Sligo Events

Hawk’s Well’s 30th Birthday Party on Saturday 21st January

The Hawk’s Well Theatre turned 30 on the 12th of January 2012! The Hawk’s is celebrating 30 years of fantastic performances from professional and local theatre companies, bands, musicians, comedians and performers throughout 2012. The birthday party took place on Saturday 21st following the final performance of Druid’s Big Maggie. Druid were the first theatre company to perform at the Hawk’s Well when the theatre opened in 1982 with their production of Much Ado About Nothing and all at the Hawk’s Well were delighted to have them back to help celebrate the 30th birthday. Garry Hynes, Artistic Director of Druid was the special guest for the evening along with the cast and crew of Big Maggie, Sinead McPhillips, Marketing & Development Manager from Druid and the actress Marie Mullen attended the event along with members of her family and her mother Peig.

On Saturday 21st January at 6.30pm the exhibition ’30 years at the Hawk’s Well’ was opened. The staff of the theatre have been busy travelling down memory lane and compiling this exhibition of photographs, old programmes and memorabilia from the performances which the theatre has hosted over the decades. The exhibition opened on Saturday 21st and will be on display in the foyer of the theatre throughout the year.

Garry Hynes, Artistic Director of Druid was the special guest of the theatre on Saturday night and marked the occasion with a few words at 7pm along with speeches from the Mayor Rosaleen O’Grady, Gerry McCanny, Chairperson of the Hawk’s Well Theatre, Marie O’Byrne, Director of the theatre and Val Balance, Head of Venues from the Arts Council.

Following the sold out performance of Big Maggie the Hawk’s Well opened its doors to the public to celebrate 30 years of performance with music from Sligo band Anything Goes in the foyer from 10.30 til late.

As part of the celebrations the Hawk’s Well as been rebranded and the new logo was redesigned by Sligo designer Daragh Stewart whose Mother Pauline Stewart designed the original logo 30 years ago. The theatre’s new website www.hawkswell.com was also launched on the night.

Celebrations will continue throughout the year with a special Birthday gig every month. The Birthday gig for January was Big Maggie followed by Sligo Musical Society’s production of The Wizard of Oz in February, Millennium Forum Productions Carthaginians by Frank McGuinness in March and the Kilfenora Céilí Band in April.

Feb 8th: Opera Theatre Company bring Mozart’s The Magic Flute to the Hawk’s Well Theatre

Opera Theatre Company’s production of the Magic Flute has been shortlisted for the most prestigious awards in Irish theatre ‘The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards’ in the category ‘Best Opera Production’ and comes to the Hawk’s Well Theatre on Friday 3rd February at 8pm.

Enchanting and evocative, Mozart’s final masterpiece The Magic Flute, is a lyrical love story, set against an atmospheric backdrop of fantasy and mischief.

This profound but light-hearted tale is guaranteed to delight audiences of all ages combining moments of high comedy with intrigue, kidnap, and initiation rituals.

Opera Theatre Company is delighted to celebrate 25 years of touring opera throughout Ireland with this magical and uplifting opera.

The sublime score ripples with irresistible charm; from the stratospheric arias of the Queen of the Night, to the glorious melodies of Papageno, both reflecting Mozart’s dramatic genius and enthusiasm for life.

Opera Theatre Company’s chamber ensemble performs the captivating score with Music Direction by Brenda Hurley. Sung in English and directed by Annilese Miskimmon, design is by Nicky Shaw with lighting design by Sinead McKenna.

Cast includes: Allison Bell (Queen of the Night), Adrian Dwyer (Tamino), Owen Gilhooly (Papageno), Emma Morwood (Pamina), Matthew Trevino (Sarastro), Mary O’Sullivan (Papagena & First Lady), Laurence Thackeray (Monstatos), with Marcella Walsh (YAA), Eoin Hynes (YAA), Nathan Morrison (YAA), Mihaela Chirvase.

A terrific night’s entertainment… this company is driven by ideas, takes risks, and always a fresh and interesting approach
Sunday Business Post

Feb 4th: Máirtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden & Séamie O’Dowd at Hawk’s Well Theatre

Máirtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden & Séamie O’Dowd play Hawk’s Well Sat 4 Feb for one night only!

The musical powerhouse of Máirtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden & Séamie O’Dowd take to the stage at the Hawk’s Well on Saturday 4th February for what promises to be an unforgettable night.

Máirtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden & Séamie O’Dowd have been building a formidable musical relationship under the guise of the Máirtín O’Connor Band since 2001. Individually recognised figureheads of the tradition, they have built solid reputations as master musicians with astounding skill, diversity and virtuosity. Together they produce a vibrant and musically charged experience that redefines one’s concept of brilliance, verging on perfection. If this musical powerhouse does not get you to your feet, nothing will.

Máirtín was one of the main musical forces behind the now legendary Riverdance phenomenon. Having previously through his work with De Dannan, Midnight Well and Skylark and also as a solo artist, quite simply gone where no Irish accordion player had gone before. He is one of the most respected and best loved musicians ever to emerge from the country.

Cathal Hayden needs no introduction to anyone even remotely familiar with traditional Irish music. A multiple All-Ireland Championship winner, he achieved world-wide recognition as one of the founder members of Four Men and a Dog. He is one of Ireland’s top fiddlers and his solo banjo performances are quite simply show-stopping.

Séamie O’Dowd’s musical abilities have become increasingly familiar at international level in recent years. Rooted deeply in the traditional music of Sligo, he has played in many genres of acoustic and electric music. He toured the world for a number of years with Sligo trad legends Dervish and recently has played both home and abroad with Liam O’Flynn, Matt Molloy and Mary McPartlan.

Start the year with a bang with Samboeire

Everybody over 18 years is welcome to join the band for a hands on experience of infectious carnival rhythms. Absolutely no musical experience is necessary.

Participants will enjoy a 2hours introduction to brazilian rhythms generally know as Samba, followed by Tea/Coffee with the band members for an relaxed Q&A session.

This Open day is a great way to discover drumming and Samboeire with an opportunity to join the band for their future ventures.

The community band meets every week to play and work on groove from various influences from Africa, Cuba, Braziland even Ireland!

Each session is a fun, entertaining and active way to socialise and get to learn an instrument even two.

Drumming is a great remedy to reduce tension, anxiety and stress. It’s also a great help to better understand rhythm and timing. You can’t help feeling the beat with samba!

It’s a very simple and accessible way to music making so give it a go and join the band!

Samboeire is also involved in bigger projects nationwide from the local St Patrick’s Day Parade in Sligo to the Land of the Giants in Belfast and the Samba festival in Drogheda in June and even a European gathering of drummers inGermanyin July!

For more information please email samboeire@gmail.com or call Stephanie 0876935513.

Date for The Tour of Sligo 2012 Cycle announced

Via www.sligosportandrecreation.ie

A Date for the Diary!…..The Tour of Sligo 2012 Cycle is back again for another year. The date has been fixed for Sunday 6th May 2012. This year the Family event will take place on the day before – Sat 5th May. Details will follow over the coming month in relation to all aspects of the event .

Sligo Spot and Recreation hope to see many of the participants from the past 3 years events returning to Sligo for this year’s Tour as well as lots of new and enthusiastic cyclists who can sample the delights of our great county of Sligo while on their bikes!

Sligo Live will be celebrated at Top European Scottish Festival Celtic Connections on Wednesday, 25th January 2012.

Unique festival partnership gives emerging and established Irish artists a new international platform

Celtic Connections in Scotland (the largest winter festival in Europe hosting over 2,100 musicians, 300 events, 20 venues over 18 days) hosts a Sligo Live night on Wednesday, 25th January 2012 at St. Andrews In The Square. The Sligo Live showcase, which is now an annual and unique event at Celtic Connections, is part of a partnership between the two festivals where the Scottish festival and the Irish event promote each other in their respective markets.

Marking the second year of Celtic Connections’ partnership with the Sligo Live Festival is another triple bill curated from Ireland’s traditional heartland – and one of its most exciting contemporary hotbeds – reuniting the fabled partnership of pioneering accordionist Máirtin O’Connor with guitarist, singer and fiddler Seamie O’Dowd, as heard on O’Connor’s 2005 album “The Road West”. Aptly-named indie-popsters The Gorgeous Colours channel blues, folk, jazz, soul rock, indie and electronic influences into “a perfect package” of feelgood, danceable and all-round gorgeous sounds” (State.ie). While O’Connor himself has hailed young Sligo natives and Danny Kyle Award winners The JPTrio as “the new cutting edge of fused traditional music”.

Sligo Live is one of the most exciting festivals to emerge in recent times on the international calendar of events.

In a quirky coincidence, the two festival artistic directors are both accordion players with top international acts; Shane Mitchell from the traditional music group Dervish is the Artistic Director of Sligo Live, and Donald Shaw who performs with Scotland’s top traditional act Capercaillie, is Artistic Director of Celtic Connections.

Celtic Connections Artistic Director Donald Shaw said; “We are delighted with our successful partnership with Sligo Live in Ireland. The artistic vision and ethos of Sligo Live is similar to that of Celtic Connections, and we believe this partnership will raise the profile of Sligo Live in Scotland whilst increasing the size of Irish audiences to Celtic Connections, Europe’s largest festival of its type”.

Sligo Live Producer, Rory O’Connor added, “This is a very exciting venture for Sligo Live. The Scottish strand of our 2011 programme, made possible by Creative Scotland, was a huge success; really adding to the vibrancy of Sligo Live in 2011 and introduced a raft of superb Scottish acts to a new audience.

Celtic Connections takes place in Glasgow from 19th January to 5th February 2012, for full festival details see; www.celticconnections.com. Sligo Live will take place over the Irish October bank holiday weekend from 24th until 29th October 2012. Full details and announcements soon see www.sligolive.ie A limited number of early bird weekend tickets for all Sligo Live shows at last year’s price of €95 are available from www.sligolive.ie and the Hawk’s Well Theatre (phone 00 353 71 916 1526). Special hotel special offers are also available.

Visitors have the opportunity to combine the Festival’s music and craic with many of the year round activities Sligo has to offer; Ireland’s best Surfing beaches, Hill and Forest walks, Seaweed baths, Boating, Fishing, Sailing, Camping, Golf, Music Archives, and an array of activities to tantalise young minds. Knock Ireland West Airport has a convenient network of flights from Edinburgh, Stansted, Liverpool, Manchester, Luton, Bristol, East Midlands, Gatwick and Birmingham. Ireland West is only 45 minutes from Sligo.

Jan 14th: Kick start a healthy lifestyle in 2012 with the Operation Transformation National Walk in Sligo

People of Sligo are being encouraged to kick start a healthy and active lifestyle for 2012 by joining Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership at 12 noon on Saturday 14th January for one of the Operation Transformation national walks. The meeting place for the walk is JFK Parade Sligo (opposite Toffs nightclub) and the route will follow the Sligo Town Sli na Slainte route along Doorly Park passing the attractive waterfront along the Garavogue River over a distance of 4 kilometres. 

Taking part in the walk will be special guest Paddy Cunningham from Calry, Sligo who is a great role model for positive transformation in weight loss and physical activity. Paddy will provide motivational advice to participants on how to start and stay healthy and active in 2012.People of all ages and abilities are welcome on the day and in particular it would be great to see families getting involved. The event is ideal for beginners to come out and give it a go.

SSRP would like to acknowledge the support of local Slí na Sláinte walking leaders and the Health Service Executive who are giving their time to lead this walk. Slí na Sláinte stands for ‘path to health’. Developed by the Irish Heart Foundation, the routes are marked by bright colourful signposts which are situated at 1km intervals and there are three routes in Sligo at Rosses Point, Kevinsfort and Doorly Park in Sligo Town. Simply follow the kilometre signs, set your pace to suit your enjoyment, and you’ll quickly feel better and get fitter. You will also experience a great sense of achievement.

So let’s start 2012 on a positive step by taking part in the Operation Transformation Sligo Walk which is part of a national event on Saturday 14^th January 2012. Meet at JFK Parade, Sligo at 12 noon.

For more information on the Operation Transformation walk in Sligo log ontowww.sligosportandrecreation.ie or contact us on 07191 61511.