Here's what's going down in the local Arts scene....

Arts & Parts

Lennon at the Balor
Maurice Lennon, the founding member of Stockton's wing brings his new traditional music quartet to Ballybofey on Saturday Nov 11th at 8.30pm. They members are Maurice Lennon on fiddle and viola (I think that’s like a violin but bigger.. feel free to let me know if that’s wrong!), Ballybofey lad Martin Tourish on accordion and Luke Ward on bouzouki (a long necked fretted lute, bit like an odd guitar, an instrument only popular in Greek and Irish music, introduced I believe by Donal Lunny and Andy Irvine ), and vocalist Sarah Lang. Together they combine youth, experience, energy and talent and it should be a popular and enthralling evening. For bookings and further information contact The Balor on 074 91 31840.
Here he is on the fiddle back in the day...





Eleanor Returns to the Scene of her Triumph
An Grianan Theatre since we have opened have had 12 Productions here and throughout Ireland. Only once have we won a prestigious Irish Times Theatre Award and it was for Eleanor Methven’s fine portrayal in Maggie in Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa. As you can imagine we were delighted to win such a hotly contested award and a little thrilled that we had beaten companies who’s sole purpose is to present plays, after all we have a busy theatre to run as well! So we are doubly delighted that Eleanor returns to us in the highlight of the year’s programme, Druid Theatre Company’s The Year of The Hiker. In this play, John b Keane sets the scene as a patriarch returns to his family 20 years after walking out. He returns on the day of his daughters wedding. Will they forgive him? Will we find out why he left? Ah sure we all like a bit of suspense! There’s a great cast including Mick Lally and Garrett Lombard, the bloke in Pure Mule who got all the action while his brother got none. This is the play to see this year, and great for drama lovers, those who go occasionally, and first timers too! It’s on at An Grianan from 20th to the 25th November. Call the box office on 074 91 20777.

Art Exhibition, sale and auction in Sligo
For those of you in the south of the county or those avid art collectors out there this should be of interest. A collection of original small art works on paper, ranging across visual, musical, literary and culinary disciplines (well that’s what it says here!) opens at Sligo Art Gallery on November 14th. This exhibition offers an opportunity to acquire smaller works, unframed, from celebrated Irish artists including, Sean McSweeney (he taught me art you know), Rita Duffy, Alice Maher, Nick Miller, Cormac O’Leary (his Dad taught me art!), Grace Weir, Eileen McDonagh, Bettina Seitz, Billy Moore, Pat McCabe, Eoin McNamee, Michael Harding (I know him, nice guy bit intense), Steve Wickham (bloke form the Waterboys), Cathy Jordan……….. and many more. This eclectic collection provides an extra dimension for art collectors, by bringing together the works of many couples working in the arts, such as Sean McSweeney (artist) and Shelia McSweeney (photographer), Pat McCabe (writer) and Margot Quinn (artist), Michael Harding (writer, actor) and Cathy Carman (artist), Malcolm Hamilton (play write) and Martina Gillen (designer), Cormac O’Leary (artist) and Fiona Wallace (artist) .. the list goes on.

The sale of the works are divided into to two categories, the works of visual artists being sold at a fixed price, with the remaining written works by the literary, musical and culinary artists being auctioned off on the evening of the official opening.
Proceeds from this exhibition will go towards ‘Waves Womens’ Support Service’, a voluntary organisation based in Sligo, which provides support information and advocacy for women and children experiencing domestic violence in Sligo, Leitrim and West Cavan. Waves have been delivering essential services to women at risk since 2004. Their role is to help women to focus on their safety, to access a range of rights and entitlements and to support them for as long as they wish on their journey to safety and freedom from violence. A fundraising event such as “Paper Unframed” not only helps raise much needs funds, but also serves to highlight public awareness of the services available. This event provides a major awareness raising opportunity about the issue of domestic violence in the North West.
Exhibition runs from 13th – 17th November 2006 in the Sligo Art Gallery, Hyde Bridge, Sligo. Opening night and auction on 14th November commencing at 7.00pm. It all sounds good to me.

Film Club keeps on a Rollin’

This week’s film is Cockles and Muscles (France 2005) on Thursday November 9 (this Thursday like). This is an erotic French farce directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau and stars Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Gilbert Melki and Jean-Marc Barr. It follows the tale of Beatrix and Marc heading off to the Riviera for the summer. They are accompanied on vacation by their quiet teenage son Charly and their independent minded daughter Laura. This is a comic take on family traumas and is so jammed with delightful little touches that it will keep a broad smile on your face from start to finish, due to the clever filmmaking, witty script, insightful observations and, mostly, a shimmering performance from Valeria Bruni-Tedeshci. Hmmm they seem to have used up all the superlatives we were keeping for the rest of the column!
Remaining films of the season are The Death of Mr Lazarescu (November 16); L’Enfant (November 23) and District 13 (November 30). Remember the value of your investment may go up as well as down .. no hang on that’s not the right bit, here we go... Films are open to members only. Members must rejoin each season. Membership is available to anyone over 18 from the arts centre which is below the library on Oliver Plunkett Road but soon to move to a nice shiny big building behind the theatre (€1.50). All films start at 8.15pm and are screened at Century Cinemas, Port Road, Letterkenny. Admission is €8.00. Only the French could pull of a film that is both erotic and a farce.

And the rest
Phil Kay is on at the theatre this Saturday, he’s funny. The Nutcracker is on on Sunday, its graceful. Adrian Dunbar and band is on Saturday 18th November he sings now you know. Keith Barry is on on Wed 29th November, he’s a mentalist. Fionn Regan is on Friday 1 December, we like him, he’s very Nick Drake-ish. Never a bad thing unless he takes it too far if you catch my drift. Beautiful guitar player with a lush voice tho.

Quick Story
At the opening of Janet Ross’ exhibition I was chatting to sweetie man (he sells sweets rather than being a sweetie, comprende?) and promoter John McIvor who recently gave the town the fabulous Vienna Boys’ Choir and we were reminiscing on some of the great gigs that John has done over the years with the Smiths and James’ in the the Commiunity Centre being one and the Pogues in the Mount Errigal being another. And John was telling me that Elvis Costello wrote The Sleep of the Just on the bus from Dublin to Letterkenny to be with his (then) wife Cait O Riordain, who was in the Pogues at the time. Quite a claim to fame! I’ve checked out the lyrics and they go like this:
The soldier asked my name and did I come here very often
Well I thought that he was asking me to dance
In my holy coat and hat and him in his red bonnet
We'd have made a lovely couple but we never had the chance
And now you say that you've got to go
Well if you must you must
I suppose that you need the sleep of the just
Well it was a powerful day and there were black crows in the road
And I kept my strong opinions to my chest
I suppose I should have told them that I was on fire for you
When the bus burst into flames outside some place, 'The Poet's Rest'

The Poet’s Rest being a pub in Slane I believe. Check it out .. I’m believing him anyway! Couldn't find a video for it so here's the magnificent shipbuilding instead...



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This week I’ve been mainly listening to Joanna Newsom, she’s hot, plays the harp and sounds like early Kate Bush (according to Nicola) the new album is out on the 14th try it you might like it, there’s only five songs but they are long ones.


Email me on chiba at eircom dot net for inclusion.