Tag Archives: Mountshannon Arts

A LANTERN Parade is among the events that will take place in Mountshannon as East Clare celebrates Culture Night on Friday. Following a large-scale lantern workshop last Saturday, facilitated by Nathalie El Baba, the community is invited to gather at Market House at 8pm for a colourful parade through the town. Lanterns were also collaboratively made from willow and issue paper, in Lakyle and Iniscealtra national schools, and will be on display in a festive atmosphere. Anyone planning to attend is invited to bring their own lanterns, in a family-friendly event that will be followed by circus acts and fun at Aistear Park. The event follows a very successful and popular Lantern Parade in 2021 and there are plans to make it a yearly celebration. Another highlight of Culture Night in Mountshannon will be a tour through the town of a viking longboat created by local artist and blacksmith, Mark Wilson. The procession will involve stilt walkers and lots of …

SINGER-SONGWRITER John Spillane has just been unveiled as headline act for the Mountshannon Arts Festival this summer. With the welcome return of in-person events, the hugely talented Corkonian, is set to captivate audiences from well beyond East Clare, when he performs at St Caimin’s Church. Rooted in people, place and story, John’s music transports the listener, and his live performances have thrilled audiences around the world. The award-winning musician, songwriter, performer, recording artist, storyteller, poet and dreamer will perform within the hallowed historical walls of 18th Century Church of Ireland on Saturday, June 4. Mountshannon Arts Festival Chairperson, Mel White, said the committee is delighted to have secured such a talented and popular performer to headline this year’s event. “John’s music is a reflection of Ireland today, and we are honoured to have him performing in Mounshannon,” she said. “And not only that, John is also hosting a song writing workshop where he will help participants lose whatever inhibitions and …

TWO Clare-based charities have benefitted from the very first fundraising exhibition organised by Mountshannon Arts.  Entitled ‘Hush Hush’, the exhibition was the brainchild of Tara Considine, an art lover and local librarian who brought the idea to Mountshannon Arts committee. Hosted by Scariff Library, the show allowed members of the public to buy a painting for €40. Only when they collected their piece, did they discover the identity of the artist. This week, the proceeds were donated to Clare Haven Service who offer refuge, support and safety to women and children subjected to domestic abuse; and Every Child Ireland, who work to establish an ongoing back-to-school assistance fund for children living in Direct Provision.  University of Limerick (UL) Arts Officer, Patricia Moriarty opened the exhibition at Raw Café in Killaloe at the end of November and the exhibition continued mid-December. Two hundred pieces of original work were submitted by artists from all over Ireland, Europe and the USA. Children from …

A POP up shop will return to Main Street, Mountshannon this weekend, as a vacant building is transformed into a colourful hub showcasing the artistic richness of East Clare. Thanks to the generosity of the cottage owner, John Tuohy, the Mountshannon Arts Shop will open its doors on October 9 and 10, bringing a buzz of life and vibrancy to the harbour town. The popular venue did very well over the Mountshannon Arts Festival weekend and the artists and crafters involved were delighted with the response, as were locals and visitors alike.  The artists involved in this unique collaboration include Ailish McElroy of Ailish McElroy Millinery in Bodyke; Scariff-based visual artist Nathalie El Baba; Rachel Maloney, a Fine Art graduate from Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD); Mel White aka Maximillist Art, a self taught Pop Art influenced artist; and Deirdre Carr, an artist and poet.  “Mel White played an integral part in securing the premises and setting up …

A RADIO play which prompts people to look at their lives before the Covid-19 pandemic will be broadcast this Saturday, June 5, with the support of Mountshannon Arts. To Myself; Before, will air on Scariff Bay Community Radio, and is a production of WayWord Theatre, founded by Clare-based artists Eavan Brennan, Siobhán Donnellan and Ruth Smith. As inspiration for the production, WayWord put out a call to members of the public inviting submissions in the form of letters asking what they would have told themselves had they known a global pandemic was on the horizon. According to the trio, the responses were as varied as they were surprising and encompassed a huge emotional spectrum. The radio play comprises pieces of text from the submissions and will air on Scariff Bay Community Radio on Saturday at 8pm. The special broadcast will include a live pre- and post-show discussion with the WayWord three. The work of WayWord Theatre is inspired by the …

TWO East Clare artists have put their talents to great use as part of an art raffle which will take place in support of Mountshannon Arts in June. Mel White and Gilli Browne have joined forces to create the collaborative artistic due known as CocoNut. Together, they have created a stunning graphic painting of two fallow stags. Entitled ‘Fallow Me’, the piece takes its inspiration from Mountshannon Arts’ theme of ‘Regeneration’. Mel, also known as Maximillist, is described as a pop artist whose influences range from Andy Warhol to Frida Kahlo. She uses neon to bombard the viewer’s senses, while Gilli invokes movement and texture through palette knife techniques. “We decided to undertake this initiative to help raise much needed funds for the Mountshannon Arts Festival,” said Mel. “The arts offer an opportunity to experience something new or gain a new perspective which is represented in the festival theme ‘Regeneration’. Buying a ticket helps the festival, an important cultural amenity, …

NEW Directions, Maps and Journeys are the themes of Poetry Day and the inspiration behind a project being undertaken by Mountshannon Arts, as the community organisation reflects on its 25-year history. Poetry Day takes place on Thursday, April 29. Poet Róisín Bugler notes that it will also mark the first outing this year for Moutshannon Arts, whose festival has been inspiring and entertaining audiences from East Clare and far further afield, for a quarter of a century. “We are still curtailed by Covid-19,” Róisín said, “but Poetry Day will be our first opportunity to showcase Mountshannon Arts this year on the 25th anniversary of the festival. “We’ve been doing something a little different for Poetry Day and this year people have been responding to the popular and beautiful local art trail.” This ‘ekphrastic’ poetry project – where one art work is inspired by another – has been embraced enthusiastically, with inspiring results. “Ordinarily, I would put out a general call …