The BBC has called them “an icon of Irish music.” It’s the band Dervish, born 35 years ago out of pub sessions in Northwest Ireland. They’ll make their UGA Presents debut at Hodgson Concert Hall on March 28 at 7:30 p.m.
At the end of 2019, Dervish received a lifetime achievement award from the BBC, a fitting tribute to the band after more than 30 years of recording and performing all over the world. The band has played at festivals from Rio to Glastonbury. They accompanied the Irish president on state visits to Latvia and Lithuania and the prime minister of Ireland on a trade mission to China as cultural ambassadors, taking time out to play an impromptu session on the Great Wall of China. Dervish has a lineup that includes some of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians, fronted by one of the country’s best-known singers, Cathy Jordan.
Dervish has established itself as one of the biggest names in Irish music internationally. They’re renowned for live performances. Their studio and live albums—13 to date—make up one of the outstanding catalogs in Irish music.
They are regular visitors to the U.S., performing sellout shows from coast to coast. However, their fan base stretches across several continents, including Europe, Asia and South America. They were the first Irish band to play the world’s biggest music festival, Rock in Rio, performing to an estimated 250,000 people. Over the years, they’ve been on the same bill as artists such as James Brown, Neil Young, Sting and even Iron Maiden.
All six members of Dervish are steeped in the musical traditions of counties Sligo and Leitrim in northwest Ireland. It’s an area that matches Atlantic coastline with storied mountains and rural landscapes. It has inspired a host of musicians, artists and writers, including Nobel Prize-winning poet W. B. Yeats.
In 2004, Dervish was given the freedom of Sligo City in a civic reception, an accolade they share with Yeats himself, Michael Flatley and Countess Markievicz. Dervish formed in 1989 when four of the founding members met while playing informal sessions in the pubs of Sligo—Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute/whistle), Brian McDonagh (mandola/mandolin) and Michael Holmes (bouzouki). They were soon joined by Roscommon-born singer and bodhran (drum) player Cathy Jordan and later by all Ireland Fiddle Champion Tom Morrow in 1998.
This performance is supported by Jim and Carol Warnes.
Three ways to get tickets
- Purchase tickets online at pac.uga.edu.
- Call the Performing Arts Center box office at 706-542-4400, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center box office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (five-minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.)
Single tickets begin at $25, and UGA student tickets are just $10. Parking is free.
To learn more about all UGA Performing Arts Center events, visit pac.uga.edu.