The Celtic Sound of The Overmountain Singers At Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Date: August 3, 2006

Across the moor, the fog flows freely spreading the fragrant aroma of the heather.  Listen closely...hear the drone of an Irish harp and the sweet soft soprano voice of a lass singing a lullaby to her wee one.  "Sleep my child, and peace attend thee, All through the night; Guardian angels God will lend thee, All through the night, Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, Hill and vale in slumber steeping, I my loving vigil keeping, All through the night."

Sit under a canopy of hemlocks and hardwoods at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park on Saturday, August 19, 2006 and listen to the pulsating beat of the bodhran, the lonesome sound of the flute, and the melodic strings of the hammered dulcimer as the Overmountain Singers bring to life music of a by-gone era.  This versatile multi-talented group from Elizabethton, Tennessee specializes in the music of the 18th century pioneers who settled in the region.  Whether singing a ca;;ella or with accompaniment, the Overmountain Singers bring new meaning to our musical heritage.  Stories behind the songs capture the imagination and draw audiences into the old Celtic world.  Ranger Matt Graham reminisces, "Listening to the group reminds me of lod Ireland with the beautiful thatched roof cottages, stone fences along winding lanes and the smell of wild thyme.  I can hear the sound of the harp coming from the cottage door."

The program begins at 8:00 PM at the amphitheater located at the end of loop C in the national park's Wilderness Road Campground on Virginia Highway 58.  The National Park Service and Eastern National, the park's non-profit organization, will sponsor this free program.  In case of rain, meet at the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park visitor center.

For additional information on this and other special programs, please call [phone].