Feast of cultural fun for Laois young people in Portlaoise

Portlaoise is set to be the venue for a Laois arts festival designed to entertain local young people with a taste for culture and fun.

Young Curators Bill O’Brien and Aoife Dunne, as part of their role as NASC Network Young Curators, present Lasta Festival- a festival for young people, by young people at the Dunamaise Arts Centre.

The Dunamaise and its partner venues in the NASC Regional Venue Network have teamed up to present a national festival across seven regional theatres

The festival kicked off on May 10 with the launch event- Shampain Presents: An Irish Destiny Re-Scored. Galway-based and internationally renowned DJ, Shampain, brought an Irish silent cinema classic ‘Irish Destiny' back to life with a new soundtrack, mixed live as the film was screened in Dunamaise.

Tuesday, June 4 features regular Dunamaise Yoga facilitator Steph McLaughlin who will lead an atmospheric class in Dunamaise Gallery, with soundscapes created live by Harpanno. Places are limited for the event which starts at 8pm. Tickets are €15.

Wednesday, June 5 features the film Bottoms. It's described as a 'unique raunchy comedy' that focuses on two girls, PJ and Josie, who start a fight club as a way to lose their virginities to cheerleaders. The fight club gains traction and soon the most popular girls in school are beating each other up in the name of self-defence. But PJ and Josie find themselves in over their heads and in need of a way out before their plan is exposed. Rated 15A the film screens at 8pm. Tickets are €8/€5.

Thursday, June 6 features a double headliner gig featuring Pebbledash and James O'Connor. Pebbledash are a six-piece shoegaze alt-rock band from Cork, incorporating elements of noise rock and dream pop to create textured and melodic soundscapes. The six-piece recently sold out a headline gig in Cyprus Avenue, Cork, and their debut EP is set to release in mid 2024.

Laois man James O’Connor will entertain with a selection of inspired, heart-felt and uplifting songs. The Dunamaise Curators say his defiant and rousing music, with unabashedly honest lyrics, are sure to resonate with the soul.  The gig starts at 8pm and tickets cost €15.

Friday, June 7 features fashion and trad.

The Dunamise’s sustainable fashion swap shops feature a conscious clothes swap, facilitated by artist Rebecca Deegan, that is claimed to be kind to the environment and your wallet.

From now until the event, exchange good condition clothes, accessories, and shoes for tokens in the Dunamaise Arts Centre. All genders and sizes are welcome. On the day, swap each token for a new-to-you piece of fashion. It features special guests Shauna Ward and My Brat Bhride.

After the event the Mezzanine stages a celebration of Traditional Irish music with Portlaoise TradFest who'll put on a live sessiún with some of Laois’ best trad musicians. The fashion events start at 6 pm while the music begins at 7 pm. Admission is €3.

Fall and Flooat by Mónica Muñoz Dance takes place on Saturday, June 8. This family-friendly dance performance is for ages 4+. With playful energy, impressive acrobatics, comic timing and a joyful soundscape, two dancers create a magical world through the clever manipulation of simple balloons. Starting at 2pm, it's a free event.

The final event is a concert on Saturday night in the Dunamaise. Greenshine is a Cork-based folk trio, consisting of Mary Greene, Noel Shine and their daughter Ellie. Greenshine's music straddles the boundaries of Folk, Indie and Americana with outstanding harmonies, skillful stringwork and critically acclaimed songwriting. The show starts at 8pm and costs €15.

The Lasta event is the culmination of a years of work by the young Laois curators who met with their counterparts in other venues. They attended a range of shows and events such as the Galway International Arts Festival and the Dublin Fringe Festival. This all culminates in a week long festival of events from the 3rd to the 8th of June 2024, with each event hand selected by Aoife and Bill with young audiences in mind.

Bill O’Brien, a Portlaoise native, is currently studying a Masters of Education (PME) in Secondary Education at UCD and is an accomplished musician and music teacher. Playing banjo, guitar and mandolin as well as singing, Bill primarily performs traditional Irish music, but also enjoys playing jazz, country, bluegrass and classical music. He has performed at many notable events over the years, including Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, National and International Ploughing Championships, St. Patrick’s Day Festival Dublin, Kilkenny Arts Festival and Bealtaine Festival.

Aoife Dunne, from Abbeyleix, is a student and about to enter year three of Sculpture/ Combined Media in the Limerick School of Art and Design. Aoife has a particular interest in community engagement and is a member of Plan International's Youth Advisory Panel, a global development organisation broadly focused on Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on girls and women. Aoife completed a QQI Level 6 course in Advanced Art in Abbeyleix FETC and previously exhibited in Dunamaise Arts Centre as part of the graduate show from this course in 2022. She was also a participant in the Leave a Light On Programme in December 2021, and in Faoin Spéir festival as part of Re:CENTRING Laois in April 2022.

The Dunamaise chapter of the Young Curators Programme and LASTA Festival events are funded by the Arts Council and Creative Ireland Laois.