Queens of Country back on stage in Castlebar

Fri, Feb 20, 2009

The hugely successful Queens of Country show featuring five fantastic female

performers makes a return to the Royal Theatre this March. With Billie Joe Spears, Philomena Begley, Jeannie Seely, Louise Morrissey, and Dee Reilly all on the line up this promises to be a great night to remember.

One of a kind Eddi Reader live in the Royal Theatre

Fri, Feb 20, 2009

Reader may well be the most relaxed performer in the history of popular music, but that doesn't mean she takes it easy. Perpetually moving, she dances constantly and spontaneously — there's no cheesy choreography here — randomly waving her arms around, as though she were conducting herself.

Music, theatre and more at the Linenhall

Fri, Feb 20, 2009

Shannon Murphy and John Hoban at the Linenhall
A highly anticipated double-bill concert by two singer/songwriters with strong local connections, Sharon Murphy and John Hoban, takes place at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Thursday February 26 at 8pm. Sharon Murphy grew up in Clifden, Co Galway, but spent many holidays in Westport. Sharon describes her music as folk-soul, with a blend of Irish and Caribbean influences. Her songs deal with growing up in an institution as a black Irish woman. A popular performer of many years’ standing, Sharon sings songs about who she is, and where she comes from, finding it easier to express herself through music and song, her stories carried by the eloquence of her music.

A highly anticipated double-bill concert by two singer/songwriters with strong local connections, Sharon Murphy and John Hoban, takes place at the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar on Thursday February 26 at 8pm. Sharon Murphy grew up in Clifden, Co Galway, but spent many holidays in Westport. Sharon describes her music as folk-soul, with a blend of Irish and Caribbean influences. Her songs deal with growing up in an institution as a black Irish woman. A popular performer of many years’ standing, Sharon sings songs about who she is, and where she comes from, finding it easier to express herself through music and song, her stories carried by the eloquence of her music.

Mike Denver and guests

Fri, Feb 20, 2009

Join Mike Denver in the brand new Royal Theatre & Events centre this February.

Top comedian Des Bishop gearing up for Royal Theatre show

Fri, Feb 20, 2009

Having spent 12 months in intense study and immersion in Connemara's Gaeltacht in an effort to speak as Gaeilge, Des Bishop is back on the road again. Drawing from his experiences, the star of the revolutionary RTE show In the Name of the Fada, comes to the Royal Theatre, Castlebar, with his live stand up show Unbearlable.

Mayo man hosts Guinness anniversary tradfest in Manchester

Fri, Feb 20, 2009

Lawrence Hennigan from Attymass in County Mayo is organising a two week Tradfest in Manchester to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Ireland's favourite stout. The Guinness Tradfest takes place in Levenshulme which is home to the biggest Irish community outside London and is a village which has close links to Mayo. It is one of the highlights of this year’s Manchester Irish Festival and runs from Friday March 6 to Saturday March 21, the festival will stage close to 200 events at 32 venues, enough to represent each of Ireland’s 32 counties throughout Greater Manchester, making it one of Europe’s biggest Irish festivals.

Lawrence said about the forthcoming festival: “Our inspiration for the festival has come from Ballina’s Salmon Festival which we visit every year in the summer. We have just started a link with the Royal Theatre in Castlebar and are very excited about the plans to bring the World Fleadh there in the summer. We have been a big supporter of the Manchester festival since it started in 1996. Many of the events are free or have been kept to a nominal charge. With the pound being so low we are expecting a large influx of visitors from all over Europe and America, everything here is so much more affordable for them and they are sure of a warm Irish welcome. The Irish in Manchester really know how to throw a party and over here it’s a two week party rather than just going out on St Patrick’s Day. In fact there is a massive build up to the festival with events in January and February, along with some post festival events which go into April.”

Nine Queens leads the line up at Ballina Arts Centre

Fri, Feb 20, 2009

Ballina Film Club’s Spring Programme continues this week with Nine Queens on Tuesday February 24 at 8pm. Directed by Fabián Bielinsky, Nine Queens follows Juan and Marcos, two small-time swindlers, who team up after meeting in a convenience store and become involved in a half million dollar deal. Juan is sceptical at first, but agrees to work with Marcos after he impresses him with a few sophisticated cons. A once-in-a-lifetime scheme then seemingly falls in their laps as an old time con-man enlists Juan and Marcos to sell a forged set of extremely valuable rare stamps, The Nine Queens. The tricky negotiations that ensue bring into the picture a cast of suspicious characters including Marcos' beautiful sister Valeria, their innocent younger brother Federico who idolises Marcos, and a slew of thieves, conmen, and pickpockets. As the deceptions and duplicity mount, it becomes more and more difficult to figure out who is conning whom, and we begin to ask ourselves, "Who isn't a thief?"

Queens of Country back on stage in Castlebar

Fri, Feb 13, 2009

The hugely successful Queens of Country show featuring five fantastic female

Scooter (LIVE) Tour of Ireland postponement

Fri, Feb 13, 2009

Clubland regrets that due to unforeseen production and licensing difficulties and the band recording their new album the decision has been taken to postpone the forthcoming Scooter (LIVE) Tour of Ireland scheduled for February. The dates will now be rescheduled for autumn and will form part of a full UK and Ireland tour for Scooter.

New web site launched from Custom House Studios

Fri, Feb 13, 2009

Custom House Studios at Westport Quay has launched a new website. The site provides comprehensive information about the facilities and programming of events at the studios, including artists who work at the studios, as well as information on exhibitions and a print studio. Visit www.customhousestudios.ie

Paul Brady to showcase his talent in Castlebar

Fri, Feb 13, 2009

Paul Brady, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is one of Ireland's most enduringly popular artists. Born and raised in Strabane, he was into a wide variety of music from an early age. A fifties child, his first sounds were the swing, jazz, and show tunes of his parents generation, then fifties rock 'n roll, sixties pop and Motown, blues, R’n’B, and country and western. Through all this ran the potent flavour of Irish traditional music and song.

After many years of writing on his own, in the late nineties he began to collaborate with other songwriters and in the space of two years wrote nearly 50 songs, several already covered by other artists. In 1998 he began a relationship with Rykodisc which led to the remastering and re-release of six of his previous albums, Hard Station, True For You, Back To The Centre, Primitive Dance, Trick Or Treat, and Spirits Colliding. There followed in summer of 1999 a best of collection called Nobody Knows, The Best Of Paul Brady, which stayed in the Irish album charts for 30 weeks and is still selling.