Tommy Fleming is coming to Castlebar

Tue, Dec 30, 2008

TOMMY FLEMING, one of Ireland’s premier singers, will play the Royal Castlebar Theatre on Saturday January 10.

From a very early age Fleming's natural singing ability was realised on the local talent competition and concert circuit. Eighteen years later, and a testament to his talent and determination, he has become one of the country’s musical success stories.

From Highway 61 along the N17 and onwards to 2009 with TG4's Daithi O'Se

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

OVER THE past decade, Baile na hAbhann-based Irish language television station TG4 has produced many notable presenters including Grainne and Sile Seoige, Hector Ó hEochagáin, Aoife Ní Thuairisg, and Manchán Magan.

Fun boy three

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

WHILE THE winter closes in around us, there will be a piece of Galway forever bathed in sunshine - the Róisín Dubh on a night when The Kanyu Tree play.

Leisureland to become hard dance playground for Kiddfectious

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

DJ ROYALTY will be converging on Leisureland in Salthill on Monday December 29 for what is set to be the biggest hard dance event Ireland has ever witnessed - Kiddfectious.

Renmore marks thirty years of panto with Beauty and the Beast

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

THE RENMORE Panto is an integral part of the Christmas season in Galway and this year sees the troupe marking its 20th anniversary with a glittering production of Beauty and the Beast at the Town Hall.

Snow White panto comes to Town! Oh No it doesn’t...! Oh Yes it does...!

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

THIS CHRISTMAS the Performing Arts School Galway are proud to present Snow White and the 7 Delinquents. Running from December 28 to January 4 in the Black Box Theatre, a magical treat awaits all who attend.

Brendan Grace is heading

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

THE RECESSION is set to bite badly in the New Year but you can still start 2009 off with a good laugh in the company of one of Ireland’s best loved comedians - Brendan Grace.

The sounds of a year

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

I’m not one of those indie-chic girls. I’d like to be, but in all honesty, I’m not. I like the stuff you hear on the radio, the stuff that plays in the background of Grey’s Anatomy, and the stuff you hear when your shakin’ your stuff in the nightclubs. I went and saw Blondie during the Arts Festival (highlight of my summer!) and I will go see Paddy Casey at the Roisin in January. My CD collection includes everything from opera to show tunes to gangster rap to bubblegum pop. My musical tastes are as wide and varied as you could imagine, so trying to put down on paper my favourite musical moments of the year isn’t an easy task, or a neat and tidy one at that, especially for such a brilliant year in music.

There isn’t much in Galway city that can compare to the atmosphere of the Galway Arts Festival. The air is electric, the sights are incredible, and the sounds are, most years, pretty incredible. This years’ Arts Festival, however, took the annual event to a whole other level. Between the big names at the Big Top, such as Blondie and KT Tunstall; the local favourites Alabama 3 and Cathy Davey at the Roisin; and some wonderfully unique worldly performances from the likes of Tinariwen, Mayra Andrade, and Omara Portuondo; it would be an understatement to say that the Galway Arts Festival wasn’t the very peak of this year’s musical calendar.

Two gigs not not miss in 2009

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

THERE ARE so many gigs to look forward to in 2009 - Greg Dulli & Mark Lanegan, Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Arlo Guthrie, Eddie Reader, Amusement Parks On Fire - but if I have to pick two that I’m most excited about it’s Crystal Antlers and Pierre Bensusan.

Christmas and New Year at the GPO

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

DANCE CHRISTMAS away and pound the dancefloor out of 2008 and into 2009 at the GPO this festive season with sets by DJs Johnny Moy and Arveene, the launch of a new night, and of course the New Year’s Eve party.

Christmas viewing on TG4

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

CHRISTMAS IS a time to relax and laze about, but while you can let the body get away with some indulgence with the biscuits and mince pies, there is no need to let the mind rot during the festive season. That’s why it’s a good idea to check out what is on TG4 for Christmas.

Ring in 2009 with The Saw Doctors

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

TUAM’S FINEST, The Saw Doctors, will ring in 2009 with a major New Year’s Eve show at the Royal Theatre in Castlebar for what promises to be a lively, craic filled night.

Sean Garvey releases new album

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

GALWAY CLASSICAL musician Sean Garvey has released a new 28 track album entitled Wellsprings Of Creativity - Sound and Verse.

Have a Russian New Year

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

The music of Tchaikovsky (pictured) as well as his fellow Russians Rachmaninov, Mussorgsky, Taneyev, Borodin, and Medtner will be performed at the Russian Romantics concerts from Music For Galway in the Town Hall Theatre from January 23 to 25. For programme details see www.musicforgalway.ie or contact 091 - 705962. For tickets contact the Town Hall on 091 - 569777.

Learn to play the banjo

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

LEADING IRISH banjo player Enda Scahill has just released a guide to playing the Irish tenor banjo.

The good, the bad, and the overrated – cinema in 2008

Tue, Dec 23, 2008

Well, you win some and you lose some. That is the way life goes. Unfortunately it is no different in the world of cinematic glory, you have to take the good with the bad, and as cinema reviewer for the Galway Advertiser I have seen it all. So here is my list for the best, the worst, and the most overrated and underappreciated films of 2008.

The Best

First 2009, then onwards to Alpha Centauri

Thu, Dec 18, 2008

SINCE TIME immemorial, humans have asked ‘Are we alone?’ and have looked to the heavens and beyond in search of an answer. Out there in the cosmos, other, very different, forms of life may live on yet undiscovered planets.

Lots of comedy crackers at The Comedy Club in Cuba*

Thu, Dec 18, 2008

THE AMERICAN newspaper columnist and author Bill Vaughan once wrote about the Christmas and New Year period: “The optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”

The Datsuns to play Róisín Dubh

Thu, Dec 18, 2008

NEW ZEALAND is famous for its rugby team - the All-Blacks inspiring fear and respect in opponents the world over. Yet the country is no slouch either when it comes to producing good music.

Panto season rolls into Galway for Christmas

Thu, Dec 18, 2008

CHRISTMAS TIME in Galway means it’s pantomime time and no Galway Christmas is complete without the Renmore Pantomime and a show from the Performing Arts School Galway.

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