Ireland is Eurovision's most successful country,
with a record seven victories in the contest. However things have
not gone as well in recent years, as it's now over ten years since
Ireland last claimed victory and only one Irish entry since 2001
has finished in the Top 10. That success came in Athens in 2006,
meaning that Ireland has automatically qualified for this year's
final.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ decided to repeat the
same formula as 2006 in choosing this year's entry, with one act
performing a selection of potential Eurovision entries and the
public voting for its favourite. In November 2006, RTÉ announced
that the act that would represent Ireland in Helsinki would be the
six piece Sligo based traditional music group Dervish. While the
band are very well known on the folk and traditional music circuit,
their selection as Ireland's 2007 entrants surprised the vast
majority of Ireland's Eurovision fans.
For the next two months songwriters from all
over Europe submitted potential Eurovision songs to RTÉ and on
February 16th Dervish performed four songs on a "Late Late
Show - Eurosong 2007" special. The song which was chosen by
the public was "They Can't Stop The Spring" written and
composed by Irish Times writer John Waters and his longtime
songwriting partner Tommy Moran.
In 1989 by a group of five musicians Liam Kelly,
Shane Mitchell, Martin Mc Ginley, Brian Mc Donagh and Michael
Holmes came together to record an album of local music which was
released as "The Boys of Sligo". Inspired by the project
they decided to develop this informal gathering into a working band
under the name Dervish which was chosen as it related to any group
of spiritual people who become enraptured by music. Over the
following two years Dervish honed their craft as a formative band
and in 1991, Roscommon born singer Cathy Jordan and all Ireland
champion fiddle player Shane Mc Aleer joined the band giving them
the right balance to produce the first Dervish album Harmony Hill
which was released in 1992.
The impact of that album soon became apparent,
winning widespread critical acclaim and the album was described by
many as “a landmark Irish traditional album”. Substantial TV
and radio exposure for the band and the album began to open all
kind of doors. Dervish soon became one of the most sought after
acts on the live music circuit worldwide and have continued to
remain so over the years. This demand led to the band touring
continuously throughout 1993 and performing at all the major folk
festivals. The following year their keenly awaited second album was
released. “Playing with Fire” was released and began the band's
worldwide travels to satisfy the demand created by both albums. The
album reached number 1 in the Irish Folk Music Charts and
World/Roots music charts internationally and stayed on top for
several months.
With their reputation firmly established,
Dervish now set their sights on the American market, signing a deal
with the New York-based Kells Music. The release of their two
albums in the USA saw the demand for the band take off in dramatic
terms. Performances at highly regarded festivals projected Dervish
into a new sphere of operation on a worldwide scale. Dervish
received nominations and awards in a variety of traditional/folk
music polls including two in the IRMAs in Ireland. In 1996 Dervish
released “At the End of the Day", which firmly established
the band as a major force in world music, winning them the Hot
Press Folk Album of the Year Award. In the same year the band
performed a series of shows in Hong Kong and Malaysia which opened
the door to the Far Eastern market.
Since then
Dervish have been a ground breaking force within Irish music
bringing the roots of Ireland's traditional and folk music to
almost all continents. The band's live concerts are highly
regarded and in 1997 "Live in Palma" brought the live
sound to CD. This double album has been hailed by critics as one
of the best live traditional recordings of our time. The same year
the readers of Irish Music Magazine awarded Dervish Best Overall
Trad/Folk Band of the Year.
1998 was
another grueling year for the group. It started with a six-week
coast to coast sell out tour of the USA and a first ever-Irish
tour which enjoyed considerable success. That year also saw slight
reshuffle of the group with Shane McAleer taking a career break,
replaced by Séamus O¹Dowd a talented fiddler and guitarist. Just
before the end of the year, the addition of fiddle player Leitrim
man Tom Morrow and another All Ireland Champion completed the
present line up of the band. Also in 1999 the new look Dervish
took to the studio, bringing with it a bigger sound prompted by
the seven-piece line up Cathy Jordan (vocals, bodhrán, bones),
Tom Morrow (fiddle, viola), Shane Mitchell accordion), Liam Kelly
(flute, low whistle), Séamus O¹Dowd (guitars, harmonica),
Michael Holmes (bouzouki) and Brian Mc Donagh (mandola, mandolin).
Again it looked as if Dervish could do no wrong with the resulting
album “Midsummer¹s Night” being voted Irish Trad Album of the
Year by many publications.
To celebrate ten
years together, Dervish released “Decade” in March 2001. “Decade”
is a compilation of some of the finest tracks from their five
highly acclaimed albums of Irish traditional music recorded over
the last ten years. Around this period great innovation was
happening in the Dervish rehearsal room and on stage which led to
the release of “Spirit”. This was without doubt an album that
gave a new focus to the arrangement and production of the band's
sound. In this year Dervish had their proudest moment to date when
Sligo City Council bestowed the "Freedom of The Borough of
Sligo". This award was for their international artistic
achievements and their dedication and promotion of their local
heritage.
Eurovision isn't the first time that
Dervish has represented Ireland. In 2006 Irish Prime Minister
Bertie Ahern invited Dervish to accompany government ministers on
the countries biggest ever trade mission which was to China. Later
that same year the band released an album from their rapidly
expanding back catalog. "A Healing Heart" featured
slower material recorded over the years.
Since
being selected to represent Ireland at Eurovision Dervish have
been recording their latest album, due out in May and another
American tour. Whether its the lack of European promotion or the
rather unusual (for Eurovision) style of their entry, "They
Can't Stop The Spring" has been rated among the "also
rans" with bookmakers and hasn't set internet polls alight.
Songwriter
Tommy Moran was born in Co Roscommon. From an early age he played
a number of instruments, including guitar, piano, accordian and
tin whistle. He played for several years with a number of groups
and showbands. He subsequently worked as an electronic engineer
but continued to play and write music. In 2000 and 2001, he won
the Glinsk Song Contest with songs co-written with his
father-in-law, J.J. Flanelly. He was shortlisted for Eurovision on
one previous occasion.
Co-songwriter John Waters
was also born in Co Roscommon. As a teenager he began writing
songs with his neighbour Tommy Moran. He subsequently became a
journalist, author and playwright. His first book, "Jiving At
The Crossroads" (1991), about the cultural underbelly of
Irish politics, was a bestseller. His other publications include
"Race of Angels" (1994) a study of the roots of U2's
music in Irish history and culture. His most recent book is
"The Politburo Has Decided That You Are Unwell" (2004).
His award-winning plays include "Long Black Coat" (1994)
and "Easter Dues" (1997). He currently writes a weekly
column for The Irish Times.
John Waters has
explained his involvement in Eurovision. "When we heard that
Dervish were going to represent Ireland in Eurovision we decided
to write a song combining an Irish flavour and a European theme,
one that addressed the changing nature of both Ireland and
Europe". "They Can't Stop the Spring is a kind of Celtic
celebration of the eastern European revolutions and their eventual
outcome, including the presence in Ireland of thousands of new
Irish from Czech, Slovakian and Latvia."
![[]](images/ie.gif)
IRELAND @ EUROVISION