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Traditional music represents a departure
Dervish for Ireland 2007!
Dervish have released ten CDs over a nearly 20 year career. They are among the most well-respected traditional music groups in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora. Currently on tour in the US, Dervish will also be performing in continental Europe before returning home for Christmas.
Similar to last year, songwriters will have until 8 January 2007 to submit a 3 minute original song for consideration. The "final four" songs will be performed on 16th February 2007 on The late late show, with the public selecting its favourite via a televote.
Kevin Linehan, Commissioning Editor, Entertainment Programmes, RTÉ Television, said "With the Eurovision now an increasingly complex and competitive competition, RTÉ feels that Dervish's proven experience of delivering exciting performances to mass live audiences around the world makes them an exciting proposition for the Eurovision stage. We look forward to finding the best song for Dervish to take to Finland in 2007."
Shane Mitchell of Dervish said on RTE's website: "We are honoured to accept RTÉ's invitation to represent Ireland at Eurovision 2007 and look forward to raising the roof of the Areena in Helsinki."
Thanks to Brian Kennedy's 10th place finish with Every song is a cry for love Ireland is directly qualified for the final of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. Ireland has previously won the contest in 1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996 - the most wins by any participating country.
To see a performance by Dervish from the Festival Sons do Atlantico in 2005, click the 'play icon' below.
Related polls
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Best act not to qualify from the semi finals
- 2008 esctoday.com award nominations: Most traditional Europop song
- First quarter final in Bulgaria: your favourite?
- Jury vote, do you agree?
- Jury vote only in the final or in the semis as well?
- What mixture of televote and jury vote do you think is the best?
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Hi guys, well, as a pro musician from the west of ireland myself, I think I was extremely surprised to hear Dervish were the group chosen to represent our country. I would have thought that there were far more entertaining trad outfits out there if that was what we were looking for, and quite honestly my main reason for saying so is this. While they are a good trad band , they are certainly not world class or indeed even euro class, and their vocalist is one of the few singers I know of, who is capable of singing a song from start to finsh in a key that is at least a half-tone flat , or indeed sometimes sharp, to what the instruments are playing. That would be my main worry for Dervish, and not so much their musicianship. Its all about the song and the singer on the night and I'm afraid that Cathy Jordan is lacking in that regard and while she can sing certain old style, Sean nos songs, reasonably well she has also been known to murder quality songs , and is certainly not a versitile vocalist for the bigger stage of europe. Just my humble opinion !!
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I'm really very curious what the entries will be for Helsinki 2007: Will it be Dracula from Romania, a circus from Germany, a wooden shoes dance from the Netherlands and a group of toreadores from Spain? Most of it has been done allready, so what's next?
Maybe not such a bad choice for Ireland: stick to what your good at and let's be honest: (almost)everybody loves the typical Irish sound.....
music seems nice.. thanks for sharing.. good luck ireland.. i think they should have a whirling derwish accompanied their show in helsinki.. i am sure this music will collect all the points ireland needs from whole eastern europe.
well im irish and i have never heard of them!!!!!!
it all depends on the song i suppose
Maybe know, Dervish orginally DerviĹ and this word is Turkish... This religious name. Good Luck IRELAND !!!
Seamus, you appear intelligent, in all my writing here where have I rubbished Dervish???
@ John Bear,
Yes I have read everything you've written. You obviously aren't too happy with the RTE's choice, fair enough. But to admit that you'e never heard of them (and their music) and then rubbish them is a bit rich. If you are a big an ESC fan as you say you are you will now that most Irish representatives were unknown when they were selected, even outright winners like Niamh Kavanagh and Emer Quinn. At the risk of repeating myself I'm glad that RTE has gone down this route rather than jumping on the bandwagon and opting for a piece of mindless europop. Why do what everyone else is doing? Now I wont be wasting anymore of your time or mine on this matter we'll just have to agree to differ.
Seamus , you havent read a word ive said, im not knocking the group at all, im sure they are wonderful, I love trad music.It cannot be denied they are not generally well known, it was RTE's idea to put well known artists forward since the recent debarcles of search for a star.
I am knocking making such a fuss over the group before hearing the song...
I am knocking showing the rest of Europe this is the only type of music besides boring ballads we can produce, which is not true.
@ John Bear,
Yes the song is important, but you are the one who is knocking a group who you yourself claim you've never heard of. You are not even prepared to give them a chance. That sums you up. I rest my case!
Seamus, Even though I live in London, my connections to ireland are far reaching, all my immediate family live there, I myself go home all the time, my connections with RTE and the Irish music industry also may suprise you, one of my best friends being Bill Hughes of Between the jigs and reels fame, so I believe I have as good a right as any to make my comments.
I stick 100% to all I have said, a virtually unknown very trad orientated act to represent Ireland may be all well and good, The song is the important thing, without a good one we may as well have Podge and Rodge represent us.As for your stats, Irish music may be popular in Europe but so is most other genres.... this does not make a winner..
For pities sake Ireland gave their 12 pts to lithuania, I rest my case..
@ John Bear,
Correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to remember you saying that you don't live in Ireland so you may well be the one out of touch. For a start many of the favourable comment, if you took the trouble to look at the profiles were not from Irish people. I'd say it was nearer to 50/50.
Secondly, have you any idea how few single are sold in Ireland when it comes to the charts?, the few that are bought are by teenage girls, so in reality the Irish charts represent only a tiny facet of the total music scene here.
There was a very interesting discussion on RTE radio this morning about our choice for 2007. I wont bore you with the details but if you go to a website called europeanirish.com and click on " What, an Irish Trad group for the Eurovision - Are we mad?" and also look at the Irish music section and you will see that there is an huge interest in traditional music all over europe. You can't say that about music from other countries. I rest my case. You might not like this type of music, but plenty do. You may even be ashamed of what you dismiss as "didley oirish", but I'm not. Yes we can do other things, but we've not done this before. Oh yeah, I nearly forgot, there's a "h" in dichotomy!
Now go off and lick your sore paw like a good bear!
@ Seamus Cork, I am glad im in the minority.
What you say is all well and good , but you are so completely missing the point.
This is a contest to find a song....
It appears most of the comments come from Irish people.
It has already been noted that Dervish may have released 9 cds but are relativley unknown in the mainstream Irish music scene.
Your dicotomy of celtic music is wonderful, but who cares..?
I do not see this as positive for Ireland, it is a cop out, like saying this is all we can do, diddly oirish music, which is so not true, you sir need to look at the Irish music charts and see how many Dervishes are in it...?
@ John Bear
I don't agree with your comment about celtic music peaking in the 90's. For a start the term "celtic music" is not an accurate term at all. Most people who use it don't really know much about Irish history and culture. Many scientists have come to the conclusion in recent years that we are not celts at all, our language is celtic but genetically we are not. I hardly think that "The Voice" winning in '96 and "Nocturne" winning in '96 represents a peak in Irish music. "Irish inspired new age" might be the best term for both these pieces, though to be honest I never saw anything particularly Irish about "Nocturne". Dervish are a million miles away from that, they represent the true face of traditional Irish music. As I've said already the traditional music scene here is very much alive and not something dragged out on national holidays only with people dressed in traditional costumes, like some sort of historical pagent you'll find in the rest of europe. Traditional Irish music is far more relevant here in Ireland than white rap is in Britain, country & western in Germany or the likes Lordi are in Finland, and judging from the mainly positive comments on this thread you seem to be in a small minority.
I am quite astonished at some of the very irrevelant comments here.
We have to wait for the song, first and formost, it doesnt matter how accomplished or established Dervish are if the song is useless.
Irelands main problem till last year, in my opinion was the choice of songs sent.
They were dreadful. Especially Love...
I have no issue with a country showing its ethnic roots, I am however concerned it should represent popular music as that is this is the purpose of the contest.
This years winner did perform in a genre that charts and sells well world wide, Celtic music is a folk format, it is popular but not with the masses.
It really peaked in the 90's but since has not been seen or heard much since.
I have been waiting since 1996 for us to send something that represents our nation so well and am over the moon with RTE's decision
No other country in the world has a sound that stands out as being so representative of the country. You go anywhere in the world and you hear a tin whistle, uileann pipes or a bodhran you immediately know it's Irish.
I'm well chuffed with this and i'm sure we're gonna do really well - I'd rather have us stick to our roots rather than attempt some crappy drum n bass, heavy metal or similar style that just goes with the flow.
Eireann Abu!
Re:Gordon Arnolds,]comments "has the 21st century by passed Ireland" he has no idea about Irish,culture,and it's music.we Irish,are very proud of our culture,and just because we keep ot alive today does not mean we are in touch with the 21st century,far from it,the IT components in his pc were almost certainly made in Ireland,a vibrant forward looking European nation.
seamus, I totally agreed.
you are the only person you has spoke some sense on this website, thank you.
@ Gordon Arnold
No, the 21st century has not passed us by. At least RTE has not decide to jump on the bandwagon, I for one am glad that they've decided to do their own thing. Not everyone will like it, but the Irish traditional music scene is probably the most vibrant in the whole of europe It's also a lot more varied and diverse than something you might have heard in a pub, or worse still an "Oirish" pub abroad full of Brits who wouldn't know an set of uileann pipes from a bodhran.
To those who are whinging about something different, this is different! Ireland wont be doing death metal, glam rock, rap, eastern ethnic, or worst of all mindless pop, we are doing our own thing, take it or leave it!
Presumably the clip is meant to be representative of the type of music Dervish make ? To me it sounds extremely repetitive and dull, the kind of background music you don't listen to in an Irish pub. Has the 21st century bypassed Ireland?
There definitely is an element of anti-irishness on this forum, luckily though people other than these get to vote at Eurovision and as last year proved ,whats unpopular (or popular-kate ryan anyone???)with the esctoday polls isn't necessarily shared by the wider audience on the night.
As for this year's entry, lets wait until we hear the SONG until the bitchiness begins.
I dont comment much, but why has this website gone so bitchy and backstabing other countries including my country Ireland.
People saying its dull stupid etc. Get a life, its our choice, dont insult it.
ESCTODAY.COM - DELETE THIS LINE: "Traditional music represents a departure", Total insult to the Irish.
CHOICE* LOL
HOW STUPID ME! =)
WOW! GREAT CHOISE,I THINK IRELAND CAN MAKE IT THIS YEAR WITH THIER FUNTASTIC IRISH FOLK MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOOD LUCK IRELAND!
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Again etno, how dull!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
An interesting choice from RTÉ, but as far as I'm aware live music is no longer a possibility at the ESc under the current rules? I can't imagine Dervish pretending to play instruments over a backing track being as energetic and endearing as their live performances...
an excellent choice for our entry this year!! Dervish are an amazing trad band and have really produced some lively and beautiful tunes..... Look..... if we can get this right we will win it in helsinki. The time is up for euro pop, stupid acts on stage,girls practically naked and monsters etc.....back to real music real instruments and proper tunes. We so serious about winning it....and yes Norway had a beautiful tune but it could have been from any country...there is no mistaking Irish music....Brand Ireland is back !! I so excited about the potential here.
Oh god, can't Ireland [i]ever[/i] do something different?!?
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