Irish traditional music singing sensation, Cathy Jordan, of the famous Irish band Dervish is in the United States to lend her support of Ireland’s The Gathering 2013. Jordan was invited, by Ireland and Washington D.C. based tour operator “Wild West Irish Tours”, to launch the Emigrant Trail Tour at the Irish Embassy in Washington D.C.

The “Emigration Trail Tour” was initiated by the Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Centre in Sligo town, Ireland. Adrian Regan, spokesperson for the Heritage Centre said “Hundreds of thousands have emigrated over the past two centuries to search for a better life. We want to offer visitors a chance to retrace the steps of the Emigrant.

“Our Emigrant Trail Tour will be will begin with a visit to County Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Centre where through a presentation, participants will get an insight into the famine years and the background to mass emigration. From there Wild West Irish Tours will facilitate the tour and bring our visitors to the people and places knowledgeable and associated with our local history of mass emigration.”

In a statement Cathy Jordan said “I am delighted and honored to be the guest of honor at the Irish Embassy in Washington, to launch ‘The Gathering 2013 Emigration Trail Tour.’ I [spoke] on behalf of Wild West Irish Tours who have been showing visitors to Ireland the hidden gems in all sorts of unexpected places in the North West, an area of Ireland very close to my heart. I look forward to meeting new friends and inviting them all to share in our beautiful part of the country and all it has to offer. Ireland is having a yearlong party and everyone's invited!"

Cathy Jordan is well known in the United States over the years having performed in venues all over the country. She also found the time to make a series of fourteen, hour-long radio shows for broadcast in conjunction with NPR in the US. These programs, called ‘Irish Heartbeat with Dervish’, presented by Cathy and with Dervish as the house band, featured special live performances from the cream of Irish talent.

Wild West Irish Tours asked the lead singer of the world renowned Irish Traditional Band, Dervish, why she thought so many feel like Ireland is "home" to them: