In the eighth of the series of LEGEND SESSIONS Ballyshannon Folk Festival is delighted to again host a virtual session exploring the possibilities where two musical genres coincide. This year the center point will again be the legendary Donegal Fiddler John Doherty whose roots run deep in the Bluestack Mountains of his native County but who travelled and transcended musical boundaries throughout his life until his last years spent in the Rock Hospital in Ballyshannon. This year’s legend session focuses on what might have unfolded if Johnny Doherty happened to meet up with the legendary singer Patsy Cline as both sat into an impromptu musical gig in one of the many pubs in Ballyshannon during the Ballyshannon Folk and Traditional Music Festival. John Doherty was an explorer of his own country and its music. He travelled and played all over the Northwest, playing his fiddle music and was an integral part of the rich culture of the area.

His compositions and style of playing are very much to the fore wherever Irish traditional music is played. Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a more raw, introspective style. Some of his most famous songs include “Me and Bobby McGee”, “For the Good Times”, “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”, and “Help Me Make It Through the Night”, all of which became hits for other artists. Kristofferson was born in Brownsville, Texas; the family relocated to San Mateo, California during his childhood and he was briefly drafted into military service in the early 1960s. After one single for Epic Records, Kristofferson was signed by Monument Records in 1969. Throughout his career, he recorded a total of 10 albums for Monument, two albums for Mercury Records, one album each for Justice Records and Atlantic Records, and two albums each for New West Records and KK Records. In September 1971, Kristofferson made his film debut in The Last Movie and devoted much of the later decade to making Hollywood films. Some of his most famous films include Cisco Pike (1972), A Star Is Born (1976), Convoy (1978), Heaven’s Gate (1980), and the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004). Kristofferson was also a member of the country music supergroup the Highwaymen between 1985 and 1995.

He has charted 12 times on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs charts; his highest peaking singles there are “Why Me” and “Highwayman”, which reached number one in 1973 and 1985, respectively. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He was a three-time Grammy Award winner, out of 13 total nominations. Kristofferson died in 2024 at the age Legend Sessions 2025 will feature Seamie O’Dowd playing the music of Johnny Doherty and Mark Langan playing the country legend Kristofferson.