City gears up for Bealtaine festivities

HUNDREDS of theatrical, cinematic, craft, photographic, choral, dance and other events are taking place across Ireland this year as part of the annual Bealtaine Festival celebrations.

The theme of this year’s festival

‘Grow Happy’ sums up the sprit of the event whereby people of all ages are given the opportunity to celebrate creativity as we age.

Some of the events taking place in Dublin will include the City Arts Office and Public Libraries hosting a vast Bealtaine programme, encompassing theatre, music, dance and literature.

A very special event featuring Paddy Cole and Pat McCarthy will see a fantastic evening of music and song from some of the country’s top entertainers in the amazing setting of Arthur’s Bar in the Guinness Storehouse.

Run in association with Diageo this will take place on Wednesday, May 15 at 7pm.

Award-winning actor and writer Mikel Murfi is bringing his show

‘The Man in the Woman’s Shoes’ to Dublin venues during the festival.

Last year Mikel met with older people to gather stories for this show. He saw a pattern emerge of characters that inhabit probably every village in Ireland.

The play will be on at the Pavilion Theatre on Wednesday, May 8 at 7.30pm; at the Axis in Ballymun on Thursday, May 9; Draiocht Blanchardstown on Friday, May 17 and Saturday 18 at 8.15pm.

Other theatre in Dublin will include

‘The Importance of being Oscar’, with Michael Judd, at various venues across the city.

A number of national institutions will be offering a host of Bealtaine events.

Activities at the National Library of Ireland will include a Poetry Reading and Writing workshop, a sharing of memories and memorabilia relating to the John F Kennedy visit to Ireland, and a Conservation Workshop.

For further details visit www.nli.ie

There will be a chance to look back in time with photographs of Dublin at

‘The Royal Remembered’ and

‘Memory Lane’, presented by Dublin City Libraries.

The Irish Times’ Mary Russell will discuss her travels and books,

‘My home is your home’ and

‘Journey around Syria’, at Rathmines Library on May 8 at 6.30pm.

Look online at www.dublin citypubliclibraries.com for further details.

At the Hugh Lane Gallery events will include an exhibition running throughout the month reflecting on the history of May Day, and on May 25 artist Kitty Rogers will be giving a workshop, which grandparents can attend for free.

A screening of the film,

‘Art in the Making: Impressionism’, will take place on May 19 at 3pm, and is a free event.

Coiscéim Broadreach and Dublin City Council Arts, Sport & Leisure and Community & Enterprise sections have organised

‘Dance across Dublin’, a unique theatre performance by an ensemble of dancers aged 50 and over.

For details contact Síle McNulty-Goodwin on (01)2225558 or visit www.hughlane.ie, for details of other

‘Dance across Dublin’ venues see dublincity.ie.

On the last weekend of May, the Association of Irish Choirs and Active Retirement Ireland are encouraging choirs throughout the country to sing in every county at dawn on Sunday, May 26 in the Dawn Chorus event.

Choirs will be singing across Dublin, at the Barge Pub on Charlemont, Street, at Grand Canal Basin, at Terminal 2 of Dublin Airport and at Dollymount Strand.

For more details contact Edel Ryan on 087-2894674.

To get involved in Bealtaine 2013 or for more information see www.bealtaine.com