Entertainment
Memory comes under spotlight as Cúirt Festival extends run
American author Tobias Wolff may be the main man at this year’s Cúirt International Festival of Literature, which runs from April 17-24, but the official opening will have a distinctly Galway flavour, with readings from Rita Ann Higgins, Elaine Feeney and Mike McCormack, as well as a recital from the St Patrick’s Brass Band. The opening is on Sunday, April 17, in the Meryrick Hotel and all are welcome.
Unsurprisingly, given the year that’s in it, the theme of Cúirt 2016 is memory.
The Festival’s commemoration of the 1916 will include a special focus on women’s involvement in the Easter Rising, and the status of women in Ireland, 100 years on.
Writers from more than 20 countries are taking part in Cúirt 2016, which has been extended to an eight-day festival from its previous six.
Those taking part will include three-times American Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, award winning Irish novelists Kevin Barry and Jennifer Johnston, as well as Tobias Wolff – he will be reading on Thursday, April 21 when he will discuss his life’s work, focusing on the theme of memory.
Also from America comes Miriam Toews, who has been compared by the Los Angeles Times to Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro. Toews, who has published five novels, and a memoir of her father, was raised in the small Mennonite town of Steinbach, Manitoba. Her latest book, All My Puny Sorrows, draws on this background. She will be at the Town Hall Theatre on Friday, April 22, at 4pm.
Cork author, Louise O’Neill, whose latest novel, Asking for It, on the theme of sexual assault against women has opened up a whole new debate on the issue, will join forces with American poet and writer Rachel B Glaser for a reading on Saturday, April 23. Glaser has just had her novel, Paulina and Fran published by Granta. She previously won the McSweeney’s Amanda Davis Fiction Award. That reading, at 3pm in the Town Hall Theatre will be chaired by journalist and broadcaster Sinéad Gleeson, editor of The Long Gaze Back, an anthology of short stories by Irish women.
Novelists Jennifer Johnston and Belinda McKeown will be on stage in the same venue at 4.30pm on the same day, and will be followed by poets Rita Ann Higgins, Colette Boyce and Karen Solie.
Rita Ann will be reading from her latest book, Tongulish, which has just been published by Bloodaxe. Derry poet Colette Bryce’s latest collection, The Whole & Rain-domed Universe, won a special prize in memory of Seamus Heaney as part of the 2015 Christopher Ewart Biggs Award.
For more, read this week’s Galway City 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.
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