Spain to mark Ireland’s EU presidency. The diaspora dimension will be catered for by Cape Colours, a group from Cape Breton in Canada, a place with strong Irish and Scottish influences, along with the Pride of New York and London Calling which will draw traditional musicians from places where the Irish have settled abroad.
A special Musical Gathering concert, A Stór Mo Chroí will take place on January 22nd in Christ Church Cathedral.
The number of tickets on sale has gone from 6,000 to 10,000. Last year some 44,000 people attended both paid and free events and the organisers hope the Gathering will boost ticket numbers from abroad.
Among the marquee events will be a tribute to former Dubliner Barney McKenna who died last year. It takes place in City Hall on January 27th. It will feature his former bandmates along with friends.
Nashville exile Maura O’Connell will play a one-off concert in Christ Church Cathedral on January 24th while Sharon Shannon will play a 21st anniversary concert on January 25th and 26th in St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke will premiere his Famine album with a group of hand-picked musicians on January 27th at St Werburgh’s Church.
Now in its eighth year Temple Bar TradFest has been extended to six days and six nights and includes three new additional iconic heritage buildings as festival venues: The Irish Stock Exchange, St Werburghs Church and St Patrick’s Cathedral.
The 2013 Festival line up will include headline concerts, over 200 free events, a music trail, singers club, open sessions, two outdoor stages, master classes and showcases, gigs for kids, children’s club, cultural workshops, pipe bands and street performers.
Temple Bar Cultural Trust managing director Martin Harte said January was a "dead one" from a tourism point of view but that was advantage for the TradFest as it meant cheaper flights and accommodation.
"It gives an opportunity to showcase the best of Irish culture in the capital city," he explained. "Some 60 per cent of our events are free. You can have a great day out and you don't have spend a cent."
