Milltown will stage Trad-fest in August

MILLTOWN is to stage an August Bank Holiday festival to honour one of its most famous sons, the legendary melodeon and accordion player Peter J Conlon, who became a famous recording artist in the USA where he lived most of his adult life before dying in New York in 1967. His reputation as a musician soared in the early decades of the 1900s but in an era when communication was much more difficult than it is now, allied of course to the passing of time, his name and memory were largely forgotten for many years. The Milltown festival will help to change all that. It will officially run from Friday August 2 to Monday 5 (but could of course start earlier or finish later depending on circumstances). Several big names from the world of traditional music have already been booked to appear including Charlie Harris, Charlie Piggott, Andrew McNamara, Jacqueline McCarthy and Tommy Keane while from nearer home there will be Máigh Seola, Iomar Barrett and Claire Keville. An enthusiastic committee is leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to make the event a resounding success. There will be music, singing, dancing, art, heritage, concerts, recitals and exhibitions with dozens of young local exponents showing their skill in various fields as they blend with the established stars. It is an ideal opportunity for Milltown people to celebrate the talent of a true genius who is, at last, getting the recognition he deserves. Beatlemania comes to Galway ITâ€â„¢S 50 years since The Beatles released their debut album Please Please Me. From there they went on to dominate the charts throughout the world and became the most successful act in the history of popular music. Later the same year the fab four released their second album With The Beatles, which was the first ever UK album to sell one million copies and remained at the number one spot for 21 weeks. You can re-live your favourite Beatles memories with the Beatlemania show, which is coming to Galway later this month. The show recreates the legendary live performances of The Beatles from their mop-top roots, through the psychedelic era of Sgt Pepper and on to the final years of Abbey Road and Let It Be. To celebrate the Golden Anniversary, the first part of the show will showcase the classic songs from 1963, including Love Me Do, Twist and Shout, All My Loving, Money and, of course, Please Please Me. Beatlemania performs at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway on Thursday, May 30. Tickets €20. A different view of Africa in film ALTERNATIVE views of the peoples and continent of Africa will be seen in films from African directors this weekend. Screenings include the Nigerian film Phone Swap, the Zambian short film Mwansa the Great, a collaborative documentary from Uganda and the US, Call me Kuchu, and many more. From May 24 to 26, the Galway One World Centre welcomes one and all to enjoy the Sixth Galway African Film Festival (GAFF). Screenings will take place at the Huston School of Film & Digital Media on Earlâ€â„¢s Island near Galway Cathedral. It will present a series of contemporary African feature films, shorts, and documentaries, all of which will be free of charge. The full line-up can be found at www.galwayafricanfilmfestival.org This yearâ€â„¢s festival will highlight films about finding and creating identity in a variety of familial, social, and political situations. Some will focus on individual adventures, others on the social struggles of â€Ëœothernessâ€â„¢ and the search for recognition. With everything from animated cartoons to poignant documentaries and mixed media shorts, the festival is sure to give a new perspective on Africa and its peoples. Every year, May 25 marks International Africa Day. This yearâ€â„¢s GAFF coincides with the 50th anniversary of African unity. The Senegalese film The Lionâ€â„¢s Point of View, which makes its Irish premier at the festival, quotes a proverb saying, â€Å“as long as lions do not have their own historians, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunterâ€Â. Chemistry in the air at THT THAT intriguing quality â€Å“chemistryâ€Â is explored in a new work at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway on Friday May 31. The dance piece is â€Å“An exploration through dance and physical theatre of the less tangible chemical reactions that govern human relationships.â€Â Directed and choreographed by Anna Gaciarz, Chemistry is a physical and dance theatre show by 50% Male Experimental Theatre (50% Male); a multicultural performance group comprising two female and two male performers from Poland, Ireland and Uzbekistan.