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Going back in time to give comfort in the now

May 4, 2023

Award winning podcast returns with stories to “bury into your heart”

The award winning critically acclaimed Promenade which was released in November 2022 returns for its second season.  Reviewed as “Stories that will burrow their way into your heart”, Season One heard stories from around the world dealing with memory and the stories they trigger from the sound of the sea reminding of an old romance, a smell that can make one yearn for home – these memories can be triggered by the oddest of things. Created and concepted by Andy Gaffney, Promenade was born “from both love and curiosity of nostalgia and a love of hearing a person’s story. Memories and the stories they trigger can be actual real life time travel.”

Promenade Season Two features fourteen stories from around the world dealing with memory and the stories they trigger from the sound of bookshops reminding, you of childhood, a perfume maker trying to create the scent of her life to a piece of music in World War two being a lifelong companion to a man hidden from the nazis.

Season two is built around the idea of searching through old video tapes looking for a recorded memory and those moments late at night when you wake up to a static lit room after falling asleep.

Talking on his own trips down memory lane, Andy commented, “A memory I hold dear and one I used in my own Promenade story in Season One is being in my childhood room with my parents old Bush TV, retired Betamax and a box of tapes. As much as I loved watching those liberated local video shop tapes like Ice Station Zebra and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, I also loved the old recorded over a thousand times from the TV videos featuring ads from an era, a random Christmas Special before cutting to a home video that nobody remembers recording. Those tapes feel packed with Ghosts.”

A theme that emerges throughout these fourteen stories is people remembering fathers, mothers and grandparents. Both in the things they did for you as carers when you were child but also what tthat now means when you think back when you remember someone not as a parent but as a

person. When you listen to this series as a whole it becomes clear, nobody does it alone.

Promenade Season Two is available on all platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Also available on www.theshift.ie

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Let us Dance- Where Dance Meets Street in Wexford

May 4, 2023

The Irish Street Art, Circus and Spectacle Network – ISACS – Ireland’s leading support and advocacy organisation for the development of street arts, circus and spectacle art forms and SpringMoves Dance Festival will host Where Dance Meets Street at the National Opera House, High St, Wexford on May 6th, and 7th.

This year Where Dance Meets Street explores collaborative practice and presentation between the art forms of Street and Dance. As part of this two-day event Prodigal UPG will perform Zoo Humans for the whole community and deliver a Masterclass for artists interested in presenting Dance in public places.

ZOO HUMANS is a free performance-parkour/dance/physical-theatre show for the whole family – at 3pm on Saturday 6th of May, at Selskar. Accompanied by an original electronic soundtrack by Chris Umney, featuring Sir David Attenborough’s classic narration (with the blessing of the man himself). No booking is required.

The Masterclass for dance, street and circus artists will take place on Sunday the 7th at the National Opera House. It will explore the practice, creation, and presentation of work in public spaces and the democratic nature of Street Arts. The first session – starting at 10:30am, will introduce participants to a diversity of movement vocabulary, and then a final 2-hour session in the afternoon, will explore outdoor spaces in connection with Dance movement.

The Urban Playground Team is the original performance-parkour (2PK) company, coining that term to describe their unique blend of dance, street theatre and parkour. The company specialises in pioneering engagement models with at-risk communities of young people and has worked with participants aged 3 – 95.

The event is supported by Wexford County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland. For more information check out https://isacs.ie/event/where-dance-meets-street-2023/ .

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With cheese please
Meet the Maker series with Galway Food Tours gets cheesy

May 4, 2023

The award-winning Galway Food Tours who guide people through the food scene of Galway have added to their offering this spring/summer with a new program that will introduce the people behind the food. The Meet the Maker tour will combine food and the unique characters in Galway who bring the best of what is on offer to life.

Bringing in the cheese is Teresa Roche, the woman behind the award winning Kylemore FarmHouse Cheese – produced on Teresa’s family farm at the foothills of the Slieve Aughty mountains in Co Galway.

On Thursday 18 May she will share her journey on becoming a fourth generation dairy farmer and talk you through what is involved in getting her premium cheese from farm to table…while sampling her delicious cheese.

After meeting Teresa, you will take a short walk to one of Galway Food Tours special restaurants for a dinner and wine pairing…finishing the evening off with a nightcap in a very special local bar.

Tickets are €100 and are available from www.galwayfoodtours.com.

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Galway’s The Kings Head shortlisted for Pub of the Year

April 3, 2023

A celebration of Galway life on every plate at The Kings Head


One of Galway’s best known landmark pubs, The Kings Head has been named as a finalist for Pub of The Year with Good Food Ireland. After a judges visit, now the Pub of the Year award goes to a public vote, so The Kings Head needs Galway’s help!

Owned and run by the Grealish Family since the late 80s, this 800 year old Pub is located in the heart of Galway City’s Latin Quarter and comprises a Pub, Bistro, and LIve Venue over 3 floors.

The food at Kings Head is a celebration of the amazing ingredients that are on their doorstep. No surprise then that the menu features local seafood, lamb, beef and organic vegetables.

But it is in their dedication to the sea that the food at The Kings Head really comes to life, Crab Claws, Mussels, King Scallops, Oysters, award-winning Chowder, the catch of the day, Galway Hooker beer battered served with their signature chips (More on those later) and of course the now seasonal signature Lobster and Chips. The Chips at the Kings Head are fresh, hand cut and triple-cooked and are a stand-alone dish in themselves. 

For over 20 years Head Chef Brendan Keane has led the kitchens at The Kings Head and he has along with The Grealish Family been a driving force in championing local produce and producers on their plates. Whether you’re sitting on a bar stool or in the Bistro, the food philosophy is the same – if it’s fresh local and in season, it goes on the menu ! Using Local suppliers like Ali’s Fish Market, Sloe Hill Farm, Sliabh Aughty Honey, Friendly Farmer, Éamon Giblin Game, Kelly’s Oysters, Galway Bay Seafood and they even have their own Forager in Brian Gannon. Now how many pubs have their own forager?

At the bar at The Kings Head, you will find signature whiskeys, local gins, craft beers, cocktails, mocktails and creamy pints of stout. 

The Kings Head now have their very own Craft Beer appropriately named Blood Red Ale which is brewed locally by Galway Hooker in Oranmore. It’s a preservative free, small batch, traditional red ale which keeps its head, unlike a certain King ! 

With free Live Music every single night, Late Bars every weekend and a solid commitment to authentic local food and drinks, this historic family-run Galway Pub, surely deserves to be crowned Pub of the Year

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Lessons in Kindness

April 3, 2023

Curator, producer, writer, and educator, Dani Gill’s, second poetry collection, Lessons in Kindness that explores identity, sexuality, strength and vulnerability is going to be on book shelves across Ireland this April.

I chose Lessons in Kindness as my title because that was the mission of writing the book. While it sounds like a nice phrase, it is something borne out of great pain and forced overcoming. The title comes from the poem ‘Shingles’ and relates to the idea of having to learn to be compassionate with yourself and with others, in situations that could make us harden. The collection is an unraveling of stories. There is the central story of a woman (Dani) going through stages in life such as losing family members (both through death and estrangement), navigating gay relationships, and finding peace. The book is broken into four sections,” explained Dani.

Some of the themes in the collection explore the ideas of relationships, identity, sexuality, compassion, learning and faith. 

Writer Elaine Feeney on Lesson in Kindness, “It is a meditative collection on the importance of the people who make us, and the kindness they leave behind. Gill writes with such a light touch, beautifully done.” And Michael Harding remarked, “Here are reflections as fragile as egg shell. They are sparse and opaque, and work like a lens, allowing the reader to be the object of their own reading. There is a sense of selfhood here which is as transient as gossamer. And what shines through is a kind of soul light. A beautiful and uplifting book.”

The collection will be officially launched in The Mick Lally Theatre on Sunday 2nd April 2023, where Dani will be Interviewed by Writer Edel Coffey.

Here Dani goes through emotions and themes within the collection surrounding Grief, Contracts, Mirrors and Truth.

Grief

Grief begins with a childhood poem featuring my grandmother and going to church with her. It begins a section of poems dealing with the loss of my grandmother (she passed away from a degenerative brain disease in 2021) and the idea of faith. My grandmother was a very kind woman, she was also a staunch Catholic. The poem deliberately brings in the imagery of faith, something that is explored throughout the collection in terms of personal journey, what we believe, right and wrong, asks, navigating. 

Water Angels, Breath, Silence, Hollow are all poems set at the time or shortly after my grandmother’s death. They involve both her and my mother; the intergenerational process of grieving women. 

Contracts

Contracts deals with the idea that we are often subscribed / ‘contracted’ into relationships and certain behaviours. It deals with how these are broken and interrogated. The section ends with ‘The Uprooted Tree’. A poem about becoming; the constant possibility of breaking a definition to emerge as something different. 

Mirrors

The poems in Mirrors are all about the roles of others in our lives and what they mirror back to us as well as the lessons they teach us. Friendships, romantic relationships and our wider identity in the community are explored. Poems like ‘Night Walk’ and ‘Stranger on the Beach’ are about the idea that we are all connected in the fabric of humanity, that we can and should help each other. 

The ‘Perspective’ poems are poems written while doing drone photography. They are about the search and capture of moments, and how the world looks through a different lens.  

Truth

Truth is the final section of the collection. It discusses personal truth, spirituality without labels and a type of call to action for active allyship of the LGBTQ community. It opens with ‘For Those Who Believe in the Unseen’, a poem about our connectedness with nature. It features the sea, something I’ve written about a lot in my poetry. As a sea swimmer it is something  I’ve learned from massively throughout the past decade. ‘Masks’, ‘Raise Your Spear’, ‘Power’ and ‘Choose Your Weapon’ are poems about being part of the LGBTQ community and the challenge that it brings. They are a call to action to be aware, to be active in what you believe in, and to be brave in what matters. This section is about finding my own personal truth, but also the wider context of truth for us as a community. Who are we? What do we stand for? What world do we want to live in and how do we build it?  

 Publication Date: April 2nd 2023. Publisher: Salmon Poetry. Lessons in Kindness, €12 will be available from all good bookstores and online via the Salmon Poetry website: www.salmonpoetry.com. For more information on Dani get social @theedanimagic (Instagram and Twitter)

 PRAISE FOR THE COLLECTION:

Here are reflections as fragile as egg shell. They are sparse and opaque, and work like a lens, allowing the reader to be the object of their own reading. There is a sense of selfhood here which is as transient as gossamer. And what shines through is a kind of soul light. A beautiful and uplifting book. -Michael Harding

A beautiful account of the lives, loves and losses of three generations of women. The poems explore how interconnected those experiences are, in love, in grief, and how they move between generations like the ebb and flow of the tide. -Edel Coffey

A meditative collection on the importance of the people who make us, and the kindness they leave behind. Gill writes with such a light touch, beautifully done. -Elaine Feeney

Fast paced, challenging, truthful, in this her second collection, Dani Gill explores the demanding landscape of personal love and loss. -Mary Dorcey

Lessons in Kindness is a finely-wrought collection exploring identity, love and loss. Whether writing about the relationships that have shaped her, the experience of coming out or how to live mindfully each day, Dani Gill’s poems are imbued with a sense of rootedness in nature.

– Jane Clarke

This gentle collection orbits grief, looking for a safe place to land. The wearing and removing of masks, the fragility of life, the stillness therein. – Rita Ann Higgins.

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Two strategic milestones for Galway’s Blue Teapot

April 3, 2023

An impressive week for Blue Teapot who welcomed Walter Balfe, QQI Head of Quality Assurance and colleagues Marie Cotter and Yvonne Agnew to join the celebrations of Blue Teapot Theatre Company in their successful re-engaging with QQI as a provider of quality assurance programme delivery.

Prior to this, Blue Teapot was a legacy provider under the FETAC umbrella on the national frameworks of qualifications. It is a significant milestone for the company which provides performing arts training at QQI Levels 2 & 3 to adults with intellectual disabilities.

 The rigorous process by Quality and Qualifications Ireland recognises the high-quality work in developing, enhancing and implementing quality assurance processes. It is a benchmark that has to be achieved by all institutional and independent providers of QQI programmes, and Blue Teapot has met that threshold at first time of re-engagement.

 Last year Blue Teapot shared the news they had bought their building on Munster Avenue. This was enabled by Clann Credo the Social Finance Foundation, a non-profit body that provides loan finance for community organisations around Ireland. The foundation reported a 29% increase in loans to the sector in 2022. The €26.6 million lent to 265 organisations from all 26 counties included a loan to Blue Teapot Theatre Company in Galway.

Commenting on how social finance made a difference to its operation, Blue Teapot Director, Petal Pilley, said: ‘’It has been a long-held aim to secure a permanent cultural home for Blue Teapot. Our vision is to be a centre of excellence for Disability Arts in the Western Region, this goal would not have been possible to achieve without the social finance provided through Clan Credo and facilitated by the Social Finance Foundation.’’

 For more information check out www.blueteapot.ie.

ue teapot
testimonial

MC and Moderator for IdeasLab IWD CreateHER event 2023

March 27, 2023

Lisa Regan recently MC’d our CreateHER finale in the Druid Theatre in Galway city. Her commitment to the event from the outset was evident and she supported us in the venue selection to ensure the right atmosphere, worked with us on running order, theme and stage set up. Lisa captured the essence and feel of the event we were trying hold. Through her research, thoughtful questions and inclusive style she brought our vision to life, for what was a night us and the audience will remember for a long time. Although Lisa had one role on the night she gave so much more to the entire event than we could have asked for.

Jenny Mullery University of Galway IdeasLab

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The Kings Head Bistro Special International Women’s Day Lunch for Africa

March 6, 2023

Paul and Mary Grealish and the staff of The Kings Head Bistro at 15 High Street, Galway are inviting people to join them on Wednesday the 8th of March from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. They will host a lunch to celebrate International Women’s Day and to support the work of Self Help Africa with some of its Women and Family projects in Africa.

Tickets for this 3 course meal with all proceeds going to the charity are priced at €40.

International Women’s Day Lunch for Self Help Africa’ will be an opportunity for you to have fun, raise awareness and do some fundraising to support women and families living in some of the poorest communities in Africa. Self Help Africa works with these communities – provide women and families with the ability to produce more food, earn more from their farming activities and help mothers and fathers to provide a better life for their children. 

One of the guest speakers at this special event in The Kings Head Bistro will be Mary Sweeney of Self Help Africa who has worked on Women and Children’s projects in Africa for the past 30 years and she will share with you her great experiences and stories of some fantastic women doing great work to make life better for their families in some of the poorest regions in our world.

To reserve a seat or table for this event contact The Kings Head at (091) 566 630 or Ronan Scully at (087) 6189094 or email paul@thekingshead.ie or ronan.scully@selfhelpafrica.org

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Experience a pretty perfect Mother’s Day with Galway Food Tours

March 6, 2023

Fully Treat the mother in your life this year by spending time with them as you will roam through the streets of Galway enjoying the best of food, drinks and company.

The Mother’s Day Brunch kicks off in the afternoon with Galway food Tours guiding you to six of Galway’s hottest eateries and watering holes. From savoury to sweet and then a tipple of two, this afternoon will showcase how all Sundays should be spent!


Bring a friend, bring a girlfriend, treat your wife or someone who needs a day out.

See you there! Mother’s Day Tour is happening on Sunday 19th March, beginning at McCambridges on Shop Street. The tour is priced at €80. To book visit www.galwayfoodtours.com.

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Galway Street Art Walking Tour

February 2, 2023

How community development can contribute to and influence social change?

Today I began my working day talking with Anna Daly a 4th year Social Sciences at University of Galway who for her final year dissertation, wants to look at how community development can contribute to and influence social change. In particular she’s interested in how communities can promote positive climate action?

We have been working on being a dynamic, inclusive and progressive community in Galway’s Westend through the businesses, through creativity, with the wonderful residents who are the heart and soul and with ensuring we are respecting our environment.

Anna nailed all of this in her words below and its so wonderful to get validation for all the work and in terms of driving our message through PR and Marketing this was such great feedback to get.

“I think that Galway’s Westend has huge potential to be one of these dynamic communities. It’s already one of the most proactive and eclectic neighbourhoods in the city. When you walk around the Westend it’s easy to pick up a vibe which is pro local businesses, pro creativity and pro sustainability and the collective marketing of the Westend through its website and social media has explicitly identified itself as a community that really values these principles.”

Today I joined the Galway Street Art Walking Tour with Finbar247 Shane O Malley Galway City Council to explore the city and how bringing artists and local government to work together to ensure Street Art is part of our street scape. The value to society through colour, creativity and the economy is only positive.

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Get flirty with Galway Food Tours this February

February 2, 2023

Experience the perfect blend of food and romance with Galway Food Tours

Galway Food Tours Valentines Food Tour on February 15th offers a refreshing alternative to the traditional Valentine’s Day and post the Hallmark pressure date! 

The romantically undecided can join for a fun-filled evening that will take them from Farmhouse cheese paired with delicious wine to an award-winning restaurant followed by a special seasonal Valentine’s cocktail.

“The craic, fabulous food, and romantic zing in the air have already proven successful in the love department on previous Valentine’s tours – it’s certainly one of our best! It does tend to be a little female-heavy; we get a 70% female and 30% male interest, so we want to see more men join us this year! Let’s level the playing gents – can you help?!” smiled Sheena Dignam, Romance expert and owner of Galway Food Tours. 

The tour kicks off at 6pm and is priced at €85. To book visit www.galwayfoodtours.com.

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Galway Food Tours get crafty in 2023

November 17, 2022

Gifting experiences is THE gift of 2022

The award-winning Galway Food Tours who guide people through the food scene of Galway have launched their craft and food tours gift vouchers. The gift vouchers can be for one of their food and experiential tours or can be out towards joining their craft tours which they launched in November 2022.

Long after the festive season, you can enjoy a craft tour in Galway. This February 12th join Galway Food tours as they take you on a journey through Galway like no other. Beginning in Galways westend, In Plamas where a coffee and sweet treat from Kai is the order of the day before heading up the town to the hear and learn from the icon that is Anne O’Maille who runs O’Máille – The Original House of Style, founded in 1938 in the heart of Galway City. Famous for their unique Hand Knitted Aran Sweaters. Proudly showcasing Top 100% Irish Weavers | Contemporary designs for Men, Women & Home in natural fiber.

Then it’s onto one the city’s most iconic restaurant spaces, Ard Bia where lunch is served. The creative juices can then be awoken with a Weave workshop where you will make a St Bridget’s cross with Sarah Jenkins in the surroundings of the Galway City Gin Distillery and talk (and drink!) about Imbolc – Early Childhood with Claire Davey.

“People want experiences now, so we wanted to bring the best of fashion, craft, and food together. We are so lucky in the west to have all these incredible people, places, and resources. So, get your friends together or come on a date with us yourself, a brilliant day eating, chatting, a tipple or two and of course having conversations, getting creative and learning from the people that are around us. Perfection,” said Sheena Dignam Owner of Galway Food Tours.

Tickets for this tour are €85 pp. Reserve your spot with Sheena on 086-7332885 or galwayfoodtours@gmail.com.  Check out www.galwayfoodtours.com