DON Baker and Rob Strong celebrate 50 years on the road this year and are bringing their recently recorded album, Brothers In Arms to an Ennis audience this weekend. Ahead of the gig, Don, a prolific singer or songwriter, whose songs have been recorded by Sinead O’Connor, Eleanor McEvoy, Brian Kennedy, Declan O’Rourke, Finbar Furey, and Liam Ó’Maonlaí discussed his music career. Described by Bono as “the best harmonica player in the world”, Don says he is “just a normal bloke that happens to play instruments, I’m very ordinary”. Although his real passion is for music, his career has had many interesting turns, many of them “accidental”. He has played alongside Daniel Day Lewis in ‘In the Name of the Father’ as well as playing gangster Thomas Flynn in Fair City. He is an accomplished song writer with several published books in various languages on how to play the harmonica. So how did this “ordinary bloke” end up with so …
Read More »Clare Youth Theatre returns to glór
Clare Youth Theatre (CYT), an initiative of the Arts Office of Clare County Council, returns to glór this year for a series of weekly workshops. Open to all young people who are in secondary school, CYT meet every Saturday afternoon and delivers a programme that includes acting, devising, writing and technical skills for theatre. With over 25 members currently from all over Clare, CYT offers teenagers a chance to meet and create with like-minded young people. “Over the years we have seen firm friendships forged at the youth theatre,” according to Siobhán Mulcahy, Clare County Council Arts Officer. She continued, “The development of theatre skills is primarily what we do but the holistic benefits of team building, self confidence and addressing issues relevant to young people in a safe environment is what differentiates the youth theatre from other drama groups.” Led by Eleanor Feely and Clare Townsend, the group engages in community events, pop up performances and productions throughout the …
Read More »Corofin take 39 Steps to Athlone
Corofin Dramatic Society is one of nine finalists in this year’s All-Ireland Drama Festival taking place in Athlone from April 30. Having picked up numerous awards on the open circuit, the society is returning to the stage in Clare this Saturday night in Glór and in Corofin hall next Wednesday and Thursday with its production of The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow. “It is certainly a busy couple of weeks,” said director John Clancy. “We performed in Glór in February and then after that we did the circuit. The hall [in Corofin] wasn’t ready for us but it is open now and we performed there this week. We will be in Glór on Saturday and we are back in Corofin again next Wednesday and Thursday, before going to the All-Ireland on the May Bank Holiday weekend,” he explained. John acknowledged that it is time-consuming for the cast and crew but no more so than other hobbies. “I know a few lads …
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