Arts news – 13 songs will compete in Glinsk event
GLINSK Song Contest had a brilliant response once again this year from songwriters from every county in Ireland. The Final which will feature 13 finalists will be staged in Glinsk Community Centre on Sunday night July 1 at 9 pm. All patrons are advised to take their seats by 8.30 pm.
The winner will walk away with the IMRO cheque and the Gannon Brothers Crystal Trophy. All finalists will perform to the accompaniment of the Glinsk Song Contest Orchestra sponsored as usual by the Cuddy family. The organisers also wish to thank Ward & Burke Construction for their generous support over the years.
Many of the country’s finest songwriters will be competing for the coveted Glinsk prize. Kildare natives Danny Slevin and Vinny Baker have come together to pen the “Tattie Howker’s Lament”. This song is a tribute to the many people who travelled to Scotland in years gone by to harvest the potato crop in order to support their families at home. It sounds like a story from another era but the irony is that the spectre of emigration has come back to haunt so many Irish families once again.
Iris Wade, who is a very popular Dublin songwriter, will open the show with her song “Simple Things” which reminds us that as we go through life it is often the simple things like small acts of kindness that will remain with us through all our years.
Jody Gallagher from Donegal, who has had great success since he appeared at Glinsk some years ago, returns once again this year with his song “The Invisible Man”.
Summer concert in aid of Irish Hospice Foundation
GALWAY Baroque Singers will perform a special summer recital next week in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation, to support two of the singers who are cycling across France later this summer to raise funds for the charity.
Gerry McGrath and Fin Garvey will be joined by their fellow singers at St Mary’s Church, The Claddagh, on Thursday, June 28, under the direction of Audrey Corbett with Morgan Cooke, accompanist on piano.
The programme will consist of sacred motets, operatic choruses, Gilbert & Sullivan excerpts and popular modern pieces.
The concert commences at 8.30 pm and tickets, priced €10, will be on sale at the door.
“We are funding the cost of the trip ourselves in addition to the €2,000 minimum target we must raise and we are being supported by our friends in Galway Baroque Singers, who we are most grateful to for this fundraising concert,” said Gerry.
Sea show at Kennys
THE SEA, OH THE SEA is the title of the last exhibition at the Kenny Gallery Liosbán, Tuam Road, Galway which opens on Friday, June 22, at 6 pm. The guest speaker is Mary O’Malley, Poet.
To celebrate the finale of the Volvo Round-the-World Yacht race Kennys invited 20 artists to show what the sea means to them.
This exhibition is the result – a collection in an interesting variety of media and of scale and styles. It is a true celebration of the sea. We see it in all its moods, as a great resource, as a source of enjoyment and fun, as somewhere to earn a living. It has inspired poets and painters for centuries.
Artists include John Coll, John Behan RHA, Mike Flannery, Olivier Longuet, James MacCarthy, Alexandra van Tuyll, Padraic Reaney, Michael Flaherty, Paul Guilfoyle, Manus Walsh and many more.
The exhibition continues until July 12.