Arts & Culture

THIS year marks 50 years since acclaimed Clare author Edna O’Brien’s novel The Country Girls was banned but a radio documentary due to air on St Stephen’s Day will reveal that locals still have reservations about the author and her novel. For the first time, locals will reveal their thoughts about the controversy that surrounded The County Girls, the banning of the book and the truth about an alleged public burning of the book. One of the locals to be featured on the programme recollects, “By the time I got the book, it was in a brown, paper cover so you couldn’t see the front of it. And I remember everyone called it a dirty book and I didn’t really understand what that meant. But I wanted to find out why it was dirty.”The radio documentary entitled A Country Place has been produced by East Clare broadcaster Paula Carroll and Rag and Bone Productions the support of the Broadcasting Authority …

THERE will be a Horse Outside the Queens in Ennis on December 28, when the chart-topping Rubberbandits bring their unique style of wit and music to County Clare.After a unique and well-debated performance on both Liveline and The Late Late Show last Friday, the Rubberbandits continue their rise to popularity, now taking on the X-Factor-winning single When we Collide by Matt Cardle. Their Horse Outside hit is widely predicted to be this Christmas’ number one. The single is now officially the fastest-selling Irish single ever and the video has almost 3.2 million views and facebook fans have doubled in the last week to almost 100,000.Due to their ever-expanding popularity, the Rubberbandits started a tour this week, taking in Cork for two performances, Leisureland Galway this Thursday, the Róisín Dubh in Galway on Monday, December 27, The Queens in Ennis at 8pm on Tuesday, December 28 and Dolan’s in Limerick on Wednesday, December 19 and Thursday, December 30. Tickets for all …

A PRE-Christmas treat is in store in Scariff this weekend when over 100 choir singers from across East Clare perform a seasonal concert, aptly called Glór na Nollag.The Sacred Heart Church in Scariff will be the atmospheric venue for this concert on Friday and Saturday night, which will feature three East Clare choirs – The East Clare Community Choir, Scariff Community College Choir and the East Clare National School Choir. The East Clare Community Choir formed last January and currently has 46 members. It is a four-part soprano, alto, tenor, bass choir of men and women from the area. Since its formation, it has regular rehearsals and has performed in the church in Whitegate in April, at the Mountshannon Arts Festival in June and in the New Ross Choral Festival in May. John O’Brien, musical director of the choral concert, said that the choir is “coming along nicely”. “The choir has gelled together well and are constantly expanding their repertoire. …

THE Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport has recently agreed to provide €40,000 in capital funding to the Glór Irish Music Centre, to purchase necessary equipment.Director of Glór, Katie Verling, said this is particularly significant when budgets are so constrained and it demonstrates a commitment to the long-term success of Glór and its importance in the cultural life of Ireland.In a written report on Glór, Ennis municipal venue, presented to Ennis Town Council at this month’s meeting, Ms Verling recalled how the centre had been opened by the then Minister for the Arts, Síle de Valera on November 30, 2001. “The original rationale for Glór Irish Music Centre was to establish an iconic building in Ennis to attract international visitors to stay in the town and to celebrate Clare’s international reputation for traditional music, song and dance in a purpose-built state-of-the-art building,” the director said.She continued, “Now in 2010, Glór is Ireland’s finest and largest, municipal music and theatre venue …

CLARE will get a taste of the showband years again in the new year when RTÉ’s Ronan Collins hosts Reeling in the Showband Years in Glór on January 5.Acclaimed as the showband show to top them all, the show will bring the audience back in time to this magical era of the showbands, which will include Ronan Collins singing his tribute to Joe Dolan and Dickie Rock. This year, the show will include Crystal Swing, the family group from Cork who have become somewhat of a performing sensation almost worldwide, with their number one hit, The Hucklebuck and He Drinks Tequila. Another popular performance at the show will be the big sound of The Conquerors Showband, which is said to be one of the greatest showbands of them all and still packing them in everywhere they go. The Galway boys were best known for singing Baby Blue and many more.Also on the line-up is Des Lee from The Miami Showband, …

POPULAR comic duo D’Unbelievables, Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny, are reuniting for a one-off nationwide tour after Christmas and will perform in Glór on January 28 and 29.D’Unbelievables enjoyed almost cult status in their heyday with their live shows travelling around Ireland entertaining many with the hilarious side of Irish rural society. Originally formed in the late ’80s in Limerick, Jon and Pat created their on-stage characters in D’Unbelievables to wickedly echo those to be seen on every street corner and in every pub in Ireland. After touring extensively all over Ireland for almost a decade, both men went their separate ways in 2000, exploring independent careers in TV, movies and music. Up until now, a comeback was usually given a “never say never” response when either Pat or Jon were asked but they both now feel the time is right. “We have met up regularly over the past few years and have often thought seriously about bringing all these …

HOW old is Cinderella? Pantomime fanatics in Kilkee, Kilrush and Lissycasey should be able to hazard a guess over the Christmas season. The question been a hot topic in Garrihy’s Bar in Moyasta for weeks since rehearsals for the production began there two month’s ago. Members of the Crack’d Spoon cast can now officially reveal that Cinderella is 2,860 years old. Originally Chinese, she cropped up in the fable Yeh-Shen, minus a fairy Godmother, (charmed by a magical fish instead) but complete with a “golden shoe” to identify the persecuted heroine.“That’s not a Wikileak but comes authoritatively from Wikipedia,” cast member Rob Hopkins confirmed. The Chinese fable evolved into a grim Grimm’s Fairy Tale with the Ugly Sisters, played in West Clare by the hilarious Nora Daly and strangely convincing Garda Jessie McNamara, slicing off their heels and toes in a desperate bid to fit the slipper and claim the prince. A throwback to the prized elegance of tiny bound …