The Connemara community of Clifden marked a quarter century of artistic activity last night, when the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism opened its annual arts festival.
Afrikico, a 10-piece drumming ensemble of African, French and Irish musicians, greeted the Minister, Mr O'Donoghue.There was also music and song with Cantoiri Chonamara and local musicians Mary Finn, Jim Mullen and John Gerard Walsh. Afrikico formed the Global Music Project two years ago - at a time when Mr O'Donoghue held the justice portfolio - to promote social integration and to bring African music to a wider audience.
The poet and Nobel laureate, Seamus Heaney, is one of the many guests at the festival, which was initiated by a local teacher in the community school, Mr Brendan Flynn. The week-long programme also includes writers, Maeve Binchy, Sam McAughtry and Billy Roche, Scottish folk singer and social activist Dick Gaughan, Nigerian storyteller Tony Ogogo, and poets Paul Durcan and Mary O'Malley.
Participating musicians include Kate Purcell, Sue Matthews, Mary Finn, the Cois Cladaigh Chamber Choir, Dordan, The Walls (ex the Stunning) and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. There are specific workshops and events on various artistic themes for schools from next Monday.
A documentary on the Cleggan disaster by Eithne Keane for TG4, entitled Tubaiste an Chloiginn, is due to be shown for the first time in the Station House Hotel next Wednesday, September 25th, while Tom Hickey will give a special performance of Tom McIntyre's The Gallant John Joe on Thursday.
A symposium on the role of creativity in the new century takes place next Monday, September 23rd, and involves Prof Patricia Casey, Fintan O'Toole of The Irish Times and John Moriarty. It will be chaired in the Station House Hotel by Dr Gearoid Ó Tuathaigh, professor of history at NUI, Galway.
A full programme is available for the arts week at telephone: (095) 21644 or e-mail artsweek@indigo.ie.
In Mayo, the Claremorris Open Exhibition also celebrates an anniversary this month. The outdoor exhibition, which was opened earlier this month by journalist John Waters, was first held in a school gym at St Colman's College in 1978.
The work of 17 artists has been selected for this year's showing at various venues throughout the town, on the theme "Speak to Me". The adjudicator for this year's event is Iwona Blazwick, director of the Whitechapel Gallery, London, and former head of exhibitions at the Tate Modern, London. Further details from (087) 6680107 or website www.coearts.org.