 |
Vince
attempts to get to grips with a traditional Chinese wind instrument
called the Hulmus |
Vince
Jordan from the Birmingham branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann
(CCE) was invited to form part of a very select band of traditional
Irish musicians and dancers to celebrate St Patrick's Day in Shanghai.
Vince, who lives in Solihull and plays piano accordion, was delighted
to take part in the trip, organised by the Irish Government.
Here he gives his personal account of a Far Eastern twist on a traditional
Irish celebration.
I thought it was a wind up, when I received the telephone call last
month inviting me to play traditional Irish music in China. It was
a genuine call and so I set off on a wonderful adventure. I must
admit, my first encounter on Chinese territory was not at all enjoyable.
Following a two-hour queue out side the Chinese embassy in London,
the official at the visa section refused me a visa! I went home with
a feeling that this trip was not going to happen. A further visit
on Friday March 10 was more fruitful, and so it was that accompanied
by my wife Ann, I travelled 6,000 miles to Shanghai on Tuesday March
15.
The event to celebrate St Patrick's day was organised by the Irish
Consul General to China, Nicholas O'Brien, with help from Irish businesses
in Shanghai.
The team selected from Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann consisted
of Aisling Ni Cheallaigh from Dublin (dancer, whistle, and bodrhan),
Emma Ni Choillte Dublin (fiddle harp and singer), Martin Dodd from
Bray (dancer and guitar) Vincent Jordan Birmingham (piano accordion).
Upon our arrival at Pudong International Airport, we were greeted
by Consular staff and taken to our luxurious hotel in the centre
of Shanghai. The city is a modern, hectic, high rise with a population
of 18 million and is the new business centre of China. Staggering
architecture, with very striking features dominate the sky line.
 |
Vince,
with his wife Ann and fellow musicians Aisling Ni Cheallaigh,
Martin Dodd and Emma Ni Choillte |
Our first engagement, which took place on our first evening in Shanghai,
was at the JC Mandarin hotel for the Consulate General's reception
to the community. Following speeches from The Irish Ambassador to
China Declan Kelleher, and members of the Chinese Government and
community, we played music for the assembly of 230 people. Aisling
and Martin also gave a brilliant display of Irish dancing. Our participation
was very well received.
The next day we were taken to Pudong University for the students
prize giving. The students had studied and written essays on the
work of George Bernard Shaw. We gave a demonstration of Irish traditional
arts to the group of 60 students. They appeared to thoroughly enjoy
the performance and applauded their approval of Aisling and Martin's
dancing. Next on the day's agenda was lunch at the Dublin Exchange
pub. I found it difficult to comprehend sitting in an environment
that looked and felt like a Dublin pub, drinking a pint of stout,
and yet being on the eastern cost of China. The manager of the pub
was Wicklow man Brendan Foster, who is the chair of the organising
committee for the St Patrick's celebrations in Shanghai. It was very
evident that Brendan and his team had worked tremendously hard to
make the events successful. After spending an enjoyable couple of
hours in the Dublin Exchange, we went to the markets of Shanghai
for a shopping trip of a difference. Goods at the market are offered
to customers at a price, to which the customer will barter and haggle
to get the price down. Here, Ann Jordan, came into her own. She led
the way in being able to negotiate best prices. She taught all the
visiting team, (including me), the skills of bringing the price of
an item down. By the end of the day we were all experts, and came
away with many bargains.
Friday March 17 started early with us attending the beautiful home
of Mayo women Mairead Da Silva, for a St Patrick's Day breakfast.
Mairead's welcome and hospitality was second to none, and with music,
singing and dancing, the time went by quickly and we had to race
over to The Shangri-La hotel for a sound check for the main evening
event.
The St Patrick's' Day Ball was attended by 670 guests. Entertainment
included Chinese dancers' version of the River Dance, a six-piece
band, a classical violinist as well as ourselves from Comhaltas.
Our performances were met with great appreciation and applause. After
our performance we had a chance to mingle and speak to some of the
guests. I met Carlow man Gavin Keane. Gavin had been in Shanghai
for a number of years and had become a favourite on the ex pats'
circuit. He invited us all to his table to for the remainder of the
ball, which we all thoroughly enjoyed. There was a spectacular view
of the river and city from the balcony of the hotel.
Saturday was to be our day of rest, but true to form we were up early
and out for an energetic day of shopping visiting the Chinese markets.
In the evening we visited the Blarney Stone Pub, (interesting name
to try to put into Chinese for the taxi driver) where our host was
Dubliner Paul Curran. Paul is an excellent ballad singer, and after
a session of singing and music we settled down at 1.30am to watch
the England-v-Ireland rugby game. A great night out.
So a little bleary eyed and tired the next morning we headed back
to Pudong international airport, driven there by Gavin Keane's driver.
Fourteen hours later we were back, with memories of the sights and
sounds of St Patrick's Day in Shanghai. |
