"The programme will be filled with humour, song, poetry and a dynamic Irish music session from Lissadell House in County Sligo," an RTÉ spokesperson told hotpress.com.

Dervish will be joined on the show by numerous guests and major names from traditional Irish music. Paddy Maloney founder and leader of the world renowned Irish traditional maestros The Chieftains will feature in the programme, along with former Anuna singer Roisin O Reilly and Yeats expert Damian Brennan.

Since their formation in 1989 Dervish have performed on The Great Wall of China, in Rio de Janeiro and in auditoriums in the Holy Land, as well as representing Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Releases such as Harmony Hill (1993), Midsummer’s Night (1999) and Travelling Show (2007) have seen Dervish consolidate their reputation as one of Ireland's most important trad bands, and they remain hugely popular on the roots scene here .

Irish Heartbeat with Dervish can be heard at 3.02pm on Thursday 25 December on RTÉ Radio 1.