Fight Night at the Linenhall
The gripping story of a boxing comeback is brought vividly to life in the dynamic Fight Night, a one-man play featuring a remarkable performance by Aonghus Óg McAnally, at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Thursday September 8 at 8pm.
Fight Night is a gripping journey charting the comeback of Dan Coyle jr, a failed amateur boxer from a long line of accomplished fighters. Living in the twin shadows of his overbearing father and his brother’s Olympic success, Dan lets his training slip in favour of girls and booze. Then an incident with his father, minutes before a crucial bout, splinters the family and exiles Dan from the ring. It is not until the birth of his own son years later that his competitive fire is reignited, and he takes the first tentative steps on his road to redemption. Written by Gavin Kostick and directed by Bryan Burroughs, this fast-paced and engaging solo performance by Aonghus Óg McAnally combines intense physicality with a classic Dublin wit in a storytelling experience that will leave audiences exhausted and exhilarated.
Printmaking exhibition at Ballina Arts Centre
P is for Print... is curated by printmaker Marianne Heemskerk, and features work from a number of the group, including Bernie Garvey O’Mara, Mike Absalom, Sabine Lacey, Kathleen Browne, Angela Gallagher, Marliese Hertfelder, Mary Treacy, Gary Dullaghan, Jane Dunn, Clare de Berry, Denise Clarke, Vincent Coleman and Marianne Heemskerk. Admission is free. All are welcome to attend, the exhibition runs until September 24.
Ballina Film Club returns for autumn season
Ballina Film Club’s autumn season of cultural cinema kicks off on Tuesday September 6 with the award-winning Of Gods and Men, directed by Xavier Beauvois. "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction." The speaker is Luc, an elderly Catholic monk played by 79-year-old Michael Lonsdale, quoting a pensée of Pascal. He does it at a moment of crisis and ambiguity: Does this thought apply to the Islamist mujahideen who are threatening to kill him and his brothers? Or should it rather apply to these future victims, secretly infatuated with the idea of a martyrdom that will fan the flames of violence for generations to come?
That reference is the sole, perhaps pre-emptive, concession to secularism in this stunningly passionate and deeply moving film by the French director Xavier Beauvois, based on the kidnapping and murder of monks in Algeria by fundamentalists in 1996. Ballina Film Club is affiliated to access>CINEMA, the national organisation for the promotion and development of cultural cinema in Ireland. Admission is €5
The Way at Westport Film Club
Westport Film Club will show The Way on Wednesday September 7 at 8.45pm in the Westport Cineplex. After the sudden death of his globe-trekking son Daniel (Emilio Estevez ), Tom (Martin Sheen ) flies to the Pyrenees to collect his body. But he spontaneously decides to complete Daniel’s journey, scattering his son’s ashes along the 800km Way of St James, a pilgrims’ path which becomes a life-changing experience. En route he attracts a band of inescapable companions, each with a tale to tell, including an exuberant, wining and dining, dope-smoking Dutchman (Yorick Van Wageningen ), a bitter Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger ) and a talkative Irish author (James Nesbitt ) with writer’s block. And although it is sedately paced (it is a long walk, after all ), Sheen’s subtle performance — surly, uptight, cautiously poignant — builds in emotional impact, prompting one’s own reflections on the journey of life. Gentle, likeable, and profoundly touching, it makes you want to dig out the hiking boots and make the same journey.
Cineclub na nÓg is back in Belmullet
Cineclub na nÓg is back. On Saturday, September 10 join in the fun at Áras Inis Gluaire, from 1pm to 3.30 p.m. You need to register your child before Thursday September 8. To book a place contact Lisa by emailing [email protected] or calling 097 81079.
