Where the BIB comes from

The Irish Bluegrass Music Club Newsletter was founded in 1992 by Dick Gladney, bassist at that time with the Flint Hill Boys of Athy, Co. Kildare, and in recent years with the Niall Toner Band. I took over the editing in 1996; it was renamed Bluegrass Ireland in 1999. The aim was to provide news of bluegrass and old-time music events throughout Ireland; to report on CDs, books, hardware, gossip, and quotes; and to link those who love these forms of music with one another and with the worldwide bluegrass and old-time communities. It appeared six to eight times a year up to early 2007, since when it has been suspended under the pressure of other commitments.

But with the increasing flow of news that has developed, a hard-copy newsletter, sent by post, will always appear too early for some news items and too late for others. The Bluegrass Ireland Blog (BIB), first launched on 21 November 2005, aims to remedy that: bands, event organisers, and any members of the bluegrass/old-time community in this island can now have news made available here to anyone with internet access anywhere in the world, practically as soon as we receive it.

The BIB's model is the original Bluegrass Blog*, established in the USA in 2005 by John Lawless and Brance Gillihan, whose example and encouragement are gratefully acknowledged. Thanks to Alice Toner for setting up the BIB, and to Eamonn Quigley for his cordial assistance.

*Reborn, transfigured, in 2011 as Bluegrass Today.