CLARE’S cultural community will come together on Friday to showcase the very best the county has to offer. Clare Culture Night 2021 will see 30 free cultural events being held, with a mix of live and virtual events allowing audiences across the county and beyond to connect through culture. The myriad of events will run throughout the evening from 4pm.
This year’s programme, which is organised by Clare Arts Office and funded by Clare County Council and the Arts Council, is filled with free live events across the county from Ennis to Doolin, Lissycasey to Mountshannon, Feakle to Ennistymon, and free online events.
The host of virtual events will provide culture from all corners of the county and will be available to view throughout the evening. This year, artist Ana Colomer has created a unique piece for Culture Night, combining puppetry, storytelling, film and music, which was filmed in various locations around the county.
Malbay Studios presents ‘Lugh – The Prophecy’, which was filmed in West Clare. Clare Céilí Band has recorded traditional music sets from the great Clare bands of the past and the present. Singer-songwriter and composer of music for piano, Emer O’Flaherty, will bring her original songs and new music to the online audience. There’s a chance to see artist Martina Hynan’s short film, ‘Birthplace Memories from County Clare’, as well as a showcase of music and dance from different ethnicities in the county. The Record Break screens its film celebrating the newly published Poetry Art Exposition Book.
Kids can look forward to a science workshop in their own kitchen, a hands-on lab not to be missed, and budding make-up artists can join an online workshop, from the comfort of their own home. A livestream from Shannon will bring a cultural jamboree of music. Tulla artist, Tim Humphries, shares his bovine musical experiment, with surprising results!
The Irish Traditional Music Archive and Clare Arts Office present ‘Ag Lorg Ár Líne – Clare Women: Listening and Performing’. Contemporary Clare musicians, Nuala Kennedy and Tara Breen, collaborate remotely across time with their County Clare musical foremothers, Kitty Hayes, Nell Galvin, Mary Haren and Nora Cleary in this audio-visual piece.
Around the county, the live events kick-off at 4pm with visual art exhibitions in Kilkee and Ennis and a photography exhibition in Scariff. Children in Kilkee can enjoy a music workshop. Early evening in Ennis sees glór’s screening of ‘My Nature’, a film for young people, by young people. There will be plenty of open-air music around the county starting at the Cascades in Lissycasey, in the grounds of the Teach Ceoil in Ennistymon with local Comhaltas members and under the sky in Ennis with Aidan McMahon, Mike Butler and Michael Landers.
In Doolin, theatrical company, Ballycartoon Productions, continues the tradition of storytelling in a hybrid of theatre readings and short films. Mountshannon shines a light on Culture Night, with a lantern parade from the village to the harbour.
There’s a miscellany of indoor music events lined up. An Tara, comprised of Tommy Hayes and Matthew Noone, perform in Feakle and will be joined by dancer, Stephanie Keane. The Turf Shed bring tunes to Quilty. Kilrush and Ennis both host a traditional music evening. Culture Night in Ennis will culminate in glór with the chance to catch The Latchikos in their first gig back.
Commenting on this year’s programme of events in Clare, Siobhan Mulcahy, Arts Officer with Clare County Council, said, “A difficult 12 months has seen artists and communities in the county respond to the Culture Night call in various ways. Some have focused on online activities, while more are exploring how they can engage with audiences in person as we emerge from restrictions. In both scenarios the quality of activity shines through and gives plenty of hope for Culture Night returning in person next year.”
Details of the full Culture Night programme for County Clare and links to online events can be found at www.culturenight.ie
For updates, follow Clare Culture Night on Facebook.