The bluegrass sounds of West Virginia and Kentucky found a natural home at the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh, Co Tyrone, over the weekend.
Thousands congregated for the festival which is now in its 13th year.
The gathering has become an annual pilgrimage for lovers of the bluegrass style of country music and attracts many of the big name performers from the southern states of the US.
There is a natural affinity between the Ulster and Appalachian region and much of the folk music of the Ulster-Scots who settled in the hills and mountains of the southern regions of the "New World" lives on in the ballads and sounds of bluegrass today.
It is of interest to note that the first song recorded by Elvis, Blue Moon of Kentucky, was composed by Bill Monroe, fondly regarded as the "Father of Bluegrass" and a man with family roots in Ulster.
One of the stars of the shows was Dale Ann Bradley. The Kentucky singer and her group have emerged into the front ranks of bluegrass music. American magazine Country Weekly has enthused about a voice so pure and clear that it raises goosebumps. She was honoured with the Female Vocalist of the Year (Traditional) by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America.
"We've been overwhelmed with the warmth of our welcome to Omagh," said Dale Ann. "This is our first time ever to these shores and one can sense the empathy between this region and our home area where this music continues to thrive."
The Bing Brothers from West Virginia made their first visit to the festival since 1994 while the Gospel Jubilators from North Carolina took their old style of singing to Omagh for the first time. The Bailey Mountain Cloggers staged a Riverdance style exhibition. Jim Hurst and Missy Raines from Tennessee opened the Saturday night concert.
The Lee Valley String Band from Cork, regarded by many as one of Ireland's foremost exponents of bluegrass and old-rime American music, were popular favourites on their first visit.
Prizon Love and the Rough Deal String Band from Dublin entertained many at the Bluegrass in the Park sessions while the Broken String Band from Tyrone proved hugely popular.
The European bluegrass scene was represented by bands from Holland, Italy and England.