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www.nuigalway.ie/artsinaction
facebook.com/artsinactionnuigalway
Calvary by W.B. Yeats, 1954,
Lyric theatre Archive
Cover image courtesy of
James Hardiman Library
New part-time and full-time
Postgraduate opportunities in
Drama and Theatre
Film
Writing
Arts Policy & Practice
Applications Welcome up to 1st August
Inspiring
a New Generation of Artists
www.nuigalway.ie/culturalconnections
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Tá ról tábhachtach ag OÉ Gaillimh i saol cultúrtha an cheantair
seo agus na tíre ar fad. Táimid ag tacú leis na blianta le pobal
bríomhar ealaíontóirí ar an gcampas, ealaíontóirí a rinne
saibhriú ar chultúr na tíre. NUI Galway plays a key role in the cultural life of our region
and of the nation. Over the years we’ve supported a vibrant
artistic population on campus which has enriched national
culture.
Many cultural organisations and initiatives trace their origins
to our campus, among these, Druid Theatre Company, An
Taibhdhearc, Macnas, Music for Galway, Galway Ensemble
in Residence and Galway International Arts Festival - each
founded by students and members of the University community.
NUI Galway enjoys close and productive relations with
many arts organisations across the island of Ireland. We
recognise the important role which the arts play in social
and economic development and we are committed to working
with cultural organisations and creative industries to further
this development. Through our teaching, our research
and our partnerships with cultural organisations we want
to ensure national leadership for Galway in the arts and
creative industries.
The innovative Arts in Action programme is a unique aspect
of NUI Galway campus life, which encourages our students
to engage with, and participate in, the creative arts during
their studies. It offers our students high-quality artistic
events throughout the academic year, thereby enhancing
their learning experience immeasurably.
This year Arts in Action has a very special twin focus.
In Semester 1 the programme looks northwards, focussing on
the culture of Northern Ireland. I’m delighted to acknowledge
the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in
developing this new and diverse element of the programme.
For the second semester the programme will focus on the year
of commemoration, looking at the 1916 Rising through the
various arts forms of music, literature, theatre, photography
and with a focus on the impact of the political revolution on
cultural forms and on the place of women in society.
The programme is rich in collaboration and draws together
many of the strengths of academic life at NUI Galway. These
include innovative partnerships between the James Hardman
Library and the Lyric Theatre Belfast; between our Medical
School Orchestra and a range of academic disciplines; all
the while enriched by a wonderful array of artists, musicians,
writers and scholars.
I commend the Arts in Action programme to all members
of the campus community. Mholfainn clár Arts in Action do
gach ball de phobal an champais. Tá súil agam go mbainfidh
sibh go léir an-taitneamh as Arts in Action i rith na bliana.
James J. Browne PhD, DSc, MRIA, C.Eng
Uachtarán - President
July 2015
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DEAN’S MESSAGE
Each year, the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic
Studies organises the Arts in Action programme in order
to encourage students from across every College of the
University to experience the excitement of live performance.
As in previous years, the programme is organised around a
series of short, lunchtime concerts, designed to fit around the
timetable of a busy campus. There will be performances in
almost every week of Semesters 1 and 2. The majority of the
events take place in Áras na Mac Léinn – the hub of student
activities on campus. And, best of all, admission to all of the
Arts in Action events held on campus is free!
None of these events would happen without the selfless
efforts of Mary Mc Partlan, who organises Arts in Action.
This year’s Arts in Action programme has two key themes: a
celebration of the creative talent of the North of Ireland and
the commemoration and remembrance of 1916.
In 1916 the men and women of Ireland were swept up in violent
struggles. Some fought for freedom and self-determination
at home, while others were engaged in a global combat.
The motivations of the individuals involved were many and
varied. Some families were divided by these conflicts and
the people and history of this island were shaped by the
events of that year. In the Republic, the fighting in Dublin
has been annually commemorated but only recently has it
become possible to recognise officially those who fought
on the Western front. In the North, the choice of which set
of combatants to honour was a politically and culturally
charged decision. A century on, our generation can reflect
and mourn and honour and forgive.
Music evokes memory and has the capacity to bring people
together. We are only beginning to recognise that the healing
capacity of music is not just metaphorical but can be literal.
Literature and drama allow the individual to reflect their
own lived experience through identification with universal
themes. Reflection and remembrance promote respect,
reconciliation and renewal.
Come to this year’s Arts in Action series to celebrate and
commemorate but, above all, come to enjoy the power of
creative art!
Dr Edward Herring, Dean,
College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies
CONTRIBUTORS
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: MARY McPARTLAN
Production Manager: Kate Howard
Financial Controller: Caroline Kennedy
Financial Assistant: Catherine Mc Curry
Research:
Barry Houlihan, Archivist, James Hardiman Library;
Professor Sean Ryder, Head of English;
Dr Mary Harris (History), Co-ordinator of 1916 Projects;
Caroline Lynch, Director Special Projects;
Dr Lillis O Laoire, Senior Lecturer, Irish.
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Very Special thanks to: John Cox, University Librarian,
James Hardiman Library; Kieran Hoare, Archivest; Professor
Donncha O’Connell, Head of School, Law; Staff at the Medical
School and Medical Orchestra; Carl Hession, Deirdre Van Der
Putten, Riona Hughes and Staff at Sox Box Buildings; Brendan
McGowan, Galway City Museum; Tom Kenny, Historian; Dr.
Seán Dineen, Head of Medical School; Dr. Gerard Flaherty,
Senior Lecturer & Director of Programmes Medical School;
Maria McAlister; Susan McKay, Author & Journalist; Philip
Crawford, Lyric Theatre; Willie Doherty, Artist/Photographer;
Catherine McConville.
NORTHERN STARS
“Northern Stars” a series of
performances featuring the
brightest new creative lights
from north of the border.
NUI Galway
NUI Galway’s Arts in Action programme is a significant
contribution to the life of that University and to the greater
understanding of the full range of the arts on the island of
Ireland. The decision to focus in particular on performances
of traditional music and spoken word from some of Northern
Ireland’s most talented artists and musicians is greatly
welcome and a ground-breaking initiative very much to be
commended.
Northern Ireland has a proud musical heritage boasting
institutions and individuals that have made a significant
impact on the world stage. We are very pleased to support
NUI Galway in this Arts In Action programme. Traditional
music has always occupied a special place in the distinctive
cultures of Northern Ireland and this lunchtime series is an
opportunity for our artists to share their music with new
audiences.
One of the many highlights of the programme features Armagh
uilleann piper, Conor Mallon, who is a current recipient of
the Young Musicians’ Platform Award through the Arts
Council of Northern Ireland and BBC Northern Ireland. As
part of this award, Connor performed earlier this year to
great acclaim with the Ulster Orchestra in a BBC television
St Patrick’s Day concert.
Another must-see is Belfast-born composer, cellist and
uilleann piper Neil Martin. This outstanding musician has
composed extensively for theatre, performing in both the
Albert and Carnegie halls, the BBC proms and at the Palazzo
Vecchio in Florence, Italy. He has also collaborated with Bryn
Terfel, Christy Moore and leading symphony orchestras.
These are just two of the highlights of a strong representation
from Northern Ireland. We would urge you not to miss the
equally brilliant Cathal Hayden, Emer Mallon, Bedlam Theatre
Company, Róise Nic Corraidh, Conor Caldwell, Abby Oliveira,
Niall Murphy, Liz Doherty, Fintan Vallely, Tiarnán Ó Duinnchin
and the Lyric Theatre Belfast.
The Arts in Action programme is a very significant contribution
by NUI Galway to the arts, to traditional music and to all with
an interest in contemporary cultural expression. in addition,
it offers a valuable first step in what one hopes will be a
regular exchange of engagement with artists from Northern
Ireland. I wish it great success and look forward to future
collaborations with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Bob Collins
Chair, Arts Council of Northern Ireland
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CONOR MALLON & EMER MALLON
Ceol Ó Mealláin –Píob is Cláirseach
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Conor Mallon started his musical career with the Armagh
Pipers Club where he attended Uilleann Pipe lessons. He has
progressed through the ranks and is now one of the senior
teachers at the club.
Conor is the recent winner of the ACNI/BBC NI Young
Traditional Musicians Platform award and subsequently
was a guest musician with the Ulster Orchestra and with
the award winning Foden’s Brass Band. Conor is a Senior
County, Ulster and All-Ireland Champion on Uilleann Pipes
in the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and has won many other
awards including the Uilleann Piping Scholarship by the Na
Píobairí Uilleann Dublin in 2008 and was the first recipient of
the Mark Donnelly Bursary for Uilleann Piping Award in 2010.
Conor has performed at many festivals in Ireland, Europe and
the USA including the William Kennedy Piping festival, Piping
Live in Glasgow, the Milwaukee Irish Fest and has toured
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Date: October 1st
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
extensively with Comhaltas. He has performed for a number
Radio shows, TV programmes for RTE, TG4 and the BBC
Emer Mallon from Keady County Armagh is a multiinstrumentalist and leading harpist. As a session musician
and performer she has thrilled audiences at festivals across
Ireland, Europe and the USA including the William Kennedy
in Armagh, Tonder in Denmark, Piping Live in Glasgow
and the Milwakee Irish Fest in the USA. Emer is a prolific
performer, appearing on numerous TV & Radio shows for
the BBC, TG4, and RTÉ.
As a harp tutor with the prestigious Armagh Pipers Club she
is inspiring the next generation of traditional Irish musicians.
In addition to all this Emer is a qualified music teacher and
holds an Honours degree in Music and a PGCE from the
University of Ulster.
BEDLAM THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
MOJO MICKYBO BY OWEN McCAFFERTY
Suas an Bóthar, Trasna an Droichid
Date: October 8th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
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Bedlam Theatre Company consists of actors and producers
who graduated from Queen’s University Belfast. Now working
professionally across Ireland they have come together to
cultivate a unique theatrical style and have already been
described as ‘a new force to be reckoned with on the Irish
theatre scene.’ (Sean Kelly, CQAF Director).
Seamus O’Hara: Seamus’ most recent work was with Tinderbox
Theatre Company in Jimmy McAleavey’s Unhome (Dir. Mick
Duke), in the MAC. Other theatre credits include work with
Kabosh and in The Playhouse, Derry with The Clearing, as
well as in Chatterbox Theatre Company’s body of work. He
has TV and film credits with Lamb Productions: Vultures
(Dir. Joe McStravick) and One the Road Home (Dir. Richard
Crawford), as well as having worked with Oscar winning
film-maker Oonagh George on Off Sides and as a recurring
character in BBC NI’s 6 Degrees.
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After a sell-out run in the Lyric Theatre’s Naughton Studio
and the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, Mojo Mickybo
arrives in Galway.
FA O I I Á N t S
Mojo Mickybo is a vibrant and fast-paced tale of two boys
growing up in Belfast in the early 1970s — one from “up
the road” the other from “over the bridge”. Their friendship
centres on playing headers, spitting from cinema balconies and
re-enacting Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, blissfully
unaware of the violence brewing around them.
Christopher Grant: Christopher Grant is a Lyric Theatre
Drama Studio graduate, recent theatre credits include, The
Lost Martini (Accidental Theatre/Richard Lavery), iSpy (Big
Telly/Zoe Seaton), Pineapple written by Ronan Blaney (Oscar
Nominee) (Accidental Theatre/JP Conaghan) and Breathing
Water (Chatterbox Productions/Eilise McNicholas). Chris
has recently appeared in Scup (BBC/TG4) and The Sparticle
Mystery (CBBC). He also played Boy (Lead) in Coviro
Productions The Secret Life of Balloons which was nominated
for the Young Film Maker Award at 2014 Cinemagic and will
be shown at the British Film Institute’s Raw Film Festival. NA
Mojo Mickybo by Owen Mc Cafferty
Directed by David Grant Starring Christopher Grant and Seamus O’Hara 7
RÓISE NIC CORRAIDH
WITH SPECIAL GUEST LILLIS O LAOIRE
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Rugadh agus tógadh Róise Nic Corraidh i mBéal Feirste
agus is sa chathair sin a cuireadh oideachas uirthi. Chuir
sí suim sna seanamhráin agus í sna déaga nuair a tháinig sí
faoi anáil a hathar agus sheanfhondúirí Chumann Chluain
Ard. Ghlac sí páirt sna comórtais amhránaíochta faoi aois
sa Fhleádh Cheoil agus ag Oireachtas na Gaeilge. Is dócha
gur fíor a rá gur le stíl Chúige Uladh a chuaigh sí sa mhéid is
gur ó amhránaithe Thír Chonaill a d’fhoghlaim sí a ceird ach
tá spéis mhór aici i stíl Chonamara agus Mhúscraí. Bhain sí
céim onóracha amach i dTeanga agus Litríocht na Gaeilge
in Ollscoil Uladh agus roghnaigh sí an sean-nós mar ábhar
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Date: October 15th
Venue: Siobhan McKenna Theatre,
Arts Millennium Building
Time: 1–2pm
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Smólach Loch Lao
a miontráchtais fochéime. San am i láthair tá sí ag gabháil
do chéim mháistreachta sa Nua-Ghaeilge agus mar ábhar a
miontráchtais iarchéime tá sí ag fiosrú stíl sean-nóis Thír
Chonaill ag leibhéal níos doimhne
Dr. Lillis Ó Laoire lectures in Irish and is Senior Lecturer in
the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at NUI
Galway. He has published award winning books on the songs
of Tory Island and with Seán Williams on the life and singing
of Joe Heaney. He is a well known performer who has sung
at many International Festivals.
CONOR CALDWELL & DANNY DIAMOND
Danny Diamond is a fiddle player based in Dublin, Ireland. In
his music Danny explores a unique sound-world, rooted in the
rich heritage of Irish traditional music, but incorporating wider
influences from Nordic and American folk to baroque music
to experimental pop. He plays with the Irish traditional band
Mórga, the experimental acoustic trio Slow Moving Clouds
and released his debut solo album Fiddle Music in July 2014,
which was widely acclaimed as one of the top Irish traditional
releases of the year.
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Date: October 22nd
Venue: Siobhan McKenna Building
Time: 1–2pm
FA O I I Á N t S
Téada Aduaidh
the traditions of Donegal and Belfast as well as old-time
American music and historically-informed approaches to
ornamentation and variation.
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Conor Caldwell’s music is influenced by his role as a researcher
of the Irish music tradition. Studies of the Donegal tradition,
and in particular John Doherty, have more recently given way
to research on collections of Irish music dating from c.1650
to c.1950, the song tradition and the importance of lilting
in the 19th century. Conor has an active interest in reviving
older forms of Irish music which have been lost from the aural
tradition, particularly the instrumental music contained in
the collections of Edward Bunting and George Petrie. He
has recorded with the Belfast band Craobh Rua who have
an international touring profile and specialise in music and
songs from Belfast and the north of Ireland. Conor’s style
is informed by myriad influences including classical music,
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ABBY OLIVEIRA
Date: October 29th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
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Oirfide Ildánach
FA O I I Á N t S
Abby Oliveira is a performance poet, based
in Derry. She was recently the winner of the
inaugural Lingo Spoken-Word Festival poetry
slam. She has performed alongside and
supported artists such as Damien Dempsey,
Scroobius Pip, Hollie McNish and Polarbear. Her poem ‘Branded’ was included in the 2013
Anthology of New Irish Writing (New Island
Books). Abby will present a section of her first
solo performance poetry show at her lunchtime
performance, which incorporates elements
of poetry and story-telling, performance
and music.
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NIALL MURPHY
With special guest Fiddle and Banjo Player Cathal Hayden
In 2012 he won the All Ireland Senior Fiddle Championship after winning several
silver medals along the way. He has been crowned Junior Fiddler of Oriel and then
proceeded to win the senior in 2010/2011 , being the first person to win three back to
back titles. Niall was also awarded 1st place at the coveted senior Fiddler of Dooney
competition in 2011. He also holds a prestigious BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award. He has shared stages and bills with the likes of The Cheiftains, Sinead O’Connor,
Paul Brady, Van Morrisson, Foy Vance, Richard Thompson, Seasick Steve, Rosanne
Cash, Treacherous Orchestra, Maura O’Connell, The Dubliners and many more. He
has toured extensively around Europe playing on main stages at Cambridge Folk
Festival, Cropredy Folk Festival and Ortigueira Celtic Music Festival to name a few. He
also toured with Bluegrass legend, Dan Tyminski (famous for his vocals on Aviciis
Hey Brother track and core member of The Alison Krauss and Union Station band.
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He is currently a member of Cara Dillon’s trio and full band and is also the featured
fiddle player on her latest album A Thousand Hearts.
FA O I I Á N t S
Fidléir Oirialla
Niall Murphy, hailing from Camlough, South Armagh, has already carved a reputation
for himself amongst highly renowned musicians and singers around the world in
Irish Traditional, English Folk and Country and Bluegrass circles. NA
Date: November 5th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
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W.B. Yeats always looked west.
Yeats & the West tells the story of the places and people
that made a western cultural revolution. Discover what
the west meant to Yeats, and what this means to us.
An exhibition of
western worlds
June – December 2015
Hardiman Research Building
NUI Galway
Through original artworks, rare books, music, drama,
video, and a wealth of exclusive material from
archives at NUI Galway and around the world, Yeats
& the West explores the crafts, collaborations, and
landscapes that revolutionized modern Ireland.
Featuring Jack B. Yeats, J.M Synge, Lady Gregory,
Antoine Ó Rafteirí, Thoor Ballylee, Coole Park,
Loughrea Cathedral, National Library of Ireland,
Abbey Theatre, Lyric Theatre and the American West.
FREE ADMISSION
OPEN: 9 – 5 Monday – Friday
Saturdays from 20 July
Daily from 7 September
For updates and events visit
yeatsandthe west.org
LIZ DOHERTY, FINTAN VALLELY, TIARNÁN Ó DUINNCHIN
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Liz Doherty is a fiddle player from Buncrana, Co. Donegal.
She has recorded two solo albums and also was a member of
traditional bands Fiddlesticks, Nomos and the Bumblebees.
Liz has also performed with Riverdance. She has taught fiddle
at several world festivals of music from the United States, to
Australia and throughout Europe. She is an academic and
lectures at the University of Ulster, Magee Campus Derry.
Tiarnán Ó Duinnchin is an award winning Uilleann Piper from
Co. Monaghan. He has toured the world as a solo piper and
was also a member of several traditional bands to include
Máire Ni Bhraonáin (Clannad) with whom he recorded two
albums. He is also a presenter of arts programmes for BBC,
TG4 and RTÉ television.
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Í Féin is Iad Siúd
Date: November 12th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
Fintan Vallely is a traditional musician, singer and also a writer
on Traditional Music from Co. Armagh. He was a traditional
music correspondent and reviewer with the Irish Times and
Sunday Tribune in the 1990’s and went on to write his major
work Companion to Irish Traditional Music, the encyclopaedia
of Irish Traditional Music. His other books cover Traditional
Music in Ulster and include his Complete Guide to Learning
the Irish Flute drawing on his PhD research. He has lectured
at NUI Maynooth, University of Ulster Derry City and Queen’s
University Belfast.
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‘FIGHTING THE WAVES’: MARY O’MALLEY,
W.B. YEATS AND NORTHERN IRELAND
NUI GALWAY AND LYRIC THEATRE BELFAST IN A DRAMATIC COLLABORATION
TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE AND WORK OF MARY O’MALLEY AND THE WORK OF
W.B YEATS IN NORTHERN IRELAND.
FA O I I Á N t S
LUNCHTIME
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Date: November 19th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
Mary O’Malley
Mary O’Malley (Hickey), was born in Mallow, Co. Cork in 1918
and would develop from her childhood a life-long passion and
enthusiasm for the theatre. O’Malley describes her “first big
adventure” to the theatre being at age six and seeing Dion
Boucicault’s Colleen Bawn at the local town hall in Mallow,
and was “wildly excited by it”. O’Malley’s first visit to the Abbey
Theatre, Dublin, aged thirteen, accompanied by her older
brother, Gerard, allowed O’Malley to see W.B. Yeats in the flesh
and experience being at the National Theatre. This would be
the beginning of a continuous connection between O’Malley
and the artistic and theatrical spirit of Yeats.
Following a move to Dublin, Mary would meet Pearce O’Malley,
a doctor and graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast and they
married in September 1947 and moved to Belfast.
It is in the O’Malley family home in Belfast that Mary established
the Lyric Players. Along with a group of friends and family, O’Malley
directed, designed and produced an extraordinary volume of
work, beginning in 1951, notably the plays of W.B. Yeats and
leading European playwrights which were not often staged in
Ireland at the time. The first season in 1951 consisted of three
plays, including At the Hawk’s Well by W.B. Yeats. Yeats was a
foundational, constant presence and influence on O’Malley and
the endeavours of the Lyric Players and the Lyric Theatre, from
their journey of amateur to professional and forging ahead to
become a ‘National’ theatre for Northern Ireland.
The tension and fragility of peace and life in Northern Ireland
was a further influence on the Lyric Theatre as it developed
in the backdrop to the emerging Civil Rights movement and
later throughout the Troubles. O’Malley would recount how at
the point of breakdown of the Sunningdale talks in 1974, “In
my bones, and for the first time, I felt a certain despair.” The
political position of Northern Ireland and the ongoing conflict
would resonate through O’Malley’s formidable personality and
incidents such as controversy regarding the playing of the British
National Anthem at the theatre, which would see O’Malley
step-down from the Lyric Theatre Board for a period of time.
W.B. Yeats at Coole Park
The growth of the Lyric Players group to the Lyric Theatre as
we know it today, from amateur to professional, is an incredible
journey and which is dominated by the tireless work and
vision of Mary O’Malley. The presence of Yeats is embodied
in the Lyric Theatre. The growth of the theatre was a cultural
revolution for Northern Ireland as much as the Abbey Theatre
was in the South.
The Lyric Theatre archive is a detailed record of the growth
and development of the theatre and its founding director,
Mary O’Malley. This event will mine and explore that archive,
share new material and present a live event that will draw
the audience into the Yeats-inspired Belfast and world of
Mary O’Malley and the birth of a new theatre across a time
of immense social, political and artistic change.
As part of the Arts in Action programme, two students from
NUIG and two students from the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, will
work together with Caroline Lynch, Writer, Actress, NUI Galway
graduate and Theatre Director, to present a new piece of writing
based on the extensive archive of Mary O’Malley and the Lyric
Theatre, which is held at the James Hardiman Library, NUI
Galway and researched by archivist Barry Houlihan.
This collaboration is a unique occasion for the student actors
from Galway and Belfast to meet and work together on a
project whose central character was full of determination
and belief in the power of theatre to bring individuals together
and turn them into a group whose power is greater than the
sum of its parts. By exploring the Lyric Theatre archive of
the James Hardiman Library, the story of Mary O’Malley’s
journey and the history of Yeats’ work in Northern Ireland
will reach new audiences in this the 150th anniversary of the
birth of W.B. Yeats.
Images courtesy of Lyric Theatre/O’Malley Archive, James
Hardiman Library
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NEIL MARTIN & ROD McVEY
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The music that Neil and Rod will perform will draw largely
on Neil’s compositions that show something of his work
across various genres – from adaptations of his chamber
and orchestral scores, to airs and tunes very-much based
within the Irish traditional style. Belfast-born Neil Martin is a composer and musician
with an international reputation who enjoys a most varied
and rewarding career encompassing dance, theatre, film,
television, radio, symphonic concert hall, stage and studio.
A cellist and an uilleann piper, he has collaborated with
many leading artists, including Liam O’Flynn, Bryn Terfel,
Jean Butler, Sam Shepard, Stephen Rea, LSO, RPO, all the
principle orchestras in Ireland, Christy Moore, The Dubliners,
The Chieftains, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Altan, Shaun Davey,
Mary Black and Donal Lunny. In his roles as producer, arranger
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Date: November 26th
Venue: The Aula
Time: 1–2pm
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Cumadóirí Ceoil
and musician Neil has contributed to more than a hundred
albums and performance venues range from Carnegie Hall
to Mostar Bridge, from the Royal Albert Hall to the Palazzo
Vecchio. He has scored music for plays on Broadway and in
the West End, and his ground-breaking work with the West
Ocean String Quartet has been lauded globally.
Rod McVey is universally accepted as one of the finest
keyboard players in Ireland. He has collaborated with many
leading musicians, including Van Morrison, The Corrs, Christy
Moore, Liam O’Flynn, Ronan Keating and Dolores Keane. He
has worked extensively as a record producer and session
musician over the last 25 years and has covered a very broad
cross-section of genres in those fields. Rod also composes
for television and theatre. NUI GALWAY CHORAL SCHOLARS
DIRECTED BY CHORAL MASTER MARK DULEY WITH SPECIAL GUEST RAMIN HAGHJOO
Ramin Haghjoo is an organist and pianist originally
from California with a B.M. in Piano as well as an
M.A. and Ph.D. in Music Theory from the University
of California. After working as a music director and
performer in the San Francisco Bay Area, he moved
to Galway in September 2012 where he now teaches
music at Maoin Cheoil na Gaillimhe.
In September 2012 NUI Galway and the Collegiate
Church of St. Nicholas entered into a new partnership
with the establishment of twenty choral scholarships
for promising young NUI Galway student singers.
The scholars form a small chamber choir offering
a high level of engagement and achievement and a
first-rate musical and vocal training.The choir is one
of the four ensembles that constitute St Nicholas
Schola Cantorum, one of Ireland’s newest and most
exciting choral initiatives, and thus plays its part in
this revival and re-imagining of the church’s ancient
medieval college of singing clerics and choristers.The
choral scholars sing at services in the church as well
as at events within the University and elsewhere.
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Comhcheadal
na Scoláirí
Date: January 21st
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
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They are under the direction of Mark Duley, organist
of St. Nicholas’ and one of Ireland’s most respected
choral directors. The NUI Galway Staff Choir make
their debut with Arts In Action and are welcomed as
special guest performers.
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FA O I I Á N t S
THE JAMES HARDIMAN LIBRARY, IN COLLABORATION
WITH ARTS IN ACTION IS DELIGHTED TO HOST THE
SECOND ANNUAL JEAN RITCHIE LECTURE
GIVEN BY HER SON MR. JON PICKOW
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I gCuimhne ar Jean
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Date: January 28th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
FA O I I Á N t S
Jean Ritchie’ and Seamus Ennis
Image Courtesy of James Hardiman Library
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The late and much missed Jean Ritchie, through her voice
and warmth, brought different people, cultures and traditions
together, from her native Appalachia, across the United States
and to the world. She is a defining figure in the folk singing
tradition and folk revival of the mid-20th Century and the
annual Jean Ritchie Lecture, supported by the James Hardiman
Library, holder of the Ritchie-Pickow archive, is testament to
continuing that legacy. Jean Ritchie passed away peacefull at
her home in Berea, KY on Monday, June 1st 2015. She was 92.
Jean Ritchie, singer, folklorist and dulcimer player was born
on 8 December 1922 in Viper, Kentucky. She was the youngest
of a family of 14 children, known as The Singing Ritchies. It is
often said that as a result of having brought a dulcimer with her
when she moved to New York in the late 1940s, Ms. Ritchie is
credited with almost single-handedly reviving interest in that
instrument, which is held in the lap and plucked.
Jean Ritchie has regaled audiences at some of the world’s
most famous stages, from Carnegie Hall, New York to the Royal
Albert Hall, London. However, it is through her connection to
the West of Ireland that she is also fondly remembered, as she
and her husband, George Pickow, travelled to Ireland in 1952
and 1953, documenting and collecting song, folk and traditional
music, as well as making a large photographic record of their
visit. Jean graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1946
and taught for a time thereafter. In 1952, she was awarded a
Fulbright Scholarship to enable her to research the origins of
her family’s songs in Great Britain and Ireland. Her husband
George Pickow, a photographer, accompanied her and they
spent approximately eighteen months recording folk songs and
traditional musicians and taking photographs. The photographs
include photographs of many well-known uileann pipe players,
for example Seamus Ennis, Michael Reagh, the McPeake trio,
Leo Rowsome; vocalists, including Elizabeth Croinin, Sarah
Makem and Mary Toner and story tellers, such as Patcheen
Faherty from the Aran Islands.
As well as assisting his wife in her research George Pickow
also used the opportunity to do features on aspects of Irish
life. Christmas celebrations with straw boys and wren boys,
life on the Aran Islands, Dublin scenes, the development of
Dublin Airport, operations of the Garda Síochána at Dublin
Castle, and Irish sporting activities, such as road bowling,
hurling, coursing, hunting and racing. Photographs were
also taken of traditional Irish crafts, for example spinning,
weaving, thatching and crios and sliotar making. In 1996
the Ritchie-Pickow Photographic Archive was acquired by
the James Hardiman Library, National University of Ireland,
Galway, along with tapes of sound recordings.
This year, Arts in Action is delighted to welcome Jon Pickow,
son of Jean Ritchie to deliver the annual Jean Ritchie Lecture.
The event will be supported by NUI Galway Trad Society.
Jean Ritchie’ with Tommy Makem and Friends
Image Courtesy of James Hardiman Library
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CAOIMHÍN Ó FEARGHAIL
An Déiseach Ceolmhar
Caoimhín Ó Fearghail comes from An Rinn in the west
Waterford Gaeltacht. He started to learn the tin-whistle
at the age of eight, taking lessons from Bobby Gardiner.
He quickly progressed to the uilleann pipes, under the
tutelage of David Power, who has been a big influence
on him. Others influences include Séamus Ennis, Willie
Clancy, Tommy Reck and Patsy Touhey.
He is also self-taught on flute and guitar, inspired by
such diverse flute players as Matt Molloy, Mike Rafferty
and Tom Doorley, and also influenced by the many great
musicians and singers from his home area.
He has featured on a number of albums in the last few years
playing various instruments, including Lá ag Ól Uisce, with
his brother Seán and Tomás Ó Gealbháin.
He has performed frequently at home and abroad, solo
and also with groups like Danú and Caladh Nua.
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He was the 2012 recipient of the TG4 Young Musician of
the Year award (Gradam Ceoil TG4).
Date: February 4th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
DERMOT BYRNE & FLORIANE BLANCKE
Dermot Byrne is one of Ireland’s finest traditional musicians
having been awarded the Irish Television station, TG4’s
Traditional Musician of the Year 2013. He hails from Buncrana
in the Inishowen peninsula, the most northerly part of Donegal,
and has played accordion since a very young age, having learned
from his father Tomás O’Beirn, who comes from Teileann area
of South West Donegal, and is an enthusiastic promoter of the
tradition. Dermot had the good fortune to meet all the greats
of Donegal music, including Johnny Doherty, Con Cassidy
and Tommy Peoples, Danny Meehan and many more, and
they made a great impact on the young Dermot, who went on
to develop a unique style. His seemingly effortless playing,
combined with great subtlety, and a faultless ear, makes him
one of the great accordion players of his generation. As well
as his mastery of the Donegal style and repertoire, Dermot
can turn with ease to other styles and traditions such as
French musette, or South American choro music. He guested
on two Altan recordings The Red Crow and Island Angel and
was a member of the band from 1994 until 2013. Dermot
has guested on collaborations with many great musicians
including Seamus and Manus McGuire, Sharon Shannon,
Frankie Gavin, Pierre Schryer, Tim O’Brien, The Stunning,
NA
Date: February 11th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
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Born in Paris, France, Floriane Blancke is a talented harpist,
fiddler, pianist and vocalist who has been embraced into Irish
Traditional music circles over the past numbers of years. The
grand-daughter of Jazz musician Stanislas Suranyi, her music
has been greatly influenced by this native Hungarian Gypsy
style, and of her grand-mother Marthe Blancke, who was a
classical French violonist. Floriane also studied classical
music for 10 years in the conservatoire of Bordeaux before
spending a few years studying Jazz and World music in the
C.I.A.M Jazz School. After moving to Ireland from France to
pursue a full-time career in Traditional Music in 2006. Floriane
is now recognised as a skilled harpist and has performed
with luminaries such as Sharon Shannon, Brid Harper, Steve
Cooney, Paddy Keenan, Pierre Schryer, Seamus Begley,
Tim Edey. While for the most part, Floriane collaborations
are traditional, she has shown her versatility in sharing the
stage with contemporary artists such as Shane Mc Gowan
of the Pogues and the world renowned vocalist Patti Smith.
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Cairdín is
Cláirseach
Salsa Celtica and the late jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli.
His eponymous solo recording,which he has reissued recently,
received great critical acclaim.
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FA O I I Á N t S
IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SCHOOL OF LAW
Taobh Thall,
Taobh Abhus
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Date: February 18th
Venue: Aula Maxima,
DOWNSTAIRS
Time: 7pm
FA O I I Á N t S
UNAPPROVED ROAD
Image Artist: Willie Doherty
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In Border Lines writers Susan McKay and Vincent Woods will consider the mysteries
of the Irish border, that invisible crack that jitters across the country, overland and
underwater, 300 miles long and no one knows how deep. They’ll also venture into
the ‘no man’s land’ that stretches out on either side of the border. Reading from
their own work and the work of other writers including W B Yeats, Paul Muldoon,
John McGahern and Jennifer Johnston, they will also explore how the border has
been depicted by visual artists, including Miriam de Burca, Willie Doherty and Rita
Duffy, working on either side of it. People died to keep it, people died to do away
with it. But is it really, as comedian Kevin McAleer rashly claimed, “the best little
border in the world?”
Susan McKay is an author and journalist from Derry who has worked to the north,
south, east and west of the border, initially as a community and youth worker, later
as a reporter and writer. She is a former Northern editor of the Sunday Tribune and
her books include Sophia’s Story, Northern Protestants - An Unsettled People and
Bear in Mind These Dead.
Vincent Woods is a writer and broadcaster. His plays include At The Black Pig’s
Dyke and A Cry from Heaven, both of which explore aspects of history, myth, identity
and violent conflict across ancient and modern borderlands of Ireland. He has
made several radio programmes on visual arts and literature in Northern Ireland.
A dramatized production in which actors from the Centre for Drama, Theatre
and Performance NUI Galway present poetry and prose relating to the Gaelic
Revival and the Rising, with Lillis Ó Laoire and Róisín Elsafty performing songs
relating to the period.
The rediscovery of Ireland’s cultural heritage and the promotion of the Irish
language generated much enthusiasm in late nineteenth and early twentiethcentury Ireland. Gaeltachtaí in the West of Ireland, seen as repositories of Irish
language and culture, held a particular attraction for revivalists. Gaelic League
activists sought to bring earlier literature in Irish to a wider public and promoted
the creation of a modern literature in the language. For Patrick Pearse and many
of his followers, the progression from cultural revival to rebellion was a natural
one, but not all revivalists agreed. The political aspirations of the period were
widely explored in poetry, drama, prose and political writings.
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This dramatized Irish language production, narrated by Mary Harris, seeks to
recapture the passions and dreams of the period. Lillis Ó Laoire and Róisín
Elsafty perform songs in Irish that were associated with the Gaelic Revival
and the Easter Rising. Actors present poetry and prose in Irish by Pearse
and other leading figures as well as extracts from Galway writer Pádraic Ó
Conaire’s fictional accounts of the Rising. The event will also feature later
poetic reflections on the Rising.
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Date: February 28th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
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Dís Phíobairí
Date: March 3rd
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
A musical event celebrating and presenting
in concert the musicianship and traditional
piping of 1916 leader Eamonn Ceannt, a
respected uilleann piper and founder of
Cumann na bPíobairí in Dublin. This production
is researched and presented by two of Ireland’s
leading pipers and fluteplayers, Louise Mulcahy
and Conor McKeown.
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Eamon Ceannt was one of the Founding
members of the Irish Volunteers. His unit
saw intense fighting during the Rising but
surrendered when ordered to do so by his
superior officer Patrick Pearse. Ceannt was
held in Kilmainham Gaol until his execution by
firing squad on May 8th 1916. He was aged 34.
FA O I I Á N t S
Conor McKeon was born in Dublin to musical parents, ensuring
traditional music and uilleann piping were both a ubiquitous
presence and an inevitability in his own upbringing.
His earliest teachers were Paul Mc Grattan and Sean Og
Potts as well as Robbie Hannon, with strong influences from
the legendry Seamus Ennis and Tommy Reck
Conor has performed and taught extensively in both America
and Europe and in 2001 he was awarded TG4’S Ceoltóir Ó
Na Bliana.
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The son of a head Constable in the Royal Irish
Constabulary, by the age of twenty-five, Eamonn
Cenant was married with a young son. His
commitment to a politically independent Gaelic
speaking Ireland led him from the classrooms
of the Gaelic League to the National Council
of Sinn Fein and the senior ranks of the Irish
Volunteers. He was a member of the Military
Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood,
which planned and carried out the Rising of
Easter 1916, outright rebellion against the
world’s biggest imperial power of that time.
From Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick, Louise Mulcahy is a wellestablished performer and tutor on both flute and uilleann
pipes. Louise has recently released her highly acclaimed
début solo album titled “Tuning the Road”, alongside three
album releases with father, Mick, and sister Michelle. She
has appeared on numerous television and radio programmes,
has lectured on Irish traditional music in Ireland and the
United State and has won numerous All Ireland titles on flute,
uilleann pipes and whistle. Louise recently completed her
masters degree at Trinity College Dublin and was awarded
TG4 young musician of the year and Female Musician of
the Year at the Live Ireland Awards 2015.
Scéalta Cogaidh, Scéalta Ban
“Galway Shell Factory started
to produce 18-pounder shells
in February, 1917. The workers
were mostly women, working
in shifts around the clock until
war ended on 11 November, 1918.”
Mary Clancy
Image Courtesy of Tom Kenny
Date: March 10th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
WE ARE ALSO OF IRELAND
WOMEN, WAR & WORDS
Mary Clancy & Caitriona Clear will present a lecture and
photographic exhibition in Áras na Mac Léinn.
This presentation examines fragments of life-stories and
testimonies, as documented in the words, texts, images and
artefacts of women of Galway. It offers a unique perspective on
war narration across the social classes, encourages thinking
about the place of women in history and of the significance
of everyday life during times of political and revolutionary
crisis. The presentation will use contextualised first-hand
accounts to place the biographies and perspectives of girls
and women centre-stage. It will show how public and private
sources of information, such as letters, diaries, newspapers,
oral sources, song and clothing, offer important and complex
ways of understanding the period more fully. In so doing,
the presentation will consider silences and evasions, as
well as public proclamations and provisions. The event will
also demonstrate how the arts are integral to the process of
communicating and influencing political and social change.
Presenters will use various methods, through the medium of
Irish and English, to construct the multi-layered narratives
under investigation. The event will include performance, visual
documentary exhibition, short talks, song and music. Such an
approach will encourage new questions, interpretations and
knowledge about women’s historical significance, especially
at times of conflict and political change.
This event will be supported by the NUI Galway Staff Choir
with musical Director Peter Mannion.
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Ceannfort
an Cheoil
Date: March 16th
Venue: The Cube
Time: 1–2pm
Daniel Francis O’Neill (1848-1936), born in West
Cork, was chief of police in Chicago at the beginning
of the century. He collected and published there
the largest collection of Irish music ever made,
much of it noted down from Irish musicians,
emigrant and American born.
There is more biographical information about
Chief O’Neill available on this page:
http://chiefoneillspub.com/about-chief-oneill
Jack Talty and Cormac Begley carry a wealth of
musical heritage from west Clare and west Kerry
respectively. The masterful weaving of regional
styles inherent in their duet playing, ranging
over five octaves, has defined their inimitable
and unmistakable duet sound, a considerable
achievement for two musicians still in their mid20s. The combination of baritone and concert
pitch concertinas allows a creative and playful
freedom to explore a variety of tones and colours.
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IMAGE COURTESY OF
Irish Traditional Music Archive
FA O I I Á N t S
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Talty and Begley’s seminal recording, Na Fir
Bolg, recorded over four evenings in St. Nicholas’
Collegiate Church Galway, draws on material
from their respective musical strongholds. This
concertina duet displays a dynamism and mastery
of a varied repertoire, evident from the subtle
approach to Joe Bane’s and the Gypsy Princess
barndances, to the wild exuberance of Kerry
slides, Johnny O’Leary’s and If I Had A Wife. Na
Fir Bolg has been highly acclaimed both nationally
and internationally.
A COLLABORATION BETWEEN ENGLISH & THE MEDICAL SCHOOL
Three of the 1916 leaders were themselves accomplished poets: Pádraic Pearse,
Thomas MacDonagh and Joseph Mary Plunkett. This event gives voice to the
poetry of these three men, setting their work alongside other creative voices
of the period. Three actors will perform selections from Pearse, MacDonagh
and Plunkett, and their work will be counterpointed with representative music
and song from the period 1914-1916, and with the work of other poets (like
Eva Gore-Booth) who also responded to the events of the time.
This performance project will be presented for two nights at the AULA MAXIMA
featuring young actors from the Centre for Theatre and Performance in a
dramatized production, researched and narrated by Professor Sean Ryder,
Head of English and directed by Caroline Lynch. The music and songs of
the period will be provided by the NUI Galway Medical Orchestra, directed
by Carl Hession.
Pádraic Pearse (1879-1916):
Poet, Polemicist, Teacher
and Commander-in-Chief
of the 1916 Rebellion.
Joseph Mary Plunkett
(1887-1916)
Poet & Journalist
Cogadh is Cumha,
Saoirse is Grá
Date: March 23rd & 24th
Venue: The Aula Maxima
Time: 7.30–9pm
The Medical Orchestra at NUI Galway has been
in existence since 2011 and currently has a
membership of 60 musicians with an national
and international profile.
Thomas MacDonagh
(1878-1916)
Poet, Playwright & Academic
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Calvary by W.B. Yeats, 1954,
Lyric theatre Archive