Sunday Miscellany from Donegal

Sunday Miscellany from Donegal – Sunday Miscellany, the hugely popular RTÉ Radio 1 program, recently held another very successful live recording from Ballyshannon during the Donegal Bay and Bluestacks festival. This recording was presented as one show in the Abbey Arts Centre and will be broadcast now as two programs, this Sunday, November 4 2012 and on Sunday, November 18 at 9.10am.

For over four decades, RTÉ Radio’s Sunday Miscellany has been at the heart of Sunday morning. This wonderful radio experience captures our ever-shifting moods, our obsessions and distractions, our dreams and fears and the intimate details of our lives.

Its distinctive mix of brand new short essays and poetry presented on air by their authors and interspersed with music made a welcome return visit to Ballyshannon.

Tune in to hear the terrific selection of Donegal writers and musicians ,hosted by the programmes’s producer and editor, Clíodhna Ní Anluain.

The writers for the event were Peter Sirr, Joseph Woods, Enda Wylie, Malachi O’Doherty, Denise Blake, Maureen Boyle, Patrick Hull, Deirdre Hines, Ann Hull and Winifred McNulty.

The wonderful music was performed by Seamus McGuire and Gary ÓBriai, Dominic Mac Giolla Bhríde, Fidil traditional Irish trio, and Donegal Camerata String Ensemble.

Sound engineer for the show was Jimmy Breslin.

This article appeared in The Donegal Democrat

Rosato’s of Moville wins Traditional Pub Award

Rosato's of Moville
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Rosato’s of Moville wins Traditional Pub Award

Eddie Harkin of ‘Rosatos’ in Moville says he’s’absolutely delighted’ following his establishment taking a top national award after being named Ireland’s ‘Best Traditional Pub’ at the National Hospitality Awards hosted in the 4 Seasons Hotel, Dublin on Monday night.

Speaking with the ‘Journal’ yesterday Eddie said it was a ‘massive shock but a lovely surprise’.

He commented:
I got a couple of calls from the organisers suggesting that it would be worth my while to come down but I sort of suggested I wouldn’t be able to make it as it’s a lot of bother going all the way to Dublin for a night out, making alternative staff arrangements and all the time that’s involved. But the fact that they kept coming back to me finally persuaded me to go – and now I’m very glad I did!
Asked why he thought Rosatos had won the award Eddie explained:
This pub is the real deal.It’s and old pub; not a ‘manufactured’ old pub. There is a nice, traditional attitude, we have a great staff, we serve top quality food and the whole package makes for a very good night out.

So how he was be bucking the trend?  Weren’t other pubs going out of business in Inishowen?
Yeah that’s true but it’s the food. I would hate to be running a pub now that didn’t serve food. If you are only serving drink you would be dependent on a good Saturday night and there’s no way one night a week is going to pay the mortgage.

We are in fact the only bar/restaurant left in Moville. I’m not sure that’s a good thing in that another one, particularly during the summer, would help meet the demand that’s clearly here. It would be good for the time in that tourists wouldn’t just leave and head somewhere in search of a meal.

Fortunately, we have got the name for good food and we have a client base that comes from all over the north-west. We are very grateful to our loyal customers and myself and Margaret (Eddie’s wife) are absolutely delighted to win this. It’s a real honour.
 

This article first appeared in The Derry Journal

City of Culture Animation

City of Culture Animation

The programme for City of Culture was announced on 25th October.  Derry’s world-class culture programme next year will attract internationally renowned and respected artists while also involving local artists and non-artists in the creation of new works, promised organisers at yesterday’s launch.

Speaking at the Ebrington launch, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of Culture Company 2013, said:
We will both bring amazing and create amazing work in and to the city and the hope is that as many people as possible can get involved for free. We have tried to guarantee that every single person gets the opportunity to be inspired, and to participate in free cultural and artistic events.

City of Culture Animation

Thia video was produced by the Nerve Centre and shows highlights of Derry~Londonderry’s year as UK City of Culture 2013, including the Turner Prize, Primal Scream, Luminaire Light Festival, Music Promise and Colmcille Pageant. music from Gary Curran of The Japanese Popstars

Download the full programme at this link

Boston Golden Bridges

This November, the Irish-American community of Massachusetts will join together with the community of Donegal and Derry to forge and consolidate transatlantic cultural links.

The fifth annual Boston-Northwest Ireland Golden Bridges Conference 2012 will take place in the Seaport Hotel and the World Trade Centre, Boston on November 8th and 9th 2012.

Hosted by leading Irish-American newspaper, the Irish Echo, this year’s conference is centered on the theme, “community, culture and commerce,” and will include the US launch of the Donegal Global Diaspora Project.

View the agenda below at larger size in a new tab

 

 
View the agenda aboveat larger size in a new tab

 

Kennedy Knitwear Ardara

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Oireachtas Festival Letterkenny

Oireachtas Festival Letterkenny – “Is Gaeltacht ann féin é an tOireachtas a bhíonn ag taisteal na tíre bliain i ndiaidh bliana ag ceiliúradh ealaíona traidisiúnta na nGael i measc óg agus aosta.
Oireachtas na Samhna is cultural festival, nomadic in nature, as it travels the country, collecting friends and loyal followers in each new host town.

Letterkenny 30th October – 4th November 2012

Established in 1897 for the promotion of traditional Irish performing arts, the festival has at its core a series of competitions, at adult and junior levels, in the various art forms, including Sean-Nós singing, Sean-Nós dancing, storytelling, Agallamh Beirte (the ancient Irish art of dialogue in verse); Lúibíní (a witty dialogue in song) and much more.

The unique aspect of this festival is that it is conducted fully and completely through Irish!

Fringe events, which attract a substantial following also, include sessions, lectures, book & CD launches, workshops and exhibitions featuring various aspects of our national cultural heritage.”

Letterkenny Tourism groups say bed nights are now scarce in Letterkenny town centre from Thursday, November 1, until Sunday, November 4, due to the huge crowds expected for the Irish language extravaganza.

The festival will see more than 10,000 people descend on the town for a weekend of music, dancing and storytelling. There will be top sean-nós dancing, sean-nós singing and storytelling competitions.

The festival will take place in various venues in Letterkenny, including the Mount Errigal Hotel, the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny Institute of Technology and the Aura Centre.

Oireachtas na Gaeilge director, Liam Ó Maolaodha, said he was delighted that interest in the festival is still growing.

The Oireachtas festival is going from strength to strength each year and the challenge now is to find towns with enough places to accommodate the huge crowd the festival gathers. We’re delighted to be back in Letterkenny again as the town is ideal for all the competitions and events that are held during the Oireachtas festival

One of the highlights of the weekend is the ‘Steip’ sean-nós dancing competition which will be broadcast live on TG4.

Other highlights include the Corn Uí Riada sean-nós singing competition held in memory of Sean Ó Riada where champions and challengers will sing their hearts out in a variety of regional styles to win this most prestigious title. All major organisations in the Irish language sector will attend the festival including Foras na Gaeilge, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Conradh na Gaeilge.

Donegal in Bridgestone Guide

Donegal in Bridgestone Guide
* check out the video at the bottom of this post

32 Donegal businesses are featured in this year’s edition of John and Sally McKenna’s prestigious Bridgestone Food Guide.

Now in its 10th year, the Guide have been central to Ireland’s food revolution and been instrumental in spreading the word about quality and authenticity in the Irish food and hospitality industries.

Donegal has been making great strides, year on year, and this year sees and exceptional 32 premises being singled out for honours. They include:

  • Nancy’s Bar and The West End Café in Ardara
  • Doherty’s Café and Harry’s Restaurant in Bridgend
  • The Beach House Bar & Restaurant as well as Linsfort Castle in Buncrana
  • Quality Sea Veg in Burtonport
  • Claire The Bakers in Burtonport
  • The Glen House in Clonmany
  • Aroma Coffee Shop, The Blueberry, McGettigan’s Butchers, The Olde Castle Bar & Restaurant, Simple Simon Natural Foods,and Eddie Walsh & Sons in Donegal Town
  • The Green Man, The Mill Restaurant and Starfish Café and Bistro in Dunfanaghy
  • Castle Murray House, St John’s Point
  • The Red Door, Fahan
  • Filligan’s Preserves and Good Earth in Glenties
  • Glenveagh Tearooms
  • Kealy’s Seafood Bar, Greencastle
  • The Wine Buff and Cafe Banba in Letterkenny
  • The Village Tavern, Mountcharles
  • The Farm Shop, Moville
  • Donegal Rapeseed Oil, Raphoe
  • Moorfield Lodge, Ramelton
  • Kinnegar Brewing and Rathmullan House in Rathmullan

There is no recession in Irish quality food. In fact, the best food producers, restaurateurs, markets and counties are enjoying unprecedented success. It may seem difficult to believe that things have never been better, but things have never been so good in Irish speciality food. Conditions are tougher than ever in the marketplace, but food producers who have the right product at the right price now have a devoted audience, who are more conscious than ever before about buying Irish foods.

John McKenna discusses Donegal Tourism

Lenan Fort Inishowen

Lenan Fort Inishowen is one of a number of defensive forts built by the British to defend the deep-water anchorages of Lough Swilly. The gun positions, all of which are linked by extensive underground magazines and passages are still in remarkably good condition.

The fort occupies a headland, and is defended by a ditch system with fortifications at the corners. Much of the fort area comprises the former barracks area. The buildings of the barracks have not stood the test of time well and all that remains of them are the redbrick chimney stacks.

Lenan Fort looks over Lough Swilly

Video by Gerry McVeigh

An exploration of an abandoned British military base at Lenan Fort, guarding the mouth of Lough Swilly on the Inishowen peninsula, Donegal, Ireland. Lookout posts, abandoned gun emplacements, underground magazine tunnels and other buildings stand in an amazing location surrounded by lough, sea and mountain.

Location of Lenan Fort

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Ireland Events Database 2013

Ireland Events Database 2013 – Remember, next year will be a special year. It will be the year of THE GATHERING IRELAND 2013. Be sure to let us know if you are organising anything special. If you would like your Festival/Event to be considered for inclusion in the Discover Ireland Festival and Events Database 2013, please complete the online participation form URGENTLY.

The deadline is October 28, 2012.
Click here to add your event

Ireland Events Database 2013

The Discover Ireland Festivals and Events 2013 database is a list of the festivals and events which are being held, throughout Ireland, next year – the year of THE GATHERING IRELAND 2013.

The information is gathered by Fáilte Ireland for the purpose of promoting Festivals, Events and Tourism in Ireland.

These festivals and events will feed into the DiscoverIreland.ie and THE GATHERING IRELAND 2013 websites and a smaller selection of events will be chosen, from time to time, for even wider profiling and promotion by Fáilte Ireland, through various online, print and other communication channels.

Click here to add your event