Ian Rankin and Bret Easton Ellis at Galway Arts Festival

The volcanic ash cloud interfered with author Ian Rankin’s plans to attend this year’s Cúirt Festival of Literature in Galway. Inspector Rebus fans are hoping for better luck this time when Rankin is scheduled to appear at the Galway Arts Festival on July 20th. The UK’s bestselling crime writer will read from his work and discuss the presence of music in his writing with musician and broadcaster Philip King. A frustrated rock star himself, Ian Rankin includes a great deal of music in the Inspector Rebus novels. Leonard Cohen, the Rolling Stones and many other bands and musicians make appearances in the books which are set in Edinburgh where Rankin lives.

Bret Easton Ellis, author of the cult novel American Psycho will give a reading in Galway on July 19th. Ellis was born in Los Angeles and his first novel, Less Than Zero, told the tale of disaffected Los Angeles teenagers. His latest novel, Imperial Bedrooms, is the sequel to his debut novel. Set 25 years later, it revisits the characters from Less Than Zero as they face an even greater period of disaffection as they hurtle towards middle age. Ellis warns that this book may make fans of Less than Zero feel betrayed.

The Galway Arts Festival runs from July 12th until 25th. This is the 33rd year of the festival which, as usual, will feature an internationally acclaimed line-up of music, dance, theatre, comedy, street events and art. The theme for this year’s renowned Macnas parade which takes place on July 18th is ‘The Wild Hunt’. For further details see http://www.galwayartsfestival.com/

Feakle Traditional Music Festival – 4th to 10th August

From Wednesday 4th to Tuesday 10th of August, the Feakle Traditional Music Festival will celebrate its 23rd year with a vibrant programme of Traditional music, song, and dance. The Festival continues to attract genuine music lovers from all corners of the globe, while providing a platform for local musicians to demonstrate their musical heritage. Click here for more info…

‘Landscapes of N & W Clare’ – at Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery

O’CONNOR, PRENDERGAST, SHARP:
‘LANDSCAPES OF N & W CLARE’
2 July - 29 July, Ennistymon Courthouse Gallery

These three artists roam the roads of Clare; no longer with knapsack and easel but driving as we all do, and suddenly seeing something across a field or even in the wing mirror. Mike O'Connor arrives home with scraps of notes and pencil-drawings, which also may stay pinned in view for many months before being processed as a black and white or multicolour linocut. The need then since a print is made through indirect stages, is to restore the energy of the first viewing - through varied style / technique of block-cutting and hand printing. Tom Prendergast hunts by road, from Kilkee to Kilbaha, often spending painstaking hours on a postcard-size oil painting onto hardboard. Other images are brought home to be formalized into strong, simple elements with cutout paper. For Richard Sharp and his dog there will be a screech of brakes, a clatter of dulux cans, and some bright thing will be rapidly recorded in pastels, Indian Ink or gloss paint, on canvas or MDF board. Some will be completed in minutes while others may wait their turn for a year before being resolved…
In conjunction with this exhibition
The Courthouse Gallery presents in the Red Couch Space
MICHAEL HANRAHAN ‘Ennistymon Horse Fair’
2 July – 29 July opening 3 July at 5 pm
Michael Hanrahan is a studio artist at the Courthouse Gallery in Ennistymon. He is just back from a world cruise on the largest ocean liner in the world having been the Art instructor on board the Cunard's flagship 'Queen Mary 2'. He travelled and taught watercolour painting as he cruised from Cape Town to St.Helena, Rio de Janeiro, Barbados, Florida, New York, and back to Southampton. Michael has followed up a long banking career with a move to the world of Art. He studied at NCAD and at the Burren College of Art. His new work is inspired by the Horse Fair held each April and November in the busy market town of Ennistymon and he captures the colour, the excitement, and characters of the horse fair.

50th anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird

Reclusive author Harper Lee has surprisingly spoken to the Mail on Sunday for the 50th anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird, which occurs this year. The world-famous author now aged 84 and living in Monroeville, Alabama, agreed to be interviewed if she was not asked about her famous Pulitzer prize-winning novel. To Kill a Mockingbird, which follows the trial of a black man accused of raping a white girl, was first published on 11 July 1960. Named best novel of the 20th century by American librarians, it has sold more than 30 million copies around the world and has been translated into more than 40 languages, according to its publisher. Writing in The Irish Times Weekend Review, Sat July 3rd, Eileen Battersby said "Her one and only work remains as fresh as the first time we encountered it, as bright and as full of purpose as when it was first published on July the 11th, 1960, 50 years ago next week".
Click here for the interview in the Mail on Sunday…

Spraoi Heritage Weekend at Caherconnell Stone Fort

The first annual Spraoi Heritage Weekend will take place at Caherconnell Stone Fort on the 10th & 11th July this year, where you can get a guided tour of the day-to-day workings of Irish Medieval Society. Age-old skills such as pole-lathe wood-turning, black-smithing, Bronze Age pottery making and cooking will be displayed on both Saturday and Sunday. You can also enjoy horse shoe pitching, family fun with a bouncing castle and much more throughout the weekend. This event is included free with admission to Caherconnell Stone Fort, with the Spraoi Heritage Weekend activities underway from 11-5pm each day. Caherconnell Stone Fort is open from March to October, 10am to 5.30pm daily. Café, craft shop and car-parking are available on site. Admission to the fort is €5 for an adult, and €14 for a family. Tel. 065 708 9999 www.burrenforts.ie

Boru fun and games at Killaloe Library

On July 1st between 2 and 4 pm, Killaloe Library hosted Boru fun and games sponsored by the Brian Boru Festival Committee. 60 children enjoyed a make and do craft session with Mary Goss making Viking helmets/masks, swords and shields. David Mooney of Mogh Roith Living History Group gave a fantastic demonstration and talk about Viking armoury and lifestyle. We also had Mary Donaghue with Brian Boru based board games and card games. A great time was had by all. The whole session was very interactive and creative.

Holiday reading - Observer & Sunday Times recommendations

Both the Observer and Sunday Times newspapers have recently featured lists of books to take with you on your holidays. The Observer's "The best summer books: from fishing to finance" features writers and Observer critics picking "the best books to pack along with the straw hat and suncream", while The Sunday Times "100 best holiday reads" offers "a guide to this summer's most rewarding reading".
For the Observer's list click here...
and for the Sundays Times list click here...

West Cork Literary Festival – July 4th to 10th

The West Cork Literary Festival 2010 runs in Bantry from Sunday, July 4th to Saturday July 10th. The festival features some of the finest writers and poets from Ireland and abroad. The main events are evenings with poet Eavan Boland, novelists Margaret Drabble and Fay Weldon, travel writers Tim Mackintosh-Smith and Michael Palin and a stage performance of poems by Liz Cowley. There are workshops on fiction, poetry, journalism, song writing and playwriting. John Boyne and Hugo Hamilton are among those doing readings. Novelist Carol Drinkwater will host a literary afternoon tea in Bantry House on Saturday 10th. There are storytelling sessions and readings for children too with authors such as Anthony Horowitz and a writing workshop with Enda Wyley. For further details see http://www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie/

Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea - BBC Samuel Johnson Prize 2010

A journalistic investigation into the real lives of North Koreans in the 21st century has been named as the winner of the 2010 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick weaves together the stories of adversity, resilience and survival of six ordinary people living in Chongin. Demick interviewed a range of defectors from North Korea to give a compelling insight into the lives of the citizens of a country where there is no internet access and all radio and television broadcasts are government sponsored. The title of the book comes from a song North Korean children are taught, “We have nothing to envy in the world”, and until recently people seem to have believed this as they had so little access to information about life outside their own borders. Evan Davis, chair of the judges commented "I think we knew this book had something when we found ourselves reading it out loud to spouses and partners. And it is a real testament to Demick’s writing, that a book on such a grim topic can be so hard to put down. It is very, very readable". Barbara Demick is a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. She is currently living in Beijing. Her coverage of the war in Sarajevo won various awards and she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting. The BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is the richest non fiction prize in the UK, worth £20,000 to the winner. The prize aims to reward the best of non-fiction and is open to authors of all non-fiction books in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts.

The other shortlisted titles were:
Alex’s Adventures in Numberland by Alex Bellos – a book about maths;
Blood Knots by Luke Jennings – a fishing memoir;
Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin – an account of the financial crisis;
A Gambling Man by Jenny Uglow – a portrait of Charles II and
Catching Fire: How Cooking made us Human by Richard Wrangham – an examination of cooking’s role in human evolution.

Last year’s prize was won by Philip Hoare’s Leviathan, a study of whales.

Johnny Patterson “The Irish Singing Clown” - Feakle, July 24th

Due to popular demand Johnny Patterson “The Irish Singing Clown” will return to the stage in 2010. One of the performances will take place in the marquee at Peppers Bar on July 24th at 8.30pm in the village where the great Johnny Patterson was born, namely Feakle, County Clare. Muiris Crowley has taken time out from his career in the US to fulfil the lead role of Johnny Patterson and will be supported by a strong cast to include former Kerry Rose Karen McGillycuddy who will play the part of Biddy Donoghue. This production will also feature Jack Healy of Killarney Musical Society who this year played a magnificent role as The Scarecrow in their production of “The Wiz”. The script-writer is Killorglin's very own Declan Mangan and the show features many of John Patterson's best known songs. Mick Jones supplied fresh arrangements of Patterson's old favourites and composed original new songs to complete the story. The musical is dedicated to Pa Houlihan, the much loved local historian who passed away peacefully at his home in Killorglin (Feb 2010). It was Pa who started the ball rolling by suggesting to Declan that there should be a tribute to the original 'Irish Singing Clown'. Not only have Declan and Mick the luxury of being able to draw on the wealth of acting and musical talent that abounds in Killorglin, but they have also secured the skills of Oliver Hurley, who has agreed to direct the show; and Jackie O'Mahoney who will mastermind the choreography. Oliver's reputation is known and respected far beyond the Kerry county boundary. Both Oliver and Jackie have been involved with countless successful productions at Siamsa Tire in Tralee. Check out all the latest updates on www.johnnyp.ie