A Mighty Wind

"I was born in Scramogue, Country Roscommon. I'm living in Sligo now. My interest in music was instilled in me at an early age by my father, who himself sang a lot as part of social events and in local lounges, although he would have dismissed any idea that you could make a career out of it. I suspect, it wasn't until he saw me on the Late Late Show that he began to think otherwise.

"We had a gramophone in the house as well as the wireless. A great many records were sent to us from America, everything from The Carter Family to Hank Williams and Boxcar Willie. A neighbour, the guitar-player Colm Casey, came home from London with a huge collection of records, including Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Loudon Wainwright, the McGarrigles plus lots of folk stuff like Martin Carthy, Planxty and The Bothy Band. I never made any distinction between different types of music, really. It wasn't until I joined Dervish that I discovered there were rules as to what you could or couldn't play.
"In 1990 Dervish asked me to come on board. My sister was in college in Sligo. When I'd visit her I'd gravitate to where the live music was. There was a great music pub in Sligo back then called Hennigan's that spawned bands like Peel The Grape, The Hennigan's Blooze Band and Who Said What. Shane, Michael and Brian from Dervish used to play the trad sessions. I sang there too with my guitar and supported them while I was working as a pastry chef in Longford.
"They were asked to make a record of the music of Sligo called the Boys of Sligo. It was meant to be a one-off, but the gigs started coming in. Brian used to sing, but one night, in the Ballroom of Romance in Glenfarne, he was singing with his eyes shut. When he opened them there was nobody left! So drastic measures were called for and they asked me to join. Because they didn't have a bodhran player in the band I became one by default.
"I've never made a long-term plan in my life, so to think we're still together after 20 years is amazing. It's taken me all over the world and I'm still loving it.
"Looking back, there are so many highlights. Playing on the Great Wall of China was phenomenal. We played the Rock In Rio Festival between Iron Maiden and Sepultura. The Edmonton Folk Festival was brilliant, as was the Jazz Festival in Norway. I wouldn't have got to those places as a pastry chef! If there was a lowlight... well the disappointing vote we received representing Ireland at Eurovision wasn't exactly our finest moment. That said, we haven't really suffered the gigs -rom-hell that other bands seem to have. In 21 years, I've only missed one performance, when we played at a school and I had to go to my uncle's funeral.
"Of course, I love playing live. Some nights you might feel you're not extrovert enough to go out and do it for an audience. As soon as you get there though, something clicks and you go for it. I also enjoy rehearsing, teasing out the heart of a song. I enjoy researching for new songs we can sing or record. People are constantly sending us tapes of material they think might suit. I'm always looking for songs that aren't too ordinary and which have an attractive melody. I'm also interested in the story a song tells. The new album has a version of Bob Dylan's ‘Boots Of Spanish Leather'. That came about because I was asked to sing at a Bob Dylan 60th birthday gig in Dublin. I was really excited about it until I found out Dylan himself wouldn't actually be there! The idea was for a bunch of artists to sing their favourite Dylan song – and that's been a favourite of mine for a long time. It's now one of the most requested songs we do. There's a great vocal range in it.
"The Dervish gig from Sebastopol on the 21 Years album was recorded at a festival we've been attending throughout our career. We have so many friends over there, it's nearly like a homecoming gig. Swedish band Vasen were there at the same time and we played with them. Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill joined us too. We hadn't planned on actually releasing it. I've never made a solo album. I'm currently working on one, trying to get the right material together. I'm writing lots for it too, as well as looking at songs my father and mother used to sing. I'm going over to Sweden to record it and will release it next year.
"Traditional music is in your bones, and it sweeps you along. You have to be in it for the long haul. We're keepers of the flame, and have a responsibility to the music. We have a duty to pass it on to future generations. That's one of the attractions of doing the Irish Heartbeat With Dervish radio show in the States. It is an opportunity to share some of our great music with fans who might never, ever get the chance to experience Irish music first-hand but who have a great thirst for it."

IN THEIR OWN WORDS
DERVISH'S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Michael Holmes
"I think we'd all cite the Rock In Rio festival as the musical highlight of our career. However, there were so many other notables along the way. I loved our visit to China with the Irish government delegation five years ago. To see Beijing's main streets shut down so our motorcade could rocket through at 80mph was a memorable spectacle. A more recent myriad of highlights happened 18 months ago when we made our series of radio programmes, Irish Heartbeat With Dervish. The guests we were privileged to work with were all musical heroes of ours. It was truly memorable to play music with people like Paddy Moloney, Noel Hill and Moya Brennan."

Brian Mc Donagh
"The night we recorded 'Josfin's Waltz' with Vasen. We first met Vasen 1994 at the Falun Folk Festival in Sweden. We were instantly mesmerised by their extraordinary music. Olov, Mikael and Roger on nyckelharpa, viola and 12-string guitar play quirky original tunes with a strong Swedish flavour. We became best of friends and the next year we were invited by the Swedish Arts Council to undertake a month-long tour of the country. The visit took us to the very north, to the land of the midnight sun and the 'Sami', as the native people of that region are known. We were left with great memories. On one occasion, we were driving through the night and we pulled over on the tightly packed snow road and watched the Aurora Borealis overhead in the deathly silence.
"During that tour we began playing 'Josefin's Waltz' and fell in love with it. We incorporated it into the old Mike Hanley song 'I Courted A Wee Girl'. They fitted like hand and glove. On our return to Ireland we began working on our album, At The End Of Day. It quickly became clear we were going to have to ask Vasen to join us on the track. We were recording in Paul Ash Brown's studio The Works, in Dublin. I still recall the look on Paul's face when the three Swedish giants arrived, followed by Andreas the percussionist, who was in his Native American Indian mode, complete with Moccasins and feathers in his hair. After a few hours of setting up, and one or two run-throughs, we were ready to go. Paul pressed record and we all played together. And that was it, no mixing, no fixing, no messing. Paul nailed it the first time and there was no room for improvement."

Shane Mitchell
"For me it has to be the bigger festivals and concerts that we performed at. There were so many nights at which the buzz was massive. To play the music we grew up with from Ireland in front of thousands of people was great. Other standouts include Paleo in Switzerland, Rock In Rio in, er, Rio and some of the Fleadhs in Finsbury Park in London in the late '90s. In particular, I remember one of our many visits to the Edmonton Folk Festival in Canada where we had a great slot on the night, and the band were in perfect form for the gig. There must have been 40,000 people out front and the PA was incredible. The band really rocked that night – it was close to the perfect gig. Another indoor concert that stands out was Symphony Space in New York – what a room to perform in. Likewise performing at the National Symphony Hall in Toyko last year was amazing. They were many great occasions when we met other bands who we made great friends with. It's always good to meet fellow musicians while on tour. The new radio series is great fun also – it's a fantastic opportunity to jam with other musicians. I have to say being given the Freedom of the Borough of Sligo was very special for me also."

Liam Kelly
"My highlights from the last 21 years start with a trip to China and Malaysia back in 1997. Getting to the Great Wall was a really big deal for me and playing in China and seeing the country was fantastic. In 2001, performing at Rock in Rio was another huge occasion for Dervish. Playing in Israel was wonderful too. Floating in the Dead Sea was a great kick for the non-swimmers. Another trip to China with the Irish trade mission and Bertie Ahern in 2005 sticks out in the memory. In 2007, we accompanied President Mary McAleese on a State visit to Latvia and Lithuania, which was a major honour for the band. Playing in the USA for the last 20 years has also been very enjoyable. It's the country we have been most successful in. We continue to tour extensively there every year."

Tom Morrow
"My highlight has to be playing the Rock In Rio festival. It was an unbelieveable experience. The audience were all decked out in their Iron Maiden t-shirts and bandanas waiting for them to come onstage after us. They still went crazy when we started playing. The reception was extraordinary! We also had a couple of trips to China, which were really memorable. On one of the trips we accompanied Bertie Ahern on a government trade mission. We were able to get a slice of the local life, while also being part of motor cavalcades, flying in private planes... all a bit surreal!