If you think Celtic music is "Riverdance" and the formal-gown clad women of "Celtic Women," think again. Next Friday night, the Celtic group Dervish will make you re-think what Celtic music is.
“A lot of people, when they ask for Celtic (music), ask for the same things Carlisle has had before. Not too many Celtic groups will play a Cher song. Well, this isn’t exactly the old Celtic everybody has had. They’re a little bit more spirited, a little bit more pop, a little bit more relevant,” Thom O’Neil, programming co-ordinator for Carlisle Theatre, said.
The group rarely tours in the U.S., so getting them to come to Carlisle was quite a coup.
“In Ireland, they’re treated as Celtic gods. They don’t come to the United States all that often, so we’re very excited about it,” O’Neil added.
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 9, with opening act John Byrne, an Irishman who now lives in Philly.
Tickets are $36, $31, $26 and $10 for students.
History
Dervish hails from the Irish coastal town of Sligo, which is renowned for its picturesque setting and shellfish. In Gaelic, the town’s name is rendered “Sligeach,” meaning “shelly place.”
For literary buffs, it’s also the home of W.B. Yeats.
Roughly the same size as Carlisle, Sligo is internationally known in the world of music for its traditional Irish music, according to a press release from the theatre.
Dervish, the most successful band ever to come out of Sligo, started in 1989 as the Boys of Sligo. They changed their name to Dervish in honor of the groups of spiritual people who are enraptured by music, according to the press release.
The band comprises Cathy Jordan, Tom Morrow, Seamus O’Dowd, Shane Mitchell, Liam Kelley, Michael Holmes and Brian McDonagh.
Some of the instruments they play are familiar — flute, drums, accordion, guitar, mandolin — but the bouzouki might throw people.
A bouzouki is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family.
The band has been awarded the “Freedom of Sligo” medals and have been documented as ambassadors for Ireland, as they have been asked to accompany Ireland’s prime minister on trips to China, Latvia and Lithuania.
Fun facts
According to the group’s website:
• Dervish is the only band ever from Ireland to appear at Rock in Rio, the worlds biggest music festival.
• Dervish was one of the acts that opened Ireland’s first Irish language TV station, TG4.
• Dervish are free people of their native Sligo following in the foot steps of W.B. Yeats, Mother Theresa of Calcutta and others.
• Dervish songs have been part of the music curriculum in colleges in various parts of the U.S.
• The Football Association of Ireland’s commissioned Dervish to write a piece of music “The Mighty Tribe” to enhance the national soccer team’s new brand image.
• The music of Dervish was used as part of an official TV advertisement for the Kentucky Derby.
• Cathy Jordan was voted in the top ten most distinctive voices in Ireland by the listeners of the popular John Creedon radio show in Ireland.
