Passport Series: Dervish

Music from the West of Ireland with passionate vocals and dazzling instrumentals.

Dervish have been bringing Irish traditional music to the world for more than 25 years.  Described by the BBC as “an icon of Irish music”, the band have played at festivals from Rock in Rio to Glastonbury, toured with the Irish President and struck up tunes on the Great Wall of China.

Dervish have a line-up which includes some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians, fronted by one of the country’s best-known singers, Cathy Jordan.

The Guardian newspaper commented: “Dervish are simply brilliant . . They carry Irish history with them.”

Dervish are long-established as one of the biggest names in Irish music internationally. They’re renowned for live performances which match dazzling sets of tunes with stunning interpretations of traditional songs. Their studio and live albums – 12 to date – make up one of the outstanding catalogues in Irish music. They are regular visitors to the US, where their concerts are often sold out, however their fanbase stretches across several continents.  They spend much of their time traveling across Europe, and have also toured in Asia, South America and Australia.

They were the first Irish band to play the world’s biggest music festival, Rock in Rio, performing to an estimated 250,000 people. They were chosen to travel with the Irish prime minister on a visit to China, and with the Irish President on overseas visits.

Over the years they’ve been on the same bill as artists such as James Brown, Neil Young, Sting and even Iron Maiden!

In 2016 Dervish are still busy touring internationally and still making plans. The band are excited about signing for the renowned US roots label Rounder. There are major projects ahead – new growths from those Irish roots!

All six members of Dervish are steeped in the musical traditions of counties Sligo and Leitrim in north-west Ireland. It’s an area which matches Atlantic coastline with storied mountains and rural landscapes. It has inspired a host of musicians, artists and writers, including the Nobel Prize-winning poet W. B. Yeats. The Dervish line-up is well established. In fact it includes four members from the earliest days of the band in 1989 – Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute/whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola/mandolin) and Michael Holmes (bouzouki). Singer Cathy Jordan, also a mean bodhran (drum) player, joined in 1991 and fiddle Tom Morrow in 1998.