In translation

My story 3009 has been translated into Italian for the Italian literary and arts journal Inkroci. The editors devoted an issue to Irish writers. Other writers in the issue are: Lia Mills, William Wall and Liz Nugent.
The story began life as a part of tHREE THOUSAND AND NINE. A project by artist Brain Duggan commissioned by Fingal Arts. You can buy the book here. The stories were written by myself, Brian Duggan, Pauline O'Hare and Daniel Boland.
You can read my story in English here. And the Italian translation here.

Illustration by Sam Franza.

Bath

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fingal Arts Showcase Farmleigh House Friday 5th December 2.30-5pm

Fingal County Council Arts Showcase      

The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Mags Murray invites you to celebrate 20 years of the Arts in Fingal

YOU ARE INVITED TO CELEBRATE the work of Fingal County Council’s Arts Office. The event will showcase a variety of projects and activities including live performances, all of which have been supported, funded or initiated by the Arts Office over the last twenty years.

The event will take place at Farmleigh House on the 5th December 2014, from 2.30pm to 5pm.

Special Guest on the occasion will be Joan Burton TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection.

As part of our celebrations we have commissioned a short animation which will highlight the importance of the arts to North Dublin and we will also showcase our Fingal Arts Development Plan 2013–2017.

RSVP susan.mooney@fingal.ie

VISUAL ARTS SHOWCASE Visual artists Una Sealy (ARHA),Aoibheann Greenan and Andrew Carson showcase a selection
of work.
Una Sealy native of Howth is an established and respected artist with three decades of experience
working as a professional painter.  Una was one of twelve finalists chosen for the Hennessy Portrait Prize 2014. The short-listed artists’ works are currently on show at the National Gallery of Ireland until February 8th, 2015.
Aoibheann Greenan is currently one of four featured artists in the RHA’s annual Futures 14 series which runs until December 19th 2014. Next year will see Aoibheann create new work for her solo show in Temple Bar Galleries.
Andrew Carson was recently awarded THE FOUNDATION14 CRITICS CHOICE AWARD which includes a solo show in nag gallery, Dublin in 2015.
PUBLIC ART SHOWCASE
The Public Art Programme will showcase Per Cent for Art Scheme Projects.
The Lambay Singers will perform selected music from Mark Garry’s Sending Letters to the Sea album with professional singer / songwriter and project collaborator Nina Hynes.
Local writers Daniel Boland, Pauline O’Hare and Niamh MacAlister will read excerpts from Three Thousand and Nine, which was part of Brian Duggan’s O’Machine, O’Machine, film and book commission.
There will be a chance to re-visit Tattered Outlaws of History, a film / installation project by Dan Dubowitz and Fearghus O’Conchuir which drew together Fingal’s unique set of Martello Towers, artist Dan Dubowitz will be  on hand to discuss the project.
Resort Residency, Case Study 1 is a showcase of the activity which took place at Lynders Mobile Home
Park, August – September 2014.
YOUTH & EDUCATION SHOWCASE
The Youth & Education showcase will feature film documentation of Space Invaders, Place Shapers and live presentations of Artful Dodgers and the Studio project.
Space Invaders is an arts festival for children, families and Early Childhood Educators initiated by Fingal Arts Office & Acting Up! Arts.
Place Shapers is an architecture and urban design project for young people in Fingal initiated by Fingal Arts Office and the Irish Architecture Foundation.
Artful Dodgers, an early year’s visual art and music programme delivered by Fingal Arts Office in partnership with Fingal County Childcare Committee and collaborating artists Jackie Maguire and Naomi Draper and two Fingal crèche services. The artists involved will be available to speak with those interested in hearing more about this programme and the research conducted in partnership with Trinity College Dublin.
Studio, inspired by the renowned Room 13 project, Fingal Arts Office are supporting the establishment of student-run art studios in primary schools in Fingal. The Artists and children involved will be available to speak with those interested in hearing more about the initial stages of this exciting initiative.
LOCAL ARTS SHOWCASE
There will be a series of live performances from local arts groups.
The Fingal Youth Orchestra will perform a festive arrangement. The Orchestra’s aim is to teach, foster a love of, and perform classical orchestral music for 8 – 19 year olds, using professional music teachers as conductors and tutors.  The Orchestra is a not-for-profit organisation, run by a voluntary committee. Funding is from a combination of family subscriptions, voluntary donations, grants and awards including Fingal County Council’s Arts Office.
Hallelujah! by the Draiocht Community Clown Choir began in 2012 as part of Veronica Coburn’s Theatre Artist in Residence programme in Draiocht. A Clown Choir is a group of people who gather together to sing and laugh – to sing in celebration of what it is to be human and to laugh at the ridiculousness of the world we live in. The ethos of Hallelujah! Is accessibility, inclusiveness and artistic excellence.
The Percy French Troubadours will perform a series of songs from the repertoire of Percy French.  Featuring all time favourites ‘Are ye right there Michael?’, ‘The Darling Girl from Clare’, ‘Poems to the West’
and ‘Abdul Abulbul Amir’, sung by an eclectic mix of 15 singers with a five piece band. The group was set up by Mr. Tony Proudfoot, a well known and experienced local amateur performer and theatre director.
ART CENTRES SHOWCASE
There will be representation from Fingal’s two Art Centres, Draiocht, and Séamus Ennis Art Centre.
How to get to Farmleigh House
Driving
Go through the Phoenix Park. When entering the park at Parkgate street (main entrance near
Heuston Station) drive up along the main avenue.
Go straight through the first two roundabouts  and take a left at the third roundabout (near
Castleknock end of park).
After taking a left at third roundabout, take the first right (50 yards from roundabout). Farmleigh
is at the end of this road. If entering the Phoenix Park through the Castleknock gate, take a right
at the first roundabout, and then take your first right again (after 50 yards).  Farmleigh is at the end of this road.

 @fingalarts  

Rainbow Journeys Launch on Irish TV

Dublin Matters 23 | Irish TV

Rainbow Journeys launched!

Vision Impaired Writing Group take colourful journey through the past.

A new CD launched by a group of writers who are blind and vision impaired provides an opportunity to listen to unheard voices, as their personal reflections on real-life events take you through their “Rainbow Journeys” from past to present. Available to buy here.

The CD, entitled Rainbow Journeys, is a compilation of stories by a group of people with sight loss who got together through NCBI, the national sight loss organisation. Although they formed as a reading group, their interest soon moved on to writing and a class was facilitated by NCBI’s Niamh MacAlister, who stated:
“Most of the people NCBI works with acquire sight loss during their lives, and many as they get older, so reading and writing can suddenly become big challenges. NCBI works with people to find practical solutions to the challenges of sight loss but we also wanted to look at creative outlets. Creative writing was new for the 13 participants, all of whom have impaired vision. The goals of Rainbow Journeys were to write about our lives, the paths taken, the revelations, the lessons learned and bring to light the everyday wonder of our lives.”

The stories, which were then read by the writers and recorded, will take you on a ship from South Africa to Dublin, to the East Wall bomb of the 1950s, right through Europe on motorbike just after the Second World War and even getting caught skinny dipping by a priest! All are real-life events written and read by the participants.
May O’Brien, who is 82 and from Donnybrook, lost the sight in one eye in the 1990s and since 2006, has very little sight in her other eye. May believes that the group played an important supportive role for the participants.
“When we met as a reading group were just sharing views about the books, it was nothing personal. So when we began sharing our personal stories in the creative writing course it changed all of us. We built up confidence and trust and we supported each other. There was no façade where you pretend not to have a disability. And then you are accepting your disability, but also acknowledging that you still have a brain that needs a creative outlet.”

Rainbow Journeys was launched on Friday 17th October in Dun Laoghaire Town Hall as part of the Dun Laoghaire / Rathdown Social Inclusion Week.
NCBI would like to thank photographer Anna Nowakowska for volunteering her time to take part in this project. Find out more about Anna Nowakowska Portrait Photography. 

Launch Photos:

 (Anna Nowakowska)

 (Simon Robinson)

 (Simon Robinson)

 (Anna Nowakowska)

 (Anna Nowakowska)

Rainbow Journeys

 

Delighted to launch Rainbow Journeys at Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Social Inclusion Week at 11am Friday 17th of October in the Concourse of Dun Laoghaire town hall.

Rainbow Journeys, is about getting an opportunity to hear unheard voices. It began life in May 2014 when a group of eager and intrepid writers came together in the NCBI office in Dun Laoghaire. The goals were – to write about our lives, the paths taken, the revelations, the lessons learned and bring to light the everyday wonder of our lives. There were thirteen brave service users in all. Unfortunately one of our team passed away during our journey, Anne Barnes, and we proudly dedicate the CD to her.

 

Produced and Edited by Niamh MacAlister,

Co-ordinated by Aleksandra Okupinska,

Sound Engineer: Alan White,

Photographer: Anna Nowakowska