There's also a similar fair in County Offaly in Ireland each year in May. My wife and I were invited about five years ago when we were there in November, but didn't have the time to go back six months later.
Medieval music is, of course, the root of a lot of the music Americans played in the early years of British/Scots/Irish immigration. This turned into the "folk" music played in the Applachian mountains, which turned into "country" music. The instruments changed, but not all that much.
I play various basic stringed instruments in various styles, including guitar, 5-strng banjo and mandolin, and about 30 years ago at a party in Montana ran into a guy who made lutes, and had one with him. I asked if I could try it, and found it wasn't too hard to play in either medieval or country/blues style. It was neat to go back a little further in the stringed tradition.
