Gleneely musician helping promote Irish music and culture in Uganda

Gleneely musician Gary Raymond will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day by performing music in Uganda on his fifth trip to the African country to mark the national saint’s day.

The percussionist and drummer is joined on his latest tour there with the other three members of Buncrana band 9 Hazel Trees - Mickey Herron and Louise Doherty from Buncrana and Des McGonigle from Clonmany.

It's ten years since he made his first journey to Uganda to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

His trips to the African country came about from a friend from Thurles who was living there and had become involved with the local Irish society.

His previous visits were with musician friends from Thurles and Buncrana musician Tom Byrne.

The latest trip, which is being supported by the Irish embassy in the capital, Kampala, was put in place with the help of Buncrana musician John Cutliffe who lives there with his wife Laura, thanks to a chance meeting with the Irish ambassador in a local supermarket.

This trip is his first since before Covid-19 and Gary and 9 Hazel Trees are spending 12 days there. As well as gigs and events in Kampala, they will visit Moroto, in a famine-prone desert region with a group of Irish dancers from Dublin.  

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The band will take part in a packed programme of events, all for several different charities supported by the Irish community in Kampala. The tour will also involve the GAA in the country. As well as music sessions, the tour will involve teaching Irish culture and traditions and music. 

They will also be working with Brass For Africa, a charity that delivers music and life-skills education to disadvantaged children and young people across Uganda, Rwanda and Liberia.

“They don’t have a brass [band] culture in Africa and we are going to do some Irish music in brass and we have done some arrangements of class Irish music for brass, so that is going to be interesting.

“It’s going to be a whirlwind - I am going to come back exhausted,” he said.

He gets great enjoyment from seeing the impact the visits can have.

“It's actually kinda shocking the little thing you do and the ripple effect that it has.”A Dubliner, Gary has been living in Donegal for nearly 25 years with his wife Margaret, who is from Culdaff, and their three children.“I’m nearly a blow-in. A couple of years' time I might qualify to be a blow-in,” he jokes. 

In his time in Inishowen, he has become part of the furniture of the local music scene performing with a host of local acts including The Henry Girls and The Inishowen Gospel Choir and playing in shows and musicals.

His regular trips to Uganda have become a big part of his life as a musician, and he gets great joy from the reception Irish people get there.

 “The people are poor, living the best lives they can. They have a great sense of humour and absolutely love to dance and sing. Their eyes light up when they hear live music and they seem to have a real amazement for Irish music and culture.”