As part of the Kilkenny Arts week, Thomastown has its own arts festival and last weekend there was a large number of exhibitions and musical events in the town, with more happening in the craft village compared to last year.
Roisin Leadbetter had an exhibition at the pottery studio near the Grennan School and her pieces entitled the Dreaming and others dealing with Elephant Tusks proved quite unusual and original, the latter she entitles the Mother Earth series. There is also the Vein of Life series, all of which are very reflective.
Joan Fitzgerald Cahill had a popular exhibition at the Water Garden on the Kilkenny road, this beautiful and popular venue.
She has some fine shots of the JFK house in Dunganstown, Co. Wexford.
Joan shares his middle name and likes Kennedy Park, originally from Pickardstown,
Tramore, her wild berries are really bright and cheerful, like the autumn and this painting retails at €1400, the same for the winter berries one.
She also has some sombre ones like an icy day in Callan or a horsestail bog so there is a bit for everyone. The exhibition runs from now until the end of the month.
There are other small exhibitions like the Tunde Toth one, this Hungarian artist based in the town does multi media with background themes like Bologna baroque arches and Irish countryside.
Bernadette Kiely of Carrick has an exhibition in the courtyard of the old Garda Barracks on Low St. with another one across the road. Karen Morgan Ceramics on the main St.
In terms of music Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club play at O’Reillys, other sessions elsewhere at the weekend like the Bridgebrook Arms and music sessions also at the Eddie Murphy bar, plus an Album launched by the River Valley Band, last Saturday.
