Scuba Dice

Scuba Dice

Scuba Dice, the band that recently finished third in RTE's You're a Star television show appeared at Roxy Records in the square, Tralee, to launch their new single Made. The band started playing at lunchtime and quickly gathered a large crowd of screaming fans that enjoyed the sunshine, the music and the bands lively performance.

But just how did the band go from being Kilkenny nobodies to launching a single with a series of nationwide gigs? Many moons ago in the dark and dreary 2003 two former band-mates and close friends Scanner and Sean discussed the idea of starting a new band, using the experience they had gained through playing in other musical projects. Soon afterwards the guys decided that Spud, another ex-band-mate of Sean's, was the right candidate for bass duties.

The three of them got together and quickly realised they shared the same musical vision and all that remained was to fill in the vacant position of lead vocalist. The Scuba Dice trio had numerous practice sessions but it wasn't until Joe's arrival that the band became complete. With the addition of Joe's vocals the group was ready to perform.

Over the past couple of years, the group has gone from strength to strength, playing venues and events all over the country. And then the big break through came when, on the 7th of January this year, Scuba Dice appeared on the You're A Star talent show.

The rest, as they say, is history. The band made it into the last 5 bands for consideration by the public and along the way gathered a staggering 30% of the public's vote. Scuba Dice had arrived.

Covering a Green Day song that was subsequently released on the down load charts and climbed to number two, the band build a significant fan base. And that fan base was in evidence in the Square in Tralee.

To learn more about Scuba Dice please log onto

Samhlaiocht Awards

Clodagh Gaynor

Samhlaiocht hosted an awards party in its gallery on Lower Castle Street, Tralee recently to honour the prize winners in its two competitions that took place as part of the Samhlaiocht Easter Arts festival.

Michele Sheehan who organised the Samhlaiocht Busking Competition was present to give awards to the McClintock Family; Bryan Corbette & Zoe O Connor and Heather, Adam & Christopher Grey. A special award was also presented to Clodagh Gaynor, who is 6 years old, for Youngest Busker.

The buskers had a dual role in the evening - the first to accept awards, the second to keep everyone entertained. And this they did with amazing gusto playing for hours in the Gallery as the guests whiled away the hours listening to amazing music and, like at all award ceremonies, drinking a little wine.

Samhlaiocht's photography competition organiser, Laura Gutierrez Martin, was also on hand to present awards to the three winning photographers in the Samhlaiocht Easter Arts Open Submission Photography Competition.

"The photography competition is always a huge success," said Laura Gutierrez Martin, Photography Co-Ordinator, Samhlaiocht. "And this year was no different. We received over forty entries for the Competition, with amateur photographers from all over Kerry taking part. Photographers from Knocknagoshel, Ardfert, Fenit, Listowel, Castlegregory, Killarney, Abbydorney and, of course, Tralee submitted work and while it was wonderful to see all the images it most have been very difficult to pick the eventual winners!"

The three winners were: Lucie Harwood, Mounthawk, Tralee; Hugh O'Neill, Ballymullen, Tralee and Emma Tynan, Rathannay, Tralee. The winning photographs were professionally mounted and framed by MaineFrame, No 2 Maine Street, Tralee.

For more information on Samhlaiocht please log on to www.samhlaiocht.com or call 066 712 9934

Michael V O'Regan

Michael and Joan O'Regan

Artist Michael V. O Reagan has opened a new gallery, The Snuggie Gallery, on Rock Street. The charismatic Kerryman is well known around the town of Tralee and beyond and his personality finds its way into both his paintings and the fantastically welcoming gallery which is located near Garvey's on Rock Street.

Michael is self taught and has been painting part time for many years. Demand for his work is such that he has recently begun working as a full time artist and, thanks to the steady sales and commissions; Michael has now taken the leap into opening his own Gallery.

The diversity and vibrancy in the natural beauty of the Kerry woodlands are a constant source of inspiration. Michael's preferred medium for his painting is oils yet he also works in pen and pencil. His detailed sketches of old farm buildings and their environs record a traditional way of life which will soon be just a memory.

Michael recently had an exhibition in the Samhlaiocht Gallery on Lower Castle Street and its success prompted him to open his own Gallery. "I called the exhibition 'About Time' because many of the paintings and sketches I do evoke a way of life for which I feel a great empathy and which I want to record in my work," said Michael. "The title also reflected the fact that I've now decided to apply myself full time to my art. And it was about time!" added Michael with a mischievous smile."

"I had a fantastic time in Samhlaiocht, I just sat and sketched and chatted to the people that came into see my work," explains Michael. "I love sketching and painting and can do it from the time I get out of bed in the morning to the time I go back at night."

His love of painting shines through in his work yet he's not the only artist on display in the Snuggie Gallery, his partner, Joan, is also quite the artist and some of her work is displayed alongside Michael's.

The Snuggie Gallery is located at 113 Rock Street. For more information please call Michael on 087 414 4306 or log onto www.thesnuggiegallery.com

Lewis Opening

Main Street, Dingle

'West Kerry' an exhibition of paintings by Herbert Wilmsmeyer was officially opened at the Frank Lewis Gallery in Killarney on Tuesday evening, June 5th, by John Sheehan of The Dubliners. The opening also included music by Benny O'Carroll on guitar and Damian Mullane on accordian. The exhibition continues at the Frank Lewis Gallery Killarney until June 30th open from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Herbert Wilmsmeyer's paintings of West Kerry induce a sense of peace. And yet they don't compromise on the reality that Kerry, for all its natural beauty, is a place of harsh physical and economic realities. Perhaps it is the way the artist has focused on the essential, stripping away any distractions to such an extent, that a first, casual, response might be that these are hurried sketches. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Wilmsmeyer paints in the outdoors, close to nature. He is imbued with the place he is painting and the vitality and essence of each location is captured wonderfully in the seemingly simplistic nature of his art.

He art is always conscious of Nature it self and the terrifying forces it uses to shape the landscape we, sometimes, take for granted. When looking at the artist's magnificent Sybil Head and Dooneen, for example, one gets a sense of the relentless power of the Atlantic and how the seas hammering since the dawns of time have shaped the rugged beauty of the Kerry coastline.

Kilmurry, Three Sisters and Old Farmhouse, on the other hand, show man's determination and ingenuity in dealing with Nature – gathering rocks so the land can be cultivated and sheltering homes from driving wind and rain.

The close cluster of buildings by the sea in Brandon Harbour illustrates perfectly the interdependence of man. Survival demands that people form symbiotic relationships with their fellows and work with each other when faced with the harshness of Nature. A lesson, perhaps, that has not yet been learned in the war weary world of today.

Herbert Wilmsmeyer, who has been painting regularly in Ireland for a number of years, has presented his work in a number of solo exhibitions since 1985 and has been a fulltime artist since 1996. He has as broad a theoretical knowledge of Art as a practical basis having been a Professor of Fine Arts and the Theory and Teaching of Art.

To see the exhibition please drop by the Frank Lewis Gallery, 6 Brideswell Lane, just off of New Street in Killarney. The exhibition runs until June 30th open from Monday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

For more information please drop by the Gallery, call 064 31108 or log onto www.franklewisgallery.com

McBride Gallery

The Mcbride Gallery, 25 New Street, Killarney is only in existence for a year but with the calibre of exhibitors it has had to date it will quickly establish a reputation for the promotion and sale of extremely high quality work.

Brian Bourke, Regine Bartsch, Brian and Dr Denise Ferran, and John Behan have featured here and now the gallery has a joint exhibition by well-known photographer Con Kelleher, from Macroom and award-winning Ballinskelligs based filmmaker and painter Tim Booth.

Proprietor of the gallery is Killarney woman Mary Mcbride, of the highly successful Mac Bee's ladies outfitters. Mary has been a keen collector for many years. She was initially helped in achieving her long-cherished ambition of opening the Mcbride Gallery by Tralee woman Alice Kelliher and advised by renowned collectors George and Maura McClelland.

Killarney's Joanne McCarthy is the Gallery Manager and she welcomed me warmly to the bright spacious gallery. Joanne has a BA in Fine Art (Limerick School of Art and Design) and a Masters in History of Art and Architecture (University of Limerick).

"I love being in this environment,"she smiles. "After art college I knew I wanted to work in a gallery or museum. Relating art to the public is my strength."

Joanne wants the gallery to be a friendly place, as well as a showcase for unique art. I spent a pleasant hour there, looking at the work and talking to Joanne as visitors dropped in and were cheerily greeted and given brochures, their impressions sought and any questions answered.

Upstairs, as the sun shone through the large window, I admired a series of beautiful black and white nature photographs by Con Kelleher. One extraordinary photograph was "Gearagh II".( Gearagh, Joanne explained, is a flooded forest outside Macroom where the water level continually fluctuates). Dark tree stumps in the foreground emerged, seemingly imbued with life and looking at me, like rows of silent sea creatures, from the watery stillness. It was magical!

Tim Booth's work is absorbing, both the representational landscapes and the Pop art. A small piece, "The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird" was my favourite. An evocative and tantalising painting of a cuckoo in full flight over an abstract background of baby pink and blue panels, holding by its beak 3 balloons, red, yellow and blue. It had a precious red dot on the wall beside it.

"Everyone loves it!" says Joanne, "It could have been sold four times over."

(Make that five times, Joanne!)

A glorious peal of cathedral bells rang out, startled me out of my reverie, and sent Joanne running to see the wedding party driving by. It was time to gather my notes and head back to Tralee.

For further information on this exhibition and on the forthcoming Summer Group Show to celebrate the Mcbride Gallery's 1st Birthday, contact The Mcbride Gallery, 25 New Street, Killarney, Co Kerry.

Tel. 064 71483 or e-mail info@mcbridegallery.com . Website www.mcbrideartgallery.com. Open Mon-Sat 10-1, 2-6

Feile Na Greine

Micheal O'Suilleabhain

South Kerry will celebrate the Summer Solstice this year with first time? An Arts Festival - Feile na Greine - at Tech Amergin in Waterville. The Festival will run from Thursday 21st to Saturday 23rd June and will incorporate an art exhibition, concerts, drama, workshops, poetry readings, outdoor theatre and carnival and a circus skills workshop. (Change order, more fluid.)

Feile na Greine kicks off on Thursday evening when Minister John O'Donoghue will launch Prism: The Artist and the Sun, an exhibition of artwork by Iveragh artists. This will be followed by the opening concert of the Festival, featuring internationally renowned pianist Micheal O'Suilleabhain.

Micheal, who has developed a unique Irish piano style and made numerous recordings, is Professor of Music at University of Limerick. There he established the Irish World Music Centre, which hosts music students from far and wide. The concert will feature a new work Micheal has composed especially for Feile na Greine. Entitled "Freagra Sceine ar Aimhirgín", the composition is for piano, voice and string quartet and will be performed by Micheal, poet Paddy Bushe and the Carolan Quartet.

Other musical events include "Triur Ban Gaelach faoin nGrein" with Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, Maire Breatnach and Ishbel Mac Askill. (Change Order!) Ishbel, from the Scottish Island of Lewis, sings unaccompanied traditional songs and is considered by some to the best international known Gaelic singer today.

Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, is Ireland's best known Irish language poet. Rugadh i Sasana agus chaith si roinnt maith i gCorca Dhuibhne, ait a chuir tionchar ar forbairt a cuid filiochta. Ta si ina ball d'Aosdana.

Other poets appearing at the festival are Paula Meehan, member of Aosdana, who won the Denis Devlin Memorial Award for her most recent collection of poems 'Dharmakaya', and Theo Dorgan, who is also a radio and television broadcaster, translator, editor and documentary scriptwriter.

Irish speaking Italian Kerrymen, The Fanzini Brothers, will bring their circus skills workshop to Waterville for the first time, demonstrating juggling, plate spinning and diablo and generally adding a touch of insanity to the festival!

The last event of the festival will be a massive St John's Eve Bonfire at 11.00pm on Friday night, followed (weather permitting) by an Outdoor Ceili.

Fees for the workshops, which take place on Friday and Saturday from 10.00am to 1.00pm, are 30 euro each or 50 euro for two. Maximum number of participants 10. Children's workshops are free.

Concert admission is 15.00 euro (12.00 euro conc.) and Poetry Readings 5.00 euro. For further information and advance booking please e-mail: techamergin@eircom.net or phone 066 9478956.

Different Strokes

An exhibition of work entitled 'DIFFERENT STROKES' by a relatively new Tralee based Art Group goes on display in the new Samhlaiocht Gallery on Thursday 31st May.

"We're absolutely delighted to have the members of the art group displaying their work at our Gallery" said Trish Thompson, Gallery coordinator at the Samhlaiocht Gallery.

"This exhibition came out of a need to allow such groups the opportunity to exhibit their work in the public arena and Samhlaiocht wants to encourage all avenues of the arts in Kerry".

This Group exhibition is led by Tutor Deirdre Sheehan, who holds a B.A. in Painting from N.C.A.D. and a H.dip in Art & Design Ed.

"Since my student years at N.C.A.D. my favorite branch of research has always been the relationship between art and the mind", says Deirdre, "I particularly like the ideas of artists who explored this relationship, like Kandinsky and his books on how line and colour relate to music, or Rudolf Steiner, the psychologist, educationalist and artist who developed entire school systems where children learn their normal subjects through art, music and dance in a very therapeutic environment."

Deirdre spent many years teaching in various places, including Africa, and began teaching this group two years ago in Tralee.

"We began by drawing from nature and exploring colour harmonies, colour related to music and the emotional content of colour. My interest lies in the emotional response to the work during the process and as a finished piece, from the artist and spectator."

Deirdre likes to encourage painting in a relaxed environment and uses classical music during the class.

"It became clear early on that the students had no problems expressing themselves in very original ways, showing different tastes and styles so I try to encourage this. I encourage them to think of using the natural environment and imagination as a source of inspiration as well as looking at the way old and new masters have used paint technically. They are now beginning to feel more confident with paint so I hope each student will continue to explore personal subject matter whether to do with nature, people, or other ideas".

"The supportive environment of the studio combined with the gentle yet firm direction of our teacher nurtures the muse in each of us", said Geraldine Quirke one of the group members. "Humour and unity are the main catalysts of our group, each of us having our own unique style and supporting one another in pursuit of our different strokes."
 
The Samhlaiocht Gallery is located in the old Presbytery next to St. John's Parish Church in the centre of Tralee on Lower Castle Street. 'About Time' opens on Thursday 8th February at 7.00pm
Opening times at the Gallery are :
Mon-Thurs 9.00am-6.00pm and Friday 9.00am-5.00pm
Everyone is welcome.

For more information on Samhlaiocht please log on to www.samhlaiocht.com

Ceceile Augereau

"There's not enough time... I have so many ideas that I think I need a second, maybe a third life!" jokes Breton artist Cecile Augereau as she shows me into her studio at her home in Oakpark, Tralee.

I think, this lady certainly has an active brain! The tiny room is crammed with boxes - banana boxes, commercial office supplies boxes, roast chicken strip boxes -all being used to store art materials and dozens of craft magazines. There are 8 shelves ("I built them myself", says Cecile) stacked with books, folders and catalogues. "And I always want the one on the bottom. Murphy's Law!"

Apart from a year studying Art, Craft and Design in Co Laois, in which she received top marks, Cecile has no formal training but picked up her skills from different artists and painters in France.

Originally from Nantes, she and her partner, photographer Jean-Pierre Launay, abandoned the increasingly stressful lifestyle of France to come to Ireland in 1999. After six years in Laois, they settled in Tralee just over two years ago. Cecile had a space in the Dingle Craft Village, now closed, from July 05 to December 06.

As well as making handmade paper and colourful hand-knit woollen scarves, she makes framed paintings, folk art, quotations and cards. Some of the cards are humorous, like her sheep cards, ("the tourists love them") and some more artistic, like the series of flower cards. These she has developed with Jean-Pierre, combining his photographs of flowers with her handmade paper and providing details about each flower on the back of the card.

Cecile's most original product is the 3-D picture. These make wonderful presents for children and adults alike. Cecile asks the 'presenter' to give her as many details as possible about the 'presentee', e.g., appearance, interests, hobbies, then using her materials (and the Internet for inspiration) puts together a glass-fronted box, 10" x 8" approx, with glued-on objects arranged in mini-interior settings that gives her creative impression of the 'presentee' according to the description given.

"It is like a snapshot of that person at that time," she says.

The photos of all the different 3-D pictures in Cecile's album show remarkable ingenuity, hunour and detail. I reckon she'd make a great psychologist!

Cecile teaches at Tralee KDYS. She has worked with Transforum Alley drama initiative and facilitated workshops for adults who teach children. She regularly gives workshops for Samhlaiocht at the Easter Arts Festival and the June Flower Festival.

Catch up with Cecile at the Indoor Markets in Ardfert three Sundays in the month and in Kilflynn once a month (next day in Kilflynn 10th June). She will be at the market in Ballybunion at the Tintean Theatre on 3rd June and the Flower Festival in Tralee on the 15th and 16th June.

Her cards are on sale in Tralee at French Flair, Courthouse Lane and Ireland Design, Denny Street and in select outlets in Dingle.

Telephone Cecile at 086 3689401, e-mail azilis@eircom.net or visit www.azilis-creation.com

Tango

"Life can be lived in a minute." Al Pacino, "Scent of a Woman".

If you saw the 1992 film "Scent of a Woman", with its stirring tango sequence, in which Al Pacino, as blind irascible Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade, dances with beautiful stranger Donna (Gabrielle Anwar), the singular and dangerous beauty of this dance form will have entranced you.

The tango is a world-renowned and highly fashionable dance now but it has its roots in the poverty and human misery of late 18th and early 19th century Argentina. There tango was primarily danced by individuals of poor backgrounds who had migrated to Argentina for economic purposes, leaving their families behind.

Drawn together from many quarters, separated from partners and loved ones, despised by the rich and fuelled by loneliness, these immigrants forged new links through tango, a dance which evolved from human longing and reflects and expresses that yearning in the dancer.

And now, at this historic time when Ireland is opening its doors to immigrants, Kerry has its first resident tango practitioner, who is herself an Argentinian native. Her name is Cristina Aguilera. Sharing the same romantic nature as the (slightly!) more famous Ms Aguilera, Cristina came to live in Ireland 4 years ago. She is married to a Cork man and they live in Tralee with their young daughter.

Cristina is from a city called Tartagal in the north of Argentina and she likens the landscape there to a 'tropical' Killarney. Inspired by the region's very beautiful tropical landscape Cristina’s people are naturally creative and the area has produced many artists, musicians and dancers.

Tango is danced in Argentina by young and old alike and when Cristina was a teenager she took up formal tango lessons at a dance academy in Buenos Aires so that she could dazzle on the dance floors at the Tartagal discos.

Cristina also has the equivalent of a Masters Degree in Psychology and has worked as a clinical psychologist in Argentina. This life experience gives her a knowledge of and appreciation for the subtleties and undercurrents of human emotions. All these talents she brings to bear in her dance instruction.

"As well as tango and Argentinian folk dance I also studied biodance, a therapeutic dance form devised by Chilean psychiatrist and anthropologist Rolando Toro. Biodance uses aspects of contemporary dance, Tai Chi Chuan and Yoga to develop the dancer's affectiveness and creativity."

When Cristina gives her tango workshops she offers much more than simple instruction of steps. "I start by giving a short description of the cultural conditions that gave birth to tango and then I use creative exercises to increase the students' understanding of the meaning of the dance and get them in the tango "mood". Then the steps are taught. In this way the student has an experience of tango which stimulates them physically, mentally and emotionally and which they find very enjoyable."

In 21st century Buenos Aires tango is once again a focal point for the city's immigrants. This is also the case in the UK, where tango groups have sprung up in many regions, with a cluster in London, Manchester, Devon and Edinburgh. It is very likely that tango will prove to be equally popular in the new Ireland.

As Cristina explains, "tango goes beyond linguistic barriers and connects two people emotionally as well as physically in the embrace. An embrace of loneliness and hope, passion and abandon, love and sadness, seduction, romance, elegance and pride, betrayal and bravery, sensitivity and drama - that's what tango is."

Cristina has given tango workshops in Tralee through the KES and for the Samhlaiocht's Easter Arts Festival. Now she is joining forces with Lorna Tyther, Egyptian dancer, to offer tango classes this summer at The Phoenix, Lorna's restaurant in Castlemaine near Tralee, which is newly renovated to incorporate an artistic and cultural centre.

By the way, according to "Good Housekeeping", scientists have discovered that dancing - in particular the tango – can significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's. The mental and physical multi-tasking needed for all that fancy footwork is claimed to help maintain a robust hippocampus - the part of the brain that controls memory.

And, if you still need convincing, just get your hands on a copy of Scent of a Woman and fast-forward to the afore-mentioned tango scene. Like I said, it's stirring stuff.

Cristina Aguilera can be contacted on 066 7118977. Lorna Tyther can be contacted at the Phoenix Restaurant, Boolteens, Castlemaine on 066 9766284 or e-mail phoenixtyther@hotmail.com

And for those of you that prefer a little Cha Cha Cha or Salsa then get on down to Banna Beach on Sunday May 27th for a fun filled, absolutely free Salsa beach Party that starts at 3:00 p.m. sharp. Attendees should dress all in white and bring a little food to enjoy with the free music, free games and raffle tickets. For more information please call Linda on 086 400 9916

Siamsa

Peta Murray's hit production, Wallflowering, comes to Siamsa Tire, Tralee, for one night only on Sunday 27th of May. The Tall Tales production of Wallflowering, which is directed by David Horan and Muirne Bloomer, has received glowing reviews with one wag going so far as to call it a combination of 'Dance and drama like a marriage made in heaven.' And another insisting the play is 'a rare instance of wholly enjoyable popular theatre.' Rare praise indeed but then this production is surely worthy of the applause lavished on it.

It was first produced in early summer 2006 and thankfully the captivating lead performers, Mal Whyte and Helen Norton, will appear on the Siamsa stage as one time prize-winning ballroom dancers who now find themselves out of step with one another and the changing values of the world around them.

Wallflowering, a compassionate comedy celebrating the courage and beauty in those who dare to live their own truth, no matter how 'ordinary' that 'truth' might appear, is as honest yet hopeful a tale of modern love as you are likely to find.

In the play we first meet Cliff (Mal Whyte) and Peg Small (Helen Norton) and their quick-stepping, fox-trotting, tango-twisting younger selves in a fabulous fusion of dance and theatre. These one time prize-winning ballroom dancers now, however, find themselves falling out of step.

As Peg begins to explore beyond the traditional roles of wife and mother and discovers the concept of her extraordinariness, Cliff is coming to understand that, despite being raised on visions of his own giftedness, the fact is, he will never be anything but ordinary. When all is said and danced, Wallflowering emerges as an intelligent, romantic fable, an honest yet hopeful tale of modern love that shows it's possible for two people to stay in step with each other despite dancing to very different rhythms.

Wallflowering plays for one night only at Siamsa Tire on Sunday 27th May 2007 at 8.00 pm. For more information please log onto www.siamsatire.com or call 066 712 3055

Kerry County Council

Presentations of awards were made on Wednesday 16th May by Mayor of Kerry, Cllr. Ted Fitzgerald, at Kerry County Council.

'Kerry County Council allocates arts funding to individual artists and schools to support career development and arts practice of artists living and based in Kerry', stated the Mayor,'The schools awards are vital to encourage greater levels of arts activity, many schools offer a good arts programme, this award allows schools to go one step further by bringing a professional artist into the school to work with the students'.

The 'Arts Material/equipment Award'; assists artists to further their career development and was won by Lorraine Neeson, Killarney. The 'Bursary to attend Artist Retreat in Ireland'; gives the artist time to reflect on and develop their work and was won by Baile Na nGall native, David McLoughlin.

The 'Further Arts Education Award' is one of the most important awards to be introduced. There are a number of talented artist of all art forms based in Kerry who wish to develop their individual arts practice by receiving the best education in their field of practice. Education in any art form is costly by nature and this award aims to promote the standards of arts practice for Kerry based artists. The winners were Aine Moynihan, Dingle, Robert Heaslip, Tralee and Helena Brosnan, Ardfert.

The 'Creative work development Award' offers an artist the opportunity to explore their own work in a project that affords a degree of interaction with other arts practitioners or the wider community. The emphasis being on the artist's approach and proposed execution of the project, fostering the integrity of arts practice. The award was won by Una Ni She from An Daingean.

Also benefiting from the awards were Killocrim National School and Lauragh National School who received Artist in Schools Full Bursaries, while Nano Nagle Special School and Firies National School each received Artist in Schools Partial Bursaries.

'These awards help artists to explore their work and to develop their careers' stated Kate Kennelly, Kerry County Council Arts Officer. 'In particular the 'Further Arts Education' award is proving popular as studying any of the creative arts at third level is expensive. It is rewarding to see careers progress, in particular when the artists bring their skills back to Kerry, we all benefit'.

Similar bursaries will be advertised for 2008. For more information please contact the Kerry County Council Arts Office on 066 718 3500

Bodhran Festival

The World Bodhran Championships Festival in Milltown have announced a top class line-up of entertainment for their concert programme on 2nd and 3rd June. The festival is being hosted in the mid-Kerry town for the second year running and will feature concerts, workshops, street entertainment and competitions to find the best bodhrán players in the world.

The Championships will open with the 'Gathering of the Goatskins' Concert on Friday 1st June. Featuring Mel Mercier on bodhran and world multi-percussionist Sandeep Raval, the concert will include Moving Cloud from Denmark. Featuring the phenomenal percussionist Svend Kjeldsen, Moving Cloud is a traditional group whose music has been described as hot, exciting, energetic and catchy. There last album was produced by Donal Lunny and they will spending two weeks in Ireland.

The opening concert will also included Kerry's own traditional group Crede which includes Emma O'Leary (fiddle), Jonathon Roche (accordion), Eilis Murphy (flute) and Sean Leahy (guitar/bodhran). This young and vibrant group perform in the Sliabh Luachra style and will join Mel Mercier and Sandeep Raval on stage.

Back by popular demand on Saturday 2nd June are Liam O'Maonlai of Hothouse Flowers and Ronan O'Snodaigh of Kila, whose concert in 2006 was one of the highlights of the festival. A special curtain-raiser, 'The Ninth Wave' will be performed at the concert. An extract from 'Ruanach's Tale' by Fergal O'Connor, it tells the tale of a warrior in mythical Ireland through the media of song, music and dance.

Tickets for both concerts, priced from 20 to 25 euro are now on sale from the World Bodhran Championships Office in Milltown at 066 9765601 or 085 7739553. Festival Chief Executive Owen O'Shea said the quality of the entertainment on offer was world-class and would provide music lovers with a special treat.

CHBB

Debut Exhibit From Kerry Art Duo

The debut collection from Kerry's brightest artistic duo will be launched in Tralee on Thursday, 17 May.

Presented by BeeTag Media, in association with ClubHeadBangBang, 'Nicey- Nicey Zoo- Zoo' features the work of Killorglin's Samuel Kemp and Tralee's Dominique Barry and aims to give the viewer 'a simple bright feeling.'

A mixture of oils and watercolours on canvas, ceramics, wood or just plain paper, influenced by the street art scene, it's an inspiring collection that anyone can enjoy.

"The reaction we hope to get is simply a smile,"the pair explain. "When we started our art project we decided to incorporate as many art media as possible and not work under a set theme. What we like about our art is that it gives off a simple bright feeling with no hidden meaning or negativity involved."

Running for one night only before embarking on a nationwide tour, this is your chance to support Kerry's most promising talents on the art scene.

'Nicey-Nicey Zoo- Zoo' will debut in the side room of The Greyhound Bar, Pembroke St, Tralee. The ambiance will be set on the night by the music of Billy the Brand with an experimental mix of improvised jazz and electronica. Doors open at 9.30pm and, as always with ClubHeadBangBang, admission is free.

For further information about this event or BeeTag Media, visit www.myspace.com/beetagmedia for further listings and happenings at Club Head Bang Bang please log onto www.clubheadbangbang.org

Kerry School Of Music

"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." - Edward George Bulwer-Lytton

The Kerry School of Music and Performing Arts is one of this county's most priceless educational resources. With its central office in Tralee and classes also on offer in Killarney, Listowel, Castleisland, Dingle, Kenmare and Caherciveen, it really is county-wide in its reach and so is a wonderful facility for all young Kerry people who love music, singing and dance.

I paid a visit to the High Street HQ in Tralee this week. It was bustling with purposeful young people all facing the prospect of looming exams with contained excitement, good-humoured teachers smiling at me, warm and welcoming staff, patient parents with serious aspects waiting for their offspring and an extremely helpful and vigilant caretaker.

Aidan O'Carroll, the school's founder and principal, believes strongly in giving his pupils every opportunity to perform in public and, to that end, the school is presenting an End of Year Concert in Siamsa Tire on Sunday next, 20th May, with a matinee at 2.30pm and an evening performance at 8.00pm

No less than 1,600 students attend the Kerry School of Music and Performing Arts, which boasts 41 teachers. Both students and teachers alike have been taking time out from their academic and examination work to prepare collaborative performances for this important event, which will involve literally hundreds of students.

This concert is, in fact the third of a four-concert series in which the work of the School's different departments is platformed. On April 21st last the School's Orchestras, Concert Band and Ensembles gave a concert before a packed house at the Brandon Conference Centre.

On Sunday, April 29th, just under four hundred of Colette Maguire Jensen's Ballet and Modern Dance students performed at Killarney's INEC, again before a packed house. On Sunday 10th June, at 1.30pm and 6.30pm, the Tralee, Killarney, Kenmare and Listowel Stage Schools and the Ballet Students of Trisha Meenaghan-Wackrow from Tralee, Kenmare and Listowel will give the fourth of the series in Siamsa Tire, performing Disney's Jungle Book, Snow White and Jack and the Beanstalk.

The concert on May 20th however focuses on instrumental and vocal music. "It will offer a fascinating cross section of the School's work at its various centres," Aidan explains, "and a special aspect of the concert will be solo performances by over twenty students who were awarded Summa cum Lauda (equivalent to over 95%) in the School's internal student assessments prior to Easter. From these will be announced the Junior and Senior Student of the Year."

The School's past students have had phenomenal success and many now work in Theatre, Radio and Television, Opera and Orchestras all over the world. Outstanding past students include Soprano Miriam Murphy, who last year made her Covent Garden debut and won the International Wagner competition in Seattle.

Flautist Cormac Henry, originally from Farmer's Bridge outside Tralee, is now Principal Flautist with the Liverpool Philharmonic and frequently guests with the world's leading orchestras.

"There are so many Miriams and Cormacs coming through our system at present" Aidan observes, "it's incredibly exciting to see the transition from gambolling 4-year-old to mature young artist and to be kept in touch with their career successes. That's the fuel that energises us."

But Aidan points out that the School is not about making "stars". "In this X-Factor age," he says, "when the promise of instant stardom is the preferred drug of so many young people, the School preaches the gospel of hard work, single-minded determination, collaboration and, above all, personal fulfilment through self-development in music and performing arts".

Tickets for the concert are 16 euro and 14 euro and can be booked through Siamsa Tire on 066 712 3055. For further information on the Kerry School of Music and Performing Arts please ring 066 712 5690.

Punchestown

A new era began for Samhlaiocht when Dick Sullivan, manager and CEO of Punchestown racecourse, asked it to organise musicians to entertain the crowds at the Irish National Hunt Festival at Punchestown Racecourse.

With a turnout of 90,868 race goers over the four day meet, it's clear that if there is a national sport in Ireland, it's not football or hurling, but horseracing! During the festival 7000 bottles of Moet, 2000 kegs of lager, 1000 sides of smoked salmon, 1000 racks of lamb and 5000 kilograms of beef were consumed - try doing that at a football match! Samhlaiocht added 10 musical groups to the mix and stood back to watch the show!

Given the promise of sunshine and racing Samhlaiocht had an easy task in tracking down willing performers, with musicians agreeing to participate no matter what corner of Ireland they hailed from. But given that the Irish National Hunt Festival is one of the social events of the year, I was probably more interested in what I should wear than in what musicians I should bring to entertain the crowd! And so I trawled through my wardrobe, quickly realised I had nothing suitable to wear and went mad around town - seeking the most daring of creations, raising hemlines and buying the highest heels in Tralee!

The festival itself is a unique affair, taking place in Kildare, and the county comes to a standstill - imagine the Rose of Tralee in the good old days. But on Steroids!

The fashion at Punchestown has always been a winner and with celebrity judges including Yasmin LeBon and Kerry's own Daithí O' Shea - this year was no different. On Ladies' Day, in particular, fashionistas have the opportunity to strut their stuff, and boy - they do just that!

The musicians, full of enthusiasm, set up amongst the glitterati and with full access to the grounds and reserved enclosure, they spaced out amidst the marquees, grandstand, parade ring, or just in the sunniest available spots to make sure of maximum impact.

The Samhlaiocht musicians included Emmet Scanlan, lead vocalist from 'What the Good Thought', who perched himself cleverly outside the Guinness Reserved Enclosure Bar. The McClintnock family, who came second in the Samhlaiocht Easter Busking competition, drew crowds with their traditional music. Urs and Martin from Coconut Samba and Bobby Lee and Fergal from the Cork Music Collective teamed up with their African drums, proving a resounding success as the boom-boom-ba-boom rhythm rebounded and reverberated throughout the racecourse. Children quickly joined in, laughing, dancing and banging along - and the African drummers became the Family favourite!

House of Cosy Cushions played experimental rock music; whilst singer songwriter Andy Wilson thrilled the crowd. Samhlaiocht's own Ann Roche picked up her guitar for the event, and sang sweetly outside the entrance of the venue, entertaining the ingoing punters. The opportunity to play in front of such a huge audience was superb and the exposure was invaluable with the musicians adding to the festival ambience.

And me? Well I had a flutter or two, a tipple or three, basked in the sunshine and cursed myself for buying the highest heels in Tralee!

If you would like Samhlaiocht to organise entertainment for upcoming corporate events or parties please call Michele on 066 712 9934.

Tommy O'Sullivan

Music lovers are in for a rare treat on May 14th when Tommy O' Sullivan, Chris Stout and Catriona McKay play in St. James' Church in Dingle on the Kerry leg of their nationwide tour.

The tour celebrates Tommy O' Sullivan's second solo album, Song Ablaze, an ambitious project with songs ranging from traditional Irish to traditional American music and on to the works of contemporary writers from both sides of the Atlantic.

The album includes an international cast of stellar musicians including 2006 Grammy award winner, Tim O'Brien, Shetland fiddle master, Chris Stout, and champion harp player, Catriona McKay.

Though living in London, where Tommy was born, O' Sullivan's family was still firmly rooted in its ancestral home of West Kerry, so Tommy's childhood was split between listening to pop music like The Beatles on the radio and to his parents Irish records on the record player. By the time his family returned home to Kerry in the early seventies, Tommy was singing and playing guitar like a pro.

In an area famous for its rich history of music, tradition and language, Tommy started to explore the world of traditional music, dabbling with open guitar tunings and listening to everything he could get his hands on from Paul Brady to the acclaimed West Kerry traditional musicians, The Begley family. And with such a rich tapestry of influences Tommy, through trial, error and experimentation, found his own unique sound.

Returning to London in 1982, Tommy continued to hone his craft, establishing himself as a well respected guitar player and singer. In the spring of '86 he travelled to the U.S. with fiddle player Tommy McCarthy and spent most of that year on America's east coast based in the gambling capitol of Atlantic City. And from there he embarked on his first trip to Denmark, subsequently falling in love with the country and joining Ashplant, a Copenhagen based band with Danish and Irish members.

In 1997 Tommy began touring regularly with ex-Bothy Band virtuoso piper Paddy Keenan, having featured on Paddy’s solo album 'Na Keen Affair'. They later went on to record the much acclaimed album 'The Long Grazing Acre' which was released on the compass label in 2003.The pair continue to tour and appear at festivals worldwide.

Tommy O Sullivan plays in St. James' Church in Dingle on May 14th, doors are at 7.30pm with tickets selling for 12.00 euro available on the night or before hand from Murphys Ice Cream shop on Strand St, Dingle Music Shop on Green St, The Tourist Office at the quay, Siopa Ceoil an Daingean Main Street and the Music House, Orchard lane. Info can be got from 087 284 9656.

Siamsa - Padraig Cusack

Siamsa Tire recently announced the appointment of Padraig Cusack to the position of Chief Executive Officer of the organisation. Padraig, who was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College, Dublin, the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, and University College Cork, will take over the reins of Siamsa on the 3rd of September.

Padraig has a sparkling C.V. that includes stints as Head of Planning and subsequently Associate Producer of the English National Theatre in London, where he worked along such luminaries as Sir Richard Eyre, Sir Trevor Nunn and Nicholas Hytner.

On behalf of the National he produced the premiere of the Tony Award-winning production of Tennessee Willliams' recently discovered play, Not About Nightingales on Broadway, The PowerBook by Jeanette Winterson directed by Deborah Warner in London, Paris and Rome, Primo by Antony Sher in London, Cape Town and New York, and Play Without Words by Matthew Bourne, a co-production with New Adventures, in Moscow, Tokyo, Los Angeles and New York. For the National he has produced several co-productions including Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with Complicite, Emma Rice's Tristan and Yseult with Kneehigh, David Hare's The Permanent Way and Sebastian Barry's Our Lady of Sligo, both with Out of Joint. He has also produced tours of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman and Mike Leigh's Two Thousand Years.

Most recently, Padraig completed an international tour and Broadway season of the multi award-winning play, The History Boys by Alan Bennett, and a national tour of the highly acclaimed The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, which opens on Broadway later this year. His professional career has included work for the London's South Bank Centre and Wigmore Hall, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Opera North in Leeds, Vesuvius Theatre, Dublin and West Yorkshire Marketing Consortium.

"The appointment of Padraig Cusack is a significant step forward for Siamsa Tire in terms of our ambitions," said Lisbeth Mulcahy, Chairwoman of Siamsa. "As a musician, a fluent Irish speaker and with a strong career in producing, programming and touring theatre in Ireland and internationally, he has the experience, vision and knowledge base to turn Siamsa into a truly world class organisation."

Padraig began his career as a cellist, playing with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kreisler String Orchestra, but his musical aspirations were ended prematurely following an accident. From there he moved to Arts Administration, initially at London's premier recital venue, the Wigmore Hall and subsequently at the South Bank Centre's Royal Festival Hall. In 1992, he was appointed Administrative Director of West Yorkshire Playhouse. In association with Cameron Mackintosh, he produced the touring production of the musical Five Guys Named Moe for the Playhouse, touring the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. His freelance work has included work for Opera North, Bantry International Chamber Music Festival, Vesuvius Theatre and West Yorkshire Marketing Consortium.

For more information on Siamsa and its full summer programme please contact Catríona Fallon, Acting Chief Executive Officer, on 066 712 3055 by e-mail at siamsamarketing@eircom.net or log onto www.siamsatire.com

Music Network

Traditional Irish music fans can anticipate an exciting night of high calibre entertainment at a concert in Siamsa Tire in Tralee, this Sunday 13th May. The concert carries the title of Traditional Irish Tour: Music and Song from Coast to Coast.

This performance will feature four exceptionally talented musicians - Maeve Donnelly, Peadar O'Loughlin, Ronan Browne and Sean Corcoran. All four are veterans of the Irish music scene and all four have had outstanding musical achievements, both as individuals and in collaboration with others.

Maeve Donnelly, fiddle player, founded well-loved ceili band Moving Cloud. Maeve, who has won many All-Ireland Fiddle competitions, brings a rare quality to her playing. "Passionate, virtuosic, memorable: this is the fiddle music of Maeve Donnelly" (The Wall Street Journal).

Peadar O'Loughlin, whose highly acclaimed duet album The Thing Itself was recorded with Maeve, plays flute, fiddle and uilleann pipes and has been a prominent force in Irish music since the late 1940's. He played on the highly influential 1959 LP "All-Ireland Champions - Violin",which was one of the first LPs of Irish traditional music. He has also performed in the Tulla Ceili Band and Kilfenora Ceili Band.

Ronan Browne is a master of the uilleann pipes who has an international reputation both as a concert performer and a session musician. He began playing the pipes at the age of seven and was fortunate enough to have the famous County Clare piper Willlie Clancy as one of his teachers. He went on to become the original piper with the seminal Afro Celt Sound System and is also the piper on the original recording of Riverdance.

Sean Corcoran is gifted with a remarkable and rich tenor voice that has lead to him working with, among others, Phil Lynott and Paul Brady. Like Ronan he has been involved with the Afro Celt Sound System, where he re-works traditional vocal styles in imaginative new ways, and Riverdance. Sean has toured major festivals and theatres in Europe, North America and Japan.

The combination of these four highly talented musicians guarantees a joyous occasion for all discerning traditional music lovers in Kerry. This impressive line-up is a Music Network presentation and is thus in keeping with Music Network's consistently high standards.

Formed in 1986 by the Arts Council, Music Network's aim is "to make live music of the highest quality available and accessible to everyone in the country, regardless of their location or circumstance, while supporting the career development of highly skilled Irish and international artists."

This is a noble ethos and one deserving of support so come along and make the most of this excellent opportunity. The concert starts at 8.00pm. Tickets are just 15 euro, with concessions selling for 13 euro.

The Music Network website is full of information on all its activities, such as its excellent Music in Healthcare programme. It's well worth a visit. That's www.musicnetwork.ie

Feile na Bealtaine, which takes place over the first week in May in Dingle, scored a major coup with the opening of an exhibition of works selected by Maura and George McClelland from their personal collection and the McClelland Collection at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, IMMA.

George McClelland had an early start in collecting art - forking over the princely sum of ten shillings for a piece when he was a boy in Omagh in Co. Tyrone. From such an inauspicious beginning George and his Kerry-born wife, Maura, opened a gallery next to their antique shop in Belfast in the 1960's and went on to build up a collection that reads like a who's who of Irish art.

Over the years some of the collection has been sold while new works have been constantly added. In 1999 the McClellands offered over 400 paintings, sculptures and drawings to IMMA for a loan period of five years. The subsequent sale of the collection to Noel Smyth and the donation of almost half of the collection to the Museum allowed Maura and George to start a new collecting campaign and this exhibition draws from both the private collection and the works now in the IMMA collection.

The exhibition was opened by Catherine Marshall, Senior Curator and Head of Collections at IMMA until 2006 and now on secondment to the Arts Council, in Siopa na bhFiodoiri in Dingle, the combined studio and retail outlet of Lisbeth Mulcahy, one of Ireland's best known designer / weavers and tapestry artists.

While it's always remarkable to see a collection of work by such internationally renowned artists as Jack B. Yeats and Daniel O' Neill, this exhibition is particularly significant in the way it afforded people the opportunity to see the art in a non traditional setting. Being able to wander around Dingle on a gloriously sunny May Day and in the evening popping in to see a priceless collection of art before heading to the pub and watching the Champions League semi final might not strike everyone as fun but it pleased the bejabbers out of me!