Rich menu in Laois for Culture Night feast
At the Laois Culture Night launch were Muireann Nií Chonaill, arts officer; cathaoirleach Cllr. Barry Walsh; chief executive Michael Rainey; head of services, culture and finance Julie Bergin; asst. arts officer Monica Flynn and Laois Community Choir representatives with musical director Nuala Kelly. Photo: Michael Scully
A RICH menu of events will be served on Culture Night in Laois, with a feast of exhibitions, workshops and performances across the county on Friday 19 September.
Community groups, arts organisations and individuals will open their doors for a series of free events, programmed especially for the annual nationwide celebration of creativity and the arts.
Indian and contemporary dance, spoken word, musical performances and art exhibitions are just some of the treats planned in Laois, on a night organisers describe as “an extravaganza of cultural events”.
will be brought to life in light, music and story in Castletown, while Clonad GAA will screen the multi-award-winning film An Cailín Ciúin, followed by a harp recital and evening of Irish conversation.
Power of Words will share one of their boutique spoken word and music evenings in Mooney’s pub in Abbeyleix, while nearby Shanahoe has curated a wonderful evening of music with performances from CUA and the Laois School of Music adult orchestra in the community hall.
As always, Portarlington has gone all out with its popular Culture Crawl organised by Port Arts Collective, which will showcase the creative talents of the local community.
Highly popular folk singer Emer Dunne and her band will perform on her home turf in Mountmellick and folk music will also be to the fore at Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise, with a concert by BBC and RTÉ folk singer of the year Ríoghnach Connolly.
The visual arts will be strongly represented, with an exhibition at Laois Arthouse Gallery and Studios in Stradbally by artist Paul Cashin. Bloom HQ in Mountrath will showcase works by Kevin McCann, Mike Rafter and Antoinette Breen in the Gallery of Divine Inspiration. Artist Mary Slevin will open her studio in Killenard for the afternoon and give one of her fascinating collage workshops.
Dance in several forms, including contemporary and Indian, will add another layer of colour to this year’s programme. Contemporary dance artist Annekatrin Kiesel will unveil her new work SWAMP, while award-winning Tamil dance artist Bubbelock will share his spectacular talents over two workshops.
Meanwhile, Laois Libraries will host a vibrant variety of events around the county, including perormances by Spink and Mountmellick Comhaltas, storytelling in Portlaoise and Mountrath and an evening of music, comedy and dance with Ann Moylan in Rathdowney.
Culture Night is organised by The Arts Council in partnership with Laois County Council, with support from Creative Ireland Laois. The full programme and more information is available at www.laois.ie/culture-night, or contact the Arts Office, County Hall, Portlaoise at 057 8664033/866 4192 or artsoff@laoiscoco.ie.
