News digest #26: update

 

Thanks to Gerry Fitzpatrick, director of the Cabin Sessions held every month in Dundrum, Dublin 14, who sends

Just a reminder of a very special evening on Tuesday 16 July at the Studio in the Mill Theatre Studio, Dundrum, Dublin 14. Northern Californian multi-instrumentalist Kathy Barwick teams up with Maryland singer/songwriter Gary Ferguson to present an evening of American folk music in the intimate surroundings of the Maureen O'Hara Studio at the Mill.

Support will be preview of a few songs from Con Butler's forthcoming album and a couple of rollicking guitar duets from Cathal Cusack and Pat Killalea! Seats are still available - booking via the Mill Theatre, €12; doors 7.30, concert 8.00 p.m.

[This concert is the last in the current tour, which is Gary's ninth consecutive tour of Ireland.]

Thurs. 25th: The Cabin Sessions as usual with the Cabin Sessions house band featuring Cathy McEvoy (fiddle), Spats Davenport (guitar), and Christian Volkmann (harmonmica); special guests Billy Byrne & Brian Dowling (folk), Grace Tallon (contemporary), Lynda Lucas (Americana). 9.30-11.30 p.m., adm. FREE.

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Loudon Temple of the UK Brookfield Knights agency announces a change of tour period for the acclaimed Virginia band Furnace Mountain, since the last message about their proposed return to these islands next year. Due to offers they have had for mid October in USA, the UK/Ireland slot will start later in the month and run over into November.

The band will now be in England and Wales from 23 to 27 October, in Ireland from 28 October to 2 November, and in Scotland from 3 to 9 November. Promoters and event organisers are asked to let Brookfield Knights know if they would like to include Furnace Mountain in programming during the revised periods. BBC 2 footage from Celtic Connections can be seen on YouTube.

Brookfield Knights tel. +44 01505 706346; mob. +44 07831 878013

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Yesterday (14 July) the 23rd Athy Bluegrass Festival ended after a very successful and universally enjoyed weekend with glorious weather. Allowing for your editor's personal interest as a member of Woodbine, there was little doubt that the audiences gave very enthusiastic responses to the sets in which master fiddler George Kaye sat in with Bending the Strings on Friday night, with Woodbine (also augmented by champion Donegal fiddler Dessie Crerand) on Saturday, and again with Woodbine (augmented by Clem O'Brien (guitar) and Evan Lyons (banjo)) on Sunday.

To cap everything, festival director Tony O'Brien announced on Sunday the great news that the future of the festival for next year is now guaranteed, and the 24th Athy Bluegrass Festival will take place in 2014. More details will be given ASAP.

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The updated schedule of events up to Monday 12 August at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin, can be seen here.