Your complete guide to Offaly’s Esker Arts Centre’s summer line-up of entertainment

Highlights include a musical tribute to the late Shane MacGowan from Tullamore artist Gavin Ghee, a theatre production that will fundraise for Offaly Hospice, and a gig to raise medical funds for Gaza.

Calendar Girls

Fun House Theatre Company are presenting Calendar Girls The Musical at the Esker Arts Centre from Wednesday May 1 to Sunday May 5. Under the direction of the Aims award-winning Pat McElwain, the show boasts a remarkable ensemble cast drawn from the vibrant midlands region. The production's dynamic movement is choreographed by Chris Corroon, with Shane Farrell leading as the musical director. Highlighting local talent, the show stars Jay Origan, Amanda Cunningham, and Sinéad Handy - names well-known and loved by local theatre-goers.

In an exciting collaboration, Fun House has partnered with Offaly Hospice, encouraging audiences to support through various fundraisers and donations to collection buckets located in the foyer. Additionally, exclusive prints by Emma Campbell Artist and a unique ‘Nude’ calendar, created by members of the community, will be available for purchase, contributing further to this noble cause. Tickets are €25 plus booking fee

Bealtaine

Bealtaine: Cardboard Loom Weaving Workshop. Leah Daly conducts a weaving workshop as part of Esker Arts’ Bealtaine celebrations. Participants will learn the basics of loom weaving on cardboard using a variety of materials.Tickets: Free, booking essential. Date: Saturday May 4, 11 am to 1pm.

Film

Film Club: The Old Oak. In a struggling former mining community in Durham, The Old Oak pub is a social refuge for many of its regulars. Owner TJ is an active volunteer, helping deliver supplies to families in need. When Syrian refugees arrive in town, some locals refuse to welcome them, leading to tensions between TJ and several of his pub’s loyal patrons. Director Ken Loach, UK, 2023, 113 minutes. Tuesday May 7, at 8pm. Tickets: €7.

Birdsong

Esker Arts presents Birdsong on Thursday May 30, at 1pm. Director Kathleen Harris, Ireland, 2023, 52 minutes. Ornithologist Seán Ronayne from Cobh, Co. Cork is on a mission to record the sound of every bird species in Ireland - that’s nearly 200 birds.

Often joined by his partner Alba, he travels to some of the country’s most beautiful and remote locations to capture its most elusive species and soundscapes: the busy seabird colony of Skellig Michael; a native woodland free from road noise in the Burren; the corncrake stronghold of Tory Island; a solitary nest in the Donegal uplands.

Along the way we get to know Seán, whose hypersensitivity to sound has proven both a struggle and a strength. At once inspiring and cautionary, Seán’s journey illustrates the beauty and importance of sound, and what listening can tell us about the state of our natural world. Tickets: Free, booking essential.

Gavin Ghee in concert

Esker Arts presents local musician Gavin Ghee: A tribute to Nick Drake and Shane MacGowan on Thursday May 30, at 8pm. On the fiftieth anniversary of the tragic death of legendary singer-songwriter Nick Drake, Tullamore-based singer songwriter Gavin Ghee performs Drake's classic final album Pink Moon live and in full.

Originally released in 1972, Pink Moon mainly features only Nick Drake's voice and intricate guitar work. The album is roughly half an hour long and will constitute the first half of the show. The second half of the show will be a tribute to Shane McGowan. Gavin Ghee will perform thirteen classic McGowan songs given a one-man band treatment. This will entail interpretations using guitar, vocals, harmonica and bass drum. This is a rare opportunity to see the work of two great, but very different songwriters performed on the same night by a unique local performer. Tickets: €10.

Oscar Wilde

Esker Arts presents Work is the Curse of the Drinking Classes on Thursday June 13 at 8pm. The play draws on Wilde’s letters, essays and anecdotes to bring this literary genius to life in a 60-minute performance which will appeal as much to those who know little about the man as it will to those who admire his work. Tickets: €16, €14 plus booking fee.

Exhibition

Make sure not to miss the film The Anatomy of Hope, part of Rita Duffy's Midlands: Mother Myth Memory exhibition at Esker Arts. The film can be found upstairs across from The Rhythm of Light exhibition. The exhibition will run until Saturday May 25. Admission free, all welcome. This forms part of Art In The Landscape - Festival of Change, an initiative of Offaly County Council, Mayo County Council and Visual Artists Ireland, funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Dance

Move: Donlon Dance Company's End of Year Show is on Tuesday June 11 at 7pm. Donlon Dance Company presents their end of year show, 2024. Students who range from ages 5-15 will showcase an array of different dance styles learned throughout the year. From Contemporary to Hip Hop and Jazz. Look forward to a great night of dance. Tickets: €15/€10. Early booking advised.

Symphony of Seasons

Esker Arts presents Symphony of Seasons on Sunday May 26. The Tullamore branch of The Mc Dermott School of Classical Ballet and Dance are very excited to present Symphony of Seasons. The Grade 1 to Grade 8 students will bring you on a journey through the four seasons from the beautiful senior dancers’ Spring Variation to the little winter fairies magically transporting you to a frozen world. Matinee show: 3pm.Evening show 7pm. Tickets: Adults €15, children €12. Early booking advised.

Gig for Gaza

Esker Arts presents Tullamore Gig for Gaza on Saturday May 25 at 8pm. This will be a celebration of Palestinian and Irish arts and culture, highlighting long-existing Irish-Palestinian solidarity. “Tullamore stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Palestine,” said a spokesperson. Acts include Dubh Lee, Gavin Ghee and David Mallaghan, with more to be confirmed. All funds going to Medical Aid for Palestine. Tickets: €10. Early booking advised.

Screen Acting Workshop

Esker Arts will host a Screen Acting Workshop on Saturday May 25 at 11am. This workshop led by Paireac Keane will be an introduction to screen acting. As a filmmaker, Keane has achieved notable success on the Irish and International Film Festival circuits. His debut short film, A Timely Gift (2017), secured him a Rising Star Award at the 12th Underground Short Film Awards. Under his direction, his cast members have also garnered multiple awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor at celebrated festivals. Tickets: €15.

Storytelling

Esker Arts presents By the Light of the Silvery Moon: Aindrias de Staic on Friday, May 24 at 8pm. In this show, the Bardic Irish Storyteller Aindrias de Staic treads in the footsteps of the great Irish storytellers, uncovering ancient pathways and heralding a new era of Irish storytelling.

Aindrias’ style is a fast paced, lively new approach to the ancient Irish art form, yet his work is firmly rooted in the traditional storytelling styles of the west of Ireland. Inspired by his work in folklore, nature, and the traditional arts, Aindrias brings us on a journey through tales of villages lost to the sea, misadventures of wandering musicians, humorous recitations, abridged folkloric myths, and of course his own self-penned outrageous tales of otherworldly events. Suitable for ages 14 plus. Tickets: €18, €16.

Old Flames

Old Flames: Brian Leyden and Seamie O' Dowd, is on Thursday May 23 at 8pm. As part of Bealtaine 2024, Esker Arts presents Old Flames, a beautiful show of stories and music.

Brian Leyden and Seamie O’Dowd marry stories and music from across the decades in a warm-hearted, lyrical evocation of romance and courtship in Ireland, emigrant Britain and America: from house dances and dinner dances to ballroom mineral bars, teenage crushes, Radio Luxembourg on transistor radios, and free love remembered with playful precision. Brian Leyden’s books include the bestselling memoir The Home Place and his new novel Love These Days. For three decades multi-instrumentalist Seamie O’Dowd has toured the world, performing with the leading names in Irish music. Tickets: €16, €14.

For more information on all these events, call 057 938 3801, or email info@eskerarts.ie.