The Boyle Arts Festival opens this year next Wednesday, July 24th, and runs August 4th. There is a major change in the art exhibition, perhaps the festival's central event: instead of the usual large group exhibition, nine established artists have been invited to exhibit and to nominate a younger artist to show alongside each of them.
Brian Ballard has chosen Ryan Weir, Basil Blackshaw shows with Nicola Robinson, Charles Brady with Oliver Comerford, Carey Clarke with Tom Molloy, Barrie Cooke with Bernadette Kiely, William Crozier with TatTina Flood, Sean McSweeney with Fiona Joyce, Carolyn Mulholland with Barry Callaghan, Vivienne Roche with John Reardon, and the late Alexandra Wejchert's sculpture will be shown with the work of Naomi Brosnan. At the time of her death last year, Wejchert was working on designs for a sculpture for the town.
Among the musical highlights will be recitals by the soprano Cara O'Sullivan and the pianist Hugh Tinney. Maire Mac an tSaoi will host a poetry reading in Irish and Ciaran MacMathuna will give an illustrated lecture in King House (recently restored). Other musical events will be a guitar recital by John Feeley and an evening of jazz and blues by Mary Coughlan and Professor Peter O'Brien.