During the fleadh last week in Derry I was fortunate to catch up backstage of the Dervish gig with Irish dancer Tura Arutura from Ballygowan in Co. Down! Tura danced during the Dervish gig at Victoria Market on the Friday night. Originally from Zimbabwe, he knows more about Irish culture than Irish people!
I asked him what his thoughts were on the Doire fleadh. Tura said, ‘having been to the past two fleadhs, this week has been a life changing experience. You realise just where you are. It’s a giant of culture’.
Tura told me that he had been to the New York Irish festival just recently and that it was great but the flead over recent days ‘has made an impression on my life which is life changing. It’s amazing’.
Hearing a dancer talking about the fleadh like this really shows that it wasn’t just the audiences who were blown away by the music and culture, but the participants themselves. Fleadh Doire ’13 has left it’s mark on many!