What a treat. Dervish were chosen by An Taoiseach Berty Ahern to accompany him and his entourage on the visit he made to China this week.

I was lucky enough to get an invite to the gig and reception in Shanghai, plus the band came down to The Blarney Stone afterwards and played until the wee hours of the next morning. Iwas glad I booked the next day off as holiday.

Their set at the reception lasted about an hour and they did a combination of trad tunes and songs. They also performed a traditional Chinese number called 'Full of Joy' which if any of you have a copy of the 1985 Chieftans tour of China album you will be familiar with.

Their timing togehter was fantstically tight and they were a joy to see and hear perform.

The session they did at the Blarney was more informal and I was able to watch Cathy Jordan the vocalist, bodhran and bones player at close quarters. She is an incredible bodhran player and her 'sat down' dance routine as she plays the drum is something else to watch.

A really nice friendly bunch of pro-musicians and I feel bloody lucky to have been in the right place at the right time.