WHAT’S ON FOR CULTURE NIGHT
Wicklow is set for a feast of culture next Friday, September 21, at the 13th annual Culture Night.
‘Wicklow is blessed with a rich cultural and artistic tradition. I’m delighted to see a wealth of events taking place across the entire county next Friday,’ said Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture, Andrew Doyle.
‘The number of quality events is going to leave Wicklow culture fans with some tough decisions to make.’
Minister Doyle said that Culture Night helps to enhance a sense of community and belonging and allows us to take pride in what our community has to offer.
Some of the highlights include ‘A Taste of Autumn’, with Catherine Fulvio in Blessington Library, and Karl Henry’s ‘Healthy Living’, in Greystones Library, or join The Boathouse Comhaltas group for an evening of music, dance, song and poetry in St Patrick’s National School Wicklow. In Nun’s Cross church, Luan Parke, James Mahon and Jessica Harris will perform an evening of music. Jessica Harris is a community musician and music therapist who presents inclusive and participative music for all the family. Wicklow native James Mahon is an award-winning musician who specialises in traditional music on pipes and flute. Luan Parle is an award-winning Wicklow singer-songwriter with a string of hits to her name. Book a place by emailing alchemyconcerts@gmail.com. ‘I encourage people to check out the programme of events as there’s something there for everyone, from classical recitals to family friendly workshops,’ said Minister Doyle.
‘Over the years Culture Night has proved to be a very popular evening with many people. I would advise people to check out events in advance as some places may require advanced booking.
‘I would like to acknowledge the hard work of Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Wicklow County Council and the various arts and cultural organisations throughout Wicklow for helping to make Culture Night a very memorable evening.’
OPEN HOUSE Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely 11 a.m. The Courthouse offers an open invitation to local artists to call in and have a cup of tea with new artistic director Hannah Mullan. New to the area, Ms Mullen is looking forward to making new connections and hearing about current projects and future collaborations with local artists. At 11.30 a.m., there will be an Artist in the Community presentation for local artists and community groups, followed by a networking lunch. For bookings, contact the Courthouse on bookings@courthousearts.ie or 0402 38529.
SIGNAL ARTS Signal Arts Centre, Bray From 3 p.m. The theme for this year’s Signal Arts Centre Culture Night is the circus. Festivities kick off with children’s workshops and events in the gallery, including a hall of mirrors, and continue into the evening with music and poetry. Art works will be installed including contributions from local community groups. For more information, visit signalartscentre.ie.
POETRY AND MUSIC Bridge Street Book s, Wick low town 3 p.m. Local poet Jane Clarke will read the poetry of Wicklow, including works by Heaney and Synge and form some of her own collections. She will be joined by Eamon Sweeney on guitar and lute, who will play music connected to the county from the 17th century to the present day, which will completment Jane’s reading. Booking not required.
MUSIC AND ME Bray Library 3.30 p.m. The Little Bray Writers Group will be performing their latest work ‘Music and Me’ in Bray Library at 3.30 p.m. All are welcome. This event is made possible by Wicklow County Arts Office and Creative Wicklow 2018.
RUN AWAY WITH THE CIRCUS Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely 4p.m.to5p.m. Katie Holmes and Emily Aoibheann are multidisciplinary artists whose mediums collectively span across aerial, poetry, dance, sculpture and movement. They teach and train in Creation Aerial: the studio and home of contemporary, dynamic circus and movement practises in Dublin. Katie and Emily will transpose their studio space to Tinahely and open this creative space to the public: a field of awareness and exploration where ideas are allowed to be unfurled, felt out, examined, exclaimed and enjoyed. For bookings, contact the Courthouse on bookings@ courthousearts.ie or 0402 38529.
THE BREADWINNER Mermaid Arts Centre 5 p.m. Based on Deborah Ellis’ award-winning novel, director Nora Twomey’s movie ‘The Breadwinner’ tells the story of an eleven-year-old Afghan girl who finds strength in the love of her family and the power of storytelling. This is the third Oscar-nominated film from Irish animation studio The Cartoon Saloon. Booking is essential and can be done by calling the box office at Mermaid Arts Centre on 01 2724030.
MASONIC HALL Abercorn Masonic Hall, Ferrybank , Ark low 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Founded in the 19th century, the Abercorn Masonic Hall is a very educational and interesting place and guests of all ages are welcome to come along. Contact (by text only) 085 8183392.
COMMON GROUND Common Ground, Church Terrace, Bray 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Come along to this open evening to learn about the events, classes and activities available for members of this community group dedicated to promoting a co-operative, mindful and ecological lifestyle. Afterwards, enjoy an eclectic mix of music, film, dance, comedy and visual art at the Klinkerdin live performance and workshop session in the upstairs studio. Booking not required.
TRAD-FUSION AT THE WHALE Whale Theatre, Greystones 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Discover an engaging and innovative programme of trad-fusion music with some of Ireland’s finest and experimental musicians. Rachel Duffy will perform at 6 p.m., followed by Music Generation Wicklow’s Rithim Orchestra at 6.30 p.m. The first workshop of the evening, with accomplished bodhrán players Niall Preston and Aimee Farrell Courtney, will start at 7 p.m. Participants will learn some basic rhythms before getting a chance to play along with the Music Generation group. At 7.20 p.m., Strung, a contemporary Irish music group featuring Maria Ryan (violins/vocals), Lucia MacPartlin (violin), Sean Warren (cello) and Aonghus McCarthy (piano), will play the first of two sets. The ‘Trad Sound Bath’, exploring a multitude of soundscapes including traditional, world music, classical and jazz, takes place at 8.10 p.m., followed at 8.40 p.m. by ‘Pause’, a piece of music from award-winning young Irish composer, Sam Perkin. At 9 p.m. there will be a second bodhrán workshop and performance before ‘Strung’ perform its second set of the evening. Booking not required.
HISTORIC HOUSE TOURS Killruddery House and Gardens 6 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Spend Culture Night exploring the historic Killruddery House. Free tours will run every 30 minutes from 6 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Spaces are limited on each tour and so places must be booked in advance by visiting www.Killruddery.com.
SONG OF THE SEA Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely 6.30 p.m. Song of the Sea by Cartoon Saloon tells the story of Ben and his little sister Saoirse, the last Sealchild, who embark on a fantastic journey across a fading world of ancient legend and magic in an attempt to return to their home by the sea. The film takes inspiration from the mythological Selkies of the Irish folklore, who live as seals in the sea but become humans on land. For bookings, contact the Courthouse on bookings@courthousearts.ie or 0402 38529.
SECRET CINEMA CLUB Ark low Library 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Come to the launch of Arklow’s new Secret Cinema Club, which will offer members the chance to see movies more regularly in the local library. Booking is essential and can be done on Eventbrite, in person at Arklow Library or by emailing arklowlibrary@wicklowcoco.ie.
OÍCHE TRAIDISÚNTA St Patrick ’s NS, Wick low town 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Join The Boathouse CCE for a fun, family-friendly evening of music, Céilí dancing, singing (Irish and English), story-telling and poetry.
KARL HENRY’S HEALTHY LIVING Greystones Library 6.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Personal trainer and well-being expert Karl Henry will be speaking about healthy living, based on his
book the Healthy Living Handbook, which offers an encouraging, practical, affordable and sustainable plan to help readers achieve lasting changes in their well-being. To book a place, contact the library on greylib@wicklowcoco.ie or 01 2873548.
MURAL UNVEILING Abbey Street car park, Wicklow town 7 p.m. Wicklow Tidy Towns group will be celebrating Culture Night by unveiling its ‘Wicklow Town through the Ages’ mural. This will be followed by light refreshments in the Assembly Hall on Bachelor’s Walk. They would love the local community to join them, particularly children, as they have a little job for them on the night.
LUAN PARLE, JAMES MAHON AND JESSICA HARRIS Nun’s Cross Church 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Enjoy a fantastic evening of quality music with these three talented musicians. Jessica Harris is a fantastic community musician and music therapist who presents inclusive and participative music for all the family. Wicklow native James Mahon is an award-winning musician who specialises in traditional music on pipes and flute. Luan Parle is an award-winning Wicklow singer-songwriter with a string of hits to her name. Book a place by emailing alchemyconcerts@gmail.com.
WEST WICKLOW VOICES Baltinglass Courthouse 7 p.m. Celebrate Culture Night with West Wicklow Voices and guests for a short, free concert featuring the cream of vocal talent from West Wicklow.
PICTURE OF ROMANCE Powerscourt Arms Hotel, Enniskerry 2018 is the 60th anniversary of the death of Paul Henry’s death, who chose to be buried in Enniskerry. The Schoolhouse for Art will be holding an informal commemorative gathering by the fire at the Powerscourt Arms Hotel, where the love story of Paul Henry and his artist wife Mabel Young allegedly began. The night will include a flavour of the late 1920s. Anyone who would like to attend is asked to register their interest at schoolhouseforart.com.
BRAY LITERARY FESTIVAL Bray Town Hall 7.30 p.m. Get a taste of what’s to come at this years Bray Literary Festival with this evening of poetry, stories and song. Traditional story-teller John Carew will regale his audience with his dark humorous tales, while local harpist Rachel Duffy is set to perform some haunting melodies. The night will also feature winning poems and stories from Bray Literary Festival competitions, along with readings from young writers from the local Fighting Words group. To book a place, contact Braylitfest@gmail.com.
CATHERINE FULVIO Blessington Library 7.45 p.m. to 8.45 p.m. Catherine will talk the audience through some of her uncomplicated, interesting and delicious recipes, highlighting some quick, easy and tasty meals that will get them through the cooler autumn weeks ahead. The Wicklow native and celebrity chef will also be on hand to answer any culinary queries the audience have. This is a free event and places can be booked by contacting the library at blessingtonlib@wicklowcoco.ie or 045 891740.
SACRED SOUNDS Arklow Library 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sacred Sounds, under the direction of Bridget Kenny, will serenade the audience with ‘Songs from the Movies’ to complement the earlier launch of the new secret cinema club. Booking is not required and guests are welcome to sing along.
RACHEL KELLY AND FIACHRA GARVEY Russborough House 8 p.m. West Wicklow pianist Fiachra Garvey and mezzo soprano Rachel Kelly will present a programme based on French and German song, exploring both familiar and lesser-known repertoire through romanticism, impressionism and modernism, as well as some popular Italian opera arias and Irish songs. Book a place by emailing info@ westwicklowfestial.com or info@ russborough.ie.