Arts & Culture

CLASSICAL duo John O’Conor and Ailbhe McDonagh join forces to bring an intimate evening of cello and piano music to Ennis this week. World renowned Beethoven specialist O’Conor and Irish cello soloist Ailbhe McDonagh celebrated Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year in 2021 by recording a double album of his complete sonatas for cello and piano. And this Thursday, October 6, they will bring their nationwide tour showcasing their partnership to glór. On the night they will be performing sonatas by Beethoven and some shorter works by Faurè, Chopin and McDonagh herself including the world premiere of Valentia composed specially for this tour. O’Conor has been gathering wonderful reviews for his masterly playing for over 40 years with the Chicago Tribune saying, “He represents a vanishing tradition that favours inner expression and atmosphere over showmanship and bravura”. He studied in his native Dublin, in Vienna with Dieter Weber, and was tutored by the legendary Wilhelm Kempff. His unanimous First Prize at the …

MUSIC has proven to be a universal language for a collaboration that is fusing Ukrainian and Irish tradition.  Kseniya Rusnack fled her home after war reached the Ukrainian capital. She now lives in Lisdoonvarna, where her talent for music has drawn her into the thriving trad scene in the area. Alongside leading Irish harper, Ennistymon-based, Paul Dooley, Kseniya performed at the Willie Clancy Summer School and, recently, wowed audiences at Glór in Ennis.  Kseniya, who was born in the Cherkasy region in central Ukraine, is a musician and singer. She credits, the  bandura, a Ukrainian stringed folk instrument, with opening up the world of music to her. The outbreak of war saw Kseniya flee the capital, Kyiv, with her mother, her five-year-old son and a few precious possessions, including her bandura.  “Since the beginning of hostilities, we left Kyiv to visit relatives in Cherkasy region,” she said. “We have been in Ukraine for a month because we believed that everything …

A NEW performance space and auditorium at Cnoc na Gaoithe in Tulla has been officially opened by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys. The opening of the multi-functional performance space and auditorium, at the Tulla Comhaltas Cultural Centre marks the culmination of huge local efforts to redevelop a landmark site in the town centre. The regeneration project restored the old convent building and developed the facility that will further enhance and support the town’s rich music and cultural heritage. The project received €900,000 in funding under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF). The centre is situated in the heartland of East Clare, on the famous Hill of Tulla, an area renowned for traditional Irish music, song, and dance. The name ‘Cnoc na Gaoithe’ translates in English as the Windswept Hill, made famous by the late Kerry man Bryan MacMahon in his song ‘Lament for Tommy Daly’ in praise of the great Tulla and Clare goalkeeper, Dr Tommy …

A UNIQUE exhibition on the Irish Civil War of 1922-23 entitled ‘An Alchemy of the Civil War’ is now on at the Clare Museum. Artist Marie Connole has created a series of watercolours to represent various incidents from around County Clare. She worked with historian Brian Spring to develop the visual timeline of events from 100 years ago. The influence of 16th century alchemical illustrations is the starting point for these fact-based images. Alchemists sought to transform certain materials through chemical experimentation. They believed base metals such as lead could be “perfected” into gold. Connole uses this experimental process as a metaphor for understanding the Irish Civil War. During the War of Independence many Irish men and women sought the Utopian ideal of an Independent Gaelic island nation. However their methods, actions and ideas for achieving this shared ideal were markedly different. The repercussions from the Civil War that followed persist to this day. Connole’s symbolic paintings blend trauma, history …

SHANNON’S David Hope will launch his new album ‘…And The Sea’ at the Swive stage in Shannon Town Centre on Friday at 6pm. Admission is free for the launch of what is his fifth album, which both lyrically and musically is the deepest dive Hope has taken into his songwriting and recording. Through capturing a mix of raw emotional acoustic tracks and full band epics, this makes for his most complete album to date. David said much of the album relates to a bereavement. “This album is largely my attempt to find the words to deal with the loss of my father, a man I loved to the moon and back and respected deeply. He was every bit as much my Dad as he was my best friend; so letting go and saying goodbye was and is terribly hard. “While in the effort to find the words to express my grief and love for him, I also found the words …

AWARD-winning and much loved singer-songwriter, PJ Murrihy will be in concert in Kilkee this Saturday night.  The eagerly-anticipated event, which features Séamus Shannon, follows on from a very successful appearance by PJ at the Ploughing Championships. In the wake of the pandemic, fans from all over Ireland lined up to see the Mullagh man live in Ratheniska, and Clare followers will welcome the chance to see him at 8pm, at Cultúrlann Sweeney.  A veteran of the Irish music scene, PJ first came to prominence  in the late ‘80s, with a song called ‘Pat Murphy’s Meadow’. The hugely popular ballad was originally a poem, written by JM Devine in the 1930s. He has since had many successes with his songs including ‘Life in the Auld Dog Yet’, ‘Soldier On’, and ‘Drawing Little Men in the Ashes’. To date, songs written by PJ have been recorded by a number of prominent artists including, Big Tom, Daniel O’Donnell, Foster and Allen, Michael English, …

A FILM created in collaboration with members of two west Clare communities is to be screened in Kildysart on Saturday evening. RISING is a new film by artist William Bock which was shot on the shore of the Shannon Estuary in Kildysart and Labasheeda premieres in Kildysart Community Hall at 8pm. The film depicts individuals and family groups as they emerge from the silt, covered in the river mud, returning back to their everyday lives. Part documentary, part visual poem, RISING responds to local people’s changing relationship with the river over time and the environmental changes that will challenge life along its shores. Prior to making the film, William spent a year visiting local families and individuals to learn about their connections to the river, their history and their thoughts about the future. During his visits, William became interested in the body of silt that coats the estuary. For the artist, the silt represents the accumulated heritage of the communities …

BILLED as Ireland’s newest mini festival, Fómhar in Fanore, comes to O’Donohue’s Pub early next month. It will be headlined by Clare-born multi-instrumentalist and producer Daithí with his signature fiddle and dance infused sounds. “I feel like I’m more connected to where I’m from than I’ve ever been,” Daithí said about his latest album I’m Here Now, which was heavily inspired by his home place. Off the back of this release, Daithí is coming home with an exclusive performance at Fómhar in Fanore on Saturday, October 8. Daithí will be joined by trad-hip-hop fusion poet Strange Boy, heavy folk outfit Bog Bodies, R&B artist Toshín along with her six-piece band, and Clare based sing-songwriter and dancer Dora Gola. Daithí’s name has become synonymous with raising the bar for the live dance experience, mixing in unique elements like his signature fiddle – a symbol of his traditional Irish upbringing – alongside a chorus of talented musicians who elevate songs that have been …