Variety of arts event the key to Tipperary Bealtaine

Tipperary Bealtaine 2021 has been a busy one. Embracing the Bealtaine At Home theme of this year’s national festival, we have adopted Give Me Shelter as our theme this year. The Festival has a lot to offer with many festival highlights coming up over the next couple of weeks. All of the events are free of charge and everyone is welcome to join. You can access all events via our website : www.tipperarybealtaine.ie

Bealtaine Events:

We welcome Michael Durack for a poetry reading. His writing is inspired by themes including growing up, rural traditions, sport and music, love and loss. Many are set in his native place, Birdhill in the parish of Newport and in Ballina-Killaloe where he has lived since 1974. Join Michael on Thursday, May 20th, at 11am.

On Thursday, May 21st, at 3pm, we pay a virtual visit to the National Gallery of Ireland. If you’re missing your annual trip to Dublin, we’re bringing Dublin to you with this fabulous visit to the Gallery and a look at what is on offer to you – and all from home. Danielle Breslin will host this session with The National Gallery’s Kate Drinan who is Tours, Talks, Training & Interpretation Officer.

On Sunday, May 23rd, at 7pm we present Edna’s Zoom, a Live Art Event as Tipperary Artists and Musicians ask what’s old? What’s really old? Imagine Edna, Methuselah’s mum outliving her son. How can four artists from Tipperary and 4 older artists from across southern UK tell each other stories about objects, places, and living a long life? How can the landscape give us shelter in this time of 5 km walks?’ Featuring Tipperary artists Theresia Guschlbauer, Caelan Bristow, MJ Newell (Mark) Nicholas Ward and Deej Fabyc. Joining us from the UK will be O Pen Be, Danielle Imara and Sarah Andrew. This is a live event which you can book at Eventbrite.

Na Cailleacha is a group of eight female artists who came together in September 2020 to explore their attitudes to ageing, their bodies, their place in the artworld and how they relate to culture and heritage as older women. Throughout Tipperary Bealtaine 2021, a series of na Cailleacha events are taking place, resulting from collaboration between visual artists, Tipperary based Therry Rudin, Helen Comerford, Barbara Freeman, Patricia Hurl, Maria Levinge and Gerda Teljeur; jazz musician Carol Nelson and curator and art-writer Catherine Marshall. Their exhibition will run until June 12th at South Tipperary Arts Centre, Clonmel.

On Wednesday, May 26th: Dawn to Dusk is Tipperary based film maker Therry Rudin’s documentary which followed the collective as they explored this phase of their working lives. Enjoy a screening of Dawn to Dusk with accompanying symposium at https://bealtaine.ie/bealtaine-event/dawn-to-dusk/

On May 29th: A Symposium called The Age of Reason and Unreason featuring special guest, Rose Ann Kenny, Professor of Medical Gerontology at TCD will take place at South Tipperary Arts Centre, Clonmel . Booking details and further information: https://bealtaine.ie/bealtaine-event/na-cailleacha-exhibition-and-symposium/

This year has been exceptional and with that in mind Tipperary Bealtaine and The Source Arts Centre have commissioned a new play, One Fine Day by Tipperary born playwright Orla Murphy. Little did we know when we commissioned this new play that we would hold rehearsals through Zoom in May. However, we are delighted to present this “work in progress” in a rehearsed reading by our wonderful cast of Helen Norton, Marie Mullen and Raymond Keane, directed by the playwright, Tipperary born Orla Murphy. Friends Maureen (Helen Norton) and Frida (Marie Mullen) meet up on One Fine Day as they emerge from lockdown. Do they like what they see and feel now that they’re allowed out? Maureen hadn’t planned to spend her 60th birthday climbing Galtee Mór but after a year at home with husband Brendan (Raymond Keane), she’s ready for a day out. Back home, Brendan is mourning the end of lockdown. Unknown to Maureen, Frida has a secret to tell which will change their friendship forever. All three have a mountain to climb. Will they make it down intact?

Source Arts Centre, Thurles is presenting the new play as a rehearsed reading online as part of Tipperary Bealtaine on Friday, May 28th, at 8pm and on Saturday, May 29th, at 2 and 8pm. To access the reading online, just log into https://www.thesourceartscentre.ie/events/info/one-fine-day

Lockdown Demons: Artists Phillip and Liz Quinn have been busy facilitating zoom workshops with a mixed aged group to produce 21st century Gargoyles (with attitude) and exhibit their wares at the park in Holycross on the afternoon of Saturday, May 29th, between 1 and 3pm. Come and take a look!

Workshops and classes: If you’re up for a dance, join our dance for joy, dance for health workshops with dance artist Jazmin Chiodi who will guide you through gentle exercise set to lively music. Tune in on our website for the final class on Monday, May 24th, which includes a screening of dance film September Days by Iseli-Chiodi Dance Company (Ireland) featuring Tipperary based, older adults with whom Jazmin worked over the past couple of years.

Also this week Jean O’ Donoghue continues with her ballet classes Wednesday, May 19th and 26th, at 11am.

Join Jean O’Donoghue as she talks about her love of dance, her achievements and her hopes for the future on May 24th. On May 31st, Johnny Fogarty from Cashel tells us why he took up carpentry, creating models of many of the buildings in Cashel even though he worked all his life as a mechanic.

Tune in for Lynn Kirkham’s workshop on May 18th at 2pm in which she continues her work on a fantastic garden shelter which you can adapt for your own outdoor space. To attend, just access the workshops on our website www.tipperarybealtaine.ie

Bealtaine regulars Fran Garry Marnane and Pat Marnane are back with Music From Our House to Yours series Wednesday, May 19th, at 3pm. when they are joined by tenor Paul Hennessy for a fabulous concert of tunes and much loved songs. To attend, just access the concert on our website www.tipperarybealtaine.ie

On Thursday, May 20th, at 2pm artist Brigid Teehan continues to look at daily rituals of drinking tea and making bread, sharing insights into bread making at home in Tipperary and looking at bread making rituals from around the world. To attend, access Tea and Bread on our website www.tipperarybealtaine.ie

FURTHER DETAILS

You can access all of these events by simply tuning into our website on www.tipperarybealtaine .ie

Here is a handy online workshop on accessing zoom from your laptop or phone: https://zoom.us/ To book or attend any of these events visit : www.tipperarybealtaine.ie