Limerick County Council Arts Office is hosting a series of music, poetry and theatre events throughout County Limerick on the four Sunday afternoons in November.WinterSolas features free concerts and other shows by some Ireland’s best known traditional performance artists, including choral group Anúna, poet Eileen Sheehan, uilleann piper Máire Ní Ghráda and singer Noirín Ní Riain.
Arts Officer Joan MacKernan explained: “WinterSolas is a programme of concerts and heart warming events which are organised and funded by Limerick County Council Arts Office. These Sunday afternoon events are free to the general public and feature musicians, singers, poets and actors, all who have forged a national and sometimes an international reputation.”
The WinterSolas series commences on Sunday 7 November with an event entitled “The Poet, The Piper and The Singer”, which will be held in All Saints Church Castleconnell. The event will feature performances from poet Jo Slade, uilleann piper Máire Ní Ghráda and singer Roisín Elsafty.
On Sunday 14 November the series continues with a performance by Fidil 3 in the Desmond Complex, Newcastle West. This group of three traditional fiddlers has taken the music world by storm and is in huge demand in America and Europe.
On Sunday 21 November ‘Songs, Yarns and Poems’ features Women’s Voices trio Noirín Ní Riain, Cora Fenton and Eileen Sheehan. Joining them on stage will be Allundé, a women’s community singing group based at St. Mary’s Church of Ireland in Askeaton.
The final WinterSolas event is on Sunday 28 November when the magical voices of the singing group Anúna will fill the church of Glenstal Abbey in Murroe.
According to Ms. MacKernan: “Admission to the Winter Solas series is on a first come basis. A retiring charity collection will be held at each venue but the County Arts Office would like to stress that the events are free. The Winter Solas series commences each Sunday afternoon at 3pm in the various venues.”
Enquiries to Limerick County Council Arts Office, tel. 061 496498/496300, email arts@limerickcoco.ie.
Meanwhile, the medieval town of Kilmallock provides the atmospheric backdrop next month to SoulScapes, a festival series jointly organised by Limerick County Council and Friars Gate Theatre Kilmallock.
The festival will be held during November and will feature contributions from some of Ireland’s most thoughtful and respected social thinkers including Patrick Hederman, Abbott of Glenstal Abbey; Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, an Irish Sister of Charity and the founder of Focus Ireland; and well-known speaker, writer, and broadcaster Christy Kenneally.
A number of other events celebrating Irish culture and traditions will take place throughout the week.
Full information is available on www.friarsgate.ie and www.lcc.ie.
