9 Hazel Trees to
play in Uganda
12.03.23
LINKS between Uganda and
Ireland have been strong for many decades. Irish
passport holders are among the few nationalities who do not
require a pre-approved visa to enter the country.
The Irish Society, which was formed in Uganda in 1953, is
one of the most active in the world. The society works
closely with the Irish Embassy and organises events for
the Irish community and raises funds for many local
organisations who help those in need.
Every year the society organise and host the St
Patrick’s Day Gala Ball, a lavish affair that is the
main fundraiser for the year. Even with Uganda still
very restricted due to Covid, last year the ball raised
over 50 million Ugandan Shillings (12.5k Euros). This
year the ball has grown to become more of a festival
with eight days of events that include music, dance and
sport. |
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Inishowen band, 9 Hazel
Trees, will be playing at the St Patrick’s Festival in
Uganda. |
Buncrana native John
Cutliffe, who moved to Kampala in October 2022, was asked
to help with entertainment this year and immediately
contacted his lifelong friend Louise Doherty, whose band 9
Hazel Trees are popular in local music
circles. The band didn’t hesitate to say yes to playing
at the festival
and have been working hard to get ready.
The Inishowen band will also be joined by two
world champion Irish dancers, stars of Lord of the
Dance, Niamh Shevlin and Ciara Loughran.
The Irish connection to Uganda came into the spotlight
when John Walsh, a GAA representative in Uganda, heard
about a group of young Ugandans who had seen hurling on YouTube and set up their own team. John stepped in and let
Ireland know all about these inspirational youngsters
and the country rallied behind them, sending sporting
equipment and uniforms to the team.
On the GAA side John has invited Sinead Brennan
and well known hurler Aidan Fogarty to Uganda. The band, dancers
and GAA representatives will fly to Karamoje as
guests of the Irish embassy to visit schools and
projects built by the Irish government.
Back in Kampala they will visit, Hands for Hope, a
school set up and run by Joe Cummisky which takes in
children from the slums. Some of the children have
already been learning Irish dancing steps so they can
join in with the band and dancers. Others have been
learning some basic hurling so they can show off their
skills to Aidan. |
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