March 29, 2007

CALENDAR FORMAT

WHAT:  A Celebration of Irish Culture    
WHEN: April 11-22, 2007
WHERE:  St. Charles Community College campus, 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Dr., Cottleville    
COST: Free; except for the play “The Cripple of Inishmaan” – $7 adults, $5 for seniors/students
CONTACT INFO: Tana Burton, 636-922-8254

NEWS STORY FORMAT

IRISH CULTURE TO BE CELEBRATED ON
SCC CAMPUS, APRIL 11-22

   The gentle sounds of harps, flutes, and fiddles will fill the air during an April “Celebration of Irish Culture” at St. Charles Community College. More than a week of Celtic-themed arts activities will begin Wednesday, April 11, and will conclude with the SCC Center Stage Theatre production of “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” April 18-22.  

    Several prominent Irish authors, musicians, and artists will take part in the first event of its kind on the SCC campus in Cottleville. The series is being sponsored by the college’s English Department and the SCC Foundation.  Events are free, except for “The Cripple of Inishmaan.”

    “The college is fortunate to have gathered such prestigious and accomplished Irish artists to take part in a true celebration of Irish culture,” David Marshall, SCC professor of English and the event coordinator, said.  “From poetry to film, and music to dance, this stellar cast of poets, authors, and artists will bring the Irish Isles to St. Charles County in affordable and accessible fashion.”

    At 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, “An Evening of Irish Poetry and Music” will feature Éamonn Wall and Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, who both hold Smurfit-Stone Endowed Professorships in Irish Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  The event will be held in the Auditorium in the Social Sciences Building on the SCC campus.

    “I think the most important feature of the music and poetry performance is the fact that both Éamonn and I are very much aware of the historic interface between music and poetry in the Irish tradition,” Ó hAllmhuráin said.  “In fact, under the old Bardic Order in Gaelic Ireland, poetry was always delivered through the medium of music.  Likewise, poets, musicians, and reciters were all part of the patronized artistic class who enjoyed a privileged position in Gaelic society.  We will address this cultural history as part of our presentation.”

    “An Evening of Music and Dance” will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, featuring Misla, an instrumental traditional Irish band in the style of Teada, Bothy Band, Danu, Chieftains, and Lunasa. Musicians include Tommy Martin (Uilleann pipes, flute, fiddle), Eileen Gannon (harp), Ian Walsh (fiddle, mandolin), Kevin Buckley (fiddle, guitar), and Kelly Winter (piano accordion, concertina).  The event is presented by the St. Louis Irish Arts and Eileen Gannon and Associates.  It will be held in the Auditorium in the college’s Social Sciences Building.

    Author Eamonn Wall returns to campus at noon Monday, April 16, for the lecture, “The Contemporary Legacy of Irish Drama.”  Eamonn, who also serves as the president of the American Conference of Irish Studies, is the author of three collections of poetry and a book of personal and literary essays.  The lecture will be held in Room 205 in the SCC Student Center.

    A discussion and screening of Martin McDonagh’s award-winning short film “Six Shooter” will be held at noon Tuesday, April 17, in Room 2222 of the SCC Administration Building.  This  2005 Academy Award winning black and bloody Irish comedy looks at the sad train journey of an older man, whose wife has died that morning, as he encounters a strange and possibly psychotic young oddball.  David Marshall, SCC professor of English, will lead the discussion and introduce the film.

    Concluding the celebration of events is the SCC production of “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” a play about bad manners, set for April 18-22. Set in 1934 on the remote island of Inishmaan off the Irish coast, Martin McDonagh’s “The Cripple of Inishmaan” is a quirky, comic tale performed in the great tradition of Irish story telling.  When word arrives that a Hollywood director is coming to film “Man of Aran” on the neighboring isle, a crippled young man named Billy has his heart set on starring in it.   

    Marshall is director of the play.  Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and college students with I.D.  Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, April 18-21, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22, in the theater of the college’s Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building.  To purchase tickets, call the SCC Box Office at 636-922-8050.

    For more information about the celebration, call the college’s Division of Arts and Humanities at 636-922-8254.  St. Charles Community College is located at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville.  

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Last Updated: 3/29/07