<strong>Midl<strong>and</strong></strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | SUMMER 2012My Residency inPart 2The TyroneGuthr<strong>ie</strong> Centreby Ann Egan“…I had a plan of work for my fortnight here. I planned to write a ser<strong>ie</strong>s of poems inspired by the past. I had also broughtwith me notebooks in which I write on a daily basis. I had them as a fall back. I wanted to make the very best of thismarvellous <strong>and</strong> blessed opportunity gifted to me so my notebooks were with me like familiar fr<strong>ie</strong>nds but a little neglected.The Tyrone Guthr<strong>ie</strong> Centre is ideal forreflection <strong>and</strong> also has all the moderncommunication facilit<strong>ie</strong>s of Broadb<strong>and</strong>,Wi-Fi <strong>and</strong> all technological support werely on today. Above all these modernaids, the house has a deep sense ofpeace, calmness <strong>and</strong> belonging. I settledin on my first day, listening to the windrise all about the sweeping grounds.The house is set well back from thesurrounding forest <strong>and</strong> while they areseveral beautiful, anc<strong>ie</strong>nt trees growingabout the spacious lawns, they all lookdeep-rooted <strong>and</strong> sturdy enough towithst<strong>and</strong> the wind <strong>and</strong> storm’s rigours.My second day dawned to the peace ofthe storm’s aftermath. AnnaghmakerrigLake was shining in early morning sunriseas I walked around its shores <strong>and</strong> notedfallen chestnuts that gathered about thepath, victims of the wind, now abated. Mywalk was long <strong>and</strong> pleasant. It affordedme the time <strong>and</strong> peace to reflect on thedetails of the plan of writing I had laid outon my first evening. I sat awhile by theboathouse <strong>and</strong> soon in the tranquillitysurrounding me, began my new writings.There is no need to worry about domesticdut<strong>ie</strong>s <strong>and</strong> chores for all one could everneed is left in readiness in the hugekitchen here. The house hums along <strong>and</strong>offers all a person all essentials <strong>and</strong> evenmore. The helpfulness <strong>and</strong> fr<strong>ie</strong>ndliness<strong>and</strong> willingness of all the staff create theillusion of effortless housekeeping <strong>and</strong>cooking but in the background careful<strong>and</strong> meticulous planning makes it allpossible.It is a blessing to be here, to be in thesilence of this great house, to workaccording to a predetermined plan <strong>and</strong>when a break is needed from the work,there is the beauty of the forest walk, thesilver tranquillity of the lake <strong>and</strong> the verygrateful knowledge that my newnotebook’s pages are being filled.Later in the day I will type in <strong>and</strong> revise<strong>and</strong> edit <strong>and</strong> bring it to the best shape Ican in the calm <strong>and</strong> warmth of amagnificent workroom.There is a time-honoured tradition here,all artists in the house meet at 7pm fordinner. The gong rings out to calleveryone to the kitchen where the largetable is set <strong>and</strong> can accommodate up to20 people. The fire is glowing in theraised stove <strong>and</strong> all gather about in thecompany of Robert <strong>and</strong> a magnificentmeal is served. The pace is slow <strong>and</strong>relaxed. People move about the tablefrom one evening to the next <strong>and</strong> within afew days everyone knows theirneighbours. The talk usually begins withthe beauty of the meal, most of which isgrown <strong>and</strong> produced on the farm,everything is home-produced <strong>and</strong>homemade <strong>and</strong> is truly beyond compare.The chat grows with the evening’spassing <strong>and</strong> it is very beneficial to hearthe work of each artist being discussed,their ideas, how the ideas are beingdeveloped, how the atmosphere of thehouse lends itself willingly <strong>and</strong> generouslyto the development <strong>and</strong> sharing of art.For myself, over the passage of my twoweeks residency here, I had manyinteresting conversations with artists,writers <strong>and</strong> composers. Sharing ideas isa great benefit <strong>and</strong> opens new horizonsof creativity. The house offers a backdropto these ideas <strong>and</strong> one gains invaluableinsights into one’s own journey withwords. What is so beneficial about beinghere is the constancy of calm, peace <strong>and</strong>the sheer comfort of the surroundings,the care <strong>and</strong> concern of all the staff tomake a residency a blessing of learning<strong>and</strong> of ach<strong>ie</strong>ving each day…See next issuefor the LASTinstallement22On board the Carousel with Leonard AndersonBy Majella ReidLeonard Anderson fell into musicalsby accident. A qu<strong>ie</strong>t invitation to joina male chorus, followed by a furtherinvitation to do some choreographyresulted in a full-time career for aman who is today an award-winningmusical director.Originally from county Down, Leonardis now well known in county Longfordhaving directed eight musicalsproduced by St Mel’s Musical Soc<strong>ie</strong>tysince 2000 – <strong>and</strong> he is currently inrehearsals for his ninth production withthe award-winning group!According to Leonard, this year thegroup has chosen one of its mostambitious projects to date - the muchlovedRodgers <strong>and</strong> Hammersteinclassic Carousel in a production whichwill feature more than 70 cast <strong>and</strong>crew members.“Carousel is slightly darker as a musical<strong>and</strong> it has some of the best known musicin musical theatre,” he explained.The musical, which first premièred in1945 on Broadway, is set in NewEngl<strong>and</strong> in the United States <strong>and</strong> in itsday the production was consideredsomething of a taboo-breaker touchingupon topics such as suicide <strong>and</strong> wifebeating.“Along the way there is a lot of fun,however,” said Leonard. “This comes inthe form of Mr Snow (Tony Wadde) <strong>and</strong>Carr<strong>ie</strong> (Deirdre Leavy).”Making his début performance inmusical theatre is Aughnacliffe manKevin Gormley who plays the lead roleof Billy Bigelow. Deirdre McCabe ofMohill, County Leitrim, plays Billy’s loveinterest, Jul<strong>ie</strong> Jordan.Mr Anderson, who has been directingmusicals full-time since 1993, bel<strong>ie</strong>vesthe story line is one which will appealto musical lovers, <strong>and</strong> indeed theatrelovers, of all ages.The plot revolves around the characterBilly Bigelow <strong>and</strong> his relationship withJul<strong>ie</strong> Jordan. Billy falls fowl of badness<strong>and</strong> eventually commits suicide.“When he goes to Heaven he is given achance to go down again (to Earth) <strong>and</strong>to do some good for a day. In doing sohe may just earn the right to get intoHeaven,” said the director.The stage will also be graced by StMel’s Musical Soc<strong>ie</strong>ty stalwarts suchas Aideen Mulligan (Nett<strong>ie</strong> Fowler),David Flaherty (Jigger), Liz Leavy (MrsMullin), Roy Davis, John Kelly, JustinForde, Gráinne Fox, Jim McDonald,Luke Cassidy, Heather Moore <strong>and</strong>many, many more.This Rodger <strong>and</strong> Hammerstein classicis widely known for its legendarysongs which include June is Bustin’Out All Over, If I Loved You, <strong>and</strong>, ofcourse, the Liverpool football anthemYou’ll Never Walk Alone.“It (Carousel) really has something foreveryone. There are a couple of mimebits in it also <strong>and</strong> I’ve brought in AmyDuignan <strong>and</strong> her dancers to executethe balletic moves,” said Leonard.“We have about 23 children ranging inage from five years to 12 in thisproduction,” he added.The show which ran over the lastweekend in April at the BackstageTheatre was a sell out. M
“Homage”Exhibition by George Burl<strong>and</strong> at the Arthouse Gallery, Stradbally“Trying to put into words what one isdoing with paint is an enormouslydifficult task <strong>and</strong> one that is doomedto fail, nevertheless, a paragraph or atitle can serve as an opening for thev<strong>ie</strong>wer to become first acquaintedwith a work in a similar manner aseach of us has firstly a name then apersonality, interests, a profession, arole. How can we sum all that up?Does each of us contain a meaning?Does a painting have a meaning?”asks George Burl<strong>and</strong>.Declan O’Donovan, current IrishAmbassador to Portugal, has severalpaintings <strong>and</strong> sculptures of George’s,<strong>and</strong> is of the opinion: “Irishman GeorgeBurl<strong>and</strong> has lived <strong>and</strong> worked abroadfor many years, but these colours are ofhis homel<strong>and</strong>.“Like many artists, George would saythat the work is what you see, not whathe may have intended you to see. Forme, the work presents the preservingbog, rich earth <strong>and</strong> ever-changing sky ofhistoric Irel<strong>and</strong>. In one particularpainting, it is winter but there is greengrowth <strong>and</strong> above is the lighter green ofa new day dawning, the whole a livingsculpture of nature at a time ofChristmas joy <strong>and</strong> reflection at the turnof year. No flowers to catch the eye.They will come later.”Although Declan was referring to aparticular acrylic painting from a fewyears ago, it could be considered as aprecursor to those paintings thatGeorge plans to exhibit in June atStradbally Arthouse. These recent worksare mostly gouaches on paper <strong>and</strong> thelighter medium permits a looser <strong>and</strong>more transparent h<strong>and</strong>ling of paint <strong>and</strong>colour.George was reared on a farm in countyKildare from which one could see theWicklow Mountains <strong>and</strong> no matter howfar he has travelled abroad or where hismind has w<strong>and</strong>ered to, that initiall<strong>and</strong>scape was <strong>and</strong> is always present inthe subconscious.So, too, is the canal of Naas where hespent his earl<strong>ie</strong>st childhood years <strong>and</strong>to where his parents returned on theirretirement.A number of years ago George boughtan old house in a small village in thenorth of Spain <strong>and</strong> moved there fromMadrid, where he has have lived <strong>and</strong>worked since.About 50 years ago the region wasagriculturally very active but vastexpanses of l<strong>and</strong> have since fallen idle<strong>and</strong> are being reclaimed by natureproviding for stimulating l<strong>and</strong>scape - ina manner similar to the present focuson Irish bogl<strong>and</strong> as an aestheticallypleasing nature reserve.His paintings are largely abstract.Painting, as in anything else, allows oneto leave out certain elements in order tobetter focus on others. In his paintingshe tr<strong>ie</strong>s to focus on an “all over”approach, a perceived energy, a searchfor balance, no description.The exhibition opens 13 June inthe Arthouse Gallery <strong>and</strong> will be onexhibition for President Higgins visit tothe Arthouse <strong>and</strong> Library on that day.M23
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