Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, De Jimbe lured curious onlookers to the steps of the National Concert Hall with loud rhythmic beating of drums. The distinctive Afro-Celtic sounds could be heard as far off as St Stephen's Green, enticing evening strollers to the alfresco performance which preceded the opening evening of the four-day Celtic music festival, Beo 2001.
Together six years, this merry group of Dublin-based musicians has just released its dΘbut album and is proving very popular with the audience.
Inside, the main performers were the Michael McGoldrick Trio and De Danaan with singer Eleanor Shanley. The audience members viewed the concert-hall venue, more often associated with classical music, as an important element of the festival.
"It's great to see some traditional Irish music being played in here, isn't it?" declared Philip Owen, a dancing teacher from Dublin. Accompanied by Sorcha N∅ Cheilleachaire from Ring, Co Waterford.
Downstairs in the John Field Room, piper NΘillidh Mulligan was the centre of attention at the interval as he entertained the crowd with a few numbers. In her opening speech, the evening's compΦre, Ann Mulqueen, a sean-n≤s singer, invited the audience to "dance a step or two" with Mulligan during the interval but, while there was much toe-tapping and hand-clapping, it appeared that no one was brave enough to take to the floor. Miranda Kennedy from Boston was disappointed, she said, as she'd really been looking forward to taking part in a good old-fashioned cΘil∅.
It was the joyful and rhythmic beat of traditional Irish music that appealed to Kit Tan and Raymond Tang from Malaysia.
"Irish music is very different to Malaysian music. Although it's drum-based, our music has a much slower beat," said Tan.
Unwinding at the interval, musician Ed Boyd, who plays the bodhrβn in the McGoldrick trio, headed to the bar where he was soon joined by fellow band members John Joe Kelly and Michael McGoldrick.