Entertainment
Variety and quality in Galway Fringe line-up
The Galway Fringe Festival kicks off this Friday, July 12 and runs until July 31 in venues throughout Galway City with more than 100 local, Irish, and international acts, including comedy, children’s events, visual arts, music, theatre, cabaret, and literature both in English and Irish.
The theatre programme include Martin Sharry in his one-man show Martin Sharry Tells it Like it is, where Sharry explores the potential for truth and storytelling in the medium of stand-up. It runs for two nights, on July 24 and 25 from 6-7pm in the Townhouse bar. The Bentley will also become a theatre venue, with shows such as The Great Couch Rebellion by award-winning playwright Philip Doherty, which tells the story of how Adam and Eve reach breaking point when they decide to rise up gloriously from the comfort of their couch and lead Ireland in a new rebellion. The show runs from July 16-20, from 8-9pm.
Musical highlights include Julie Hawk, a Galway singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is taking the London unsigned scene by storm. She will be performing this Friday, July 12 at 8pm in The Factory Abbeygate Street. Another performance to look forward to is A Sense of Place; a Place of Sense, at Galway City Museum on July 20 at 4pm. Five international musicians will play eight modern classical compositions from all around the world, including the world premiere of a composition by John Maxwell Geddes.
Dance highlights include One Last Drop, which tells the stories of a man and woman as they struggle with the addiction to alcohol. Written and directed by Claudia O’Sullivan and Kori Kilduff, it runs from July 22-25, at 5.30pm in The Cube theatre, NUI Galway.
Events on the literary front include Like a Marble Rolled, a contemporary epic poem that tells the story of a journey two friends make across a fictional city. Created and performed by Phoebe Dick this will be performed on July 20 and 28 of July in The Cellar Bar at 6pm.
Meanwhile The Poetry Sessions will take place in the Bridge Mills, at 3pm every day from July16-22 will feature a mix of music and poetry performed by Padraic Harvey, Gráinne Ní Fhoighil, Fred Johnston, Paul Mulligan, Seán Ó Coistealbha, Marie Homes and others.
The visual art scene is also well represented at the Festival and includes the exhibition Tell Me Your Real Name, a series of photographic portraits exploring questions of identity and the idea of self. All are welcome to have their portrait taken on site between 2-5pm daily in Galway City Museum, from July 17-19. Another exhibition worth seeing is Craic in Galway by Darius Ivan, who is renowned for his nightlife photography around the city. His exhibition will show different views of life in Galway through his lens.
l See www.galwayfringe.ie for more.
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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