The Sliding Dutchman now resident in Ireland

Owen Schinkel (photo: Ben Bateson)

One of the many unexpected bonuses of last weekend's Shannonside Winter Music Festival was finding the talented young Dutch dobroist Owen Schinkel, the 'Sliding Dutchman', playing as a guest on the sets by the Sons of Navarone.

The BIB first learned of Owen in July 2017, when he had just won a scholarship to East Tennessee State University. Lee Zimmerman's feature and interview with him on Bluegrass Today last April showed both that he was using his time in the States to the best advantage, and that he intended to return to this side of the Atlantic. We can now expect to see much more of him - his website states:

Recently Owen has moved to Ireland to pursue his musical career together with mandolinist Kylie Anderson, who is also his partner. Together Kylie and Owen are working on a duo group called 'Long Way Home'. They’re planning to record an EP and perform in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United States in 2020 [bold type added by the BIB]. The website from Long Way Home will soon be available at the website from Long Way Music.

PS: Owen can be seen for a split second in the Sons of Navarone's video on Facebook of the end of their final show at Sixmilebridge.