Lots of attractions for Culture Night, tomorrow night
Members of Laois Arts Office and organisers at the launch of this year's Culture Night, which takes place at venues throughout Laois, this Friday night
ACROSS Laois, Culture Night will bring towns, villages and communities together for an evening of creativity, curiosity and shared experience on Friday 18 September. This national celebration will see artists, cultural groups, libraries, venues and local organisations present a wide programme of free events across the county.
Events nationwide and locally will include experiences dedicated to music, dance, film, theatre, visual art, spoken word, craft and heritage, to name but a few; Abbeyleix, Ballylinan, Castletown, Clonad, Donaghmore, Emo, Mountmellick, Portarlington, Portlaoise, Rosenallis and Stradbally will all play host to this year’s events in Laois.
In Abbeyleix library, visitors can experience Undercurrent, an exhibition by NCAD artists Gillian Adams and Sally-Anne Cahill, exploring historical garments, textiles, acrylic paint and the relationship between clothing, freedom and the natural world.
In Ballylinan, St Anne’s hall will host a community celebration with the Eva Pannett School of Irish Dancing, local singers and musicians, while Castletown will once again come alive with light, music and story as Castletown tidy towns presents an evening of local performances.
At Castletown Community Centre, Bubblelock will present The One, a contemporary dance performance bringing together young dancers from the Laois Youth Dance Ensemble. At Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise-based Kathak artist Moumita Pal will present Across the Sea, an inter-disciplinary performance inspired by WB Yeats and Rabindranath Tagore, with original music by Sagnik Chakraborty.
Film, language and heritage will also be strongly represented. Clonad GAA/CLG Chluain Fhada will host a special Irish language evening around the drama Fidil Ghorm, complete with refreshments, traditional music and conversation. In Donaghmore, the historic corn mill and kiln will provide an atmospheric setting for The Caochaleleles and an introduction to IVETA’s ongoing work to restore the heritage site and develop its future as a museum.
Portlaoise will be a major hub of activity, with Music Generation Laois presenting a youth open mic night in the newly developed youth space at the People’s Park, Borrislittle; a men’s shed ukulele session will also take place at Connect Café in the Compass Community Hub. At St Fintan’s campus, Laois and Offaly Community Rehabilitation and Recovery Mental Health Services will host an inclusive celebration of music, dance, poetry and visual art, inspired by connection and community participation.
Dunamaise Arts Centre will open its doors for an evening of film, theatre, musical theatre, dance and spoken word, including a screening celebrating Ukrainian musician Taras Kompanichenko, a behind-the-scenes staged situational play with John Doheny and Kevin Lalor Fitzpatrick; Portlaoise Musical Society launch of Young Frankenstein, Moumita Pal’s Across the Sea and a playful social arts experience with Felispeaks and Big Kids Klub. Portlaoise library will also welcome the Drawing Room Opera Company for an enchanting evening of Irish song, musical theatre and operatic classics Culture night in Laois is brought to you by the Arts Council in partnership with Laois Co Council and is organised by Laois Arts Office.
For a full list of events taking place in Laois and nationwide, visit Laois Co Council website.
