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SING along with the legendary Tommy Fleming in the National Opera House, Wexford on 1 February. Famous for his own arrangements of Danny Boy, Isle of Innisfree and Hard Times, Tommy turns each song he performs into his own. His concerts are a musical experience. He is touring Ireland with his band until April and each event promises to be a special night of music, song and stories. Concession tickets start at €30. For more information see www.nationaloperahouse.ie.
IMMERSE yourself in the annual Féile na Tána in St Michael’s Hall, Carlingford, Co Louth, from 31 January to 2 February. Over the course of the weekend the best of the best of Irish traditional musicians will teach workshops and perform on stage. Workshops are open to students of all ages with 14 different workshops to choose from, three for beginners and the rest for advanced or intermediate levels. The opening concert on 31 January is free while other concerts are €10. Workshops are €35 for students and this includes free admission to all concerts. For more information see www.feilenatana.com.
RACE your friends to Leopardstown Racecourse for eight Grade One races on 1 and 2 February. The combination of culture, music, food and jump-racing brought together by the Dublin racing festival makes for a special couple of days. Watch talent from Ireland and Britain compete for two huge titles in the Unibert Irish Gold Cup and BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle. Children under the age of 18 are free but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Complimentary shuttle buses will run from Blackrock DART station and Sandyford Luas stop. For more information see www.leopardstown.com.
EXPERIENCE an exhibition on screen and learn of the life’s work of Lucian Freud on 30 January. This exhibition of one of the world’s most celebrated painters will take place in Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford. Freud’s career spanned nearly seven decades and his self-portraits give a fascinating insight into both his psyche and development as a painter. His earliest portrait was painted in 1939 to the final one – 64 years later. When put together, the portraits reveal the dynamics of ageing and the process of self-representation. General admission tickets cost €10. For more information see www.garterlane.ie.
ENJOY IN LiMBO, in the An Grianán Theatre, Donegal, on 3 February. The show sits between two worlds of traditional and contemporary dance and goes on a journey where few have gone within Irish step dancing. The production comprises of four live musicians and an ensemble of six dancers. They have taken the basics of tradition and translated it into a new but recognisable language of music and dance. The show aims to show another side of Irish step dancing within a contemporary context, by finding a happy medium between modern and traditional dance. It will allow the audience to find the familiar of the old within the new. For more information see www.angrianan.com.
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