Entertainment
Glass always half empty for RTÉ’s sporting gurus
TV Watch with Dave O’Connell
Given his past brushes with the law over his alcohol intake, it’s perhaps a little ironic to describe Eamon Dunphy as a ‘glass half empty’ merchant – but bloody hell, he can be a hard man to please.
To look at himself, Gilesy and Chippy on the panel, you’d have thought that someone got mixed up and invited a team of undertakers to plan the wedding.
They were in bad, bad form in a way that probably better reflected the mood in Germany than it did on the streets of Dublin – but these boys are loved for the analytics, not their emotions.
Our Boys in Green had just held the World Champions to a famous draw in Gelsenkirchen but to listen to Eamon you’d have thought we’d been hockeyed off the pitch.
The other pair weren’t much better, neither aided by the fact that they sound like oul fellas giving out about the rest of the world from the comfort of their high stool at the bar.
They’re the bores you’d do 360 degree turns to avoid on a night out; they’d see a Lotto win as an unwelcome financial burden that would ruin your life.
And yes, they are employed as analysts which means not getting caught in the trap of looking like fans with access to the airwaves – but it’s actually alright to be fans too.
We’re not going to get all technical here, but they did of course have a point that Glenn Whelan isn’t an international footballer and that someone should have closed down the German scorer, Toni Kroos, before he got the chance to finally beat Galway’s finest, David Forde, between the posts.
And they are right to suggest that Jon Walters is no winger, Aiden McGeady is no central midfielder and that Wes Houlihan brings an attacking flair to the team that is otherwise lacking.
But Dunphy’s assertion that this was just the Trapattoni era with a Derry accent….a team with ‘no belief with the ball, no conviction’? Seriously.
“We’re not going to qualify – there’s no ifs, buts or maybes. It has to be called what it is,” he told the viewing world, ignoring the fact that we’re actually joint top of our qualifying group, that we’ve drawn away to World Champions and have beaten another of our rivals away from home.
The fact that it took a late goal and a last gasp goal to achieve this makes it all the sweeter – unless you’re mounting a one-man campaign for Wes Houlihan to become the fulcrum of our Green Army.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.
Folk duo Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce are launching their new album What Will We Be, a blend of folk, Americana and acoustic music, this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc.
The success of their well-received 2020 release Taobh le Taobh, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, spurred the duo on to record this new album which represents many years of collaboration and musical development.
It features Niall and Pádraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc Ó hÉanaigh on double bass and Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. The catchy title track, What Will We Be, features contributions from percussionist Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.
Themes of love and hope are woven through Come Away with Me which features interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies.
People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on Martin and Tom, Guitar Gold, Memories of You and Achill Island. The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel Walden features on the tracks Simple and Wise and Walden, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core.
The album moves from minimalistic folk ballads such as Galway Ghost to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song Neptune, both of which are influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Much of the work on this album was supported by the Arts Council, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble Treo.
The album will be launched this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in an Taibhdhearc. Tickets €22, plus booking fee at Eventbrite.ie.
Dunmore is the place to be this weekend for lovers of traditional music, as the Galway County Fleadh will take place there from this Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 23.
It is 10 years since Dunmore last hosted a fleadh and the local Comhaltas branch, which has re-formed since Covid, is looking forward to facilitating this gathering of music, song, dance and craic.
The official Opening Concert will take place in Dunmore Town Hall this Friday at 8pm with the acclaimed Mulcahy family from Limerick. Mick, Louise and Michelle are well known throughout the country, thanks to their live performances, television appearances and numerous CDs. They were the winners of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Grúpa Ceoil Award for 2023. Tickets for their concert can be purchased on the door and a great night of music is promised.
Two days of competitions will kick off this Saturday at the town’s Community School, with more than 1,500 competitors taking part. Participants will be hoping to qualify for the Connacht Fleadh 2023, which will be held in Ballina, County Mayo, from June 23 to July 2.
Competitions for those aged Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15 will be held in a large variety of instruments on Saturday, as well as in singing and Comhrá Gaeilge. Sunday’s competitions will be for the Under 18 and Over 18 ages groups, as well as in dancing.
On both days a large entry is expected for Grúpaí Cheoil and Céilí Band competitions across all age groups.
Seventeen Comhaltas branches from across Galway will have participants in this weekend’s competitions, which will result in a large number of visitors to the Dunmore area.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the competitions, which offer a great opportunity to hear and see the talent on display. There will be sessions in local pubs over the weekend as well and everybody is welcome to attend these.
For more information on the County Fleadh, go to www.galwaycomhaltas.ie.
Music for Galway’s concert with renowned Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia which had been due to take place on April 27 but which had to be deferred, will now take place next Tuesday, May 23, at 8pm, in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall at the University of Galway.
This concert of German classics with Bach at its core, will brings the Bach element of Music for Galway’s 41st season to an end.
This world-class pianist who won the famous Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, has a repertoire that spans many eras from baroque to contemporary and he is widely known for his elaborate programmes. Cédric Pescia describes music as ‘language and movement at the same time’.
Audiences will have a chance to experience his soft, clear touch as he performs a programme for solo piano that will include classics such as Schumann’s popular Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), a suite of nine short pieces, and the penultimate of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, No. 31. These pieces will be interspersed with French Suites by Bach.
■ Ticket for Cédric Pescia’s concert are available at www.musicforgalway.ie, or by phone 091 705962 and on the door on the night. They cost €20/€18. The price for fulltime students of all ages is €6 while MfG Friends can avail of the friends’ rate of €16.
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