Entertainment
Lauded ‘Star of the Sea’ returns for new run
Arts Week with Judy Murphy
One of Galway’s most innovative companies, Moonfish Theatre, wowed audiences during last year’s Arts Festival with their adaptation of Joseph O’Connor’s hit novel, Star of the Sea.
The Moonfish co-production with An Taibhdhearc Theatre was a total sell-out, but its limited run left many punters disappointed as tickets were like gold dust.
There’ll be no more disappointment, however, as Moonfish and An Taibhdhearc have revived the bilingual, multi-media play for an Irish tour which will see it return to An Taibhdhearc from September 16-19.
The story, set on the Famine ship, Star of the Sea, and telling the stories of its passengers and how they ended up on this voyage to America, is one that intrigued sisters Mairéad and Ionia Ní Chróinín of Moonfish since they first read the book.
“There are so many viewpoints in the novel and it was so well constructed that you feel for everyone,” observes Ionia, when we meet in the Meyrick Hotel during week two of a three-week rehearsal period for the revival. “The characters don’t have to be perfect for you to care about them – even the worst of them.”
She loves the way the book explored the notion of how much one person could survive before their humanity was knocked out of them – and in a way that made the reader understand, if not condone, their actions.
Moonfish were thrilled at the response of Galway audiences last year, and are looking forward to taking Star of the Sea on the road, after this new rehearsal period.
“There were a few things we wanted to restructure and refine, so to have these three weeks on top of the original four is a luxury,” Ionia says.
Star of the Sea features in this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival’s programme – the first time Moonfish are taking part in the event – and will also visit nine other venues nationally as part of the Strollers Touring Network. This group of theatres approached them and are part-funding the tour. The Arts Council are also on board for this tour, the biggest ever from Moonfish.
“It’s lovely to be doing it in Galway again because of all the people who didn’t get to see it, and the great reaction and the Taibhdhearc being co-producers,” Ionia reflects. “And it’s nice to bring it outside of Galway too. This is a story for the whole island. It resonates with everyone, everywhere.”
Galway was a natural starting point for it. Star of the Sea is set in Connemara and, as Ionia points out, Galway people hear Irish spoken more regularly than people elsewhere in the country do.
“So the bilingual aspect of it will be interesting outside of Galway.”
With that in mind, Moonfish are running a ‘sister tour’ alongside the main play to create ‘Learner Irish venues’.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
