FLEADH NUA, INIS, CO. AN CHLÁIR. MAY 18th to 26th 2008

“Thinking of County Clare immediately conjures up images of Traditional Music, Singing and Dancing. And it is little wonder because the Traditional Arts lie at the very core of the Banner County’s identity. This explains why trad fans from California to Leeds are descending on Ennis from 18th to 26th May for the annual Fleadh Nua Festival. Despite being a fixture in the town’s calendar of events since 1974, the twin concepts of imagination and innovation on which the Festival is founded ensure that this Fleadh is still 'Nua' after all these years. Highlights of this year’s Fleadh include the Frank Custy Tribute; Cór agus Ceol – Cór Cúil Aodha agus a Chairde; and the Celebrity Concert featuring artistes drawn from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick as well as 'The Hounds of Ulster'. This Flute and Drum Band hails from Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim and will perform their unique brand of Ulster-Scots Music in what is surely a first for an Irish Traditional Music Festival. Fleadh Nua welcomes the recent recipient of TG4’S Gradam Ceoil mar Chumadóir na Bliana, Peadar Ó Riada agus Cór Cúil Aodha to Glór Irish Music Centre for 'Cór agus Ceol'. Founded by the late Seán Ó Riada in 1964, the Choir’s original purpose was to sing at liturgical services in Cúil Aodha Church. Shortly after its inception it started also to sing as a ‘claisceadal’ or traditional singing group which then commenced singing in public from the late sixties up to today. Many illustrious names from the world of Irish Sean Nós singing and Poetry have been associated with this choir and the choir has been frequently called upon to do duty at various occasions of historical importance. Additional music will be provided by the Leeds Scoraíocht Group who enjoy a lengthy association with the Fleadh and can always be relied upon to provide first class entertainment. As always Fleadh Nua has something for everyone - Céilithe, Concerts, Recitals, Music and Set Dancing Workshops, Street Entertainment, Traditional Singing Sessions, Lectures, Parade, Storytelling, Oíche Ghaelach, A Guided Walking Tour, The National Dancing Championships, Senior And Junior Cabaret Shows, Pub Music Trail, Street Music Trail and CD Launches. And that is only the organised part of the programme! A myriad of sessions both indoors and out ensures that the narrow streets of Ennis will resound with Traditional Music, Song and Dance throughout the Festival. See full event details at www.fleadhnua.com. Fleadh Nua is organised by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann on a voluntary not for profit basis.”

Submarine Man; The Little Known Life of John P. Holland

Glór, Tuesday 6 May, 8pm, €18/16 conc.
“Submarine Man is a hilarious and yet at times incredibly moving account of one of Ireland’s greatest unsung heroes. The year is 1873. Dundalk-based, novitiate Christian Brother, John Philip Holland is obsessed with his design for a bizarre, submergible craft. Infused with the inventiveness of the eccentric genius, this true-story drama tells the little-known tale of 'the father of the modern submarine' and one of Ireland's greatest, unsung naval heroes.” Tickets from Glór box office on 065-6843103 or online at www.glor.ie

‘Northern Lights', paintings by Samantha Ellis-Fox & Josephine Kelly

This new exhibition at the Russell Gallery is now online! Click here to see ‘Northern Lights', paintings by Samantha Ellis-Fox & Josephine Kelly

Eco-Unesco’s Young Environmentalist Awards Showcase 2008

Showcase of 40 Young Environmentalist Projects, Interactive Biozone, Games, Activities and more. Tuesday 13th May, Round Room, Mansion House, Dublin. Primary and Secondary Schools, Youth Groups etc free admission.

The Murphy Hynes Kilkee Collection (1898-1984) added to Foto

This collection of photographs and postcards depicts the resort town of Kilkee over the course of the 20th Century. The images portray the people of the town and its visitors and changes in the town itself. The images are the result of years of collecting and photographing by two individuals, author Father Ignatius Murphy and Mary T. Hynes, who was the branch librarian in the Sweeney Memorial Library in Kilkee for many years. Both had a life-long interest in the history and people of Kilkee. The collection was kindly donated to Clare County Library by Fr Murphy’s brother, Gay and his wife, Rhonda.

Irish Book Awards

The 2008 Irish Book Awards were presented in a glittering ceremony at the Mansion House on April 24th. The awards were established in 2006 to acknowledge the wealth of talent in Irish literature. Comprising nine categories, the awards are open to all Irish authors who have had a book published during the last 12 months. Two categories, The Tubridy Show Listeners’ Choice Award and the Galaxy Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year, incorporated a public vote to select their winning titles. Diarmaid Ferriter was the toast of the evening, as his nominated book Judging Dev won the three categories in which the title was nominated – the non-fiction book of the year, the Irish published book of the year and the Tubridy Show Listeners' Choice award. Anne Enright followed last year's Man Booker win by securing the Irish Novel of the Year award for The Gathering. Take a Look at Me Now by Anita Notaro won the popular fiction category; Trevor Brennan's memoir Heart and Soul won in the sports book category; and Julia Kelly won the newcomer of the year award with her novel With My Lazy Eye. The lifetime achievement award went to William Trevor. In the children’s category, The Story of Ireland by Brendan O'Brien won the junior prize with Roddy Doyle’s Wilderness winning the senior prize.

Music and Film collection at the library

In response to popular demand, a music collection was established in Devalera Public Library in Ennis in 2003. This was followed by the film collection in 2006. Both services have since been extended to Shannon and Scariff libraries and will be further extended over the coming year. The music collection contains over 6,000 CDs and covers all genres including classical, blues and jazz, traditional, world, country and popular. Almost 15,000 loans of music CDs were recorded during 2007. The most popular CD borrowed last year was Eyes Open by Snow Patrol, closely followed by Trenchtown Rock by Bob Marley and Wild One by Thin Lizzy. They were joined in the top ten list by The Killers, George Michael, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Sharon Shannon, Michael Rooney and the Bee Gees representing a wide range of musical tastes. The film collection is comprised of approximately 1,500 DVDs. Dr Harvey O’Brien, a native of Kilrush and a lecturer at the Centre for Film Studies at UCD, offered invaluable advice on the setting up of the collection. The collection includes classics like Hitchchcock’s The Birds, foreign films such as Habla Con Ella and comedies such as A Fish called Wanda. 10,000 loans of DVDs from the library were recorded in 2007. Foreign and independent films are proving popular with library members with 4 of the 10 most popular films being in foreign languages. These were Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Mandarin), À Ma Soeur (French/Italian), Sex and Lucia (Spanish) and Diabolique(French). The independently produced film Me and You and Everyone We Know also made the top ten. Traffic, About Schmidt, Gandhi, War of the Worlds and Road to Perdition completed the list. The collection is being added to on a regular basis. So get down to the library to stock up on your entertainment for the weekend!

New online book club

We invite readers everywhere to join us each month in reading and discussing a selected book by talking part in our new online book club. Please join us by registering and posting your comments. Happy reading!

Age-ranging of children’s books

Beginning in Autumn 2008, the majority of new children’s fiction titles will come with a specified age range on the back cover of the book, specifying whether they are suitable for readers aged 5+, 7+, 9+ and 13+ or teens. There has been mixed reaction to the introduction of such markings. Booksellers are, for the most part, in favour, being of the opinion that a large percentage of people buying children’s books aren’t buying them for their own children and call on staff to recommend books for children of different ages. However concerns will surely exist about getting the right book to the right child. Age is probably the least deciding factor on what books to choose for children. There’s a very real danger of reluctant readers becoming discouraged if the book they have chosen and are most comfortable with has an age range which is less than their personal age. Adults choosing books should be primarily concerned with who the child is that they are choosing for, and not so much what age they are.

Trevor/Bowen Summer School 2008

Mitchelstown Literary Society is pleased to announce that the Trevor/Bowen Summer School 2008 will take place on the weekend of 23/25 May 2008 in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, with lectures on William Trevor (by Fintan O’Toole), Elizabeth Bowen (by Martin Mansergh), Seán O’Faoláin (by Prof. Maurice Harmon), Mary Lavin (by Caroline Walsh), "Growing up in wartime Ireland" (by Louis McRedmond), "Humour and the legal profession" (by Gerald Kean) and "Living a contemplative life" (by The Spiritual Life Institute). See: www.mitchelstownliterarysummerschool.com for full details.