SLIGO’S very own Old Hannah are set to release their second EP – ‘Iron and Wood’ – in The Model on Saturday evening, May 9. Old Hannah are Anthony Mannion (dobro/guitar/vocals), Lucie Crichlow (mandolin/guitar/vocals), Luke Mercer (guitar/vocals), and Leo Morris (banjo/guitar/vocals).
Audiences know them best for captivating harmonies, smart songwriting and crazy skills in guitar, dobro, mandolin and banjo-picking. These guys wear a love of old-time sounds proudly on their sleeves and bring it soaring into the 21st century with fresh new themes, stories and arrangements that never fail to delight.
The band are schooled in the deep rooted discipline of folk, country and roots music. Their music weaves lapsteel, beautifully arranged vocals into songs that are at once contemporary and filled with the lore of generations past.
The ‘Iron and Wood’ EP was recorded with Rian Trench of Solar Bears, and the band are joined by several guest musicians including Steve Wickham of the Waterboys. A single from the new EP known as “WEST” was released on April 22.
‘Iron and Wood’ is the follow up to their debut EP ‘Irish Boys’ and displays a leap in creativity and calibre which establishes Old Hannah as a new force on the Irish music scene.
After releasing their debut EP ‘Irish Boys’ in 2014, Old Hannah appeared at a whole host of festivals, including Body & Soul, the Other Voices Music Trail and the Hard Working Class Heroes festival in Dublin.
The record was play-listed on Ireland’s national radio station RTE Radio One and the coinciding tour culminated with a performance on RTE Television’s Saturday Night Show. They ended the year by returning to their hometown to support the headline act of the Sligo Live Festival; Sheryl Crow.
2015 has had a promising start as the band were featured as one of state.ie magazine’s Face’s Of 2015. This was followed by the winning of the Fighting Chance songwriting competition run in association with IMRO, Windmill Lane and the Daily Mail.
For The Model show on May 9 the cost of ticket is €10 and they can be booked in advance online (www.themodel.ie). The show starts at 8pm.
The Model’s next free fun-filled Family Day takes place on Sunday, May 10 with an action-packed creativity-fuelled afternoon themed with music and movement.
Families with young kids are invited to strike a pose in the galleries with Warrior Yoga; Shake, Rattle and Roll at the instrument making workshop; finish up the day listening to beautiful music in the atrium along with brunch or lunch from The Gallery Café.
The Model’s galleries are also open throughout the day and make it the perfect Sunday experience for families to enjoy.
Family Art Days are a new Model initiative that aims to foster spaces for creative activities that are open to various ages and abilities. The arts day supports taking time out with family and groups of people to create in a relaxed atmosphere. All abilities, ages and groups of people are welcome.
Entry is free to all of The Model’s Family Day events. For more information on The Model’s family and education events visit www.themodel.ieTextWarrior Yoga for Kids & Families (12- 1pm).
Saoirse O’Donoghue of Warrior Yoga will explore movement in our Niland gallery Space; building awareness, strength and flexibility in the body and mind in a non-competitive, nurturing and fun atmosphere. It will include stories, games, yoga poses, breathing techniques, relaxation and creative visualisation to allow children to learn in a multi-sensory environment. The ethos in class encourages children and adults to relax and have fun while they are developing not only strength, coordination, flexibility and balance but also body awareness, better focus, concentration and self- confidence.
Musical Instrument Making Workshop (1pm – 3pm)
Join The Model’s learning Team for a melodious afternoon of musical instrument making. Master the art of making your very own percussion instruments including rain-sticks, maracas, tambourines and much more!
Informal Music afternoon (1pm- 3pm)
Join Austrian string trio Netnakisum for this month’s installment of The Model’s Informal Music Afternoon. In the relaxing atmosphere of The Model’s atrium space and Gallery Café, Netnakisum will expertly entertain as they traverse classical, folk, pop, rock and jazz genres with a dash of harmonic yodelling from the Alps thrown in for good measure!
Students and young people who set bonfires in a housing estate in Sligo town, then pelted missiles at Fire Service personnel as they attempted to extinguish the blazes.
BLACKENED: The charred remains of the largest of three bonfires lit in Glencarrig Estate last week.
High temperatures and sunshine led to student revellers partying in Glencarraig Estate, close to IT Sligo on Wednesday evening last, but this quickly escalated when furniture was taken from one of the properties and set alight on a small green area in the estate.
For the full story, pick up a copy of today’s Sligo Weekender newspaper – in shops now.
The devastating earthquake which struck Nepal last weekend was detected by a seismometer at IT Sligo.
BAD VIBRATIONS: Readings from the seismometer in IT Sligo after registering activity from the earthquake.
Measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, the tremor has caused untold damage in the Asian country where the death toll continues to rise at an alarming rate.
Despite being located almost 8,000 kilometres away from the impact zone, ripples from the earthquake were picked up by the sophisticated piece of equipment at the college which records activity of this nature.
For the full story pick up a copy of this week’s Sligo Weekender newspaper – in shops now.
Calls for government support and investment have been made in the wake of the announcement on Tuesday that 60-70 jobs are to be lost at Elanco Animal Health in Sligo.
The company, which employs 166 people at its animal health products plant at Finisklin industrial estate, said that the proposed redundancies were part of a necessary restructuring
It said that the “site’s mission is not changing” and that Sligo “will continue to operate as the commercialisation and label and packaging hub for Europe”.
Staff were said to have been shocked when told of the redundancies at a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.
For more on this story pick up a copy of this week’s Sligo Weekender newspaper – in shops now.
There are some new campsites and competition venues for this year’s All-Ireland Fleadh, which will be held in Sligo from August 9-16.
READING: A still from the Yeats video featuring Sir Michael Gambon.
Details of arrangements for this year’s event, including traffic restrictions and street closures were revealed at Monday’s Sligo Municipal District meeting.
Sligo Rovers’ home ground, the Showgrounds, and the Clarion Hotel are new to the list of competition venues for this year.
The other venues are IT Sligo, Grammar School, The Model, Calry Church, St Edward’s Church, Mercy College, Ursuline College, Gillooly Hall, St John’s School, Methodist Hall, Summerhill College and Presbyterian Hall.
Sligo racecourse and Owenmore Gaels GAA grounds at Collooney have been added to the list of campsites.
The others will be at St Mary’s GAA club, Maugheraboy; Sligo Rugby Club at Strandhill; Carrowroe retail park and Cleveragh.
O’Connell Street will be closed to traffic from 6pm on Friday, August 7 until 8am on Tuesday, August 18.
Other streets will be closed from 7pm on Wednesday, August 13 to 8am on Monday, August 17. They are: Castle Street, Grattan Street, Market Street and Harmony Hill.
And a number of other streets, Wine Street, Lower Knox Street and Hyde Bridge, Bridge Street, Thomas Street and Teeling Street will be closed from 6pm-4am each night from Thursday, August 14 to Sunday, August 16.
There will be restrictions to traffic on some other streets.
Traffic on the Mall will be restricted to one lane, West Gardens (linking High Street and Harmony Hill) will be one way westwards, Church Street will be one way only westwards and traffic will be reversed (permitting south bound vehicles) on Charles Street.
Stephen Street car park will be closed from Friday, August 7 to Monday, August 17 – this also to faciltiate Summerfest, which is on the Friday and Saturday nights before the Fleadh.
There will be no parking in part of The Mall car park (to facilitate the funfair), the northern end of Burton Street, the western side of The Lungy and the eastern side of Charles Street.
There will be designated disabled parking in Quay Street and Abbey Street car parks.
Temporary taxi ranks will be established on Holborn Street and High Street.
Designated casual trading areas will be at Quay Street Lower, Stephen’s Street car park, Stephen Street, The Mall car park, JFK Parade and IT Sligo.
There are some new campsites and competition venues for this year’s All-Ireland Fleadh, which will be held in Sligo from August 9-16.
Details of arrangements for this year’s event, including traffic restrictions and street closures were revealed at Monday’s Sligo Municipal District meeting.
Sligo Rovers’ home ground, the Showgrounds, and the Clarion Hotel are new to the list of competition venues for this year.
The other venues are IT Sligo, Grammar School, The Model, Calry Church, St Edward’s Church, Mercy College, Ursuline College, Gillooly Hall, St John’s School, Methodist Hall, Summerhill College and Presbyterian Hall.
Sligo racecourse and Owenmore Gaels GAA grounds at Collooney have been added to the list of campsites.
The others will be at St Mary’s GAA club, Maugheraboy; Sligo Rugby Club at Strandhill; Carrowroe retail park and Cleveragh.
O’Connell Street will be closed to traffic from 6pm on Friday, August 7 until 8am on Tuesday, August 18.
Other streets will be closed from 7pm on Wednesday, August 13 to 8am on Monday, August 17. They are: Castle Street, Grattan Street, Market Street and Harmony Hill.
And a number of other streets, Wine Street, Lower Knox Street and Hyde Bridge, Bridge Street, Thomas Street and Teeling Street will be closed from 6pm-4am each night from Thursday, August 14 to Sunday, August 16.
There will be restrictions to traffic on some other streets.
Traffic on the Mall will be restricted to one lane, West Gardens (linking High Street and Harmony Hill) will be one way westwards, Church Street will be one way only westwards and traffic will be reversed (permitting south bound vehicles) on Charles Street.
Stephen Street car park will be closed from Friday, August 7 to Monday, August 17 – this also to faciltiate Summerfest, which is on the Friday and Saturday nights before the Fleadh.
There will be no parking in part of The Mall car park (to facilitate the funfair), the northern end of Burton Street, the western side of The Lungy and the eastern side of Charles Street.
There will be designated disabled parking in Quay Street and Abbey Street car parks.
Temporary taxi ranks will be established on Holborn Street and High Street.
Designated casual trading areas will be at Quay Street Lower, Stephen’s Street car park, Stephen Street, The Mall car park, JFK Parade and IT Sligo.
The Hawk’s Well Theatre will welcome Seamie O’Dowd and a wonderful group of musicians including Michele Feeney, Sinead Conway, Kerrie Herrity and Kenny Donagher for a night of music in aid of baby Rory Gallagher and his Rory Wishes to Walk campaign.
NIGHT OF MUSIC: Sligo musician Seamie O’Dowd is pictured with baby Rory Gallagher and his mum Shauna at the Sligo Weekender offices. Seamie will be performing with some musical friends in the Hawk’s Well on Thursday, May 7 to raise funds for Rory.
The show takes place on Thursday next, May 7 at 8pm (doors open 7.30pm) and as well as the musicians above, there will be some very special guest appearances on the night, Tickets cost €20 and can be booked through the theatre box office on 071-9161518 or online at www.hawkswell.com.
Two-year-old Rory is from Cliffoney. He has cerebral palsy spastic diplegia, his parents Shauna and Gerard were told by doctors the prognosis was for him to be in a wheelchair by the age of three.
However, after constant searching the family have discovered that a leading neurosurgeon in the USA has performed life changing operations on children with similar conditions. Dr T.S Park is confident that Rory will be able to walk following surgery and hence the fundraising that is required is underway. The target is €120,000.
In July, Rory along with his mum and dad, Shauna and Gerry, will travel to Missouri in the USA for pioneering surgery which will enable Rory to walk.
Rory’s mum, Shauna Gallagher said: “We are so completely overwhelmed with the amount of support we are receiving for little Rory and his wish to walk campaign.
“The support from the people of Sligo is second to none. To have the support of the hugely talented Seamie O’Dowd is simply fantastic, we are so pleased with the great response to date from people in Donegal, Leitrim and indeed across the world.
“We really appreciate everything that has been done by so many people to date from table quizzes and to fundraising nights, it’s just been amazing . We are really looking forward to a big night in Sligo on Thursday 7 May and we thank all the bands for coming forward to perform. We would love to see a full house next Thursday night at the Hawkswell Theatre in Sligo.”
To date in excess of €100,000 has been raised for the Baby Rory Gallagher Wish to Walk Appeal from fundraisers over the past few months. This promises to be an amazing night for a very special little boy with just one wish – to walk!
The Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo has just announced its summer season, offering a jam-packed programme from May through to August 2015 offering the best there is in theatre, music, dance, family fun, comedy, talks, visual arts, workshops and courses to the people of the North West.
LOCAL: Sligo music legend Donal ‘Dude’ McLynn will be celebrated with a night of music in the theatre on June 20. Photo by Colin Gillen/framelight.ie
Director Marie O’Byrne said: “We are delighted to present our new programme which is packed to the rafters with something for everyone. This is festival season and we are delighted to collaborate with Sligo Jazz Festival, the Tread Softly festival and Fleadh Cheoil to provide top acts for Sligo people and visitors to the North West this season.
“Theatrical highlights include two performances of ‘The Man in the Woman’s Shoes’ by Mikel Murfi, originally commissioned by the Hawk’s Well and Sligo Arts Service in 2012; ‘DruidShakepeare’ from Druid and the Abbey theatre’s production of ‘Maeve’s House’.
“We have lots of musical treats in store and are looking forward to hosting two very special Kieran Quinn Film theme nights featuring Sligo Academy of Music Sinfonietta in May. We are delighted to welcome back our own production with Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Company ‘The Second Coming’ for both the Tread Softly festival and Fleadh Cheoil and look forward to a fantastic line-up for Fleadh Cheoil 2015.”
Local drama groups will be busy over the summer also with Sligo Drama Circle bringing back their popular production of “Moll” by John B.Keane in July while Beezneez present their new play “Thy Will Be Done” also in July.
There are plenty of musical treats on offer this season, with May performances from Freddie White, Mick Flannery, Albert Lee and Hogan’s Heroes and English folk singer Sam Lee in a double bill with Sligo’s own The Out of Towners.
The theatre also hosts two Kieran Quinn Film Theme nights featuring Sligo Academy of Music Sinfonietta in what promises to be two spectacular nights of music. In June the Hawk’s Well hosts the world premiere of Téada’s show inspired by the poetry of W.B. Yeats, “Where Benbulben Sets the Scene”. The Hawk’s Well celebrates local music maestro Donal (The Dude) McLynn also in June with proceeds on this fantastic night of music going to St. John’s Hospital. Lúnasa, one of the finest trad Irish instrumental outfits of recent times also perform in June.
Festivals kick off in July with Sligo Jazz Project celebrating 10 years of world class jazz performance and education. The Tread Softly festival sees performances from String siblings The Kane Sisters and The Hayden Brothers and Swing Sligo – where Sligo’s Tabby Callaghan and a top class band of superb musicians led by Kieran Quinn bring the swing era back to life.
The 56th Yeats International Summer School will be the highlight of the national year of celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of W.B. Yeats. The summer school runs from Sun 26 July – Fri 7 August.
Events for young children include The Elves and the Shoemaker from Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Company and The Way Back Home from Branar and two summer camps – BrickFlicks Pirate and Anything Goes Music Camp from Music Generation for older children. Local performing arts schools Chapel Lane and Victoria Walker Dance will also hold performances at the theatre.
The Hawk’s Well has teamed up with the Kitchen Restaurant at the Glasshouse to offer a great night out for an unbeatable price. Avail of a three-course meal and a ticket to a variety of shows at the theatre for €39.50. Visit www.hawkswell.com for more details. A Casa Mia is also offering a fantastic pre-theatre deal of 4 tapas and a bottle of wine for €40 when you show your Hawk’s Well tickets.
Brochures are currently being distributed throughout Sligo and the North West. To get a copy call 071-9161518, drop in to the Hawk’s Well or download a digital copy by visiting www.hawkswell.com
Sligo will be represented at Bloom, the national garden show this year with a garden designed by Secret Gardens of Sligo member, Lorely Forrester.
PROJECT: Lorely Forrester has taken on the daunting task of delivering a garden for bloom.
The show garden is called ‘Yeats’s Secret Garden in Sligo’ and is a Yeats2015 initiative, part of the celebrations for the poet’s 150th anniversary that are taking place nationwide.
“It is a very exciting project, but rather terrifying,” Lorely Forrester told the Sligo Weekender. “Susan O’Keefe approached me last year and it has all snowballed from there. I have designed gardens before, but never a show garden, and Bloom is the top – there’s masses to do, so many things to try and get right. As you can imagine, I’m chewing my fingernails!”
The garden is based around Yeats’s famous poem, ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’, which was the garden Yeats conjured up in his imagination while he was living in London as a young man. Having moved to Sligo from London herself, the designer can identify with how the poet felt – his ‘land of heart’s desire’ always in the back of his mind, tantalising him.
“Glen Dimplex is our main sponsor, and I’m very grateful for their support, but what I also love about creating this garden, is that so many amazing people in Sligo are getting involved and helping,” Lorely said. “This isn’t my garden anymore, it is Sligo’s garden that is going to Bloom.”
Secret Garden members – past and present – offered their help, and have been digging plants out of their own gardens to send to Phoenix Park. “A lot of the plants we need aren’t readily available to buy,” the designer explained. “We are using plants you would find growing in Sligo’s beautiful wild places, although of course nothing has been removed from the wild.”
Brendan Nelson, Saffron Thomas and Sylvia Ripon have all been busily potting up all kinds of specimens, from young trees and shrubs to primroses and wild ferns. Plants have also been donated or specially grown by Charlie Moss, Annette Coleman, Ena MacLoughlin, Maura Doherty and Martina Flynn.
“I’ve runner beans growing all over the county, to try and get them mature enough for the show,” said Lorely. Niall McAllister of Quickcrop.ie is supplying other young vegetable plants for Yeats’s little patch. Anthony Kitchin and his wife Rosemary (who founded Secret Gardens), have willingly undertaken the unlikely task of sweeping up beech leaves and mast, a job shared by Jane O’Hara, Debbie Kitchin and Wendy Lyons. Additional beech leaves were donated from Nazareth House by John Hanley – the leaves will be used to recreate the effect of a woodland floor in the Bloom garden.
One of the key contributors has been Lucy Brennan from the Parks Department of Sligo County Council. “Lucy has been like a fairy godmother,” Lorely said. “She has been incredibly helpful and given up so much of her spare time to this project – nothing has been too much trouble. She has also introduced me to other people who have been similarly generous. I really don’t think I would have got this far without her help.”
And Lorely extended her thanks to Lucy’s assistants Philip Harrison, Nicholas Ryan, Leslie Conboy and David Conboy, as well as Jack Cunnane of Western Plant Nursery Ltd. Jack has given his time, expertise, machinery and facilities as well as lots of plants to the Yeats Garden.
Reflecting the community effort involved in this Bloom garden project, Lorely revealed that Stephen Mullen of Sligo Haulage has been tasked with the job of moving all this to Dublin. “The garden measures 10m by 16m, but when you consider that every blade of grass has to be brought in, you realise what an undertaking it is,” she said.
And even the owners of one of Sligo’s most impressive gardens, at Lissadell House, have pitched in. “Eddie Walsh very kindly invited me to go and dig some of the primulas that were bred at Lissadell House over a hundred years ago, from his garden. I am delighted to have them – Lissadell was an important part of Yeats’s life, and these flowers date from that time – they are a real connection.”
The Yeats Garden will also feature work produced by Sligo artists. Martha Quinn, a well known sculptor and also a member of Secret Gardens of Sligo, has carved a special piece entitled ‘The Waters and the Wild’ which will be up for sale once the show ends. Textile artist, Mary Cronin is making something special for the garden too, as are ceramicist Colin Scott and artist and printmaker Robert Forrester. Nik Purdy, who painted the portrait of Yeats near Sligo station, is painting a mural that will form an intrinsic part of the garden’s design.
Lorely also offered her thanks to Ardcarne Garden Centre Fionn Rogers, Core Concepts, Naomi McBride, Niall Miller, Brenda McLoughlin and Sligo Tourism Ltd..
Bloom opens on May 28 and runs from 9am-6pm throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, finishing on June 1. You can keep up to date with the garden via Lorely’s Facebook page (search ‘Writing From The Edge’).TextDesigner Lorely Forrester hopes that the brand new rose being launched this year in honour of the poet – the WB Yeats Rose – will be on show in the Bloom garden. The rose is being launched by Secret Gardens of Sligo and the Yeats Society, and the public are being asked to make donations of any size towards the cost of its development. More information about the rose can be found on www.secretgardensofsligo.com
The Ill Willed Workshop hosted it’s first ever course in Sligo last week where students created prosthetics used for wounds and scars on film sets.
ENSEMBLE: The actors, students and their teachers – (l to r) Shannon Breathnach, Patricia Blee, Noeleen Cunningham, Kent Tsang, Ali Gordon, Steve Johnson, Bryan “Tate” Steinsiek, Anita Parke, Abbie McVeigh, Patrick Curley and Wai-Har Healy.
Our reporter Alan Finn went a long for a look.
For the full story pick up this week’s paper- in shops Thursday.
