By Paul Keating

Christmas in New England conjures up snow-filled scenes of winter and festive gatherings. You would expect nothing less in the Irish music community, though the presenters might appreciate just enough of the white stuff for atmosphere, but not to deter concert-goers.

This coming weekend there are several choices to get you in the mood, particularly in Massachusetts.

A welcome new tradition that has sprung up in Boston is the seasonal celebration hosted by the popular public radio program A Celtic Sojourn, presented by the very genial and knowledgeable Corkman Brian O’Donovan.

The WGBH (89.7 FM) show that can be heard worldwide via the web (www.wgbh.org) has helped to put people in the holiday spirit Celtic-style for 20 years now while sponsoring a live concert in the Boston area since 2003.

The demand and interest has grown so fervently that this coming weekend, December 16-18, sees four shows at the historic Cutler Majestic Theatre at Emerson College in downtown Boston (219 Tremont Street) on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.

As you might expect from the veteran broadcaster who knows a thing or two about Celtic programming, he has assembled a stellar lineup for his stage show “A Christmas Celtic Sojourn with Brian O’Donovan.”

Performing are DANU, the wildly exciting and multi-talented trad band, Scots guitarist par-excellence Tony McManus, Celtic cellist Natalie Haas, Navan, the vocal harmony group from Madison, Wisconsin, and Nua-Nos (New Style), a modern take on traditional dancing led by Kieran Jordan, who has just completed a modern dance program at the University of Limerick.

The Celtic music aficionado’s radio show is so popular beyond Irish enclaves that the advance sale has been exceptional since last September, so the usual last minute Irish crowd will have to get a move on if they hope to garner a seat at one of the offerings this weekend.

Even if you can’t make it to the show, you can log on to the WGBH website to listen to A Celtic Sojourn anytime you wish since it is webcast both as a live stream when the show airs on Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. and on archive.

This Saturday’s show will feature a theme that will focus on vocal harmonies in the Christmas Celtic tradition. On Christmas Eve, you can relax to a full three hours of Celtic music to help make your season bright with some highlights from past years. For tickets to the weekend shows call 800-300-3123 or www.maj.org/P2006/celtic.html.

Go west along the Mass Pike and you’ll find the Emerald Club of Worcester with their own Yuletide concert to help raise funds for the Mercy Centre of Worcester County, a school for children with disabilities.

Wren Boys in the person of Teada will be appearing with Cathie Ryan, harpist Grainne Hambly and piper Tommy Martin on Friday night at 8 p.m. at the Forest Grove Middle School (495 Grove Street).

Information on the concert can be obtained from Bud Sargent at 508-853-7587 or you can log onto www.coolbawnroad.com. Sargent also presents Celtic radio programming on the weekend at WCUW (91.3 FM) public radio there in Worcester. He also promotes Irish concerts in the area in the new Hibernian Cultural Centre.

Irish harpist and singer Aine Minogue from Tipperary, resident in the Boston area for a long time, has two shows this weekend, with the first on Saturday, December 17 at 8 p.m. celebrating traditional music from the Celtic nations for the winter solstice.

She will appear at the Common Fence Point (933 Anthony Road) in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Call 401-683-5085 for info.

On Sunday, December 18, she is out on the Cape at the Old Ship Coffeehouse in Hingham from 4-6 p.m. with a show “To Warm the Winter’s Night.” Tickets can be reserved at 781-749-1767. Check out Aine’s webpage at www.minogue.com for further details.