Bluegrass Festival gets the green light

LAUNCH NIGHT?Sarah Mac Evilly, Fergus Kelly, Cllr Michael McLaughlin, Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, Uri Kohen, Tim Rogers, and Sound House Music Store proprietor and long-time festival friend Gert Nungesser with his dobro at the launch of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival in McGing’s pub, Westport, on May 16.

Bluegrass Festival gets the green light


The eighth Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival was officially launched by Michael McLaughlin, the last Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, on Friday last, May 16.
Ahead of a barn-storming performance by Galway band The Molly Hicks, committee Chairman Uri Kohen invited the town mayor to officially launch the festival, in a packed McGing’s pub.
“Michael McLaughlin has been one of the strongest supporters of the festival on Westport Town Council. We think that it’s fitting that he will be the last Cathaoirleach of the council to launch the festival for us,” he said.
In one of his few remaining engagements before the abolition of the council, Cllr McLaughlin took the opportunity to voice his admiration for Uri Kohen and his appreciation of all that the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival brings to the town. “I’d like to commend Uri for his vision and dedication to this festival, a festival that he has grown from a small seed of an idea,” he said.
The Cathaoirleach continued: “Uri built up credibility within the music industry and, most importantly, credibility for the festival. With this, and with the growth of the festival, he formed a committee to help with the expansion of what is now one of the major festival events in this town, gaining recognition not just nationally but internationally.
“Dan Fogelberg said ‘It seems like bluegrass people have more great stories to tell than other musicians’. I hope there will be lots of stories to tell from this year’s festival.”
Darren Madden of the Clew Bay Hotel, representing the ten festival venues, also spoke. “We started hosting festival gigs eight years ago,” he said. “When Uri asked me to host a bluegrass gig, I said ‘What’s bluegrass?’. I’d like to thank Uri for starting this. It’s been a pleasure being involved in it. We’re looking forward to this year, and we’re all behind you.”

The eighth Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival will take place from Friday, June 13 to Sunday, June 15. For the full festival line-up, including gigs, sessions and workshops, and information on all the acts, visit www.westportfolkandbluegrass.com.