John Murphy, owner of Colfer's Pub, Carrig-on Bannow, Co. Wexford, Ireland, is an all-Ireland champion harmonica player of Irish traditional music. He also loves American music, and has welcomed many visiting bluegrass bands to perform at Colfer's (above: John, in red shirt, with 4 Wheel Drive and Jolanda Peters during their Irish tour in March 2010).As mentioned in Bluegrass Europe #71, John also started an important trend in 2005 when he launched his American Country, Bluegrass, & Roots Music Festival, which has been held in Colfer's every January since then. His example is being followed in a new crop of bluegrass mini-festivals throughout Ireland.
And next month - in the week directly after this year's 19th Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival at Omagh, Co. Tyrone - he will present two high-quality American bluegrass bands from the Omagh lineup on two successive days shortly after Omagh, at Colfer's Pub. Cedar Hill (above), a solid traditional band from the Ozarks, will perform at Colfer's on Wednesday 8 September, and - from among the cream of New England bluegrass - Amy Gallatin & Stillwaters (featuring Roger Williams on dobro) on Thursday 9 September.
