Spotlight on Award-winning Laois Animator, Séamus Malone
Originally from Barrowhouse, Co. Laois, and now based in Bristol, animation director and writer Séamus Malone will helm Series 7 of ‘Shaun the Sheep’, currently broadcast in 170 territories worldwide. He also worked on the new ‘Wallace & Gormit’ movie coming to our screens on Christmas Day. Titled ‘Vengence most fowl’, the latest ‘Wallace & Gromit’ […]
June Bank Holiday events, Midlands
Laois Laois will be the event base for Gordon Bennett Irish Classic Car Run. The historic vintage route, featuring over 100 vintage and classic cars will also travel through Carlow and Kildare, arriving back in Laois on Monday June 3 for a BBQ Finale at Treacys Pub, The Heath in Portlaoise. Highlights include visits to […]
Midlands Cakemaker wins Gold
Are these the best cakes you have ever seen? From Moate, County Westmeath, Tanya Ross is an award-winning decorator who has made cakes for the likes of Google, the Late Late Show, Conor McGregor, Bob Geldof, and the late Shane MacGowan. Her business is called ‘Novel-T Cakes’ and she specialises in creating custom-made cakes for […]
Midlands Arts Grants for 2024
Here are a selection of the Arts Grant funding available now throughout the midlands. The funding is essential to ensure a standard of high quality art is produced by artists in the region. It serves It offers to support artists for a period of time, and in so doing responds to the needs of those […]
Excitement builds for Longford Lights Festival 2024, as new director appointed
Birr-based artist Caroline Conway has been announced as the new Artistic Director for Longford Lights, 2024. As preparations ramp up in advance of the February festival, Caroline Conway, (who was a lead artist in the 2023 festival), takes the helm for the 2024 event. The Longford Lights festival will take place over three evenings in […]
Behind the Scenes at the Electric Picnic
“It’s turned into a great big monster now at this stage.” (Tom Cosby, Stradbally Hall) As I drive towards Stradbally Hall to meet owner Thomas Cosby, I take note of the tranquil surroundings just before the 19th Electric Picnic begins. There is already a lot of activity on the ground, with barriers going up, stages […]
Midlands Events for National Heritage Week
Where history comes alive… The theme for National Heritage Week 2023 from August 12th– 20th is ‘Living Heritage’. This theme is centred around the practices, knowledge and skills that have been passed from one generation to the next and are still in use today. Let’s look at activities taking place in Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford […]
The Midlands Emerges as the ‘Home of Events’ with Over 1 Million Visitors Expected in the Next Two Months
Ireland’s Midlands is set to become the ultimate destination for entertainment, culture, and agriculture events, as it prepares to welcome an unprecedented number of visitors over the next two months. With a series of highly anticipated gatherings, including the renowned Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2023, the Midlands solidifies its position as the ‘Home of Events’. […]
Strasbourg Youth Symphony Orchestra set for St Mel’s Cathedral, Longford
The Midlands will welcome the Strasbourg Youth Symphony Orchestra and its performance of “A Symphonic Evening” to St Mel’s Cathedral later this month, as part of Longford’s Cruthú Arts Festival which runs from July 18th to 23rd. The concert on Sunday 23 July, is part of a tour that the OJS (Orchestre Symphonique des Jeunes […]
July Festivals in the Midlands
July is always a good month for the smaller festival, the calm before the storm perhaps. Ahead of the big Summer festivals like the Electric Picnic and Fleadh Ceoil na hEireann in Mullingar, let’s take a look at what the smaller festivals are doing across the midlands for the month of July. From Forest Fest […]
Laois artist Alan Meredith wins award
Laois artist, Alan Meredith is one of seven artists to receive a Golden Fleece Award of €35,000. The funding is for artists working in all forms of visual, craft and applied arts and was established as a charitable bequest by Helen Lillias Mitchell (1915-2000). Alan lives and works from his studio in Laois, creating pieces […]
Longford celebrates multicultural Ireland
Longford author and photographer Shelley Corcoran’s is releasing a new book called ‘The Most Irish Person‘. It celebrates the beautiful multicultural society Ireland has become over the past decade, featuring children from all different cultures. Because after all, we are all Irish! Shelley’s work has been published in many poetry anthologies and journals and her […]
The Rise of the Esker
The Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore is finally opening its doors to the public on April 15th. After decades of trying to get the Arts Centre off the ground, with community groups and individuals, all flying the flag for years, it was the amalgamation with Offaly County Council that helped see it through. I paid […]
Longford Film ‘Lakelands’ set for cinemas and Santa Barbara!
”Last year couldn’t have been much better really” admits Longford filmmaker Robert Higgins, who has just been cited as one of the Irish Independent’s ’50 people to watch in 2023’. Robert is a producer, director and writer, based in Granard, County Longford, who operates the film production and digital media company ‘Harp Media’ with Patrick […]
Laois filmmaker needs your help!
A young up and coming filmmmaker, Reuben Harvey from Abbeyleix, County Laois is certainly one to watch. Just 22 years of age, he is shooting his final graduate film for Dun Laoghaire National Film School IADT, at the end of January in his hometown of Abbeyleix. Last year, he won a Royal Television Society Undergraduate […]
Longford students win World Design of the year
Two young students from Longford, representing Cnoc Mhuire Secondary School have won the Overall Prize for ‘World Design of the Year’ prize at the Junk Kouture World Final in Abu Dhabi. Solomon Eduard and Joshua Osabuehien from Cnoc Mhuire Granard, along with their teacher Charmaine Hetherton, flew out to Abu Dhabi where they competed against […]
Brilliant line-up at Ballymahon Film Festival
The Still Voices Film Festival begins this week in Ballymahon, Mullingar and Athlone! The community-focused, international film festival, based in Ballymahon, has grown in stature since it began in 2014. It is certainly a quality programme, packed with film screenings, panels and workshops, as well as the always popular children’s animation workshop. Short films are […]
Laois ‘Leaves Festival’ kicks off this week
“The Leaves Festival is a great opportunity to hear from contemporary writers, enjoy the art of conversation, listen to musicians and appreciate film.” (Leaves Festival Co-ordinator, Muireann Ní Chonaill) The Leaves Festival 2022 brings the best of Irish writing, poetry, film and music to County Laois this Wednesday November 9th. The star attraction will be […]
New Film Studios for Mullingar
Hammerlake Studios are planning a 460,000sq.ft Studio Campus in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. The development may become Ireland’s largest film studio facility. It is set to produce movies and shows for the global market and create 1,000 jobs in Lough Sheever Business Park. 300 construction staff will be employed during the building phase, with the first phase […]
Culture Night 2022
Culture Night is one of the biggest nights in the Arts calendar, we take a look at what’s happening in the Midlands this year. OFFALY are be central to RTÉ’s Culture Night special. They broadcast live from Lough Boora Discovery Park on RTÉ One. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra and a selection of guest artists perform. […]
Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann
The World’s largest annual celebration of Irish music, language, song and dance attracts over 500,000 visitors each year. Currently hosted in its spiritual home of Mullingar, the week-long event is like nothing else in Ireland. Traditional musicians of all ages are invited to gather once again in Mullingar from 6th to 14th August for Fleadh […]
Electric Picnic
Ireland’s largest gathering of music & arts, and the ultimate rock n’ roll circus, Electric Picnic has established itself as one of the world’s most unique festivals. With a great selection of music, art, theatre, comedy, food and holistic health, it’s the most delightfully diverse end of summer party on the Emerald Isle. Ireland’s premier […]
