ok. I write a newspaper column for the Donegal People's Press (when i was young I thought it was a commie paper because of the name but its definitely run by capitalists!) so I thought I'd post the blogs here and add links to them and that sort of thing.

Here's the entry that should have appeared on tues 26 sept but didnt due to some sub- editor thing.

Neartú – Strengthening

A new exhibition entitled ‘Neartú’ which means strengthening, opened in An Gailearaí, Falcarragh last Saturday . Artist Bernadette Cotter from Cork was awarded the Maggie Hughie Eoghan Scholarship which is administered by Cló Ceardlann na gCróc, Gweedore. Directors Ian Joyce and Oona Hyland established this award as part of their artists in residence facility in Gortahork – Teach an tSléibhe. Bernadette Cotter has been visiting the Gortahork area over the past two years as part of her award. At the fore front of Cotter’s practice is the sense of the ephemeral (it means short- lived, I looked it up!). What is at the core of this artists work is the sense of community, diversity, collaboration and harmony, with an emphasis on the feminine. The exhibition will run until 21st October and gallery opening hours are Tue-Fri 10.00am-5.00pm & Sat 2.00pm-5.00pm. Quality is always at the forefront of the work in An Gailearaí so check it out with confidence!

Bluestacks and The Balor

The Bluestacks festival takes place throughout SW Donegal at the end of September and start of October and the weekend of the 28th, 29th and 30th sees three very different t gigs at The Balor Theatre, which is the mark of good programming I always say! Damien Dempsey takes to the stage on Thursday September 28th for what will be his second Balor gig. He appeared last year in a two man set up along with drummer Wayne Sheehy in what was one of the Balor’s gigs of the year. He returns this year with a four-piece line up.
Julia Biel the following night, Fri Sep 29th, sees a more laid back cool jazzy vibe. This ultra-talented singer comes backed with a six piece band comprising of clarinet, flute, cello, acoustic guitar, double bass and, for a special treat the acclaimed Seb Rochford on drums. For those who like their music laid back and soulful.
The weekend takes a traditional twist on saturday 30th with Londubh - the Co. Clare Traditional Band In Residence. Londubh consists of Sean Tyrrell (vocals, mandola & banjo), Siobhan Peoples (fiddle), Christy Barry (flute, whistles & bones) and Paul Dooley (wire-strung harp & fiddle). There’s a special connection with The Balor here with Siobhans father Tommy the current Balor Traditional Musician In Residence. Tommy and Siobhan will be holding a fiddle workshop as part of The Bluestacks Festival at The Balor on the afternoon of Saturday Sep 30th. For bookings and more information on the above contact the Balor on 074 91 31840.

You can download the whole Bluestacks brochure in pdf format from here: BLUESTACKS BROCHURE

LK Hip Hop.

Just a quick note that you can hear some home grown Letterkenny hip hop by checking out dj Dano and B Koz’s bebo page at http://bebo.com/grp/Grp.jsp?GrpTypeCd=BD&GrpId=1613225785 or maybe just go to the shindig blog at http://shindigrecords.blogspot.com/ and click on the link there. Much easier. Word. Massive.


What’s that coming over the roundabout? Is it a sculpture? Is it a sculpture?

Thursday 28th September 2006 sees the launch of Donegal County Council’s five year strategy on Public Art and the launch of the Public Art Website www.donegalpublicart.ie in the County House, Lifford. The implementation of this plan will be co-ordinated by Donegal County Council’s Public Art Manager Ms. Terre Duffy. The commissioning of Public Art, utilising The Per Cent for Art Scheme (it’s a European directive thing you use public money for things, roads, bridges etc. you have to use a percentage of it to commision some art) gives the public the opportunity to experience a vast range of contemporary art in their everyday life. As a result of a massive infrastructural development programme over the last number of years, Donegal County Council have a significant budget under the Per Cent for Art Scheme and through this plan seek to put in place a co-ordinated and ambitious program of work. Commissioning Public Art does not mean merely providing the public with the most obvious and fixed solution. It involves a process of dialogue and expanding horizons. However the fear of controversy has too often been an inhibiting factor in the commissioning process. The pressure to play it safe, to do what has been done before or not to rock the boat can seem overwhelming and can impact negatively on the vision and ambition of a project. However Donegal County Council believe that an effective public art work does not patronise or placate its public and the instantly popular option must be balanced against the desire to ‘raise the bar’ and the demands of enduring quality, creativity and professionalism. Amen to that anyway we are all welcome to the launch so lets go along. It’s our art after all. Oh and it’s at 3pm. Be there or be at work probably.

I Miss Communism

Well having spent so many years trying to explain to people that I’m not a socialist just because I am passionate about social issues now I have to go around saying I Miss Communism! Well it’s all because of this play which is on in An Grianan this Friday night. It’s got rave reviews and looks like a strong play that’s good craic too! Here’s the blurb they sent us: It all started four years ago. I mentioned to my boyfriend that I missed Communism and he passed Hagen Daaz ice cream out of his nose... East goes West; communism goes capitalism; atheism goes God. From Croatia to America and back, this dramatic comedy solo show is about 3 women, 3 generations who lived through 3 wars, 3 concentration camps, 3 governments, 3 countries and 3 currencies. It’s about a woman coming of age. It’s about war, religion and God. It’s also about Oliver Twist. Based on a poignant true story I Miss Communism is funny, heartfelt and utterly gripping. Ines Wurth is a Croatian actress and writer who now lives and works in Los Angeles."I Miss Communism" is a touching, personal story based on her life. She transforms herself into 15 characters and introduces her life of growing up under the communist regime; a life full of opposites: war and peace, love and hate, innocence and violence. Wurth creates vivid, powerful moments which are wonderfully contrasted with humorous musical numbers and stories to create a unique experience. Book now on 074 91 20777 or at www.angrianan.com or you can just walk up.

Rock Night

Marty Clampett has been rocking the town’s youth (and those not so young!) for a fair few years now in the fubar at the Orchard every Monday night. Expect to hear such rock classics AC/ DC, Metallica, and new songs such as Muse, Raconteurs, and lots of metal. So why not dress up in black (to show your individuality, altogether now ‘We Are All Individuals!’) and wander up to the fubar. There’s no better entertainment to round off the weekend. Mine’s a lucozade Marty....

Dennis McNulty exhibition at Void

I had the honour of seeing this exhibition in the company of the artist last Thursday, and Dennis who is always good company, regaled me with tales of Brazil, art and music. Dx/Dt is a very interesting aural exhibition with low key visual elements. The people at void are very friendly so why not go see it if in Derry? In 2004 Dennis McNulty represented Ireland in the 26th São Paulo Bienal. In 2006 McNulty returned to Brazil to organise a series of 8 sound-performances in apartments in Brazil. A call for participation was sent to the mailing list of São Paulo based Bizarre Records and each performance was organised via e-mail in response to the offers received. There were certain criteria to be met: the concert was to take place in an apartment near the top of a tall building in an urban area at 'magic hour', the hour just before sunset. The audience were to be invited by the concert organiser and the organiser’s home stereo was to be used as amplification. The artist's payment was a meal. dx/dt is an installation which uses the documentation of this series of performances as a starting point, dealing with the issues encountered in presenting documentation of a site-specific work in a gallery and consciously relating the experience of being at one of the performances to the experience of being in the gallery. The exhibition contains images, text, video and audio recordings. Contact void on 048 7130 8080. You can contact Dennis through www.dennismcnulty.com

This week I’ve been mainly listening to Madeleine Peyroux. Contact me at chiba at eircom dot net and I’ll put things in the paper for ya! and Smile!