Kevin Conneff with Jeff White and Deanie Richardson, 14-15 Aug. 2011

Thanks to Kevin Conneff of the Chieftains for the news that two highly respected bluegrass artists from the Mother Country - Jeff White (guitar, vocals) and Deanie Richardson (fiddle, mandolin) - will be joining him to play a couple of special dates in Ireland within the next seven days.

Jeff White plays regularly in the USA with Vince Gill and with Tim O'Brien (he was a member of the Tim O'Brien Band at the Omagh festival in 2002), and has also played with the Chieftains. Deanie Richardson is a former member of the New Coon Creek Girls and a current member of the Daughters of Bluegrass. Both artists play, or have played, with Patty Loveless. You can hear them both with Kevin at the following venues:

Sun. 14th Aug.: Lynch's, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

Mon. 15th Aug.: Mick Murphy's, the Square, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare

In a further cooperation between Irish and American musicians, Tim O'Brien himself begins a tour here two days later; details are on the BIB calendar.

NB: Thanks to Cathal Cusack who, mindful of the fact that both Tim O'Brien and Chris Thile will be playing in Dublin in the near future, sends this link to a YouTube video of the two of them playing 'Jerusalem Ridge' as a tribute to the late Kenny Baker. As the original Bluegrass Blog observed, it's a striking demonstration of their different personal (and musical) styles.