Stay Connected and Creative with Waterford Libraries this May
Join us online as we welcome local representatives of the arts in the areas of Writing, History, Horticulture, Movement, Fine Art, and Music to share their work with us. Videos and links will be available to watch and enjoy online at your convenience on our facebook page www.facebook.com/WaterfordCouncilLibraries
Videos are also available from the menu on this page, just click on your area of interest to view.
For more information about Bealtaine Festival 2020 contact Jennifer Loughran by email at: jloughran@waterfordcouncil.ie .
Sketching a Blue Tit with Berna Lawton Waterford born Berna Lawton is a community artist and a tutor at the WWETB Adult & Community Education and Waterford College of Further Education over the past 20 years. Painting with Acrylics with Berna Lawton A simple introduction to painting with acrylics from art tutor Berna Lawton. Pen and Wash with Berna Lawton Sketching with Kiki Roosli Painting a Summer Meadow using acrylics with Berna Lawton Waterford-born Berna Lawton is a community artist and a tutor at the WWETB Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board and Waterford College of Further Education for the past 20 years. She has exhibited widely in group shows and has had three very successful solo shows. Woodland Garden with Malachy Doherty – Malachy Doherty is an experienced gardener and horticulturalist who has brought his knowledge and expertise to the library on previous years with his hanging basket workshops for our members. Rhododendrons with Malachy Doherty Your Garden as a Nature Reserve with Malachy Doherty Growing Fruit in your Garden with Malachy Doherty The Metalman – Dr Maxine KeoghanWe’re delighted to have some bitesize history lectures with Dr Maxine Keoghan as part of our Bealtaine Online festival. Before the Tide Went Out – Andrew Doherty Find out more about Andrew’s research at @Waterford Harbour Tides & Tales and his website at https://tidesandtales.ie/ The Pickardstown Ambush – Dr Maxine Keoghan Find out more about Tramore history at Maxine’s website https://www.tramore-of-our-times.com/ In this excerpt from ‘Before the Tide Went Out’ Andrew Doherty reads from Chapter 7: A Village of Nets, explaining the tradition of drift-netting in Cheekpoint, and the necessary evil of mending the nets. Reisk Graveyard, Dunhill, Co Waterford – Dr. Maxine Keoghan Andrew Doherty reads from ‘Before the Tide Went Out’, Chapter 9, The Village Shops, and where you could get the best ice creams in Cheekpoint in the 1970’s. Andrew blogs on a regular basis about the maritime heritage of Waterford and surroundings at Waterford Harbour Tides & Tales. Memorials of the Sea Horse in Tramore – Dr. Maxine Keoghan Hares on the Mountain/Three Sea Captains – Tramore musician Eamon Duffin and son performing folk song Hares on the Mountain with the tune of Three Sea Captains. Music with Eamon Duffin and family New Beginnings performed by the McCarthy-Kent Family St. Patrick’s Day – performed by Cathy Desmond The Oban Jig performed by Rebecca McCarthy Kent Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens, Tramore with Cathy Desmond The Flower Duet performed by the McCarthy Kent Family Uilleann Pipes Performance with musician Tiger Lily Keoghan Thugamar Féín an Samradh Linn performed by Cathy Desmond Lani O’Hanlon – Searching for the Miracle Bean Breathnach le Catherine Foley Desiderata by Max Erhmann read by Denis McGrath Ar an Imeall le Áine Uí Fhoghlú An Cíteal le Catherine Foley Glé, mar Chriostal le Áine Uí Fhoghlú Waterford poet Áine Uí Fhoghlú reads her poem ‘Glé, mar chriostal’ (meaning: Crystal clear). The poem refers to the devastating impact on the lives of 390 families when the Waterford Crystal factory in Dungarvan closed in 2005, with no due regard for its workforce. It was inspired by the Peter Hames song, ‘Ordinary Man’. Maytime Memories by Mai O’Higgins Clann Iníon na Scadán le Áine Uí Fhoghlú Waterford poet Áine Uí Fhoghlú reads her poem ‘Clann Iníon na Scadán’ (meaning: Herring girls), one of a series of seven poems she has written about the thriving herring industry which existed in Helvick during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this poem she refers to the young women who used to come from the island of Barra in Scotland. Áine is a writer, poet and historian from an Rinn, Co Waterford. Check out her poetry, fiction and recently published social history of the traditions and folklore of West Waterford ‘Scéalta agus Seanchas – Potatoes, Children and Seaweed’ on her website. Cat and the Moon by W.B. Yeats Ivy Neesham Coomber by Áine Uí Fhoghlú Waterford poet Áine Uí Fhoghlú reads her poem ‘Ivy Neesham Coomber’. The poem refers to the shipwrecking of the Moresby in Dungarvan Harbour on Christmas Eve, 1895. Among the bodies washed ashore was that of the captain with the body of his two-year old daughter Ivy, strapped to his back. Peter Cunnningham reads from The Trout Extract from Scéálta & Seanchas by Áíne Úi Fhoglhlú read by Jim Lenane Storytelling with Seanachaí James Lenane
Berna Lawton is back to guide us in improving our pen sketches – using a pen and wash technique, Berna shows us how to produce better sketches to capture a local Waterford landmark!
Thanks to local artist Kiki Roosli for this fun and easy project to get us using our creativity!
Berna shows us how to build a vibrant and colourful vista using just primary colours of paint and building colour carefully.
This year Malachy is sharing some gardening wisdom for our Bealtaine Online festival in a series of short videos. Enjoy!
Find out more about Tramore history at Maxine’s website https://www.tramore-of-our-times.com/
Historian and Blogger Andrew Doherty reads from his book “Before the Tide Went Out”, his account of growing up in the fishing community of Cheekpoint, Co Waterford.
Here he recalls the importance of the local strand and how it was used by all as a source of recreation, fuel and beachcombing. Andrew Doherty blogs on a regular basis about the maritime heritage of Waterford and surroundings.
Andrew blogs at Waterford Harbour Tides & Tales.
Dr. Maxine Keoghan introduces us to some highlights of Reisk Graveyard in Dunhill, Co Waterford with it’s medieval ruins and unique, carved 18th and 19th century gravestones.
Find out more about Maxine’s work at her website at https://www.tramore-of-our-times.com/.
In January 1816, the merchant ship the Sea Horse sank in Tramore bay killing all but 30 of 394 people on board. Historian Maxine Keoghan shows us the memorials of the tragedy and a brief history of those involved. For more of Maxine’s work and to purchase her book ‘Tramore of Our Times’, visit her website.
Thanks to Rebecca McCarthy Kent for sharing her own composition, The Oban Jig, played with a loop pedal. Rebecca is an All Ireland Senior fiddle and piano champion from Tramore, Co Waterford, a Sean O Riada fiddle winner and a traditional and classical tutor for fiddle/violin and piano.
Musician Cathy Desmond tells us about the establishment of the Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens Tramore and performs some Japanese influenced musical pieces from the Mikado and Moore’s Melodys. The Japanese gardens in Tramore are open daily from 11am to 5pm.
Thank you to the McCarthy Kent family in Tramore for this piece of music, the famous Flower Duet, with Aine and Jana on flute and Rebecca on piano.
Musician Cathy Desmond plays a beautiful traditional song ‘Thugamar féin an Samhradh linn’ (‘We brought the Summer with us’)on the Ladies Slip in Tramore.
An Citeal by poet Catherine Foley is read in Irish with English subtitles, and captures the fleeting joy of simple memories. Thanks to Catherine and the Oifigeach Gaeilge Phort Láirge for sharing this poem with us.
Léifidh Áine Uí Fhoghlú an dán ‘Glé, mar chriostal’. Tagraíonn an dán seo do dhúnadh mhonarcha Criostal Phort Láirge sa bhliain 2005, mar ar cailleadh 390 post. Cuirtear síos ann ar oibritheoir a thug blianta fada ag obair go dílis don chomhlacht, agus an slad a dhein dúnadh na monarchan ar a shaol. Spreag amhrán Peter Hames, ‘Ordinary Man’ an dán.
Some Bealtaine poetry from Dungarvan poet Mai O’Higgins, read by Anne from Dungarvan Library. Anne has chosen Maytime Memories, taken from ‘The things I know of flowers and other poems’ by Mai O’Higgins edited by Tom Keith
Léifidh Áine Uí Fhoghlú an dán ‘Clann Iníon na Scadán’. Ceann de shraith seacht ndán é seo a scríobh Áine ar an dtionscal rathúil scadán a bhí ar bun i Heilvic i ndeireadh na 19ú aoise agus i dtosach na 20ú aoise. Thagadh mná óga dtí’n gceantar, cuid acu ó Oileán Bharra in Albain.
Thanks to Sarah from Tramore Library for this wonderful reading and video of Yeats’ 1919 poem ‘Cat and the Moon’.
Léifidh Áine Uí Fhoghlú an dán ‘Ivy Neesham Coomber’. Tagraíonn an dán seo do longbhriseadh an Moresby i gCuan Dhún Garbhán um Nollaig 1895. I measc na gcorp a tháinig i dtír bhí corp an chaptaein agus corp a iníne Ivy, dhá bhliain d’aois, ceangailte dá dhrom.
Thanks to writer Peter Cunningham for an extract from his 2016 novel ‘The Trout’.
The Trout and Peter’s other novels are available in our library branches when they reopen. You can purchase The Trout from The Book Centre
An Rinn writer and folklorist Áine Uí Fhoghlú published ‘Scéalta & Seanchas: Potatoes, Children and Seaweed’, a collection of folklore and memoirs from the Waterford Gaeltacht in 2019. Seanachai Jim Lenane reads an extract from Aíne’s book detailing a memory of his own father Séamus Ó Lonáin. Find out more about Scéalta & Seanchas and how to buy at https://waterfordwriter.com/.
Seanachaí James Lenane from The Booley House Show in Ballyduff Upper, Co Waterford shares a lively story in his inimitable style. Jim is performing a famous story, The Looking Glass by Eamon Kelly.
Find out more about the history of the Booley House at https://www.thebooleyhouse.com/booley-house-show/.