Thurles will play host to numerous musical entertainment acts in the coming months; each and everyone a household name in the entertainment business.
Cut Loose
One of this year’s largest Irish Country Music Festivals, “Cut Loose”, will take place on Sunday, 15th July, at Holycross GAA Pitch, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, from 1.00pm to 7.00pm. The festival will see a host of artists perform and amongst those headlining the event will be:- ‘Michael English’, ‘Louise Morrissey’, ‘Derek Ryan’, ‘Jimmy Buckley’, ‘Cliona Hagan’ and ‘Nathan Carter’.
Féile Classical
On Friday 21st & 22nd September 2018, “Féile Classical” will take place in Semple Stadium, Thurles. Bands performing at both events will include ‘The Stunning’, ‘Hothouse Flowers’, ‘An Emotional Fish’, ‘Something Happens’, ‘The 4 of Us’, ‘The Frank & Walters’, with special guests and all will perform alongside the Irish Chamber Orchestra. This festival will be fully seated, complete with organised food stalls and bars facilities.
Phil Coulter – “Cathedral Echoes”
Last, but by no means least, on Friday September 28th, 2018 will be arriving to Thurles on tour, a man whom I regard as one of the truly great international performers of our age; the one and only Mr Phil Coulter.
Born 19th February 1942, and today one of the biggest record sellers in Ireland, the well known and much loved Irish musician, songwriter and record producer is the recipient of a Gold Badge from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, (October 2009).
He has amassed 23 Platinum discs, 39 Gold discs, 52 Silver discs, two Grand Prix Eurovision awards; five Ivor Novello Awards; also include Songwriter of the Year; three American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers awards; a Grammy Nomination; a Meteor Award, a National Entertainment Award and a Rose d’or d’Antibes, and if that wasn’t enough, he has received honorary doctorates from the University of Ulster and Dublin Institute of Technology.
By 1964, his final year at university, Coulter had already written a couple of hit songs here in Ireland. Having moved to London, he work as an arranger/songwriter with a music publisher in Denmark Street, graduating to work with acts including Billy Connolly, Van Morrison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Tom Jones.
Between 1967 and 1976; collaborating with Bill Martin, they had manufactured four No. 1 hits in the UK: “Puppet on a String”, “Congratulations”, “Back Home” and “Forever and Ever”. They also wrote numerous other Top 10 hits including the Bay City Rollers’ “Shang-A-Lang”; for the glam rock band Kenny “Fancy Pants”; for the Scottish pop group Slik “Requiem” and for Cilla Black “Surround Yourself with Sorrow”. Both men were joint recipients of an Ivor Novello Award for ‘Songwriter of the Year’ in 1975.
Coulter went on to produced three albums with No. 1 hits in the US namely “Thanks”, performed by Bill Anderson and “My Boy”, sung by Elvis Presley.
In 1995, the Irish Rugby Football Union commissioned Coulter to write a politically neutral anthem for the Ireland national rugby union team, to represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The result was “Ireland’s Call”. “Ireland’s Call” has since also been adopted by Ireland’s national hockey, cricket and rugby league teams.
Friday September 28th, 2018.
Tickets are now available for this internationally renowned composer and musician’s Thurles tour date on Friday September 28th. Same are readily available from the Parish Centre, situated in Cathedral Street, Thurles, across the road from the performance venue, the Cathedral of the Assumption, and from Bookworm, in Liberty Square.
This event will mark the beginning of fund-raising for the Cathedral’s re-roofing project.
Ticket Donation: €35. For tickets contact the parish office Tel. No. 0504 22229, 087 0519697, or 086 2048528.
M/s Imelda McDonagh to Adjudicate at the Co. Tipperary Open Drama Festival in Holycross, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, from March 16th to March 24th.
Author and Freelance Journalist Tom Ryan Reports:-
M/s Imelda McDonagh
Holycross/Ballycahill Drama Group, Thurles Drama Group and Nenagh Drama Group will be the Co. Tipperary representatives in the prestigious Co. Tipperary Open Drama Festival to be held in St. Michael’s Community Centre, Holycross. Competitors will bid for an array of awards, including the “Tipperary Star Cup” in the Confined Section and the “Tipp FM Trophy” in the Open Category.
The Festival Director is Mr Donal Duggan as usual and a dedicated committee have been working diligently to maintain the proud traditional status of the Abbeysiders in this great festival featuring the country’s top drama groups staging some of the world’s finest drama.
Meet Adjudicator M/s Imelda McDonagh
Adjudicator, Imelda McDonagh, is an award-winning director and actress with a first-class Honours M.A. in Theatre Studies. She is a qualified Make-Up Artist and holds a Licentiate (Speech and Drama) from The London College of Music.
Well known for her various acting roles as ‘Lady Bracknell’, in Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”; ‘Blanche’, in Tennessee William’s “A Streetcar Named Desire”; ‘Baglady’, in the rarely performed Frank McGuinness play of the same name; ‘Stephanie’, in Tom Kempinski’s “Duet for One”; ‘Gertrude’, in William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, and ‘Kate’, in Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons”.
She recently performed with The Dublin Shakespeare Society, as part of the Shakespeare 400 celebrations and as ‘Maisie Madigan’ in the second of Sean O’Casey’s Dublin Trilogy, “Juno And The Paycock”.
Also, much at home in the world of musical theatre, M/s McDonagh has won the coveted Association of Irish Musical Societies’ award for ‘Best Director’, for her production of Samuel and Bella Spewack / Cole Porter’s, “Kiss Me Kate”, for Gorey, (Co. Wexford) Musical Society, and was nominated as ‘Best Director’ for the Irish Premiere of Alistair McGuckian’s “The Ha’penny Bridge”.
Her most recent production was the loosely based on actual events musical, “Footloose”(Music is by Tom Snow, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie), for the Oyster Lane Theatre Group, her seventeenth musical to date.
Imelda has enjoyed adjudicating throughout Ireland since 2001, including the finals for Macra and the Irish Country Women’s Association (ICA) and the Confined All-Ireland Drama Finals, in Tubbercurry in 2017.
She is also secretary of The Association of Drama Adjudicators and has recently been awarded “The Civic Merit Award” for her services to the community by Irish President, Michael D. Higgins.
Programme of Plays and Drama Groups (D.G.)
Friday, March 16th, – (Open) –“Unbroken Circle”, – Gorey L.T.G.. Saturday, 17th March, –(Confined) – “The Beauty Queen of Leenane”, – Kilworth D.G.. Sunday, 18th March, – (Confined) – “Abigail’s Party”, – Skibbereen D.G.. Monday, 19th March – (Confined) – “Caught in the Net”, – Conna D.G.. Tuesday 20th March – (Open) – “Stolen Child”, – Brideview D.G.. Wednesday 21st March – (Open) – “Blyth Spirit”, – Thurles D.G.. Thursday 22nd March – (Confined) – “Some Girls”, – Curtain Call, Dungarvan D.G.. Friday 23rd March – (Confined) – “Bold Girls”, – Holycross/Ballycahill D.G.. Saturday, March 24th – (Open) – “Duet For Two”, – Nenagh D.G..
Conor O’Connell to adjudicate unique Schools Drama Festival
The County Tipperary Open Drama Festival Schools Festival, the only such event in Ireland will be held on Tuesday, March 13th, starting at 7.30pm.
The entries to date include Ursuline Convent Secondary School, Thurles; Presentation Convent Secondary School, Thurles; and Colaiste na Trionoide, Doon, east Co. Limerick, who will stage two plays.
The adjudicator is once again Mr Conor O’ Connell, nephew of former Thurles hotelier and businessman, Mr Derek O’Connell. A great friend of the organising committee; Conor has himself starred in an acting role on stage in Holycross, with the renowned Silken Thomas Players and who was a big hit with the young players last year.
Well known to members of Thurles Musical Society and indeed older members of Vincé Productions and Phoenix Productions, based in Thurles; the lifeless body of Mr Donnelly, aged 64, was found dead in an apartment he was renting on June 3rd 2016, after police were alerted to a bloodied knife, found outside the building.
Two brothers, named as Mehmet Irmak aged 28 and Sinan Irmak aged 20, have both been charged in connection with the fatal stabbing. A date for their court appearance has yet to be announced.
Mr Donnelly had travelled to Turkey on holidays shortly after his production of the hit Wexford Light Opera’s musical ‘Evita’. Turkish police confirmed that Mr Donnelly’s apartment had been ransacked and robbery was believed to have been the possible motive for his death. The victim’s body was reportedly found lying naked on the floor of his apartment on the morning following the vicious attack; his death attributed to a single stab wound.
It is believed that both men arrested were identified following the release of CCTV images which showed two men leaving his apartment building on the night Mr Donnelly died.
One of Mr Donnelly’s most recent connections with Thurles was his Direction of ‘Spring Awakening‘, which contained cast members from Thurles and which walked off stage taking multiple awards; including; ‘Best Lighting’, ‘Best Costumes’, ‘Best Set’, ‘Special Adjudicators Award’, ‘Best Musical Direction’ and the much coveted ‘Best Overall Show Award’, for the 50th anniversary of the Waterford’s International Festival of Light Opera.
Mr John Donnelly, the Irishman found murdered in west Turkey, on Friday morning last, will be well known to members of Thurles Musical Society and indeed some older members of Vincé Productions and Phoenix Productions, here in Thurles.
The lifeless body of Mr Donnelly, aged 64 and who was from Dublin, was found on the floor of his apartment in Bodrum on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula; port city of Muğla Province, in the south western Aegean Region of Turkey; latter a popular annual resort for thousands of Irish visitors.
Turkish police authorities have stated that Mr Donnelly died from a single stab wound to his back, indicating that a robbery appeared to have taken place at the apartment. Indeed Police have confirmed that Mr Donnelly’s apartment had been ransacked and a bloodied knife had been located by neighbours; found outside the building. Police also confirmed that CCTV footage showed visual evidence of two men having left the scene of Mr Donnelly’s apartment earlier that night, and that no Islamic, political or religious motive is suspected or indeed being considered, in relation to this horrendous homicide.
A former retired Irish Customs Service employee, Mr Donnelly was a well-known and much admired amateur Musical Director. In late 2010 he directed the cast, including three Tipperary performers, in the then ground breaking musical “Spring Awakening,” which was performed in Dublin’s Helix building and on the 50th anniversary of Waterford’s International Festival of Light Opera.
The Spring Awakening cast, under his Direction that year, walked off stage taking multiple awards; including; ‘Best Lighting’, ‘Best Costumes’, ‘Best Set’, ‘Special Adjudicators Award’, ‘Best Musical Direction’ and the much coveted ‘Best Overall Show Award’ for the 2010 Festival. The Adjudicator for that 2010 Waterford International Festival of Light Opera was Mr Tony Finnegan, also a popular Director of musical shows for Thurles Musical Society; himself a holder of many Comedy, Acting, Singing and Directing awards to his credit.
Our sincere sympathies are with his family and musical colleagues at this time.
The first ever sports festival of its kind to be held in Ireland, the ‘Thurles Sports Fest’, will take place in various indoor and outdoor venues, throughout the town of Thurles, from July 3rd next to July 11th inc, with the full support and backing of Tipperary County Council, Tipperary Tourism, Tipperary Sports Partnership, together with LIT Thurles, Fáilte Ireland and Tipp FM.
Click image on left for greater magnification.
This annual festival is massively expanded this year, following on from the previous and hugely successful annual Thurles Sarsfields Festival of Gaelic Sport. Sports teams from across Ireland and abroad are all lined up, once again for the trip to Thurles, as part of this exciting Sports Festival.
The town of Thurles will showcase the best it has to offer as a sports, tourism and shopping destination to the many visitors who are expected to visit the home of the G.A.A. during this 9 days of festival activity. The nine day festival features 24 sports, national and international, as well as very attractive musical and cultural events.
The feast of Sport will see games such as Hurling, Camogie, Ladies Football, Juvenile Hurling, Road Bowling, Rounder’s, Handball, Target Ball (Latter for persons with special needs), Basketball, Soccer, Boxing, American Football, Fencing, Swimming, Golf, Fun Cycle, 5Km fun run/Walk, Taekwando, tag rugby, and a special feature; an International Polocrosse match between Ireland and the U.S.A..
There will also be sports talks, fitness talks, healthy food talks, children’s workshops, a food village to include cookery demonstrations, a craft village, family fun-day, funfair, live music day, dance shows, bouncy castles, climbing walls, G.A.A Heritage trail, re-enactment of the founding of the G.A.A., pub music trail, traditional music sessions and much more.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to avail of special incentives and explore the sights of Thurles such as St Mary’s Famine Museum, Semple Stadium, Lár na Páirce (Latter the G.A.A museum), Cabragh Wetlands, Farney Castle, Holycross Abbey, Pony-trekking with Thurles Equestrian Centre, and Thurles Greyhound Stadium.
We will be bringing you lots more news on this 9 day festival over the coming days, in the meantime why not visit www.thurlessportsfest.com/ and download the complete festival brochure.
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Two brothers have been detained in custody in Turkey; accused of the murder of 
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