Space Inside Arts Mag Summer 12

Spring ‘12

FREE – PLEASE TAKE ONE

Vol8 Iss 3

The Culchie Surfer - Brighid McLaughlin

Brighid McLaughlin was born in Dublin and currently resides in Dalkey. She is a self-taught artist who has been painting full time since 2003. Brighid has had three successful solo exhibitions in the last two years. Her major work can be seen in the Blackrock Hospice, where she was commissioned to paint Patricia Lynch’s ‘The Turfcutter’s Donkey’. McLaughlin was recently the subject of a feature written by Sydney Artist, Michael Johnson, who referred to Brighid as ‘Ireland’s leading naïve artist.’

Check her out online at www.mcbrideartgallery.com

LIVE NIGHT - First Tuesday of month from Sept to June - LIVE NIGHT Wicklow Sailing Club, Wicklow Town FREE ADMISSION www.thespaceinside.blogspot.com

Editorial

Wicklow Arts Festival

Hi all,

24 -27 May 2012

Welcome to our Spring issue of the Space Inside.

The season of art festivals has begun, and we remind you of the upcoming Wicklow Arts Festival, Bealtaine and, following our triumphant February Live Night, a budding Flamenco Festival in Dublin.

Wicklow Arts Festival’s theme this year is ‘ On the one road’, with the best of local arts and community groups partnering the festival - including Wicklow Writers, Film Club, Community Garden, dance groups and more.

Flash Fiction seems to be much in vogue these days.

If you are not sure what Flash Fiction entails then check out our ‘How To’ article on page 9. We have also started a ‘Some Things are Free’ regular column, so let us know of any events of interest to include.

And don’t forget to send us your Traveller’s Tale.

The festival focuses on family events with fun workshops including music, the Art Astronomy drawing workshop, Create with Clay, and make your own mini Edible Garden. Author Niall de Burca will be back with an extra show especially for grownups- why should the kids have all the fun! The annual Teen Poetry Challenge will, once again, be open to all budding young adults and this year the final will feature a slam poet Stephen James Smith and musician Enda O’Reilly. Bachelors Walk is at the hub of the activities, with the artisan food & craft market, street theatre, festival tent and the Stage. The festival finale is the famous trad group Frankie Gavin and De Dannan.

Last month, we agreed to take on a Transition year student for work experience. Niamh Dillon from Arklow, spent a week helping us on this issue, including interviewing Peadar O’Donoghue for our profile slot. I think she enjoyed the challenge!

On a sad, but somewhat angry note, Wicklow Co. Co. has turned down our funding application. The only consolation is we were not alone – little consolation though that is. I feel a pressure group coming on. All professionals have to start somewhere, and without regular venues at ground level, apart from pubs, there are precious little spaces for emerging artists to perform. There are fewer local art magazines still in print.

Wicklow Arts Festival launches on Sunday 20th May in Tinakilly House Hotel, where the main art exhibition by photographer Ellen McDermott, takes place. While their website (www.wicklowartsfestival.ie) is being revamped, keep up to date on Facebook, Google+ or on Twitter @WicklowArtsFest.

We now email an E-newsletter listing Live Night performers each month. If you would like to receive this reminder, please send an email to spaceinside@hotmail.com with ‘Newsletter’ as the subject. See you at the next Live Night.

Bealtaine Festival

Carol Boland

The Bealtaine Festival, the world’s first national celebration of creativity in older age, has roots in 27 counties with 592 organisers hosting over 3000 events.

Last year, over 120,000 people in Ireland took part in all kinds of arts activities from Dawn Choruses on beaches to theatre and film tours in arts centres.

We provide professional and affordable Accountancy Services Full Accountancy Services for Sole Traders and Ltd Companies Payroll - Bookkeeping Vat and Tax Returns Accounts Software Training All our systems are ROS and CRO compliant

2012 is European year of ‘Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations’. In keeping with this theme, Poetry Ireland has invited Bealtaine Writers and Eoin Flood, a Wicklow based classical guitarist, to perform at the Irish Writers' Centre, Parnell Square, on Friday 11 May.

Phone us today for a free quote T: 05394 10013 or M: 087 6744657 E: jacinta@accounts4u.ie www.accounts4u.ie

Event starts at 1pm and admission is free. For full programme of Bealtaine events, check out http://bealtaine.com/bealtaine-2012 2

FEATURE

Voices in the Ether

broadcasting, and radio in particular. Yeats’ daughter remembers how, as a child, she overheard her father speaking back to the wireless: ‘I beg your pardon,’ he’d say if he couldn’t quite catch the words. Beckett and Joyce were famously reluctant to engage at all with the new technology. O’Casey turned down almost every request. But Shaw was fascinated from the outset and called radio drama ‘The Invisible Play.’ He said ‘yes’ to all invitations, recognising that radio could bring his work to many more people.

Throughout the seminar, we heard of writers like W.R. Rodgers from Northern Ireland who, as poet and broadcaster with the BBC in the ‘40s, understood the power of the medium. He saw it as a means of speaking out loud, much like his own father, a church Minister, who always read the newspaper aloud.

The seminar ‘Voices in the Ether - Irish Writing on Radio’ was held recently in the Royal Irish Academy. Eithne Hand was there and takes us through those early days of radio.

W

‘Frank O’Connor . . . found himself unofficially blacklisted for 6 years’

hen Seamus Heaney was Oxford Professor of Poetry he made a conscious decision never to tell a joke at any of his key 15 lectures He didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to cast him as an archetypal Paddy.

Frank O’Connor, much loved by Radio Eireann for his short stories, found himself unofficially blacklisted for 6 years as he came up against the powerful conservatism of church and state during the war. He saw radio as a bridge to the traditional Irish oral culture – a perfect medium which allowed you to hear ‘a man’s voice speaking.’

Louis McNeice’s fantasy radio play, The Dark Tower, showed radio’s ability, better than all others, to create an imaginary world: a special world of parable. Teresa Deevy, celebrated Abbey playwright who wrote many lauded radio plays despite being profoundly deaf, always maintained that on radio ‘silence signifies.’ Elizabeth Bowen’s relationship with broadcasting had a key effect on her output. She saw her writing as an auditory experience and learned about style, the art of deletion and spontaneity from her radio work.

This was just one of the insights made during a public interview billed ‘This Isle is Full of Noises’ with Olivia O’Leary talking to Heaney on the broad subject of radio and its role in bringing poetry to listeners. Both spoke with great fondness of childhood memories of the wireless. Although, O’Leary revealed that she never understood the appeal of GAA commentaries taking over entire Sunday afternoons. Radio was eulogised by both as being the natural bedfellow for the written word, and for poetry in particular, which by its nature demands to be heard.

This public interview was the preface to a full day seminar in the Royal Irish Academy called Voices in the Ether – Irish Writing on the Radio. Not a scientifically accurate description of the nature of broadcasting, but one which perfectly suited a day of discovery and dialogue.

At the seminar, much was said about the struggle to maintain radio listenership; the tyranny of strict time parameters for any radio writer, and the potential which ‘on demand’ listening could have for programme makers and listeners.

In John Bowman’s audio journey through the archives, he showed how the physical nature of the recordings from disc to digital hard drives influenced both content and style. Early radio programmes were all live and there was no room for mistakes: discs were four and a half minutes long so everything was rehearsed and scripted leaving little room for spontaneity or exploration. Irish writers from Yeats to Behan had quite mixed relationships with

A day spent focussed on the radio world and its intersection with literature sparked off other ideas - a seminar perhaps on the language of advertising, or how Medical Science puts words through the mangle!

The RIA regularly runs seminars and is well worth checking them out at www.ria.com

3

Reviews Monsieur Linh and His Child

CYRK Cate le Bon

Philippe Claudel Michael Tinsley reviews the latest album from Cate Le Bon

Monsieur Linh is an elderly refugee who arrives in France with other ‘boat people’, clutching a flimsy suitcase and a newborn baby. All those who knew his name are dead.

I first came across Cate Le Bon when she guested on Neon Neon’s 2008 album Stainless Style. When they played Dublin’s Tripod (R.I.P.) that year, she was introduced by front man Gruff Rhys, with his tongue firmly in his cheek, as being ‘the fruit of romantic liaison between her mother and Simon le Bon while he was touring Wales at the height of his fame.’

Linh fled after his only son and daughter-in-law were killed in the war ravaging his homeland and destroying his village. His infant grandchild, Sang diû, became the sole reason for going on. His own wife had died when their son was a baby. From the memory of her gentle movements, he is able to care for the always peaceful grandchild, feeding her rice and milk that dribbles down the sides of her mouth.

However, if you are looking for a reference point for Cate’s music, Duran Duran’s bombastic 1980’s new romantic pop is about as much use as a North Korean clockwork Sat Nav. The apt comparison that crops up in most articles written about Cate, is that of the iconic chanteuse Nico. For both of them, it’s all about the distinctive sonorous vocals, but Cate’s singular Welsh intonation trumps Nico’s flat Central European delivery.

His caring yet harassed refugee counsellors send Linh to a detention centre where reactions to the old man with his bundle range from benign curiosity and puzzlement to hostile ridicule.

Whereas Cate’s debut album, Me Oh My, was mainly low-key, CYRK has a much fuller band sound with plenty of fuzzy psychedelic guitars.

Nowhere is this better showcased than on standout track ‘Fold the Cloth’ which features a couple of noisy guitar interludes over its 5 minutes plus. These contrast nicely with the chorus where most of the instrumentation drops out leaving Cate at Button Factory her cryptic vocals musing, ‘When Nov ‘11 looking south to all the people on the ground / It’s too late to come around / Put your belly to your chest and see how close we are.’

He is totally bewildered when he ventures out into the busy fast-moving city. One day in the park he meets Monsieur Bark, a local man whose wife died two months before, and who is equally alone. Though unable to speak each other's language, Linh senses Bark's ‘heavy and insoluble sadness.’ He knows how to listen to Bark’s eager voice and does not interrupt. He likes those incomprehensible words which cannot make him flinch. An unlikely friendship builds between these two men from two very different cultures.

Yet the friendship stirs guilty memories in Bark, who fought many years before in Linh's country. ‘We were asked to bring death to this paradise, with our guns, our bombs, our grenades,’ he says.

Lead single ‘Puts Me to Work’ is a far mellower affair with her inscrutable lyrics set against a simple but effective guitar riff and subtle rhythm section.

Holding out hope of dialogue between people torn apart by history and war, the novel is a delicately sympathetic portrayal of trauma, as well as a poignant evocation of guilt – the survivor's and the soldier's.

As with the mood, the standard varies a bit across the 10 tracks but the album finishes strongly across the twoparter ‘Ploughing Out Parts 1 and 2’. Part 1 delivers its joyful tale with a gentle melody and soft accompaniment but, when Part 2 kicks in, the vocals and guitars distort, the lyrics turn dark, and wailing keys and saxophone join the musical mix to provide a compelling climax.

This is a beautiful and very moving book.

Hilary Bridge Street Books, Bridge Street, Wicklow.

T: + 353(0)404 62240 www.bridgestreetbooks.ie

catelebon.com

4

Some Things Are Free!

Flamenco Fever

Irish Writers’ Centre A series of free Friday Lunchtime Readings takes place regularly in the IWC, Parnell Square. Readings start at 1pm. www.writerscentre.ie

‘Lazy Band’ in Bewley’s Every Mon from 8 – 10pm in Bewley’s Cafe Theatre, Grafton Street, the music collective the ‘Lazy Band’ plays roots, trad and folk songs from Ireland, England and America.

A laid-back atmosphere, unplugged and informal. Admission free.

The Dublin Event Guide for Free Events The Dublin Event Guide is a weekly e-zine for nearly all free events in the Greater Dublin area. Far too many to mention here, but check them out at: www.dublineventguide.com

Concerts on Sunday at Noon The Sundays @ Noon Concert Series takes place in the Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square.

This series of free concerts continues to present the best of Irish and International music and musicians. Concerts run from September to June at 12 noon.

The Space Inside Live Night On the first Tuesday in the month, from September to June, the Space Inside Arts runs a free evening of music, dance and poetry in Wicklow Sailing Club, South Quay, Wicklow Town.

Doors open 8pm. For upcoming performers, sign up for our monthly E-newsletter at spaceinside@hotmail.com or check out www.thespaceinside.blogspot.com

Rafaela Carrasco, Dublin Flamenco Festival ‘11

Peña Flamenca El Indalo is a Dublin-based organisation with a reputation for bringing the finest flamenco professionals to Ireland. Founded in 2009, its mission is to promote and enrich the culture of flamenco through a programme of education and entertainment.

Co-founder, Nathalie Moyano González, who was born in Southern France to Andalusian parents, is a translator and interpreter by profession and flamenco aficionado by heritage. She is involved in the Dublin Flamenco School and the Dublin Flamenco Festival.

Dublin Flamenco School The Dublin Flamenco School is based in the Liffey Trust Studios, Dublin, and offers a range of weekly classes and monthly master classes aimed at adults and children. Nathalie is in charge of leading these weekly classes, and takes students through a Nathalie and flamenco José de la comprehensive syllabus for each 6- guitarist María bring passion of week term. Continuous mentoring Spain to Space Inside from Spanish professionals is a key requirement for the school, with classes under the guidance of Felipe de Algeciras and other guest teachers.

Dublin Flamenco Festival The Dublin Flamenco Festival – the first festival of its kind to be held in Ireland - took place in Dublin last year.

Supported by Waltons New School of Music, the Festival included a range of exciting performances at The Helix, music workshops at the New School of Music, and dance workshops at The Helix and Liffey Trust Studios.

Plans for an October 2012 festival are now underway. Find out more about Flamenco classes and the Flamenco Festival at www.flamencoindalo.com

What’s On Where

Events that caught the Space Inside’s eye

Where

Theatre

Music

Theatre Workshops for Children

Music in Calary

Wed 18 April: National Chamber Choir Mon 2 – Thurs 5 & Sat 7 April

Fri 8 June: Eamon Sweeney (guitar), Annette Cleary (cello) and Rachel Factor (harpsichord).

10 – 3 daily

Thurs 28 June: Fionnuala Moynihan (piano).

Wonderland Productions invites 7-12 year olds into its colourful world of drama, music, dance, playwriting, stage design and lighting, comedy and clowning, for a weeklong camp culminating in a showcase for friends and family.

All shows begin at 8pm Booking essential Calary Church, Roundwood Contact Derek Neilson T: 01 281 8118 M: 086 8319457 Email: derekneilson@eircom.net

€95 Mermaid Box Office T: 01 272 4030 www.mermaidartscentre.ie

Visual Arts Conversations :

Theatre

Photography from the Bank of America Collection

My Brilliant Divorce

To 20 May

Friday 13 April This exhibition in New Galleries comprises more than 100 photographs drawn from the renowned Bank of America collection. The interesting exhibition documents the evolution of photography since the 1850s, and presents some notable photographers of the 19th and 20th-centuries. A full programme of talks and lectures coincides with the exhibition.

8.30pm

Following a two-year Irish tour and award-winning performances in the USA, Jasango Theatre Company brings you this wittily observant comedy.

Directed by George B. Miller Featuring Angela Ryan

Admission free www.imma.ie/talksandlectures for more information.

Tickets: €15/€12 Conc Courthouse Arts Centre Tinahely T: 0402 38529

Note: Closure of Main Building at IMMA until 31/12/12. New Galleries will remain open and a new off-site location will present exhibitions from April 2012.

www.tinahely-courthouse.ie 6

Feature

Apocalypse Now - Will McCann

themed, and abstract work; Will continually finding new ways to represent iconic figures in a refreshing, human way. Will is also interested in abstract work and they are both aware that their ambitions require an on-going project of self-promotion. ‘We know we have to get our names out there,’ says Catherine, ‘So we’ve set up our Wicklow Art website, Facebook page, have printed promotional cards and leaflets, as well as selling art on the railings in Stephen’s Green.’ Their art has also reached further afield. Both have several pieces - some available as prints - for sale on the premier art website Fine Art America. Will has also won a 60s themed competition on the same site for a portrait of Jimi Hendrix.

Versatility is essential when developing a career in art as Anne Graham discovered when she interviewed Wicklow artists Catherine Eager and Will Mc Cann ‘You have to have a dream, don’t you?’ Wicklow artist Catherine Eager enthuses. Her dream is to have a cottage studio located somewhere like Tinahely, a place where there is a potential painting at every angle. She shares this dream with her long-time partner and fellow artist, Will McCann.

Currently, the artists reside in Roundwood, which isn’t too far, aesthetically speaking, from their ultimate dream. ‘We almost did it once,’ says Will. ‘We went down to Tinahely with the purpose of buying a place where we could be free to paint as much as we liked.’ But reality set in: financial considerations won out and the dream was put on hold. However, they are not disheartened and are working to fulfil their dream with an enthusiasm that is refreshing - considering the current national pessimism.

The Bigger Picture Some may brand such artists as ‘flighty’ and ‘unrealistic’, but Catherine and Will are very practical, using their artistic skills to generate much-needed revenue: Catherine produces family pencil portraits and Will sells his wellknown pop-art pieces, taking an intricate, realistic approach to famous images of icons such as Jimi Hendrix, Marlon Brando and Ché Guevara.

Both artists still have the big picture in focus: art as a longlasting career: Catherine with her nature, tribal-

7

Self-Marketing At times it can be hard for artists to feel comfortable marrying the spontaneous, often emotional process of painting with the cool reasoning of self-marketing. Both Catherine and Will realise that promotion is a key element to ensuring longevity, especially in a niche market such as commercial art. Three years ago, Catherine put an advert on Gumtree.ie offering her services and was commissioned to illustrate two children’s books by the author Gerald T Wilson.

This experience expanded her portfolio and also crucially raised her profile as a talented, reliable artist.

Flexibility also helps.

Will Tibetan Celebration – Catherine Eager recently took stylistic inspiration from Ralph Steadman, long-standing illustrator for writer Hunter S. Thompson. He adapted Steadman’s ink style to his abstract acrylic and oil portraits of Thompson. Originally done for a friend, he is now selling other pieces - a direction he may continue to explore.

So, it would appear being versatile and willing to try new things is vital to maintaining a career in art. It also means sometimes putting much cherished projects like Catherine’s Masai jumping dance on hold. ‘But I know I’ll get back to it,’ she smiles, in that positive way of hers.

www.wicklowart.com http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/william+mccann/alhttp://fine tamerica.com/art/all/catherine+eager/all

Kindle your fire

On the Amazon site there are also free and very cheap books by self-published authors: an ideal way for authors to reach millions of potential readers.

Plus and Minus Good things about my Kindle are the instant dictionary when the cursor rests on a word and, when I can’t find my glasses, being able to increase text size. Magic! It also allows you to link to your Facebook and Twitter account so you can share your notes with friends.

The popularity of e-readers has soared. Carol Boland reviews her Kindle 4 and the e-reader phenomenon that is sweeping the country.

This Christmas, I was delighted to receive an Amazon Kindle 4 as a present. At the risk of teaching your granny how to suck eggs, a Kindle is an e-reader which allows you to read electronic publications, such as e-books. An e-book is simply a book in digital form.

The main advantage of e-readers is the readability of their screens, especially in bright sunlight, achieved using electronic paper technology, or E Ink. Eye strain is reduced to a minimum.

My device is incredibly light and small. It holds 1,400 books, and has a one month battery life - with Wi-Fi off.

The battery can be recharged by plugging the lead (included) into a USB port in a computer. Or you could buy an adaptor to plug into the mains.

Getting started Getting started was painless, as I had an Amazon account already set up and The Kindle is linked to Amazon’s bookshop. Once connected to the internet via WiFi, I could shop for, download, browse, and read e-books. I can also read newspapers, magazines and blogs, though I found this highly unsatisfactory - newspapers and magazines downloaded to e-readers contain very few pictures for copyright and technical reasons.

E-book publishers are now distributing out-of-copyright books for free and I chose A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and a Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wildebooks I’ve always wanted to read but never felt the need to buy. It took less than thirty seconds for the books to appear on my Home screen. Project Gutenberg, a source of free ebooks has over 30,000 free titles that can be downloaded from www.gutenberg.org.

8 1

On the negative side, the Kindle 4 does not have a touchscreen, like an iPad, and the on-screen keyboard is very unfriendly. Also, pages are displayed only in shades of grey, irritating when magazines and blogs rely on colour.

And beware when browsing the Amazon bookshop, as you can easily purchase a book by mistake. Anyone know a charity shop that takes e-books?

Things are rapidly changing in the world of e-readers. The Kindle Touch with touchscreen carries up to 3,000 books, has a two month battery life, and text-to-speech capabilities. Also, in an attempt to pull the rug from beneath Apple’s iPad, Amazon has launched its Kindle Fire.

The Kindle Fire, with its multi-colour touchscreen, has the ability to play music, films and games, and surf the net. Forget about memory – it gives you free storage for all your Amazon content in the Amazon Cloud. At this time, the Kindle Fire is not available in Ireland, but I feel sure that it will be by next Christmas.

Bookshops under fire The e-reader is changing the way we buy and borrow books. Already libraries in the US are loaning e-books via the Kindle – you can also loan out your own e-book for a limited time to another Kindle user. Will this mean that bookshops will disappear from our streets as most CD shops have recently?

Anyway, I’m hooked, despite my Kindle’s drawbacks, and there is little doubt that e-readers are here to stay. www.amazon.com

How To . . .

Write Flash Fiction From The World Doesn't End The time of minor poets is coming. Good-by Whitman, Dickinson, Frost. Welcome you whose fame will never reach beyond your closest family, and perhaps one or two good friends gathered after dinner over a jug of fierce red wine . . . while the children are falling asleep and complaining about the noise you're making as you rummage through the closets for your old poems, afraid your wife might've thrown them out with last spring's cleaning.

Flash fiction competitions are on the increase, but is a flash fiction piece really a prose poem by another name? Carol Boland traces the origins of flash fiction.

It's snowing, says someone who has peeked into the dark night, and then he, too, turns towards you as you prepare yourself to read, in a manner somewhat theatrical and with a face turning red, the long rambling love poem whose final stanza (unknown to you) is hopelessly missing.

Charles Simic

T

he distinction between flash fiction, and prose poetry is very thin, almost indiscernible. Literary journals that previously disputed prose poetry's contributions, currently display prose poems next to sonnets and short stories. Journals have even begun to specialize, publishing solely prose poems.

Rules do not apply When writing flash fiction/prose poem you don’t have to worry about rules of form - poetic meter, rhyme, line breaks or stanzas do not apply. But your piece should retain the repetition, language and imagery of poetry.

Use poetic devices like consonance, assonance, simile, metaphor, repetition and symbol, and pay attention to describing the image and your emotions.

Discussions continue as to whether prose poetry is poetry or prose, or a separate genre altogether. Most argue that prose poetry belongs in the genre of poetry because of its heightened attention to language and use of metaphor. Others argue that prose poetry falls into the genre of prose. i.e. flash fiction, relying on prose's links with narrative.

You can tell a story, but it comes second to the language. The piece is not as concerned with plot as a prose piece and its point of view is more reflective and turned inward. Perhaps the one difference between prose poems and flash fiction is that the former can be a paragraph, a page or many pages, whereas flash fiction, by its nature, is a very short story.

In the beginning Prose poetry is thought to have originated in 19th century France as a reaction against traditional use of line in verse. At that time, French poetry was dominated by the Alexandrine, a form poets Bertrand and Baudelaire rebelled against. At the end of the 19th century, British Decadent movement poets, such as Oscar Wilde, picked up the form because of its already subversive association.

Prose poems mainly died out until 1950s and '60s, when American poets, including Ginsberg, Dylan, Kerouac and Simic, experimented with the form. Indeed, Simic won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for his 1989 collection, The World Doesn't End:

For examples of flash fictions, check out ‘Flash Fiction’ at www.flashfictiononline.com. Then write your own piece and send it to The Irish Times, who are eager to hear from you. Email a max of 500 words, to flashfiction@irishtimes.com.

Good luck.

9

In Profile

A Traveller’s Tale

Peadar O`Donoghue

Monet’s Garden, Giverny

Interview by Niamh Dillon Peadar O`Donoghue, poet, photographer and editor of The Poetry Bus, lives in Arklow, Co. Wicklow.

by John Graham

The scarlet pimpernel (they seek him here, they seek him there) of a poetry revolution, Peadar is a notorious rebel blogger known affectionately as TFE, from his blog handle totalfeckineejit.blogspot.com. Despite, or because of this, his poems and photographs have appeared in main stream publications, including The Shop, Revival, The Stinging Fly, The Dubliner, Magma and Poetry Ireland Review. He is also founder and editor of The Poetry Bus (PB) magazine

Giverny’s claim to fame is that the world famous painter Claude Monet lived there from 1883 to his death in 1926. During this period, he developed two beautiful gardens. The first surrounds his house and is full of a variety of plants and flowers with archways of climbing plants entwining coloured shrubs. The second one, which adjoins the first, is a Japanese inspired garden. The variety of plants is very impressive, including tiger lilies and bamboo mixed with wild flowers like poppies and yellow foxgloves.

The Poetry Bus began three years ago, with Peadar using his blog to communicate and share poetry.

Now, he says, it has taken over his life.

Both gardens served as models for many of Monet’s most beautiful paintings; in particular, the second garden with its Japanese bridge, water lilies and weeping willows.

Funding for the first issue came from a number of sources. ‘People just gave me money,’ says Peadar. For the later issues, he used Fund:it, a website that raises funding for projects from friends and followers. The platform has been vital for the success of his publications.

Last July, I had the great fortune to visit this place with my two daughters. We took the train from Paris and then walked an hour from the station to Giverny – bikes and buses are alternatives to walking. It was one of those pleasant days that we all remember, full of summer sunshine. However, we spent over an hour queuing to enter the gardens; a mistake, we should have prebooked to enter directly. But it was well worth the wait.

Monet’s house contains the artists’s everyday items, as well as Japanese woodcut prints that he collected - one of the inspirations for both his garden and paintings.

Finally, we visited the shop full of souvenirs and copies of Monet’s work. Monet’s paintings are much sought after and some have fetched prices of over €30m.

The Poetry Bus is very internet based, with many poems and illustrations submitted through Facebook and Peadar`s blog. Each issue includes an audio CD with original music, and poems by the current issue’s contributors. A number of high profile writers have been attracted to the magazine. PB3 contains a piece by Roddy Doyle. ‘And the most exciting part of all,’ says Peadar, ‘you never know what you’re going to get.’

A few months ago, Peadar was approached by poetry publishers, Salmon Publishers, and his poetry book, Jewel will be launched in April 2012.

Check out the Poetry Bus blog www.thepoetrybus.blogspot.com and on Facebook.

At Giverny, one has a unique opportunity to see the actual scenes that inspired many of Monet’s paintings.

You will be rewarded with a look into the life and work of one of the world’s greatest painters - and with a great day out to-boot.

at

Niamh Dillon is a Transition Year student on work experience with The Space Inside Arts.

If you have an ‘arty’ experience you would like to share with our readers, email us at spaceinside@hotmail.com

10 1

Twitters Twitters Keith Moss is another of the Space Inside’s performers. A recent addition to Reekus Records, his debut single is out on 16th March, to be followed in the summer by his debut album.

The single will be released on iTunes and through all major digital music retailers.

Starting out as a solo performer, Keith has gone on to play with a number of bands. His latest collaboration is with The Brotherhood.

Find them on Facebook.

Colm Lynch, one of the Space Inside’s popular performers, has formed a new musical collective, Watson ACE. Colm gathered together a group of supremely talented Irish musicians, and recording began in late 2010 with renowned Swedish Producer, Adam Kviman. They have recently finished recording their debut album, ‘Backbone’ and a release date is imminent.

The music is a blend of soulful, stylish and melodic rock, and Kviman has brilliantly captured the mood of these passionate songs. Find them on Facebook.

Creative Writing Competitions Fish Flash Fiction Prize Deadline: 20 March Fish Poetry Prize Deadline: 30 March

Cultural Tourism ‘How to’ Guide Arts Audiences is a partnership initiative of the Arts Council and Temple Bar Cultural Trust. The projects outlined on their site are designed as a starting point, to get people and organisations interested and involved, and to build research material which is useful to all of us.

Nature Poetry Competition Deadline: 30 April Poetic Republic Poetry Prize 2012 Deadline: 30 April

Their recent ‘How to’ guide advises on how to assess and maximise the potential of your arts organisation in the area of Cultural Tourism: how arts organisations might begin working with the local and national tourism sector to increase tourist attendance at arts/cultural events.

Check out Art Audiences site to read their latest report, and also find out about schemes to increase your audience. www.artsaudiences.ie

David Burland poetry prize/ Concours de poésie David Burland Deadline: 15 May Source: www.poetryireland.ie Glendalough Arts Network (GAN) was established in 2010, an initiative of the Laragh/Glendalough Community, to provide a platform for the expression and enjoyment of ideas and creativity. They believe that every community is a hotbed of arts creativity.

ASFF 2012 is an international competition that will take place in historic York (UK) from 8 – 11 November.

Hosted by Aesthetica, the screenings will cover a wide variety of genres and filmic style. Films will be showcased across 15 locations in the city. The winner will receive £500 and screenings at a number of other UK festivals.

The runner-up will receive £250.

‘We are amazed by the skill and variety of arts and crafts expertize even in such a small community - there seems to a skilled artist or storyteller on every doorstep,’ says Martin Swords of GAN. A monthly series of Fireside Sessions is held in Glendalough Green, coffee shop and Deli.

If you would like to perform, or do a presentation, they would love to hear from you. To find out more visit their website at glendaloughartsnetwork.com

Entry is £15 and deadline for submissions is 31 May 2012.

For more information, visit www.asff.co.uk

11

POET’S CORNER Always Dalkey, Always the Sea

Always Dalkey Always the Sea New and selected poems Bernie Kenny Price: €10 Boland Press

Bernie Kenny`s poetry is a joy to read - skillful, accomplished and compelling and a delicate voice, dignified, yet assured and unafraid.

Anne Stewart Stately Ships of the Meadow At the close of a sultry day in a field of startling green stillness stifles the air.

In single file udders swinging tails swatting flies, eight Friesians move to shelter under sycamores.

The sky cracks.

Ní Conmara, daughter of sea-hound, that is my name. My forebears ashore built castles of limestone, harried O’Briens, downed goblets of purebred mead always listening, watching, wanting the sea, the sea, my heartbeat, ebb and flow, revealing, concealing, revealing.

Here at Hawkcliff, sea smells, salt winds make poems of place names, Greystones, Bray Head, Killiney, Sugar Loaf.

Sky and sea are mostly grey but at first light in winter time I watch them come up in flames.

I’ve been to distant places, the Bay of Plenty, City of Sails, Laguna beach and always the sea is calling, barking, begging. Brine lures me in, gifts me fins, cools my blood, sequins my skin.

Clothe me in fronds of laceweed, guide me to the Isle of Thorns, glide me home.

Bernie Kenny lives in Dalkey, Co. Dublin and holds an M.A in Creative Writing (Poetry). Her poems have appeared in publications at home and abroad. Always Dalkey, Always the Sea was launch in February. It is the poet’s fifth collection.

Friends of The Space Inside 2011/12 Businesses: National Fire Museum of Power (Wales), Healthy Habits Café Wicklow Town, Maltfield Riding School Ballykeane Redcross, Bridge Street Books, Wicklow Town.

Groups: Wicklow Writers and Shed Poets.

Individuals: Frank Gallagher, Helen Duffy, Jane Clarke, Avril Young, Charlie Burke, Mary Boland, Anne Graham, John Graham, Carol Boland, Joy Whittaker, Liam Walsh, Gerry and Betty Sheridan, Edward Ryan, James Boland, George & Meta Whittaker, Andy Boland, Hazel Evans, Carol and Chaim Factor, Bernie Walsh, Vera Burke, Cora Boland, Bernie Kenny, Marie O'Brien, Peter Kelly, Philip Galvin, Elizabeth O'Grady, Philip Lynch, Brian Graham, Catherine Graham, Helen Graham, Michael Tinsley, Maureen Griffin, Denise Boland, Paul Sinnott, Conal Kavanagh (councillor), Meta Whittaker, Gerry Sheridan, Eithne Wright, Angela Nolan, Charlie Burke, Anne Ferris (TD), Dora Clarke, Shirley McClure, Eithne Hand, Mairin O’Donovan.

Space Inside Arts Journal is published quarterly by volunteers: Editorial: Carol Boland, Anne Graham, Chaim Factor and Michael Tinsely. Distribution: Evert Beerda, Tess Doyle and others. Live Nights are run by Carol Boland, Anne Graham, Pascal Moran, Cait Breathnach, John Graham, with help from Kerri Gill.

Our Friends Draw is now closed for 2011/12.

But you can donate €3 (or more) online at thespaceinside.blogspot.com, should you wish!

Space Inside M: 085113836 E: spaceinside@hotmail.com

www. thespaceinside.blogspot.com The Space Inside is grateful to Wicklow Town Council and Friends for making the journal and Live Nights a reality. This project was initially assisted by Wicklow Rural Partnership Ltd under the European Union LEADER +/National Development Plan 20002006.

Published by Boland Press

Printed by Conway Media