Westport 2009: update

Following the BIB report of 15 October, Uri Kohen, organiser of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, announces:

I can now confirm that the Blue Grass Boogiemen band from Holland will headline the next Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival. They will top the bill on the main stage on Saturday 27 June 2009.

We are currently building the rest of the program and hoping once again to come up with a unique lineup, with local, national, and international acts.

Westport won this year the Tidy Towns award (the third time in this decade) and promises to be welcoming for a great music event.

The Boogiemen have been favourites with Irish bluegrass audiences since 1997, when they first came to the Dunmore East festival. They have since returned many times, making repeat performances at Dunmore East and at the Omagh, Derry, and Athy festivals, have issued an acclaimed CD, and for several years now have had Lody van Vlodrop (fiddle) as a regular member.

LATE EXTRA: the 2009 programme will also include the Tennessee Hennessees (Lurgan, Co. Armagh).