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Home Page > News > Irish trad group Dervish withdraws from Israeli tour after torrent of ‘venom’ on social media

Irish trad group Dervish withdraws from Israeli tour after torrent of ‘venom’ on social media

Palestinian support group says it drove band away

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Friday, May 4, 2012, 7:58 AM

Updated Friday, May 4, 2012, 7:58 AM

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Dervish

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A Palestine support group has claimed they are responsible for the cancellation of an Israeli concert tour by traditional Irish band Dervish.

The Donegal based group has confirmed to the Irish Times newspaper that it is withdrawing from a three gig visit to Israel.

Band leader Cathy Jordan told the paper that they have pulled out of the concert tour due to an: “An avalanche of negativity and venom directed towards us on social media websites.”

She said: “We are not politically minded and were only due to go on the three-date tour at the invitation of an Israeli friend and musician called Avshalom.”

Writing on Facebook, Jordan added: “In hindsight, it was very naive of me to think our motives would not be misunderstood and misrepresented.”

Jordan said on the band website: “Although I was aware of the concerns with our proposed visit to Israel, I wasn’t quite prepared for the extent of the venom directed at us.

“I deeply regret any upset caused by all of this. It was far from our intention to stir up all this anger and hatred, when the opposite was what was intended.”

“I will continue to attempt to make the world a better place through music. I live in hope that one day love will conquer all.”

The band added: “We have opted out of the tour because we were unaware there was a cultural boycott in place when we agreed to the performances.”

The paper reports that, in fact, there is no official boycott of Israel and says Irish artists are free to play in the country if they wish.

Some Irish acts however – including Donal Lunny and Damien Dempsey - have refused to play in Israel in protest at the treatment of the Palestinian people.

The Israeli embassy in Dublin has described the boycott called for as ‘cultural terror and a ‘particular shame as culture is supposed to unite people’.

Meanwhile members of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign have claimed that they were the ones responsible for forcing the band to call off the tour.

National co-ordinator Kevin Squires told the Irish Times that the organisation had made the band aware of the cultural boycott and had directed its supporters to target its website, although he denied there was any venom directed towards it.

Nster.com

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58 Comments

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100%irishbeef | Dec 30, 2012, 07:24 PM EST

"cultural terror" LOL .... funny stuff. move eamonn, if you're that hard for israel ...MOVE

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EamonnDublin | May 14, 2012, 03:53 AM EDT

Did I just hear a tiny little pipsqueek, somewhere in the bush? Where did I put that flyswat? I thought I had got the little divil last time. Boring little fellow! SWAT! SWAT! There, that should do it! Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland. I STAND WITH ISRAEL. I hate pipsqueeks.

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seanomelb | May 13, 2012, 07:27 PM EDT

In your own narrow little mind maybe you just do not know when you are beaten.

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EamonnDublin | May 13, 2012, 02:58 AM EDT

"Seanomelb" - Well, thank the Dear Lord for that! Tootle pip, there's a good fellow! I think that makes me the winner. Not that that is anything to get excited about - you're easy meat! (As Napoleon might have said "He who fights and runs away, is beaten!) Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland. I STAND WITH ISRAEL. I DESPISE ISLAMISM.

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seanomelb | May 12, 2012, 07:55 PM EDT

Eamonn be boy You claimed K.Kehoe was wrong when in fact what he said was correct nuff said. Nitpicking proves nothing move on. I'm bored with your narrow bigoted remarks and ending this conversation now.

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EamonnDublin | May 12, 2012, 02:14 AM EDT

"Seanomelb" - the date of your post in which you call me a liar is 5th May, 7.20pm, not 7th May 7.20pm., my mistake. But I'm sure even you would have been able to dig that one out! Éamonn Dublin, Ireland. I STAND WITH ISRAEL. I DESPISE ISLAMISM.

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EamonnDublin | May 12, 2012, 02:06 AM EDT

"Seanomelb" - My, my, oh, my! You really ARE very, very tiresome. I quote your own words directly, from your post of May 7th, 7.20pm - "Your (sic) a passive aggressive Eamonn and hide your Islamic bigotry under a veil of lies". No question mark, just a straight out sentence calling me a liar. Does this fact indicate that your latest post unveils you as a liar? You tell me. AS for your comment that I said that the IDF murders children, I did NOT say that. I clearly said "I condemn the killing of children in what some people call Palestine". I see nothing in that sentence about the IDF. Neither do you - you simply added it to suit your twisted version, as usual. You surely understand that the extremist Muslims murder their own all over the middle east, in suicide bombings, etc. You, as usual, are simply twisting my words around - you obviously do not have a solid argument when you have to twist others' words to suit what you would LIKE them to have said, in order to dig out a response. As Jonathan Swift would have said "To twist another's prose to suit, betrays a lack of handed suit". Your game of cards is up. You lose. Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland. I STAND WITH ISRAEL. I DESPISE ISLAMISM.

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seanomelb | May 11, 2012, 07:41 PM EDT

I only asked if you were a liar I'm sure you know what ?? means. You took a lot of coaxing to come around the my point re the murder of Palestinian children by the Terrorist IDF I'm glad you agree with me. I STAND FOR JUSTICE FOR ALL.

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EamonnDublin | May 11, 2012, 03:57 AM EDT

I see those nasty Israelis are at it again - this time they killed nearly five dozen people in Syria, by suicide bombs. Ooops, no, sorry, my mistake - it's themselves killing themselves again. Now what made me think that it was the Israelis? What has Israel got to do with it? Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland. I STAND WITH ISRAEL.

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EamonnDublin | May 11, 2012, 03:20 AM EDT

"Seanomelb" - I CONDEMN THE KILLING OF CHILDREN IN WHAT SOME PEOPLE CALL "PALESTINE". I CONDEMN THE KILLING OF ISRAELI CHILDREN. I CONDEMN "HONOUR" KILLINGS. I CONDEMN ALL TERRORISM, FROM WHEREVER IT COMES. Am I a liar? No, but at the end of the day my God will judge me and tell me what He thinks of me, including if I am a liar or not in His eyes. As the great Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins SJ, might have said: "To say "liar" to the truthsayer is more than to admit the shallows of your argument; to say "liar" to truth is to admit total defeat". Amen to that. Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland. I STAND WITH ISRAEL.

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seanomelb | May 10, 2012, 07:19 PM EDT

You fail to condemn the killing of women and children in Palestine.You may write all the long-winded drivel you like.I condemn the killings you do not.As far as honour killings are concerned I hope you also condemn them in Christian countries such as eastern Europe and Lebanon or will you take a "selective stance as you do in condoning the murder of Palestinian children. BTW I asked the question are you a liar? not "screamed" it you are the only one who screams (using capitals")Repeat after me "I condemn the killing of Palestinian children" or is it to much for your hateful mind to accept. I stand for humanism you stand for murdering Palestinian children.

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EamonnDublin | May 10, 2012, 04:26 AM EDT

"Seanomelb" - there is no doubt but that you take others' words and twist them to suit your own twisted mind. If I had quoted you, I would have said "quote" - my use of "back-quote" obviously means something different to "quote". In this case it was throwing your words back at you, where you said that I supported the killing of innocent children. That was obvious to any reader of the English language (with a properly functioning brain). I have already quoted the post in which you accused me of supporting the killing of children. (By the way, I don't support the Islamic practice of "honour" killing their teenage and adult daughters), As for your not stating you are anti-Christian, you don't have to say it, we can all see it. AS for despising Islamic, Christian or Jewish fundamentalism, well, the only ones of those three who I hear almost every day saying they are going to take over the world by terror if necessary is the Islamic terrorists. Now, go twist that around. so you can scream "liar" again at me. By the way, I wrote the post headed "Mereflow" on 9th May at 3.56am - I don't know how "mereflow" got to be the header - that is why I always sign myself at the bottom. Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland. I STAND WITH ISRAEL. I DESPISE ISLAMISM. If there were no Israeli army, there would be no Israel. Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.

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seanomelb | May 09, 2012, 08:05 PM EDT

Mereflow and Eamonn the same person or a glitch.Eamon are you now a liar? find me a "back quote" where I condone the killing of innocent children or where I stated I am anti-Christian. I condemned the killing of children and YOU are the one who refuses to condemn the murder of innocent Palestinian children you hypocrite.You are to morally weak in condoning by your silence violence perpetrated by your Terrorist friends in Israel.Mereflow fundamentalism whether it be Islamic, Christian or Jewish is to be despised. In a conversation with a Sheik at the Algiers Mosque (tripoli) I found him very modern and enlightened in his outlook.He also claimed that most mullahs in Libya were moderate.I realise that was just one experience but interesting to obtain his point of view. Unfortunately Mereflow we live in a world where religious extremism of all the major faiths fan the flames of fear and disrespect thus initiating hate speech against those we are told to be afraid of. I do not condemn anyone for paying homage to the god of their choosing.Personally I prefer to call myself a humanist and follow no God.

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merefalow | May 09, 2012, 01:49 PM EDT

i to despise Islamic fundamentalism,implementation of sharia,female circumcision, and the whole beard wearing,cruel to animals and people, insensitive god soaked, superstitious, frockwearing backward thinking misogynist male orientated society,bit like ireland used to be priest wise,i dont despise Arab people,they are the same as any other,some nice some not,the young educated men and women aspecially, should welcome a chance to join the modern world,will the priests let them,not if they can help it,can we change it by our wars and intervention,it does not look like we have changed much in that direction socially,except blown the hell out of it,caused on going instability and civil warfare and harvested a heap of enmity.thousands of years of priest dominance and superstition doesnt change overnight,does it ireland?incidentally i lived in the m.e for 11 years so i do know a LITTLE BIT about it.

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EamonnDublin | May 09, 2012, 03:56 AM EDT

"Seanomelb", You are simply an uninformed anti-Christian bigot who closes your eyes to what is really going on in the world. You support the murder of innocent children, men and women by Islamists - whose stated aim is to conquer the world, by violence if necessary. (Just "back-quoting" you, to show how ridiculous your accusation about me comes across.) Get a grip of yourself man! I STAND WITH ISRAEL. I DESPISE ISLAMISM Éamonn, Dublin, Ireland.

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