Search Results for 'Peter Joyce'

There is a general lack of specific references to dancing in our older literature but it would be remarkable if there was no dancing in ancient Ireland, if a people with a native taste for music had no knowledge of the kindred art of dancing. There are two Irish words for dance, ‘damhsa’ and ‘rince’. The first is derived from the French ‘danse’ and the second from the English ’rink’ as in skating on ice. The Normans are credited with introducing ‘round dances’ to Ireland.

Mount Carmel in Loughrea will play host to a very special evening of music on Wednesday, 27 August, as the Kandinsky Quartet continues its debut concert tour of Ireland. This performance in the uniquely intimate setting of Mount Carmel marks an exciting moment in the ensemble’s first tour of the country, following their participation at the Esker Festival 2025.

The concert will feature Holst’s ‘The Planets’ and a newly commissioned ‘Earth, the Cradle of Life’ movement by Dublin-based composer Tom Lane which will complete this suite.

Esker Festival Choir alongside its rising star soloist, Zo ë Nagle and conductor, Peter Joyce, will bring Gustav Holst's famous suite, The Planets, to the Galway Cathedral on Saturday, August 17 at 8pm.

Conducted by Peter Joyce, with the Esker Festival Choir and vocal soloists from the Irish National Opera Member Studio, Kathleen Nic Dhiarmada, and Madeline Judge.

Flourishing alongside Galway’s many other arts events is Galway Cathedral’s Summer Concerts. The series began in 1994 and is celebrating its 30th season this year.

“There is nothing as Galway as Our Lady's Boy’s Club,” was how our president Michael D Higgins described OLBC some years ago at a function in the Columban Hall. It is more than 80 years since it was founded and it is the longest-running youth club in the country. It was set up by Fr Leonard Shiel SJ at a time when there were was a lot of grinding poverty in Galway and no recreational facilities or extra-curricular activities for young people in areas like the Claddagh, Bohermore, Shantalla, and ‘The West’. The club provided these and has been a source of guidance and inspiration to thousands of young men and boys since, especially those from a working class background. From that first day of nervous membership, right through their teens, and even after they had taken up the challenges of adult life, the spirit and watchful eye of the Club is ever with them.

“There is nothing as Galway as Our Lady's Boy’s Club,” was how our president Michael D Higgins described OLBC some years ago at a function in the Columban Hall. It is more than 80 years since it was founded and it is the longest-running youth club in the country. It was set up by Fr Leonard Shiel SJ at a time when there were was a lot of grinding poverty in Galway and no recreational facilities or extra-curricular activities for young people in areas like the Claddagh, Bohermore, Shantalla, and ‘The West’. The club provided these and has been a source of guidance and inspiration to thousands of young men and boys since, especially those from a working class background. From that first day of nervous membership, right through their teens, and even after they had taken up the challenges of adult life, the spirit and watchful eye of the Club is ever with them.

It is that time of the year again when children go back to school. It will be different this year as most of them will be delighted to return to classes and meet their friends after such a long break. For older generations, this time of year was, in the words of the Bard, more akin to "creeping like snail unwillingly to school”. And yet, when we look back on our schooldays, it is usually with affection. The old cliché ‘the best years of our lives’ still applies. It was where were educated, matured, learned and developed skills, remembered quotations like the above from the Bard, and made friends for life.

'WATER MUSIC' a new work by Irish composer Donagh Marnane will receive its world premiere as part of the Esker Festival Orchestra's summer tour, which takes in Galway on Thursday August 8.