Luka Bloom
Christy Moore’s kid brother Luka Bloom has been taking higher and holier ground down under. The artist formerly known as Barry Moore, who has just returned from his second trip to Australia in two months, sung for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.

“About 11 years ago, as I was reading a book by The Dalai Lama, I became intrigued by the story of his exile from Tibet in 1959,” he writes.

“It made me reflect on all the Tibetan people who also left, and continue to leave 52 years later. This in turn made me think of all the Irish people who were forced to leave their beloved homeland over many generations to escape oppression.”

He says it was the connection between the Irish and the Tibetan stories that inspired him to write “As I Waved Goodbye.”

During this tour he met with Aileen Barry, originally from Glanmire, Co. Cork, Lynn Bain, and Mark Howard. They had images from His Holiness's life they wished to display in a large slide show, before His Holiness spoke and asked Bloom for permission to use the song.

Since Bloom was planning a tour there, he decided to sing the song live throughout the two week set of homilies from His Holiness! So it was fine.

“Singing ‘As I Waved Goodbye' was a divine feeling,” Bloom reports. “Knowing people were watching images of His Holiness's life while hearing the song was amazing.

“As we walked off the stage, we met His Holiness. He briefly held my hand and thanked me. I thanked him. And away he went, to bring his presence, and his teachings and his life, and experience, and compassion and kindness to all these people.

“Just being in his presence for a brief moment, filled me with joy.”

Bloom’s mind might be in Australia, but his latest album is called Dreams in America, a fantastic collection of re-imagined classics. For more information, log onto www.lukabloom.com.