NTB at the Mercantile Hotel, Dublin 2, TONIGHT

The BIB editor reflects:

Though I believe everyone should sing, I'm not a singer; nevertheless, I attended Brendan Taaffe's harmony-singing workshop in Dublin last Sunday, partly because shape-note style was on the menu (it's an important influence on bluegrass harmony, and anyway I love it) and partly to see whether any unfamiliar bluegrass enthusiasts turned up.

Brendan Taaffe's talents as a singer, musician, and teacher are impressive, and the workshop was well worth while: the first song used as an exercise was 'Let's go to that land' as recorded by the Stanley Brothers, and the class wanted to do it again at the end of the afternoon. The workshop was well attended: the twenty-four people who took part were as many as the CREATE centre in Earl St. could comfortably hold. Only Marie O'Flynn and I were bluegrassers.

The overall turnout was a great deal better than Steve Bonafel & One Iota from Kentucky got on the first night of their tour last month. At the Mercantile Hotel on Dame Street, in the centre of the capital of Ireland, the audience - counting John Nyhan, Enda & Geraldine Donnelly, and Carol & myself - may not have reached double figures.

We're delighted to hear from John Nyhan that the band drew good houses for most of the tour - John says:

It amazes me that a bluegrass band can go to a rural area (e.g. Burncourt in south Tipperary, population a couple of hundred), and a crowd turn up, money guaranteed for the band, plus food and accommodation... What more can I say?

It would be easy to say (though hard to understand) that most bluegrass people in Dublin don't seem interested in visiting bands from the US or in harmony singing. As a series of bluegrass concerts (listed here) is planned for the same venue, one has to hope that the coming shows on the schedule will be better attended.

The first is on tonight, when the Niall Toner Band (above), with all the bluegrass talent Ireland can put into three people, will be playing at the Mercantile. I feel I should warn anyone who might be thinking of coming - there could be harmony singing.