Mamuska, Listowel Writers Week, Blues Special

Apologies for not updating the site over the past few weeks, just bogged down with editing. Just a quick recap on the previous weeks shows.

Friday June 2nd
-Interview with Ciaran Gleeson of the Classic Film Club, Listowel, who spoke about the films that were being run in conjuction with the Listowel Writers Week
-Interview with Davide Terlingo of Daghda Dance Company, who spoke about the last Mamuska night of the season
-Continuing the Beckett series with Shirley O'Regan
-Interview with James Cowden, a poet from Devon, one of many interviews done on a trip to Somerset and Dorset in February in a cross community radio project with farm radio there- a poet very much rooted in the soil, the poem he read about the devastation of the Devon countryside owing to the foot and mouth crisis in 2001 made for powerful radio

Then it was on to Listowel for Seachtain na Scriobhneóirí. The sun was splitting the stones and a feel-good factor was present throughout this wonderful North Kerry town. It proved to be a fertile ground for Éagsúil as well. On the Thursday, I managed to get an interview with Jennifer Johnstone, but the undoubted highlight of the weekend for me personally was getting to interview Limerick Born author Frank McCourt. Preparing questions for him by the tranquil banks of the Feale on a balmy Friday afternoon, who came to meditate alongside the river but McCourt himself. He subsequently agreed to do the interview there and then, a most fortunate coincidence given the hordes of autograph hunters who surrounded him after his reading from his new book, Teacherman.

The show on the 9th June was a writers week special featuring

-Footage from the Abbeyfeale drama group's litary tour on Thursday night (an exerpt from the Country Boy)
-Interview with Jennifer Johnstone
-Interview with the aforementioned Frank McCourt
-Interview with artist Mary Dillon, whose exhibition, Bloom opened on Friday at St. Johns theatre, and whose painting, Cala for Listowel, graced the cover of the programme for the weekend
-Vox pop from the audience who saw the film Capote on the Sunday, one of the many films shown at the classic cinema in conjuction with the weekend

Musical interludes throughout the show were provided via a recording from Sheahans bar, the type of pub that, thankfully still survives in the increasingly homogenised world of the Celtic Tiger. Divided into four sections (a tiny grocery shop, two adjoining bars and a smoking area) a poetry session was held in one of its wonderfully claustrophobic bar sections. Given my luck with Frank McCourt earlier on in the day, I truly landed on my feet when who should come into the bar but John Sheehan (Dubliners fame) and Michael Howard. The Marino Waltz never sounded better!

And Listowel was to provide plenty of material for the following weeks show. As well as unused footage from the writers week, I went to a blues gig at St. Johns theatre on Thursday June 8th, featuring Carvin Jones, from Pheonix, Arizona, and supported by promising North Kerry based Blues band Zeppo. Enjoyable, lively gig from Zeppo, with very impressive vocals and instrumentation, but the night belonged to Jones, whose frenetic guitar playing brought back memories of Hendrix for the crowd. Impromptu forays into the crowd were par for the course, and only once did he take a break from playing, to chat to a couple at the back! While he may not represent the future of the blues in terms of breaking a new mould for the genre, nonetheless he is a fantastic live musician whose honesty and enjoyment shone through.

Show for the 16th June was as follows

-Interview with Paul Howard (author of the Ross O'Carroll series, this was a chance meeting in JB Keanes pub on the Friday night of the Writers Week)
-More footage from Abbeyfeale Drama groups literary tour, this time a scene from Big Maggie
-Interview with John Connolly, drummer with Zeppo
-Interview with Carvin Jones
-Ending of the Beckett series with Shirley O'Regan

Also included was a snippet from the street busking in Newcastlewest as part of the county Fleadh. That about rounds it up, promise to keep this site updated more in the future and hopefully a few audio files will be on the way soon.

Alone it Stands, Listowel Writers week, Beckett & the All-Ireland Bodhrán Championship

Apologies on not updating the blog over the last two weeks, a quick recap for those who may have missed the previous 2 shows...
The show on 12th May featured interviews with Limerick City Arts Officer Sheila Deegan on the Music in the Park initiative as well as the winding down of EVA. We also had an interview with Dan Sheehy, director of the Ray Cooney play, 'There goes the Bride', which is still playing at Friars Gate, Kilmallock, while Deirdre Griffin gave a quick rundown on Féile na Bealthaine in Daingean uí Chúis. The show also featured recorded songs from the west limerick singing club at the Ramble Inn, Abbeyfeale, where the guest singer was Gary MacMahon.

Last weeks show on May 19th featured
-Interview with Michael Collins on the upcoming county Fleadh Ceoil in Newcastlewest
-Interview with New York based writer Lisa Ramirez, whose play 'Exit Cuckoo' featured at St. John's Listowel on the same night
-Start of our Beckett series celebrating the centenary of the mans birth with a reading from Shirley O'Regan
-Interview with Brenda Woulfe, a woman with West Limerick connections who has opened a new bookshop in Listowel. Thanks to David Brown for this interview

Onto this weeks show, which will feature
-appropriately enough after last weekend, an interview with John Breen, the writer of 'Alone it Stands', which plays at the Concert Hall this week
-Feature on the World Bodhrán Championship that takes place in Milltown next weekend, with an interview with the secretary of the committee Eoin O'Shea
-Continuing our Beckett series with Shirley O'Regan
-David Brown interview with Johanna Keane Flynn & Eilish Whin of the Listowel Writers Week on the upcoming festival

Hope you enjoy the show. More audio files hopefully to come in the near future.

Audio 6: Ailbhe Keogan

An interview with Tralee author, Ailbhe Keogan, whose debut novel, Molly and the Cyclops has been receiving a lot of attention in the last week. We have also been getting a number of visitors looking for this so here it is. Interview is over ten minutes long. File is 9 mb. Apologies for some mild background noise. Download here.
Remember if you want to hear any particular piece- email me westlimerickarts at gmail dot com and we will try and put it up for you or alternatively hit the comment button below.

Audio 5: Set Dancing

A feature on the West Limerick Dancing Club weekend, held in the Rathkeale House Hotel from March 3-5th (Great array of accents in this piece!) Download here ( just over 15 minutes, 21 mb)
An interview with Ann Curtin of the West Limerick Set Dancing Club. Download Here ( 7 minutes, 9.5 mb)

Fleadh by the Feale Special

Apologies for not updating the site last week, was bogged down with recording. For those who couldn't tune in last week, we featured
-an interview with Miriam Ball of the Demense Artists group, who produced an exhibition of work entitled 'Interlude' that opened in Newcastlewest Library on April 25th
-an interview with young Tralee author, Ailbhe Keogan, whose debut novel, Molly and the Cyclops currently on release (Hope to have this up on the site in audio file)
-interview with members of the cast of 'A Burgarlary will take Place', a one act play that is part of a variety show on show at the Glórach Theatre, Abbeyfeale from 9-11 May
-interview with Eva Vaughan and Lisa Tobin, two students of St. Josephs school in Abbeyfeale who took part in the annual transition year concert
-A few poems from Peter Howarth, recorded at the launch of his book 'Poems to Enjoy' at Newcastlewest Bookstore

This week's show will largely be dominated by the Fleadh by the Feale traditional music festival that took place in Abbeyfeale last weekend, including

- footage from the Street Busking and also Planxty O'Rourke
-Interview with Bones Players Gail Braiden and Michel Du Pont
-Footage from the International Bone playing competition

We will also be including features on the play Coole Lady and also the South African night taking place at Storm Cinema next week.

Weapons of Sound, Fleadh by the Feale, Peter Howarth

Just to respond to two recent posts, I will hopefully have the words to 'On the Road to Abbeyfeale' up on the blog in the next few days. With regards to bias on this show visavia the drama groups in Abbeyfeale, the argument is rather flimsy given the coverage that this show gave to 'Big Maggie' (see previous posts), and also that there are members of both cross co-operating on the upcoming variety show at the Glórach. Save the dramatics for the stage...
On to this weeks show which will be including

-Footage from the Sámhlaíocht Easter Arts Festival (including a feature on the UK based group Weapons of Sound, who play on recycled materials)
-Interview with Dan Murphy, chairman of the Fleadh by the Feale committee, who will be previewing next weekends event
-Interview with North Kerry based poet, Peter Howarth, on his new collection of poetry

We may also be featuring a review by Darren Condon from Askeaton, who recently attended the Doors concert in Dublin. Only one way to find out, and that's to tune in to this Friday's show at 6, hope you enjoy.