THE 30th Anniversary Patrick O’Keeffe Traditional Music Festival begins in Castleisland tomorrow.
The festival will run over five days and will feature over 200 artists. The biggest names in traditional music will all be descending on Castleisland for a celebration of traditional music.
Sliabh Luachra maestros such as Jackie Daly, Matt Cranitch, Seamus Begley, Jimmy Doyle, Aoife Ní Chaoimh, Paudie O’Coonor, Aidan Coffey, Bryan O’Leary, Andrea Palandri, Aidan Connolly Gerry Harrington, Donal Murphy Eoghan O’Sullivan, Peter Browne, Paul de Grae, Jimmy Doyle, Connie O’Connell and Eibhlin de Paor will all be taking part.
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Frankie Gavin of De Dannan fame, Cathal Hayden and his band Four Men and a Dog, Tara Breen of The Chieftains. Oisin MacDiarmada and his band Téada will all be in town.
Thursday night is the nationally renowned ‘Session Trail’ will feature Ireland’s and Sliabh Luachra finest traditional musicians.
As well as the concerts there will numerous sessions, lectures, céilís, a pop-up Gaeltacht, a book launch and album launch and much, much more. For details of the dates and times for all events, go to the website https://patrickokeeffefestival.com/.
KERRY County Council will close a section of Denny Street to public traffic for a period of time in order to facilitate the holding of An Turas Mór Festival Event in Tralee on this Sunday.
The section of Denny Street, from its junction with Park Lane to Ivy Terrace, and a section of Ivy Terrace from its junction with the eastern entrance road to the Tesco Car Park to Denny Street will close from 4pm to 7.30pm on Sunday.
There will be no parking on Denny Street from Park Lane to Ashe Hall from 9am on Sunday. A traffic diversion system will operate in the vicinity of the proposed closure.
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The festival event on Sunday will include ‘Haunted Projections’ at 6pm followed by ‘Deadly Dancing’ with the Parade of Fire at 7pm followed by a 30 minute Fire Show and the evening will culminate with a fireworks display over the Ashe Memorial Hall.
Meanwhile The Brandon Car Park, Tralee will be used as a service area for the Kerry Winter Rally this weekend and will be closed from 6pm on Saturday midnight on Sunday.
AFTER a seven year wait, the legendary ‘Stevie Wonder Tribute Night’ is back for one gig on Saturday, December 17th, this time in The Klub Gastro Bar at the Kerins O’Rahillys Clubhouse.
The night started originally in Horan’s Members Bar in 2006 by Paudi Cronin and Rob Condon and continued to run until 2015.
This was one of the most popular events of the year with a capacity crowd on every occasion. Celebrating early Motown and all the music of Stevie Wonder, the night went from strength to strength over the years with the addition of the brilliant saxophone player Mossie Shea which pushed the sound to new levels.
You can expect to hear all Stevie’s early Motown hits with most of the focus on his best period of production, the 1970’s.
There will also be some re-edits that people may not have heard before so a very exciting mix of funky music in store where Paudi & Rob will be joined by Mossie Shea on live saxophone. Local master of groovy sounds Steve Horan will get the night kicked off.
Limited tickets are available now and can be bought at The Klub at Kerins O’Rahillys for €15 in advance. This is an over 28s event and doors are open at 9pm.
Stevie Wonder is one of the most notable popular music figures of the second half of the 20th century and his sound is still as popular as ever with today’s music generation.
He recorded several critically acclaimed albums and hit singles, and also writes and produces songs for many of his label mates and outside artists as well.
Stevie was just 11 yrs old when he was signed to Motown and in the mid 1960’s had his 1st big hit with “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” which reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. Over the next few years he continued to churn out such classics as “My Cherie Amour”, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” and a rework of the Beatles hit “We Can Work It Out”.
As the 1970s unfolded, the musician went through an unrivaled period of production. 1971’s “Where I’m Coming From”, with its groovy top 10 single “If You Really Love Me,” marked the first time Wonder took complete control of his work and had writing or co-writing credits for every song on an album.
His 1972 album “Talking Book” offered two No. 1 hits, the classic “Superstition” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,”. Both these tracks are classics and continue to rock dancefloors all over the world 50 years later.
Next up was Innervisions, which produced “Higher Ground” and “Living for the City,” which were again huge worldwide hits. It was the double album “Songs in the Key of Life” that many have hailed as Wonder’s most legendary project and one of the greatest records of all time. This album also contains “Sir Duke” and “Another Star” which are always crowd favorites, two of the biggest tracks of The Stevie Wonder tribute nights.
Stevie worked in the 1980’s to produce more commercial songs with icons such as Paul Mc Carthney and Michael Jackson. Stevie Wonder continues to be relevant today 60 years later as he still influences modern artists such as Pharrel Williams and Daft Punk and Dj’s like Danny Krivit remix and re edit some of his classic songs. Mr K’s remix of “If You Really Love Me” rocked dancefloors and festivals all over the world this summer.
.Tegan Fitzgerald, Jacinta Fitzgerald, student Sorcha Ní Chathasaigh, teacher Deirdre Ní Síochán, Aidan O’Connor and Darren Fitzgerald at the Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí Open Night on Tuesday. Photo by Dermot Crean
WITH the opening of a brand new school building just months away, Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí held an open night on Tuesday to give potential students and their families an idea of what to expect if they enrol for next September.
While the open night was held at their current building in Moyderwell, visitors were briefed on the facilities that the new school will offer but, more importantly, on the ethos of the school, the atmosphere and the learning environment they can expect.
As impressive as the new building will be when it opens in early spring 2023, Principal Ruairí Ó Cinnéide was also keen to stress that a school is more than just bricks and mortar.
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“We want to give a sense of who we are here at Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, to give a sense of the school rather than a school building and what we can offer students,” he said.
“Those students visiting from English-medium schools — and their parents — may be anxious about the transition to a secondary school where subjects are taught as gaeilge, so we’re here to answer their questions and tell them what we can do to support them.”
The new school — which will be located on land near Ballymullen, adjacent to University Hospital Kerry — will be a state of the art building to include 22 general classrooms, four science labs, a library and specialist rooms for art, technical graphics, materials technology wood, music, home economics and ICT.
Students Seoirse Ní Dhonnchú, and Elsie Peig Nic Ruairí, teacher Deirdre Ní Chochláin, Erin Ní Leathlobhair, Eleanor McCann, Debbie, Dillon, Aisling Dillon and Christine O’Connor at the Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí Open Night on Tuesday. Photo by Dermot Crean
The Campus will also include a sports hall, fitness suite, hard-court play areas and further developments in time to include a hurling wall and astroturf pitches.
Those attending the open night were taken on guided tours by current students, many of whom came from English-speaking primary schools, so they were able to convey how well they adapted to the new environment when they first arrived, while teachers were also on hand to answer any questions.
Principal Ó Cinnéide also gave a comprehensive presentation on everything students and their parents needed to know to help them make a decision about applying for Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí. For more information applying for a place at Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, call 066-7121650 or click here to go to their website.
Student Kiana Breathnach with Jake Bairead at the Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí Open Night on Tuesday. Photo by Dermot Crean
.Lead tutor Sarah Cunninham with pupils taking part in the ‘Relax Kids’ initiative. Photo by Dermot Crean
PRESENTATION Primary in Tralee has launched a series of student workshops entitled ‘Relax Kids’ as part of the school’s drive to continue to support student mental health and wellbeing.
The yoga mats were out in force on Wednesday morning as the children in 2nd and 5th class in Presentation Primary school were offered the opportunity to take part in a 6-week series of relaxation-focused workshops.
‘Relax Kids’ uses relaxation techniques to help children recognise their strengths and manage their emotional journey through life.
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The relaxation techniques provide a toolbox of skills which can be transferred into later life. If children can learn to be calm under pressure at a young age, then they stand in good stead for their adult life.
In praise of the initiative, Principal Mr. John Hickey explained that “the workshop series gives children the chance to build confidence and self-esteem as well as to learn tools and techniques that will set them up for life”.
At back; Deirdre Kearin of NEWKD with Principal of Presentation Primary John Hickey and pupils taking part in the ‘Relax Kids’ initiative. Photo by Dermot Crean
The lead tutor, Sarah Cunningham has taken each class group along with their class teachers Ms Hickson and Ms O’Shea for an hour each week to demonstrate the skills and allow the children to practice the techniques within their peer group.
The parents of 2nd and 5th class participated in an online session earlier this week in order to ensure the practices were supported at home also.
The feedback from the student and parental sessions was very positive. The entire initiative was funded by NEWKD and supported by the Home School Community Liaison Coordinator in the school, Maryanne Lowney.
Sarah Cunninham with pupils taking part in the ‘Relax Kids’ initiative. Photo by Dermot Crean
