Get ready for a great evening of music when Westport’s own Derek Mc Gowan and The Piston Slappers do their Blues Rock thing at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Thursday September 6 at 8pm.
Derek Mc Gowan has been playing acoustic guitar since the age of 12 and is an accomplished player and lyricist. He has been
on the same bill with many noted acts, both in Ireland and America, including Freddie White, Jimmy McCarthy, Nancy Griffith and John Hiatt. The Piston Slappers were formed in 1993, comprising Derek Mc Gowan (lead guitar, vocals ), Josie Joyce (drums ), Dee Moore (bass guitar, vocals ) and Patrick Early (electric fiddle, vocals ), takes Blues Rock to a new level as they deliver music up there with the best of Blues acts in Ireland.
Booking advised. Tel: 094 902 3733
Tom Munnelly talk
Ronan Galvin, exhibition curator and lecturer in Irish folklore, gives what promises to be a most interesting free talk on the life and work of song, music and folklore collector Tom Munnelly, on Monday September 10 at 7.30pm in the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar.
The talk, Tom Munnelly - Captured by Song, coincides with the official opening of an exhibition of photographs and documentation from the Tom Munnelly collection, taking place concurrently in the Linenhall’s Foyer Gallery. Admission free, all welcome. Booking advised: 094 902 3733.
Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Woods?
Artist Maev Lenaghan asks Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Woods? in her charming and engaging exhibition of prints and paintings, at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar for the month of August.
Maev explains: “This show takes a peek at the richness of our interior lives, and then takes a walk to the edge of our society, in search of wilderness. As a species our strength lies in communities, in imagination and communication, and we are reminded of this amidst lively human interaction. We gather together in communities for protection, vulnerable as individuals. Most of us live removed from places where nature is still wild and foreboding. Yet even amongst those of us who have lost sight of our vulnerability beyond the societies of our making, there are yearnings for wilderness, for the great outdoors.”
The Linenhall Gallery is open to the general public Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm; Saturday from 11am to 5.30pm. Admission to exhibitions is free. Further details from the Linenhall. Tel: 094 9023733 Website: www.thelinenhall.com
Visual art portfolio preparation workshops
An intensive 10-week workshop series for prospective Third Level Fine Art or Design students aged 16 years and upwards takes place at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar over the course of 10 Saturday afternoons from 2pm to 5pm, commencing September 22, with professional artist Amanda Rice.
Over 10 three-hour classes, each participant will focus on the formation of a 15-sheet portfolio outlining their artistic abilities. The portfolio will demonstrate observation, creative process and problem solving. The basic rudimentary elements of visual language will be explored, elements of line, tone, shade, colour and form. A focus on more contemporary methods of working; for example photographic work will be encouraged.
The cost for the full 10 sessions is €100. Participants will be required to have their own basic art supplies (details available from the Linenhall ). Booking is essential. Contact: 094 902 3733.
Workshop: writing that first novel
This workshop with Paul Soye will take place over five Tuesday evenings 8pm to 10pm, starting from September 25.
Writing That First Novel will offer you the space to explore the elements involved in developing your work and bringing it to fruition. These practical workshops will take you from those crucial opening pages, through pivotal moments in the story, to the all-important ending. Novelist Paul Soye will cover character development, plot, dialogue, scene setting, time scale and time frame that will help you to build your novel.
Paul Soye is the author of The Boy in the Gap, published by Liberties Press. He has also written two plays Cherished and The Birdcage, which won the Esso New Irish Play Award at the National Drama Festival in Athlone in 1996. In 2002 he was short-listed for the BBC’s Tony Doyle Award. He has written a one act play for children and his play In Irons was broadcast on RTÉ 1’s Sunday Night Playhouse.
The cost for the full four sessions is €60 . Booking is essential. Booking and further information from the Linenhall: 094 902 3733. The Linenhall Arts Centre acknowledges the financial support of Mayo County Council and the Arts Council.
