The Granary Learning Centre has become one of the city’s most popular language schools but now it is branching out to host exhibitions, readings, and film screenings with its new events series called The Meeting Point.
The Granary Learning Centre, located just off Dominck Street, has for almost two years provided language classes for non-nationals living in Galway as well as classes for those wishing to pick up other EU languages.
The centre now runs classes in English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Latvian. However the centre sees itself as a centre where different nationalities can come together to meet, make friends, integrate into Irish society, and become involved in cultural exchange.
As such, the centre wanted to develop this aspect of what it does into a series of public events. To test the water it has over the past year held occasional art exhibitions, film screenings, poetry readings, and food tasting events.
These proved popular and convinced the centre that this should be done on a regular basis. The idea has now developed into The Meeting Point, which will see exhibitions, film screenings, food tasting, and cultural events held on a regular basis in the centre.
The Meeting Point events are overseen by Kasia Luzniak, who is originally from Poland. The first event in the new series is an exhibition of paintings, batiks, candles, and earrings by Polish artist Jola Biedrzycka. It will open to the public on Sunday.
On Sunday September 28, the centre will host Renata’s Czech Event, which will celebrate the life of the patron saint of the Czech Republic, St Wenceslaus. There will be a talk, a film on St Wenceslaus, a puppet show, and a mediaeval market with six/seven stalls selling handmade goods.
On Sunday October 12, Neil Jordan’s film of Pat McCabe’s great novel The Butcher Boy will be screened. An introduction to the film will be given and a discussion held afterwards. Magdalena Nesbitt will host an exhibition of her oil and water-colour paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs, opening on Sunday October 26.
For November there will be events to interest Scots and Eastern Europeans. On Sunday 9 the film Shallow Grave, starring Ewan McGregor, and directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting ), will be screened. There will also be an introduction and a discussion afterwards.
St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and his cross adorns the nation’s flag. St Andrew is also revered in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Romania, where the night before his feast day is celebrated as a time when magic and visions of the future become possible.
As a result, the centre will hold the St Andrew Day-Andrzejki on Sunday November 30 where there will be fortune telling.
Over the last number of days, you may have noticed small yellow signs saying ‘The Spanish Are Coming!’ posted on lamp posts, noticeboards, and walls. If you cross over O’Brien’s Bridge on the way to the Bridge Mills, you will see a large board also declaring ‘The Spanish Are Coming!’
This is a new initiative from the Granary Learning Centre which will be launched in the coming weeks so for now, watch this space.
For more information on the Granary Learning Centre, 58 Dominick Street, contact 091 - 566759, email [email protected], or go to www.granarylearning.ie
