May 2024
Irish-Australian Arts News
May 2024
Spring may have sprung in Ireland but here in Sydney it’s like a wet Sunday in Belmullet as the rain keeps lashing down! Luckily we have some great suggestions for you with a new TV show featuring Andrew Scott and a great new doco on Ireland’s best loved trad act the Bothy Band.
We also have an IFTA Award wrap-up up with Cillian Murphy taking home another win for Oppenheimer and in Sydney the Irish Support Agency have announced that nominations are open for their Community Appreciation Awards.
Check out our Events Diary at the bottom of this email for a collection of Irish events happening around Australia in the next while.
Irish Film & TV Academy Awards
The IFTA Awards were held in the tail end of April and all the Irish stars came out to celebrate. Big names Barry Keoghan, Paul Mescal, Andrew Scott, Cillian Murphy and Saoirse Ronan were all nominated alongside previous IFF film stars Éanna Hardwicke, Danielle Galligan and Aidan Gillen.
That They May Face The Rising Sun took home the big award of the night Best Picture, while Lies We Tell received 3 wins in the film categories and crime drama Kin took home many awards in the TV categories. Cillian Murphy completed his Oppenheimer awards sweep adding the IFTA for Lead Actor to his collection.
You can see the complete list of winners here.
Sydney Theatre Company and Gate Theatre Present ‘The President’
In a first-time co-production, Sydney Theatre Company has joined forces with the renowned Gate Theatre, Dublin to bring Australian audiences The President, a searingly relevant story of ambition, power and change. Featuring impressive performances from stage and screen legends, Hugo Weaving and Olwen Fouéré, what results is a “mesmerising, unsettling, wickedly satirical and beautifully crafted” (Stage Noise) production. With only 2 weeks until closing, this show is not to be missed! Purchase your tickets at sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2024/the-president
Irish Support Agency Community Awards
The inaugural ISA Community Appreciation Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday 27th July. The awards will seek to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions and efforts of individuals or groups within the Irish Australian community of NSW. These awards honour those who selflessly dedicate their time, skills, and resources to making a positive impact on the lives of others. Whether it’s through volunteering, organising community or wellbeing events, or simply being a supportive presence or leader, recipients of these awards are recognised for their commitment to enhancing the well-being and cohesion of their community. Such recognition not only acknowledges their hard work but also serves as inspiration for others to actively engage in acts of kindness and service, thereby fostering a culture of mutual appreciation and support within the community. Awards are being offered in 5 categories:
Health and Wellbeing
Sport
Community Contribution
Senior of the Year
Cultural
Bothy Band, Andrew Scott and Queensland Irish Association
- New Andrew Scott show on Netflix
Golden Globe nominated Irish actor Andrew Scott has a new show streaming on Netflix. Ripley is an eight episode thriller about a wealthy man who hires down-on-his-luck grifter Tom Ripley to travel to Italy to urge his vagabond son to return home; Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step in a life of deceit, fraud and murder.
Watch it here.
- New Bothy Band documentary
There’s a fine new documentary about Ireland’s wild men (and one woman) of trad – the Bothy Band which by some wonder of modern technology is now available to watch online for free via the TG4 website. Read a review of the doco here.
If the doco and review does not satisfy your appetite for all things Bothy Band, RTE have dug up footage of The Bothy Band performing ‘Pretty Peg’ and ‘Craig’s Pipes’ at The Embankment pub in Tallaght, County Dublin in 1976. Check out the RTE performance here.
A sad footnote to the Bothy Band story is that the band has had to cancel shows in Dublin in July and August due to Donal Lunny undergoing urgent medical treatment. Get well soon Donal!
- Queensland Bealtaine celebration
Queensland Irish Association invites Members and friends to our Bealtaine family-friendly gathering. It will take place on Saturday, 11th May from 12pm to 4pm at The Causeway Bar, Finn McCool’s Fortitude Valley. There will be a flower theme to celebrate Ireland’s May Day/summer festival of Bealtaine. Wear a flowery dress/shirt/shorts/accessories. We will crown our King and Queen of the May, chosen from the children with the best flowery/Celtic clothing. We will also be celebrating the wonderful Irish mammies, with Mother’s Day falling the next day. There will be Celtic-theme colouring pictures to keep the children busy. Admission is free. Great Irish food and drinks will be available to purchase. And we are delighted to announce a special guest will be there, the wonderful cultural historian Dr Heather Blasdale Clarke. Among her many projects, she runs historical dance groups around Brisbane! She will be bringing along some friends too, so you can learn more about how our Irish ancestors brought their dance moves down under. Expect some tunes and dancing. Enquiries to mary@queenslandirish.com.au
- Irish news from the Top End
For any of our Darwin subscribers, you might be interested in the NT Irish Music Festival, being held on the 9th of June at the Darwin Ski Club, Bundilla Beach. You can find info and a link to buy tickets in the Facebook event.
2024 EVENTS DIARY!
Click on the link above to check out our events diary from May 2024 onwards which includes some exciting news on Irish music national tours and other riveting stuff.
Add your event to our Monthly Newsletter
We have had some enquiries from Irish organisations about publicising their events in our newsletter. If you have an event coming up then get the info to us by the 21st of the month and we will do our best to include it in our newsletter. It helps if you can provide the text ‘ready to go’ and remember – a picture tells 1000 words so send some pics too!
Slán agus beannacht
Enda Murray
Director Irish Film Festival
