This week, music to make movies to, top dogs at Kitty O'Shea's and why the grass is greener at the Juice Garden.

Celtic Connections @ Glasgow Concert Hall

We've all experienced that post-Christmas slump (but not for much longer it's pay day soon!). In fact, the January blues were one of the reasons that music festival, Celtic Connections, was set up back in 1994: to fill a scheduling gap at the Glasgow Concert Hall. Since then, it's grown into the biggest winter festival of its kind, attracting tens of thousands of folk to the city; for fun, frolics and, of course, a wee bit of fiddle!

This year, one ticket I was keen to get my hands on was The Music of Craig Armstrong with the Scottish Opera Orchestra. For anyone not in the ken, Craig Armstrong is an extremely talented composer, Glasgow born and bred. Not only that, he has created some of my favourite film scores of all time: Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge and the Glasgow Love Theme from Love Actually. That's some serious credentials, but there's more. He's also written for U2, Bjork, Madonna, collaborated with Massive Attack, has albums of his own and, oh yes, did I mentioned he was Grammy award winning?

Apart from the sterling setlist from which to choose from, it was also a special gig for other reasons. Firstly, although Glaswegian, Craig has performed very few concerts in the city (despite being a regular headliner in Paris or Berlin). There was also the accompaniment of a full (to bursting) Scottish Opera Orchestra and numerous special guests, from the impeccable strings of cellist Alison Lawrence and violinist Clio Gould (both of whom have performed solos on his movie soundtracks) to the dulcet tones of James Grant.

Armstrong casually blethered away behind the piano, as piece after piece made the hairs on the back of my arm stand in ovation. His music is music to make movies to. Even if just in your head. I don't know if he'll play in Glasgow again anytime soon, but if you're experiencing your own wee January slump, why not sit down and have a listen to Armstrong's Glasgow Love Theme, it will cheer you right up!

The Craic @ Kitty O'Sheas

It's often been claimed, mainly by my friends (and family) over the water, that the Irish are taking over the world. Quietly. Pub by pub. It's true, though, from Mongolia to Ghana, Chile to Iceland you will find our four-leaf clovered cousins setting up shop, fuelled by Guinness, good craic and, probably, a wee bit of The Pogues.

This week, I thought I'd check out the recently opened, Kitty O'Sheas, on Waterloo Street. Previously live music venue Pivo Pivo, the place has had a complete transformation. There are many elements you would expect (and hope for) from an Irish pub and those that are a bit of a surprise, such as the light fittings sourced from a pig farm and, perhaps, the Americana menu.

The manager James (one of the hoped for elements of an Irish pub: handsome Dubliner with mischievous banter) told me that they'd decided not to go for a stereotypical Irish menu and make it more about 'comfort food'. Isn't Guinness Pie and Irish Stew exactly that I thought?

So, yes, initially I scoffed, 'och they're just following a trend, please will you put your pulled pork away'. Then I ordered… The Memphis Dog: hot dog, macaroni and bacon bits. I know it sounds wrong, but that is, undoubtably, what makes it so good. Elvis would certainly have sunk a few of these if he could. And the chips it came with, were great, great chips. The menu might not include too many nods to Ireland, but there is a fair amount of local flavour, like burger of the month, Timerous Beastie, haggis, turnip pattie and neeps; basically Burns in a bun.

In addition to the menu (which is incredible value with burgers and pizzas for about a fiver), they also have an extensive beer gallery, and are one of only a few pubs in the city that stock Cork brewery Franciscan Well's Chieftain IPA. Along with little known Irish soft drink, Club Orange, similar in colour and sentiment (to Irish kin) as Irn Bru.

For lunch, after-work beers or a night out, a trip to Kitty's may have you running for their perfectly placed 'Confessional Booth', because there's so much delicious sinning to be done.

Detox @ Juice Garden

Talking of confessions, 'Bless me father, I have strayed…'. I was heartedly knocking the idea of a January cleanse: from burgers to steaks, Sundaes to Mondays, this month, I have eaten it all. However, during the last few days - and in an attempt to avoid a Fit February - I decided a detox might, unfortunately, be in order.

Handily, the Juice Garden recently opened near my flat (on Byres Road) and, through it's windows, the grass was certainly looking greener. The folk inside looked, happy, healthy, like they were enjoying the winter. So, I popped in, hoping to right the beefy wrongs of the last month.

And there's lots of goodness on offer. In total they have 28 different juices, as well as some disgustingly healthy 'shots'. There are Acai bowls, fresh soups, seriously good 'Botanical' sandwiches and 'raw' desserts. As well as clever names for your juice, they also share the reasons you should be tucking in, pointing out the ones that give you shiny hair, boost your immunity or your, er, system. I want it all, good hair and a happy colon.

In the end I start with a 5 A Day, a cheats way to going green. It contains, Apple, Kale, Pineapple, Cucumber and Avocado. I think it's lovely, basically a salad in a cup, but my friend told me it's earthy veggieness might not be everyone's cup of tea. For those who think a green drink is 'witch's poison' (direct quote) there's plenty more juices in the sea, such as the Pink Banana (Banana, Strawberry and Almond Milk), which is meant to be a recovery aid, and I would think would appeal to most.

All the juices are handmade on the spot, good for knowing what's going into your drink, but not if you're in a hurry and there's a queue (there usually is). It's also quite expensive, £3.85 for a small and £4.85 for a large. Your body will likely thank you if you take up the habit, but your wallet might not.

I'm going to keep it up for the next wee while, though and, if like me, you've over indulged or fancy a health kick, I'd recommend giving Juice Garden (either the one on Renfield Street or Byres Road) a shot. I think, you'd be hard pressed to find a better juice bar!

Wee Bird Recommends

This weekend, Wee would like to recommend Lambchop. This isn't - as it might sound - some new, homely restaurant on the scene, but one of the last gigs of this year's Celtic Connections. The Nashville-based Americana group will perform their classic album, Nixon, in full at the Fruitmarket on Saturday. It will be weird, it will be wild and, of yes, it will be juicy!