A Tribute to the Chicken Hut – “The forks in the bag you Gowl!”

‘Best Costume Goes To…’: Exhibition of Iconic Film Costumes Stays in Limerick

‘Best Costume Goes To…’ Stays in Limerick as Hunt Museum Reopens

‘Best Costume Goes to…’ is an exhibition which explores the relationship between actors, costumes and the growth of the Irish film industry. A joint curation with the Irish Costume Archive Project, the exhibition looks at how costume co-creates the character. On display are 35 iconic costumes from films and TV series like My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Michael Collins, Breakfast on Pluto, Tudors, Room, The Favourite and Braveheart.

Due to the restriction on the number of visitors who are allowed entry into the museum at any one time, visitors are encouraged to book tickets and time slots online to avoid queues. 

Exhibition details:

Tue – Sun: 10am – 5pm: Sun 2- 5pm

February 7 – November 14, 2020 

Admission: €7.50 per adult, €12.50 combo ticket (with museum), Kids FREE

For more information on the Hunt Museum, click here 

For more stories on the Hunt Museum, click here

Pigtown Festival 2020 event – Launching the Festival on Little Catherine Street Limerick were, Tom Flavin, Executive Chef Limerick Strand Hotel, Eithne Gavigan, LIT, Keith Pigott, Head Chef No.1 Pery Square and Cllr. Olivia O’Sullivan, Limerick Food Group (all pictured above). Picture: Alan Place

Pigtown Festival 2020 Culture & Food Series returns September 17 – October 30

Starting on September 17, the Pigtown festival 2020 will run until the end of October with a host of dining events and more, to celebrate Limerick’s food culture, its food producers, and famous food heritage. Pigtown Festival 2020 event

Developed by the Limerick Food Group and supported by Limerick City & County Council, the theme of this year’s Pigtown festival 2020 is ‘Support Local’ – with many businesses fighting for survival this year, it is more important than ever to support local producers, market traders, and restaurants.

2020 may have seen the cancellation of many events and festivals, but the people behind the Pigtown Culture & Food Series, Limerick’s leading food festival, are determined to give locals and ‘staycationers’ something to enjoy.

Pigtown is organized by Limerick Food Group, a voluntary non-profit group from industry working together to promote Limerick food.

One of the organizing committee and Head Chef at No1 Pery Square, Keith Piggot, explained:

“We had to make some changes to our festival programme this year, obviously we are missing the annual Culture Night Pigtown Parade that would usually kick off the festival, but hopefully that will be back next year. We have a big focus on dining events for 2020 celebrating local produce, with a few online surprises in store too so keep an eye on our social media.”

The festival opens with the Pigtown Dinner at the Mustard Seed restaurant in Ballingarry, Co Limerick on Thursday, September 17.

Other dining events include the Pigtown Dinner in the River Restaurant at the Strand Hotel every Friday from Sep 18-Oct 30; Daily Pigtown Special at 1826 Adare from Sep23-27; Pigtown Dinner at the East Room Restaurant on Thursday September 24; Pigtown Specials at the Cornstore Restaurant every Thursday from Sep24-Oct29; Pigtown Pinxtos at No.1 Pery Square on Thursday October 15; and more to be announced.

For the duration of the festival, The Limerick Strand Hotel is offering ‘The Little Piggy’ Package which features one night B&B and locally sourced Pigtown-themed dinner, and includes a tour of Treaty City Brewery.

The Milk Market would usually play a big part in the festival, hosting cooking demos and food tours, but this year Pigtown wants to remind people that one of the most famous Farmer’s Markets in Ireland takes place every Saturday morning in the heart of our city with its quality food traders and unique atmosphere.  

Along with that, a new second Saturday market has been launched with Crafts and Plants at the Potato Market. On Saturday September 19 at 11am-4pm, Pigtown’s Giant Piggy will visit the Potato Market for Pigtown2020 so families will get the opportunity to see Piggy in this open-air market on Merchant’s Quay.

Inspired by the history of Limerick’s famous bacon industry, the ‘Pigtown Culture and Food Series’ is an exciting programme of themed events in Limerick. Developed by the Limerick Food Group and supported by Limerick City & County Council, the series will focus on Limerick’s unique heritage as a way to showcase the great food available locally, building on our deep-rooted food heritage.

For full details on this year’s festival programme and booking links to the dining events visit the website HERE and look out for updates on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

For more Pigtown Stories, click HERE

#Pigtown2020 #SupportLocal #PigtownLimerick

Lifelong Learning Festival 2020 – The theme for 2020 is ‘Celebrating and Building Learning Communities’. Launching the event were, Dr. Sarah Brady, UL, Helen Fitzgerald, PAUL Partnership, Eimear Brophy, Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, Mayor of Limerick City and County Cllr. Michael Collins and Anne Rizzo, Limerick City and County Council (all pictured above). Picture: Alan Place

Lifelong Learning Festival 2020 celebrates Limerick Learning Communities

The Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival, now in its tenth year, will for the first time, be run virtually from Monday 28 September to Sunday 4 October 2020.

The weeklong Lifelong Learning Festival 2020 is organised by the Learning Limerick Steering Group, which represents the main stakeholders involved in promoting learning across the City and County.

The Lifelong Learning Festival 2020 organisers and all those running events have shown wonderful resilience and creativity in the pandemic this year by planning a programme of events that will be interesting, varied and accessible, while complying with the current restrictions.

The theme for 2020 is ‘Celebrating and Building Learning Communities’.

An exciting programme of over 80 events is being provided through a combination of online interactive sessions, live broadcasts, webinars including panel discussions, and pre-recorded video events.

Activities range from dance art, health and science, to business and developing career options.

Learning Limerick is also collaborating with the Mid-West Regional Skills Forum this year to run a webinar during the festival week entitled ‘Learning During Changing Business Times’. In this webinar, speakers from a number of different local business sectors in the Limerick Region will present and discuss how they have responded to the challenges presented by Covid-19.

Some other events of interest this year include:

· ‘Blooming all Winter’ gardening event from Southill Hub

· ‘Career Opportunities for Women’ from Ballyhoura Development

· ‘Humans & Intelligent Machine: How technology will impact the future of work’ from University of Limerick CONFIRM Centre

· ‘Online Transactions’ – taking everyday transactions online from Mobile IT

· ‘History of Limerick Museum’ online lecture

· ‘Pop Pom Making’ for young children and adults from Limerick Childcare Committee

· ‘Dare to be Happier’ interactive workshop on the science of wellbeing from The Intentional Academy

· ‘Diversity in the Limerick Community – the impact of COVID-19’ event from Mary Immaculate College in collaboration with Limerick Youth Service, GOSHH, Doras and UL Sanctuary PhD Fellow.

· ‘Guidance tools and information for education and training’ from Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board

· ‘Explain ‘BLOCKCHAIN’ from Limerick Institute of Technology

· ‘Tai Chi for Seniors’ from West Limerick Resources

· ‘How to make an Authentic Irish Coffee’ from Griffith College

Speaking at the launch today in Merchant’s Quay, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Michael Collins said: “With all the uncertainty caused surrounding Covid-19, I’m delighted to officially launch the 10th annual Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival. Learning and the love of learning is not confined to the young or a classroom. We can do it anywhere, as the lockdown over the past number of months has highlighted to us so clearly.”

“The festival provides a timely opportunity to reflect on the many contexts in which we are learning, as well as exploring new ways and opportunities for learning. Thus the festival theme this year ‘Celebrating and Building Learning Communities’. We are celebrating the resilience of our local communities.”

The festival also celebrates Limerick as a UNESCO Learning City-Region. The Irish Network of UNESCO Learning Cities (Limerick, Cork, Dublin, Belfast and Derry Strabane) is hosting a collaborative Irish Learning Cities Day on Wednesday 30 September during the Limerick Festival week.

Learning Limerick is looking forward to collaborating with its partner cities on joint events and in sharing its learner stories during the week. As part of the initiative this year the Limerick Learning Neighbourhoods project, run by the Limerick Community Education Network (LCEN), will hold a joint webinar event with the Cork Learning Neighbourhoods project.

The webinar will be an opportunity to share learning and discuss ideas for positive local actions for both communities in the future. Operating the festival as a virtual one this year offers the added opportunity of attendees from Limerick’s partner Learning Cities all around the world logging on to join the multiple programme events online!

The Learning Ambassadors video series will also be launched by Learning Limerick during the festival. These Ambassadors work with Learning Limerick and the festival and help promote and celebrate learning opportunities. These Ambassadors are inspirational role models who will spread their enthusiasm and love for learning throughout Limerick during the week and beyond.

For more information about the festival and a list of all the events, click HERE

For more stories on the Lifelong Learning Festival, click HERE

Translating Live to Online- Belltable: Connects is inviting applicants to apply to the online course. Picture: Maurice Gunnin

Belltable: Connect invites applications for Translating Live to Online Workshops this Autumn.

Belltable: Connect is inviting applications for three week-long sessions for emerging/ midcareer/ established theatre/ performance artists living and working locally. 

Eigse Michael Hartnett 2020 is coming of age with a new-look, pandemic-busting format

The Éigse Michael Hartnett Literary & Arts Festival 2020 will take place in Newcastle West from Thursday 1 – Saturday 3 October 2020.

The annual Literary and Arts Festival to honour poet Michael Hartnett takes place in Newcastle West, Co. Limerick.

Eigse Michael Hartnett 2020 stellar line-up of readings and performances is going digital this year as a bumper 3-day festival. It will be available online and streamed all kicking off on Thursday 01 October 2020. And it is all free.

Internationally renowned writers Colum McCann and Donal Ryan, an exciting new fusion of Irish and gypsy music called Celtic Hotclub, performance poetry, readings, storytelling, and a poetry trail are all part of the mix in this year’s online festival, which also includes the presentation of the Michael Hartnett Poetry Award.

Norma Prendiville from the organising committee said: “We have a fantastic line-up for this year’s Éigse and it is a great pity we won’t get to meet them all in person and welcome them to Hartnett country and to Newcastle West.”

“But we are delighted to be able to go ahead with the festival and have high hopes we will reach a wider national and international audience with our online festival. We will also have an outdoor element to the festival in the town itself on Saturday afternoon and there will be a poetry trail for visitors and locals.”

Colum McCann and Donal Ryan are the headline acts for Eigse Michael Hartnett 2020 reading from their new books, Apeirogon and Strange Flowers respectively and will be joined by well-known names such as novelist and broadcaster Rachael English and journalist and commentator Billy Keane.

Established and well-loved poets Thomas McCarthy, Geraldine Mitchell, Sinéad Morrissey and John W Sexton will give online readings over the weekend and are joined on the programme by a new generation of poets Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Stephen Murphy and Dean Browne.

Limerick writer Helena Close will read from her young adult novel, The Gone Book, while West Limerick violinist Anne Phelan and Eamonn Moran, on guitar, will add to the atmosphere through their performances.

Celtic Hotclub, a novel fusion of Irish and gypsy music, will also feature, as will local singer/ songwriter Trevor Sexton and performance artist Míchéal Rowsome.

Established following the death of poet Michael Hartnett in 1999, the literary festival has been held in his native Newcastle West every year since and is run in conjunction with the Michael Hartnett Poetry Award and with the support of Limerick City and County Council’s Culture and Arts Office and the Arts Council.

Éigse Michael Hartnett will go live at 7pm on Thursday 01 October and different performances will be released throughout Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3.

In view of the ongoing uncertainties due to COVID-19 it was decided to curtail the programme for this year’s Éigse but nevertheless, The Michael Hartnett Poetry Prize competition will take place. The winning poet will be presented with the award early in October in line with COVID-19 national guidelines. The exact date and nature of the prize-giving will be announced later.

Full details on how to join in on this year’s festival available HERE 

For more stories on Eigse Michael Hartnett, click HERE