18/2/16 Damien Leith to Visit Bunbury WA
Feb 18, 2016 21:25:26 GMT 10
Post by thebraff (Braffy) on Feb 18, 2016 21:25:26 GMT 10
www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-18/damien-leith-irish-australia/7178232?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Singer Damien Leith will perform songs he grew up with during Bunbury's all-Irish weekend
ABC South West WA By Sharon Kennedy
Damien Leith outside a recording studio
PHOTO: Damien Leith's visit to Bunbury in April has been sponsored by the John Boyle O'Reilly Association. (Supplied)
MAP: Bunbury 6230
Damien Leith came to the public's attention when he won Australian Idol 10 years ago, but he is no stranger to singing competitions.
Leith will visit Bunbury in April for an all-Irish weekend.
Growing up in a small village in County Kildare, he performed traditional songs and dances at the fleadh, or eisteddfod.
Far from being a reluctant kid forced into making his mum and dad proud, Leith thrived on the fun.
"I did Irish dancing with my sister," he said.
"I did figure dancing," he added, explaining the style was softer than the tap popularised by Riverdance.
"We grew up on that and loved it; it was so much fun. All the kids did it and it was a way of hanging out with your friends."
Two albums ago, Leith recorded Songs from Ireland.
One of the tracks was Galway Bay, a popular ballad from early last century which had been recorded by Bing Crosby.
He sought and gained permission from the Crosby estate for a posthumous duet.
"It was one of those strange opportunities," Leith said. "We were bound by the key and the time was strange. But it came together."
Resident in Australia for 13 years now, Leith gets back to Ireland whenever he can.
One of the main reasons is that he wants to give his children a taste of the Ireland he loved as a child, and for them to be exposed to the same traditions of song and dance.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Easter uprising, and when Leith was in Dublin just before Christmas, plans were afoot to commemorate the centenary.
The insurrection against the English overlords failed, but left scars on the Irish landscape.
Bullet holes could still be seen in Dublin at St Stephens Green and in the fabric of the post office, Leith said.
"I'm a mad history buff. I love looking around and seeing pieces of history everywhere. You can be in a very busy city and around the corner you can see someone reading poetry or singing something that's a hundred years old.
"It's part of the culture of Ireland."
John Boyle O'Reilly Association invites visit
The first time Leith heard of John Boyle O'Reilly, he was nonplussed.
"It was one of those conversations and someone is talking to you, and they're talking like you should know exactly what they're talking about," he said.
"I need to check this guy out," he told himself.
Once online, he discovered the remarkable life of a man transported to Western Australia as an Irish political prisoner.
O'Reilly was a Fenian, a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.
By 1869, O'Reilly was a trusted prisoner, held in Bunbury.
He escaped and eventually made his way to Boston, where he became a newspaper owner and plotted for the release of other Irish prisoners in Western Australia.
The John Boyle O'Reilly Association is sponsoring Leith's visit to Bunbury for an all-Irish weekend on April 2.
His repertoire will include songs he grew up with, as well as newer material.
Leith is currently in Sydney working on a new album of contemporary material, and said he was sworn to secrecy by his record label about the songs on the CD.
"I haven't been down south before. I'm looking forward to swimming with the dolphins," he said.
. Thanks Braffy 
