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Theatre opens its doors for Druid Experience exhibition

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Druid Theatre’s headquarters at Druid Lane Theatre have been largely dark in recent years as the company has enjoyed success at home and abroad, most notably with its with its touring productions of DruidMurphy and DruidSynge.

Even when it is performing in Galway, Druid mostly tends to use the Town Hall Theatre and its most recent production in Druid Lane was Enda Walsh’s Penelope for the 2010 Galway Arts Festival. Other companies and individuals have hired the venue occasionally during that time and it’s also been used for Druid rehearsals. Now, the venue which was refurbished in 2009, has opened its doors for the summer months for an exhibition entitled The Druid Experience, which was officially launched by comedian Tommy Tiernan on Monday.

The exhibition features an eclectic collection of memorabilia from the company, which was founded in 1975 by Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen and Mick Lally –including photos and posters from various Druid productions in the last 38 years.

Visitors can also watch two behind-the-scenes documentaries about the company. The first, Back to the Cradle documents Druid’s first ever visit to Inis Meáin in 1982. The second, Mighty Talk charts the staging of DruidSynge from rehearsals to the opening night at the 2005 Galway Arts Festival and beyond, to the glorious occasion of its final performance of 2005 on Inis Meáin.

 Original artwork on display includes portraits by Brian Bourke of the three Druid co-founders; a portrait of one of Ireland’s greatest actors, Siobhán McKenna, painted by John Shinnors in 1985, during what was to become Siobhán’s final performance in Tom Murphy’s Bailegangaire; and the original poster image by John Behan for the 1984 production of Murphy’s Famine. Visitors can also browse the Druid shop and see props from shows.

And there will be action in the venue’s auditorium for the month of July. These include two rehearsed readings for the Arts Festival as part of the Druid Debut series. The pieces getting staged readings are Happy Birthday Jacob by Michael Marshall, which takes place on Tuesday,July  23at 2pm, and Be Infants in Evil by Brian Martin on Friday, July 26 at 2pm. The Druid Debuts series is an initiative started by Druid in 2001 to support the development of talented emerging writers.

Also on this month is a Galway Arts Festival production of Riverrun, adapted and performed by Olwen Fouéré, a production that presents the voice of the river, Anna Livia Plurabelle, from Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Full details for all these events can be found on www.galwayartsfestival.com or on 091 566577.

The Druid Experience at Druid Lane Theatre is open from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday, and by arrangement for visiting groups. Guided tours are also available. For more details see www.druid.ie or call 091 568660.

CITY TRIBUNE

Folk duo launch What Will Be Will Be

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Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce.

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.

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All roads lead to Dunmore as town tunes up County Fleadh

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Most of the competitions for young musicians will take place this Saturday in Dunmore Community School. All the competitions are open to the public.

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.

 

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Piano concert rescheduled for Tuesday

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Pianist Cédric Pescia.

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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