Westport 2015: launch party Friday 15 May!

Thanks to Uri Kohen, head of the organising team of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival in Westport, Co. Mayo, for a release on this year's festival (12-14 June):

The time has come, and this Friday (15 May) we will officially launch the festival. The event will take place in McGing's pub at 9.30 p.m. and music will be provided by the wonderful Sligo-based band Old Hannah. Mayo county councillor Rose Conway-Walsh will officially launch the festival.

This year's festival is the biggest and most ambitious event to date. The festival will see the return of some of the 'old reliables' such as Tim Rogers and the Rocky Top String Band as well as intruding some new acts to the bluegrass festival scene such as the House Devils [left] or Flats & Sharps.

There will also be two specially-put-together concerts to present different unique sides of the genre:

Friday 12 June: 'Women across the water'
We’ve developed a concert in the local Church of Ireland church. The theme of this concert is to show how traditional Irish and Scots music travelled to America, how it influenced traditional musical forms, and how this American music is now informing the tradition in Ireland.

This concert will feature the world-renowned Rayna Gellert (USA) [above], the Henry Girls (Ireland), and Anna Falkenau (Germany) & Lena Ullman (Sweden).

Saturday 13 June: 'Bluegrass: the next generation'
Our constant search for raw young talent has unearthed many surprising and successful acts in the past, including the Young Folk and Mikey and the Scallywags. This year we want to showcase some of the best young acts internationally.

We’ve discovered some bands in their early 20s who have their own take on the traditional harmonies familiar in bluegrass, and with high-end picking skills. This concert, one of the first to be held in the brand-new Westport Town Hall Theatre, will feature Flats & Sharps (UK) [above], JigJam (Ireland), and the New Breadwinners (Ireland).

Our website has now been updated with details for all of the events, and tickets can be purchased for all of the paying gigs online. Roll on 12 June - see you in Westport!