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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SOLAS ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM
www.solasmusic.com
The finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced.
- The Boston Globe
In a manner befitting their name (a Gaelic word meaning “light”), Solas burst onto a largely dormant Irish music scene and almost instantly became a beacon - an incandescent ensemble that found contemporary relevance in timeless traditions without ever stooping to crossover clichs.
Now, as Mairead Phelan, an exciting young singer from Kilkenny, steps up to lend her exquisite vocals to the existing line up of Seamus Egan (flute, tenor banjo, mandolin, whistle, guitar and bodhran), Winifred Horan (fiddle), Mick McAuley (accordion and concertina) and Eamon McElholm (guitar and keyboards), the band heads into their second decade of playing tight, fiery Irish music.
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FIDDLE FESTIVAL OF WALES GOES INTERNATIONAL
August 28th-31st, 2008
www.welshtraditionalmusic.com
This year’s Fiddle Festival of Wales is going to be the best yet. With workshops, concerts, the Welsh Celtic Fiddle Competition and sessions galore, if you can play, or can’t, we can help you do something about that also. Some of the best from Wales (Cass Meurig, Iolo Jones and IMM’s Sian Phillips ), Ireland (Liz Doherty), Scotland (Lori Watson), England (Pete Cooper), Sweden (Goran Premberg) and now, a late arrival to our host of tutors. Mark Oats from Australia has been playing fiddle since the age of four, growing up in Austinmere, NSW.As a teenager he became interested in Irish fiddle and during his twenties, then lived and worked in Europe for several years as a musician, perfecting his unique style of Celtic fiddling.
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BOSTON, TRAD MUSIC SCHOOL FOR THE FALL
www.ccebostonmusicschool.org
Registration is now open for the CCÉ Boston Music School. Classes are available on Fiddle, Flute, Whistle, Uilleann Pipes, Anglo Concertina, Button Accordion, Harp, Guitar, Bodhrán, and Melodeon for the 12-week fall term at Harvard University beginning on September 6th. Classes are assigned by student level, with limited class enrollment.
For more information, see: www.ccebostonmusicschool.org
SOUND INVESTMENT IN INSTRUMENTS ALMOST €350,000 ANNOUNCED FOR NEW FUNDING SCHEME
www.musicnetwork.ie
The Arts Council, The IRMA Trust and Music Network have announced details of the Music Capital Scheme and Research Project, an action-research initiative designed to provide support for the purchase of musical instruments in 2008. The scheme and research project will be operated on a pilot basis in 2008 and will be designed to recommend formalised structures for ongoing support in this area beyond 2008. Closing date for applications 5:30pm Monday 29th September.
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CULTURE IRELAND ANNOUCES FUNDING DETAILS
www.cultureireland.gov.ie
Culture Ireland recently announced details of its summer funding round: over ?400,000 was awarded to 80 arts projects across Europe, USA, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Australia. A number of younger Irish traditional bands have been supported to tour North America, having made a strong impact during Culture Ireland’s promotional mission to New York earlier this year. Among others, Téada will be performing at the Edmonton Folk Festival in Alberta, Canada, while Slide, Líadan and the David Munnelly Band will play at various music festivals across the United States.
“The strong demand for emerging traditional groups during our promotion at the APAP arts market in New York has translated into a strong list of festival and touring engagements. More generally, we are also seeing a gradual move towards a collaborative and co-production model with international partners, which is a more sustainable long-term model for presenting work abroad” said Eugene Downes, Chief Executive of Culture Ireland
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NUI GALWAY LAUNCHES TRADITIONAL MUSIC DIPLOMA THROUGH IRISH WITH DR. CHARLIE LENNON
www.nuigalway.ie
On July 3rd, Muiris Ó Rócháin, Director of The Willie Clancy Festival launched NUI Galway’s latest programme taught entirely through Irish, a Diploma of Arts in the Composition, Arrangement and Performance of Traditional Music. The Diploma will be delivered by the University’s Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge in conjunction with internationally acclaimed musician Dr. Charlie Lennon.
Applications are now being accepted for the full-time, one-year course which will commence in September 2008 in state of the art recording studios at Stiúideo Cuan, An Spidéal, Co. na Gaillimhe. The number of students accepted on the programme is restricted to 15 to ensure the best academic training combined with hands-on practical experience using the latest music technologies.
The programme will be delivered through Irish, therefore a proficiency in the language is essential. Entry onto the programme is subject to an audition and interview process, where prospective students will display their knowledge of and interest in Irish traditional music.
Marianne Ní Chinnéide, Academic Director of the new programme and Administrator of the Performing Arts Department (Riarthóir na dTaibh-Ealaíon), said, “This new diploma aims to provide graduates with the skills needed to pursue a career as a musician or as a traditional artist. The content is practical and offers the student high quality training from professionals already working in the field.”
For more information contact Marianne Ní Chinnéide, Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, NUI Galway.
Tel: 091 869103 or email: marianne.nichinneide@oegaillimh.ie
