Closing Date for Submissions for Culture Night Longford 7th June at 1.00pm is Wednesday

Exciting Times for Young Longford Musicians Music Generation is offering two million Euro donated by Bono and the boys from U2 as well as The Ireland Funds for the expansion of the Music Education Partnership Scheme first launched five years ago. Longford County Council through the County Arts Office is pitching to be awarded one of the highly sought after Music Education Partnerships of which there will only be five. What does that mean for Longford? Essentially it could mean the investment of tens of thousands of euro’s annually into the structured teaching of non-curriculum, vocal and instrumental skills to music students in a structured professional way throughout the county. In one leap it could take the teaching of music in Longford from the 19th century to the 21st century. To track the progress of this application and for a whole cross-section of news, features audio-visual recordings of Longford musicians check out

Photos from County Longford Arts Services's post

Nigh of Great Entertainment Promised at Backstage on Monday next 13th March. Alan McMonagle the talented Longford writer launches his first novel with Picador Press entitled Ithaca. Since its launch ithaca has been receiving rapturous reviews in the broadsheet and electronic media and according to the reviews Ithaca heralds the emergence of a significant new talent in irish writing. [Then we knew that already!!!] The programme for the evening promises to be an entertaining mix of mellow music by Paul Gurney and Mick Warnock and readings from Alan and a number of surprise guests. Come along and salute the emergence of another Longford literary talent and enjoy a relaxing evening as well.

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Spring Equinox Art Exhibition ‘Vitamin D for the Winter Battered Soul’ These dark dreary nights are soon to be brightened considerably by the opening of an exhibition of beautiful, vivid, luminescent art by two Longford artists Angela Tuite and Mary Grey in the Atrium Gallery Backstage Theatre on Wednesday evening March 15th at 8.00pm. Spring Equinox is the appropriately seasonal title of an exhibition of work by two artists whose styles and techniques may vary considerably but their work when exhibited together displays a visual harmony and expresses in unison the diverse and colourful beauty of nature, its landscapes and it s flora and fauna. Angela Tuite is an artist who has been working on the Longford arts scene for some time and has developed her own faithful audience. She is also known to many for her tireless work for her community – Edgeworthstown – where she is actively involved in the local heritage group and she is a founder member of the Maria Edgeworthstown Literary Festival. Angela works in the relatively unusual and technically demanding medium of silk painting. A technique which can produce delicate almost ethereal images on a silk background but alternatively in hands less skilled than Angela’s can also result in a muddy blob in the middle of a silk screen. To gain fascinating insight into the demanding technique of silk painting, log on to Longford’s own visual arts website; Visual Longford. Mary Grey is a North Longford based artist who works in the more familiar media of water colours and oils. Mary, a graduate of Sligo Institute of Technology Arts School, is primarily influenced by the unique drumlin landscape of North Longford and by the delicate beauty of flowers butterflies and the surrounding unspoiled environment. Come along to the exhibition on Wednesday 15th March at 8.00 to hear Councillor Gerry Warnock open the exhibition. Feast your eyes on the beautifully warm colours and picturesque scenes before you, give yourself a break from March dreariness and provide some vitamin D for your winter battered soul.

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Would you like to make your art more profitable? Creative Connections is a regional developmental programme for the creative sector which has been established by the Local Enterprise Offices in Counties Longford, Roscommon, Leitrim and Cavan precisely to assist creative people in the region in their effort to increase the profitability of their practice. The Creative Connections Programme will help you to assess what your professional development needs are? It will offer training in product development, branding & marketing. It will look at the online and offline marketplace. It will explore collaborative marketing/selling opportunities and possibilities. To kick start the programme, we would like to invite you to a creative sector meeting in Longford Community Enterprise Centre, Longford Business & Technology Park, Ballinalee Road, Longford on Wed 22nd10:30am to 1:00pm. This will be an opportunity to meet others working in the creative sector, to share challenges and successes and to identify necessary supports to grow both your business and the creative sector itself. Attendance is free however participants must register. To register for the programme please go to http://leitrimdesignhouse.ie/shop/workshops/creative-connections-ticket/Or email info@leitrimdesignhouse.ie to confirm your interest. “I have attended previous meetings of this Programme and I have found them very practical, informative, accessible and brief” Fergus Kennedy Longford County Arts Officer. If you wish to explore ways to make your art more profitable and you are free for two hours next Wednesday morning I would strongly recommend that you not miss this opportunity.

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Obsession - Poems by Valerie Masters. The well know Ballymahon poet Valerie Masters launches her collection of poetry Obsession at Ballymahon Library Friday night 17th Feb at 7.30pm. Her second solo collection is published by well respected Belfast publishers Lapwing Press and is her first publication since becoming a full-time writer. Valerie is very well known in local circles as she has been a regular and active participator in literary events around the county for many years. She is a member of Ballymahon Writers Group and has published in every Arts Office literary anthology. Valerie's collection will be launched on the night by the equally well know Edgeworthstown writer Lorne Patterson - all are welcome.

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Red Letter Day in Longford Children's Writing. PRIMARY SCHOOL MIDLANDS POETRY COMPETITION THEME: MARIA EDGEWORTH IN THE GARDEN Entry Fee: €1 per entry 1st Prize €50 2nd Prize €30 3rd Prize €20 Closing date 24th February 2017 Rules: 1. Entry Fee must accompany all entries. 2. All entries must be the original work of the entrant and must not have been published, accepted for publication, broadcast or honoured by the closing dates for entries. 3. All entries to be clearly written or typed on one side of the paper only. 4. Name and address to go on a separate attached sheet. 5. The decision of the judges shall be final. 6. Poems limited to 40 lines. Entries to be sent to: Competition Secretary, Edgeworth Literary Society, Old School House, Ballymahon Road, Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford Tel. No. 043-6671801 Closing date 24th February 2017

Photos from County Longford Arts Services's post

Longford musicians and empresarios Paul Gurney and Charlie McGettigan continue to fight the good fight for live music in Longford. Their next Longford Live & Local Concert is a Band Night in Backstage Theatre on Friday 10th February. Three very promising young bands Brave Giant, Reprisal and Dissention Rising will be strutting their stuff and showing us why each has been tipped as a 'band to watch out for'. It promises to be a 'rocking night' in the true meaning of Rock n Roll. Even if you feel that this genre is too young for you there must be a young person that you could encourage to attend. Remember - it's important to support Charlie and Paul's efforts to bring live music back to Longford and you can best do so by 'voting with your feet' - See you there.

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Come to Atrium Gallery, Backstage Theatre, tomorrow night Wednesday 8th Feb. at 8.00pm See some of the famous Longford faces - perhaps in the crowd - but uniquely - on the walls as well!!! This exhibition and book launch is a unique event so don't miss it. Remember to keep the arts alive and well in Longford you must turn out and support events.

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Celebrating the people of Longford There will be many familiar faces around the Backstage Theatre on Thursday, February 8th. They won’t be attending a show, however. Rather, they will be adorning the walls, as locally-based artist Phil Atkinson presents his first major solo exhibition, inspired by the people of Longford. A self-taught artist, Phil completed a PLC course in Fine Art at Templemichael College, Longford, and is a key committee member in the annual Cruthú Arts Festival. He works almost exclusively through the medium of air-brushed acrylics, and over the past couple of months, he has been painting the portraits of well known individuals. “It’s based on Longford people, ordinary people that put in a shift, that do a lot for Longford that often don’t get recognition or even look for recognition,” Phil told Midlands Arts and Culture, before revealing that his girlfriend, Anna Delaney, was also playing a role in the exhibition, as a writer. The plan is to feature ten local faces in the exhibition. Each subject will be interviewed, and as they speak, Phil will take photographs. The paintings will be multi-layered, according to Phil, and will capture the essence of the interview, while Anna will use pieces of the interviews and weave them with her own words to accompany the paintings. It’s also hoped that the two will produce a small book containing their works. “I’ve got the first one done and I’m quite happy with it,” Phil continued, revealing that the completed painting features ‘Fireside Tales’ author Jude Flynn. “It’s an appreciation for the people we’ve chosen. Some you would know well. For example, one woman works in a coffee shop and she’s the heart and soul of the coffee shop.” Phil and Anna Acknowledged the considerable support received from Longford County Arts Office in the organisation of this event Phil has already enhanced Longford town with his art over the past few years while Anna is embarking upon her first publicly launched publication, so this exhibition -launching at 8pm on February 8th, is not to be missed.

Visual Longford - Longford's Visual Art Website

Learn the Skills of Airbrush Painting Longford is fortunate to have one of the most skilled practitioners of this unusual painting technique among us. Phil Atkinson is an artist know to many not least for his work on Street Art during our Cruthu Arts Festival. Phil has mastered this very precise painting technique and is happy to share many 'tricks of his trade' in a series of short video demonstrations recently uploaded to www.visuallongford.ie . Check out his instructive videos and keep an eye out for his upcoming exhibition with Anna Delaney in the Atrium.

Dear Longford Writer National Poetry Day falls on Thursday 27th April. It is only fitting that we should celebrate National Poetry Day given the number of writers that we have her in Longford and our rich literary tradition. The Arts Office has reserved the Canal Studio Backstage for the night and will also cover the cost of the evening. The studio will be set up ‘cafe style’ and there will be complimentary refreshments. However we decided that is a far as go as we felt we should go. Rather than being prescriptive of how Longford writers should celebrate the national day and more importantly celebrate their own talent and work we are asking you how you would lie to spend a night celebrating your own poetry. If you have any ideas of how you would like to spend Poetry Night, what the programme for the evening should be or anything else about the occasion just drop me a line at the above address. I would love to hear from you and would be happy to take on board all but the craziest of suggestions and maybe even some of those as well!!