Téada present ‘Where Benbulben sets the Scene’ at the Hawk’s Well Theatre on Sunday, June 14 at 8pm.
INNOVATORS: Téada will perform a new show in the Hawk’s Well next month.
A celebration of W.B. Yeats’ strong ties with Sligo, this show marries music and verse as we journey around the Sligo of Yeats’s poetry.
Through a combination of spoken word, song by Séamus Begley, traditional music of Sligo performed by Téada, sean-nós and contemporary dance, and evocative landscape photography we find ourselves immersed in the extraordinary work of Yeats and spellbound by a wonderful combination of rhythm and rhyme.
A traditional band with a truly worldwide reach, Téada has appeared as a frequent headliner at major music festivals throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa, Russia, The Middle East and Australia.
Highlights include a 30,000-capacity stadium concert in Brittany, along with performances at Penang World Music Festival in Malaysia, Edmonton Folk Festival in Canada, Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe, and an extensive 7-week tour of Japan / Taiwan in 2014 playing to audiences of 40,000 people.
Continuing to grow in vision, the band has recently received a Yeats 2015 Western Development Commission Funding Award for a show production celebrating the Sligo-inspired poetry of W.B. Yeats.
Téada’s latest addition to the line-up is legendary West Kerry singer and accordionist Séamus Begley, winner of 2013 TG4 Traditional Singer of the Year.
A Yeats-inspired collaboration between Téada and noted actors Macdara ” Fatharta and Marcus Lambe, featuring music from Téada, songs from Séamus Begley and dance, with photo and video backdrop from Damien Stenson.
Members of Téada include Oisín Mac Diarmada (fiddle) Séamus Begley (vocals) Paul Finn (button accordion) Damien Stenson (flute) Seán McElwain (guitar) Tristan Rosenstock (bodhrán).
Tickets for the show on Sunday, June 14 are €25 (€20 concession) with a special Go See rate of €12.50 for Under-18s. Tickets can be booked from the Box Office on 071-9161518 or www.hawkswell.com
Darina Allen cooks at The Organic Centre, Rossinver, on Sunday, June 28 to raise funds for the Centre’s refurbishment.
COOKERY: Darina Allen will be giving a cookery demonstration at the Organic Centre.
Celebrated chef, food writer, TV personality and founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School, Darina will give a cooking demonstration at The Organic Centre as part of their 20th Anniversary programme.
“Darina was one of our first Board members and greatly helped to raise the profile of an audacious project in North Leitrim in the mid-nineties, which became The Organic Centre,” said Hans Weiland, one of the centre’s founders.
“Throughout the last 20 years she has remained a patron and great supporter of our work. On the 28th of June she will entertain you with a cooking demonstration using vegetables from our organic gardens and polytunnels in her own inimitable way.”
Darina said she has become “increasingly convinced of the necessity to grow some of our own food”. To this end, she said, she has been “so proud to have been a patron of The Organic Centre since the outset”.
“Its contribution to horticulture and food education in this country has been immeasurable.
They deserve our continuing support.”
The cooking demonstration at 2pm will be followed by questions and answers.
Tickets, priced at €25, are available from the Organic Centre shop, online at www.theorganiccentre.ie or over the phone at 071-9854338.
There will also be a free guided Food Adventures tour given by Hans Wieland at 12noon incorporating displays of unusual vegetables, over 30 different types of tomatoes and the new herb dome and herb nursery.
THE eyes of the world were focused on Sligo yesterday (Wednesday) as Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall made a historic first visit to the county.
The Prince of Wales meets an excited crowd at Mullaghmore in Sligo on the second day his visit to the west of Ireland. Photo Chris Bellew / Copyright Fennell Photography 2015
For Prince Charles the day was full of poignant memory, recalling the death in 1979 of his godfather and mentor Lord Louis Mountbatten in an IRA bombing at Mullaghmore.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall pause at Mullaghmore Pier in Sligo on the second day their visit to the west of Ireland. Photo Chris Bellew / Copyright Fennell Photography 2015
It was fitting then that one of the survivors of that bombing, Timothy Knatchbull, would be there to greet Prince Charles in the shadow of Ben Bulben and escort him to the steps of Classiebawn Castle, the home where Lord Mountbatten spent his summers, and from which he left in August 1979 never to return.
The hectic day of activities started for Prince Charles and the Duchess when their helicopter touched down in the grounds of IT Sligo on Wednesday morning.
From there he was whisked away in a heavily guarded cavalcade to the Model, Drumcliffe, Lissadell, Mullaghmore and the Sligo Races.
The Prince of Wales meets an excited crowd at Mullaghmore in Sligo on the second day his visit to the west of Ireland. Photo Chris Bellew / Copyright Fennell Photography 2015
For a full round-up and photographs of the day’s events, pick up a copy of this week’s Sligo Weekender newspaper – In shops now.
Clean Coasts launched their annual Love Your Coast Photography Competition last week as part of Coca-Cola Clean Coasts Week.
SEE THE SEA: Get your entries in for the Clean Coast photo.
With a prize fund of €5,000 it is expected to attract huge interest from Ireland’s amateur photographers. There are five categories in this year’s competition; Coastal Heritage; Coastal Landscape; People & the Coast; Wildlife & the Coast; and Underwater.
Speaking about the competition, Annabel FitzGerald, An Taisce’s Coastal Programmes Manager said, “This competition is about capturing the essence of the Irish coast – its extensive beauty and diverse character.
“The photographs will serve as a reminder of the responsibility that we all have in protecting the beauty and diversity of our coastal environment.
“Underwater is a new category in this year’s competition, I am really looking forward to getting a glimpse of our underwater world!”
For more information about the Love Your Coast photography competition, how to enter the competition and competition terms and conditions please visit www.cleancoasts.org
Thérapie Clinic, Ireland’s leading laser and skin clinic, and its sister company Optilase, Ireland’s leading laser eye surgery clinic, are opening the doors to Sligo on Thursday June 4, with a new clinic on 40 O’Connell Street (formerly The Body Shop unit).
The opening of Thérapie Clinic and Optilase will create 13 new jobs for the local area. Thérapie Clinic will hire 10, while Optilase will employ 3 local people.
Thérapie Clinic and Optilase currently employs 200 local staff at its 13 clinics across Ireland.
Sligo is the 14th successful opening for the thriving young business, which was established in 2001.
The new Thérapie Clinic in Sligo will offer the full range treatments, including the best medical-grade laser hair removal and most advanced skincare and body treatments in Ireland. This includes the revolutionary new #LoveIrishSkin Laser 360 treatment that already has a waiting list for appointments!
Managing Director of Thérapie Clinic and Optilase, Phillip McGlade, says of the opening: “Offering superior products and treatments at affordable prices has been the key to success for Thérapie Clinic nationwide. We are now very excited to offer Sligo this same standard of service.”
Sligo took part in Ireland’s national canvas day for the Marriage Equality Referendum on Saturday last.
STREETS: Canvassers on O’Connell Street campaigning for a Yes vote in tomorrow’s marriage referendum.
People from Sligo flocked to the streets and doorsteps to ask their neighbours, friends and community to vote Yes on May 22.
The Yes Equality Sligo canvas was part of a national canvas day which saw 10,000 people speak to hundreds of thousands of people in every city, town and village of Ireland.
Chris MacManus, Yes Equality Sligo said, “Every evening, local volunteers are canvassing houses all over Sligo. The mass canvas seeks to remind people that their yes vote matters on May 22.
“On the doorsteps, people want to know why civil partnership isn’t enough and why are we asking for civil marriage. We explain that only a couple in a civil marriage are viewed as family and receive constitutional protections. Put simply civil partnership is separate and unequal.
“We also get asked about the impact of the referendum on children. Once we explain to people that Ireland’s leading children’s organisations ISPCC and Barnardos are calling for a Yes vote because it will actually help and support children, people understand that voting Yes is in the best interest of children.”
GAA commentator and well known RTE sports personality Marty Morrissey is the latest big name to join the line-up at the Rory’s Heroes Vs The Boys in Blue charity match this Saturday, May 23 in the Showgrounds (Kick-off 2pm).
MATCH: Rory Gallagher pictured with some of the sporting stars who will play on Saturday. Pictured (l-r) Benny the Bull, Joseph Ndo, Paul Taylor, Rory Gallagher, Colin Feehily, Darragh Cox and Nicky Broujos.
The charity soccer match will feature an all-star selection managed by Marty, with the other side managed by Martin McHugh, from Donegal’s 1992 All-Ireland winning team.
The star-studded teams include two Olympic heroes – Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan, Sligo GAA legends Paul Taylor and Eamon O’Hara, radio personalities Barry O’Neill and Darragh Cox, musicians Kieran Quinn (an ex Sligo senior footballer) and Tabby Callaghan as well as several former Sligo Rovers players, including Conor O’Grady, Joseph Ndo, Nicky Broujos and current manager Owen Heary.
Entry to the match €25 per family, €10 per Adult and €5 per child. The after-match party and Meet & Greet will take place in the Clarion Hotel from 7.30pm and feature live music and a DJ, a monster raffle and auction. Tickets cost €15 and can be bought from the Clarion in advance, or on the night.
The series of free performances at The Glens Centre in Manorhamilton – to celebrate its 20th anniversary – continues on June 5 with a show from Mark Geary.
CONCERT: Irish singer-songwriter Mark Geary.
A “quintessential singer-songwriter” whose records have been hailed as encapsulating both boisterous joy and gentle, delicate moments that endear themselves to the listener, Mark’s performance will be free, but you can book yours in advance from the theatre box office or online at www.theglenscentre.com.
Geary evokes comparisons to artists such as Van Morrison, John Lennon, Elliot Smith and Richard Thompson.
He spent years in New York honing his craft and playing the local circuit in the East Village, which included numerous appearances at the acclaimed Sin-é cafe among others. His body of work includes four studio albums, two live recordings and collaborations with a number of artists. Mark has toured all over Europe, the US and Australia, and has shared the stage with performers such as The Swell Season, Glen Hansard, The Frames, Josh Ritter, Bell X1, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders and Joe Strummer.
Mark’s finely crafted songs and charismatic storytelling provide his audience with a unique experience on every occasion. A show not to be missed.
Irrepressible, boisterous, mischievous and curious. All words which could equally describe the fictional character Rosie Potter and her creator, Sligo author Kate Winter.
The cover of Kate Winter’s debut novel, “The Happy Ever Afterlife of Rosie Potter (RIP)”.
However, as the full title of Kate’s debut novel reveals, one rather big difference (aside from being fictional) separates both ladies – “The Happy Ever Afterlife of Rosie Potter (RIP)”.
Yes, Rosie, the titular character of this charming novel, which emerges in paperback form today, Thursday, May 21, is no longer of this earth, but it doesn’t stop her wreaking havoc, helping friends and healing wounds from beyond the grave.
For Kate Winter, seeing her first published novel on bookshelves will be another milestone along a very twisty path. A path which began with the seed of an idea planted on a beach on the other side of the world.
Kate had moved to Australia and while down under she began to write her novel, initially called “Haunting Jack Harper”. Pleased with the result, she was determined it would not go unread.
Her return home to Ireland sparked her into action.
“Originally, after I finished the book, I looked in the artist’s yearbook and cherry-picked 10 agents in the UK and Ireland.
“It costs a lot of money to post the pages of the first three chapters of your book, plus a synopsis, plus a cover letter to agents around the UK and Ireland. I was skint at the time. I had just come back from Australia. I was unemployed for a year and I actually couldn’t afford to send it out to all the publishers.”
The rejection letters came in from some, others didn’t even bother responding, but two showed an interest.
“I then sent the whole manuscript to an agency in London and one in Dublin. Dublin turned it down, but in London, a woman called Ida was very keen on it. She got turned down by them [her bosses].
“She came back to me and said ‘We can’t take a risk on this because it’s no particular genre. We don’t know where to peg it because its a supernatural, romantic, black-humoured, Irish comedy’.”
Kate continues “After that I did start a blog and I did publish chapters. I let a few people read it and then I kind of forgot about it. I moved on to other stuff.”
At the behest of a friend, she went down the route of self publishing on Kindle. She said she was delighted that the book “was downloaded a couple of thousand times”.
“Then, three years later almost to the day, I got a phone call in bed while I was writing. It was Ida. She said ‘Hi Kate. It’s Ida. I can’t stop thinking about your book!’”
What followed was a concerted effort by Ida to find Kate a publishing deal, which she did with the well respected UK publishing house Little Brown, home to, among others, James Patterson, Edna O’Brien and John le Carre.
With many new authors trying to break into the market, few publishing houses are willing to risk the cost of printing a new book, and with the advent of e-books, they now don’t have to.
And so, on August 18, 2014, “The Happy Ever Afterlife of Rosie Potter (RIP)” was published online as an e-book, for people to download and enjoy for the price of your average latte.
“My book has been £1.99 or €2.49 online since last August, which is a key marketing strategy,” explains Kate. “When the paper edition comes out, the e-book price will rise in line with it.”
The length of time between Kate’s book going online and it being published in paperback format has allowed plenty of very positive reviews to be garnered from the reading public.
The Amazon e-book page for this novel is littered with five-star reviews and Kate has been left euphoric by the response.
“The reviews are incredible. People glow about it. Reading a good review is better for me than falling in love, better for me than being on the best date of my life. Everytime I get an amazing review, I glow from the inside out.
“One woman wrote ‘I cried at the end of this book and I cried again when I realised Kate Winter hasn’t written any more yet. Please hurry up and write another one!’”
You can judge for yourself how this “supernatural, romantic, black-humoured, Irish comedy” stacks up by buying a copy right now.
The book is available in all good bookstores. See separate panel (left) to find out where you can meet Katie and get her to autograph your copy this weekend.
Join Kate Winter at the paperback launch of her debut novel “The Happy Ever Afterlife of Rosie Potter (RIP)” this Friday and Saturday. On Friday, May 22 from 12noon-5pm Kate will be in Liber Bookshop to sign copies of her new book and talk to members of the public. Then, on Saturday, May 23 from 12noon-5pm she will be in Shells Seaside Cafe in Strandhill to sign copies and celebrate the book’s launch.
Many music stars have performed on the Hawk’s Well stage, but few have the pedigree of Albert Lee, who plays at the venue this Sunday, May 24 at 8pm.
AX MAN: Guitar legend Albert Lee has shared the stage with Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton and Sheryl Crow.
Albert Lee, by common consent one of the world’s finest guitar-players, needs no introduction to Country Music and Rock fans.
He has worked with some of the world’s top artists, from Emmylou Harris to the Everly Brothers, Dolly Parton to Eric Clapton.
In November 2002, at Eric’s request, Albert appeared at the star-studded Memorial Concert for George Harrison at London’s Albert Hall, and was featured alongside Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill and Eric Clapton at Eric’s 2007, 2010 and 2013 Crossroads guitar festivals.
He is also a member of Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, and fronted the band at the O2 arena on the night of the Led Zeppelin reunion concert.
Albert is a double Grammy award winning musician, whose talents continue to be in demand by fellow performers the world throughout.
For his Sligo appearance, Albert will be joined by Hogan’s Heroes. This multi-talented band features some of the top musicians in the UK. Hogan’s Heroes was formed by their namesake Gerry Hogan almost 30 years ago, specifically to back Albert. Their first gig took place in 1987 at Gerry’s annual festival for pedal steel guitar.
They have played together on a regular basis since that time, and as a result have become one of the tightest units in music.
Hogan’s Heroes are: Gerry Hogan (Pedal Steel Guitar / Dobro / Guitar); Peter Baron (Drums / Vocals); Doña Oxford (Keyboards / Vocals); Chris Palmer (Bass Guitar / Vocals).
Tickets for Albert Lee and Hogan’s Heroes are €20 and can be booked through the theatre box office on 071-9161518 or online at www.hawkswell.com
Taoiseach Enda Kenny may have met protesters and hecklers in Ballymote on Saturday, but in Rathcormac Village Market his reception was warmer and wittier.
Cos Cos dancer Kevin Cuniffe (pictured above), from Ballinasloe, Co. Galway showed the Taoiseach his ‘Recession Brush’ which he said, has the bristles removed in the middle “so as not to sweep away the white line in the road”. And, with a bit of cajoling, the Taoiseach even got on Kevin’s home-made dance platform, for a quick shuffle.
From the market, the Fine Gael leader went to the local school hall to witness more Cos Cos dancers, part of the festival held in the North Sligo village last week.
For more on this and his visit to Ballymote for US Civil War monument unveiling, pick up a copy of this week’s Sligo Weekender newspaper. In shops now.
Celebrated British folk singer Sam Lee will perform on a double bill with Sligo’s own Out Of Towners at the Hawk’s Well on May 28.
SUPPORT: Sligo band The Out of Towners will support Lee.
Since bursting on to the folk scene at the end of the Noughties, Sam Lee has blazed a trail as an outstanding singer and song collector, the driving force behind the eclectic, award-winning folk club The Nest Collective.
The club has brought traditional music to all kinds of new stages and venues, and founder of a burgeoning song collectors’ movement that inspires a new generation of performers to draw on living source singers rather than books and records.
How many traditional English folk singers do you know who come from North London, studied at Chelsea School of Art, worked as a forager and wilderness expert while moonlighting as a burlesque dancer?
It was a chance encounter which led Lee to the door of the great Scottish Traveller singer Stanley Robertson, and an extraordinary four-year apprenticeship into the arcane, living world of traditional song that few outside the Traveller and Gypsy communities have ever experienced.
Sam Lee and his band comprise cellist Francesca Ter-Berg, trumpeter Steve Chadwick, violinist Flora Curzon, percussionist Josh Green and koto player Jonah Brody.
“Sam Lee is one of very few to achieve a real emotional punch with moving simplicity,” wrote The Wire music magazine, while The Observer described him as “one of Britain’s finest singers and the most cogent force of his generation in British folk music”.
Lee is a 21st-century artist, collecting new versions of old songs on his iPhone and laptop, but his repertoire is steeped in the reek and smoke of folk history and lore, its tales of love, parting, exile and murder bound by a sympathetic magic still resonant today, parting the veil on vivid scenes from our islands’ deep history.
Awarded the 2011 Arts Foundation prize and nominated for the 2012 Mercury Award for his debut album, ‘Ground Of Its Own’, he has taken his music worldwide to more than 20 countries, appeared in Peaky Blinders on TV, and joined The Unthanks to commemorate the Great War at the Barbican in London.
Sligo band The Out of Towners are first up before Sam Lee and will take you down a sun scorched road through the desert of Australia.
The songs written by singer and guitarist Ollie Alcorn are inspired by years of travelling his homeland of Australia in a campervan and are a journey of his own experiences of this time.
Leap forward a few years… now a smooth sounding four-piece folk and blues band based in Sligo, Ollie started playing accompanied by fellow ‘out of towner’ Robert Naczas on harmonica and ‘DaShtick’ (electric hurley stick).
Dominic Callaghan and Brian F Devaney both joined later to complete their sound with bass and cajon. The band have recently released their debut EP called “Day Dreaming”, Check out their new video “Setting Sun” on Youtube.
Tickets for Sam Lee and The Out of Towners on Thursday, May 28 are €15 (€7.50 conc.) with a special ‘Go See’ price for Under 18s of €7.50 and are available from the Hawk’s Well Theatre on 071-9161518 or www.hawkswell.com.
