DD CULTURE: Check out some of the great events coming up in Donegal over the next few weeks.
Great American Country and Scottish Folk in Letterkenny:
The Regional Cultural Centre Letterkenny has three great concerts by three leading international bands coming up in this month. The truly gorgeous Americana four piece Furnace Mountain from Virginia bring their acoustic country bluegrass to the RCC on Friday October 21st.
Another leading American county act the Hot Club of Cowtown play the RCC on Wednesday 26th. This long established group have been setting stages ablaze, weaving together country, ragtime, big band jazz and blues to awesome effect for the past two decades. The final October concert is RANT featuring four of Scotland’s finest fiddle players, Bethany Reid, Jenna Reid, Sarah-Jane Summers and Lauren MacColl, on Thursday 27th.
An Explosion of Donegal Teenage Creativity:
The 21st annual County Donegal Suil na nOg Junior Cert Art exhibition presented by the Donegal Art Teachers Association is running at RCC Letterkenny until Saturday October 29th. Accurately described as an explosion of teenage creativity this very exciting exhibition features more than 100 pieces of Junior Cert Art made by students from twenty Secondary Schools across the length and breadth of County Donegal.
The exhibition is open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday, 11am – 5pm, admission is free of charge and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Major Live Film Events from around the world:
Century Cinemas Letterkenny has an incredible programme of Live Film events in the coming weeks that allows Donegal audiences the chance to experience the best in opera from New York, and ballet and musical theatre from London without having to leave the county.
Met Opera presents Don Giovanni (Live) on Saturday October 22nd featuring Simon Keenlyside in his Met role debut as the unrepentant seducer in Tony Award winner Michael Grandage’s staging of Mozart’s masterpiece. Kenneth Branagh and John Hurt star in John Osborneʼs explosive musical The Entertainer about the seedy glamour of the old music halls on Thursday October 27th.
Royal Ballet present Anastasia (Live) on Wednesday November 2nd, one of Kenneth MacMillan’s first creations on becoming Director of The Royal Ballet in 1970. Described as a powerful, psychological challenge for the principal ballerina, this is a rare opportunity to see a landmark ballet by a major choreographer.
Halloween and Christmas at An Grianán Theatre:
A varied programme at An Grianán Theatre Letterkenny in the coming weeks gives a nod to both Halloween with the award-winning spine-chilling drama Female Gothic on Friday October 28th and to Christmas with Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet The Nutcracker on Sunday November 6th.
The dark celebration of female gothic is performed by Rebecca Vaughan who brought us the marvellous Austen’s Women last year.
A more warm hearted family friendly experience is guaranteed by the beauty and magic of Ballet Ireland’s Nutcracker, performed by an international cast of world-class dancers. Other upcoming highlights include Eddie Kerr’s Derry drama Packie’s Wake from October 20th to 22nd, award winning wildlife photographer and cameraman Doug Allan on October 27th and North West Opera’s Die Fledermaus on November 4th and 5th.
Gypsy Jazz Festival in Ramelton:
A great weekend’s music and craic is promised when Django Sur Lennon, the Halloween gypsy jazz festival, takes place in Ramelton from Thursday October 27th to Sunday 30th A brilliant line-up includes Romane (Paris), Dario Napoli (Italy), Kourosh Kanani (London), Irene Ypenburg (Amsterdam), Manouche (Belfast) and many more. There will be five concerts over the weekend, workshops in guitar and violin, and lots of pub sessions.
Music and Drama at the Balor:
Upcoming highlights at the Balor Arts Centre Ballybofey include a local production of the ever popular John B Keane classic Many Young Men Of Twenty from October 25th to 27th and the Frankie Valley musical Ragdolls on Thursday November 3rd.
Featuring Seamus McCrudden, Daireen Laverty Niall McGonagle and Mickey McMahon, Many Young Men Of Twenty remains as relevant today as when it was originally written in 1961. Ragdolls features an amazing full 8 piece live band who recreate the iconic sound of The Four Seasons through classic songs such as ‘Sherry’, ‘Walk Like A Man’, ‘Oh What A Night’ and many more.
An Alternative Halloween Weekend in Letterkenny:
The Halloween Shindig returns to Voodoo Vintage on Friday 28th with an eclectic mix of entertainment, featuring celtic punk from The Pox Men, singer-songwriter Joel Harkin, ambient post-rock from clanns, circus performance artist Luna Belle, and a few seasonal surprises.
On Saturday 29th, The Cottage Bar will host ‘Get Your Freak On’, featuring five local DJ’s and an evening of fancy dress and Halloween shenanigans. On Sunday the 30th, Stage Fright, a super-group consisting of a host of Donegal’s leading young musicians, will be putting on a Halloween themed night in The Cottage Bar, playing a set of upbeat songs from funk to Halloween classics and more.
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