Athlone Castle, Luan Gallery and Abbey Road Artists’ Studios will be offering a busy and exciting schedule of free events for this year’s Culture Night taking place tomorrow, Friday, September 20.
Culture Night visitors to Athlone Castle will enjoy free entry to the Castle Visitor Centre between 5pm and 8pm (last entry, 7.30pm ). Traditional games will be set up on site for visitors of all ages to play with. Children will also be invited to experience and engage in the work of an archaeologist, with the popular workshop, ‘Dig It With David’.
Plan, sketch and excavate some of our hidden treasures with Athlone Castle’s resident archaeologist and historian, David Landers. During this event, children will have the chance to immerse themselves in modern day archaeology and learn what life is like an archaeological dig. This event is suitable for children aged seven and upwards.
Across the road at the Luan Gallery, exhibiting artist, Conor Walton, will be undertaking an all day Portrait Drawing Marathon, drawing portraits of members of the public from 11am–7.30pm. Demand for a free portrait from the renowned artist will be high, so pre-booking for people interested in sitting is essential. Please call, email or drop in the Luan Gallery Reception and state your preferred availability to claim a place. Members of the public are welcome to drop by the Gallery throughout the day to observe the artist at work. The Gallery will also be extending its opening hours until 8pm and offering free guided tours of Walton’s exhibition, ‘Asymmetrical Warfare’.
Over the Shannon at Abbey Road Studios, visitors will have the chance to experience the Open Studios from 4pm to 8pm, providing a unique, behind-the-scenes view of the artists’ practice in their studios. Our resident artists will be on hand to showcase some of their old and new work, and to explain their working process and inspiration to members of the public. Abbey Road will also play host to a photography exhibition by community group, Athlone Photography Club. The exhibition showcases images from members of the club across the wide range of subjects, from Portraiture, to Landscape, Creative Art and Nature.
Athlone Gramophone Society will play a selection of classics in Parnell Room, Prince of Wales Hotel, or pop over to Athlone Civic Centre where Rosemarie Langtry will host her art exhibition ‘Serendipity’ and there will be a performance from Athlone Youth Orchestra from 6pm. Kara Richards reads from her book accompanied by songs and classical guitar from The Klass in Athlone Library from 6pm and then join in a walking tour of John Broderick’s Athlone, through poetry and prose with Martin Dyar and Gearoid O’Brien.
Culture Night is an innovative public event taking place nationwide, that invites people to spend their evening exploring the best cultural offerings available to them on their doorstep. Special, one off events and workshops are specifically programmed at participating locations and everything is available free of charge. With museums, galleries and artists’ studios extending their opening hours all around the country, Culture Night is the perfect opportunity to visit sites that you may ordinarily miss out on due to your work schedule. Athlone Arts and Tourism look forward to welcoming the public to our celebration of culture!
A full schedule of events with further details and times is available to view on www.athloneartsandtourism.ie and www.athlonecastle.ie
Queries and requests for further information should be addressed to Athlone Castle on 090 6442130 or Luan Gallery on 090 6442154.
