3 May 2023
Irish-Australian Arts Roundup
03/05/2023
May’s Irish Arts Roundup features a fabulous African Irish Musical All Stars Concert in Sydney, Irish comedians taking the stage in Sydney, the Irish Film and Television new talent nominees, a new Irish film podcast and last but not least – details of where to stream the Irish Oscar-winning film ‘An Irish Goodbye’.
African Irish Musical All Stars Concert
The Irish Film Festival have teamed up with the Irish National Association and Africultures to bring a fabulous event to the stage in Sydney. The concert mixes Irish and Ghanaian music and dancing and is guaranteed to put a spring in your step! The gig happens this Saturday, May 6th at the Gaelic Club and brings together Irish and African musicians who will perform both solo and also on new material which they have devised together.
The Irish musicians are Ros Donovan (fiddle, guitar, vocals), Oli Cechini (uilleann pipes), Cam Samy (accordion, vocals), Carissa Lee (guitar), João Almeida (flute, pipes). The Ghanaian musicians are Karifi, an 8 piece ensemble who feature singing, chanting and drumming.
Champion Irish dancer Dan McNamara will bust a few céilí moves!
The project also features a video and website which explore the experience of migration to Australia.
‘An Irish Goodbye’ Now Streaming
Last week the Oscar and BAFTA award winning short film ‘An Irish Goodbye’ was made available to buy and stream worldwide on Vimeo.
We received many questions asking where you can watch the film in Australia so this is very welcome news. The announcement was made on Twitter where they said “For the first time, film lovers from the USA to Australia (and everywhere in between) can see the multi-award winning short!”
You can watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/AnIrishGoodbye
Irish comedians hit the Sydney Comedy Festival!
Sydney Comedy Festival is on now, ending on Sunday the 21st of May and the festival features some Irish comedians. David O’Donerty and Ed Byrne took to the comedy stage at the beginning of the festival, while Dylan Moran takes the stage for 3 shows in May.
Northern Irish comedian Micky Bartlett is also taking the stage for multiple shows in the first week of May at the Manning Bar and “the internationally acclaimed Irish master” Jimeoin has 2 shows towards the end of the festival.
You can view the entire festival lineup at https://www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au/
Navan Man gets stuck right in
The Sydney Morning Herald caught up with the curmudgeonly Meathman, Dylan Moran, to discuss his new show ‘We Got This’ which is playing in Sydney – a post-lockdown stand-up reverie covering politics, ageing, being divorced and humanity staring in the mirror after decades of the internet.
See the interview here.
His Australian tour hits Brisbane tomorrow (May 4th) and continues to Perth, Wollongong and Sydney. Tour details here.
https://dylanmoran.com/wandering/
Aslan lead singer, Christy Dignam, receiving palliative care 
Christy Dignam, the lead singer of Irish rock band Aslan, is receiving palliative care at home, his family has confirmed.
The 62-year-old Dubliner is being treated for amyloidosis, which causes an abnormal protein to build up in the body, triggering organ failure.
His family shared an update on Monday “in response to the large number of media enquiries received”.
A statement read: “Since December, Christy has been at home and is being cared for lovingly by family, with the support of a palliative care team.
“The Dignam family thanks everyone for keeping Christy in their thoughts and prayers and asks for privacy at this time.”
Read the full article here: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2jgzplydn3o
Irish Film and TV announce their rising star award nominees
The Irish Film and Television Academy Awards have announced the nominees for this year’s Rising Star Award.
The nominees are:
Aoife McArdle (Director – Severance)
Aoife grew up in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, studied English Literature at Trinity College Dublin, and completed a Masters in Film & TV Production at Bournemouth Film School. Aoife’s debut feature film Kissing Candice was IFTA nominated in 2018 for Ann Skelly’s lead performance. More recently, she worked as a director and producer on Apple TV+ drama Severance – starring Adam Scott, John Turturro and Patricia Arquette – which garnered her a Primetime Emmy nomination as producer and a Directors Guild of America nomination as director.
Danielle Galligan (Actor – Lakelands)
Danielle is an actor from Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin. She studied Drama and Theatre studies at Trinity College Dublin and trained in Acting at The Lir Academy. She is best for her role as Nina Zenik in the Netflix series Shadow & Bone. Danielle has also appeared in TV series including Game of Thrones, Krypton, Kin, Obituary, The Great and Cold Courage and films including Who We Love. At the 2022 Galway Film Fleadh, she was awarded the Bingham Ray New Talent Award which she shared with her Lakelands co-star Éanna Hardwicke.
Daryl McCormack (Actor – Bad Sisters, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande)
Daryl grew up in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary and studied at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. He made his television debut in RTÉ’s Fair City as Pierce Devlin in 2015. Daryl’s film and TV credits include Pixie, A Very English Scandal, Peaky Blinders, The Wheel of Time and upcoming projects The Tutor and The Woman in the Wall. His performance as the titular Leo in Sophie Hyde’s film Good Luck To You, Leo Grande earned him BAFTA and BIFA nominations.
Éanna Hardwicke (Actor – Lakelands)
Éanna is an actor from Cork, who began his career as a child actor in Conor McPherson’s 2009 film The Eclipse. He appeared as Rob in the global sensation Normal People in 2020 and was IFTA nominated for his role on Smother in 2021. He has also appeared across film and TV in projects such as Vivarium, Fate: The Winx Saga, The Sparrow, About Joan and upcoming international titles The Doll Factory and The Sixth Commandment. At the 2022 Galway Film Fleadh, he was awarded the Bingham Ray New Talent Award which he shared with his Lakelands co-star Danielle Galligan.
Kathryn Ferguson (Director – Nothing Compares)
Kathryn is a director and writer from Belfast. After a decade focusing on short-form work centred on identity, gender politics and community, she premiered her first feature documentary Nothing Compares about Sinead O’Connor, at Sundance 2022. The film has won multiple awards, and Kathryn was awarded the BFI & Chanel Award for Creative Audacity for a first time feature director. Kathryn’s short films include Incredible Machines, The Greatest Luxury, Taking The Waters and Space To Be.
Whoever wins is sure to receive a big boost as previous winners include Saoirse Ronan, Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Jamie Dornan, Tomm Moore and Colm Bairéad, all of whom have gone on to receive international recognition, with some being recognised with nominations from international award shows.
The IFTA Awards will be held on Sunday the 7th of May.
National Celtic Folk Festival
The National Celtic Folk Festival takes place in Portarlington, VIC on the 9th-12th of June 2023. They have a variety of Australian and international artists performing at this years festival including Daoirí Farrell (Dublin-born singer and bouzouki player) and Irish Tudors (Ireland-based trio – fiddle, accordion & guitar). Local performers include the Melbourne Ceili Band and the Maggie Carty Band, both of which have an Irish feel and sound to their music.
www.nationalcelticfestival.com
New Irish film podcast hits the airways every fortnight
A new Irish film podcast will bring fortnightly news about the latest and greatest in Irish film, TV and animation. The podcast streams out of London and features interviews and Q&As with the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Niamh Algar, Bronagh Gallagher, Moe Dunford and many more. This weeks show features director, Sinéad O’Shea as she discusses her documentary ‘Pray for us Sinners’ which confronts the recent history of brutality against women and children.
https://irishfilmlondon.podbean.com
Comhaltas Sydney Fleadh
Comhaltas Sydney are are hosting their Sydney Fleadh (Irish Festival) from the 26th – 28th of May 2023. There is a fantastic lineup of local and interstate bands and musicians to perform at the Sydney Fleadh 2023. There’s something for everyone with concerts, céilí (Irish set dancing), Irish music sessions and music workshops for adults and children (TBC).
Tickets for the events and concerts are on sale; https://www.comhaltassydney.com/sydneyfleadh2023tickets
Also, a quick shoutout to the Polish Film Festival Sydney who have their opening night on Sunday the 7th of May. Check the full program and book at polishfilmfestival.org.
Enda Murray
Director Irish Film Festival
