2016 Spring
| January | |
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St. Ann’s Warehouse presents A New Opera by Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh Co-Presented with Prototype and Irish Arts Center January 8 – 17 A man silently mops the floor with a bucket full of bloody water. He prepares a room that’s not yet ready for its next guest. A woman meets a man and his wife in the parking lot. All three are nervous. Tonight there will be a death. The Last Hotel unites two of Ireland’s most fascinating artists, multi award-winning playwright Enda Walsh and composer Donnacha Dennehy in a new chamber opera. More Info
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Helen Vendler on Seamus Heaney Thursday, January 28 | 6 pm – 9 pm This seminar will survey poems from the three volumes Seamus Heaney completed between the 1995 Nobel Prize and his death in 2013. Explore his adaptation of classical motifs and ethics to modern circumstances, his debts to Virgil and Ovid in constructing his own autobiography, and his stark poems of oncoming death.
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| February | |
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Donnacha Dennehy's Tessellatum Presented by Symphony Space in association with Irish Arts Center and Q2 Music as part of Nadia Sirota’s Fuse Project Residency at Symphony Space An ambitious piece for viola, viol consort, and electronics by Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy (co-commissioned by Symphony Space), as well as pieces by members of the Bedroom Community, including American contemporary classical music composer Nico Muhly and Icelandic musician Valgeir Sigurðsson. More Info |
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Saturday Morning Cartoons Saturday, February 6 | 11 am - 1 pm Come in pajamas, grab some pancakes, and snuggle up on the Donaghy Theatre stage to enjoy the best feature films, TV shows and short films from some of the leading Irish animation companies. More Info |
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Muldoon's Picnic Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet, New Yorker Poetry Editor, and pop music lyricist Paul Muldoon returns for his fourth season of monthly words-and-music jamborees, joined by his house band Rogue Oliphant. Featuring Glenn Patterson, Salman Rushdie, and Miracles of Modern Science. More Info |
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SongLives Curated by Grammy Award-winner Susan McKeown Vocalist, songwriter, TV presenter, and producer Gráinne Holland is known as a traditional artist but this performance will feature her original songs of her experience growing up in the north, and fellow northerner Barry Kerr, one of Ireland’s most accomplished traditional musicians, will showcase songs from his most recent album Boy in a Boat. More Info |
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Belinda McKeon Tuesday, February 16 | 7:30 pm An evening with the celebrated author (and PoetryFest co-curator) Belinda McKeon to celebrate the launch of her second novel, Tender, following her astonishing debut Solace. More Info |
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I Draw Slow Friday, February 19 | 7 pm & 9 pm Top Dublin country/folk band I Draw Slow returns to Irish Arts Center to perform songs from their newly released White Wave Chapel album, rooted in the style of the Appalachian Mountains, traditional Irish music, and modern Americana. More Info |
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P R O C L A M A T I O N Visual artist Andrew Duggan's project, P R O C L A M A T I O N, showcases new lens-based and moving-image works by leading figures in Irish visual art, dance, and performance, engaging with the Centenary of the 1916 Rising. More Info |
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The Man In The Woman's Shoes Special Return Engagement by Popular Demand! In spring 2015, our audiences fell in love with Pat Farnon, and now he’s back in the award-winning hands of Mikel Murfi for a special return engagement. More Info |
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The Architecture and Playability of Theatre with Mikel Murfi Back by Popular Demand in an Extended Version! Sunday, February 28 | 5 pm In this lecture Mikel Murfi talks about his work and influences with particular reference to his recent works with writer/director Enda Walsh and designer Sabine Dargent. More Info |
| March | |
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Púca Party Friday, March 4 | 3 pm – 3:45 pm Explore the Irish trickster fairy's mischievous and quick-witted ways in an interactive story session, followed by a mask-making activity. More Info |
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St. Pats for All Benefit The annual fundraiser in support of the inclusive St. Pat's For All Parade which takes place in Sunnyside/Woodside on Sunday, March 6th. More Info |
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Traditional Song Exploration & Songwriting with Carrie Erving Saturday, March 5 | 11 am – 1 pm Children will work with SongLives performer, IAC instructor, and Ponyhof lead singer Carrie Erving to craft their own songs. Working in groups, children will explore the structure of traditional Irish songs, and cultivate their creativity together to create, record, and design the art for an original short song. More Info |
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Irish Film Club This class is designed for anyone interested in the Irish language, and its use in contemporary visual media, in Irish film, and minority language broadcasting. More Info |
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Irish Film Club This class is designed for anyone interested in the Irish language, and its use in contemporary visual media, in Irish film, and minority language broadcasting. More Info |
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Debut Voices with Sara Baume Tuesday, March 8 | 7:30 pm Our third season of Debut Voices kicks off with a reading from one of the most intriguing new voices in Irish literature, Sara Baume. More Info |
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SongLives Curated by Grammy Award-winner Susan McKeown SongLives showcases some of Ireland and North America’s most exciting contemporary songwriters, bringing the rich tradition of busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street and beyond to New York City. More Info |
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5th Annual Our legendary and longtime artistic associate, folklorist and bandleader Mick Moloney leads audiences on a journey of discovery from the music of Ulster Scot and African banjo traditions through the American South to the development of bluegrass, country, and old-time music. More Info |
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Annual St. Patrick’s Open Day Sunday, March 13 | 12 pm – 4 pm This St. Patrick’s weekend explore and engage in a free day of Irish arts and culture. More Info
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Muldoon's Picnic Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet, New Yorker Poetry Editor, and pop music lyricist Paul Muldoon returns for his fourth season of monthly words-and-music jamborees, joined by his house band Rogue Oliphant. Featuring Laurie Anderson, Timothy Donnelly, Mark Mulcahy and Cait O’Riordan. More Info |
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The Quartet: Stories, Poetry, and Dreams March 15 & 16 | 7:30 pm Assuming the characters in Murphy’s books, the quartet share deeply insightful reflections on love and sex, friendship and family, and celebrate the happy though fragile human spirit triumphing against the odds. Featuring author Michael Murphy and his RTÉ friends. More Info |
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6th Annual Irish Arts Center Book Day Presented by IrishArtsCenter in association with the New York City Council Thursday, March 17 | 7 am until the books run out! Great works of Irish fiction will find their way into the hands and hearts of thousands of New Yorkers as IAC gives away up to 10,000 free books written by noted Irish and Irish American authors on the 6th annual Book Day at over locations across all five boroughs. More Info |
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Sundays at Seven Sunday, March 20 | 7 pm Curated by hosts Fiona Walsh and Ann Design | This long-running staple of the New York City comedy scene offers laugh-out-loud standup comedy from an ever-changing line-up of performers. More Info |
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Twinsome Minds: Through an interplay of storytelling, animation, music, and poetry, Twinsome Minds – which takes its title from a phrase in the novel Finnegans Wake – re-imagines a series of micro-narratives surrounding 1916 in Dublin and the WWI battlefields of Belgium. Performed by Richard Kearney and Sheila Gallagher, with original music composed and performed by Dana Lyn. More Info |
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Stomp and Shout Thursdays, March 24 – May 19 | 10 am - 10:45 am | 11 am - 11:45 am Ages 8 months - 4 years Presented by Stomp and Shout New York in association with Irish Arts Center | We'll go on adventures, move our bodies in cool kid ways, imagine ourselves as different people, make stories sing, jam out on our instruments. More Info |
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Irish Arts Center presents March 29 - April 2 The acclaimed Co. Meath-based playwright Deirdre Kinahan returns to Irish Arts Center with the U.S. premiere of Wild Sky, a moving and evocative tribute to the people of 1916 from a uniquely rural perspective. Directed by Jo Mangan with music by Susan McKeown. More Info |
| April | |
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Sheila Agnew: Reading and Workshop Ages 9 and up A special afternoon celebrating writer Sheila Agnew's tenacious, brave, and funny Evie Brooks character with a reading and creative writing workshop for children. More Info |
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Camille O'Sullivan April 6-9, 13-16 One of Ireland's most profoundly moving and thrilling musical performers, the unforgettable Camille O'Sullivan returns to Irish Arts Center for a special encore engagement with pianist Feargal Murray and her band. More Info |
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Muldoon's Picnic Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet, New Yorker Poetry Editor, and pop music lyricist Paul Muldoon returns for his fourth season of monthly words-and-music jamborees, joined by his house band Rogue Oliphant. Featuring Anne Enright, AM Homes, and Yusef Komunyakaa. More Info |
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New York Live Arts and Irish Arts Center present Constructing a fluent language of movement as abstract and absurd as Beckett's words, the dance weaves a non-linear tale of decrepit persistence and playful futility of life at the end of its tether. More Info |
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Voices of the Gaeltacht Sunday, April 17 | 12:30 pm - 6:30 pm Meet other fellow language enthusiasts and explore the voices of the Gaeltacht through education, literature and storytelling, with an awareness of the traditional Gaelic speaker at its heart. More Info |
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Michael Cunningham As part of Pen, Paper and Palate presented in association with Ruda Beresford Dauphin Monday, April 18 | 7:30 pm Widely praised as one of the most gifted writers of his time, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham joins Frank Delaney in what will be an insightful and lively discussion about his celebrated writing career. More Info |
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Irish Arts Center and Baryshnikov Arts Center present The Corn Exchange, in association with Cusack Projects Limited April 20—30 The Chicago native and Dublin-based director Annie Ryan and The Corn Exchange come to New York with the U.S premiere of A Girl is a Half-formed Thing adapted from the novel by Eimear McBride, starring Aoife Duffin. More Info |
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Transforming the Space: Physical Theatre and Ensemble Improvisation Sunday, April 23 | 2 pm - 5 pm This intensive workshop is designed for performers and facilitators to introduce the principles of transformation of space, time, and character through physical theatre and ensemble improvisation. More Info |
| May | |
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15th Annual Curated by Niall O’Leary TCRG, ADCRG Sunday, May 1 | 1 pm - 7 pm Our annual outdoor celebration of Irish dance kicks off the Summer-on-the Hudson series with traditional dance from notable professional and student talent from around the region. More Info |
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Story Picnic with Yvonne Cassidy Saturday, May 7 | 11 am – 2 pm Led by Irish novelist and IAC instructor Yvonne Cassidy, parents and children will participate in a warm, rich, and meaningful family workshop creating, sharing, and binding an original story, focusing individually on a favorite memory or event. More Info |
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Abrons Arts Center in association with Irish Arts Center presents May 6-8 Colin Gee and Angie Smalis appear in two distinct works as part of Abrons’ Travelogues dance series curated by Laurie Uprichard. More Info |
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Open the Door for Three Saturday, May 7 | 8 pm Taking their name from an old Irish slip jig, fiddler Liz Knowles, uilleann piper Kieran O'Hare, and singer/bouzouki player Pat Broaders have formed a powerful, well-traveled seasoned trio. More Info |
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Irish Dance Sunday, May 8 | 2 pm - 4:30 pm This class will have a strong focus on musicality, finding a sense of flow in movement and rhythm, and an emphasis on losing tension in the upper body. More Info |
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Louise Erdrich and Anne Enright Thursday, May 12 | 8 pm Presented by 92Y and Irish Arts Center | Two of the most significant writers today read from their new novels. More Info |
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Masters in Collaboration X Colin Dunne Meets Nic Gareiss May 14 - 15 | 8 pm The thrilling and expressive young percussive dancer Nic Gareiss (This is How we Fly) joins Irish dance legend Colin Dunne (Out of Time) for our 10th Masters in Collaboration Series. More Info
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Fortune’s Wheel May 17 | 7:30 pm Presented by Irish Arts Center and Irish Film Institute | The remarkable, implausible story of Bill Stephens, an ordinary young Dubliner in the 1950s with an extraordinary ambition: to become an international circus star as a lion tamer. More Info |
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SongLives Curated by Grammy Award-winner Susan McKeown SongLives showcases some of Ireland and North America’s most exciting contemporary songwriters, bringing the rich tradition of busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street and beyond to New York City. More Info |
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Film Fleadh Foundation (Craic Fest) and Cuala 2016 present Saturday, May 21 | 6 pm Enjoy some of the best of LGBT short films with some of the filmmakers in attendance. More Info |
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Sundays at Seven Sunday, May 22 | 7 pm Curated by hosts Fiona Walsh and Ann Design | This long-running staple of the New York City comedy scene offers laugh-out-loud standup comedy from an ever-changing line-up of performers. More Info |
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David Power and Willie Kelly Wednesday, May 25 | 8 pm The sound of the uilleann pipes evokes an avalanche of emotions: sadness and joy, love and longing, nostalgia and regret, and the abundant talent and technical prowess of David Power kindles all of them within a virtuosic and sensitive musicality that is rarely heard. More Info |
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The KennedyCenter and IrishArtsCenter present Thursday, May 26 | 8 pm Script-in-hand presentations of Fishamble's Tiny Plays for Ireland and America, directed by Jim Culleton. In celebration of the Kennedy Center's IRELAND 100 festival, Fishamble's acclaimed series of twenty tiny plays that portray contemporary Irish life will be accompanied by six new tiny American plays selected from an open competition across age groups. More Info |
| June | |
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Saturday Morning Cartoons Saturday, June 4 | 11 am - 1 pm Come in pajamas, grab some pancakes, and snuggle up on the Donaghy Theatre stage to enjoy the best feature films, TV shows and short films from some of the leading Irish animation companies. More Info |
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William Doyle Tuesday, June 7 | 7:30 pm William Doyle reads from PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy, the extraordinary World War II story of shipwreck and survival that paved John F. Kennedy's path to power More Info |
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SongLives Curated by Grammy Award-winner Susan McKeown SongLives showcases some of Ireland and North America’s most exciting contemporary songwriters, bringing the rich tradition of busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street and beyond to New York City. More Info |
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Sundays at Seven Sunday, June 12 | 7 pm Curated by hosts Fiona Walsh and Ann Design | This long-running staple of the New York City comedy scene offers laugh-out-loud standup comedy from an ever-changing line-up of performers. More Info |
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A Doctor's Sword Tuesday, June 14 | 7 pm Presented by Irish Arts Center and Irish Film Institute | An unbelievable tale of a young man who survived some of the most harrowing episodes of World War II, and his family’s search to uncover the origin of the Japanese Samurai sword which he brought home. More Info
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Bloomsday on Broadway XXXV Co-produced by Symphony Space and IrishArtsCenter Thursday, June 16 | 7 pm Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. More Info |
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Dance Forum Ireland 6th International Conference: UpRising June 22- 26 This interdisciplinary conference aims to explore themes related to rebellion in terms of movement and performativity. More Info |