22nd Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival, 25-28 Aug. 2016

Less than ONE week from now, the 22nd Guinness International Bluegrass Festival at Dunmore East will be in full swing, so thanks to Karen Cheevers for this release on the many delights on the programme:

If banjo pickin', foot-tappin' mandolin pluckin', barnstormin', step dancin', fiddle playin', double-bass clawin' sessions are for you, then the beautiful picturesque coastal village of Dunmore East, Co. Waterford is the only place to be!

Fans of bluegrass, honky-tonk, blues, country, rhythm ‘n’ roots can expect the cream of the musical crop as top-class acts line up for this year’s 22nd Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival.

Top international names include Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley (above). The Grammy nominees play at the Marquee at the Lighthouse Bistro on 27 and 28 August.

Also from the USA, traditional folk duo Betse and Clarke (left) who share a love of traditional mountain music and the love of creating new folk music. Real crowd pleasers, Betse and Clarke bring out the very best in old-time music alongside inventive new compositions.

The Foghorn Stringband (right) is comprised of four talented master musicians, Caleb Klauder, Reeb Willms, Nadine Landry, and Stephen Lind. With eight albums and thousands of live shows under their belts, the band will bring a lively, exciting string-band sound to the Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival.

The Foghorn Stringband bring together an eclectic cultural and musical mix, drawing influences from not only different parts of the American roots music spectrum, but also from their homeplaces… Washington, Quebec, and Minnesota.

Closer to home, Lands End, a young vibrant band of musicians, made their Dunmore East Bluegrass debut back in 2012 and are back again in 2016.

Cup O’ Joe is made up of two brothers, Benjamin, Reuben, who along with sister Tabitha, play an energetic style of bluegrass and gypsy jazz music.

This year’s festival lineup also includes a host of energetic bluegrass acts including Doctor Bluegrass,  the Mons Wheeler Band, One Horse Pony, Rackhouse Pilfer, Barefoot, and the New Breadwinners.

The 22nd Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival kicks off in the Spinnaker Bar on Thursday 25 August and heralds the start of three days of dozens of bands, playing almost fifty FREE gigs in the village's pubs, restaurants, and hotels.

Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley is the only ticketed gig as the Grammy nominees play to the Marquee at the Lighthouse Bistro on 27 and 28 August. All of the other events are free to attend and will take place at the Strand Inn, the Three Sisters, the Spinnaker, Powers Bar, and Azzurro.

For more information about the 22nd Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford, visit www.discoverdunmore.com. Tickets for Ickes and Hensley (€20) are available on www.ticketmaster.ie.

Update 26 Aug.: The BIB has just learned that the Dublin Bluegrass Collective will be playing at the Dunmore East festival on Sunday (28 Aug.), with Evan Lyons of Co. Tipperary on banjo.