Thought-provoking Clonmel guided walking musical trail
Clonmel audiences were treated to a rousing finale on Culture Night with the presentation by Junction Festival of Eamon O’Malley’s Clonmel Song Cycle, the final project of In The Open Clonmel, the outdoor arts programme that has seen a range of events taking place in public spaces around the town.
Over the last year, Eamon worked on a very special project that premiered for Culture Night in various historic locations around Clonmel.
The Clonmel Song Cycle was a guided musical walking trail where audiences encountered figures of historical significance to Clonmel - some who are well known, some less so with Eamon writing a score and songs to bring these stories to life.
The audience were guided by actors Eve O’Mahony and Éanna Grogan. The first location at Blue Anchor Lane off O’Connell Street saw Eve Whelan and Eoin Hand as Anne Grubb and Lieutenant Frederick Close, the “star-crossed lovers” whose deaths in 1826 remain a mystery.
From there, the audience went to the Main Guard where Diarmuid Vaughan gave a rousing performance as The Flogger Fitzgerald, the over-zealous 1798 Sheriff whose cruel practices in putting down the rebellion in Tipperary earned him his nickname.
Following down to an Emmet Street courtyard, audiences met Sandra Power as the legendary Lady Blessington.
Born Sally Power in the Old Bridge area in Clonmel, the song depicted the writer whose wit and charm earned her bestseller status in the 1840s, returning to town to reminisce on her youth.
Finally, Diarmuid Bolger gave a passionate performance as Father Nicholas Sheehy, the Catholic priest whose persecution, trial and execution were one of the worst miscarriages of justice of Penal times, finishing the show as he was led to execution by hangman Ricky Dunne in front of the Borstal Gate.
Clonmel Junction Festival would like to sincerely thank the OPW, Maher’s Chemist, Joseph Nolan & Co Solicitors, Citizens Information, Yesterday’s World, and Clonmel Borough District as well as the fantastic volunteers who once again made the event possible, and Derek Harvey for coordinating our costumes beautifully.
Special mention to photographers Kevin O’Donnell and John D Kelly for their work in documenting and presenting all the events.
In the Open | Faoin Spéir was an Arts Council funded programme developed in response to the Covid-19 crisis and Tipperary County Council Arts Office partnered with Clonmel Junction Arts Festival and South Tipperary Arts Centre for an exciting programme with an overarching theme of “Come out to Play”.
This multi-artform programme focused on making creativity visible through large scale arts events which engaged with both the fabric of the town and its communities.
Taking place between August 2021 (when the popular Mani mural was painted) and September 2022, In The Open Clonmel presented an exciting range of performances, visual arts initiatives and new music commissions all rooted in a strong sense of place.
The programme began with the spectacular outdoor musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Kickham Barracks in October 2021. Bringing a local professional creative team together with a fantastic cast of actors, singers and dancers, the sold-out show delighted audiences coming back to live theatre after a period of online work.
PRISM
In April, Waterford Spraoi brought their atmospheric PRISM to Clonmel, drawing us towards the light of spring with an atmospheric, unique installation and performance.
Alison Cronin Dance Academy choreographed a special performance to open the show and a special In The Open Clonmel choir performed also.
Also in April, the visual arts brought the town alive as South Tipperary Arts Centre turned the gallery inside out with large scale artworks outdoors in unexpected places, with work by Maurice Caplice, Emma Maher, Marine Kearney, Nocht Studios, Wojciech Ryzinski, PressPlay Repeat and Laura O’Mahony, as well as a commissioned piece by Joe Caslin.
It has been wonderful to celebrate Clonmel’s creativity and our fantastic local artists as they got together in the open.