Dave Byrne

Dave’s interest in firstly country and later bluegrass stretches back to the early 1960s when he first heard artists such as Jimmy Rodgers, Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Hank Snow, Lefty Frizzell and Roy Acuff on the AFN (Armed Forces Network), broadcasting into western Europe from Germany. A later interest in bluegrass blossomed as a result of exposure to the likes of Bill Monroe, Jim & Jesse, Bill Clifton, Flatt & Scruggs, Jim Eanes and The Osborne Brothers (Dave’s bluegrass passion was taken to a new level with the formation, in October 2018, of the mygrassisblue.com agency which aims to specialize in bringing the best of bluegrass to Ireland and beyond and which in its inaugural year of 2019 facilitated tours of Ireland by Sideline, Kristy Cox, Leroy Troy, Johnny Staats and Brandon Lee Adams). There then followed a lifelong love of Country and Bluegrass coupled with an equally lifelong hobby of record collecting. Radio and broadcasting followed suit when asked in the early 1980s by a station director to produce a show to highlight his passion, not to mention his enviable record collection and encyclopaedic knowledge of the genre. From his first DJ shift in 1981 through to today, Dave has broadcast on a selection of independent regional, local and internet-based radio stations in Ireland and he’s delighted to be bringing his personal mix of traditional country and bluegrass music and insights to The Bluegrass Jamboree audience.