Cheebah and all that - Limerick, Ireland

Jack Monday

 Over the last year, I attended some lectures in the Hunt museum on aspects of hidden local history. John Logan spoke of 18th century Limerick and the various groups placed in city workhouse. He also spoke of executions and highlighted three, one involving the ravishing of a child, another for the slaying of a sheep and the third for the stealing of a plate! The condemned's last words were printed up and sold on the streets of the city the next day for a penny a go.

This tabloidesque habit wasn't my favourite local history story of the last year though. That came from a more recent era and a different source. Jack Monday was a West African fitter working on a ship that docked in Limerick during the war of independence. Inspired by the stories they heard of the Irish fight, those onboard made the decision to fly the Irish flag on departure (Maritime custom was that you should fly the flag of the country one is departing when leaving). Enraged by the non fluttering of a union jack, the ship was boarded. In the subsequent scuffle two black and tans were stabbed. Monday was taken from ship and thrown in jail. It was only in the civil war that followed, he eventually was released, whereupon he joined the  fledgling Irish army, presumably one of the first black men to do so.

A town out of time

Town Out Of  Time is a short Irish film by Micheal Twomey. Using the town of Youghal as a representative environment for an investigation, Twomey takes a sociological perspective in questioning how a combination of planning, landscape and job loss act to define contemporary place.
The film’s purpose is to present the issues as a macrocosm of a national and international trend of what happens when external forces take a stranglehold of a community’s destiny.
Town Out Of Time recently featured in an Irish Times series of articles focusing on the same issues and has attracted interest from communities in Germany and Italy who are seeking to screen it as an example of what went wrong in Ireland.
Twomey is a recent graduate of UCC where he recently completed a Masters in Film Theory and Analysis. He currently teaches English and History and contributes as a journalist to various Munster newspapers.
There will be a Q and A session with the director after the screening hosted by Paul Tarpey Joint Programme Leader from the Masters Course in Social Practice and the Creative Environment LSAD.

Belltable this Friday 4th November 2011

 

Skint

 Skint at Occupy Gallery Thomas St June 16.
A fundraising auction of imagery by primarily Limerick based artists working on street sites drew a crowd of practitioners collectors and supporters to the Occupy space.  
Apart from the fundraising aspects of the show, Skint operated as a showcase for the particular working methods of a group of artists who have attained visibility around the City with their colourful pasted paper works on mainly derelict spaces. A seed bombing project orbits this agenda also and free sunflowers were available to take home with the provision that they are planted in the city boundaries.
The work on the gallery walls were versions of the transient pieces that have become part of Limerick City’s visual culture and a video projection running alongside them rotated not only these examples but also documentary images of the artists clandestinely at work.
The web presence of tonight's collective invites participants to share an ethos of visual resistance to NAMA closed buildings (amongst other civic supported spaces) by pasting vivid figures who invariably initiate dialogue by their prominence in the cities pedestrian flow. Construction tips and examples offered on their facepaste pages constitute a responsible commitment to the ongoing agenda as by choice this work does not follow the open guidelines practiced by the cities tagging and permanent- material markmakers. The distinction is important particularly in light of  recent Limerick social network coverage on this subject.   
While the artists are articulate when confronted on their position (Socio-politically) the dialogue with the city as represented by Skint encompasses examples of the stylistic continuum presented as ‘Urban Art’, the contested arena of uncommissioned street art, and the ongoing mission of these artists as reflected through the location of their pieces and the ownership of the wallspace used.
This was a successful and responsible showcase not only for artists but for future links between legitimate spaces such as Occupy and creative’s who seek to keep debate on particular civic issues through visual means active while remaining anonymous   

Paul Tarpey

more photos below

Redmusic

some good tips

Spec.Drum

Following a hugely successful opening night, spec.Drum is back on Thursday, March 10, upstairs @ the Locke Bar,George's Quay, Limerick City. Doors @ 10pm, admission 3 euros.

An intimate evening of live performances, beat showcases and DJ sets, spec.Drum aims to promote the creation of beat and rhythm driven music in all disciplines, digital or otherwise.

Featuring Das Kas, Rumbus Merrylegs and MynameisJohn. Full line up.

Suite for Ma Dukes

Irish premier of this film by B+ in cool new intimate space of the loft, upstairs at corner of Georges Quay and Bridge Street. Q+A with director afterwards and following that matters move uptown to Mickey Martins for DJ set. More on Suite for Ma Dukes and here are some of the people attending.

CAT DIG

 

Spiritstore is back this weekend as part of E+va. This sees the project take over Catherine Street. An extraordinary range of events is going on. Download the programme here and get out and enjoy it. Poster above is for some events that Cheebah is directly involved in. All these are happening in Bourkes Bar on Catherine Street. Full size poster here.

Survivor

 

Captured on Catherine Street, scene of cultural dig. What happens when you mix this with a good drop of rain.

Cultural Dig

 

Limerick Working Arts Group The SpiritStore is working on an exciting new project as part of this years ev+a International Art exhibition. The Catherine St Cultural Dig is an investigative Art project that links the residents of the street with artists brokered by the SpiritStore.

One of the results of the dig will be presented on site at the corner of Catherine St and Thomas St on Saturday March 13. The Butchers and history of the streets meat industry are the inspiration for this event.

At 6.00 there will be a serving of the traditional Limerick dish of Packet and Tripe. Also on Site there will be a video piece based on tales surrounding the the food by the women who have cooked it for a lifetime.Pigtown archivist and author Mike Finn will read and Teaspach theatre group will also be in attendance.

Spiritstore will be hosting a weekend festival based on the results of the dig on the street in May. Details on this to be announced on the SpiritStore blog.

All good things

  

All good things come to an end...

... sadly, the last ever ‘Nu Killa Beats’ Drum & Bass night will be on Saturday March 6th at the Underground, Baker Place. Comfortably the longest running club night in Limerick there have been some legendary nights over the last 10 years since the first gig at the Dog House (now The Cornstore) on Thomas St in February 2000. It was the first dedicated night for Drum & Bass in Limerick and brought a style of music to the attention of clubbers who had previously been unaware of it’s existence.

Over the years the night won a hardcore following and even attracted visitors from other towns and cities across the country as well as the UK. Local Dj’s have been the mainstay of the night but there have been many guest Dj’s and performers from around the country as well as abroad.

The promoters, better known as the ‘Nu Killa Kru’ are determined that the last night will a celebration more than anything else and will be signing off in style with all the resident Dj’s pencilled in for one last knees-up! Local Dj’s Code, Bee, Roller T, Deep Cut, Mecca, Lymer, Cain and Leon will be joined by Waterford’s Iree MC for the special occasion. SATURDAY - MARCH 6th @ the Underground, Baker Place, Limerick Doors 10pm till 2:30am Admission €8. Line up : Code, Bee, Roller T, Mecca, Deep Cut, Lymer, Cain, Leon, Iree MC

We also hear that a video with some archive footage might be on the way so look forward to that.