Tommy Tiernan's favourite comedian is coming to Ballina
Comedian John Colleary is bringing his latest show to Ballina Arts Centre.
John Colleary, who Tommy Tiernan has described as his favourite comic, is coming to Ballina Arts Centre on Saturday, September 21st.
John spent 2022 and early 2023 opening for Tommy on his sold-out show ‘Tomfoolery’ and Tommy has described his humour as “playful, inventive and brilliant…. I learned so much from him…. The best.”
John's first solo show, 'Loud & Colleary', went nationwide in Autumn 2023, and this is a chance for Ballina audiences to catch the follow-up, which is entitled 'Head Like A Shed'.
As well as being one of the most in-demand comics in the country, John has also co-written and starred in IFTA nominated shows, (RTÉ2) and (RTÉ One). His other TV credits include appearances on (Live from Róisín Dubh) and (RTÉ2).
A talented actor and mimic, John featured as one third of The Gusset Brothers on (RTÉ One). He has also scooped a PPI Award for his topical sketch writing and performance on Today FM’s .
He is a favourite at Ireland’s top comedy clubs and festivals so make sure to catch this great night of comedy this September. Tickets, priced €18 (Concessions €16), are available on-line, or from the box office at 096-73593.
Meanwhile, two interesting art exhibitions continue to be showcased at Ballina Arts Centre.
'One Day: Borderlines of Memory' is an evocative exhibition by the artist Eamon O’Kane.
This exhibition delves into personal history, focusing on the recent past, and showcases O’Kane’s research and development of artworks based on childhood memories of growing up near the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The centrepiece of the exhibition is a new installation featuring drawings that excavate these childhood memories. Derived from photographs taken by his parents in 1976, these drawings capture a young family in the garden of the historic Cavanacor House, which they moved into the year O’Kane was born.
O’Kane reflects on how growing up in the house and surrounding grounds and being close to his parents’ artworks have influenced his own creative practice.
The second exhibition is 'Fragile Island' by Catherine Weld.
"Land is both timeless and embodies all time," Catherine explains. "It holds the memory of trees, animals, birds, small creeping creatures and the footsteps of man. Separation from the spirit of the land is leading to our demise; experiencing the sensations of the land will reconnect us, placing us in a continuum; land is the past, present and future, beauty and destruction combined.
As I walk and draw in the landscape, I have a sense of isolation and also connection; no one is here but I am not alone. There are the foot prints of those few people who know this place and were here yesterday; they will come again tomorrow. There are deer tracks and the song of birds barely glimpsed. There are traces of the past in the abandoned turf cuts, and intimations of the future in the deciduous that will reach maturity long after I have gone.
The paintings that follow are a conversation between materials and place, between the physical properties of oil paint and charcoal, canvas and paper and my passion for searching for what is real in a landscape through the process of abstraction. I aim for finished works that challenge the viewer, are rich in colour, line, tone, layering and texture and are imbued with atmosphere and a sense of place.
