ICC Digital

Today ICC Digital brings you Part Two of 'Dear Ireland' from Dublin’s Abbey Theatre.  This epic task of bringing 50 Irish writers and 50 Irish actors to entertain us in the global crisis is a phenomenal undertaking. You can dip in and out of this feast of Irish theatre at your leisure and discover nuggets like the wonderful piece by Edna O'Brien, performed by one of Ireland's most prolific actors Stanley Townsend.  Volume 1 is still available to watch below and on the ICC's Facebook page. Thanks to The Abbey Theatre Dublin, for permission to share this.

Today ICC Digital are delighted to bring you an extraordinary mini - concert from the UK based Kiwi harmonica player and composer Brendan Power, who is acclaimed as one of the most creative, skilled & versatile harmonica players in the world. A top session musician, Brendan has performed with Van Morrison, Sting, Altan, and Ray Charles. An expert player of Irish traditional music, he won the ‘All Ireland’ title for best Harmonica player (1993), he played a three year stint as a soloist in the hit show’ Riverdance’ and in 2012 alongside the brilliant Tim Edey, they won ‘Best Duo’ in the ‘BBC Folk Awards’. Many of you will have seen Brendan and Tim raise the rafters when they played live at the ICC last year.

In this riveting concert from his studio in Canterbury, you will see how Brendan breaks new boundaries in Irish music, using a variety of harmonicas and an iPad. We see Brendan experimenting on a number of traditional tunes that include ‘Andersons Reel’ on the midi-organ, ‘King Of The Fairies’ on the midi harmonica, captivating versions of ‘The Morning Dew’ and ‘The Banshee’ and finishes up with an awesome interpretation of ‘The Parting Glass’, played on a Chinese style harmonica which he designed.

Brendan says farewell to us as he cycles through Canterbury’s country roads to the accompaniment of ‘The Golden Castle’ with Anne-Marie
O‘Farrell on Harp.

Thank you Brendan for this very special concert. Enjoy and if you wish to know more about Brendan’s music and his custom harmonicas, his website is www.brendan-power.com

Today it's time for a laugh in our Comedy Corner. ICC Digital brings you a real treat from one of our great friends of the ICC, Maureen Sullivan. Just before Covid-19 she began a new venture in Stand-Up Comedy, so especially for you she will perform the first in her series of comedy sketches, ‘Lockdown - The Tour’. Her unique brand of sardonic wit is very special and bodes well for her new career.

Maureen Sullivan is Scottish, of Irish descent. She has been living in London for 40 years. Maureen has performed in two plays written by Ros Scanlon, namely, 'Lovin Daniel' and 'Wash House Stories' and more recently she appeared in the film, 'The Knitting Ring'. After moving to London, Maureen trained as a Drama and Movement therapist at Central School of Speech and Drama and later studied Creative Writing at Birkbeck College, University of London. Last year, she studied Stand-Up Comedy at City Academy.

Our friend Irish Actor and Writer Donal Cox brings you a beautiful rendition of a W.B. Yeats poem from his beautiful green studio. Many of you will have seen Donal perform his one man show ‘The Fifth Province’ at the ICC and some of you will have seen him appear in London’s West End’s award winning production of ‘The Ferryman’.

Today we have a special audio interview from the legendary Finbar Furey. Finbar is without doubt one of the most powerful singers, pipers, multi-instrumentalists, and musical composers Ireland has ever produced. Finbar was the driving force behind the legendary Irish band 'The Fureys’ and has toured major concert halls throughout the world.

In this interview courtesy of Irish Radio.org the broadcaster Gerry Byrne interviews Finbar about the many profound influences in his life like the songs of Woody Guthrie, touring with the Clancy Brothers and meeting Bob Dylan. Finbar is a great friend of the ICC and has played at the venue many times and we do hope that he will play our stage again in the future. Photograph by Ruth Medjber.

Check out our video for news about this week's programme!

Over the past six weeks ICC Digital brought you a photograph each week from Irish Photographer Seamus McGarry. Today in our Artists' Corner we bring you the whole gallery of photographs for you to enjoy.

Next week our Artists' Corner will feature another photographer, Franco Chen, who has had a long association with the ICC and has photographed many of the centre's events, bands and artists since the ICC was first established in 1995.

Our thanks to Seamus McGarry for allowing ICC Digital to exhibit his photographs.

ICC Digital is proud to share with you the Abbey Theatre Dublin’s mammoth undertaking ‘Dear Ireland’ that features 50 actors and writers responding to the current crisis we are going through. Over the next four weeks we will bring you all 50 of these wonderful monologues, which you can dip in and out of at your leisure. This week we are sharing the first 11 pieces, which include scripts written by Edna O Brien, Frank McGuinness and Enda Walsh. Thanks to the Abbey Theatre for permission to screen these.

ICC Digital brings you a very special concert featuring an all star cast who performed at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre to honour the great Shay Healy, who as well as writing the Eurovision winning song ‘What’s another Year’ is also a gifted ballad singer and TV host. Shay joins his hosts and shrugs off the painful fact that he is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. Artists like Johnny Logan, Finbar Furey, Aengus McNally, Don Mescall, Lisa Lambe all appear to show their respect and admiration for one of Ireland’s most loved artists. We would like to thank the Producer Gerry McColgan for the permission to share this wonderful occasion.

Alan Burke, the gifted singer songwriter and former frontman for the band ‘Afterhours’, brings viewers of ICC Digital greetings and a mini-concert from his home in Dublin. Born in London of Irish parents, Alan has a huge repertoire of traditional, Gaelic, contemporary and self-penned songs. Known for his unique and powerful voice, Alan has recorded two highly praised solo albums, ‘On The Other Hand (1998) and ‘Tip Of The Tongue’ (2003). A brilliant live performer, Alan also played with the bands ‘At First Light’ and ‘The Rambling Boys’. Over the years he’s performed many concerts at the ICC and was due to play on St Patrick’s day but his appearance had to be postponed due to the lockdown. However when you watch this mini concert, you’ll see just why audiences love Alan’s voice, his guitar playing and also the banter and warmth he brings to audiences. We look forward to seeing Alan play the ICC later in the year.

Ireland’s legendary musician Paddy Cole, frontman for the Capitol Showband and The Big Eight, reads a self-penned poem from his home in Ireland.

Our sixth and final photograph from Seamus McGarry to be featured in our Artists' Corner is 'Taking the Boat'.

Many of you will have seen Irish actor, writer and comedian Owen O'Neill performing his award-winning one-man shows at the ICC before they go on to the Edinburgh Festival. Today he brings viewers of ICC Digital a greeting from his home in South West London.

We look forward to seeing Owen performing again at the ICC in the not too distant future.

Copies of Owen O'Neill's poetry books LICKING THE MATCHBOX and VOLCANO DANCING can be purchased from www.thirstybooks.com

Irish traditional singers Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill bring viewers of ICC Digital a message of encouragement and hope during these uncertain times.

The sisters belong to a renowned singing family originally from the Donegal Gaeltacht. The unique style of traditional singing was handed down to them through generations of the Ó Domhnaill family. They are held in such high regard that they have recorded an album with Dónal Lunny and they also combined their talents with two other Donegal women, Moya Brennan (of Clannad) and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (of Altan) to record another album.

Maighread and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill's live performances are unforgettable heart-rending events. They were due to play the ICC, but as this has been temporarily postponed they're singing for you from their garden in Dublin, sharing a beautiful rendition of the song ‘No Come Again’. Lovely voices, and the box playing by Maighread is delightful.

Our fifth photograph from Seamus McGarry to be featured in our Artists' Corner is 'Afternoon tea'.

The Ballad of Gough by Vincent Caprani tells the story of how a statue of Field Marshall Gough was blown up by Republicans in 1957. The monument, however, was a superb piece of art, rated as one of the best equestrian statues in the world, but also a symbol of a hated imperial past. Ironically, both the subject and the sculptor were Irish. Gough, born in Limerick, made his career as a British Army officer. The sculptor was John Henry Foley (1818-1874), best known for the Daniel O'Connell monument on Dublin's O'Connell Street.

Foley became the foremost sculptor of the British Empire, with prominent works in colonies around the world, including his native Ireland. His portrayal of Queen Victoria’s beloved Prince Albert is the centrepiece of the Albert Memorial in London and his Daniel O’Connell Monument dominates Dublin’s main thoroughfare.  The trio of Grattan, Goldsmith and Burke remain outside Trinity College, Dublin, likewise the Father Matthew monument in Cork. No other sculptor in Ireland has so many works on display.

We are delighted to bring you this special concert from our great supporter, Culture Ireland, of the incredibly skilled concertina player, Cormac Begley, performing from his picturesque home in Dingle.

Cormac Begley is a bass, baritone, treble and piccolo concertina player from a West-Kerry musical family. He plays in a number of projects including: duets with Rushad Eggleston (cellist), Clíodhna Ní Bheaglaoich (fiddle, viola and sean nós dancer), Liam O Connor (fiddle), Caoimhín O Raghallaigh (hardanger d’amore) and Liam Ó Maonlaí (singer and multi-instrumentalist); a trio entitled ‘Concertina’ (with Noel Hill and Jack Talty); and with the band Ré. He is the founder of Airt and the award winning Tunes in the Church live concert series in Galway and Dublin.

Watch the video here

Today, Thursday April 30th, is Ireland's Poetry Day. In memory of the poet Eavan Boland, who died on Monday, we bring you this film from The Loopline Collection.

Eavan is interviewed here by Theo Dorgan, recorded in 2000 for Loopline's book programme 'Imprint'. In this episode, Dorgan and Boland delve into her self-consciousness about being Irish and her response to hostility as a female writer in an Irish male-dominated tradition. She explores how she drew inspiration from the experience of motherhood and an emerging Irish women’s movement, as well as the poetry of Robert Lowell, Adrienne Rich and Sylvia Plath.

Watch the film here

The award winning Irish actress Veronica Quilligan brings viewers of ICC Digital a warm and comforting greeting from her home in West London and reads four beautiful poems for us: ‘Child Burial’ by Paula Meehan, ‘Affinity’ by George Russell, ‘Death Of An Irish Woman’ by Michael Hartnett and ‘Heirloom’ by Anne Hartigan. Veronica’s powerful reading makes us sit back and reflect and also smile in these  unusual times.

The legendary harmonica, jaw harp, concertina, banjo player and singer Rick Epping brings viewers of ICC Digital a special greeting from his beautiful home in Ireland.

Originally from California, Rick came over to Ireland with his wife Sandi and his friends Thom and Kathy Moore in 1974. Already masters of ‘American old time’, they wanted to steep themselves in Irish traditional music. They formed the band ‘Pumpkinhead’, which quickly attracted a huge following, winning the Fifth Letterkenny International Folk Festival.

Rick was the ‘1975 All Ireland Harmonica Champion’. Throughout his career he has played with artists such as Andy Irvine, Frankie Gavin and Christy Moore. He is currently a member of The Unwanted’ along with Cathy Jordan and Seamie O Dowd, (both from Dervish.) The Unwanted were due to play the ICC soon, but the concert has been postponed, however when you watch Rick’s beautiful performance here, you will feel like you’re in the room with him. Rick brings you some of his favourite songs and plays you some mighty tunes on his banjo, concertina and harmonica. This little concert includes the foot-tapping song ‘Who Broke The Lock On The Hen House Door!’  Heart-warming stuff!! Enjoy.

Our fourth photograph from Seamus McGarry to go up in ICC Digital's Artists' Corner is 'Wild Geese'.

Sit back and enjoy this awesome concert from Lúnasa.

Lúnasa are one of Ireland's great Supergroups who play sell-out gigs all over the globe. They have often played at the ICC. This concert took place in the former ICC building in 2003 and we are certain you'll agree that it was a night of stunning Irish music. This line up of Lúnasa features Kevin Crawford on whistles and flutes, Donogh Hennessy on guitar, Sean Smyth on fiddle, Cillian Vallely on uilleann pipes and Trevor Hutchinson on bass.

Thanks to Phil Hardy for filming this concert and for giving ICC Digital permission to screen.

Adrian Dunbar, actor and patron of the Irish Cultural Centre, reads a poem by Seamus Heaney.

Patrick Scott is considered to be the Godfather of Irish modern art.

Sé Merry Doyle’s documentary ‘Golden Boy’ tells of Scott’s extraordinary life. The film begins at the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery who honoured Pat with a major retrospective of his life’s work.

The film features his great friend Seamus Heaney and the art critic Bruce Arnold. From his studio in Baggot Street Pat unveils his extraordinary life as an artist. There is a wonderful music score by Kieran Kennedy. The other stars to feature are his best friends, his cats!

Watch the film here

Thank you to Loopline Film and the Irish Film Institute.

Author Glenn Patterson reads from his new book 'Where are we now?' in the hope of joining us at the ICC in the Autumn for his rescheduled event.

'Where Are We Now?' is a novel about lost love, growing older and the realities of life in a society still haunted by decades of violence. It is moving and funny, topical and sharp, a life-affirming story of a life not yet over.

Copies of the book can be purchased online.

Altan's Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh sends this heart-warming message to the viewers of ICC Digital and to all of the Irish community in London.

'Passers By' by Seamus McGarry

'On my one and only visit to Bally Bunion in the early 60s I was fortunate to have snapped what I thought were two interesting photographs. 'In My Father's Time', which you saw last week, and this photograph, 'Passers By'. I first spotted the nun walking alone in the distance along the pathway. I changed the lens to a 300m Zoom. As I was waiting to get closer the man walked into the shot from the left. My intention at that point was to get a photograph of a conversation between the two. As it happened I hit the shutter early which was lucky as the pair completely ignored one another as they passed by.' Seamus McGarry

ICC Digital is delighted to present this beautiful film from the award winning director Vanessa Gildea.

'A marvellous short film that captures memories like a silken web. Moving and simple. A great calling card for Vanessa Gildea.'
Jim Sheridan, Jury member, Sky Road Film Festival.

The Abandoning: Director's statement

With this project I was interested in exploring what is left behind in a building or a home when the people who inhabited the place have long abandoned it. Initially this film was inspired by Paddy Jordan’s pinhole photography and the ghostly quality that he created in this work. People appear as silhouettes or shadows, we created a dream-like landscape, an alternative reality of our experience of events. Ultimately, with this pinhole work, we captured an essence and a feeling – like a whisper from the past. But the idea for the film had been gestating for a long time before I even saw a pinhole image. The idea or concept of the film was borne out of a desire to explore what memory is, combined with wanting to return in some way to the house of my childhood in Donegal, and in doing so to honour my father and grandparents.

I have, for a long time, been intrigued by the portrayal of memory in storytelling (aren’t we all?), and more specifically visual storytelling. It is a fiendishly difficult thing to capture; memory and memories are so specific to a person, so subjective they are even hard to hold in one’s mind and they combine feeling, colour and sounds rather than clear and detailed images. It is this notion of trying to catch a memory that formed the basis for making The Abandoning.

My intention was to creatively explore a building that has an enormous personal significance for me, looking back at what took place there and using that as inspiration to film the space in an imaginative, non-linear and multi-layered way. The film however only comes to life, I feel, when combined with the beautiful and complex sound design by Philippe Faujas and the stunning original music by Irene Buckley. Collaboration was the key and I embarked on a wonderful collaboration with production designer Tara Doyle to realise the interior of the house, I designed the rooms from memory,  picking the colours and tones and Tara made it all real, adding her own instinctive touches, she made the house of my past come alive. From very early on in the project Tara just understood the emotion of what I was trying to communicate and from that moment working with her was a joy.

Through the making of this film I re-visit my ghosts and memories of a wondrous and magical time in my life, through a house that now represents something more akin to loss and the ineluctable separation between childhood dreaming and adult reality.

Directed by Vanessa Gildea

Produced by Sé Merry Doyle

Featuring Pema Ní Mhaonlaí Agogue

Winner

'Best Short Film'
Sky Road Short Film Festival 2014

Special Mention

IndieCork Film Festival 2014

Highly Commended

Belfast Film Festival 2015

This week's film from The Loopline Collection is 'Kathleen Lynn -The Rebel Doctor'. Lynn was so greatly affected by the poverty and disease among the poor in the west of Ireland that, at 16, she decided to become a doctor and was a member of the executive committee of the Irish Women's Suffragette Movement.

Alongside Constance Markievicz, Lynn supported the workers during the 1913 lock-out and worked in the soup kitchens in Liberty Hall. She was the Chief Medical Officer in the Irish Citizen Army during the 1916 Rising. She described herself as 'a Red Cross doctor and a belligerent' when she was arrested.

After putting enormous work into fighting the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic she opened Saint Ultan's Children's Hospital. At the time the child mortality rate was higher than anywhere else in Europe. Lynn's work with Dublin's inner-city poor had convinced her of the need for a hospital to provide medical and educational facilities for impoverished mothers and infants. In time the little hospital became a beacon for the poor.

When the scourge of TB swept the land, Lynn joined forces with Dorothy Stopford Price in bringing in a new vaccine that was working well in Sweden. Saint Ultan's became the main TB Eradication Centre. There is a major campaign to have Saint James's Hospital named in her honour.

Watch the film here

Thank you to Loopline Film and the Irish Film Institute.

Prolific and esteemed documentary filmmaker Sé Merry Doyle tells us about his Loopline film collection and gives us a preview of tomorrow's feature documentary "Kathleen Lynn - The Rebel Doctor."

Frank Grimes reads three poems for ICC Digital:

The Municipal Gallery - WB Yeats
Pig - Anonymous
A Pint of Plain - Jem Casey