GIG OF THE WEEK
Galway International Arts Festival
August 28th-September 18th, giaf.ie
Last year's Galway International Arts Festival felt the full brunt of Covid-19 lockdown, and the organisers were forced to hastily move many events into safe virtual territory. But the impact on the festival was still huge, and many key events were cancelled or postponed. This year we may not be in quite the same boat, but the waters are still choppy, so the organisers have planned a mix of live and virtual events in a packed programme. They've worked hard to ensure all live events are Covid compliant – and they've chosen some unusual outdoor locations – including Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands, and a bog in Connemara, giving Covid little chance of spoiling the party. The first thing you'll want to do when the festival kicks off this weekend is catch John Gerrard's already legendary Mirror Pavilion, commissioned for Galway 2020: European City of Culture, and installed at Derrigimlagh Bog in Connemara (August 28th-September 18th, 9am-9pm, free). It's a striking structure, mirrored on three sides and ceiling, and with one side covered by an LED screen.
The festival’s Big Top musical events are postponed until 2022, but ConTempo will be around to celebrate their 25th anniversary in virtuosic style (Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th, September 16th, St Nicholas’s Church, 8pm, €26-€30 for two adults attending one concert; €72-€84 for two adults attending all three concerts). After Love combines dance, physical theatre, music and poetry to explore the end of a long-term relationship, with choreographer and dancer Stephanie Dufresne interpreting the work of poet Dani Gill for an audience in pods of two (August 28th-September 4th).
Christy Moore, Ardal O'Hanlon & Deirdre O'Kane, Mary Coughlan and The Stunning live at Pearse Stadium, Galway
Pearse Stadium, Galway, August 26th-29th
Typical: you wait 18 months for a bit of live music action, and suddenly four big gigs come along at once. Don't know if I can handle all this sudden surfeit of real-life stars in front of my eyes. Róisín Dubh and Galway Comedy Festival have teamed up to bring us a weekend of wondrous entertainment at Pearse Stadium, beginning with the man himself, Christy Moore (Thursday 7pm, €35), who has recently been honoured by An Post putting his mug on a stamp to commemorate Ireland's connection with Glastonbury over its 50-year history (Christy played Glasto five times). Support on the night comes from Kerry singer-songwriter Ronan Kealy, aka Junior Brother, whose debut album, Pull the Right Rope, was nominated for a Choice Music Prize. On Friday night it's a comedy carnival featuring the dizzying talents of Ardal O'Hanlon and Deirdre O'Kane (Friday, 7pm, €25), with Karl Spain gamely attempting to keep the whole evening running smoothly and side-splittingly through the evening. On Saturday night Mary Coughlan returns to her hometown to celebrate the 35th anniversary of her debut album, Tired and Emotional, and will no doubt reflect on the many twists and turns her life has taken since then (Saturday 7pm, €25). Last year she was presented with a lifetime achievement award for her cultural contribution to the city of her birth. If you've any fuel left in the tank after all that, the weekend finishes with a raucous set by Galway rock legends The Stunning (Sun, 7pm, €30). Each show is limited to 500 capacity, and there'll be a click-and-collect bar in operation. Don't forget your face mask.
David Mitchell & Tiny Ruins: If I Were a Story and You Were a Song
De Barras, Clonakilty, Co Cork, August 28th, 6pm
Ever read a cracking short story and wonder: what would that sound like as a song? Or maybe you've heard a great tune on the radio and wondered how it would read as a short story. Well, wonder no more, because lockdown gave British novelist David Mitchell and singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook of New Zealand band Tiny Ruins a chance to reimagine each other's art through a different lens, and now they're ready to share the inspiring results via a live and virtual show at the iconic Cork venue. Michell, whose acclaimed novels include Cloud Atlas and Utopia Avenue, will be beaming in digitally, while Fullbrook will be onstage live for this unique team-up in collaboration with Word Christchurch Literary Festival.
Design Pop 2021
Cork city, August 27th-29th, designpop.ie
What happens when architecture, design and food intersect? You get Design Pop, Cork's annual festival celebrating the arts of building, designing, eating and drinking – all essential ingredients for enhancing our lives and living spaces. After being cancelled last year, the festival is back on the streets of Cork, with seven pavilions providing all sorts of family-friendly entertainment, 15 talks and panel discussions that are sure to stretch your intellect and widen your horizons, plus two exhibitions that will tickle your senses and tantalise your imagination. The pavilions will see architects, designers and food producers collaborating to create unique spaces for creative and culinary interaction, and the panel discussion topics will include how design impacts our everyday lives, and the creative process needed to launch a new brand. Artist Kari Cahill and collaborative art duo James and Michael Fitzgerald, aka The Project Twins, will be among those delivering fascinating and insightful talks. And this year sees the welcome return of the annual Milking Stool exhibition, in which furniture designers compete to whip up their own take on the humble milking stool.
Kíla: Amuigh Faoin Spéir
Saturday 28th, Cloughjordan Amphitheatre, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary 7pm, €30, eventbrite.ie/e/164297288613
One of Ireland's best-loved trad-folk-world music collectives, performing outdoors in an eco-friendly amphitheatre in Co Tipp – what's not to get excited about? This gig was postponed earlier this month due to the weather, but will be going ahead next Saturday under the setting sun. Kíla are no doubt delighted to be getting back in front of audiences after so long off the road, but during their downtime, main man Rónán Ó Snodaigh wrote and recorded his reflective solo album Tá Go Maith, which has already garnered wide acclaim. It's the second of two gigs scheduled for the amphitheatre this weekend – Duke Special will bring his own unique musical vision to Tipperary on Friday 27th (7pm, €22.50).
