It’s been a long, cold start to Spring, and with the present concern over the future of the Border it’s perhaps not surprising that this issue of Corncrake concentrates on Fermanagh, but the seasons turn as they always do, and soon we will be stretching our wings again. Continue reading “Where Next?”
Issue: Issue Nine
With Love From Gilbert and George
A Review of Scapegoating by Gilbert & George Exhibition at The Mac in Belfast 26 January – 22 April 2018.
I confess I was unsure as to what to make of the controversialist artists Gilbert & George before visiting the Exhibition. Over the years I had seen half a dozen of their works individually in different galleries and I found them interesting and challenging, but I don’t think I really got them. Continue reading “With Love From Gilbert and George”
Painting with a Camera
Richard Pierce has always been a painter. Born into an old Enniskillen family of builders, he was encouraged in the Arts throughout his childhood. He first took up photography when he was 16, recording family and friends, buildings and landscapes. Continue reading “Painting with a Camera”
Lakes of Light
On the 23rd of March the Sliabh Beagh Artists once again created a magical evening of quality rural arts for everyone to enjoy.
The Lakes of Light event was a tremendous success with over 350 people in attendance. As darkness approached people gathered at Killyfole Lake and were greeted by the stunning harmonies of Tully. Continue reading “Lakes of Light”
Danger Money
For the first time in years, Enniskillen Drama Festival’s diverse programme has included a production by a Fermanagh-based theatre company. The Knocks Drama Group’s first year competing on the festival circuit was incredibly promising, bringing John McManus’ acclaimed play Danger Money to the Ardhowen stage. Continue reading “Danger Money”
A Brief History of The Thing Itself
In the autumn of 2015 I found myself on a poetic pilgrimage, following the call to Ireland’s biggest spoken word & poetry event, Dublin’s Lingofest. Having attended the previous year as a newcomer to the idea of spoken word, I had come prepared. I wasn’t alone. Continue reading “A Brief History of The Thing Itself”
Derelict Delivery
To say things had been tight, lately, wasn’t so much putting it mildly as telling downright lies. There hadn’t been an order in weeks; not since the firestorm, when the bullets came, like mini bombs on the wind.
Illustrating and Writing
I grew up on the east coast of Scotland, born to Irish parents. My earliest memories all revolve around drawing, encouraged by a mother who was also an artist. For me, drawing and painting are critical forms of communication – and meditation. Continue reading “Illustrating and Writing”
Still Singing
I can still hear her singing, my Grandmother baking bread, her wedding band nestled on the shelf above the table; her hair as white as the floured hands coaxing and kneading the dough. I watched in wonder through the eyes of a child and the first of the sweet warm bread was always mine. Continue reading “Still Singing”
A Movable Feast
A Moveable Feast, which was completed in 1960, tells of the time Ernest Hemingway lived in Paris with his first wife, Hadley, between 1921 and 1926. His memories of that period are captured in 20 short essays: each stands alone, and there is no overall storyline or theme, beyond that of the city itself, but this slender book conjures an image of Paris that is almost tangible. The smells, tastes, sights and sounds of Paris spring off the pages, and the people breathe again as they laugh and love and quarrel and drink and smoke and work and dream. All human life is here: raffish Bohemian artists, Avante Garde writers and poets, drunks, bartenders, fishermen, street cleaners, booksellers, waiters… Continue reading “A Movable Feast”