Sligo's loss is Beijing's gain this St Patrick's weekend as traditional band Dervish, who recently became the first Irish group to play in Colombia, depart for China. Up to 1,000 people will hear Dervish play tomorrow night at the "Great Wall Ball" in Beijing.
The total Irish population in the city is small, so a lot of locals will have their first encounter with live Irish music. The band are playing in Xiamen tonight and will also be using the tour to meet distribution companies to ensure that their albums will be available locally. Dervish have released five albums on their own Whirling Disks label, the latest being Midsummer's Night.
The band have added to the cultural life of Sligo by buying their own pub, Furey's on Bridge Street, and playing there regularly. It was the scene recently for a presentation of a cheque for close to £2,000 to Amnesty International, the proceeds of a benefit concert.
Over the coming months, Dervish will play in Germany, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem before touring the US but will also fit in a Dublin gig in April.