All About Cork: Firkin Crane launch summer/autumn programme

Firkin Crane, Cork City. Photograph: Jed Niezgoda
Dance Cork Firkin Crane’s summer/autumn 2024 season has launched with a hugely diverse programme.
The programme features performances, residencies, and workshops, and celebrates dance from across Ireland and the globe. It will also offer opportunities for community engagement and artistic development from July to November.
Executive artistic director at the Shandon-based venue Laurie Uprichard said: “This season offers a sweeping look at contemporary dance and dancers from across the country and around the globe. We warmly invite Cork audiences to join us in this adventure, discovering new and unique voices.
Expect to be surprised and, occasionally, challenged.”
Introducing the the new season of evening performances is Rollercoaster by Wes Peden on August 31, presented in partnership with Pitch’d Festival.
In addition to the performances, visiting artists in residence include Claire Keating, Rocío Dominguez, Helga Deasy, Alessandra Azeviche, Helen Herbertson, and Cork city dance artist-in-residence Luke Murphy, plus their collaborators, who will be hosted from July to November for research and development of upcoming projects. Many of the artists will offer free to the public work-in-progress sharings at the end of their residency periods.
Crane Visual, a visual arts and interdisciplinary social space curated by Dermot Browne, continues with a new public exhibition Possible Life by Chris Doris from Thursday August 21 to Saturday September 21, followed by From Palestine with Art from Thursday October 3 to Saturday December 15.
Professional workshops will be led by Alessandra Azeviche with an Afro-Brazilian Dance Master Class on Sunday, August 25, and David Bolger on Thursday, October 24, who will delve into the flair and humour of his artistic practice. Weekly professional classes also continue on Thursday mornings led by guest teachers.
See more at tinyurl.com/scm45ksb
Cleaning up in Blackpool
The Blackpool Tidy Village Group and its volunteers have been out and about every Saturday morning litter-picking, rubbish-collecting, and planting flowers and shrubs in recent months.
The group’s aim is to make Blackpool “cleaner, greener, safer, better” and its work is very much visible in the area.
The streets the group has cleaned recently include Commons Rd, Thomas Davis St, Dublin St, Spring Lane, The Plaza, Watercourse Rd, O’Connell St, and Great William O’Brien St.
The group meets every Saturday morning at Blackpool Community Centre for a litter pick and other works that help keep Blackpool clean.
For details email blackpooltidyvillage@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page.
St Peter’s launch ‘Cork Voices’
St Peter’s Cork has launched its new core exhibit ‘Cork Voices of the Irish Revolution’ which will run up until the end of this year.
The new installation is one of the largest scale explorations of the revolutionary era, narrated through the echoes of those who lived through it.
The venue said: “‘Cork Voices of the Irish Revolution’ will elucidate the events which have shaped our modern city and nation, guided through interviews, quotes and tales from figures both instrumental and observing. This exhibit will underpin the facts and footnotes through the human accounts and experiences of Cork from 1912 – 1923.
‘Cork Voices’ is written and curated by long-time collaborator and historian Gerry White in conjunction with Cork Public Museum and UCC.
The exhibit will will serve as a valuable resource to the students, visitors to the city, budding historians, enthusiasts and novices alike.
Palestinians to receive Spirit of Mother Jones award
The Cork Mother Jones Committee has announced that the 2024 Spirit of Mother Jones Award has been awarded to the people of Palestine.
The award will be presented to Ms Zeina Alazzeh, of the embassy of the state of Palestine, at the Dance Cork Firkin Crane on Friday evening, after the “Stories of Palestine” meeting at 7pm.
Ms Alazzeh has been nominated by the ambassador of Palestine to Ireland, Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, to accept this award.

A spokesperson for the committee said: “The Cork Mother Jones Committee is pleased to present the 2024 Spirit of Mother Jones Award to the people of Palestine. We remain honoured by the decision of ambassador Dr Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid to accept this award on behalf of the State of Palestine.
“Although, in practical terms, an award such as this remains almost a trivial offering, we believe it represents a symbolic and heartfelt gesture of support by many Cork people to an entire population facing genocide, in that we are recording the fact that human beings everywhere should bear witness to the sufferings of Palestinians.
“Along with the many thousands of people who have marched through Cork city each week and across Ireland since October 2023, we wish to also add our support for the people of Palestine by conferring on them the Spirit of Mother Jones Award.”
Accepting the Spirit of Mother Jones award, Dr Abdalmajid wrote in her letter to the committee: “I am so pleased to accept this award which honours the people of Palestine.
“During this difficult time, and while our people in Palestine are experiencing the highest form of misery and catastrophe, we find a glimmer of hope through the Irish people’s support and solidarity.
“It is heart-warming that there are still nations that stand up for basic human rights, but sadly this is not the case everywhere.
“Mary Harris was a brave mother like thousands of Palestinian mothers who lost their children. It is the loss of a mother’s child, and how she could hold back her grief and despair to create a better life. Her commitment to standing up against injustice holds great values that are reflected in this award and we are honoured to be credited with it.”
The opening of the 2024 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and summer school will take place on Thursday at 1pm at the Maldron Hotel.
Almost 30 events will take place at this year’s three-day festival in and around Shandon.
This opening of the annual festival and summer school will again be showcased by the performance of the Kalyna Ukrainian Community Choir, who will give a rendition of Ukrainian songs interspersed with Irish ones.
This festival, which celebrates the life and activities of Cork-born Mary Harris — known throughout the world as Mother Jones.
The programme of events is available on the festival website under “Festival 24”.
Full ongoing details can be obtained at www.motherjonescork.com.
Further details: Ger O’Mahony 0863196063, James Nolan 086 1651356, Ann Piggott 0879031282.
Have Blackpool, Shandon and Ballyvolane news to share? Email robert.mcnamara@theecho.ie