Dervish is one of Ireland's best known bands. In many many ways deserving of the designation 'Supergroup.'
The BBC described them as "an icon of Irish music," and the band has played at festivals from Rio to Glastonbury. They accompanied the Irish President and Prime Minister on state visits and trade missions as cultural ambassadors even - in one such visit to China, taking time out to play an impromptu traditional session on the Great Wall of China. Dervish has a line-up that includes some of Ireland's finest traditional musicians. Fronted by singer Cathy Jordan, the bouzouki/mandola combinations of Brian McDonagh and Michael Holms, the fiddling of Tom Morrow, box playing of Shane Mitchell, and Liam Kelly's flute, make for a powerful sound indeed - as you will hear.
Click on the play button above to hear about the provenance of the band, their deep Sligo connections, the ever-expanding, adventurous, and sometimes surprising repertoire. And the latest project, The Great Irish Songbook which features collaborations with some of the absolute finest folk, country, and pop artists from around the world.
Below is a playlist of most of the tunes and songs used in the program and some additionals — a general list for you to explore further the extraordinary music of Dervish. To listen to full tracks, you will need to have a basic Spotify membership, which is free.
I had also mentioned in my introduction to Brian McDonagh that he is an artist of considerable talent and highly regarded internationally. Find out more about Brian and this side of his work here.
