EVENT: GALWAY ARTS FESTIVAL
Where to begin? Go westward for the 2023 installment of the nation's premiere arts shindig, showcasing a wealth of theatre, music, comedy, visual art, dance and literary events; highlights include the mighty DruidO'Casey cycle of plays, Michael Keegan-Dolan's How to be a Dancer in Seventy-two Thousand Easy Lessons, Gen X rock legends Pavement, Colm Meaney and daughter Brenda in Enda Walsh's Bedbound, a new show from artist Diana Copperwhite and 2FM's Jenny Greene, and more, and more... If we had to pick one must-see, Gravity & Other Myths (who astounded audiences in 2019 with their daring acrobatic feats) make a very welcome return to Galway with the biggest indoor show ever presented by GIAF, The Pulse, featuring a company of 60 performers including the 30 strong, all-female Orfeó Catalá Choir (Various venues, 17th - 30th July)
BOOK: ORDINARY HUMAN FAILINGS BY MEGAN NOLAN
A dead child on a London estate and the finger of suspicion pointing at one reclusive Irish family: the Greens. . . The author of Acts Of Desperation returns with her sophomore novel, a definite change of pace (and scale) from her autobiographical debut; in its review, The Guardian described Ordinary Human Failings as as 'a page-turning tale of scandal and misery' (Penguin, out now)
FILM: PUFFIN ROCK AND THE NEW FRIENDS
When the last Little Egg of the season disappears under mysterious circumstances. Oona and her friends race against time to bring the Little Egg home before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the entire island in danger... All your family favorites from Cartoon Saloon's popular animated TV series return in their first big screen outing, with the voice cast led by Chris O'Dowd and Amy Huberman (Cinemas nationwide)
EVENT: CONTINOUS PATTERNS
IMMA'S Summer party features two days of music & art in the atmospheric grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, with a tasty music line up that includes Jape, Talos, Bricknasty, Qbaana, Dreamcycles, Caoi de Barra, Ailbhe Reddy and Efa O Neill, plus talks with dancer Emma Martin, designer Annie Atkins and more, DJ sets, live art, IMMA tours, and food and drinks aplenty (IMMA Dublin, July 14th + 15th)
MUSIC: BLOSSOM DEARIE
Jazz heroine Blossom Dearie's music is celebrated in Discover Who I Am, an illuminating new 6-disc collection capturing Dearie's London sojourn between 1966-1970. Mixing live sets recorded at Ronnie Scott's nightclub with illuminating deep cuts and a wealth of previously unreleased tracks, it offers newcomers a fine introduction (and some) to a sorely under-appreciated pianist, singer and songwriter (Out now, Mercury Records)
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