Time for our advance shamrock round-up, in which the swallows -- of Jameson's, that is -- return to Dublin-on-the-Charles for the annual mating ritual of Boston Celtic enthusiasm with Old World Irish charm. Break out the green beer for the rad trad clan Altan, who commandeer the Somerville Theatre (617-931-2000) for shows Friday night and Sunday afternoon; in between they'll bounce over to the Palace Theatre (603-668-5588) in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Saturday. And they'll also perform at Bushnell Memorial Hall (888-824-2874) in Hartford next Friday, March 15. Earnest pub-rockers Black 47 make their only area appearance on the St. Paddy's event horizon on Friday at Toad's Place (203-562-5589) in New Haven. NYC's accordion-driven Celt-rock outfit the Prodigals hit the Met Café (401-272-5876) in Providence on Friday; then they'll dally at Molly Darcy's (203-794-0449) in Danbury, Connecticut, on Wednesday before headlining the Harp (617-742-1010) in Boston next Sunday, March 17. Galway post-punks the Saw Doctors begin the march to glory on Tuesday at Asylum (207-772-8274) in Portland; next weekend they'll play the Calvin Theater (413-584-0610) in Northampton on Saturday March 16 and the Roxy (617-338-ROXY) in Boston on Sunday March 17. Sassy Grammy-nominated Cape Briton fiddler Natalie MacMaster gets her jigs and reels on for two nights at the Barre Opera House (802-476-8188) in Barre, Vermont, next Thursday and Friday, March 14 and 15, before advancing to Maine for gigs at the South Portland High School Auditorium (978-462-9630) on March 16 and the Caribou Performing Arts Center (207-493-4278) on March 17. She'll come by for a belated St. Paddy's finale at Symphony Hall (617-266-1200) in Boston on March 24. But before that, the old masters themselves, the Chieftains, will have hit Symphony Hall for their annual March-17-or-thereabouts Celebrity Series blowout; this year the date is next Friday, March 15.

We'd also like to point out that Shane MacGowan himself plays Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence next Sunday, March 17 -- and that said gig puts him a mere hour away from next weekend's quickly selling-out gigs at Avalon by his pals Dropkick Murphys, whose Sing Loud, Sing Proud features a guest appearance from a certain world's sloppiest drunk punk.

Elsewhere, Nashville Pussy unveil yet another busty bass player -- their third, but who's countin'? -- when they open for the Reverend Horton Heat at the Paradise in Boston tonight (Thursday, March 7; 617-562-8800) and headline their own gig at the Green Room (401-351-7665) in Providence on Sunday. On the roots-rock front, Cracker are at the Paradise (617-423-NEXT) in Boston on Saturday and at the Higher Ground (802-654-8888) in Winooski, Vermont, on Monday. And that old cracker John Hiatt plays the Calvin Theater on Friday; the Portsmouth Music Hall (603-436-2400) in Portsmouth on Monday; the State Theater (207-780-8265) in Portland on Wednesday; the Capitol Center (603-225-1111) in Concord next Thursday, March 14; and the Flynn Center for Performing Arts (802-863-5966) in Burlington, Vermont, next Friday, March 15.