Their less-than-spectacular Eurovision experience of a few years back may have gained them a wider audience – for reasons that had little to do with what makes Dervish such a significaznt proposition. But that was a mere blip in a 24-year career that has seen the Sligo outfit, fronted by the sweet-voiced Cathy Jordan, bring a freshness and vitality to traditional music while staying rooted in their native county.
Like The Chieftains before them Dervish have carried the music around the world, performing at the Great Wall of China, Rock in Rio and the Grand Canyon, and always delivering their music with gusto and distinction.

They’re back in the groove on The Thrush In The Storm, their first album as a group in a whopping five years. Opener ‘The Green Gowned Lass’ combines four lively jigs and reels, setting the pace nicely; ‘The Lover’s Token’ veers more towards British folk and could comfortably sit in the repertoire of the Waterson Family or even Fairport Convention back in their heyday.
They know the tradition inside out and it shows. Elsewhere, ‘The Banks Of The Clyde’ is again sung beautifully by Jordan and ‘The Harp & The Shamrock’ features some lovely mandolin/fiddle interplay. Dervish are one of Ireland’s finest purveyors of folk music. Long may they flourish.

Key Track: ‘The Lover’s Token’