Seven west of Ireland artists and musicians are bound for South America today to promote a cultural exchange between this island and Argentina.
Four musician/composers, Mairtin O'Connor, Garry O Briain, Frankie Gavin and Brendan O'Regan; a seannos dancer, Seosamh O Neachtain; the painter Brian Bourke; and a singer and artistic director, Mary McPartlan, are flying to Buenos Aires for six days of "research, collaboration", music, art and, hopefully, some fun.
The project dates back three years, and is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs (cultural section), the Arts Council, the Irish Music Rights Organisation and Udaras na Gaeltachta. The Irish Embassy staff in Buenos Aires has been central to the project's success, according to Ms McPartlan.
It is hoped that the cultural synthesis will forge continuing links, and there are already plans for an extensive Argentinian visual arts exhibition here next year. No doubt, the group heading south will be well versed in existing links, including the Mayo connection - Admiral William Brown of Foxford, father of the Argentine navy, whose story has been recorded by Dr John de Courcy Ireland. Copies of the biography, The Admiral from Mayo, have recently been purchased by the Argentine embassy in Dublin for further distribution here.
In the Almirante's home county, Mayo, a project run by Deirdre Walsh, the county's artist-in-residence, as part of the International Year of the Older Person has formed the basis of an unusual exhibition. Entitled "Through the Looking Glass", it has been on show since November 19th and has been extended for another week.
With the help of the occupational therapy department in the Sacred Heart Hospital, Castlebar, and St Anne's dementia unit, Ms Walsh established a studio environment for patients. "The focus was on painting, with a strong emphasis on using good quality materials," she says.
"An atmosphere free of expectation dispelled the initial fears people had as they explored subjects that were familiar to them and new territories. The caution of the early days was soon replaced by a quiet confidence."
The use of colour and texture provided sensory stimulation, which is vital for people with dementia. Participants were encouraged to make choices with materials, colour, time and space.
The project was also the subject of a presentation at a cross-Border conference in Dundalk, Co Louth, hosted by the National Council for Ageing and Older People and Age Concern, Northern Ireland; and it was on show at a recent Western Health Board conference on ageing in Galway.
The exhibition continues in the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Castlebar campus, Co Mayo, until December 6th.
Tomorrow in Galway a host of celebrities will be in Kennys' Bookshop, High Street, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to sign The Whoseday Book, which is a contribution form 366 of Ireland's foremost writers, painters, philosophers and personalities. All profits from the book's sale are going to the Irish Hospice Foundation. Some "surprise appearances" are promised, apart from the usual suspects.
Next Sunday the Galway City Partnership hosts a Christmas concert given by participants in its community music training programme. The programme was initiated earlier this year and has already run a summer project with children on Inis Mor, Arainn; a music workshop with the Westside Men's Group in Galway city; a cross-arts summer project with Cerebral Palsy Ireland; youth workshops with Foroige in Ballybane; percussion workshops with Bohermore Adult Education; a nursing home project with elderly people; and a programme with children from the travelling community in Westside.
The showcase of talent discovered so far will take the stage in Aras na Gael, Dominick Street, beside Galway Arts Centre, on Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.