It is reputed that it was in Castlebar's Linenhall that General Humbert celebrated a victory in 1798. Two hundred years later, the Linenhall Arts Centre, in celebratory mood again, is about to get a major facelift. Earlier this year, Mayo County Council, Castlebar Urban District Council and the Arts Council committed £300,000 of aid with the proviso that the centre itself would raise a further £50,000.
Director Ms Marie Farrell and her team are delighted by the positive local response. Ms Farrell says the financial support they have received from businesses and individuals, many unwaged, was a vindication of the important role the centre plays in Castlebar and its hinterland. Operating since 1986, the Linenhall provides a broad programme of drama, music, film and the visual arts.
The Linenhall team is passionate about rooting the arts firmly in the community. Westport poet Ger Reidy's recent launch there of his first collection, Pictures from a Reservation, is a perfect example of its activities. The atmosphere was intimate and casual, the personal intensity of the reading liberated by music of the Connacht Ensemble.
Brought up on a small west of Ireland farm, Ger now works as an engineer with Mayo County Council. His poetry is inspired by the untamed landscape of Mayo, his lyrics are peppered with hard-hitting musings on the perennial problems that have bedevilled life on the fringe. The title poem was written in the 1980s when emigration was rampant and the cheque-in-the-post mentality a way of life.
We know our fate is sealed
Not to wait for the contractor's pick-up
At seven a.m. on the Kilburn High Road,
But to cash the headage cheque
And sell the donkey's harness
To the Irish pub in Shanghai.
It is not only the distinct culture of the west that is extolled in the Linenhall. The centre has a solid reputation for poaching many internationally-recognised artists and acts.
Contact Number
Readers who wish to contact Lorna Siggins can leave messages by dialling (01) 670-7711, extension 6299.