Cancelled
We are sorry to say that, for performer health reasons, we are no longer able to run this show. We will endeavour to bring Colm Keegan and Laura Durrant back to Liverpool in future. All tickets will be refunded via the Philharmonic’s Box Office. Please see the Festival’s other music listings for exceptional musical talent during the 10 day Festival period.
[lif_events ids=”3043,3231,3245,3240,3264″ heading=”Alternative music events to browse at #LIF2021″]
Original listing
Colm Keegan and Laura Durrant: Live celebrates the joint talents of this musical couple.
Colm Keegan and Laura Durrant are international stars, running Scots-Irish castle tours and large music tours of the USA, alongside educational careers. Multi award-winning Irish singer and musician Colm Keegan is best known as one of the principal singers in PBS’s sensation show: Celtic Thunder, which led to him meeting his soon-to-be musical partner and wife, Glaswegian cellist Laura Durrant, also a member.
A Dubliner born and bred, Colm may still only be 30, but has already achieved an extensive career to date, having set up his own music school and undertaken numerous world tours. Laura is a native of Glasgow in Scotland, where they both now reside. Laura comes from a musical family (her father is renowned viola player James Durrant), which influenced her attendance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before joining Barrowland Ballet. As well as music, Laura is a talented actor and dancer and both are qualified teachers.
In what some might call a far cry from their days of personal invitations to play at the Pentagon, Colm and Laura join us to present an intimate live event at the Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room.
More info:
W: colmkeegan.com / ckonlineteaching.com
F: @ LauraDurrantCello @ ColmKeeganSinger
T: @laursadurrant @ColmKeeganMusic
NB: The Liverpool Philharmonic has entry requirements aligned with Covid-19 safety. If attending, please make sure you are aware of these and are able to pass their requirements. Information is at this link.
This 2 hour walk through the former heartland of Liverpool’s Irish community, will look at schools, statues and graveyards to explore what is left of the areas rich heritage, rousing some old ghosts along the way.
Led by historian Greg Quiery, this walk explores the dense history of a world-famous district. Featuring the stories of heroic men and women; footballers and rock stars; two hidden statues; a graveyard and the legends of Dandy Pat and James Carling. The walk ends at St Anthony’s church, a short bus ride from town.
As with the South Liverpool and Irish Heritage walks, places are limited so we advise you book early to avoid disappointment.
This in an outdoor walk; please be weather prepared, comfortable and hydrated. We will observe Covid-19 regulations as at the date of the walk. Walkers should act responsibly, including having a mask available in the event streets or locations are busy. We will do all we can to maintain social distancing, but need your active co-operation in this.
This year’s walks are held in memory of Vin Finn, Festival volunteer and Irish community champion.
Meet at entrance to Central Library.
On this 2 hour walk you will discover the Irish connection to many of the historic buildings in the Hope Street and Rodney Street areas, and hear from some of the colourful characters who populated them.
Led by historian Greg Quiery, we advise you book early to avoid disappointment.
Anyone interested in this may also like the Scotland Road and Irish Heritage walks.
This in an outdoor walk; please be weather prepared, comfortable and hydrated. We will observe Covid-19 regulations as at the date of the walk. Walkers should act responsibly, including having a mask available in the event streets or locations are busy. We will do all we can to maintain social distancing, but need your active co-operation in this.
This year’s walks are held in memory of Vin Finn, Festival volunteer and Irish community champion.
Meet at the Famine Memorial in St Luke’s Gardens, Leece St.
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The Letters of John McGahern provides fresh insight into the life, and work, of one of Ireland’s greatest literary figures; John McGahern (1934-2006).
Best known for his banned second novel, The Dark (1965), and his Booker Prize shortlisted -state of the nation masterpiece- Amongst Women (1990), McGahern was the author of six novels and four short-story collections, plus a play and a memoir. Admired for the sparing grace of his prose, and the startling accuracy of his depictions of Irish life in the second half of the twentieth century, his work won plaudits and prizes in Britain, Ireland, the USA and France.
The Letters consists of over 1,200 communications sent by McGahern to friends, family and fellow writers, over 63 years. Beginning with a childhood thank you note, to his father, it closes with an email to Irish poet Paul Durcan, dictated from his death bed. Accompanying these remarkable documents is an introduction and explanatory notes from the editor, Professor Frank Shovlin, Professor of Irish Literature in English of the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool.
The launch consists of a lecture from Professor Shovlin based on his research when editing McGahern’s correspondence. A native of the west of Ireland, Professor Shovlin was educated at University College Galway and University of Oxford. He is the author of three academic monographs and numerous essays on aspects of Irish writing.
University of Liverpool (final venue to be confirmed) and online.
Matt McGinn is a seasoned Irish musician with a number of albums under his belt (and more in production!).
He has collaborators the world over. Having grown up during The Troubles, music was a way for Matt to engage in expression and find peace. He wondered if he could create peace through music and, working with artists in war torn environments, created Lessons of War.
Having explored his beautiful documentary of the same name at #LIF2020, tonight we hear the music -live- along with stories of his experience making the album and the opportunities that can be found in sharing, collaborating and putting a little generosity out in the world.
Image © Bruce Clements
Additional info:
Matt McGinn is a singer songwriter and producer from the foothills of the Mourne Mountains (Co. Down, NI). He has released four studio albums to date, all of which -and notably Lessons of War- were critically acclaimed.
The Line of Best Fit said Lessons of War was a “Plaintive and devastating reassessment of the futility of war, its horrors, effects and after-effects…”. Its lead single Bubblegum was penned with Mick Flannery. After playing it Tom Robinson of BBC 6 Music exclaimed”…now, wasn’t that just extraordinary?” Matt’s latest release Something became the most played song on BBC Radio Ulster (March 2021) and was playlisted on RTE Radio 1. His previous single Annie (Many Moons Ago) was described by Hotpress Magazine as “without doubt, one of the best singles you will hear this year…”.
Since lockdown began in March of 2020, Matt -with fellow performer Cormac Neeson of The Answer- have developed and run the online platform Cocoons (facebook.com/groups/cocoons). Now well past its 60th week, it is a gender balanced platform that has seen performances from over 140 established artists all around the word and raised over £12,000 for various charities.
W: mattmcginnmusic.com
F: @mattmcginnmusic
T: @MattMcGinnMusic
NB: The Liverpool Philharmonic has entry requirements aligned with Covid-19 safety. If attending, please make sure you are aware of these and are able to pass their requirements. Information is at this link.
Over the last two centuries, the histories of Ireland and Merseyside have become inextricably linked through the port of Liverpool.
During the nineteenth century, millions of Irish emigrants passed through the port while hundreds of thousands made the city their home.
On Merseyside, Irish history has become interwoven with the histories of countries and communities across the globe who also settled in the city. In this podcast, recorded in front of a live Festival audience, Irish historian and creator of The Irish History Podcast (irishhistorypodcast.ie), Fin Dwyer, will talk to local people about their family histories, which embody these fascinating links between Liverpool, Ireland and the wider world.
The event is held in partnership with The Irish History Podcast. Look out for its broadcast later in the year.
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We are proud to state this event is linked with Black History Month and the Cuture Liverpool programme.
The Wife of Michael Cleary is the first piece of music theatre from composer and performer Maz O’Connor.
Inspired by traditional Irish music, her piece tells the true story of Bridget Cleary, who lived in Co. Tipperary over a century ago.
In 1895, at the age of 26, Bridget was burned to death by her husband and family. They claimed they had not killed Bridget, but a changeling left in her place by fairies. News of this shocking case spread through Ireland and across the sea to England, where it was used as fodder in the Home Rule debates.
This new work explores the folklore and superstitions that were rife in an Ireland on the verge of great change. It highlights how societies overlook and enable violence against women and asks ‘how much has really changed for women in the past century?’.
Join us for a stripped-back evening of music from the show, alongside the traditional music that inspired it. This is a unique chance to preview aspects of The Wife of Michael Cleary as Maz and her team develop it towards full production.
Image © Matilda Hill-Jenkins
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Please note 8.15pm start time NOT 8pm, as printed in some listings. We anticipate the show running at over an hour.
Completely informal opportunity to come a long for a tune.
Bring an instrument and a will to play along. No doubt there’ll be a few Festival friends there to help bring the gang together, whilst a fully stocked bar -in one of the most historic and quirkiest pubs in Liverpool- can ease you towards the dawn.
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In 1945-6, hundreds of Liverpool’s Chinese seamen were ’rounded-up’ and forcibly deported to China, Singapore or other locations.
Official evidence has been hard to locate; with documents strewn across the world; often deliberately hidden from view, making the story difficult to confirm. Prior to their forced ‘repatriation’, many of these men met and married English and Irish women; creating Chinese-English and Chinese-Irish communities; a legacy that continues today.
What of those left behind? Of the men severed from their families and homes? Where did they end up and how did it affect the communities involved?
In 2014, The Sound Agents undertook interviews with remaining members of the community. From verbatim accounts of lived-experience of the trauma and aftershock, they crafted an incredible play, which played at Unity. This year, as MP Kim Johnson asked the Government’s Home Office for official recognition and an apology for this “shameful stain on our history”, we resurrect the piece using the original players –Tina Malone and Simon Wan- to create an online version of the piece, available for international viewing from China, Singapore as well as homes locally.
For more, visit: liverpoolirishfestival.com/chinese-forced-repatriation-event
This event is run in partnership with The Sound Agents.
Image © Judy Kinnin. Judy Kinnin’s father was forcibly deported from Liverpool in 1946. Judy pictured with her mother circa 1949. NB: The Festival would like to apologise for an inaccuracy in the spelling of Judy’s family name, given in print previously and acknowledge the correction to “Kinnin”.
The play will be broadcast on YouTube (search for the Liverpool Irish Festival channel), which requires no tickets. If you would like to be part of the live Zoom transmission, and take part in the online Q&A, you will need to book. Ticket numbers are limited. Once you have booked, Eventbrite (the booking system) will send you all the necessary links to gain access to the event on the evening.
We are proud to state this event is linked with Black History Month and the Cuture Liverpool programme.
[lif_events ids=”3071″ heading=”related article(s)” post_type=”post”]
Meet at the School Lane entrance of Bluecoat.
Liverpool is famous for the birds on the magnificent Liver Building (the first ever skyscraper in the UK), but there are over 100 Liver Birds in the City. Join ArtsGroupie for a lively, fun two-hour walking tour ‘safari’ around the City Centre. The walk starts at Bluecoat, talking participants on a Liver Bird-spotting mission, learning about the history of Liverpool along the way. The tour finishes near the waterfront.
Bookers are asked to wear comfortable shoes, ensuring you visited restrooms before the tour commences. You are also advised to bring an umbrella or a waterproof, if rain is forecast (sun cream in the unlikely event of glorious weather in Oct!). Binoculars are a bonus (to see the birds up close and in intricate detail)!
This tour is suitable for any one with a good enough attention span -and mobility (or mobility support) to stay on the move for 2 hours.
Image © Suzi Dorey.
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