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€5

Sophie Kinston fronts Australian band Tailor Birds, and her electric violin is the core of their sound. This is music that soothes the soul and warms the spirit. Experimental, electric and with a solid foundation of classical, folk and independent artistry, Tailor Birds are a fresh and engaging sound, turning traditional sounds into something untraditional and always surprising. Using electronics, percussion, live looping and lots more, sound sources and songs are transformed into creative sound sculptures with ethereal results. Not to be missed.

€6

Rockingham – A distant memory or a lasting legacy?

It is 60 years since the majestic mansion of Rockingham was destroyed by a devastating fire. What happened on that fateful night? How much of an influence did Rockingham and its owners have on the local area as well as further afield?
Now that the house is no longer part of the landscape is its legacy still a part of our lives, obvious or otherwise, or is it just another country estate destined for the history books? This talk will explore those questions and take you on a journey through Rockingham’s colourful history.

€5 

PRECEDED BY A WORKSHOP
BETWEEN 8PM AND 9.30PM

The Boyle Singers Group are together since 2006. They sing a range of songs from Traditional,Folk, Irish and English, and mostly unaccompanied. Tonight they will be joined by special guest Antaine O Farachain, a Dublin
born traditional singer, who performs in Irish and English. He is a member of the organising committee of both “An Goilin” traditional singers’ club and the “Sean-Nos Cois Life” festival in Dublin. He has produced and presented four television series about traditional singing for the Irish language T.V. station TG4 and is an experienced teacher at singers’ workshops.

Antaine will also be holding a workshop before the Singers Night – see workshop section for details

€6

Conor Farnan is a poet and teacher from Co. Meath. He graduated from the University of Limerick in 2013 with a PhD on the poetry of Paul Durcan. He has published two collections of poetry, as well as articles, reviews and several essays on both Paul Durcan and James Joyce.

Title of talk: “Paul Durcan’s Osyssey – Half a century of love, loss and laughter”.

€5

Matthew Mannion is a second year baritone in DIT’s Conservatory of Music studying with Dr. Robert Alderson. Matthew began singing in an honor choir from the age of 7, and realized his passion for singing and continued singing in multiple choirs until he graduated high school in Lafayette in California in 2012, with scholarships in music performance. He then moved to Ireland with his family, to Ballintubber in Co. Roscommon, and commenced his studies in DIT’s Conservatory of Music with Dr. Robert Alderson. Since then Matthew has performed roles such as Morales in Lyric Opera’s Carmen, the Imperial Commissioner in Madama Butterfly with Lyric Opera as well as Bowdon Opera Festival, Masetto in Don Giovanni with Opera Britain, Bartolo in DIT’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro, the Second Elder in DIT’s production of Handel’s Susanna, Angelotti in Tosca with Bowdon Festival Opera, Kromov in the Merry Widow with Lyric Opera, and Uncle Yakisude in Madama Butterfly with RTE. Matthew is also transferring to the Royal Irish Academy of Music for the coming academic year studying with Owen Gilhooly.

Niamh St John is a final year performance student in DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, studying with Dr. Robert Alderson as a mezzo soprano. Niamh’s first DIT performance was as the Alto soloist in the DIT 2014 Handel’s Messiah. She has sung as guest recitalist in both Christ Church Cathedral and Dublin’s Pro Cathedral. Earlier performances include opera scenes with North Dublin, such as ‘The Magic Flute’, ‘Dido and Aeneas’, ‘An evening with Mozart’, and playing Hansel in their latest production of ‘Hansel and Gretel’.
As part of Lyric Opera Chorus she has sung in ‘Puccini by Candlelight’, ‘The Merry Widow’, ‘La Boheme’ and Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ in the National Concert Hall.

Adam McDonagh graduated from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama with First Class Honours in the Bachelor of Music Performance degree, studying piano under Dr Mary Lennon. He was awarded the Michael McNamara Gold Medal for excellence in performance and the Anne Leahy Dissertation Award, as well as winning First Prize in the Ninth National CHMHE Undergraduate Musicology Competition. He is currently engaged in postgraduate studies with Dr Orla McDonagh in the DIT Conservatory, as well as harpsichord with Dr David Adams in the RIAM.
As a soloist, Adam has taken masterclasses with Philippe Cassard, Barry Douglas, Vanessa Latarche, John Lill, Ronan O’Hora, Antti Siirala, and private lessons with Christopher Elton. He works extensively as a collaborative pianist and has acted as accompanist in the masterclasses of Patricia Bardon, Ailish Tynan and Maxim Vengerov. He shall be continuing his studies on the Master of Music in Performance programme in September 2017 as a scholar of the Royal College of Music, London.

€5

The Men Who Knew Too Much play a superb mix of jazz, country- blues, western swing and folk.
Not only do they perform classic songs from the likes of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan,
Neil Young, Randy Newman, Tom Waits and Carole King, they add surprising Hawaiian dobro instrumentals, television and movie themes, all of which are delivered with great playfulness and lots of soul.

“An absolutely delightful band, full of self deprecating humour .”
“A joy to watch and listen to.”

Egon Callery: guitar, mandolin
Percy Robinson: guitar, dobro
Sean mcCarron: saxophones, percussion

€6

Gerard Hanberry is an award-winning poet, author, musician and teacher from Galway, Ireland. His fourth full collection “What Our Shoes Say About Us” (Salmon Poetry) was published in July 2014. This follows “At Grattan Road” also published by Salmon Poetry in 2009. Hanberry’s two earlier collections were published by Stonebridge Publications, Wales. He is also the author of a biography of Oscar Wilde and the Wilde family called “More Lives Than One – The Remarkable Wilde Family Through the Generations” (The Collins Press, 2011). A second non-fiction book, “On Raglan Road – Great Irish Love Songs and the Women Who Inspired Them” was published by The Collins Press in October 2016. His illustrated presentation at the Boyle Festival will be based on material from this book including performances of the songs explored in the talk.

His work has been published widely in Ireland and abroad. He has been translated into various European languages and has been included in a number of anthologies. He was recently included in the Penguin’s Anthology “Windharp – Poems of Ireland from 1916”. A stone plaque inscribed with his poem “The Kasbah on Quay Street” was erected on Quay Street in  Galway in April 2015.

Gerard Hanberry holds an MA in Writing from NUI, Galway where he teaches part time on the BA Connect (Creative Writing, Poetry) course. He also teaches English at Colaiste Einde, Salthill.

€5

We are delighted to welcome back The Jazz Ladds this year. They are Sligo’s longest established band and thanks to their continuing popularity can still manage a full diary of events . Though originally known as a traditional jazz band the programme now includes Latin American Blues, Country and even the odd old time waltz.                                                    The Jazz Ladds feature a 5 piece Band with Trombone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Harmonica, Lead Guitars, Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Drums and Vocals.

Free

Finbar Magee is a singer-songwriter and award-winning bard from Armagh. His repertoire ranges from romantic to social comment and satirical humour. His songs have been covered by other artists and have graced major stages worldwide, including Glastonbury.

Breige Quinn (also from Armagh) is one of Armagh’s finest traditional fiddlers. She provides beautiful accompaniment to Finbar’s songs and delivers her own style in jigs, reels and slow airs.

€5

Photographer and film maker Darren Purcell moved to Boyle in 2013 and was quickly bowled over by the beauty of the town and the warm, welcoming nature of its people.

Boyle – Above & Beyond is a short film exploring Boyle in a way never done before, with sweeping vistas and spectacular aerial viewpoints.

Since the film was first shown in 2015, Darren has expanded the film with more stunning footage and this new version will be presented at BAF 2017.

€5

Pat Coldrick is an Irish Classical Guitarist and Composer who has been described as “pushing the boundaries of classical guitar” with his musical interpretations and compositions, and has made Classical Guitar exciting, interesting and more accessible to music lovers in general. His music defies genre and appeals to a wide cross section of music lovers.

Free

He may not have grown up in the 1950s and 1960s, but Pete Higgins spent his youth listening to the likes of The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Eddie Cochran & Buddy Holly. Taking classic songs from the era that gave the world Rock ‘n Roll and stripping them back to their essential elements, Pete’s set list is guaranteed to transport you back to the days of Flower Power, Rockabilly and the Swinging Sixties!

€15 / €10 concession

New Airs is a classical crossover and fusion group from Ireland, combining classical strings with rock/folk percussion and syntheised electronics. The group perform live pop-up studio arrangements of classic rock and pop songs, at various unique venues around Ireland. The production is directed by Irish composer, arranger and producer Glen Austin. Their live show is an exciting and engaging performance from start to finish combining modern electronic elements with traditional and classical instruments. Each arrangement is a unique combination of classical chamber music with a sublime vocalist performing original and captivating interpretations of some of the world’s best-loved music. The New Airs repertoire also features instrumental arrangements, displaying the high skill of some of Ireland’s most famous and renowned classical musicians.

“This Irish group’s rendition of Ed Sheeran’s ‘All Of The Stars’ is out of
this world” –

Irish Daily Mirror

“NEW AIRS are making a name for themselves live and online.. Something
unique..”

– The Irish World

“From the opening notes they were truly captivating… a fresh and vibrant
gig that left the audience cheering and clapping and humming the songs all
the way home.”

– No More Work Horse

€10

The Inishowen Gospel Choir has become one of the best-known community choirs in Ireland. Based in Carndonagh, Co. Donegal, the choir is musically directed by Dr. Neil Burns and Dr. Anna Nolan.
The choir has performed at events from local concerts in the north west of Ireland, to world-renowned music festivals such as Glastonbury and Electric Picnic.

The choir has retained its community-based character and energy, which combined with musical excellence, has seen it perform with some of the best-known names in the Irish music scene, including The Henry Girls, Liam Ó Maonlaí, Duke Special, Declan O’Rourke, Bronagh Gallagher, Foy Vance, Cara Dillon and Moya Brennan.
The Inishowen Gospel Choir’s musical diversity and energetic performances have kept audiences entertained since its founding in 2005.

A unique blend of gospel, soul, roots, rock and folk has helped the Inishowen Gospel Choir become a regular feature at music festivals throughout Ireland.

€6

Dr Brian Murphy lectures at the Dublin Institute of Technology. He holds a PhD in Modern Irish History from the School of History and Archives, University College Dublin. Brian’s well-received book on Douglas Hyde and the Irish Presidency was published in 2016 by the Collins Press. He previously co-edited Brian Lenihan: In Calm and Crisis, the bestselling book on the public career of the former Minister for Finance. Brian is a former speechwriter to two Taoisigh.

There was nothing inevitable about Douglas Hyde becoming Ireland’s first President and this happened more by chance than by some ingenious political grand design. There has been a long accepted wisdom that Hyde’s transition to the Presidency was a seamless process that was pre-ordained from the moment the office of President was conceptualised in the draft of Bunreacht na hÉireann. This is a complete misnomer. It was only as a result of some significant shifts in the political landscape in the latter half of 1937 and early 1938 that the notion of an agreed candidate became an increasingly likely proposition. It was against such an emerging political backdrop where party candidates became undesirable that Hyde’s candidacy became viable. Douglas Hyde’s candidacy was ultimately the result of a late compromise between the two main political parties, it was nonetheless an inspired choice that neatly underlined consensus and a broad commitment to a number of key political objectives, including the national language, partition and non-sectarianism.

€3

Badger’s Birthday – an animal story                                           12.30pm 

As the forest animals get ready for the big party, trouble comes lurking in the guise of Meanie Mona who pinches Badger’s birthday present setting off chaos amongst the forest folk. After some detective work and help from the audience an unlikely hero comes to the surface. The show is hosted by two amicable characters called Ding and Dong.

Suitable for boys and girls of up to 7years. Duration approx 40min

Punch and Judy                                                                                      3:00pm

This show is a unique (Dublin) adaptation of ‘Punch and Judy’. A very naughty Mr. Punch is left with the task of minding the house while Judy gets busy with other important chores. Mr. Punch’s inability to take on the simplest of chores leads to hilarious consequences involving the Gardai!

Conor’s experience with comedy improvisation and stand-up only embellishes this 45 minutes of entertainment, bringing audience participation to a whole new level as he deals with individual comments from the audience with aplomb, ensuring no two shows will be the same with this puppetry favourite. The puppeteer’s 40 years of experience as a puppeteer prevail in this production with as much detail expressed in movement and manipulation as there is in the sharp witted dialogue. A must see for all the family.

Suitable for all ages,                                                                                                                                                                Duration 45 minutes

€5

Robert Finegan (19) began his musical education with the Ardee Concert Band where he now plays Solo Alto Saxophone in the senior band, regularly performing solos with them. In 2013 he was awarded the School of Excellence Award with DIT Conservatory of Music and St. Peter’s Male Voice Choir, funding a year of saxophone lessons in DIT with Kevin Hanafin.

The following year he won the Macardle Young Classical Musician Award held in conjunction with CreateLouth. In the 2016 ESB Feis Ceoil, Robert won the Senior Saxophone competition and the coveted McCullough Cup for Senior Woodwind Concerto.

Andrew Mullan (21) took up the alto saxophone at an early age with the Knocklyn Concert Band. Following many years here he began his music degree at The DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. He is now entering his final year, specialising in musicology and studying saxophone with Antonio Cafolla. Andrew won gold medal in the Senior Saxophone competition in the ESB Feis Ceoil 2017.

After meeting and becoming friends in college, Andrew has had the pleasure to join Robert in the Ardee Concert Band for concerts and competitions.

€5

Boyle native Maggie Carty was brought up in a musical family spanning generations. Her father, John Carty, being one of the most sought after traditional musicians worldwide. Graduating from NUI Galway in 2015 with BA Irish Studies, Maggie began working in TV production and, with a great love for the Irish language, taught a film and communications course in Gael Linn.

The singer and banjo player has performed at some of the most prestigious festivals including Fiddle Tunes; Milwaukee Irish Festival USA; Austin Celtic Music Festival USA; Tonder Festival Denmark; Return to Camden Town, UK; Yeats Summer School; The Gathering; and Fleadh Cheoil na Éireann, Ireland. She has toured Ireland, Europe and America extensively, sharing the stage with some of the most prolific musicians of the tradition including Mike McGoldrick, Dermot Byrne, Dónal Lunny, Arty McGlynn, Shane McGowan, The John Carty Festival Band, and At the Racket. She has been described as having found her second home on stage and has a natural stage talent.

In 2016, Maggie released her debut recording ‘Settle Out of Court’ with her father John Carty, with accompaniment from Shane McGowan and Dónal Lunny. The album is a mixture of tunes and songs showcasing Maggie’s unique voice and banjo accompaniment. Her rendition of “Lough Erne’s Shore” was included in renowned UK folk presenter Mike Harding’s own personal choice of the best folk / roots music of 2016, where Mike compared Maggie’s voice to the late and great Margaret Barry–

“It’s because it’s the real deal. Three chords and the truth.”

In 2017, Maggie was invited by the Irish National Association of Australia, Sydney, to teach and play music as part of their residency scheme.

€5

BUS FROM KING HOUSE BUS STOP
Advance booking essential

The Carrowkeel walking tour will take approximately three and half hours, and covers a little less than 10 km. The walk will be on narrow country roads with some off road sections that may be muddy. It also involves quite a climb which will be taken slowly so all can enjoy the experience.

The Carrowkeel Megalithic site has a great collection of megalithic structures that are among the earliest in Ireland. Philip will talk about the history of this period, geology of the area, a little mythology, and whatever else comes up.

Philip James has been living in the area since 2001 when he returned from Zimbabwe, and during this period he has walked every track and trail with the Boyle Curlew Walkers, and worked as a tour guide in the area for 6 years. Philip qualified as a Mountain Leader in 2010.

Suitable footwear must be worn – please bring your own refreshments.