St Patrick would be proud

As part of the South Side Festival activities, a green celebration of Irish culture has been swinging along nicely over this St Patrick’s day time.

On Saturday, 16 March, at the Glad Cafe in Shawlands at 1006 Pollokshaws Road, Declan Sinnott will be playing and singing to entertain folks in this intimate community enterprise venue. With a career spanning over 40 years, Declan has worked with Irish folk luminaries such as Christy Moore, Mary Black, Sinead Lohan and John Spillane. He was a founding member of Horslips and Moving Hearts – two of the most influential trad /electric bands in Ireland, and spent 13 years guiding Mary Black’s career, producing the majority of her music.

Since 2000, Declan has been guitarist and producer to Christy Moore, who was recently named as Ireland’s greatest living musician in RTÉ’s People of the Year Awards.

Following the release of his critically acclaimed debut album “I love the Noise It Makes” in 2012, Sinnott has been touring. The penultimate of five stops on the tour, the Glasgow gig is not to be missed – though you’ll have a job finding a ticket at this stage.

Described by the Daily Telegraph as “One of Ireland’s most respected musicians”, Sinnott’s performances in Coatbridge and York will be part of their St Patrick Day Festivals.

 

 

Giant celebrations for Iman’s win

by Alastair Brian

Children from Holy Cross Primary School in Govanhill got a GIANT surprise on Monday 18 June, when present day giant,  Big Rory paid them a visit.

Primary pupils from across Scotland had been encouraged to create artworks based on the myth of the creation of the Giant’s Causeway during a fight between legendary giants Finn McCool  in Ireland and  Benandonner in Scotland.

The competition was sponsored by Tourism Ireland in celebration of the new Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre in Northern Ireland. More than 400 children entered, and the winning piece was created by 12-year-old Iman Adlain, a Primary 7 pupil at Holy Cross Primary.

The talented winner has been rewarded with a trip to the stunning Giant’s Causeway with his family and was presented with his prize by Big Rory the Giant who stands  9 feet high.

Award-winning Scottish children’s writer Teresa Breslin visited the school alongside Big Rory, and held a storytelling session, recounting the legendary tale of the Giant’s Causeway and the feud between Irish Giant Finn McCool and the Scottish Benandonner which resulted in its creation.

She said: ‘I am delighted to visit Holy Cross Primary School to present Iman with his prize and to join his school mates in celebrating his success. I’m always eager to get involved with projects which encourage children to develop their artistic and reading skills, and I was delighted to witness such a high volume of entries.

‘Schools from all over Scotland produced artwork of an extremely high calibre, and Iman’s representation of Benandonner is very colourful and unique. He’ll now have the opportunity to see this most amazing natural phenomenon when he visits the Giant’s Causeway with his family.’

The £18.5 million Visitor Centre at the Giant’s Causeway is due to open in July 2012 and will use the latest technology to guide tourists around Ireland’s only World Heritage Site. Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: ‘With the opening of the highly-anticipated Visitor Centre scheduled for next month, there has never been a better time to visit the Giant’s Causeway and we are delighted to invite Iman and his family to experience it first-hand.’

Further information on the Giant’s Causeway and what’s happening in Northern Ireland this year can be found at www.discoverireland.com