Arts & Culture

An Ennis undertaker has put himself in the frame for Pieta House by organising a charity auction of 12 of his oil paintings. Sean Daly, who has worked with his father, Joe for the last nine years, will unveil his eye-catching exhibition of paintings upstairs in Tom Steele’s Pub, Lifford, this Sunday. Inspired by the death of a close friend through suicide in 2012, Mr Daly was determined to raise money for the regional suicide prevention centre. In addition to acquiring a BA in Fine Art from Manchester Metropolitian University when he studied sculpture and photography, he also holds a certificate in animation, which also involves a lot of painting. He is also preparing for another art exhibition in the Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery next month. Each oil on canvass painting took him about one month to complete. He also makes all the canvass material for his paintings. Having attended Ennis CBS up to third year, he moved to Ennis Vocational School …

Emotional Life in Ireland is the theme of the 2014 Merriman Summer School, which  will take place in Ennis,  from August 13 to 17. It is, according to the organisers,  a timely topic for a country which has yet again been dealing with the aftermath of trauma, as we listen to stories of hidden pregnancies, secret births and unacknowleged deaths. Many of the events will be held in Glór. “How do we deal with our emotions and their consequences? Are we better at it now than we have been? What legacies have been left by our difficulty in understanding and reluctance to deal with our emotions? These are some of the areas for discussion at this year’s Merriman Summer School,” a spokesperson said. The director of this year’s school is Dr Patrica Coughlan, Professor Emerita in the School of English at UCC. She has selected a rich panel of speakers. Social historians, writers, ethno-musicologists, psychologists, a psychiatrist, journalists and critics …

COMPOSER and music teacher, Fiona Linnane lives in Kildimo, County Limerick, but maintains a strong connection with her native County Clare – so much so, in fact, she has been inspired to embark on a new album of original works for solo piano, following her work with Burren in Bloom. “I was the composer in residence for a project called Bells Across The Burren in Ballyvaughan last year. It was a huge project, which was all-encompassing but very rewarding. That was an artist-in-the-community project with the Arts Council of Ireland and Burrenbeo and it was part of the Burren in Bloom festival last year. It was a five-month residency so, after that, I decided I needed something small and manageable,” said the Cratloe woman. “I had another big project as well this year, dealing with writing a commission for a choir in Limerick, so I just wanted something smaller, where I was just collaborating with a small number of people. …

The Burren will be showcased to one of the most lucrative tourism markets in the world after Black Head was used as the backdrop of Vogue, earlier this week. Irish photographer, Boo George, who was shooting for Emporio Armani at Dollymount Strand, last week, used the stark North Clare scenery as the setting for the fashion feature, with top international model, Aymeline Valade. Vogue is one of the top fashion magazines in the world and producer of this shoot, Laura Oughton, believes, “It is the perfect opportunity to let people see this area and hopefully they will want to come and visit and see where we shot the story.” She added that this was her first time in Ireland but she would definitely be back. “There are so many different types of scenery here and so much we can shoot,” Ms Oughton said. Michael Fitzsimons, Fáilte Ireland’s client services officer for Clare and the Aran Islands, believes this type of …

This year’s Ennis Street Festival line-up is branching out in new directions, as it introduces Ennis Sounds Good, a parallel music festival, and offers the public a modern take on dancing at the crossroads. The festival takes place from July 4 to 6 and this year’s latest addition, Ennis Sounds Good, will mean the fun and spectacle of Ennis Street Festival continues. With 36 gigs across 15 venues, it is sure to be a success. Highlights include Mikey and the Scallywags, Drizzle, Skazz, The O’Malleys, DJ Will Softly, Keith McDonald, Buck Tailor, La Orquestra Kalamares, blues, folk, ska, salsa, world music, Spanish music, trad and more, culminating in a big festival music finale on Sunday, July 6. One of the other new elements to this year’s festival is a 21st-century interpretation of the traditional custom of dancing at the crossroads. Through participation in modern art forms and dance, dancing at the crossroads will take place in O’Connell Square with the Ennis …

Luka Bloom could be sinn ing to you in your local café next month, as the North Clare resident embarks on his second Clare Café Tour. As someone who thoroughly enjoys the café atmosphere, Luka Bloom decided last year to bring the music to the wonderful cafes around the county. The atmosphere they have for an intimate gig was one reason for bringing his folk song repertoire to the café stage but, he also said, he finds the proprietors are genuinely enthusiastic about creating a warm and homely atmosphere for the guests. Speaking about last year’s café tour, Luka said it went beyond all his expectations. “I was a little bit nervous about whether people would be open to it, and I was completely blown away. The interesting thing about the tour we did last year was that every single one of the café’s I played in last September, I don’t think one of them existed 10 years ago. They …

Having played together for over 20 years, Kíla are one of the country’s most innovative groups, having created their own style of music and winning endorsements from the likes of Bono and Sinead O’Connor. Speaking about the group’s sound, musician Colm Ó Snodaigh said; “It’s an eight piece band, so it’s a big band, a big sound. In the last few years we’ve taken in a new member who’s exclusively a drummer, it’s the first time. We’ve always had drums on stage but they were only used for one or two tracks, but is the first time we’ve had that kind of sound all the way through it. There’s fiddle, flute, pipes, bodhrán, drums, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, it’s kind of a big sound. It suits the festival stage in a way and it’s very dance-y music.” He said that he loves seeing people moving to the music at their shows. “It’s great fun to be honest with you. Probably …

JIMMY’S Hall, Ken Loach’s latest film, casts an eye back on an Ireland in the firm grip of unbending conservatism and an Ennis woman plays one of the lead roles. Simone Kirby plays the love interest of Jimmy Gralton, who set up a dance hall in 1930’s Leitrim, before being deported from his home country on a flimsy pretext. Another Ennis actor, Denise Gough, also has a smaller part. Speaking from London, Simone explained the story and how Gralton became a victim of the prevailing powers of the time. “The real Jimmy Gralton was deported from Ireland back in the ’30s. I’d never heard of him, we never learned about him in school or anything so it was news to me that anyone had been deported from Ireland. Basically, he had opened a dance hall on his father’s land and the Church were unimpressed, because education and dances had always been under their control. Suddenly, there was this dance hall …