Entering the venue unobtrusively, she smiles briefly, gathers herself for a moment and then starts to sing. Gently at first, but then ever more powerfully, her voice begins to carry the audience away into the infinity of paradise. In January 1972, Aretha Franklin made her legendary album ‘Amazing Grace’ with the Southern California Community Choir
The Lady and the Unicorn is a fun multimedia one-woman show. With the aid of a screen and projector and a table full of props Carol O’Neill shares her favourite artworks inspired in one way or another by Celtic mythology. Over 30 artists are celebrated including medieval unicorn tapestries with hidden mysteries, mythical hare sculptures
Hotly anticipated at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Rafiki tells the story of two young women, Kena and Ziki, who find love despite mounting political and family pressures. Based on Monica Arac de Nyeko’s short story, which won the 2007 Caine Prize for African fiction, director Wanuri Kahiu (Pumzi) adds bold, cutting edge vision to
A-do-le-TA! is a dance theatre piece that joyously explores friendship and play. Come with Joy and Sky into a world where everything is possible - a tent can be a crab, an umbrella can be a cloud and the moon can sing! Through play two friends overcome differences and together imagine, create and expand their
#InThePicture Join Sightsavers Ireland on September 28th for a celebration of art, inclusion and equality. We are celebrating the launch of our brand new #InThePicture engagement programme for primary school children supported by Irish Aid. Join us for a day of art-based fun while learning a little bit more about disability inclusion, community empowerment and
Rural Ireland during the 1960s; teenage traveller Frances (a break-out performance from Hazel Doupe) has to learn to fend for herself and her brother following her father Michael’s (Dara Devaney) imprisonment. Inspired by her father’s love of Muhammad Ali she develops a passion for boxing. When Michael is released, their peaceful life in the camp
Little Movers and Shakers - Creative Dance is a movement workshop for parents/guardians and toddlers/young children, where joyful, spontaneous expression is encouraged. Suitable for all, this is an opportunity to dance with your child - or alongside them - and learn some new moves yourself. Selma Daniel is a Dance Artist with over 20 years
A crew including a Writer, two Musicians, an Artist and a Stonemason embark on the Camino by sea, in a traditional boat that they built themselves on an inspiring, and dangerous, 2,500 km modern day Celtic odyssey all the way from Ireland to Northern Spain. This intimate documentary charts the trials and tribulations of a
'In Transition' is an exhibition by Transition Year students from St. Farnan's Post Primary School, Prosperous, Co. Kildare, which took as its starting point the work of iconic photographers including Michael Kenna, Steve Mc Curry and Eliot Porter. Students conducted research and were encouraged to be inspired and influenced by these photographic styles and/or themes,
Green Skies, A Double Rhythm is a new provocative site specific performance that looks at the ‘Wrens of the Curragh’; a marginalised community of women that lived in gorse bushes outside the army base in Kildare in the 19th Century. These women worked as sex workers and were outcast from society. Their actions and words
Patricia has a zest for life and men when she is thrust together with Sean who is languishing in a nursing home. They form a funny and spiky relationship but is friendship the most important thing? Don't miss this humorous and touching play. Deirdre Kinahan is one of Ireland's leading playwrights with recent hits such
When I wake up you are there Ready? Let’s run, play, hide. Follow me Don’t get lost. I will stick by you If you will Stick by me Stick by Me is a quirky, new show about friendship and play, and the importance of treasuring little things. Created by Andy Manley and Ian Cameron, co-creators
When Diego Maradona arrived in Naples in 1984, for a world-record fee, the cities cherished football team was transformed from lowly underachievers to Italian and European Champions. Venerated as a God, Maradona was subsumed into a city riddled with corruption, where even the Devil needed bodyguards. The third film from Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning director
All his life Mac has wanted to be an Archaeologist, to be an expert in finding things and working out what they mean. If only he could stick to the facts and not get carried away with his highfalutin stories. But in a world where facts and figures mean so much more than fairy tale
Join wildlife filmmaker Colin Stafford-Johnson on a journey of discovery along the western seaboard of Ireland. Colin has been walking, exploring and filming wildlife along Ireland's wild Atlantic coast over the last 15 years. He recently presented the BBC series 'Wild Ireland - Edge of the World' - that featured some of his highlights. But
Riverbank Arts Centre has joined forces once again with the Future Makers' Collective to bring you 'Come Rain or Shine'. In this two-hour workshop, we will be exploring the science behind various weather conditions, including rainfall, wind, tornados, rainbows and sunshine, through our own experiments and some arts and crafts. As one of our many
Pick of the Litter follows a litter of puppies from the moment they’re born and begin their quest to become guide dogs for the blind. Cameras follow these pups through an intense two-year odyssey as they train to become dogs whose ultimate responsibility is to protect their blind partners from harm. Along the way, these
Culchie Warriors brings two of the most memorable characters from Father Ted together for a night of hilarious stand up, sketches and musical comedy plus a chance to compete in a "Lovely Girls" competition. Joe Rooney (Father Damo) and Patrick McDonnell (Eoin McLove) are renowned stand-up comedians with a unique take on Irish society. Between
1913, Budapest, the enigmatic Írisz Leiter (Juli Jakab) arrives in the Hungarian capital to seek employment at her deceased parents’ department store. Treated with suspicion she is rebuffed by new owner Oszkár Brill (Vlad Ivanov). But Írisz return precipitates the unearthing of family secrets and a violent, rogue brother, who is wanted for the murder
This year Kildare Readers’ Festival embarks on a new venture - 'Movie Night' will explore famous books, events or themes through the medium of film. For 2019 KRF has teamed up with the County Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee to screen Ken Loach's The Wind that Shakes the Barley - a somewhat controversial exploration of
Chalk It Down Productions in association with The Everyman present: SPLICED Timmy is contemplating his 21 years playing GAA. Creed is now bringing sport and drama together exposing his relationship with the fastest field game in the world, hurling. Going along the journey of discovery and self-expression with Timmy is hard hitting, real, and eye-opening
Kildare Readers’ Festival presents a special event honouring acclaimed writer Douglas Kennedy, international bestselling author of The Big Picture, The Pursuit of Happiness, and The Heat of Betrayal. Douglas will discuss his successful career with radio personality and noted champion of literature, Rick O’Shea. Rick has previously curated the Imagine Arts Festival and has hosted
Join us for the ever popular Ten Books You Should Read! Our guests Stefanie Preissner and Ferdia Mac Anna will select five books each that they would recommend and delve into the stories to illustrate why we should give them a try. Stefanie Preissner - Munich-born, Mallow-raised - is the creator of hit comedy-drama series
The Kildare Readers’ Festival is delighted to welcome back celebrated novelist, screenwriter, and playwright Joseph O'Connor (Star of the Sea, Ghost Light, Shadowplay), who will be joined by Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2017 winner Kit De Waal (My Name is Leon, The Trick to Time) for a discussion moderated by acclaimed author
Participants will be guided by Christodoulos Makris to make use of public texts to compose poetry in the personae of a range of current figures. This is a fun and interactive workshop, with the techniques employed adaptable to writing other kinds of poetry. Participants will also create an 'exquisite corpse' (a communally composed poem). Christodoulos
Pauline Clooney, founder of the Kildare Writing Centre, will lead a workshop about 'openings' and how to make sure that the reader turns the first page and continues with your story. Using a guided free-write as a stimulus, the group will explore the elements of craft expected on the first page of a story, culminating
Join the participants from 'The First Page' and 'Persona Poetry' workshops led by Pauline Clooney and Christodoulus Makris for a sharing of work created that very afternoon - so 'hot off the press' that it might burn your fingers! We will also present the prestigious Dennis O'Driscoll Literary Bursary awards 2019 to an emerging and
Set around a small family farm on the edge of a bog, a few miles from the river Shannon, Minor Monuments is a live audio-visual essay unfolding from the landscape of the Irish midlands. Taking in the physical and philosophical power of sound and music, and the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on a family, Ian
'Tis the season of Samhain and the Kildare Readers’ Festival will celebrate with an exciting panel discussion examining the depiction and characterisation of witches within the canon of literature. Whether it's horror fiction or historical non-fiction, Witches and Wiccan culture have provided rich material for authors and scholars throughout the years. On hand for a riveting discourse on the topic will be acclaimed novelists
Kildare Readers’ Festival is elated that Dermot Bolger (An Ark of Light, The Family on Paradise Pier) will return to our ever popular “Sunday Morning Sessions” for a relaxed and intimate conversation with acclaimed novelist and short story writer, John Boyne (The Hearts Invisible Furies, The Absolutist, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas). In a
The Kildare Readers’ Festival welcomes a duo of celebrated Irish authors, Emilie Pine (Notes to Self) and Arnold Thomas Fanning (Mind on Fire: A Memoir of Madness and Recovery), for a candid panel discussion on the most intimate of literature endeavours: memoirs. This event will be moderated by author and magazine editor, Emily Hourican (How
Los Angeles under a flaming sunset, rows of towering palm trees swaying in the breeze. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino's latest masterpiece, is imbued with the aesthetics of the City of Angels' inimitable glamour. Set in 1969, this Hollywood pastiche is the filmmaker's ode to the city of his childhood years, and
Join and award-winning artist Eleanor Swan for a 2 hour taster ceramics workshop. Participants will explore the possibilities of working with two different types of clay: porcelain and stoneware clay. Each participant will make a birdhouse (as seen in the photo) and a floral decorative porcelain piece. Everyone’s work will be glazed and fired in
Join with designer Aideen Cross for a sewing workshop for beginners and improvers who love to create with fabric. Overcome any fears you might have about creating your own clothes and learn the basic sewing machine skills (bring along your own if you have one). We’ll explore a few interesting projects to get you started
In the workshop, participants will create their own hand-drawn morphing animation through drawing on paper and photographing it frame by frame under a camera. The results will be edited offsite and uploaded to the Paper Panther Vimeo page from which the participants can view and download the video. About Paper Panther Paper Panther are an
MADHOUSE is based on the unbelievable true life story of comedian PJ Gallagher. When PJ was ten, his Ma, a nurse, moved six men with schizophrenia into the family home to care for them full time. “It was like this. When you went through our front door and turned right, you were in mad land,
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold... safe return doubtful.” Shackleton tells the story of the sinking of the ship Endurance on the Antarctic’s icy Weddell Sea in 1916, and the subsequent escape of the Irish expedition leader Ernest Shackleton and his crew from the Antarctic over a period of eighteen months, finally
What if your favourite LEGO Minifigure came to life and saved the day? What if we could show you how to make that happen? Well - CREATESCHOOL can, by using the magical art of stop motion animation. You'll work in small teams with like-minded young animators to create short films and learn some of the
Our Hallowe’en special screening has been revealed…. From the dark imaginations of Academy Award-winner Guillermo del Toro and acclaimed director André Øvredal, based on the iconic book series, comes Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 1968 America and change is blowing in the wind...but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is
What’s your favourite kind of weather? Do you like windy days flying kites, sunny days at the beach or building snowmen on a winter’s day? Learn how to make a guide to your favourite day, from designing a cover to illustrating pages of activities. Using collage and drawing, Fuchsia MacAree illustrator of The Great Irish
Have you a budding writer in the family? If so, make sure they don't miss this wonderful writing workshop with award-winning author Shane Hegarty as he goes behind the scenes of Darkmouth and brings writing to life with his new creation Boot. For ages 10-13 Shane Hegarty's new book - Boot - follows the adventures
Did little Miss Muffett jive around her tuffet? Were Jack and Jill bopping up that hill? Was it a funky beat that made the cradle really rock? Rockin' Rhymes is a new music show by Branar Téatar do Pháistí for music lovers aged 2 to 102. It is a rock-n-roll adventure featuring nursery rhymes as
From America’s master of contemporary Broadway comedy, Neil Simon, here is a take on behind the scenes action in the entertainment world, this time near the heart of the theatre district. 45 Seconds from Broadway takes place in the legendary “Polish Tea Room” on New York’s 47th Street. Here Broadway theatre personalities gather and schmooze.
From America’s master of contemporary Broadway comedy, here is a take on behind the scenes action in the entertainment world, this time near the heart of the theatre district. 45 Seconds from Broadway takes place in the legendary “Polish Tea Room” on New York’s 47th Street. Here Broadway theatre personalities gather and schmooze. Great acting
From lines on maps to drinking coffee, knowledge and power are integral to this work. The State of RoY, the first solo exhibition by Michelle McBride, explores entrenched notions of history, tradition and destruction. What is now the Republic of Yemen has had a long and changeable history. Yemen borders the entrance of ‘The Gates
