The rock and blues radio man, P.J. Curtis, jazz musician Tommy Halferty, tin-whistler Mary Bergin, former Waterboy Colin Blakey and county musician-in-residence Mary Curran are among a team put together by Mayo County Council for a lecture series which opens later this month. The series on music appreciation aims to "explore the mystique" behind various forms, ranging from classical to world music, rock and blues, jazz, traditional, country, samba and folk. The talks will cover a brief history and current practice, with demonstrations and live performances.
The public lecture series will take place in the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Castlebar, Co Mayo, on Tuesday evenings (7.30) from February 22nd to April 11th. Admission is free and further information is available from the Mayo County Council Arts Office at (094) 24444 extension 577, or in the local press.
Community College Moinin na gCiseach has taken the initiative of hosting a millennium arts week, beginning later this week. It is the first such event to be organised by a Galway city secondary school.
The event, comprising poetry readings, ceili workshops and exhibitions, represents a good example of a community seizing the arts and claiming them for itself in a celebration of culture. It is the brainchild of history teacher Ms Nora D'Arcy, who decided last year to do something different to mark both the millennium and the school's 30th anniversary in 2000.
"We just took stock of what we had to offer and realised that we had a wealth of talent right on our doorstep."
Details on the arts week at Community College Moinin na gCiseach are available from (091)755464.