Boogiemen top the bill at Westport 2013

Thanks to festival organiser Uri Kohen, who announces:

The 2012 Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival was the best one to date. Unforeseen circumstances forced us to change our dates and the 2013 festival will take place on 14-16 June in Westport, Co. Mayo.

As it was in previous years, the 7th Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival will showcase the best of local, national, and international folk and bluegrass acts. The committee spent the last few months in creating a top-class lineup which will hold strong against any festival of the genre.

The festival will see the return of regular acts such as Tim Rogers, the Rocky Top String Band (AKA the MacEvillys), and the Molly Hicks which are now household names at the festival.

The festival will welcome back Woodbine for the first time since their main stage appearance in 2008. There will be first-time appearance of some great acts such as Derry singer/songwriter Eilidh Patterson, Dublin-based bluegrass band the Tin Box Company, and superb Anglo-Irish band Jukebox Gypsy.

American old-time/bluegrass act Tumbling Bones will end their month-long Irish tour with two shows at the festival, and the First Lady of Banjo, Roni Stoneman (right), will play her first Irish show during the festival. Roni is also very much looking forward to playing along with Irish musicians.

The festival headline show, which will cost only €15, is one of the year's greatest treats for bluegrass fans - the show will start with Wildflowers, an Irish trio which is gaining a huge world reputation and providing a very unique take on old-time ballads and more. The night then will 'kick off' with the fantastic Kidnap Alice (photo above) from London: this band is a real party band and the festival is their biggest Irish show to date. The night will end with the mighty Blue Grass Boogiemen (NL); it will be a huge treat for the band's Irish fans and they promise to bring back some sweet memories from their headline show at the 2009 festival.

The committee are working on a few more surprises in what is gearing up to be one of the finest folk & bluegrass events of 2013. More details and updates will be on the festival Facebook page.

See you in Westport, 14-16 June 2013!