Museums, galleries, theatres, castles and other venues throughout the city will host free cultural events for members of the public to enjoy late into the evening this Friday, September 25th as the city Celebrates Culture Night 2009.
Below is a sprinkle of just some of the events going on around the City this Friday. Download the full Culture Night brochure in PDF form HERE.
Walk the Walls of Limerick,
Start at 5pm. King John’s Castle Visitor Centre.
Free Event.
The walk will be led by Brian Hodkinson, Assistant Curator of Limerick City Museum, and will take approx 1.5 to 2 hrs. There are thirteen extant stretches of the City Wall, including the west curtain wall of King John’s Castle, which formed part of the city’s defences and stretches around the English and Irish towns.
7pm-9pm
Limerick Youth Theatre Perform at Limerick City Gallery of Art
LCGA are delighted to host an innovative series of short performances by Limerick Youth Theatre as part of Culture Night 2009. Four young performers will respond to the Connolly Cleary interactive installation Plus/Minus. Movement and physical theatre are devised specifically to fit the strong aesthetic of striped projections and the accompanying jazz music of 12345SIX projected simultaneously. The installation is manipulated and choreographed by each performer, leaving behind the remnants of activity.
5.30pm – 8pm
Eamon O’Kane at Limerick City Gallery of Art
LCGA are delighted to offer an exciting range of events for Culture Night 2009. Meet artist Eamon O’Kane, exhibiting in the current exhibition Noughties but Nice, who will give a talk on his practice at 5.30pm. Eamon often works simultaneously across a range of projects using a variety of media. His work takes points in history cross referencing them to create remixes which comment on the present. His engagement with architectural practice and form is often juxtaposed with elements of nature, and how man made structures impose themselves on the natural world and vice versa.
Eamon will give two Cardboard Modernist Furniture Workshop’s at 6pm & 7pm where participants can create their own Cardboard Furniture. Many of modernist designers had ideas of supplying the masses with affordable high quality furniture, but in the time since these objects have acquired a place in design history and in exclusivity. This workshop is an attempt to bring these objects back to their genesis and through interaction and collaboration with others the participants in the work can gain an understanding of how an abstract idea turns into a three dimensional form. Workshop suitable for age 15+, Places Limited.
Wickham Street Artists’ Studios,
Late night opening until 10pm. Free Event.
Wickham Street Studios, Limericks newest artist-led space, is located just off William Street. It currently has 12 artist members. Over time the space will act as more than just a studio; it will also be a space for other artist-led projects such as exhibiting, artists talks, seminars, etc. Culture night will provide the public with the opportunity to visit the studios and engage with the artists and their work. The artists are – Ramon Kassam, Julie Lovett, Tom Prendergast, Aoife Flynn, Laura McMorrow, Aislinn O’Keeffe, Paraic Leahy, Gerry Davis, Paul Rathigan, Emmet Kierans, Noelle Collins and Sean Guinan.
Daghdha Dance Company
St. John’s Church, John’s Square
5pm – 10pm
Daghdha Dance Company will open the stunning surrounds of Daghdha Space, John’s Square on Friday 25th September 
for Culture Night. Daghdha’s programme for the evening will connect with all ages with a series of events to appeal to everyone. Daghdha sees this as an ideal opportunity to capture the support of the local community and expand its audience while presenting a wonderful evening of accessible and engaging contemporary dance.
Daghdha proposes to begin the evening with a fun contemporary dance class for all the family from toddler to teenager, parent to grandparent. This will be followed by creative performances by the Daghdha/Garvey Initiative which is an outreach project run by Daghdha dedicated to adults with Learning difficulties. Later in the evening visitors will have the opportunity to ask questions about dance in a relaxed and fun way. The night will then culminate in presentations of contemporary dance at its best with Daghdha’s core and resident artists.
Finally Daghdha also plans to open its studio (across from Daghdha Space at no. 1 Johns Square) to those local artists who run classes in the evening throughout the year. This will include children’s classes in contemporary dance and belly dancing.
The Hunt Museum
The Custom House, Rutland Street
Late night opening until 10pm
With short guided tours and 10 minute talks on silver, jewellery and ceramics
The Hunt Museum houses one of Ireland’s greatest Museum collections. A thousand years of art and antiquities from around the world are here. Irish highlights include the Antrim Cross, one of the country’s best examples of early Christian metalwork, the Beverley Crozier, made from Walrus ivory intricately carved into animals and figures and the Ballyscullion caludron.
Conradh na Gaeilge,
Halla Íde, 18 Thomas Street
Late night opening until 10pm.
An informal session of Irish traditional entertainment in “An Chistin”. Musicians, singers and dancers will be introduced to our visitors by the “bean an tí” (woman of the house) and of course the traditional “cupán tae” will be provided. This will be a bilingual informal occasion and you can come and go at any time between 5pm and 10pm.
Munster Experience Museum,
Thomond Park Stadium, 5pm – 10pm.
Thomond Park is offering Free Entry to the Munster Experience Museum as part of Limerick’s Culture Night. The Museum will be open from 5pm to 10pm and all are welcome!
Contact Studios, St. Joseph’s Hospital,
Mulgrave Street, Late night opening until 10pm.
Contact Studios invites all to view the work and workspaces of 14 current artists.
Conversation deep (and not so deep) will be encouraged. There will be a wine, beverage and nibbles selection, plus live music. Founded in 1997 in partnership with the H.S.E., the studios provide a multi-disciplinary working space in the city. The artists are – Carl Doran, Vivienne Bogan, Ciaran O’Sullivan, Cathriona Moran, Gerry O’Mahony, Nuala O’Sullivan, Michael Delohery, Maurice Foley, Julie Brazil, Rory Prout, Emma Burke, Joanna Hopkins, Suzanne Mortell, Doireann O’Grady, Stephen Roche.
Daghdha Dance Company, St. John’s Church, John’s Square,
Late night opening until 10pm.
Daghdha Dance Company will open the stunning surrounds of Daghdha Space, John’s Square. Daghdha’s programme of events will appeal to everyone, a memorable evening of accessible and
engaging contemporary dance.
5pm – 6pm - Join us for Contemporary Chaos a fun hour of contemporary dance for all the family – from toddler to teenager, parent to grandparent.
6.30pm – 7.30pm - This will be followed by dancers of the Daghdha/Garvey Initiative and their unique performance style.
7.30pm onwards – The night will culminate in an ongoing contemporary dance installation by Daghdha.
Relaxed and informal, audiences are welcome to come and go throughout the evening
Limerick Printmakers Studio & Gallery, 4 Robert Street.
Late night opening until 10pm.
5pm to 7pm: T-Shirt printing for Kids Bring your own T-Shirt; get it printed, or try it
yourself. Demonstrations in the Studios. Watch our artists create beautiful original prints. Have a tea or coffee while the kids print.
7pm to 10pm: T-Shirt printing for Adults Bring your own T-Shirt; get it printed, or try it yourself.
Demonstrations in the Studios Watch our artists at work. Sip a glass of wine with us.
Limerick School of Art and Design,
Clare Street. Late night opening until 10pm.
Join us at the Limerick School of Art and Design for the Tweak Festival exhibition and tours of our newly
refurbished building here at the Clare St Campus. Tweak is an interactive art and live electronic music
festival taking place that aims to promote understanding of the use of technology within our culture and to explore contemporary issues (social, economic, psychological, aesthetic and functional).
Tweak examines the growing impact of digital technologies in the creation of art and aesthetic experience. Providing a space for Digital Artists to redefine the nature of technology within our lives, the festival intends to create public awareness of the complex nature of technology and explore the relationship technology has to our lives.
