Ballina Chamber Choir to perform this weekend

Fri, Nov 09, 2012

The Ballina Chamber Choir will stage its Music for a Winter’s Evening concert in the Ballina Arts Centre on this Saturday, November 10 at 8pm. The all female choir which was formed in February 2011 has been building up a steady following in the Ballina area ever since where its polished performances always attract a capacity audience. Under its direction of Mark Goode, who has a distinguished career performing as soloist and teaching music, the choir as gone from strength to strength. This year has been its most successful year to date, in which they competed in and won second prize in the Mayo International Choral Festival in Castlebar and also performed to a global online audience in the recent Wallace Bicentenary Gala Concert in St. Murdachs Cathedral, Ballina.

Applications sought for recording and amateur drama grants

Fri, Nov 09, 2012

Mayo County Council is currently taking applications for two arts grants, the Music Recording Assistance Award and the Amateur Drama Award. The recording grant was established to support the recording of original music by musicians living in Mayo. The recipients of this award will receive up to €800 towards an original music recording. There will be up to a maximum of two awards made in 2012, and the amount awarded will be decided by an independent expert assessment panel.

Indian Festival comes to Castlebar next month

Fri, Nov 09, 2012

On Friday November 16 and Saturday November 17, for one day and one night the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar celebrates all things Indian as it is transformed into a place of Utsava - the removal of earthly woes - providing you with an opportunity to forget your troubles and enjoy great Indian music, film, dance, poetry, food and much, much more. A feast for the senses.

Wilde night forecast for the Linenhall

Fri, Nov 09, 2012

Belfast’s brilliant Bruiser Theatre Company presents Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Thursday , November 29 at 8pm.

Lady Windermere’s Fan is Oscar Wilde’s bitingly satirical comedy exploring and exploding the morals of society, and marriage in particular. The story concerns Lady Margaret Windermere, a woman of high-morals and absolute conviction who discovers, to her horror, that her husband may be having an affair with a woman of dubious moral standing. What follows is a succession of parlours and parties, eavesdropping, misunderstandings, secret information, letters falling into unintended hands, twists and turns and the cheeky wooing of pretty young daughters. Does Lady Windermere learn about life, society and love? You bet she does, and Wilde’s razor-sharp wit and satire of high society is as keenly observed and relevant to today as any contemporary writer. A new adaptation by Patrick J O’Reilly (who formerly worked on the company’s dazzling Candide and Othello), Bruiser adds its inimitable dramatic flair, unique physical stamp and bold playing style, highlighting the grotesque and absurd, with a dynamic fusion of commedia dell’arte and witty dialogue providing a real theatrical treat!

Classical Heaven at the Linenhall

Fri, Nov 09, 2012

The RTÉ Vanbrugh String Quartet performs together with violinist par excellence Nobuko Imai at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Monday, November 26 at 8pm.

An evening with The Redneck Manifesto

Fri, Nov 02, 2012

Finbar Hoban Presents an evening with The Redneck Manifesto live at The Velvet Lounge in the TF Royal Theatre this November 23 for what promises to be a great night of music from one of Ireland's most notable instrumental bands. Tickets will cost €10 and will be available on the night.

The Redneck Manifesto formed in August 1998 as a four piece composed of members of several prominent Dublin bands - Niall Byrne came from Jackbeast, Richie Egan from Black Belt Jones and Matthew Bolger from The Waltons. Mervyn Craig came from the Dundalk band Hylton Weir. Neil O'Connor would join the band in 2003 coming from the Connect 4 Orchestra. The band first started playing gigs across Dublin and soon released a number of 7" singles on their own Greyslate label; as well as a split 7" released on Road Relish.

Bold and compelling stuff, Damien Dempsey, comes to Castlebar

Fri, Nov 02, 2012

So how do you describe Damien Dempsey’s music - take some reggae, fuse it with traditional Irish music, add in rock and folk, and put it all through a grounded working class worldly aware, yet caring consciousness, and you are some of the way there. And on Tuesday, November 15 in the Royal Theatre, Castlebar you can experience it all for yourself.

Group exhibition opens next Friday in Castlebar

Fri, Nov 02, 2012

Opening tonight Friday, November 2, is Latency, a group exhibition of works by members of Engage Art Studios, curated by arts writer Michaële Cutaya.

Michaële explains: “There are different ways to approach the notion of latency, whether as something existing but not yet manifest, lying dormant until suitable circumstances develop, or as the time lapse between a stimulus and its response. All quite suggestive in regard to the artist’s studio with its fascinating potential and yet often frustrating manifestations.” For this exhibition, 18 members of Engage Art Studios are proposing artworks in response to what latency might mean to them and their practice. Founded in 2004, Engage Art Studios is located on the top floors of the old Pro Cathedral Building in Galway city and offers contemporary artists a creative space in the midst of the bustling city.

Jerry Fish live in Ballina Arts Centre tonight

Fri, Nov 02, 2012

Ballina Arts Centre presents one of Ireland’s most high profile artists, Jerry Fish, live tonight, November 2 at 8pm. He came to prominence as the frontman of An Emotional Fish, (and gave us the rock anthem ‘Celebrate’). Two decades on, he is still producing widely loved, upbeat, music including the hit single ‘True Friends’ and two platinum selling albums Be Yourself and The Beautiful Untrue.

Done and dusted: Another great RoolaBoola

Fri, Nov 02, 2012

The Bank Holiday Weekend is over, and here at Linenhall Arts Centre the dust is settling after another great RoolaBoola Children’s Arts Festival. And what a weekend it was! There was laughter with actor Louis Lovett as he acted up a storm of wonderful characters in Jack McNally’s Hotel, we shed a measured tear at Branar’s beautiful puppet theatricals, we thrilled to the animated antics of a Parisian cat and saw a mouse get the better of a Gruffalo. And even better than all that, hundreds of young people brought their imaginations and creativity to the Linenhall and got busy with loads of brilliant art workshops, enjoying a range of top quality arts experiences over the weekend. The Linenhall’s café bustled with parents and families as their young ones painted, sang, acted, composed, told and listened to stories, brought their favourite toy to life and found out how long a piece of string was.

Something a little bit different in Claremorris next Thursday

Fri, Nov 02, 2012

Conradh na Gaeilge will host a special concert and talk in Claremorris Public Library on Thursday next, November 8. The concert will feature Irish and Welsh music and poetry from the 10th century right up to the time of the last professional harpers in the 19th century, as well as music and song from the current living tradition. As well as playing a variety of ancient instruments, songs will include an “Old Irish rosc”, an excerpt from the Lay of Deirdre for the Sons of Usnach, the earliest known version of Eileen Aroon, an old Welsh epitaph for a warrior, and a comic song about learning Irish. Admission is free and all are welcome.

John McNicholl to play benefit dance for Western Care

Fri, Nov 02, 2012

John McNicholl has announced that he will play a benefit dance for Western Care Association in the Park Hotel, Kiltimagh, on Friday, November 16. This will be John’s only appearance in Mayo in the coming month and is sure to attract a huge following. This event is being organised by Derek Higgins, a 28-year-old from Shanaghmoyle, Knock, who will run the New York City Marathon for Western Care Association this Sunday, November 4. He is the first Mayo person to run the marathon in the Big Apple for the association and intends to raise significant funds for Western Care.

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