Tag Archives: Kinvara

LIFE in rural West Clare is captured to stunning effect in a new exhibition from Mary Foudy O’Halloran which opens in Kinvara on April 15. ‘Revisited’ re-examines the everyday lives of rural Irish women in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s and reworks the ordinary objects and tools of their hard physical work. Mary’s other recent solo exhibitions include ‘Weighed’ at the Ballina Arts Centre and ‘Endurance’ in association with the Clare Arts Office. The latter also examined the past in the now, questioning the ordinary and familiar and objects of loss. Mary works primarily in oil and mixed media, often incorporating ordinary household objects in her work. Growing up in rural Clare, Mary was not unusual in being raised in a house without electricity and running water. Speaking about the body of work, she explained that all lives were heavy with labour, but women bore the biggest brunt of the hardship. “In putting this exhibition together, I wanted to acknowledge …

AN EXCITING new exhibition is to open at the Courthouse in Kinvara from Friday (November 19), in association with Kinvara Area Visual Artists (KAVA). Selected works by artist and sculptor Oliver Tennyson will be on show 11am to 4.30pm daily until November 28. The Louth-born artist describes his practice as lying “between realism and surrealism, with a tendency towards abstraction, influences range from Henry Moore to Frances Bacon, and beyond”. Oliver describes his current solo show as “a kaleidoscopic view of Ireland, the island we live on”. Themes explored in the show range from “mysticism, pagan origins, political upheavals, the work of poets and writers, its beauty and its scandals”, he added. Oliver was born near Dundalk, the oldest son of a farming family. He developed an interest in woodwork at an early age and by the age of 25 had become a self-taught musical instrument maker. He is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing mandolin, harmonica and concertina.  On the basis …

Kinvara is the home of a new, intergenerational community orchestra! Established by Fiona Buckley, and operating on a voluntary basis under the patronage of Tigh Sayre (Kinvara) and Gort Family Resource Centre, the aim of the orchestra is to provide an enjoyable opportunity for people, young and old, to play music together. The orchestra already has over 30 members with a full string section and an unusual mix of traditional and classical instruments. A group of vocalists also feature in the orchestra. The Orchestra’s musical director is New Quay man Garry O’Briain. Orchestra members generally hail from the Burren Lowlands area including Gort, Ardrahan, Kinvara, Ballindereen and New Quay. A significant number of members have not previously played in an orchestra while many others have a well-established background in traditional music. Some are amateur musicians, others are semi-professional or teachers of music and a number of teenage musicians have also joined. Orchestral rehearsals take place on Sunday mornings from 10.30-12.30 …

SOCIAL media and its psychological impact are the themes of an exciting new exhibition which will run at the Courthouse in Kinvara until early next month. The show by Mark Keaveney is entitled ‘My Social Bubble’ and contains a number of innovative digital art pieces. The young Roscommon native’s work was spotted during the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) end-of-year show by Pam Fleming, chairperson of Kinvara Area Visual Arts (KAVA). After Mark accepted the invitation to exhibit, KAVA came together with Kinvara Alive, a local organisation promoting mental health, to respond to the themes raised in the artwork. “Because of the effects of too much social media on mental health, Kinvara Alive (a local group promoting well-being and mental health) is going to collaborate with KAVA on the exhibition,” Pam outlined. Kinvara Alive will have literature available on training and a range of mental health supports for the duration of the exhibition. “The exploration of the psychological effects …

GARDAÍ are investigating the discovery of a body on the coastline in south County Galway this afternoon, reports Pat Flynn. The office of the State Pathologist has been notified and requested to conduct a post-mortem examination of the remains which are believed to be that of a woman. Gardaí have confirmed that the outcome of that examination will determine the course of their investigation. Gardaí were alerted at around 11.30am on Tuesday after a person out walking reported finding a body washed up at Doorus north of Kinvara. Gardaí responded to the scene and on arrival found a body on the shoreline. Gardaí requested assistance from the fire service to help reach and recover the remains. Units of Galway Fire and Rescue Service from Gort station travelled to the scene at around 1.30pm and assisted with recovering the body. Crews had to carry the body over an embankment and back to the road before it was removed to the mortuary …

LOCKDOWN is seen through the eyes of an artist in a new exhibition, reflecting on the impact of the pandemic, which is to open next month in Kinvara. KAVA (Kinvara Area Visual Arts) member Christopher Banahan will present new work based on his lockdown diaries and his creative response to Covid-19. Supported by the prestigious Arts Council’s Covid-19 Crisis Response Award, ‘Lockdown Diary’ addresses themes of loneliness and the effects of social isolation during the lockdowns, particularly for the elderly and the vulnerable in rural communities. On the flip-side, the exhibition also considers the positive impacts of the lockdowns, such as the re-evaluation of the natural beauty of local rural settings and the joys of being surrounded by such ‘imprisoned splendour’ particularly with the fine weather of the first lockdown last year. “The experience of working in isolation comes naturally and productively for most artists but when the isolation is imposed by the government, it is a different experience altogether,” …

KINVARA Area Visual Artists (KAVA) is opening the doors of the Courthouse for an exhibition of drawings and paintings by Terri Kelleher, which contemplate the concept of home. The Ballinderreen-based artist and children’s book illustrator created most the pieces this year and last, and the exhibition, entitled ‘Home’, will run from July 23 to 30. “Most of us have spent so much time at home over the last year-and-a-half and it’s something that we have almost taken for granted,” Terri said. “The exhibition looks at how important this space is to us. It’s somewhere that we should have a sense of safety and be free to find ourselves. Home is usually the place where our loved ones are. It could be linked to our ancestral story and should be our anchor in this world. The drawings and paintings in this exhibition touch on the idea of our connection to familiar places and we often think of home as being a …

THREE enterprising young men from Seamount College in Kinvara will take part in the national final of the Student Enterprise Awards on Friday showcasing a project that gives new life to discarded wooden pallets. Michael Leahy along with his two friends Ciarán Bailey and Ross Valentine have named their business ‘Pallet Bros’. The boys, who are all 16, take unwanted pallets and turn them into hand-made items from signs and planters, to storage boxes, decorative pieces and even Christmas trees. They were inspired in their idea by The Student Enterprise Programme. “We take unwanted pallets and turn them into unique handcrafted designs,” they explained. “Our business recently won the senior category of the Galway Student Enterprise County Final and will be representing Galway in the national final.” The business was set up towards the end of last year and one of the first projects involved the creation of some novel and highly sought-after Christmas trees. “These Christmas trees were a …