Fresh Film Festival's focul event, the Ireland's Young Filmmaker Competition, affords young, talented and imaginative filmmakers (aged 7-18 years) the opportunity to have their films (15 minutes and shorter) shown on the big screen to large audiences of their peers as well as having them considered in competition by a highly professional and experienced panel of judges.  The festival insures a screening for ALL films entered as well as offering a variety of educational screenings of feature films with youth protagonists and a cutting edge workshop programme.  The festival will run various events for it's 13th year over the month of March.  Further details, dates, opportunities, International Festival news and information about interesting events throughout the year can be accessed at www.freshfilmfestival.net.

Texaco Children's Art has touched the lives of almost every family in Ireland over three generations.  It has attracted entries from countless thousands of young artists, many of whom have gone on to play a prominent role in Irish public life. This exhibition features a selection  of winning paintings from 2007 and 2008, showcasing a wide range of abilities, varying subjects and different styles, it really is a show that has something for everyone - a must see!  

Spain   2009  127mins  Spanish with English subtitles

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Starring: Penelope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Blanca Portillo, Jose Luis Gomez

Harry Caine is a man who writes, lives and loves in darkness. Fourteen years previously, in his former life as film director Mateo Blanco, he was in a car crash on the island of Lanzarote. In that accident, he lost his sight and also Lena, the love of his life. Moving effortlessly between past and present, Almódavar's latest film is a story dominated by jealously, the abuse of power, treachery and guilt.

"Sheer, gorgeous style… Almodóvar moves back and forth between the past and the present with virtuoso fluency." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"A lush, deeply romantic noir dense with nods to films past. This movie is utterly irresistible." - David Edelstein, New York Movies

Adm.: €5 

'Overflow from the Tower' 
an exhibition of new work by Emma Berkery
 
3rd March - 29th March

The Arts Office  Limerick  County Council are delighted to announce the opening of 'Overflow from the Tower'  an exhibition of new works by  Emma Berkery from Wednesday 3rd of March until Monday 29th of March in Dooradoyle Libary. 

There will also be a Meet the Artist  wine reception evening - Thursday 25th March at 7:30pm in Dooradoyle Library- Where artist Emma Berkery will give a short presentation on her work and be available for questions and to discuss her art practice.
 
All are welcome Admission is Free

All work included will be new work, created in response to Emma's artist residency in the Curfew Tower in Cushendall in association with VOID Gallery Derry in 2009. The body of the exhibition will contain a selection of large paintings and previously unseen framed works on paper.
 
For enquires Tel. 086-3855649
Email. emmaberkery@hotmail.com
Web. www.emmaberkery.com
 
 
County Arts Office
Limerick County Council
County Hall
Dooradoyle
Co. Limerick
061 496498/496300
arts@limerickcoco.ie
 

Three Irish women, Brenda Fitzsimons, Kim Haughton, Marie McCallan, all renowned photographers,

Under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council Of Ireland
Co. Monaghan's Nominating Festival
Adjudicator : Peter Sheridan
Nightly at 8.00pm sharp.
Please Note Early Start.

See www.iontascastleblayney.ie for details.

Adm: €14/12

Under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council Of Ireland
Co. Monaghan's Nominating Festival
Adjudicator : Peter Sheridan
Nightly at 8.00pm sharp.
Please Note Early Start.

See www.iontascastleblayney.ie for details.

Adm: €14/12

Under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council Of Ireland
Co. Monaghan's Nominating Festival
Adjudicator : Peter Sheridan
Nightly at 8.00pm sharp.
Please Note Early Start.

See www.iontascastleblayney.ie for details.

Adm: €14/12

Galway Arts Centre is delighted to present a solo exhibition by Galway based artist Louise Manifold, entitled 'Unnatural Esoteric'. The opening will take place at 6pm on Friday 5th March 2010 in 47 Dominick Street. The exhibition comprises of new work in video, photography and sculptural installation.

All of Manifold's work has the theme of disconnection and distance from the world of which one is living in, while encouraging a creation of an individual reality. Using both fictional and real information the artist builds upon identifiable binaries to open up a dialogue between human perceptions and imagination's ability to read into what is suggested or unreal. The artist draws her inspiration from over-looked and unbelievable subject matter- ranging from rare delusional illnesses, obscure phenomena and manifestations of medieval melancholy as a means in which to comment upon human awareness in contemporary culture. Her engagement with such material centres upon what she believes is its potential to generate legend or new mythology for the viewer to consume, and contribute to wider cultural legacies.

The structure of the exhibition reflects the artist's personal fascination with the German wunderkammer, or 'cabinet room of curiosities,' private museums which date back to the 16th Century. The artist is utilising the idea of the museum where things are grouped and classified as a vehicle in which to contemplate the cultural relationships between hybrid transformations and human and animal identity. For the exhibition the artist embarked upon a residency at one of the oldest intact wunderkammer museums in the world at the Franke Foundation in Halle, Germany in 2009.

For this exhibition Manifold is also drawing mythical tales of shape-shifting alongside published research on Clinical Lycanthropy, a rare psychiatric illness in which the subject is convinced that he/she is turning into an animal.

Manifold began her research with documents on the few cases of clinical lycanthropy documented in 20th century at The MacLean Hospital in Belmont Mass, US who identified 60 cases of Lycanthropy since 1974.

The artist's search of the modern lycanthropes led her using this information as the basis for the trilogy of exhibited video works.

'Unnatural Esoteric' runs until April 14th and admission as always, is free.

www.galwayartscentre.ie

www.louisemanifold.com
 

http://www.butlergallery.com/exhibitions_current.html

                              TEN
                              MILES
                              ROUND
              JACKIE NICKERSON

Opening Saturday 6 March at 2.00pm the exhibition continues until April 21, 2010

The opening will take the form of an artist's talk where Jackie Nickerson will discuss her practice in an informal setting in the gallery. Refreshments will be served 
 

TEN MILES ROUND is a portrait of a rural community in County Louth where the artist Jackie Nickerson lives. Jackie Nickerson is the winner of the AIB Prize, 2008

Cork Opera House presets

Honk

By Georges Stiles and Anthony Drewe

Directed by Bryan Flynn

Some eggs just can't be beaten!

Since it first hatched in 1993 the family musical, HONK!, has winged its way around the world winning multiple awards including the Olivier Award for Best Musical (beating The Lion King and Mamma Mia).

It's spring time, and Ida Duck's nest contains one inordinately large egg. Sure enough, it cracks open to reveal an ugly chick nothing like his siblings, who makes a strange honk sound instead of the expected quack. A cast of twelve led by director Bryan Flynn will provide a 'cracking' good time for al ages during the Easter holidays.

'imagine the colour and wit of Disney's The Jungle Book mixed with the vivacity of 1940's Hollywood musicals, and you still only have some idea of how stonkingly brilliant this treat is' – Time Out on the 2000 National Theatre production

Tickets for all shows: €15 booking fee may apply

Times for shows:        

Wed 7^th April, 7.30pm, 
Thur 8^th April, 11.00am,                                                                                                            
Fri 9^th April, 11.00 am,                                                                                                                         
Sat 10^th April, 11.00 am,                                                                                                           
Sun 11^th April, 11.00 am

OPEN/INVITED e v⁺ a 2010 will be launched at LSAD Gallery, Limerick

School of Art & Design, LIT, Clare Street Campus, Limerick on Friday 12 March at 7pm. All venues will be open the following day with a free bus tour on Saturday 13 March at 11am.

Gúna Nua Theatre & Civic Theatre, Tallaght Present LITTLE GEM By Elaine Murphy The cast of LITTLE GEM have returned from the sold out and critically acclaimed run at New Yorks' Flea Theatre. The show has now opened at The Peacock for a six week run and will then tour to 5 venues around Ireland, The George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow, The Belltable in Limerick, Draíocht in Blanchardstown, Axis; Ballymun and Civic Theatre Tallaght. Running from Monday, 8th March until Saturday, 13th March. SPECIAL OFFER: One show only, Monday, 8th March 2 for the price of 1

Bull Alley Theatre Training Company presents

Dracula

By Liz Lochead

Directed by Simon Manahan

A faithful adaptation investing new life and

three-dimensional insight into its famous

characters. Gripping, terrifying and dark as

dead blood.

Admission €10 & €7concession

An exciting mix of excellent amateur drama will take centre stage for nine nights with groups from all over the country competing for awards and nominations to the All-Ireland Finals.   Roscommon Drama Festival offers something for all audiences; from comedy to tragedy, classic plays to contemporary drama and lots more in between.  This year's adjudicator is Wexford native Pauline Byrne. For information on this years festival programme line-up log on to www.roscommondramafestival.com

Big Telly presents

The Haunting of Helena

Blunden

Written by Paul Boyd & Bernie McGill

Directed by Zoë Seaton

A doorway. A stairwell. A story. Two women:

one desperate to cross over the threshold:

the other desperate to escape.

What is it on the other side that makes

eighty-year-old Maggie want so badly to go

in? What is it that has terrified Susan into

packing up and leaving? And why does the

story of the mysterious Helena Blunden still

hold them both there? This is thriller, ghost

story, and musical. Set in modern Belfast in

a converted linen mill it has more twists and

turns than the yarn winding its way round

the spindle. Just when you think it's time to

relax, sit back and breathe easy, the breath

is knocked right out of you.

Admission €22 & €18concession

Branar Theatre presents
AN SEANFHEAR BEAG

Time: 2 shows per day Time: TBC contact Box Office for details
Price: €8 (Suitable for ages 6-10yrs)

Based on a story by Barbro Lindgren, An Seanfhear Beag is a delicate tale of the friendship between a lonely old man and a dog no one wanted.  This touching story is told with the help of handheld puppets created by Suse Reibisch, newly composed music by Morgan Cooke and very little language.  Branar extends a special thanks to Bjarne Sandborg, of Theatre refleksion, artistic adviser on this project.

'An engaging fable... Fascinating to observe... There's the delight in knowing that anything can happen, that the young audience are co-creators of the meaning of each performance' Irish Times

'This is magic of a high order - not based on smoke and mirrors... but on a closely observed account of the human need for contact.'  Irish Theatre Magazine

An Seanfhear Beag, Le Branar.  Bunaithe ar scéal le Barbro Lindgren.

Is scéal galánta draíochtúil é seo faoin gcairdeas idir seanfhear uaigneach agus madra aonarach.  Baintear leas as puipéidí álainn déanta ag Suse Reibisch, ceol beo le Morgan Cooke agus fíorbheagán focal le hiontas an scéil seo a chur in iúl.

Buíochas le Bjarne Sandborg, de chuid Theatre Refleksion a d'oibrigh linn mar chomhairleoir ealaíne ar an dtogra seo.  Aois 6-10 bliain.

Ennis Musical Society Presents

Hot Mikado!

€15 Tues

€17.50 Wed - Sat

This 1986 update of the G&S classic keeps the original plot and adds extra flair and style! The score uses much of Sullivan's original music but is reorchestrated using 1940s popular musical harmonies and arrangements and a wide range of styles, including jazz, hot gospel, blues and rock. 

Don't miss this all singing all dancing extravaganza!

Aisling Ghéar Theatre Co. presents 'An Triail' by Mairéad Ní Ghráda  - a highly regarded schools' production that is now firmly set on the schools' calendar providing support for teaching staff while offering students the opportunity to experience a quality theatrical production of a timeless Irish language drama.

Ticket price: €10 for Students & Teachers - free admission.

Showtime: 1.15mins &  there is no interval

Léiríonn Aisling Ghéar 'An Triail' le Mairéad Ní Ghráda  – drama mórchlú do scoileanna, atá inis ina chuid seascair i bhféilire na scoileanna ,  ag solathrú tacaíochta don fhoireann teagaisc ag tairiscint do scoláirí an deis blaiseadh a sháil léiriú ardchaigheáil drama clasaiceach gaeilge

Ticéid: €10 scoláirí   Múinteoirí saor in aisce

2 léiriú an lá

Boy With a Suitcase, by Mike Kenny

A play for children aged 8-12 years

Boy with a Suitcase is the story of a 12 year old war refugee, who undertakes a long and dangerous journey to find asylum in Ireland. He carries with him only a small suitcase and a treasure of stories from his childhood.

Like his hero, Sinbad the Sailor, who undertook many perilous voyages in search of his fortune, Naz must travel half-way around the world to reach the safety of his brother in Dublin. Naz teams up with Krysia, a young girl in similar circumstances, who helps him dodge soldiers and find safe passage over mountains, across seas and through the mire of a city slum. With the help of Krysia and his stories, Naz finds his way to Dublin and his brother. But is it the 'heaven on earth' that he expects….?

A ripping yarn of adventure and stories, Naz's journey also throws a spotlight on the real dangers faced by children in other parts of the world, beyond the relative security of life in Ireland.

A Teacher's Resource pack will be provided to all teachers bringing groups to the show. This pack equips teachers with a series of practical worksheets which provide a focus for exploration and discussion of themes raised through the play.

Reviews of the production

The play … gave us a hint of reality as only really good theatre can do. Kilkenny People.

Author Mike Kenny infuses the story with wit and charm. Irish Times

The use of live music – superbly performed by Ben Samuels- sets the tone for each scene. Irish Times

(The cast) …maintain a breathless momentum using a series of economical theatrical devices that call for the imaginative collaboration of the audience. Irish Theatre Magazine

We sat mesmerised and impressed in the face of at a story well told, but also incredibly well acted. Theatre at its best.  Kilkenny People.

…deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Irish Theatre Magazine

Barnstorm adds value by producing a substantial Resource Pack for teachers, rich in ideas and prompts for discussion. Irish Theatre Magazine

 
An Táin Theatre, Dundalk Thursday 11 March at 10.00 and 12.30. Box Office 042-9392919.

Taispeántas saothair gloine leis an ealaiontóir, Maura Whelan, i nGaeltacht Mhúscraí. Tá sí ina ball do Ealaiontóiri Mhúscraí agus glacann sí páirt sa taispeántas bliantúil a bhíonn ag na baill go léir ach seo a céad taispeántas aonarach san Ionad Cultúrtha.

Glass artist, Maura Whelan, exhibits her delicate and colourfull pieces to the public in the Múscrai Gaeltacht. As a member of Ealaíontóirí Mhúscraí, she has exhibited at their yearly group exhibitions in the Ionad but this is her first solo exhibition in Baile Mhúirne.

Neil Delamere

Time: 8pm
Price: €20

'No TV Camera could accurately measure the lightening speed of Delamere's wit.' Irish Times

Best known as the star of RTE's The Panel and BBC's Blame Game, and now with his very own show, the Republic of Telly on RTE, Irish comedian Neil Delamere brings his current show, Bookmarks to Riverbank Arts Centre for two nights only.

Seeing your photograph (along with those of 2 Ireland Rugby players, a national broadcaster and an elite athlete) on youuniversity bookmark is food for thought.  And this is exactly what happened to our intrepid comedian, Neil Delamere.

Trininty College has Oscar Wilde, Dublin City University has Neil Delamere. Hmmm....

It was a sign.  Life is just a series of bookmarks - the events that highlight how far we've come and how far we've left to go. They could be anything, weddings, funerals, charges being dropped even facing your fears (don't).  Neil considers these markers as well as how his photo appeared on the thing in the first place... Oh yeah, we also get to find out how long Neil will live!

Neil's Edinburgh Fringe Festival show 'Bookmarks' has attracted multiple 5 star rave reviews so, as always book early and don't be disappointed.

For more about Neil Delamere check out www.neildelamere.com

For booking info please contact boxoffice on 045448327/www.riverbank.ie

Date: Wed 11 & Thurs 12 March       Times: 10.30am & 1.30pm

Aisling Ghéar Theatre Co presents 'An Triail' by Mairéad Ní Ghráda  - a highly regarded schools' production that is now firmly set on the schools' calendar and continues to provide support for teaching staff while offering students the opportunity to experience a quality theatrical production of a timeless Irish language drama.

The show lasts 1.15mins, no interval

TICKETS:  €10 / Teachers go free

The Three Tenors

Hailed as Ireland's Greatest Voices The Three Tenors return to Cork Opera House for one night only on Thursday March 11th. Their unique show with their own brand of humour, features the world's most beautiful songs from Elvis (Love me Tender), Sinatra (My Way), Simon & Garfunkel (Bridge Over Troubled Water), Leonard Cohen (Halleluia), Pavarotti (Nessun Dorma), and many more beautiful songs.
    
Ireland's hottest trio, John Scott, David Martin and Declan Kelly will be joined by a Star Soprano and top Violinist, artistes who will delight and thrill you all.   

"thrilling the crowd with a wonderfully polished performance... outstanding performances…it's easy to see why they are called 'Ireland's Greatest Voices'!"  - Belfast Community Telegraph

Tickets: €28.50, €31, €33.50 booking fee may apply

Thur 11 March, 8 pm

The Three Tenors

Hailed as Ireland's Greatest Voices The Three Tenors return to Cork Opera House for one night only on Thursday March 11th. Their unique show with their own brand of humour, features the world's most beautiful songs from Elvis (Love me Tender), Sinatra (My Way), Simon & Garfunkel (Bridge Over Troubled Water), Leonard Cohen (Halleluiah), Pavarotti (Nessun Dorma), and many more beautiful songs.
    
Ireland's hottest trio, John Scott, David Martin and Declan Kelly will be joined by a Star Soprano and top Violinist, artistes who will delight and thrill you all.   

"thrilling the crowd with a wonderfully polished performance... outstanding performances…it's easy to see why they are called 'Ireland's Greatest Voices'!"  - Belfast Community Telegraph

Tickets: €28.50, €31, €33.50 booking fee may apply

Based on the multimillion best selling book, this beautiful play tells the story of a professor and a student who meet after 16 years when the student, Mitch, discovers that his much loved tutor Morrie is suffering from a terminal illness. They begin to spend Tuesdays together and Mitch learns the lessons of life and death from Morrie.

Directed by John McDwyer and featuring Michael Roper and Pat Feeley, Tuesday with Morrie is a warm, funny, compassionate and life enchancing evening of theatre.

For more information visit us at: www.hawkswell.com

Aisling Ghéar Theatre Co. presents 'An Triail' by Mairéad Ní Ghráda  - a highly regarded schools' production that is now firmly set on the schools' calendar providing support for teaching staff while offering students the opportunity to experience a quality theatrical production of a timeless Irish language drama.

Ticket price: €10 for Students & Teachers - free admission.

Showtime: 1.15mins &  there is no interval

Léiríonn Aisling Ghéar 'An Triail' le Mairéad Ní Ghráda  – drama mórchlú do scoileanna, atá inis ina chuid seascair i bhféilire na scoileanna ,  ag solathrú tacaíochta don fhoireann teagaisc ag tairiscint do scoláirí an deis blaiseadh a sháil léiriú ardchaigheáil drama clasaiceach gaeilge

Ticéid: €10 scoláirí   Múinteoirí saor in aisce

2 léiriú an lá

Gavin Whelan in concert with  Deidre Smyth (fiddle), Dominick Keogh (bodhran) & James Ryan  (guitar, & mandola)
Gavin Whelan is widely regarded as one of the finest exponents of the tin whistle. His eponymous debut recording propelled the tin whistle to centre stage, winning high praise from critics for his crisp, uncluttered phrasing and bright, clean tone. The album, released in 2001, was hailed by one critic as "beautiful, captivating and formidable". He also featured as lead instrumentalist on many TV shows including Geanntraí, Open House and The High Reel. He has toured Ireland extensively as a solo artist appearing at such prestigious venues including The Cobblestone, Whelans, The Wexford Arts Centre, An Cultúrlann, and The Civic Theatre. He has also taken part in many other festivals including the Finnish Irish Festival, Tel Aviv Irish Festival, Gutenbrunn Folk Festival, Phil Murphy Festival, UCC Tradfest and Feakle Traditional Music Festival. Since graduating with a Higher National Diploma in Irish music performance from the Senior College, Ballyfermot, Gavin has been actively involved in the teaching of Irish traditional music in primary schools in the Dublin area. He is also much sought after as a teacher at the Willie Clancy Summer School in Miltown Malbay as well as other schools including The Phil Murphy Weekend He has also given master classes in whistle in University of Limerick , workshops in Inishowen and  at the Joe Mooney Summer School, In 2002 he was nominated by Irish Music Magazine for Best Traditional Newcomerfor that year. 2006 saw the release of his second album 'Another Time'.

                                                                           www.gavinwhelan.ie

Competition Winner Orla Higgins To Read Winning Story

At March Writers' Gathering At Sheridan's Wine Bar

Over The Edge presents readings by Orla Higgins, Cahal Dallat, Moya Roddy & Kate Dempsey at Sheridan's Wine Bar, 14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway on Friday, March 12^th, 8pm.

Orla Higgins won the Over the Edge New Fiction Writer Competition in 2009 for Thin Blue Line which is published here http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/2010/01/announcing-2010-over-edge-new-writer-of.html#orla   

There is no entrance fee. All welcome. For further information contact 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of the Arts Council and Galway City Council.

http://www.overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/

Raglane.com presents
Gift Grub starring Mario Rosenstock
Sold Out!

The brainchild of comedian and satirist Marion Rosenstock, the phenomenal Gift Grub comes to life on stage for the first time. With nine Top 5 albums and over half a million CD sales, Gift Grub is the biggest selling Irish comedy/spoken word CD of all time. Catch all your favourite Gift Grub characters live on stage for this comedy extravaganza! Featuring Roy, Daniel, Bertie, Cowen and many more!

Katherine Hunka (leader Irish Chamber Orchestra) and leading accordionist Dermot Dunne form a stunning duo of virtuoso violin with the versatile accordion taking on the roles of piano, guitar and even full orchestra.  Celebrated classics and virtuoso show pieces with a strong Latin flavour include works by Paganini, Hernandez, Wilson, Guilfoyle, Tartini, De Falla, Copland and Monti.

www.classicallinks.ie

Tickets €15/ €10 concession  01 2818145 or email: derekneilson@eircom.net

Open Door Theatre Presents
JB KEANE'S SIVE

Time: 8pm
Price: €12/ €10

John B Keane's Sive is a story of greed, sex and bitterness, of a scheming matchmaker and a resentful woman forcing a beautiful young girl to marry an old man for money.

Sive is a young and beautiful orphan who lives with her uncle Mike, his wife Mena and his mother Nanna.  A local matchmaker, Thomasheen Sean Rua, convinces Mike and Mena to organise the marriage of Sive to an old man called Sean Dota for the sum of two hundred pounds.

However, Sive is in love with a young man, Liam Scuab, who is deemed unsuitable for her.  Distraught, forced to do will of her uncle and his bitter wife, and faced with an unthinkable future, Sive takes the only choice left to her...

Set against the harsh poverty and difficult times of 1950's Ireland, Sive caused considerable controversy on its debut in February 1959.  Since then it has become an established part of Ireland's theatrical canon and is also featured on this year's leaving Cert syllabus.

For further info please visit www.riverbank.ie

Julian Arguelles :: Saxophones
Ronan Guilfoyle :: Acoustic Bass Guitar
Jim Black :: Drums

An international trio, featuring three of the leading contemporary jazz musicians of their respective countries -  British saxophonist Julian Arguelles, the Irish bassist Ronan Guilfoyle, and the American drummer Jim Black – will undertake a tour of the UK and Ireland in March 2010.

Playing a programme mixing original compositions and standards, the trio's music features a free-wheeling spontaneity and powerful rhythmic drive, with each member of the trio showing an almost  telepathic response to the playing of the others -  the music unfolds  seamlessly with a great sense of swing and much rhythmic intrigue.

"This is a fun-filled gem through and through"
Downtown Music Gallery, New York

"It was intense, exhilarating and a credit to all concerned, with Black in particular little short of astonishing in his range of invention. If jazz is the sound of surprises, this was full of them"
Irish Times

"Julian Arguelles, Ronan Guilfoyle and Jim Black produced a concert of enthralling and frequently breathtaking music. Black in particular was mesmerising, throwing spanner after spanner into the works from a seemingly limitless toolkit of ideas.
Sunday Tribune

Tickets: €15 (€12 concession)
Available at Triskel Box Office :: (021) 427 2022
www.triskelartscentre.ie

In these evocative paintings, the artist has moved from the figurative to
the abstract. The forms and shapes which flow naturally have been purposely
broken. The circle is no longer round and the square distorted. It
is a journey of walking backwards where our senses have been surprised
and worried and we are no longer sure footed. The emotions and sentiments
which reside in the inner self can be felt by no other. It is the interface
between the real and the imaginary. It is the eternal personal quest
for who we are. Abstract art is the object of this contemplation, of meditation
and pleasure and above all else rejects the idea of being decorative.
Inspiration for this exhibition has come from continuing research in
The Centre Pompidou Paris, from Francis Bacon to Pierre Soulages and
from the boglands around Crossmaglen.
Kate Arslanian (née Harvey) was born in Crossmaglen in 1952 and has
lived in Paris for over 30 years. Her successful evolution from the figurative
to the abstract culminated in a critically acclaimed solo exhibition in
The Oberkampf Gallery, Paris in 2009. Kate has also exhibited at the
Azdac Muséum, Paris and at the Salon d'Art Contemporaine, Paris. This is
her first solo exhibition in Ireland.
www.iontascastleblayney.ie

The Lifford Players, one of Ireland's most enduring local drama companies, present the play which launched Brian Friel on to the international stage.

Philadelphia, Here I Come! is a comedy drama which follows Gar O'Donnell on the eve of his emigration to America.

Further info

a lunchtime piano recital by Lilia Boyadjieva at which the audience will experience the blues and jazz influences of Barber's early years, alongside his Nocturne for John Field, and the pathos, power and pace of his Sonata for Piano.

Lecture: The Making of an Exhibition: Uncovering Discover
Friday 12 March at 1pm in the Seminar room
Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare St, Dublin 2.

To celebrate Library Ireland Week 2010, Elizabeth Kirwan, curator of Discover Your National Library: Explore, Reflect, Connect will discuss the planning and the development of the Library's new exhibition which makes extensive use of digital media technology.

About the exhibition – Discover Your National Library: Explore, Reflect, Connect
The exhibition Discover Your National Library enables visitors to examine objects from the Library's collections in the kind of detail that has hitherto been possible for only a limited number of researchers, academics and
other specialists.  Over the lifespan of the exhibition, several thousand different objects will be featured and will be made available online.

The National Library worked with Microsoft Ireland and Martello media to develop an innovative technology solution to view the hundreds of rare items in the Library's collections.

Among the artefacts on view currently are rare manuscripts such as an early 14th century poem-book containing poetry composed in Irish for the McGovern family; a 1588 deed signed by Sir Walter Raleigh; a 1795 lottery ticket and a set of 1930s cigarette cards illustrated by the painter Jack B Yeats.

Friday 12^th March

Why Men Marry Comedy /Drama

8.00pm€15/13

"Allow yourself to be taken on a journey around a man's mind. Don't worry… it won't take long". In his new stand-up show, Peadar De Burca tells why he recently chose to marry a Polish woman in Barcelona ahead of all the Irish women he almost married. From the man who brought the hilarious What Men Want and Why Men Cheat to Wexford comes the latest in the comic trilogy, fresh from its 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival success.

'Four stars and a smile on your face…'   - The Irish Times

Date: Saturday 13 March                      Time: 8.00pm

Irish violinist Elizabeth Cooney and Russian pianist Elisaveta Blumina perform a delectable programme of sonatas by French composers Poulenc and Ravel. This delightful evening will also include contemporary work by Russian composer Valentin Silvestrov, which they premiered in 2009 and "Fratres" by renowned Estonian composer Arvo Part.

Tickets €15/€12 /046 909 2300

Katherine Hunka (leader Irish Chamber Orchestra) and leading accordionist Dermot Dunne form a stunning duo of virtuoso violin with the versatile accordion taking on the roles of piano, guitar and even full orchestra.  Celebrated classics and virtuoso show pieces with a strong Latin flavour include works by Paganini, Hernandez, Wilson, Guilfoyle, Tartini, De Falla, Copland and Monti.

www.tinahely-courthouse.ie

Tickets €15/14/13 0402 38529

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH

Time: 2pm

Price: €3

Dir: Henry Selnick / UK / USA / 1996 / 79mins / Cert:PG

Made by the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, this has an enchanting, at times ghoulish, appeal.  An adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic story, Salick's film may not have made any spectacular technical advance on his previous work (the animated central section is sandwiched by stylised live-action sequences), but, despite a lightness of plot, it most beautifully captures the book's free-floating, fantastic sense of adventure and wonder.  Forced into a fife of drudgery by his evil aunts Sponge and Spiker (Margolyes and Lumley), orphan James dreams of escape to New York.  An old man (Postlethwaite) appears and fives the boy a jigging handful of fluorescent, magical crocodile tongues.  A dead peach enters a world of strange invertebrates.  As his wishes take flight, so does the peach, putting to sea and soaring up in the air, hauled majestically by a flock of tethered sea-gulls.  The songs and music have the inimitable signature of Randy Newman.  (c) Time Out

Noel is a talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, mandolin and whistle with equal proficiency. Mary's voice has been described as rich, clear and true.  Their musical interests range from the playing of Micho Russell to the writings of Bob Dylan, John Prine and Guy Clark.   Time: 8.30 p.m.  Adm:  €12  Visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com for more information.

Neil Delamere

Time: 8pm
Price: €20

'No TV Camera could accurately measure the lightening speed of Delamere's wit.' Irish Times

Best known as the star of RTE's The Panel and BBC's Blame Game, and now with his very own show, the Republic of Telly on RTE, Irish comedian Neil Delamere brings his current show, Bookmarks to Riverbank Arts Centre for two nights only.

Seeing your photograph (along with those of 2 Ireland Rugby players, a national broadcaster and an elite athlete) on youuniversity bookmark is food for thought.  And this is exactly what happened to our intrepid comedian, Neil Delamere.

Trininty College has Oscar Wilde, Dublin City University has Neil Delamere. Hmmm....

It was a sign.  Life is just a series of bookmarks - the events that highlight how far we've come and how far we've left to go. They could be anything, weddings, funerals, charges being dropped even facing your fears (don't).  Neil considers these markers as well as how his photo appeared on the thing in the first place... Oh yeah, we also get to find out how long Neil will live!

Neil's Edinburgh Fringe Festival show 'Bookmarks' has attracted multiple 5 star rave reviews so, as always book early and don't be disappointed.

For more about Neil Delamere check out www.neildelamere.com

For booking info please contact boxoffice on 045448327/www.riverbank.ie

OPEN/INVITED e v+ a 2010 - Matters

13 March – 23 May 2010, Curator: Elizabeth Hatz (Sweden)

e v+ a, the exhibition of visual+ art, Ireland's pre-eminent annual exhibition of contemporary art, announces that the 34th e v+ a exhibition will run from 13th March until 23rd May 2010. This year's exhibition will feature the work of over 42 OPEN artists and 16 INVITED artists installed in more than 11 venues throughout Limerick City.

For further details on this year's artists, curator and exhibition visit www.eva.ie

or contact e v+ a administration Tel: +353(0)61 318240 / Mobile: +353(0)87 9477042 / Email: info@eva.ie

Playing Space: workshops for theatre makers at The Barn, Kilkenny with Limbik Theatre (UK)

Drawing on the pedagogy of Jacques Lecoq, these two days of workshops are an introduction to making theatre that communicates beyond the spoken text.   Through the use of images and action,  we hope to begin an exploration of a theatre that is fully, visually alive.  We will examine the relationship between actors and space, and the ways in which actors communicate simply through how they cross the stage, or pick up a teacup.  The workshops are intended for both actors and directors, and can be be taken individually, or as a series.

Saturday March 13, 10:30am-5:30pm: Character/Mask

Focusing exclusively on the use of full character masks, over the course of the day we will research how playing a mask informs the actor's physicality, rhythm, specificity, and spatial awareness.  Beginning with an exploration of how, through the body, a mask comes to life, we will then place the masks into a variety of dramatic situations.  Here, the aim is to provoke the actor to make strong, clear, physical choices, highlighting and magnifying the emotional stakes at play.

Limbik creates new theatre work that explores human stories set in epic environments, focusing on the intersection of innovative theatrical style with strong narrative craft.  Ben Samuels and Sarah Johnson, two of the company's founding members, trained at the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) and Brown University and Edinburgh University, respectively.  Limbik's training workshops pass on the tools and techniques that have informed the company's own artistic practice.                     

Cost: 50€/day (30€ students/unwaged); 50% deposit payable upon subscription

10% DISCOUNT for both days: €90 (€50 students/unwaged)

To reserve a place, or for further details, please contact Barnstorm Theatre:

 t: 0567751266     e: trish@barnstorm.ie

Saturday 13^th March

Tommy Halferty Trio  Jazz

8.30pm€15/13

 Welcoming the return of the virtuoso Irish jazz guitarist for an evening of inspired

original music as well as some unique interpretations of jazz standards. Tommy has

performed with such jazz luminaries as Lee Konitz, Norma Winstone, Stephane 

Grapelli & Keith Copeland. Expect an evening of exciting music from the celebrated

guitarist and his trio. The performance will also feature a conversation with Tommy

Halferty on Jazz and his influences as part of our audience development program.

Saturday 13^th March

Tommy Halferty Trio  Jazz

8.30pm€15/13

 Welcoming the return of the virtuoso Irish jazz guitarist for an evening of inspired

original music as well as some unique interpretations of jazz standards. Tommy has

performed with such jazz luminaries as Lee Konitz, Norma Winstone, Stephane 

Grapelli & Keith Copeland. Expect an evening of exciting music from the celebrated

guitarist and his trio. The performance will also feature a conversation with Tommy

Halferty on Jazz and his influences as part of our audience development program.

FIONN REGAN

Time: 8pm
Price: €15

Since his 2007 Mercury Prize nominated debut "The End of History", Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan has toured extensively throughout America (the singe "Be Good or Be Gone" has been used in the television drama's Grey's Anatomy, Nearly Famous and Skins), before returning home to complete his new album The Shadow of an Empire.

If the End of History was the sound of the countryside and woodland lanes, this record is the sound of towns and dimly lit streets; heartfelt and with a ragged edge.  He has ploughed himself a new furrow. 

The Shadow of an Empire manifests itself in a collection of songs that are peopled with characters and conversational dialogue, while the often witty vignettes are used to facilitate more complex soul-searching.  With musical influences ranging from Leadbelly, Howling Wolf and Bob Dylan to the Beatles, Neil Young, and The Pixies, don't miss this opportunity to see Fionn Regan perform live at the Riverbank Arts Centre.

'Woven through the wonder is Regan's gorgeous , easy voice, as spellbinding as anything his imagination can conjure up.  Folk has a new Pied Piper.' The Guardian

Seachtain na Gaeilge
with Martin Nolan (Uilleann Pipes)
Dan Carollo (Guitar)
and the Fagan Irish Dancers
Tickets €10/€8  friends of the Courthouse/€6 CCE members

7.30-8.30pm Trad Performance
by young members of
Tinahely Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann
(under 15s and under 18s)
fundraiser for CCE- donations welcome at the door

8.30-9.30pm Caint Agus Craic
Irish Speakers and others get together for some chat "as Gaeilge"- your chance to pick up a "cúpla focail" or practice your language skills!
Bring your favourite Irish Poem, or a short story, a good joke...or just be a listener!
Refreshments will be served, freee admission and all welcome!
For more information all all events call the Courthouse Arts Centre at 0402-38529 or visit our website...www.tinahely-courthouse.ie

Group rates available on request. Advanced booking is advised for families and groups in order to facilitate your being seated together!

An afternoon of Traditional Music with Piper, Padraig MacMathuna.  He will be joined by some musical friends from Clare and further afield.  Adm: €5

Sun 14 March:

Let's talk About the Rain_____________________________________________
Dir: Agnes Jaoui       France                        2008                98 minutes    Cert: 15A
Starring: Jamel Debbouze, Agnes Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Frederic Pierrot
Language: French
Available: January

Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri cast a typically perceptive eye over the discreet charms of the bourgeoisie in Let's talk about the Rain (Parlez Moi De La Pluie). This ambitious ensemble piece is not as instantly appealing as their previous collaboration on 2004's Comme Une Image (Look At Me), but blossoms into a rueful examination of human foibles and failings. The film's mixture of smart dialogue, rounded characters and shrewd observation make it a civilised pleasure.

Sharing common themes with Comme Une Image, the new film is equally focused on family tensions and the kind of lingering grievances and callous acts that leave permanent scars. The scope is wider this time as the lives of individual characters lend themselves to an examination of class conflict, prejudice and the daily lies and deceptions that allow people to look at themselves in the mirror without feeling ashamed.

Jaoui plays Agathe Villanova, a feminist author who has decided to enter politics. She will announce her candidacy at a rally in her home town in the South of France. Her ten-day visit is also a chance to spend time with her sister Florence (Arbillot) and her family. The visit is seen as an opportunity by Karim (Debbouze), the son of Algerian housekeeper Mimouna who has spent a lifetime with Agathe's family. Karim is a hotel receptionist with aspirations to become a filmmaker and uses his personal connection to persuade Agathe to participate in a succession of interviews for a documentary in a series on successful women. His collaborator is Michael Ronsard (Bacri) and the filming unfolds with a mixture of incompetence and unexpected aggression.

In its initial stages, Let's talk about the Rain feels top-heavy with plot, especially once we start to discover some of the complex connections between the main characters. It gradually finds its rhythm and focus, building into a thoughtful reflection on human nature, the sorry state of contemporary politics and the casual racism of the privileged elite.

Everyone in the film is a product of their imperfections. They are all guilty of deluding themselves and deceiving the ones that are closest to them. The appeal of the film lies in the way that it neither judges them nor treats their problems with undue sentimentality. Instead, there is an understanding of the way life is and a recognition that we simply have to make the most of it, come rain or shine.

Let's talk about the Rain appears to be quite casual but it is a quality that only emerges from a deft sense of construction, cause and effect. Subtle, good-looking and very agreeable, it is also well-acted, especially by Jean-Pierre Bacri whose Michel is a small masterclass in self-absorption and blithe indifference to the world around him. Alan Hunter / Screen International

Membership 1: €100 for ten tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 2: €50 for five tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 3: €12 for a single ticket

Sun 14 March:

Let's talk About the Rain_____________________________________________
Dir: Agnes Jaoui       France                        2008                98 minutes    Cert: 15A
Starring: Jamel Debbouze, Agnes Jaoui, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Frederic Pierrot
Language: French
Available: January

Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri cast a typically perceptive eye over the discreet charms of the bourgeoisie in Let's talk about the Rain (Parlez Moi De La Pluie). This ambitious ensemble piece is not as instantly appealing as their previous collaboration on 2004's Comme Une Image (Look At Me), but blossoms into a rueful examination of human foibles and failings. The film's mixture of smart dialogue, rounded characters and shrewd observation make it a civilised pleasure.

Sharing common themes with Comme Une Image, the new film is equally focused on family tensions and the kind of lingering grievances and callous acts that leave permanent scars. The scope is wider this time as the lives of individual characters lend themselves to an examination of class conflict, prejudice and the daily lies and deceptions that allow people to look at themselves in the mirror without feeling ashamed.

Jaoui plays Agathe Villanova, a feminist author who has decided to enter politics. She will announce her candidacy at a rally in her home town in the South of France. Her ten-day visit is also a chance to spend time with her sister Florence (Arbillot) and her family. The visit is seen as an opportunity by Karim (Debbouze), the son of Algerian housekeeper Mimouna who has spent a lifetime with Agathe's family. Karim is a hotel receptionist with aspirations to become a filmmaker and uses his personal connection to persuade Agathe to participate in a succession of interviews for a documentary in a series on successful women. His collaborator is Michael Ronsard (Bacri) and the filming unfolds with a mixture of incompetence and unexpected aggression.

In its initial stages, Let's talk about the Rain feels top-heavy with plot, especially once we start to discover some of the complex connections between the main characters. It gradually finds its rhythm and focus, building into a thoughtful reflection on human nature, the sorry state of contemporary politics and the casual racism of the privileged elite.

Everyone in the film is a product of their imperfections. They are all guilty of deluding themselves and deceiving the ones that are closest to them. The appeal of the film lies in the way that it neither judges them nor treats their problems with undue sentimentality. Instead, there is an understanding of the way life is and a recognition that we simply have to make the most of it, come rain or shine.

Let's talk about the Rain appears to be quite casual but it is a quality that only emerges from a deft sense of construction, cause and effect. Subtle, good-looking and very agreeable, it is also well-acted, especially by Jean-Pierre Bacri whose Michel is a small masterclass in self-absorption and blithe indifference to the world around him. Alan Hunter / Screen International

Membership 1: €100 for ten tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 2: €50 for five tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 3: €12 for a single ticket

IN Association with Dingle Film Festival

Inspired by the idea that one of the greatest gifts one generation can pass to another is the wisdom it has gained from experience, the Wisdom Project, produced with cooperation from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, seeks to create a record of a multicultural group of people who have all made their mark on the world.  Presented against the same white space, all of the subjects are removed from their context, which not only democratizes them, but also allows for a clear dialogue to exist between them.  In an attempt to create a more profound, honest and truly revealing portrait of these luminaries, the project encompasses their voices, their physical presence and the written word.  This comprehensive portrayal of such a profound and global group is an index of extraordinary perspectives.  Wisdom is an ongoing project.  Additions to the list of contributors continues.

The project Wisdom includes photographic images of each of the participants from the project, along with a film installation of each participant discussing wisdom, love and the environment.  Those featured include Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Garrett Fitzgerald, John Hume, Judi Dench and Clint Eastwood.

Admission: Free

For further information call 066 712 3055 or visit www.siamsatire.com

Aisling Ghéar Theatre Co. presents 'An Triail' by Mairéad Ní Ghráda  - a highly regarded schools' production that is now firmly set on the schools' calendar providing support for teaching staff while offering students the opportunity to experience a quality theatrical production of a timeless Irish language drama.

Ticket price: €10 for Students & Teachers - free admission.

Léiríonn Aisling Ghéar 'An Triail' le Mairéad Ní Ghráda  – drama mórchlú do scoileanna, atá inis ina chuid seascair i bhféilire na scoileanna ,  ag solathrú tacaíochta don fhoireann teagaisc ag tairiscint do scoláirí an deis blaiseadh a sháil léiriú ardchaigheáil drama clasaiceach gaeilgeTicéid: €10 scoláirí   Múinteoirí saor in aisce

2 léiriú an lá

Mon 15 & Tues 16 March 2010 at 10.30am and 1.30pm

Aisling Ghéar Theatre Co presents An Triail by Mairéad Ní Ghráda - a highly regarded production for secondary schools that is now firmly set on the school calendar and provides support for teaching staff while offering students the opportunity to experience a quality theatrical production of a timeless Irish language drama.
 
Running time: 1hr 15mins, no interval

More info

Aisling Ghéar Theatre Co. presents 'An Triail' by Mairéad Ní Ghráda  - a highly regarded schools' production that is now firmly set on the schools' calendar providing support for teaching staff while offering students the opportunity to experience a quality theatrical production of a timeless Irish language drama.

Ticket price: €10 for Students & Teachers - free admission.
2 shows per day - 10.30am & 1.30pm

Léiríonn Aisling Ghéar 'An Triail' le Mairéad Ní Ghráda  – drama mórchlú do scoileanna, atá inis ina chuid seascair i bhféilire na scoileanna ,  ag solathrú tacaíochta don fhoireann teagaisc ag tairiscint do scoláirí an deis blaiseadh a sháil léiriú ardchaigheáil drama clasaiceach gaeilgeTicéid: €10 scoláirí   Múinteoirí saor in aisce

2 léiriú an lá

HUNGER

Time: 8pm
Price: €6 (non-members)

Dir: Steve McQueen / UK / 2008 / 96 mins / Cert 15A

Video artist Steve McQueens debut feature tells the story of Bobby Sands, focusing on the final days of his hunger strike at the Maze prison in 1981.  Written by playwright Enda Walsh (Disco Pigs, Bedbound), McQueen displays a deft touch with breathtaking physical imagery, sound and tone as his portrait of Sands delivers a definitive account of political violence and idealism. 

The focus of the film stays initially on the inmates in the Maze with Margaret Thatcher's proclaimations serving as a ghostly presence on the soundtrack.  Indeed the full, unadulterated horror of the prisoners' dirty protest against Thatcher's regime is unflinchingly addressed by McQueen, along with a mesmerising 17-minute take as Sands informs his priest of his plan to begin the hunger strike, against the priest's wishes. - Cork Film Festival 2008

For further details please visit www.riverbank.ie or call box office on 045448327

An improvised music event with the Jitney Trio plus the Quiet Music Ensemble.

Performers:

  The Jitney Trio -
    Marian Murray (violin),
    Neil O'Loghlen (double bass) and
    Han-earl Park (guitar)

  plus the Quiet Music Ensemble
    Roddy O'Keeffe (trombone),
    Ilse De Ziah ('cello),
    John Godfrey (guitar) and
    Jesse Ronneau (double bass)


Entry: €12/6 at the door.

further information:
  www.busterandfriends.com/jitney

Following on from last year's successful event Rinceoiri na Riochta return with another St Patrick's Eve celebration.  This promises to be an exciting evening of entertainment including song, dance, storytelling and much more.  Join us for a wonderful celebration of Kerry and Munster talent as part of the night's festivities.

Tickets €16/€14, Family of 4: €51

For further information call 066 712 3055 or visit www.siamsatire.com

Following on from last year's successful event Rinceoiri na Riochta return with another St Patrick's Eve celebration.  This promises to be an exciting evening of entertainment including song, dance, storytelling and much more.  Join us for a wonderful celebration of Kerry and Munster talent as part of the night's festivities.

Tickets €16/€14, Family of 4: €51

For further information call 066 712 3055 or visit www.siamsatire.com

France/Germany  2008  100mins  French, German with English subtitles

Director: Claire Denis

Starring: Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Gregoire Colin, Nicole Dogue

35 Shots of Rum is a portrait of the close relationship between widowed train driver Lionel and his affectionate student daughter Jo, who share a cramped apartment on the outskirts of Paris. The film centres on the domestic intimacy of this arrangement, the evolving relationships the two have with their neighbours, whether romantic or parental, and the approach of Lionel's retirement. In top directorial form, Denis presents an eloquent meditation on family, harmony, loss and loneliness.

"Marvellous." - Wally Hammond, Time Out

"Outstanding… rich, quietly complex and subtle. A film to be savoured." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"A masterpiece." - Armond White, New York Press

Adm.: €5

An exhibition of Scrapererboards, Painting and Prints by Artist and Illustrator Brian Gallagher.

Opening reception Friday March 19th   7 - 9pm

ONE EARTH TOUR 2010

Presented in Cork City Hall

Experience the immense power of the world's most celebrated Japanese drum ensemble. KODO's highly acclaimed One Earth Tour visits Cork with an exuberant new performance, reflecting the influences of recent solo, ensemble and collaborative work.

Please note that this Cork Opera House presentation will be performed in Cork City Hall.

Exploring the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum, the taiko, KODO are forging new directions for a vibrant living art-form. Inspired by their recent creative explorations, the cast of seven men and five women will deliver a potent selection of Kodo's vast repertoire distilled to its core essentials.  This phenomenal group of Drummers captivates audiences worldwide with their unique combination of dynamic drumming, exquisite musicianship and pure theatre. Nearly three decades since its founding, Kodo is still seeking new directions and inspiration, both on the world stage and in the fabric of daily life.

"Superlatives don't really exist to convey the primal power and bravura beauty of Kodo." - Chicago Tribune

Tickets: €36, €41 €46 booking fee may apply

Lúnasa

Time: 8pm
Price: €22/ €20

What better way to kick off Saint Patricks Weekend than with the incredible Lúnasa/

Lúnasa are internationally acknowledged as being the finest traditional Irish instrumental band of recent times.  In October 1997, Ireland's all-star quintet Lúnasa released their debut CD Lúnasa, it became an immediate best-seller in Ireland, topping Hot Press' folk charts and nominated one of the year's top ten by the Irish Echo in the USA.

Since that auspicious beginning, Lúnasa has become one of the most sought-after bands on the international Celtic music scene, winning many awards including a nomination for Folk Album Of The Year in the BBC Radio 2 Awards and Best Traditional Album of 2005 in Irish Music Magazine.

"A decade of excellence" Irish Music Magazine
"The new Gods of Irish Music" MOJO
"The new Celtic royalty" Boston Globe

For further info please visit www.riverbank.ie

Eamon Morrisey in

The Brother

Based on the Writings of Myles na gCopaleen

€20/€17 Conc.

Eamon Morrissey's relationship with The Brother began when his solo show opened in the Peacock Theatre thirty-five years ago.  The hilarious writing of Myles na gCopaleen and the comic talents of Eamon Morrissey combine to provide a piece of entertainment that has endured through the years.

If you want to learn at source about the atomic dangers of bicycles, and to understand why 'a pint of plain is your only man', then treat yourself to The Brother.

Kodo Drummers

ONE EARTH TOUR 2010

Presented in Cork City Hall

Experience the immense power of the world's most celebrated Japanese drum ensemble. KODO's highly acclaimed One Earth Tour visits Cork with an exuberant new performance, reflecting the influences of recent solo, ensemble and collaborative work.

Please note that this Cork Opera House presentation will be performed in Cork City Hall.

Exploring the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum, the taiko, KODO are forging new directions for a vibrant living art-form. Inspired by their recent creative explorations, the cast of seven men and five women will deliver a potent selection of Kodo's vast repertoire distilled to its core essentials.  This phenomenal group of Drummers captivates audiences worldwide with their unique combination of dynamic drumming, exquisite musicianship and pure theatre. Nearly three decades since its founding, Kodo is still seeking new directions and inspiration, both on the world stage and in the fabric of daily life.

"Superlatives don't really exist to convey the primal power and bravura beauty of Kodo." - Chicago Tribune

Tickets: €36, €41 €46 booking fee may apply

The Memory of Water is a heart warming and moving story, yet hilariously funny.

Three sisters come together before their mother's funeral, each haunted by her own demons. Each sister has different memories of the same events, causing constant bickering as to whose memories are truthful. Their interactions are both complex and comic. Be prepared for a good night's entertainment which ranges from side-splitting comedy to the depths of despair.

For more information visit us at: www.hawkswell.com

Bull Alley Theatre Training Company presents

The Rover

Aphra Benn

Directed by Niall Jordan

Perhaps the first major play by a woman

writer, it's a glorious, funny, bawdy 17th

century romp celebrating love, lust,

financial reward, gossip and intrigue.

Tuesday 16th – Saturday 20th March

(No performance 17th March)

Admission €10 & €7

concession

Bui Bolg are heating up for St. Patrick's Day Parades all around the country! The Bui Bolg workshop has been turned into fantastical fairground with amazing spinning floats and quirky characters to star in the National St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin. In this year's parade, themed  "Extraordinary world", Bui Bolg will be highlighting the mundane absurdity of everyday life as the freaks are putting on a "normal show".  Bui Bolg's pageant, named Bizarre Bazaar, will exhibit the strange goings on of Nintendo Boy, the wild accountants, the greedy clowns and even the tireless efforts of Merry Go Housework. This spectacular parade will be performed by members of the Bui Bolg Youth Group from Wexford and dancers from the Martina Leacy School of Dance from Enniscorthy. Weird and wonderful characters will include stilt walking Lions and Unicorns and talking Hamsters and Polar Bears who will be exhibiting the peculiar and puzzling antics of so the called "ordinary" world, or as Bui Bolg sees it
. . . extra – ordinary!

BBC World will be featuring The St. Patrick's Day Festival in Dublin as part of a series on festivals around the world. Bui Bolg's own Eddie Milbourne McCarthy will be narrating the programme and the cameras will also be following him around the Bui Bolg workshop to see our preparations for the parade!

From Kilkenny and Cork to Dundalk and Ballon, and a even little closer to home in Wexford and Enniscorthy, Bui Bolg's floats, costumes and props will be represented in force all over the country to bring the mischief and magic of the St. Patrick's Festival to towns and cities all across the country. There will be blast off at the Wexford St. Patrick's Day Parade featuring Bui Bolg's "Space Race" which will include a magnificent Rocket to the moon. Wexford's out of this world pageant is produced in conjunction with Clonard Youth Group.  Enniscorthy town will be buzzing with excitement as Bui Bolg's "Hive of Activity" performed by FDYS and Colaiste Bride. These floats and characters are sure to put a spring into spectator's steps!

Wherever you are on the 17^th March get out and enjoy the colour, carnival and craic of
 St. Patrick's Day - you can be sure that there will be a Bui Bolg parade near you!

For more information please contact Lucy at Bui Bolg on 0539123183, or by email at lucy@buibolg.com, or check out our website www.buibolg.com.

Join us in the Parlour for a special Traditional Session on St. Patrick's Day featuring local musicians.  All musicians welcome.
Time: 12.00 p.m. onwards.  Adm:  FREE.  Visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com for more information.

Aisling Ghéar Theatre Co. presents 'An Triail' by Mairéad Ní Ghráda  - a highly regarded schools' production that is now firmly set on the schools' calendar providing support for teaching staff while offering students the opportunity to experience a quality theatrical production of a timeless Irish language drama.

Ticket price: €10 for Students & Teachers - free admission.

Showtime: 1.15mins &  there is no interval

Léiríonn Aisling Ghéar 'An Triail' le Mairéad Ní Ghráda  – drama mórchlú do scoileanna, atá inis ina chuid seascair i bhféilire na scoileanna ,  ag solathrú tacaíochta don fhoireann teagaisc ag tairiscint do scoláirí an deis blaiseadh a sháil léiriú ardchaigheáil drama clasaiceach gaeilgeTicéid: €10 scoláirí   Múinteoirí saor in aisce

2 léiriú an lá

Aisling Ghéar Theatre Co. presents 'An Triail' by Mairéad Ní Ghráda  - a highly regarded schools' production that is now firmly set on the schools' calendar providing support for teaching staff while offering students the opportunity to experience a quality theatrical production of a timeless Irish language drama.

Ticket price: €10 for Students & Teachers - free admission.

Showtime: 1.15mins &  there is no interval

Léiríonn Aisling Ghéar 'An Triail' le Mairéad Ní Ghráda  – drama mórchlú do scoileanna, atá inis ina chuid seascair i bhféilire na scoileanna ,  ag solathrú tacaíochta don fhoireann teagaisc ag tairiscint do scoláirí an deis blaiseadh a sháil léiriú ardchaigheáil drama clasaiceach gaeilge
Ticéid: €10 scoláirí   Múinteoirí saor in aisce

2 léiriú an lá

Start Time:10.30am   

Anyone who has seen Conal Gallen in action will testify to his description as "Ireland's funniest man in Ireland's funniest show". Two hours of non-stop laughter and fun, littered with hilarious songs, make the evening fly. When asked for the secret of his success the entertainer says: "I just stand up on stage and tell jokes and stories and people laugh."

For more information visit us at: www.hawkswell.com

Belfast rockers John Shelly and the Creatures stole the show when they supported Dave Geraghty at An Grianán in 2008, this will be their first headline gig in the theatre.

The fastest rising stars of the Irish rock scene, and purveyors of that incredibly catchy 'Long May You Reign' song that's been used for the Discover Northern Ireland ads, will be supported by the winners of the Irish Live Music Awards- Donegal Live.
 
Described as 'effortlessly monumental' (AU Magazine), there is 'no better advertisement for the Belfast scene right now' (Nialler9) as John, Shelly & The Creatures are 'one of the most exciting new names - bursting with talent' (STATE.IE) "Our favourite new band" Rigsy, BBC Across The Line

More info

Josephine Foster will perform a recital of songs from her recent album 'Graphic as a Star', based on the poems of Emily Dickinson.

Friday, March 19, in the Gallery.
Doors 7:30; performance at 8pm sharp.
Tickets €10. Available from the Gallery and Road Records.
www.douglashydegallery.com

www.myspace.com/josephinefoster

In this special evening, musician filmaker and broadcaster, Philip King talks to well known author Joseph O'Connor and explores the influence of Irish-American ballads in his recent fiction.  Adm: €16  Visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com for more information.

From Friday 19th March

Cork Opera House presents

West Side Story

More than fifty years ago, a show about New York City changed musical theatre forever. From the first notes to the final breath, West Side Story is one of the most memorable musicals and greatest love stories of all time. Arthur Laurents' book remains powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim – a collection of standards that includes Tonight, America, Maria, 'I Feel Pretty' and Somewhere is widely regarded as one of the best ever written. And the extraordinary, Tony- winning choreography by Jerome Robbins completely changed the language of Broadway dance.

This new production, directed by Bryan Flynn offers a bold new presentation that builds on the show's raw power and emotion to create a fresh musical theatre experience. Don't miss this thrilling presentation of matchless work of art.

Featuring a 40 strong cast and 20 piece orchestra.

Directed by Bryan Flynn

Choreography by David O'Connor

Conducted by John O'Brien

Designed by Olann Wrynn

Lighting Design by Michael Hurley

Costume Design  by Deirdre Dwyer

Tickets:
Opening night, Fri 19 Mar:  All tickets €38
Evenings: €42 [limited] €44, €46
Matinees: €26 [limited], €31, €35, €40

Crooked Still performs one of the most compelling forms of alternative bluegrass and string band music today.  Highly recommended.  Visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com for more information.

Stageworks Presents
DANCING THROUGH THE DECADES

Time: Two Shows 2pm and 8pm
Price: €10 Adults, €5 Children (Concession rates available for students and over 65's)

Be prepared to be transported in music, song and dance from the roaring 20's to the glitzy noughties as local stage school, StageWorks presents "Dancing through the Decades".

"Dancing through the Decades" is choreographed, produced and directed by Brenda Malone, Stage Works.  Enjoy the show, sing and clap along as children ranging in ages from 4 to 16 years dance and sing their way through the decades.  An energetic fun-filled show that will lift your spirits and leave you wanting more.

For more info please visit www.riverbank.ie or call box office on 045448327

Stageworks Presents
DANCING THROUGH THE DECADES

Time: Two Shows 2pm and 8pm
Price: €10 Adults, €5 Children (Concession rates available for students and over 65's)

Be prepared to be transported in music, song and dance from the roaring 20's to the glitzy noughties as local stage school, StageWorks presents "Dancing through the Decades".

"Dancing through the Decades" is choreographed, produced and directed by Brenda Malone, Stage Works.  Enjoy the show, sing and clap along as children ranging in ages from 4 to 16 years dance and sing their way through the decades.  An energetic fun-filled show that will lift your spirits and leave you wanting more.

For more info please visit www.riverbank.ie or call box office on 045448327

€18/€16 Conc.

Declan O'Rourke                                                        

Declan O'Rourke used to be one of Ireland's best kept secrets, but rave reviews for his debut album Since Kyabram, a growing international fanbase and an enviable collection of eminent devotees, including Paul Weller, Snow Patrol and Kate Rusby, are rapidly changing that. The buzz is growing, based on the simplicity of great songs and a unique voice. He has an understated charm and a quick-wittedness that make him highly endearing live, and equally at home playing to one person as he is to thousands.

Katherine Hunka (leader Irish Chamber Orchestra) and leading accordionist Dermot Dunne form a stunning duo of virtuoso violin with the versatile accordion taking on the roles of piano, guitar and even full orchestra.  Celebrated classics and virtuoso show pieces with a strong Latin flavour include works by Paganini, Hernandez, Wilson, Guilfoyle, Tartini, De Falla, Copland and Monti.

www.classicallinks.ie

Tickets €12.50/10 ag Siopa Cheoil an Daingin no ag an doras.

 
This season's classical tour sees prize-winning violinist Ariadne Daskalakis go head-to-head with two of Germany's foremost early music specialists: Markus Möllenbeck and Gerald Hambitzer. Programme includes works by Bach, Biber, Baltzar, Handel, Matteis and Geminiani. Tickets priced  €15 / €10 are available at 056 7761497. This concert is promoted by Music Network and Music in Kilkenny.

For further information see http://www.musicnetwork.ie/events/details/ariadne_daskalaskis_and_trio_vintage_tour/.

Nob Nation is Ireland's most popular radio comedy satire series
and is broadcast six days a week on RTE 2FM (Gerry Ryan) and
RTE Radio 1(The Tubridy Show & The Business) with regular TV
appearances on The Late Late Show and The Café. A controversial
thorn in the side of Government, sport and celebrity, Nob
Nation has released three best-selling albums in 2007, 2008 and
2009. The show's mimic Oliver Callan, from Inniskeen, Co
Monaghan has sold out live shows across the country from
Wexford to Monaghan and Dublin's Olympia Theatre. The show
is being continually updated to poke fun at the affairs of the
day. Book early for this one.

€20

www.iontascastleblayney.ie

This exciting and intensive two-day course will be ideal for aspiring and already practicing fantasy fiction writers. The first day will cover the problems and techniques of building imaginary worlds and how to make them believable. Methods and contrasting techniques of character description will also be explored, and students will be given writing exercises in the class to develop their strengths in both these areas. 

The second day will cover the process and business of writing, from writing your first query letter to what to expect once you've sold your manuscript. This will be an all-encompassing two-day course and should prove to be supremely beneficial to anyone interested in writing fantasy fiction. 

This course will take place on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st of March and costs €140. For more information visit www.writerscentre.ie or call 01-8721302

 In the exciting one-day workshop "Poetry as Memoir" with poet Jean O'Brien, you will learn how to craft a beautiful poem that is based on an event from your own life. You will look at the work of some contemporary poets for inspiration, but also have time to engage fully with your own writing. At the end of a productive and enjoyable day, you should have a polished piece of writing!

This one-day workshop will take place on Saturday 20^th March from 10.30 am – 4.30 pm at the Irish Writers' Centre. For more information visit www.writerscentre.ie. 

The Human Touch - Northern Ireland's Tribute to Bruce Springsteen

The boss is rarely seen in Ireland, so this great tribute act from Northern Ireland will give you what you want! With the looks and sounds of the man himself and playing all the hits including 'The River', 'Brilliant Disguise', 'Hungry Heart', 'Born to run' , 'The Rising' and many many more this will be a night not to be missed for Springsteen fans!

More Info

For all those aspiring novelists out there, the Irish Writers' Centre offers a great new course. Well-known author June Considine will help you on your way to completing your first novel, whether you have already started writing it or only have an idea for the opening chapter. In this practical weekend-course you will look at different elements of the novel, such as character development, dialogue and narrative voice, engage in creative writing exercises, and discuss the progress of your work with others. You will also get invaluable advice on how to publish your completed work!

The two-day course will take place at Saturday 20^th and Sunday 21^st March from 10.30 am – 4.30 pm at the Irish Writers' Centre. For more information visit www.writerscentre.ie.

Johnny McEvoy is one of the biggest record sellers ever in Ireland. He became a national name back in the mid sixties with hits such as Muirsheen Durkin and The Boston Burglar and more importantly is considered one of the best songwriters this country has ever produced.

Tickets: €26, €28.50 €31 booking fee may apply

An Evening with Johnny McEvoy

Johnny McEvoy is one of the biggest record sellers ever in Ireland. He became a national name back in the mid sixties with hits such as Muirsheen Durkin and The Boston Burglar and more importantly is considered one of the best songwriters this country has ever produced. With special guest Michelle Ann Kelly.

Tickets: €26, €28.50 €31 booking fee may apply

A celebration in watercolour of the power, beauty and importance of trees. Admission Free.
(Presented in association with Tomnafinnoge Woods, just a couple of miles from our gallery and also free of charge!
Tinahely - where else would you be going?)

Opening on March 21st and on display until April 16th, Tuesday to Friday, 10am-5pm, and Sundays from 1pm - 5pm

Katherine Hunka (leader Irish Chamber Orchestra) and leading accordionist Dermot Dunne form a stunning duo of virtuoso violin with the versatile accordion taking on the roles of piano, guitar and even full orchestra.  The programme will include celebrated classics and virtuoso show pieces with a strong Latin flavour.

www.christchurchwaterford.com

Tickets €7/4/ Family €12

For more information, visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com

Hosted by Leo Rickard (Uilleann Pipes) and Raphe Doyle (Guitar) this month's guest Piper is Mark Redmond from Wexford.
Adm: €5   Visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com for more information.

Sun 21 March:

Fermat's Room                                                                     La habitación de Fermat
Dir: Luis Piedrahita & Rodrigo Sopeña   Spain   2007     88 minutes   Cert: CLUB
Starring: Federico Luppi, Lluís Homar, Alejo Sauras, Santi Millán, Elena Ballesteros          
Language: Spanish 
Available: January
           
It can't be easy to make such a twisty and clever a thriller based on mathematical theories. But Spanish filmmakers Piedrahita and Sopeña do a terrific job keeping things tense and brainy. And thoroughly entertaining.

Sexy young Galois (Sauras) wows the girls at university with his maths prowess. Is this a fantasy sequence dreamed up by a computer geek? No, he's one of four experts invited to an isolated location, given mathematician names and told they'll be solving the biggest enigma ever. The others are Hilbert (Homar), a 64-year-old gentleman; Pascal (Millan), a beardy quick-thinker; and Oliva (Ballesteros), a scooter-riding babe with brains. Their host, Fermat (Luppi), is called away suddenly, leaving the foursome with a riddle. And the walls are closing in.

Fortunately, instead of obscure formulas, the puzzles are tricky brainteasers, which means we can play along with the characters without feeling left too far out in the cold. And with the room shrinking, things start getting extremely tense, especially when the furniture starts splintering around them. As this is happening, they're also trying to solve the bigger question of why they're here in the first place, including an attempt to unravel the connections between them and Fermat's true identity.

And as the room squeezes in and conundrums keep coming, there are a remarkable number of revelations. The four characters react very differently to all of this; some use brains to figure out alternatives, others try brute force and at one point Galois combines the two with an engineering solution. But the walls relentlessly keep moving, and the biggest enigma may turn out to be how to survive this crazy day.

This is played coolly by the cast, with likeable wit that's realistically grounded. And the filmmakers establish a brilliant visual style with unusual, telling angles that make great use of lines, proportions and numbers. There are also scenes outside the room, as we follow Fermat on his own journey. One convenient plot point provides the only false note; otherwise the film keeps us gasping or laughing at this playful bundle of mystery, hints, innuendo and lots of red herrings. And it's great fun to figure out what's what.
- Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

Membership 1: €100 for ten tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 2: €50 for five tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 3: €12 for a single ticket

Sun 21 March:

Fermat's Room                                                                     La habitación de Fermat
Dir: Luis Piedrahita & Rodrigo Sopeña   Spain   2007     88 minutes   Cert: CLUB
Starring: Federico Luppi, Lluís Homar, Alejo Sauras, Santi Millán, Elena Ballesteros          
Language: Spanish 
Available: January
           
It can't be easy to make such a twisty and clever a thriller based on mathematical theories. But Spanish filmmakers Piedrahita and Sopeña do a terrific job keeping things tense and brainy. And thoroughly entertaining.

Sexy young Galois (Sauras) wows the girls at university with his maths prowess. Is this a fantasy sequence dreamed up by a computer geek? No, he's one of four experts invited to an isolated location, given mathematician names and told they'll be solving the biggest enigma ever. The others are Hilbert (Homar), a 64-year-old gentleman; Pascal (Millan), a beardy quick-thinker; and Oliva (Ballesteros), a scooter-riding babe with brains. Their host, Fermat (Luppi), is called away suddenly, leaving the foursome with a riddle. And the walls are closing in.

Fortunately, instead of obscure formulas, the puzzles are tricky brainteasers, which means we can play along with the characters without feeling left too far out in the cold. And with the room shrinking, things start getting extremely tense, especially when the furniture starts splintering around them. As this is happening, they're also trying to solve the bigger question of why they're here in the first place, including an attempt to unravel the connections between them and Fermat's true identity.

And as the room squeezes in and conundrums keep coming, there are a remarkable number of revelations. The four characters react very differently to all of this; some use brains to figure out alternatives, others try brute force and at one point Galois combines the two with an engineering solution. But the walls relentlessly keep moving, and the biggest enigma may turn out to be how to survive this crazy day.

This is played coolly by the cast, with likeable wit that's realistically grounded. And the filmmakers establish a brilliant visual style with unusual, telling angles that make great use of lines, proportions and numbers. There are also scenes outside the room, as we follow Fermat on his own journey. One convenient plot point provides the only false note; otherwise the film keeps us gasping or laughing at this playful bundle of mystery, hints, innuendo and lots of red herrings. And it's great fun to figure out what's what.
- Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

Membership 1: €100 for ten tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 2: €50 for five tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 3: €12 for a single ticket

This season's classical tour sees prize-winning violinist Ariadne Daskalakis go head-to-head with two of Germany's foremost early music specialists: Markus Möllenbeck and Gerald Hambitzer. Programme includes works by Bach, Biber, Baltzar, Handel, Matteis and Geminiani. Tickets priced  €15 / €12 are available at 066 9478956. This concert is promoted by Music Network and Tech Amergin.

For further information see http://www.musicnetwork.ie/events/details/ariadne_daskalaskis_and_trio_vintage_tour/.

Fresh Film Festival 2010 Starts at Tickets: Fresh Film Festival 2010 The 13th Fresh Film Festival will take place from March 22nd-25th 2010. The film entry deadline for the Junior and Senior Ireland's Young Filmmaker Awards for 2009 is January 29th. This year's festival will feature an exciting collection of national and international films, special events and Ireland's Young Filmmaker of the Year awards featuring The brownbag animation award, The Radharc award for best documentary, RTE Two Tube's 60 second Short and The international award. The Senior Ireland's Young Filmmaker Awards 2009 take place on Wednesday March 24th and the Junior Ireland's Young Filmmaker Awards will take place on Thursday March 25h. The regional heats for Fresh Film Festival will take place as follows: -Irish Film Institue, Dublin, Tuesday , March 9th -Belltable, Limerick, Monday, March 15th ,- Galway & Cork TBC If you are between the ages of 7 and 18 years of age and have been involved in the making of a short film don't forget to enter it to Fresh Film Festival by January 29th, 2010. Entry details available on request of from www.freshfilmfestival.net! With queries or to register for news updates please call (061) 319555 or e-mail info@freshfimfestival.net.

Dates: 22nd March 2010 to 25th March 2010 Fresh Film Festival 2010 The 13th Fresh Film Festival will take place from March 22nd-25th 2010. The film entry deadline for the Junior and Senior Ireland's Young Filmmaker Awards for 2009 is January 29th. This year's festival will feature an exciting collection of national and international films, special events and Ireland's Young Filmmaker of the Year awards featuring The brownbag animation award, The Radharc award for best documentary, RTE Two Tube's 60 second Short and The international award. The Senior Ireland's Young Filmmaker Awards 2009 take place on Wednesday March 24th and the Junior Ireland's Young Filmmaker Awards will take place on Thursday March 25h. The regional heats for Fresh Film Festival will take place as follows: -Irish Film Institue, Dublin, Tuesday , March 9th -Belltable, Limerick, Monday, March 15th Galway & Cork TBC If you are between the ages of 7 and 18 years of age and have been involved in the making of a short film don't forget to enter it to Fresh Film Festival by January 29th, 2010. Entry details available on request of from www.freshfilmfestival.net! With queries or to register for news updates please call (061) 319555 or e-mail info@freshfimfestival.net.

Gilbert O'Sullivan

Raglane Entertainment is very proud to announce an Irish tour with the legendary Gilbert O'Sullivan.

The performances will be hugely entertaining for Gilbert fans old and new. The Waterford born superstar will be performing all of his massive worldwide hits. He is also hoping to release his new album 'Mum's The Word' in February 2010 and will be treating fans to a little taste of the new music during his live shows.

Gilbert O'Sullivan dates always sell out early, so fans are advised not to delay in booking their tickets!

Tickets: €37.50 booking fee may apply

Raglane Entertainment is very proud to announce an Irish tour with the legendary Gilbert O'Sullivan.

The performances will be hugely entertaining for Gilbert fans old and new. The Waterford born superstar will be performing all of his massive worldwide hits. He is also hoping to release his new album 'Mum's The Word' in February 2010 and will be treating fans to a little taste of the new music during his live shows.

Gilbert O'Sullivan dates always sell out early, so fans are advised not to delay in booking their tickets!

Tickets: €37.50 booking fee may apply

MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT

Time: 8pm
Price: €6 (Non-members)

Dir: Jean-Francois Richet / France / Canada / Italy 2008 / 113 Mins Cert: 16

Based on his autobiography L'Instinct de Mort, Mesrine: Killer Instinct is the first of two films which together span twenty years in the life of Frances most notorious criminal, Jacques Mesrine.

Filmed back to back over nine months, the first of these superb films charts the rise of Mesrine (Cassel) as he returns home from the army and embarks upon a life of violent crime and retribution.  From the outset, Richet keeps the action moving, punctuating the gripping drama with memorable set-pieces - including a thrilling jailbreak - whilst gradually undfolding the bigger picture.  Amongst the exvellent cast, Géard Depardieu (as powerful local gangster Guido) is outstanding; but it's the dangerous, unpredictable charisma that Cassel brings to the central role that mesmerises.  Clearly immersing himself completely in his complex character, Cassel here begins an absolutely astonishing performance.  Expertly handled by Richet, Mesrine: Killer Instinct is the first half of a tale of epic proportions, executed with an explosive flair and a cold, brutal realism of which Hollywood can only dream. - Edinburgh International Film Festival.

For more info please visit www.riverbank.ie or call box office on 045 448327

Dance on Screen To coincide with the performance of Fearghus O'Conchuir's Open Niche on Wednesday 24th March, the Belltable will present an evening of Dance on Screen. There will be a programme of short films which will include work from filmmaker Steve Woods, choreographer & performer Dan Canham and Choreographer Fearghus O' Conchuir. Both Fearghus and Steve will be in attendance on the night and will discuss the films and their work. ETERNAL is a short modern dance film which takes resistance as its theme. In this case the political and cultural resistance of the Palestinian people. In it we see the slow traditional form of lament change to angry movements. These movements become unified and the dancers throw themselves in frustration at a wall. At the same time an icon painter inside a church senses the disturbance outside. He retreats from the top of the church to protect a sacred olive oil lamp – a national symbol of hope in Palestine – which is kept in cave underneath. Shot in Beit Jella as part of a cultural exchange between the Irish Modern Dance Theatre – Dublin, Ireland and Al Harah Theatre – Beit Jella, Palestinian Territories. Steve Woods. Steve Woods has been working in film and TV production since 1984. He has a background in animation, documentaries and live action. He teaches experimental animation at the National Film School in Ireland and occasionally writes about animation and programmes animation for festivals in Ireland. Eternal is his second short dance film. Other films include… BUAIL – a dance short (2006). THE TRIAL OF SOLOMON – an animated short (2002). ESTELLA – a one hour television arts documentary (2000). IRELAND 1848 – a short experimental documentary (1996).

This season's classical tour sees prize-winning violinist Ariadne Daskalakis go head-to-head with two of Germany's foremost early music specialists: Markus Möllenbeck and Gerald Hambitzer. Programme includes works by Bach, Biber, Baltzar, Handel, Matteis and Geminiani. Tickets priced€15 / €10 / €40 (Family) are available at 01 6719429. This concert is promoted by Music Network.

For further information see http://www.musicnetwork.ie/events/details/ariadne_daskalaskis_and_trio_vintage_tour/.

Director: Gideon Koppel
UK - 2008 - 94 mins - CLUB
Language: English/Welsh

Images of wistful sadness — lone figures with plodding dogs on rain-lashed hillsides — are interlaced with humour and moments of skin-prickling beauty that leave the audience undone.

Big Telly Theatre Company Presents
The Haunting of Helena Blunden
Written by Paul Boyd and Bernie McGill
Directed by Zoë Seaton

A doorway.  A stairwell.  A story. Two women: one desperate to cross over the threshold: the other desperate to escape.  What is it on the other side that makes eighty-year-old Maggie want so badly to go in?  What is it that has terrified Susan into packing up and leaving?  And why does the story of the mysterious Helena Blunden still hold them both there?  This is thriller, ghost story, musical.  Set in modern Belfast in a converted linen mill it has more twists and turns than the yarn winding its way round the spindle. Just when you think it's time to relax, sit back and breathe easy, the breath is knocked right out of you.

€16/14

www.iontascastleblayney.ie

Library Late: Writer and actor Mark O'Halloran in conversation

Wednesday 24 March at 8.00pm

Venue: National Library of Ireland

Admission is free but booking is essential

Writer and actor Mark O'Halloran will be second guest in the current series of Library Late at the National Library of Ireland on Wednesday, 24 March. O'Halloran's screenplays include Adam & Paul and the screenplay for the film Garage which was awarded the CICAE award for best film Cannes Film Festival 2007.

Call (01) 6030317 to reserve your place.

Schools Film Club presented in association with Tipperary Institute

Adapted from Jimmy Murphy's critically-acclaimed play The Kings Of The Kilburn High Road, Kings is a downbeat affair that sees four hard-drinking Irish ex-patriots reunite in Kilburn, London for the wake of their friend Jackie (Sean O'Tarpaigh), found dead on the tracks of the Underground. Having left Ireland in the '70s, the friends have had varied successes: Joe (Meaney) did alright for himself, but a coke habit and the guilt of being the catalyst of Jackie's downfall weighs on his mind; Git (O'Connor) and Jap (O'Kelly) are down-and-out alcoholics, afraid to go back home as failures, and have blamed Joe for their destituteness. These unresolved issues, and doubts over the circumstances of Jackie's death, come to a head in the snug of their old local. €4 tickets
www.thesourceartscentre.ie

LAST CHANCE HARVEY

Time: 2pm
Price: €4 (Over 65's FREE)

Dir: Joel Hopkins / UK / 2008 / 93 mins / Cert:12A

Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson reunite in Last Chance Harvey, a heartfelt romance that celebrates new beginnings - at any age.

Harvey arrives in London only to learn that his daughter has chosen to have her stepfather walk her down the aisle.  Trying to hide his devastation, Harvey leaves the wedding before the reception in hopes of getting to the airport on time, but misses the plane anyway.  When he calls his boss to explain, Harvey is fired on the spot.

Drowning his sorrows at the airport bar, Harvey strikes up a conversation with Kate, a sensitive, 40-something employee of the Office of National Statistics.  Kate, whose life is limited to work, the occasional humiliating blind date and endless phone calls from her smothering mother, is touched by Harvey, who finds himself energised by her intelligence and compassion.  The growing connection between the pair inspires both as they unexpectedly transform one another's lives.

For more info please visit www.riverbank.ie or call box office on 045 448327

LAST CHANCE HARVEY

Time: 2pm
Price: €4 (Over 65's FREE)

Dir: Joel Hopkins / UK / 2008 / 93 mins / Cert:12A

Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson reunite in Last Chance Harvey, a heartfelt romance that celebrates new beginnings - at any age.

Harvey arrives in London only to learn that his daughter has chosen to have her stepfather walk her down the aisle.  Trying to hide his devastation, Harvey leaves the wedding before the reception in hopes of getting to the airport on time, but misses the plane anyway.  When he calls his boss to explain, Harvey is fired on the spot.

Drowning his sorrows at the airport bar, Harvey strikes up a conversation with Kate, a sensitive, 40-something employee of the Office of National Statistics.  Kate, whose life is limited to work, the occasional humiliating blind date and endless phone calls from her smothering mother, is touched by Harvey, who finds himself energised by her intelligence and compassion.  The growing connection between the pair inspires both as they unexpectedly transform one another's lives.

For more info please visit www.riverbank.ie or call box office on 045 448327

This season's classical tour sees prize-winning violinist Ariadne Daskalakis go head-to-head with two of Germany's foremost early music specialists: Markus Möllenbeck and Gerald Hambitzer. Programme includes works by Bach, Biber, Baltzar, Handel, Matteis and Geminiani. Tickets priced €12 / €10 are available at the door. This concert is promoted by Music Network and Clifden Arts Society.

For further information see http://www.musicnetwork.ie/events/details/ariadne_daskalaskis_and_trio_vintage_tour/.
 

OPEN NICHE Produced by Richard Wakely In association with Project Arts Centre, Belltable Arts Centre, Daghdha Dance Company and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance When you struggle to find a place for yourself, When the world around you changes all the time, When it's not like you remember, You need to find your Niche. Choreographer Fearghus Ó Conchúir created Niche in Dublin at the tail-end of Ireland's building boom. Niche celebrates our ability to work together and adapt to new circumstances in the gloom that followed. In this tour, Niche continues to adapt, offering every audience a tailor-made show: for each performance, local dancers will join the international cast of Niche, bringing a new flavour to the work. The result is OPEN NICHE. 'Ó Conchúir's theme is universal and his thoughtful choreography is robust enough to take any number of readings, whatever the context.' The IrishTimes Venue: Daghdha Dance Comnpany, 1 St Johns Square., Limerick

Anything...but Peig

In honour of St Patrick's season, Barnstorm's Adult Drama Club 2 will be performing an evening of Irish theatre, music and poetry in The Barn, on Thursday 25^th and Saturday 27^th March.  The pieces, from writers such as Wilde, GB Shaw, JB Keene, Synge…and Roddy Doyle, are a quirky and convivial collection of excerpts and vignettes with the notable omission of the much maligned Peig Sayers.

Once again The Barn will be transformed into the intimate setting of a cabaret club where patrons will enjoy wine and nibbles at café style tables while enjoying some of Ireland's finest pieces of theatre performed by some of Kilkenny's most exuberant amateur dramatists.

Barnstorm's Adult Drama Clubs were created to give local amateur actors with a thirst for theatre the chance to develop their skills and become part of Kilkenny's thriving theatre scene. The clubs have enjoyed enormous success in their short histories and while Shorts gave ADC members a chance to tread the boards, many for the first time in their lives, Anything....But Peig will showcase their talents both on and off the stage. Each play is directed by another member of the group, under the guidance of Barnstorm's Anna Galligan and Keith Raven.

Anything....But Peig an evening of Irish theatre, music and poetry will be performed in The Barn, Church Lane, Kilkenny on Thursday, March 25 and Saturday, March 27 at 8pm each night. Tickets are €8, including a glass of wine, and are available from Barnstorm on 056-7751266 or trish@barnstorm.ie

OPEN NICHE Produced by Richard Wakely In association with Project Arts Centre, Belltable Arts Centre, Daghdha Dance Company and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance When you struggle to find a place for yourself, When the world around you changes all the time, When it's not like you remember, You need to find your Niche. Choreographer Fearghus Ó Conchúir created Niche in Dublin at the tail-end of Ireland's building boom. Niche celebrates our ability to work together and adapt to new circumstances in the gloom that followed. In this tour, Niche continues to adapt, offering every audience a tailor-made show: for each performance, local dancers will join the international cast of Niche, bringing a new flavour to the work. The result is OPEN NICHE. 'Ó Conchúir's theme is universal and his thoughtful choreography is robust enough to take any number of readings, whatever the context.' The IrishTimes Venue: Daghdha Dance Comnpany, 1 St Johns Square., Limerick

Our monthly showcase features (mainly) local singers, musicians, poets, writers, actors, orators and others. The atmosphere is welcoming, the genres eclectic, and the talent real and engaging.

For more information visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com

€15

Joseph O'Conner in Conversation with Philip King  
A sell out event and highlight of the 2009 Cúirt Festival, in this special evening, musician, filmmaker and broadcaster Philip King talks to best selling novelist Joseph O'Connor, and explores the influence of Irish-American ballads in his recent fiction.  Expect lots of chat, readings, reflections, rhymings, some songs and an insight or two along the way. 

This season's classical tour sees prize-winning violinist Ariadne Daskalakis go head-to-head with two of

This season's classical tour sees prize-winning violinist Ariadne Daskalakis go head-to-head with two of Germany's foremost early music specialists: Markus Möllenbeck and Gerald Hambitzer. Programme includes works by Bach, Biber, Baltzar, Handel, Matteis and Geminiani. Tickets priced €18 / €16 are available at 0504 90204. This concert is promoted by Music Network and The Source Arts Centre.

For further information see http://www.musicnetwork.ie/events/details/ariadne_daskalaskis_and_trio_vintage_tour/.

A classic of modern theatre, Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa is set in 1936 in Ballybeg Co. Donegal, the home of the five unmarried Mundy sisters. The play unfolds through adult narrator Michael, then 8 years old, the illegitimate son of the youngest sister. His memories of that fateful time, centred round the festival of Lughnasa, bring into sharp focus images of love, loss, and moments of intense emotion in a play of layered meanings. Leitrim-based Splódar (formerly The Glens Players) has been creating compelling drama since its establishment in 1995.

Adm.: €15 / €12 (concessions)

You are cordially invited to a lecture by the poet Dr Michael Longley, current holder of the Ireland Chair of Poetry in the Great Hall, Queen's University Belfast on Thursday 25th March 2010 at 8pm.

An exhibition of paintings by renowned outsider artist, Alfred Jensen.

Full details of the exhibition and related events at:

www.douglashydegallery.com

BLYDE LASSES

Time: 1pm
Price: FREE Lunchtime Concert

Blyde Lasses are a dynamic young female duo who perform traditional Shetland and Scottish music on fiddle and concertina.  Their timeless renditions of age-old tunes have become popular across North-East Scotland and beyond in recent years.

Highlights of their performances include a Scottish Government St Andrews Day concert and a trip to the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention in Canada in 2008, and a performance aboard the 'Glenlee' Tall hip at Patrick Folk Festival in 2009.

"A thoroughly refreshing encounter" Alan Cooper, Aberdeen Art Gallery, 2009
"Superb... Great arrangements with a lovely easy style" Alison Forsyth, Aberdeen, 2009

For more info on Blyde Lasses visit www.myspace.com/blydelasses

For booking info please visit www.riverbank.ie or call 045448327

Hailed by Wall Street Journal as the best every Banjoist in the history of Irish music.  Not to be missed.
For more information/to book: visit www.seamusenniscentre.com

http://gettingonwithart.wordpress.com/

Conversations on Practicalities Through Practice:

This artist-led seminar provides an opportunity to discuss the experiences and insights of professional artists. Through a series of artist presentations and conversations, participants will look at the fundamentals, benefits and pitfalls in establishing a career as a visual artist. The seminar aims to address the practicalities of art practice, offering a straightforward and pragmatic approach to the production and exhibition of contemporary art.

Organisers: Crawford Art Gallery, Crawford College of Art & Design, National Sculpture Factory

Formally one half of the hugely successful duo d'Unbelievables (the other half being Pat Shortt), Jon is a multi talented actor, stand-up comedian, musician and singer

This season's classical tour sees prize-winning violinist Ariadne Daskalakis go head-to-head with two of Germany's foremost early music specialists: Markus Möllenbeck and Gerald Hambitzer. Programme includes works by Bach, Biber, Baltzar, Handel, Matteis and Geminiani. Tickets priced  €18 / €5 are available at 042 9371490. This concert is promoted by Music Network and Anaverna.

For further information see http://www.musicnetwork.ie/events/details/ariadne_daskalaskis_and_trio_vintage_tour/.
 

A doorway. A stairwell. A story. Two women: one desperate to cross over the threshold, the other desperate to escape.

What is it on the other side that makes 80-year-old Maggie want so badly to go in? What is it that has terrified Susan into packing up and leaving? And why does the story of the mysterious Helena Blunden still hold them both there?

This is thriller, ghost story, musical. Set in modern Belfast in a converted linen mill it has more twists and turns than the yarn winding its way round the spindle. Just when you think it's time to relax, sit back and breathe easy, the breath is knocked right out of you.

For more information visit us at: www.hawkswell.com

The last two years have seen The High Kings achieve platinum status with their
debut CD and DVD, complete two sellout tours in Ireland – and they were voted
Best Newcomer and Best Folk Act at Ireland's Music Awards. In this new show,
The High Kings are showcasing their incredible versatility as multi-instrumentalists
bringing a rousing flavour to well-loved folk songs. This new show features
songs from their highly anticipated new album. The High Kings serve up laughter,
good times and even the odd sing along. See www.thehighkings.com.

€30

www.iontascastleblayney.ie

Eleven documentary films about the everyday life, spiritual rituals and traditions of Tibetan and Mongolian people.

Full details of the exhibition and related events at:

www.douglashydegallery.com

Recently dubbed by The Irish
Times as exemplifying the
"future sound" of Irish music
Ana Gog's members met in 2006
whilst studying music in various
forms at university. With backgrounds
in jazz, classical, electro, trad. and metal music, the group
produce a unique sound while collaborating with other art forms in
live performance. Tonight they will be joined by up to ten other
musicians and a talented group of visual/live media artists to make
The Well into a visual and aural delight. Unmissable for anyone with
an interest in either art or music.
See www.youtube.com/user/anagogmusic.

€12/8

www.iontascastleblayney.ie

Anything...but Peig

In honour of St Patrick's season, Barnstorm's Adult Drama Club 2 will be performing an evening of Irish theatre, music and poetry in The Barn, on Thursday 25^th and Saturday 27^th March.  The pieces, from writers such as Wilde, GB Shaw, JB Keene, Synge…and Roddy Doyle, are a quirky and convivial collection of excerpts and vignettes with the notable omission of the much maligned Peig Sayers.

Once again The Barn will be transformed into the intimate setting of a cabaret club where patrons will enjoy wine and nibbles at café style tables while enjoying some of Ireland's finest pieces of theatre performed by some of Kilkenny's most exuberant amateur dramatists.

Barnstorm's Adult Drama Clubs were created to give local amateur actors with a thirst for theatre the chance to develop their skills and become part of Kilkenny's thriving theatre scene. The clubs have enjoyed enormous success in their short histories and while Shorts gave ADC members a chance to tread the boards, many for the first time in their lives, Anything....But Peig will showcase their talents both on and off the stage. Each play is directed by another member of the group, under the guidance of Barnstorm's Anna Galligan and Keith Raven.

Anything....But Peig an evening of Irish theatre, music and poetry will be performed in The Barn, Church Lane, Kilkenny on Thursday, March 25 and Saturday, March 27 at 8pm each night. Tickets are €8, including a glass of wine, and are available from Barnstorm on 056-7751266 or trish@barnstorm.ie

BLYDE LASSES - MIXED INSTRUMENT WORKSHOP

Time: 2pm
Price: €10

Blyde Lasses offer not only highly polished and absorbing performances for listening and dancing, but also workshops and talks on Shetland and Scottish musical traditions.  Workshops include Shetland fiddle, English concertina, group playing, and ceilidh dancing.  Riverbank Arts Centre presents this wonderful opportunity to take part in this mixed instrument workshop and learn from the talented Blyde Lasses.

Please visit www.riverbank.ie for further details or call box office on 045 448327

Singer/Songwriter from Dublin who has supported Bon Iver, Al Green and Tracy Chapman within the last 18 months. 
Visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com for more information.

This show heralds a return for Jon to the type of work that made his reputation as one of the most talented comedians in Ireland. Jon uses the changing face of contemporary Ireland as the scaffold on which to build his hilarious observations and characters. Running through such contrasting experiences as supporting Munster rugby to visiting a health spa, Kenny takes no prisoners and delights in emphasizing the humour in everyday life.

Tickets €20 / €18 for friends of the Courthouse

MATILDA

Time: 2pm
Price: €3

Dir: Danny De Vito / USA / 1996 / 98min / Cert: PG

A grouchy couple give birth to a very sweer girl they name Matilda.  Unlike her bratty brother and mean parents, Matilda becomes a very sweet and extremely intelligent girl who is very anxious to go to school and read books.  After a while, her parents send her to a school with the worst principal in the world, a very sweet teacher, and good friends.  While trying to put up with her parents and principals cruelty, she starts to unwitingly unleash telekinetic powers that destroy a television and make a reptile fly on her teacher.  With enough practice, Matilda starts to learn to control her telekinetic powers and starts using them on her principal so she can drive her away from the school.

For booking details please visit www.riverbank.ie or call box office on 045 448327

 

This season's classical tour sees prize-winning violinist Ariadne Daskalakis go head-to-head with two of Germany's foremost early music specialists: Markus Möllenbeck and Gerald Hambitzer. Programme includes works by Bach, Biber, Baltzar, Handel, Matteis and Geminiani. Tickets priced €16 / €14 are available at 01 2724030. This concert is promoted by Music Network and Mermaid Arts Centre.

For further information see http://www.musicnetwork.ie/events/details/ariadne_daskalaskis_and_trio_vintage_tour/.

Saturday  27th March

Niwel Tsumbu   World Music

8.30pm.  €15/13

Niwel returns with his fluent guitar playing draws from past excursions with African rhythms, rumba, jazz, classical, flamenco and much more besides. Playing electric & acoustic guitars & singing mostly in his native 'Lingala', Niwel plays a range of music that stretches from contemporary versions of Congolese traditional music from the 1930s & 40s to modern Jazz. Through the years Niwel's love and passion for different kinds of music and instruments increased he moved to Ireland in 2004 where he quickly made friends with the Irish music scene.

Choreographer Fearghus Ó Conchúir made Niche in Dublin at the tail-end of Ireland's building boom. In the gloom that followed, Niche celebrates our ability to work together and adapt to new circumstances. In this tour, Niche continues to adapt offering each audience a tailor-made show: for each performance, local dancers will join the international cast of Niche, bringing a new flavour to the work. The result is Open Niche.

For more information visit us at: www.hawkswell.com

Bringing a totally new dimension to two print processes, this innovative method, uses collography and photo etching together on one plate/print. The spontaneous use of textured materials in regular collography, is used with the more photographic / graphic image of the photo etc. Another feature of this workshop will be a concentrated and experimental look at the use of colour in printing. The course tutor is Ken Parker and the two day course fee is €195. For further information or to book your place, please contact us at: (021) 4322422 or by email to: info@corkprintmakers.ie

 If you want to improve you short stories, why not attend the "Short Story Workshop" with Molly McCloskey at the Irish Writers' Centre. You will read, discuss and analyse short stories both by accomplished authors and course participants, and explore various aspects of the short story, like character, structure, pacing... You should bring some stories in progress that are ready to be shared with the group.

This two-day course will take place on Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th March from 10.30 am – 4.30 pm at the Irish Writers' Centre. For more information visit www.writerscentre.ie.

The ILLEGALS bring their unique tribute to two of the world's most enduring rock bands. On top of their usual immaculate recreation of the very best of the Eagles, the band has added a special tribute to those other giants of the West Coast sound – Fleetwood Mac.

Opera Ireland presents the Metropolitan Opera Live in High Definition from New York at Cork Opera House.

Sat 27 March 2010, 5 pm

HAMLET – Ambroise Thomas

Tickets € 25.00 (booking fee may apply)

Opera Ireland presents the Metropolitan Opera Live in High Definition from New York at Cork Opera House.

Sat 27 March 2010, 5 pm

HAMLET – Ambroise Thomas

Tickets € 25.00 (booking fee may apply)

Hailed by the Wall Street Journal as 'the best ever banjoist in the history of Irish music', Gerry O'Connor has brought the banjo to places no other player had tread before. He has travelled the world - physically and musically - experimenting with everything from Irish to bluegrass to African and Asian, and back. Both as a soloist and as a member of the highly acclaimed Four Men and a Dog, Gerry has truly traced the banjo's journey through the world of music.

Gerry's journey continues with his most recent solo recording, High Up Low Down which features his unique treatment of Irish traditional music, American bluegrass and ground-breaking new compositions.

A debut at The Source for this banjo wizard! Tickets €18 / €16 concession
www.thesourceartscentre.ie

Hosted by musician Helen Lyons. This month features the O'Briain family with Tómas on accordion, Ciaran on Pipes, Colm on Bouzouki and Áine on Concertina.  Visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com for more information.

Showband Nostalgia

Featuring Diarmuid O' Leary and the Bards with Louise Morrissey.

Tickets: €26, €28.50, €31booking fee may apply

This month's workshop is hosted by John McEvoy.  John is a very experienced teacher and well known exponent of the North Conaught style of Fiddle playing.  He teaches at The Willie Clancy Summer School in Milltown Malbay.  Time: 8.00-10.00 p.m. Adm:  €10.  Visit: www.seamusenniscentre.com for more information.

Featuring Diarmuid O' Leary and the Bards with Louise Morrissey.

Tickets: €26, €28.50, €31booking fee may apply

Sun 28 March:

35 Shots of Rum                                                                                           35 rhums
Dir: Claire Denis       France, Germany       2008     100 minutes      Cert: CLUB         
Starring: Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Gregoire Colin, Nicole Dogue
Language: French, German           
Available: January
           
French auteur Claire Denis (Beau Travail) follows her brilliant, elegiac The Intruder with this intimate and affecting film about the intense bond between train-driving, single father Lionel (Alex Descas) and his devoted daughter (Mati Diop). Reversing the usual stereotype of the Paris suburbs as a hive of poverty and crime, Denis establishes a warm, communal integrity to the otherwise grim surrounds. Neighbouring taxi driver Gabrielle's (Nicole Dogue) understated flirtation with Lionel; the unspoken interest of the boy upstairs (Gregoire Colin); and the changing relationship between father and daughter as she begins to seek her independence; the human pulse of this wonderful film is perfectly encapsulated in the scene where life's complexities give way to the rhythm of dance. - Sydney Film Festival

Membership 1: €100 for ten tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 2: €50 for five tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 3: €12 for a single ticket

Sun 28 March:

35 Shots of Rum                                                                                           35 rhums
Dir: Claire Denis       France, Germany       2008     100 minutes      Cert: CLUB         
Starring: Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Gregoire Colin, Nicole Dogue
Language: French, German           
Available: January
           
French auteur Claire Denis (Beau Travail) follows her brilliant, elegiac The Intruder with this intimate and affecting film about the intense bond between train-driving, single father Lionel (Alex Descas) and his devoted daughter (Mati Diop). Reversing the usual stereotype of the Paris suburbs as a hive of poverty and crime, Denis establishes a warm, communal integrity to the otherwise grim surrounds. Neighbouring taxi driver Gabrielle's (Nicole Dogue) understated flirtation with Lionel; the unspoken interest of the boy upstairs (Gregoire Colin); and the changing relationship between father and daughter as she begins to seek her independence; the human pulse of this wonderful film is perfectly encapsulated in the scene where life's complexities give way to the rhythm of dance. - Sydney Film Festival

Membership 1: €100 for ten tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 2: €50 for five tickets; all to be pre-booked at time of purchase
Membership 3: €12 for a single ticket

The Gúna Nua/Civic Theatre Production of

Little Gem

By Elaine Murphy

Staring Hilda Fay, Sarah Greene,

and Anita Reeves

Love, sex, birth, death, dildos and salsa

classes: three generations of Dublin women

on a wild and constantly surprising journey.

An extraordinary year of courage, comedy

and romance in the multi-award winning hit

of the 2008 Dublin Fringe Festival and the

2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

This remarkable first play by Dublin woman

Elaine Murphy has won the Fishamble

Award for Best New Irish Play and Best

Female Performance at the Dublin Fringe

Festival 2008, the BBC Northern Ireland

Drama Award (The Stewart Parker Trust)

2009, the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh

Award 2009, and the Irish Playwrights and

Screenwriters Guild Award for Best Theatre

Script 2009. The production has also been

nominated for Best New Play and Anita

Reeves for Best Actress at the Irish Times

Theatre Awards and for Best Actress in The

Stage Awards, Edinburgh.

"This is a play that, like its characters,

gurgles and giggles with life even in the face

of death. Murphy and her brilliant cast make

us care about every breath these women

take, and make you want to hug them"

**** THE GUARDIAN Lyn Gardner

Monday 29th March – Saturday 3rd April

Admission €22 & €18 concession

MESRINE: PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1

Time: 8pm
Price: €6 (non-members)

Dir: Jean-Francois Richet / France / Canada / Italy 2008 / 113 Mins  / Cert:16

This is the second film in director Jean-Francois Richet's two-part chronicle of the life of French master criminal, Jacques Mesrine.  As Mesrine, Vincent Cassel continues to evade and frustrate the law, becomes entangled in his own celebrity, and begins to question his thrilling but ultimately pointless existence.

Although Richets films have him committing multiple murders, the actual truth of those events is still in question.  Its impossible to know how much artistic licence Mesrine - a shameless self publicist - employed as he wrote his autobiography L'Instinct de Mort in his cell in La Sante prison.

Ending with a poignant, tense and shocking flourish, staged in the streets of central Paris on a national holiday, Cassel's world-class performance propels Richet's stylish films into the same league as benchmark gangster classics such as Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America, Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather: Part II and Brian De Palma's Scarface. - Edinburgh

For more info and booking please visit www.riverbank.ie or call box office on 045 448327

Chile  2008  98mins  Language: Spanish with English subtitles

Director: Pablo Larrain

Starring: Alfredo Castro, Amparo Noguera, Hector Morales, Paola Lattus, Elsa Poblete.   

Set in Chile in 1978 under Pinochet's oppressive regime, fifty-something Raúl is obsessed that he is disco king Tony Manero, John Travolta's white-suited star of Saturday Night Fever, even forming a low-rent dance troupe that performs at a rundown bar. When a national Tony Manero competition is announced, Raúl feels destined to win, even when the secret police start to take interest in the inhabitants of the bar and his fellow dancers. The result is at once an absurd black comedy, an unsettling thriller, a confrontation of dark days in Chile's recent history, and a compelling portrait of obsession.

"A multi-textured, striking work of distinction." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"This tough, impassive, marvellous second feature from young Chilean Larraín." - Wally Hammond, Time Out

Adm.: €5 

Camerata Kilkenny concert 30th of March 2010
'HEINRICH BIBER (1644-1704) - Mystery Sonatas'
with:
Maya Homburger (baroque violin)
Malcolm Proud (harpsichord)
Jonathan Byers (cello)
Barry Guy (bass)
On Tue 30th March in the All Saints Church Castleconnell at 8pm
Tickets €15 on the door
Enquiries to arts@limerickcoco.ie or 061 496498 / 496300
Arts Office Limerick County Council
County Hall
Dooradoyle
Co. Limerick

Maya Homburger, baroque violin, with members of Camerata Kilkenny in a programme of JS BACH and Heinrich BIBER (Mystery Sonatas).

Tuesday 30th March (Holy Week), at 8.00pm.   Admission €15.

Promoter: Limerick County Council Arts Office (061 496498) in association with Music Network.

Join us this Easter to create lively pop-up illustrations of springing lambs, jumping rabbits, blossoming flowers and anything else that springs up! Watch as your illustrations can hop, jump, swing or spring.

www.ark.ie / 016707788

Join us this Easter to create lively pop-up illustrations of springing lambs, jumping rabbits, blossoming flowers and anything else that springs up! Watch as your illustrations can hop, jump, swing or spring. For ages 7+

€10 / €8

www.ark.ie / 016707788

Music Network presents:

The Callino Quartet
Haydn:  "Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on The Cross" Op.51

promoted by Church Classics
www.classicallinks.ie - Church Classics

Tickets €15 (€12 concession) in Quinns, Tuam and 091 799258 or at the door.

Glenn Tilbrook is best known for his work with legendary power-pop band Squeeze.  He, alongside Squeeze co-writer Chris Difford have penned some of pop music's finest songs.  In concert Glenn is one of the most creative artists to take the stage - superb voice and breathtaking guitar skills.