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Lislea Hall was packed to the rafters on Friday night past for a concert celebrating the visit of a group of Native American traditional singers to the area. The whole exchange started with an online event in the middle of Covid which ultimately led to the Sullivan's visiting the home of their ancestors.
It was the first visit here by the Sullivan Squad, a family of traditional Ojibwe Anishinaabe/Ho-Chunk singers from the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe reservation in Wisconsin, USA but it won't be the last.
The concert saw incredible performances both by the Sullivan's and local musicians including Colum Sands, Breige Quinn and Finbar Magee, Traditional Arts Partnership, Piaras O'Lorcáin, Elaine O'Sullivan, Patricia Vallely, Aodh McMurchaidh, Fergal O'Brien and more.
The finale was a 'Round Dance' with virtually everyone taking to the floor to dance their way around Lislea Hall to the music of the Sullivan Squad and TAPS bodhran players. Members of the tribe don't have a word for goodbye but instead say "Gigawabamin menawaa" which translates as "See you again" Michael Migizi Sullivan Sr explained "When we depart one of our people, our salutation - we don't have a word for goodbye. Because of our spiritual thinking, our creator promised us that we get to see each other again and if it's not in this existence then it's in the next one, and the next one's even better than this one. So every single one of us that are related to each other, we get to see each other again and don't ever forget that. Don't let anyone ever tell you different."
The Sullivan's had a hectic week of engagements both locally and in Belfast. Speaking of the concert Fergal O'Brien said "It really was the climax of an incredible week. A mind-blowing experience. The impact of the Sullivan family touched hundreds.
"From jumping off a plane and three of them going straight to the St Patrick's Day parade in Forkhill. The Forkhill Community Association was over the moon, and before the day was out the whole family did a couple of numbers in Silverbridge GAA."
Also through the week they were interviewed by Lynette Faye on the BBC. Des Murphy took them on a tour of South Armagh. Mike Sullivan also went out for dawn at 5am to Annaghmare Court Cairn to say an Ojibwe prayer with Una Walsh. Colaiste Feirste in West Belfast, Queens and the Crescent Arts Centre were also visited.
They called at Mullaghbawn Primary School and also visited Markethill Primary School as part of a Markethill/ Crossmaglen shared education project where they engaged in a round Dance with the whole school.
To permanently mark their visit they planted a tree at An Tobar in Silverbridge. Fergal added "The children promised that they would bring their children back to see that tree. As I said on a Facebook post 'putting down roots literally' "
'Team South Armagh' got completely behind the visit with the schools, clubs and community organisations as well as South Armagh champions Una Walsh and Des Murphy.
Fergal concluded "There's an absolute desire from both the Sullivan's and the people in South Armagh to keep this thing going. The people fell in love with them. They shared so much, they took so much from the whole week that we have to do something more."
"They fell in love with Ireland, We fell in love with them, they were just beautiful people
"We kept sharing, it was a sharing of culture the whole way through.They wanted to give as much as they got."
Another angle is already developing with the AE Russell Festival which takes place from 4- 14 April in Armagh, Lurgan and South Armagh. Who knows where it all will lead ...
