IRISH BAND DERVISH TO BRING THE SPIRIT OF IRISH MUSIC “SESSIONS” TO AMERICAN AIRWAVES FOR THE FIRST TIME
www.dervish.ie
“Irish Heartbeat with Dervish” weekly public radio program to launch late 2008
SLIGO, IRELAND ─ The Irish music “session” – regularly connected with the great pubs of Ireland and the wild beauty of the west of Ireland – is now set to take a new path on American airwaves. Renowned Irish traditional band Dervish will bring the sounds of a spirited Irish session to American public radio audiences through a weekly radio program, “Irish Heartbeat with Dervish.” The program goes into production this month at the band’s Sligo studios in the West of Ireland.
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NATALIE MACMASTER: BRINGING IT HOME
Premieres on WLIW21 Sunday, September 7 at 6:30 pm
Nationwide on Public Television Stations (check local listings)
Natalie MacMaster, renown for her mesmerizing Celtic fiddling and feverish step dancing, takes center stage in this concert special accompanied by her five-member band and special guests Bla Fleck, Hayley Westenra (Celtic Woman), Carlos Nez, Donnell Leahy, Kate Quinn and the Men of the Deeps. Taped October 2006, during the prestigious Celtic Colours International Festival at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Center on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the production celebrates Natalie’s return home after taking her acclaimed music to the world. Known as one of Canada’s major talents, Natalie has a huge following in the U.S. with 10 albums to her credit, two of which made Billboard’s World Music Top 20. In 2005, she won “Best Female Artist of the Year” at Canada’s East Coast Music Awards.
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TG4 MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Clifden Arts Week as part of their nationwide tour
www.clifdenartsweek.ie
The exciting Trad Connections show featuring TG4 Musician of the Year, Martin Tourish is set to wow audiences at the Clifden Arts Week Festival which will take place from Thursday 18th Sunday 28th September. Tourish will play on Sunday 21st September in the Alcock and Brown Hotel at Clifden Arts Week alongside fiddler Liz Coleman, Jazz guitarist Hugh Buckley, multi-instrumentalist Ciarn Swift and Classical and traditional guitarist and vocalist Dave Flynn as part of a nationwide tour of the event in September.
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WADEBRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL
August 22nd - 25th, 2008
www.wadebridgefolk.co.uk
Rare chance to see Swarb’s Lazarus
On Saturday, Wadebridge Folk Festival is the first festival to present Dave
Swarbrick’s new band, Lazarus, a trio featuring the legendary English
Fiddler Dave Swarbrick (ex-Fairport Convention, ex-Whippersnapper), ace
guitarist Kevin Dempsey (ex-Whippersnapper) and multi-instrumentalist
Maartin Allcock (ex-Fairport Convention, ex-Jethro Tull). Swarb’s Lazarus
play mostly traditional music of the British Isles, with all the charm and
showmanship you would expect from these legendary musicians. Don’t miss this
great band’s only 2008 festival gig!
Brilliant guitarist Pete Berryman and warm, humourous and engaging
Australian duo Kate Burke and Ruth Hazleton are also on the bill for the
Saturday evening concert with Lazarus.
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NEW PERFORMING ARTS EXECUTIVE APPOINTED AT NUI GALWAY
www.nuigalway.ie
Thursday, 14th August, 2008: Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, NUI Galway, is delighted to announce the appointment of actor and director Diarmuid de Faoite as its new performing arts executive.
Diarmuid is well known to the general public through his television work with TG4 (Ros na Rún), RTÉ, STV (Scotland) and through his stage work with The Town Hall Theatre, Druid, An Taibhdhearc, The Peacock, Project Arts Centre and his own company, POC productions.
The performing arts unit of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge at NUI Galway runs two part-time courses and one full-time course as well as providing support and teaching services for other departments. The courses include the Diploma in Arts (Acting), a Higher Diploma in Theatre Studies, and the Diploma in Arts (Arrangement and Staging of Traditional Irish Music).
De Faoite is a multi-award winning actor, writer and producer and has received many plaudits for his work in the field of theatre, television and performance. Most notably, he received: The Stewart Parker Trust/BBC NI Award for his play about Irish language writer, ‘Pádraic Ó Conaire’; ESB Dublin FRINGE Best Production for POC productions’ stage adaptation of ‘Paris, Texas’; and most recently, Best Feature Documentary with Johnny White (Seanchas Productions) at the Celtic Media Festival 2008, for the documentary, ‘Padraic Ó Conaire, An Fear’.
De Faoite has taught drama from primary through to third level and on to the professional theatre and television industry for almost twenty years. He was education officer for Na Fánaithe theatre company for a number of years, organising and delivering workshops in Gaeltacht schools as well as national workshops. He worked with Trevor Ó Clochartaigh on ‘Lasair’, intensive residential theatre workshops in Ireland and Scotland and has provided acting, writing and personal development training for Learning Waves, Solas, Ros na Rún, Pléaráca, NUI Galway as well as various other interest groups and organisations.
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS AT SEAMUS ENNIS CENTRE
www.seamusenniscentre.com
Date: Saturday, 23rd August.
Venue: Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin.
Tel: (01) 8020898
Event: Justin Townes Earl
With Justin Townes Earle’s pedigree come mixed blessings. As the son of legendary singer/songwriter Steve Earle, high expectations are the name of the game, and he’s shown that he is up to the task on The Good Life, crafting stark portraits and narrative tales with elements of blues, classic country and rock’n'roll. A modern-day troubadour, Earle blends genres seamlessly, framing his songs in warm musical settings and creating tunes that could easily be mistaken for classics. Highly recommended.
Time: Doors open: 7.30 p.m.
Performance: 8.30 p.m.
Adm: 16 Euro. (more…)
RIVERDANCE COMES HOME TO CELEBRATE NEW WORLD-CLASS VENUE
www.royaltheatre.ie
It is entirely appropriate that Riverdance, having conquered the world, will arrive in Mayo in early September to delight audiences in the West of Ireland for the very first time. It is not news that Riverdance burst onto the scene as an interval act at Eurovision 1994. What may not be as well known, however, is that the roots of what was to become the Riverdance phenomenon can be found in the Mayo 5000 celebrations of the previous year. An initiative from Mayo County Council to celebrate the opening of the visitors’ centre at the Ceide Fields archaeological site in 1993, the Mayo 5000 concert took place in the National Concert Hall, Dublin. The performance resonates to this day and clips from the concert posted on the internet remain hugely popular. Mayo 5000 was produced by Moya Doherty and John McColgan and included a new musical work by composer Bill Whelan called ‘The Spirit of Mayo’. The show included choral pieces by the choir Anuna and starred Irish dancers Jean Butler, Colin Dunne and Michael Flatley.
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