The DBC in full swing!

Following yesterday's news from Patrick Simpson about the Cairncastle Ulster Scots Folk Festival Bluegrass Evening tonight in Ballygally, Co. Antrim, thanks to Aran Sheehan (second from right above) for the news that the Dublin Bluegrass Collective are playing the following dates, with more to be added:

Thurs. 28th July: Cairncastle Bluegrass Evening. Halfway House Hotel, Ballygally, from 7.30 p.m., entry £10. Bands for the night are the Bluestack Mountain Boys (aka the Dublin Bluegrass Collective), the Down and Out Bluegrass Band, and the Watery Hill Boys.

Sat. 30th: The Wiley Fox (formerly the Pint) on Eden Quay, Dublin, are having a special musical weekend, with a lovely craft beer involved! The Dublin Bluegrass Collective and Huegrass are doing a bluegrassy Saturday night gig, with an inter-band jam finale, doors are at 8.00 p.m. and entry on all nights is totally free of charge. Bru will be launching a brand new test batch for the first time. Spot prizes and Bru goodies will be up for grabs! [see poster image below]

Sat. 6th Aug.: 10th Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival, Headfort School, Kells, Co. Meath (same place as the recent Bluegrass Camp Ireland). Between and after films, there will be fine food, wine, and of course the Dublin Bluegrass Collective.

Sat. 13th: In Whelans, Dublin 2, from 7.00 to 9.00 p.m. at the Blues, Roots, & Brass Festival [see the BIB for 22 July]. Loads of great bands playing this event like Pine Marten, Niall Toner Band, and many more. Free entry to this event too.

Thurs. 25th-Sun. 28th: Yet to be confirmed, as we are still in discussion with a couple of different events that weekend; so will update you when we have decided which one it is that we are going to play! It's a choice between two festivals or one city centre event. You know who you are, so if you are reading this, please help us make our minds up, cheers.

Then don't forget - every Tuesday in Sin É, Ormond Quay, Dublin, we host (now in our fifth year) an open bluegrass session that welcomes bluegrass musicians and listeners from all over the world to join us. Music usually gets started around 9.00 p.m. and it's totally free.

We will update you when we can confirm 100% some other dates and events that we are still in discussion with; however, in the mean time if anyone wishes to contact us, you can call Aran Sheehan on 085-7110826, or e-mail, or get through to us on Facebook, where we have a couple of videos, photos, and generally update as we go along, what is happening anyway.

The past couple of weeks have been very busy, with the honour of playing with We Banjo 3, as part of the Secret Sessions from Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale; Knockanstockan Festival, where we played about fifteen hours over the weekend around the site acoustically, rather than a 40-minute stage slot; and the Web Summit end-of-year party, which was an amazing sunny early-evening garden party with full pig on the spit, with bucking bronco and countless other fun things going on. I've gone on long enough now, but this does give you all a bit of an idea of what we are up to these days.