We'll Keep You Posted!

Thanks to the ILOVE LIMERICK gang for posting this interview on their blog.

For the moment our main plan is to tie up all the loose ends of this phase of the project, we are hoping to publish a book on the whole process and are considering the options for another run. First we're giving a little time for evaluation and reflection. And a little rest!! We'll keep you posted..!

The Project Celebration

The Cuckobox Bar hosted SpiritStore's project celebration night. Thanks to the Cuckobox, to all the people who came to chat, to support, to congratulate the SpiritStore gang, and to drink to the success of the project. It was a great party, and yes the guys were a bit camera shy!

Last Day at the SpiritStore / Sarsfield Bar

A Fantastic day, bookclub meeting, Stitch&Bitch.

In the evening we invited the 'regulars' who drank in the bar when it was under the care of Sean Hickey, the original owner of the bar, to come visit on the last night. Mary (Meme) La Touche, regular at the Sarsfield bar for seventeen years, had very fond memories of Sean Hickey , 'Sean loved us and we loved him' the respect people had for his opinion, his bar and his character was enormous. Sadly quiet a few of the original 'regulars' have passed on and Mary spoke of them and the warm community of people that had known each other because of that place.

Later, John Hickey (son of Sean Hickey) brought photo albums and stories of his father were told and memories celebrated. Coincidently, we discovered from John's old photos that we have returned the Sarsfield Bar / SpiritStore to the colour it had been before it was painted green.

...it was a lovely last day.

John Hickey (son of the original owner) locked the door on the last night.

Images by Neville Gawley (watermarked)

From digging Peotry to digging Bones

Tues 29th Sept Stuart Nealon, Poetry workshop, followed later by Brendan Wilkins, Archeology Talk -

'Recently Reported Road Deaths on the N6: 3500BC - 1500AD'

The talk gave an insight into some of the questions Archeologists are asking in current research, in Brendan's case, what were the ceremonies attached to the deaths that occurred in a particular region of Ireland (area defined by the archeology that took place alongside the development of the N6 roadway) over the period of time 3500BC-1500AD.

This talk is to be presented at the British Museum shortly, we were delighted to have a preview.

Breda Lynch - 'Song for the Siren'

Sunday 27th Sept Breda Lynch - Visual Artists Talk - Breda talks about her new solo exhibition 'Song to the Siren' .............

The exhibition 'Song to the Siren' is comprised of a body of new drawings and photographic works by Breda currently showing at the Galway Arts Centre. This solo show explores and draws inspiration from areas of the Gothic that examine gender identity within art, literature, film and more contemporary influences such as Goth street style, music and subculture. It also includes a specially made for Galway Arts Centre video/sound installation titled 'The Kiss', which is a collaborative piece by Breda Lynch and Cork based artists Not Abel.

Other art works presented in ‘Song to the Siren’ are a series of drawings that celebrate the appearance and strength of image of 70's Punk/Goth music icon Siouxsie Sioux to the street savvy girls in typical Goth, Post-Goth attire, which in turn describes a type of 'freakish' beauty or the display of physical appearance that assumes the position of 'outsider'. Indeed the Goth sub-culture has been based on making the badge outsiderdom a proud rejection of conventional society. This series of drawings amalgamate these current dialogues with more historical areas of Gothic literature referring to descriptions of young women caught up in stituations about unrequited love, forbidden love, or doomed love scenarios for example 'Carmilla' by La Fanu or 'Christabel' by ColeridgeLynch’s video/sound installation ‘The Kiss’ appropriates clips from the 1931 German b/w film 'Madchen in Uniform', which was deemed controversial at the time and was censored for various reasons. This inspired film based on a true story describes love that was considered dark or ill-advised - the 'love that dares not speak its name'