Colorado choir to sing with Castlebar students
As part of their Irish tour, the Girls’ 21 Cherry Creek High School Choir, Colorado, will perform in the beautiful and historic Ballintubber Abbey together with St Joseph’s Secondary School choir, tonight Friday, March 23, at 8pm. Earlier that day the choir will visit St Joseph’s Secondary School, Castlebar, and share musical experiences and build new friendships. The concert and exchange is facilitated by the Mayo International Choral Festival. Admission to the performance is €10 for adults and €5 for students and tickets are available from Downtown Records, Castlebar and Westport, and online from www.eventbrite.ie
Pete Higgins releases debut album
Pete Higgins is a musician, whose music draws on the Americana of Ryan Adams, the indie and electro leanings of Sufjan Stevens, swing jazz, and Johnny Marr, is about to release his debut album. Pete, who is originally from Roscommon, will release Circadian Rhythm & Blues today. His songs are rooted in an acoustic foundation, while his lyrical inspiration is the Atlantic Ocean. “I see the ocean every day from my bedroom window and it changes colour and texture continuously," he says. "Its ebbs and flows always remind me of the ups and downs of modern day life."Drawing on diverse musical influences, Higgins is not content for his music to remain in one genre. “The song dictates what direction it goes in," he says. "I try to follow the melody to wherever it sits most comfortably.” Circadian Rhythm & Blues will be available on all major streaming services on Friday March 23. See also YouTube.
Vickers Vimy in Castlebar
Galway-based folk/roots five piece collective Vickers Vimy perform at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Thursday, March 29, at 8pm. Vickers Vimy was formed by Ed Drea and Fintan Hanley, and completed by Colm Ward, Eamonn Mulderrig, and Colm Ó Conghaile. Vickers Vimy has supported John Martyn, The Hothouse Flowers, Mundy, and Maria Doyle Kennedy. Produced by Daragh O’Toole and mixed by Ger McDonnell, their debut album That Vinyl Scratch, Vol 1 was released in 2013 and garnered rave reviews, and the first two singles "Devil on your Back" and "Days are getting Better" were both playlisted by RTÉ Radio 1, with a live appearance on The Pat Kenny Show. The band’s long awaited second album Atlas Of Hearts will see light of day in 2018.
Danny O'Brien brings the laughs to Castlebar
Acclaimed comedian Danny O’Brien brings his hilarious show RaconTour to the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Friday, April 6, at 8pm. Fresh from a sell-out month long run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a tour of southeast Asia, award-winning comedian Danny O’Brien returns with his most adventurous solo show to date. After inheriting a broken-down, unreliable, older-than-he-is motorcycle, Danny decided to take to the road on a comedic expedition. Hear the story of this 'RaconTour' in all its glory, failures, and triumphs. Danny O’Brien is a comedy star in the ascendant, catch him here and now… while you can. For booking call (094 ) 9023733 or log on to www.thelinenhall.com
Mass Paths opens in Westport
Mass Paths is a series of handcrafted photographs, landscapes of the Irish countryside embedded with absence by Caitriona Dunnett. They portray the traces of paths walked by Catholics to reach illegal Mass during penal times. Dunnett’s aim is to visually unearth the history behind these paths and the people who walked them. The locations of these sites were passed on by word of mouth. This local knowledge was handed down through generations. The oral tradition in Ireland disappeared gradually around the 1960s alongside land exchange and redevelopment. Dunnett has spent years researching Mass paths and other penal sites, piecing the information together, scouring through word searches on the Internet, finding little snippets posted by schools, regional newspapers and walking clubs. These fragments led to maps, hunting for locations, hidden in the landscapes. The exhibition will continue until, Sunday, April 15.
