Australians are hoping to liven things up in Dublin this weekend with a blast of culture from Down Under embracing music and the spoken word. Bewley's Theatre in Dublin's Grafton Street will be the venue for the literary events which begin this afternoon at 4 p.m. with a free workshop entitled "Under the Influence" by novelist Andrew Lindsay, an off-beat event about writing and performance, fictional processes and "spontaneous combustion".
Fiery Waters by the poet Robyn Rowland will be launched at 6 p.m., followed by a reading. She will be joined tomorrow (Sunday) at 4.30 p.m. by fellow scribes Neil Murray, David Astle and Hugh Tolhurst for more readings and explorations, while at midday, a workshop takes place in Bewley's about alternative vocal techniques, showing how hissing, gruntings and clicking can be turned into sweet music.
The major event on Monday will be an adaptation of Andrew Lindsaey's first novel, The Breadmaker's Carnival. This has become The Edible Carnival for performance purposes and has been billed as a "Rabelaisian romp". It's due to run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a meal thrown in for £20.
The other part of this Australian Festival, run by the Australian Embassy in conjunction with the Jimaru touring agency, takes place in Temple Bar throughout the weekend with musical events. Information from www.jimaru.com
Poet Micheal O'Siadhail continues to fly his flag abroad. This week saw the publication in Germany of his selected poems, Aus Heiterem Himmel (Out of the Blue), based on O'Siadhail's recent Poems 1975-1995, published by Bloodaxe. O'Siadhail is the first Irish poet to appear in the Heiderhoff list of international poets and he'll be going to Germany for a series of readings and book signings.
In the meantime, he heads to Tokyo next month, where, as guest of the Japanese Yeats Society, he will be reading from his own work and delivering a lecture on Yeats.
Recently O'Siadhail has co-operated with composer James Wilson and the result is a song cycle called Dublin Spring. Plans are shaping up for a premier performance by the bass baritone, Conor Biggs.
Time makes a difference. Southwold, the Journal of the Munster Literature Centre, has reproduced a handwritten document by the novelist Sean O'Faolain in its latest issue. He was asked during the 1980s, indeed while in his own 80s, to choose the six books he would like to take with him to a desert island. He wrote back in his spidery script to the Adult Education Council in Cork with a list of six novels which had "a flavour that lasts with me after half a century". The novels he selected were: The Charterhouse of Parma, by Stendhal; Le Grand Meaulnes , by Alain-Fournier; A Nest of Simple Folk, by Turgenev; The Ambassadors, by Henry James, Dead Souls by Gogol, and Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. "Of contemporaries nobody can be sure," O'Faolain wrote, "modern taste, fashion, values, concepts, even language being still fluxive. I think, for example, that the loveliest novel I have read this 20 years is The White Hotel by D.M. Thomas but I could easily understand why the Cork City Librarian would at once lock it away in The Private Case with what other foul horrors of the age?"
Surely not, which goes to prove that some things do get better?
The Patrick MacGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal, will this year host an inaugural John Hume Lecture, with the Nobel prizewinner on hand to deliver the first lecture on Sunday, August 12th. The summer school will run for a further five days with discussion focusing on the theme "Drugs and Alcohol in Irish Society - use and abuse" But art will also feature, with a major exhibition of the work of the late artist, Derek Hill, taking place in the local comprehensive school.
Others due to perform during the week, in what is a fairly mixed bag, include actor Gerard McSorley, Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne, Fine Gael leader Michael Noonan, Governor of Mountjoy Jail Pat Lonergan, Father Michael MacGreil, journalist Paul Williams, Eoin Ryan, TD, Father Sean Cassin and psychiatrist Dr Patrick Tubridy. Apart from all the serious stuff, music, poetry, art classes, tours around MacGill country and entertainment are also on the agenda. Information from: 075 51103
Macdara Woods arrives on Achill Island this weekend for a writers' workshop on bank holiday Monday at the ungodly hour of 10 a.m. It takes place in Dooniver School as part of Scoil Acla, which continues until August 12th. This summer school was established in Dooagh around 90 years ago for the teaching of piping and the promotion of music, song, dance and culture generally and was revived in 1985. Woods will give a reading in St Thomas' Church, Dugort, at 8.30 p.m. on Monday, and on Wednesday next, Pβdraig Stβund·n will read from recent work in both Irish and English in the Achill Head Hotel, at 8.30 p.m.
Cobh is mostly connected with sailing so the Sirius Arts Centre is keeping in tune with the local ambience in hosting a week-long Writing Regatta, running from August 18th to 26th. The literary/music event features Jim Wilson, Richard O'Rourke, Arthur Japin, Fred Johnston, Trish Casey, George Swede, Conal Creedon, Tim Severin, Eddie Stack, Michael John Donovan, Deccie Lucey and Melanie O'Reilly. Telephone 021 4813790 to find out where to pick up your oars.