Weekend of creativity inspired by iconic Limerick singer Dolores O'Riordan
DOLORES O’Riordan would, we suspect, be chuffed that her 50th birthday, on September 6, has become the inspiration for a weekend of creativity which will take place in Bruff over the first weekend in September.
But if you are a singer-songwriter from anywhere in Limerick or Clare, and aged 18-25, now is your chance to sign up for a workshop and the opportunity to perform in a special birthday gig.
“This is an open call to young singer songwriters,” says Monica Spencer who is the co-ordinator for the project which runs under the appropriately titled Young Dreams Festival..
Places on the workshop are limited but some are still available and the deadline to get your name in is 5pm next Wednesday, August 25.
However, Ms Spencer said, if there is a huge response, a second workshop could be organised As part of the workshop, the participants will write/compose one or two songs and will have the opportunity to perform them in a gig which will take place in the Morning Star GAA grounds on Sunday, September 5 and which will be streamed.
The workshop and showcase concert however are just part of the Young Dreams Festival which is a collaboration between the Limerick Clare Youth Project and the Dreams Festival run by Julianne Hennelly in conjunction with Creative Ireland.
Already, up to 30 young artists, aged from seven to 13, have been busy painting, with Dreams as their theme, working in the GAA stands in order to comply with Covid-19 restrictions. “They are painting lovely things,” says Monica Spencer who explained that their artwork will be unveiled in shop windows throughout Bruff starting on the weekend of September 4.
Next week, a smaller group, drawn from the same age group, will take part in another series of workshops run by Julianne Hennelly and Jane Fraser.
“They will write a new song that will be launched online on Dolores’ birthday,” says Monica.
The Young Dreams Festival will move to Abbeyfeale the following weekend on September 11. There, Monica explains, they will draw on the town’s traditional music heritage with music workshops that will bring tutors from all over the country and will also have an intergenerational theme.
In the afternoon, to mark the 50th anniversary of the first family from the Travelling Community to settle in the town, there will be an open invitation to the Traveller Community or anyone interested in Traveller culture to come along to a gathering in St
Ita’s Hall. The evening will draw to a close with a concert in Glórach, where Breaking Trad will be the headline act.