Arts & Culture

THE Hub Café in Chapel Lane, Ennis, has come up with a great way of supporting up-and-coming artists.

A BRONZE bust of author Frank McCourt, which has been sculpted by Kilbaha’s Seamus Connolly, will be unveiled in Limerick on May 13.

FEATURING works by over 20 artists, including some of Clare’s best-known contemporary artists, the Mol an Óige art auction represents an opportunity for art lovers.

AHEAD of their competitive appearance in the RTÉ Open All-Ireland Drama Finals in Athlone next week, Ennis Players are putting their production up to the scrutiny of Clare audiences in Glór.Ennis Players are competing in the All-Ireland open finals in the Dean Crowe Theatre, Athlone, which are being held from this Friday to May 8. Their performance of JM Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World, will take place next Thursday but they will treat local audiences to a precompetition staging at Glór on Monday and Tuesday. In qualifying rounds, Ennis Players achieved maximum points, putting the players in the top four groups in the country. “This is a remarkable achievement for the group, considering this is the first time we have qualified for the three-act open finals,” Bernie Harten, chairperson of Ennis Players said.Ennis Players are no strangers to success at open level having won the All-Ireland One-Act finals in 2004 with George Fitzmaurice’s The Dandy Dolls. They have …

OVER the May Bank Holiday weekend there will be music, song, dance and stories as friends, neighbours, musicians and the family of P Joe Hayes gather in Feakle to pay tribute to his memory.Renowned as the long-time leader of the Tulla Céilí Band, locally, he is best remembered for his generous nature, sense of humour and hard work. His Wednesday night sessions in Pepper’s Bar were intimate and welcoming.P Joe began learning the fiddle at the age of 11, taught by Pat Canny of Glendree, a near neighbour and father of the fiddler Paddy Canny. Both P Joe and Paddy were also founder members of the Tulla Céilí Band in 1946. With them in the band then were Theresa Tubridy, Bert McNulty, Aggie White, Jack Murphy, Jim and Paddy Donoghue and Joe Cooley. Seán Reid joined a year later and after, he stepped down in the early 1950s, P Joe took over as leader, a role he held for five …

This weekend’s Fleadh na gCuach will provide a vital revenue boost for businesses and service providers in Kinvara after what has been described as “the worst winter ever” for tourist-dependent companies in the area.This is the 17th year of the festival, which officially begins on Friday evening and continues through to Monday.  “This year’s festival will be more important than ever. It will be a welcome boost coming out of what has been a very bad season for us,” said Olga Vaughan from Connolly’s Pub, who is one of the festival organisers.“For South Galway and North Clare, the fleadh is the start of the summer season. Now more than ever we need this. Between floods and frost we had the worst winter. From a business aspect, people need to get cash flowing and from a community perspective, people are dying to get out and enjoy themselves, listen to some music  and get some positivity going,” Olga addded.This year’s festival starts …

ENNIS is hosting the first ever national gospel choir festival next week with representatives from all over the country and England set to swing and sing in the town.The Really Truly Joyful Gospel Choir in Ennis are hosting the festival.“We’re delighted to host this brand new festival. Ennis is a perfect town for such an event,” said Mike Griffin of the choir.The Irish Gospel Music Festival, Gospel Rising is being organised and run by a group belonging to several different choirs from all over Ireland who saw a need for an event which could bring together lovers of gospel music from all over the country to learn from each other and from networks and friendships.The festival is built around a series of workshops encompassing gospel music style, repertoire, choreography, soloist technique and technical aspects of sound and band work. The event will culminate in a gig in Glór on the Saturday night showcasing Ireland’s many gospel music styles. There will …

THE members of Shaskeen know that 2010 will be a year like no other as they celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary. Like other bands. Shaskeen has brought traditional Irish music to life for millions of people across the world through performances and recordings in the past four decades but the members did it the Shaskeen way.The band was put together to play on Friday nights at the Oxford Tavern in Kentish Town in 1970. Since then, over 2,000 Friday nights have passed and the music of Shaskeen lives on, albeit with a slightly different line-up.  The name Shaskeen comes from the Shaskeen Reel and the band has been heavily influenced by céilí music and in the past four decades has been true to the ethos that brought Tom Cussen, Benny O’Connor, Seán McDonagh, Johnny and Maureen Minogue together all those years ago. Today the band is still steered by Tom Cussen, who is joined by Eamon Cotter, Patsy McDonagh, Johnny …