The popular Winter Cultural Programme continues at Coole Park this week with an evening of traditional music with Charlie Harris and Friends today (Thursday ) from 8pm to 9pm.
Charlie Harris is a commanding and imaginative musician, a natural accordion player who is held in the highest esteem by his peers. Although there was no music in his family, he taught himself to play on a borrowed melodeon. In 2009 he won the TG4 Gradam Ceoil award, which honours the musical heroes of the modern age. Harris will be accompanied by musicians Eamon and Geraldine Cotter, on the flute and piano respectively, and Maeve Donnelly on fiddle. This will be very popular among traditional music lovers in the area. Other arts events taking place at Coole this month will focus on drama and music.
The popular Reading and Understanding the Coole Landscape course continues on Monday nights. This follows on from similar heritage courses which have taken place in recent years, and offers a detailed study of the landscape of Coole and environs. Two lectures will take place between 8pm and 10pm on Monday November 15 — Digital Mapping and Biodiversity by Bridin Feeney, geographic information systems officer with Galway County Council; and Reading the Landscape of Coole from Maps by Mark Green of Amicus Technology, who recently graduated from the NUI certificate in local history course which was run as an outreach event at Coole Park.
The Coole Winter Cultural Programme is organised by the Friends of Coole in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Services, Galway County Council, Galway Rural Development, Galway Education Centre, Fáilte Ireland West, and the community of Gort. All the events in the programme are free. To obtain a programme or for further details on events contact Coole Park Visitor Centre at (091 ) 631804.
