It’s good to see that Waterford Film Festival has made it to its fifth year and has settled into the good facilities at Greyfriar’s Gallery. The place was welcoming, with coloured spotlights outside, a great set of black “legs” or drapes to darken the space, a state of the art projection system and some proper chairs...
Author: Liam Murphy
Review: A Tale of Two Masses
Review: A Tale of Two Masses
The award-winning New Dublin voices, a chamber choir came to Christ Church Cathedral with a challenging task to present a concert/recital of a Tale of Two Masses as they merged the Palestrina 16th century Missa Aeterna Christi Munera with a 20th century Missa Tiburtina by Giles Swayne. To bulk out the programme they...
Review: An Evening With Julian Lloyd Webber
Review: An Evening With Julian Lloyd Webber
The setting was simple, the newly exposed back wall (part of City Walls), a grand piano, a stool and a chair, low yellow lighting as Julian Lloyd Webber walked onstage with his cello and pianist Pam Chowhan. A simple Good Evening and he spoke to his audience as he did throughout the evening and thus began a gentle...
Review: All Fall Down
Review: All Fall Down
Stagemad Theatre Company once again showed their commitment to new plays and as part of the Imagine Festival introduced the work of Ciarán Murphy, a Waterford-born news journalist. All Fall Down is a credible 50 minute two-hander with more than a passing influence from Martin McDonagh, telling the story of visually...
Review: Connections – Verbindungen
Review: Connections – Verbindungen
I love the serendipity of the world and the way seemingly unconnected things can open up a whole era of memory and appreciation. That was my feeling when I came upon an art book from the prestigious publishers Chambridge Scholars featuring the etchings of Waterford born Gerhardt Gallagher and his grandmother Margaret...
Review: RTE Vanbrugh Quartet
Review: RTE Vanbrugh Quartet
Waterford Music’s contribution to the excellent Imagine Festival was a top class concert by the RTE Vanbrugh Quartet in the Large Room, City Hall. This was a glorious treat as it featured a fine Frederick May String Quartet to celebrate the centenary of the Dublin-born composer (born 1911) Gregory Ellis of the...
Review: Thomas McCarthy/Grace Wells
Review: Thomas McCarthy/Grace Wells
As part of the literature strand of the Imagine Festival, the County Waterford poet Thomas McCarthy was joined by Grace Wells for a Sunday poetry reading at Greyfriars Gallery. The setting among an exhibition of naked bodies was a treat and you could hardly ask for better. Unless it was naked poets as well. Behind...
Review: Back To The 80’s
Review: Back To The 80’s
De La Salle College Musical Society added to their excellent reputation for school shows, over thirty years of achievement and memorable moments. This year they selected a 2004 show – Back To The 80’s, a jukebox musical with Glee touches and they got a great director, a Glee devotee, Vicki Graham to direct. Opening...
Review: Comedy @ Imagine
Review: Comedy @ Imagine
The Imagine Festival struck gold with its comedy programme bringing a reflective Konor Halpin back to The Granary and a real first bringing Scottish 5 Star Queen of Scatology to the Theatre Royal. Janey Godley is more than a potty mouthed stand-up and she has impressed a much wider audience with her books, articles...
Review: Ger Kennedy and Ciarán Conneely
Review: Ger Kennedy and Ciarán Conneely
In the Arts Trail of this year’s Imagine Festival, there seems to be a theme of nudity, with a major show in Greyfrias called Undressed. Ger Kennedy and her photographer partner Ciaran Conneely have explored this nude theme and their exhibition Thirty Thousand opened at the bijou The Little Red Dot Gallery in Spring...
Review: Eric Sweeney
Review: Eric Sweeney
A Coffee Concert with Eric Sweeney is such a treat and his recent Liszt Tribute organ concert at Christ Church Cathedral was a splendid event, with Sweeney in virtuoso form to excite and delight his audience. It was a celebratory Harvest Festival morning and the altar and pulpit were decorated with flowers and apples...
Review: Billy Bragg
Review: Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg came to the The Forum as part of the Imagine Arts Festival and co-sponsored by the Waterford Council of Trade Unions and worked a willing audience who sang along into a happy frenzy of caring and sharing for humanity. His guitar poured out musical fire that touched a gritty chord with many activists for...