Festival: From the heart

Hot on the heels of St Patrick's Day comes the Barbican's annual Irish knees-up. "From the Heart" taps into the Emerald Isle's rich cultural vein to present concerts, literature, poetry, dance, film and comedy. Highlights include: Nobel-prizewinning poet Seamus Heaney, who joins forces with uilleann piper extraordinaire, Liam O'Flynn; madcap comedy trio, The Nualas (28 Mar); Mary Coughlan in an evening celebrating Irish divas (27 Mar) and a selection of gaelic-themed films including Dancing at Lughnasa (5 Apr, left), adapted from Brian Friel's award-winning play and starring Meryl Streep and Kathy Burke

Barbican Centre, London, EC2 (0171-638 8891). 27 & 28 Mar, 3-5 April