And the news keeps coming...

Thanks to Geraint and Deb Jones of G Promo PR for the confirmed schedule of a two-week tour in these islands (2-15 Nov.) by neo-old-time band The Tillers from Cincinnati, OH, who are getting very favourable reviews. The tour, which supports their new CD Hand on the plow, includes six dates with Pokey LaFarge (USA) - none of which, however, are in Ireland. The Irish dates in the tour, as shown on the BIB calendar, are:

Fri. 8th Nov.: The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone
Sat. 9th: The Spirit Store, Dundalk, Co. Louth
Sun. 10th: Crane Lane Theatre, Cork city

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Everyone who enjoyed the Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band (led by Curtis, a former member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys), who toured here in June 2012, will be glad of the news from bassist Susan Nation that multi-instrumentalist Chuck Nation has won the 2013 Georgia State Fiddle Championship. Congratulations! More details and photos are on the Nation & Blackwell band's website, which also has 44 photos taken on last year's tour in Ireland.

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Current merchandise offers include discounts on downloads of instructional DVDs from Homespun Tapes; specials on acclaimed bluegrass instrumental albums on Pinecastle; and a series of weekly specials on instruments, strings, books, etc., from PlayBetterBluegrass.com.

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Thanks to Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland for the latest issue of his 'Country Cuts' column, with advance news of Brendan Kehoe's record recital on the Grand Ole Opry in Cork City Library on 1 Nov. at 11.00 a.m., Dolly Parton's tour in Europe next summer, and other coming events. Find it all here.