Ballintubbert House and Gardens to host celebration of life and work of Leonard Cohen
Author and broadcaster John MacKenna
BALLINTUBBERT House, birthplace of the poet C Day Lewis and former home of the actor John Hurt, will host a celebration of the life and work of Leonard Cohen on Saturday 7 November. The performance will coincide with the tenth anniversary of the internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter's death.
On the night, writer John MacKenna, a 30-year friend of Cohen's, and Shane Sullivan, a magical interpreter of Cohen's songs, will present Absent Friend, an evening of music, reminiscence, extracts from Leonard Cohen's poetry and pieces of theatre inspired by Cohen's songs in what promises to be a wonderfully entertaining and thought-provoking evening.
Cohen and MacKenna met in the 1980s and their friendship lasted until his death in 2016. In the months before he died, Cohen and MacKenna worked on 'Between Your Love and Mine', a mass for theatre, and Shane Sullivan took one of the leading roles in that production, which toured the country, played at Aras an Uachtaráin and sold out the National Concert Hall.
On 7 November, that friendship, those songs, poems and stories will be presented by Shane Sullivan and John MacKenna in the wonderful setting of Ballintubbert House. This is sure to be an evening of beautiful music, warmth, nostalgia and celebration of one of the finest songwriters and poets of the 20h century.
Tickets for Absent Friend can be booked online at Eventbrite or will be available on the door on the night. The evening begins at 8pm and admission is €16.
