Arts & Culture

Having recommended Emma as one to watch a few weeks ago it seems only right that I make mention of it now I have had a chance to watch it. Thank goodness for repeats, she says. Having missed the first episode I was delighted to see that it was repeated not once, but twice, on the BBC the following Saturday. Perhaps a poor scheduling idea by the BBC but very good for those of us who managed to miss it twice. Emma, for those who don’t know is the story of a rich girl who has no desire to marry but feels she has a talent for bringing couples together. She is spoiled, precocious and fickle but she is also warm, caring and considerate. The trouble begins when she tries to set Miss Harriett Smith up with the local clergyman Mr Elliott. Harriett’s parentage is unknown and her circumstances mean that she is quite below a clergyman but Emma cannot …

Synecdoche, New YorkDirected by: Charlie KaufmanStarring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener Being beaten over the head with quality is a curious experience. While there’s a lot about the latest brain-melting opus from writer/director Charlie Kaufman to make you want to hold said author down and beat the pretension out of him with a Wiffle bat, there’s so many brilliant ideas and outstanding performances that you just can’t.Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as Caden Cotard, a successful theatre director whose home life with artist Adele (Catherine Keener) is collapsing. Suffering from myriad health problems, his wife leaves and Caden falls into a depression that is partially lifted when he unexpectedly wins the McArthur Genius Grant.The massive financial reward for his directorial prowess acts as an impetus for Caden produce greatest the work of his, or anyone else’s life. He rents a massive warehouse in Manhatten, a huge cast and proceeds to direct them in a play based on life itself …

FOR many musicians their instrument may be considered one of their most precious possessions. But for Kilfenora’s Eimear Howley, her fiddle isn’t just a means to showcase her musical talents, it is also a link to her family’s past and musical heritage.

If you’re a fan of the great stage musicals, then you’ve got to book your seat straight away for a spectacular show at Glór next Friday.

The Keeping Mum Community Art Project fundraiser at Glór last Thursday has been declared a great success.

Minogue’s Bar in Tulla will play host to folk band Unwanted this Friday. The music of the Atlantic Fringe is the source and inspiration for the much-acclaimed Sligo-based band, who will perform for the first time in Clare at the invitation of the Island Music Club.

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