Entertainment
Plenty of fun for grown-ups at the Baboro festival
There’s lots of fun to go around at Baboró which starts today and runs until Sunday October 23. While the kids are busy seeing shows, exhibitions and generally having lots of fun, there’s plenty for the grown-ups to check out too.
On the menu is a series of talks and workshops including a talk with one of Ireland’s most lauded artists, PJ Lynch, Laureate na nÓg, and with Aoibheann McNamara, mother and restaurateur (founder Ard Bia at Nimmos and The Tweed Project) about nurturing your child’s love of food through travel and adventure.
These are some of the events on offer.
MONDAY OCTOBER 17th
Laureate na nÓg PJ Lynch in conversation with Tarsila Krüse & Shona Shirley Macdonald
Time: 5:00 to 6:30pm | Venue: Town Hall Theatre Studio | Tickets: €6
PJ Lynch is the fourth Laureate na nÓg, and one of Ireland’s most lauded artists. He and his guests will discuss their careers as illustrators. Chaired by Alan Clarke.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 18th
Making Work for Children in the Digital Age
Time: 5:00 to 6:30pm | Venue: Town Hall Studio | Tickets: €6
A discussion exploring the use of technology in making work for children. Panel: Brenda Romero, Denise McDonagh, Ellen McCabe. Chaired by Máiréad Ní Chroinín.
Robotics for Primary and Secondary School Teachers
Time: 7:00 to 8:30pm | Venue: Galway Education Centre, Cluain Mhuire, Wellpark |Tickets: €15/12
Discover how to easily integrate robotics technology in the classroom to aid teaching and develop creative young minds.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 20th
Workshop: Dance & Movement
Time: 2:00 to 3:30pm | Venue: Aula Maxima Upper, NUI Galway | Tickets: €15 / €12
Presented by De Dansers from Holland who are at the festival with their show, Dream City, this is a professional development workshop for dancers and actors exploring movement principles and De Dansers’ unique approach to making work.
Workshop: Primary & Special Needs Teachers
Time: 7:00 to 8:30pm | Venue: Aula Maxima Upper, NUI Galway | Tickets: €15/12
Through hands on making and the artists’ wealth of experiences in this field, Deirdre Rogers and Órla Kelly will share tried and tested methods while exploring new ways that develop artists, primary school educators and special needs educators in supporting children.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 22nd
A Taste of Adventure
Time: 4:00 to 5:00pm | Venue: Ard Bia The House, Henry Street | Tickets: €10 (This is a fundraiser for Baboró, with thanks to Aoibheann McNamara)
A talk for parents with Aoibheann MacNamara about nurturing your child’s love of food, through travel and adventure.
To attend any of these events, see Baboro.ie and search under Event Type and select ‘Grown ups’ or call 091 569 777.
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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