7 Things to do this week...
1 WEXFORD TRAD & FOLK FESTIVAL: Wexford is to be a hive of activity this weekend as the inaugural Wexford Trad & Folk Festival gets under way. The festival takes place at venues across Wexford town including The National Opera House, Wexford Arts Centre and St Iberius Church, as well as several local pubs. Among the stellar line-up are Liam Ó’Maonlaí, formerly of the Hot House Flowers, Rónán Ó’Snodaigh of Kila, Zoë Conway, Máirtín O’Connor, John McIntyre, Mark Redmond, Patrick Fitzpatrick, Louise Mulcahy and many, many more national and local groups and musicians. A mixture of free and ticketed events, the three-day festival features concerts, smaller sessions, workshops and spoken word events. Organisers, the Comhaltas Wexford branch, are promising that there will be something for everyone and people are encouraged to get out there and enjoy some of the wonderful ceol and craic on offer. A full programme of events and more information on ticketing etc is available from www. wexfordtradandfolk.com.
2 JOHNNY MCEVOY: One of Ireland’s foremost singer songwriters, Johnny McEvoy, will perform in the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, on Wednesday, February 27, at 8 p.m. A veritable legend of the Irish music scene McEvoy has a very broad fan base and is widely regarded as one of the finest songwriters and performers this country has ever produced. For this concert he will be performing many of his well known hits such as ‘Long Before Your Time’, ‘The Town I Left Behind’, ‘Mursheen Durkin’, ‘My Father’s House’ and ‘The Ballad of John Williams’. The concert is sure to be a sellout and tickets are now available from the venue through 053-9237800.
3 ORFEO ED EURIDICE: Irish National Opera and United Fall are delighted to present a new major production choreographed by Emma Martin - ‘Orfeo ed Euridice’ by Christoph Willibald Gluck. The power of the Orpheus myth lies in the balance between mortality and hope, transcendence and love. Orfeo ed Euridice is a powerful mix of music, song, dance and imagery. Tickets are €20-€30 from www. nationaloperahouse.ie.
4 OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS FINAL: The 30th Opportunity Knocks final will take place on Friday, March 1, at 7.45 p.m., at Shamrock Hall in Kilanerin. Tickets are €5 for adults and €3 for children. They are available on the door from 7 p.m. with the first act kicking off at 7.45 p.m. The money raised through Opportunity Knocks will go towards the running and upkeep of the hall. All are welcome to attend for what promises to be a great night.
6 DINE2HELP IN ECO PIZZERIA GOREY: Students from Gorey Community School are hosting a ‘Dine2Help’ fundraising event on Tuesday, February 26, from 12 noon until 9 p.m. in Eco Pizzeria and Restaurant in Gorey. The fundraiser is in aid of the Gambia Project. Eco Pizzeria will donate 50 per cent of the profits made on the day towards the Gambia Project. There are wonderful raffle prizes to be won during the day also. Booking for Dine2Help in Eco is strongly advised. To secure a table with family and friends, call Eco on 053 94 21100. All support is greatly appreciated.
5 FUNNY GIRL MUSICAL: New Ross Musical Society is presenting the 1963 musical Funny Girl at St Michael’s Theatre, running from March 4 to March 9 at 8 p.m. nightly. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway star, film actress and comedian Fanny Brice, and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nick Arnstein and featuring songs such as; ‘People’, ‘Sadie, Sadie’ and ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’. Tickets cost €12 and €15 and are available from St Michael’s Theatre Box Office.
7 DEREK RYAN: One of the most popular exponents of Irish country music makes a welcome return to Wexford this Sunday, March 3, as Derek Ryan takes to the stage at the National Opera House. In recent years, the Carlow native has taken his place at the top table of country music in Ireland and is renowned for his hits such as ‘God’s Plan’, ‘Hold On to Your Hat’, ‘Heaven Tonight’ and ‘Homeland’. Derek will perform alongside his wonderful band in an energetic live show, however, for many the greatest part of his shows are when things are stripped back and he is alone on stage with just an acoustic guitar. Tickets for the show are priced at €30 from www.nationaloperahouse.ie.
Have you an event for our What’s On pages? email the details (with a picture, if possible) to: whatson@peoplenews.ie