MY CULTURAL LIFE

Cathy Jordan, as well as being a solo artist, has been lead singer and percussion player with traditional powerhouse Dervish for over 25 years. During that time, they have made 17 albums and toured their unmistakable style of Irish music in over 40 countries. Included in their many accolades is a lifetime achievement award from the BBC. The most recent Dervish album, The Great Irish Songbook (Rounder Records) comprises of beautiful Irish songs and features duets with the likes of Steve Earle, Imelda May, Vince Gill and David Gray. She lives in Sligo and is about to perform the world premiere of a Trad Arts commission collaboration with Claudia Schwab and Irene Buckley at Cairde Connected — Cairde Sligo Arts Festival online from July 8-11. www. cairdefestival.com

Design: Jennifer Rothwell

Jennifer’s designs combine so many things that I love — vivid colours, beautiful fabric and designs based on Celtic mythology. She celebrates folklore, legends and traditions through fashion in a contemporary way. Some of her designs are based on Harry Clarke’s stained glass. I’m proud to own a couple of her pieces, which I wore to the BBC Folk Awards last year to pick up a lifetime achievement award for Dervish.

Painter: Brian McDonagh

I’ve played music with Brian for nearly 30 years now and though he’s probably better known as a musician, I love his paintings, particularly his recent works based on WB Yeats’ Sligo. He grinds his own paint, using only pigment cold-pressed linseed oil and bees wax. As much as he loves to play music, I think he’s happiest standing in front of a canvas.

Music: Máirtín O’Connor, The Road West This album is in my all-time top 10 and is my ‘happy place’. Máirtín wrote every piece and it’s a masterpiece from start to finish. The music is so evocative and quintessentially West of Ireland. One of the tracks he says was “shook out of him” on a windy road in Connemara — and you can feel the journey through the tune. Fabulous playing by himself on the accordion as well as Cathal Hayden on fiddle, Seamie O’Dowd on guitar and Jimmy Higgins on percussion, this music is such a beautiful legacy for future generations.

Film: Dangerous Liaisons

I’ve a weak spot for period dramas and this film, directed by Stephen Frears, features amazing performances by Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman. It has all the essentials — drama, suspense, wit, seduction, romance, betrayal, regret, plus a great soundtrack and glorious cinematography by Philippe Rousselot.

Play: The Man in Women’s Shoes

This one-man show written and directed by Mikel Murfi is based on a middle-aged Sligo cobbler called Pat Farnon, who is more than a wee bit away with the fairies. It’s a beautiful tale of love and loneliness based in 1970 rural Ireland, told with warmth and hilarity. Mikel is a genius when it comes to switching characters throughout and he jumps from one misfit to another seamlessly. I saw the play in Finland of all places and I wondered how the Finns would respond, given how ‘Sligo’ it was

— but they adored it, as did I.

Book: Perfume by Patrick Süskind

I wonder why I like this book so much, given that it’s the story of a murderer and falls into the ‘Horror’ category — but it is a feast for the senses. It tells the story of an unloved orphan, born having no scent emanating from his own body, but with an amazing sense of smell and the ability to discern the subtlest of odours.