Bluegrass keeps the blues at bay!

 

 

From Thursday (August 23^rd) through to Sunday, (August 26^th) the picturesque village of Dunmore East was a picker’s paradise as the Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival returned to its roots for its 18^th year!

The weekend kicked off in the Spinnaker Bar as The Jack Grace Band played an upbeat repertoire of bluegrass, mixed with a touch of jazz, rock, country and mariachi!

Over the course of the next three days the village was buzzing as bluegrass purists, families, day trippers and tourists experienced bluegrass at its best.  Pickin’ and clawin’ sessions sprung up around the village and the 8 bands featured on the line up played over 30 free gigs throughout Dunmore’s pubs and hotels.

Mick Daly, Festival founder, was delighted with the turnout.  “We were lucky enough with the weather as the afternoon sessions proved very popular with families. Most of the evening gigs were indoors as the rain fell, however, we were prepared for this eventuality.  I suppose you have to be when you organise a festival in Ireland!”

The festival has been a stable in the Dunmore East calendar for 18 years and plans are already being put in place for Bluegrass 2013.  Mick added, “The hard work of the committee, local businesses and volunteers makes the festival the success it is each and every year!  The Bluegrass festival is a great opportunity to showcase Dunmore East as a wonderful tourist destination, with beautiful scenery, outstanding seafood and warm hospitality.”

As with previous years there were a lot of loyal Welsh Bluegrass fans who travel to the festival each year, along with a mix of visitors from Northern Ireland and the UK, and some a little closer to home.

Enterprising lunch to celebrate local food suppliers

As part of the Harvest Festival in September Waterford City Enterprise Board has organised a lunch on Friday, September 14^th in the dining room of Dooley’s Hotel to celebrate the vast array of local food producers.

This lunch is a celebration of food in Waterford and the South East. With the assistance of the South East Marketing Institute and the Love Irish Food Initiative diners will enjoy the best food Waterford and the South East has to offer.

The key note speaker at the lunch will be Waterford economist Jim Power. Mr. Power is Chair of Love Irish Food and will speak on ‘the importance of developing the Love Irish Food brand’.

Bertie Rodgers, Chairman of Waterford City Enterprise Board commented on the importance of the event, “The food industry is now a vital component in the revival of the Irish economy and Waterford is fortunate to have such a proliferation of quality food producers. But these businesses require assistance and promotion. That is why this lunch is vital, to celebrate what we have, but also to inspire others to create the next generation of food businesses. That is where the Enterprise Boards can and do help.”

The lunch is part of Waterford City Enterprise Board’s on-going strategy to develop food producing businesses in Waterford City. The Enterprising Food Network was founded by Waterford City Enterprise Board in 2011 and is made up of food producers, restaurants and horticultural groups in Waterford City. The Network has had a number of productive training and promotional events, and now has 19 members. The Enterprise Board assists the network in areas such as packaging, branding, routes to market, distribution, marketing and business advice.

Kieran Rumley, Executive Director of Love Irish Food Limited, “We are delighted to be asked to participate in this lunch, the food industry has always been very strong in the southeast and our membership from the area continues to grow”.

Tickets for this lunch can be purchased from Waterford City Enterprise Board by calling to its office at New Street in the city or from the reception at Dooley’s Hotel.

Waterford City Enterprise Board offers support services for start-up and existing SME’s in Waterford city. If you have a new business idea or are running a business that requires assistance you can contact the Enterprise Board by phoning Celia on 051-852883 or logging on to www.waterfordceb.com.

Dunmore East Bluegrass - bigger and better in 2012!

What began in 1995, as a small intimate music session, bringing together an eclectic group of bluegrass musicians, has grown and flourished and this year sees the Guinness International Bluegrass Festival return to Dunmore East, Co. Waterford for its 18^th year.

The free festival will take place in the picturesque fishing village from August 23^rd to August 26^th and the festival organisers are delighted to welcome back perennial bluegrass favourite, Jack Grace, aka The Martini Cowboy.

Jack Grace and his band will headline an enviable line up of bluegrass artists for Ireland’s only free bluegrass music festival and fans of bluegrass, country, rhythm, roots, new grass and blues are expected to descend on the picturesque fishing village to enjoy free music events played throughout the village’s pubs and hotels.

Jack’s style of music has been described by Time Out New York as “gritty down home country as it should be.”  Having played with a host of music legends such as Doc Watson, Junior Brown, Norah Jones and Wayne Hancock, the legend Jerry Lee Lewis said of him “He’s like that Cash kid, but good!”

According to Mick Daly, Festival Founder and Organiser, this years festival promises something for all music lovers.  “Headline act Jack Grace brings his own unique urban style to bluegrass, while there will be the more traditional bluegrass names featuring at the festival, such as Gypsy Rebel Rabble, Knotty Pine, Desert Aces and the Mons Wheeler Band.”

“The Jeff and Vida Band from New Orleans went down a storm when they performed at the festival back in 2009.  We are looking forward to this New Orleans acoustic roots band performing a repertoire of original material spanning from Appalachian bluegrass to alternative country.”

“Visitors can also expect some high energy performances from Galway band Mikey and the Scallywags, returning for their second year and bringing with them a variety of entertainment that ranges from gypsy to bluegrass to folk to storytelling”, he added.

Lands End, a diverse group of young musicians who crossed paths at one of the UK's premier Bluegrass workshops will make their Dunmore East Bluegrass debut this year.

The band, made up of members from Cork, Galway, Dublin, Munich, Liverpool and Canada met at the Sore Fingers bluegrass workshop in Oxfordshire in April and formed for a one off show. However the impact they made dictated that they couldn’t possibly stop there and have been gigging throughout Ireland and the UK ever since.

The 18^th Guinnness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival kicks off at 7pm on Thursday, August 23rd at The Spinnaker Bar and Restaurant and will feature bluegrass and blues bands, playing free gigs in the villages’ pubs, restaurants and hotels.

For more information about the 18^th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford visit www.discoverdunmore.com

Sienna Home Furnishings, the only furniture store in Ireland’s retail Top 50

Anton Savage, Miriam O’Callaghan, Kevin Jephson (REI), Paul and Janice Lenehan (Sienna Home Furnishings)

Sienna Home Furnishings, based in the Tramore Road Business Park in the city, is the only dedicated furniture and bedding retail business representative at the prestigious Barclaycard Retail Excellence Ireland Awards for 2012.

 The National Store of the Year 2012 is part of the REI Awards, which were established in 1997 to promote best practice standards in the Irish retail industry. The Awards, in partnership with Barclaycard, recognise Ireland’s best retail stores, companies, people and websites and aims to promote best practice standards in the Irish retail industry.

Sienna Home Furnishings, a previous retail excellence finalist and multiple top 50 and top 30 qualifier is one of only two Waterford retailers to make the top 50, the other being the House of Waterford Crystal. More significant though is the fact that Sienna Home Furnishings in the only retailer in the Top 50 solely dedicated to bedding and furniture sales.

 As part of the selection process, all store entrants were visited by a Mystery Shopper, with those exceeding demanding service and standards criteria making it to the Top100 Stores. A team of Store Assessors then visited each of the Top100 Stores, selecting the Top 50 stores and then the final Top 30. The National Store of the Year will be selected based on the reports data gathered and a review of store photography and in-store video recording evidence.

Paul Lenehan, Managing Director of Sienna Home Furnishings added, “We at the store are delighted with this result as it reflects the hard work and strict standards we keep regarding customer service, presentation and the quality of our furniture. Our industry sector has suffered much over the past few years and this result is a welcome endorsement of the hard work and dedication of the team at Sienna, and we thanks our customer for their continued support.  Being the only furniture and bedding store in the country to achieve this level of placement is extra special”

The SLEEP ROOM at Sienna Home Furnishings is a unique retail proposition that interested the store assessors particularly.  This dedicated area discretely located away from the hustle and bustle of the main store, has a private, quiet and calming atmosphere where customers can take time to try the large selection of beds on offer and where their fully trained and certified staff is on hand to help make the right bed choice.

Home Instead Senior Care presents cheque to Waterford Hospice

Marie Cummins and Nell Guiry of Waterford Hospice Movement accepting donation from Danette Connolly, Home Instead Senior Care Waterford

  

During the summer, Home Instead Senior Care hosted an evening with Imelda Butler, author of “Be Not Afraid…..I go before You”, a compilation of short stories of love and loss written by partners, parents, children, siblings and friends who have been bereaved.  The purpose of the evening, held in the Book Centre, was to focus on an Irish publication which brings understanding, healing, hope and insight to those who have been bereaved.

  

Home Instead Senior Care made a donation to Waterford Hospice Movement for every copy of the book that was purchased in May and June.

 

Danette Connolly, Director of Care at Home Instead Senior Care said “We chose to support the Waterford Hospice Movement with donations from the sale of the book going to such a worthy cause.  The Hospice provides invaluable care, dignity and respect to patients with life limiting illnesses.”  

To find out more about the services provided by  Home Instead Senior Care call Danette Connolly on 051 333966 or visit www.homeinstead.ie

Lands End to make Dunmore East Bluegrass debut

Lands End, a diverse group of young musicians who crossed paths at one of the UK's premier Bluegrass workshops will make an appearance at the 18^th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival in Dunmore East, Co. Waterford.

The band, made up of members from Cork, Galway, Dublin, Munich, Liverpool and Canada met at the Sore Fingers bluegrass workshop in Oxfordshire in April and formed for a one off show. However the impact they made dictated that they couldn’t possibly stop there and have been gigging throughout Ireland and the UK ever since.

Although their music is strongly embedded in the bluegrass tradition, with double Bass, dobro, 5 string banjo, guitar, mandolin and fiddle, each member brings the distinctive sound of their own musical tradition to the musical arrangements of the band.

Playing a mix of original material alongside Bluegrass standards and the odd hint of Celtic and Baltic tastes, Lands End have been gathering huge momentum since they formed almost five months ago.

  

Mick Daly, Festival Founder is delighted that Lands End will be making their Dunmore debut this summer.  “Lands End is a real success story on the bluegrass landscape.  Six individuals got together at one of the best bluegrass workshops in the UK, formed for a once off appearance, but got such a positive reaction, they decided to stay together and perform at venues throughout Ireland and the UK, and that certainly is a gain for Dunmore’s Bluegrass festival.”

“It also endorses the fact that bluegrass is alive and well.  New and exciting bands are being formed the whole time, such is the appeal of bluegrass.  What is considered an old music genre inspired by the music of Appalachia, with roots in Scottish, Irish and English traditional music is as popular today as it was back in the 1940’s.”

Lands End will play a number of gigs on August 25^th and 26^th at Ireland's largest free bluegrass festival in Dunmore East, Co. Waterford.  They will be in good company performing alongside acts such as Jack Grace and his Band (aka The Martini Cowboy), the Jeff and Vida Band, Mikey and the Scallywags, Mons Wheeler Band, Gypsy Rebel Rabble, Knotty Pine and Desert Aces.

The 18^th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival kicks off at 7pm on Thursday, August 23rd at The Spinnaker Bar and Restaurant.

For more information about the 18^th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford visit www.discoverdunmore.com