North West Disability Services Showcase

In these challenging times, it is necessary to look at new ways of communicating and promoting our worthwhile work for people with disabilities. With this in mind the Disability Federation of Ireland is staging an information & networking event on 23rd March 11.00 – 3.00, in the Great Northern Hotel in Bundoran, Co. Donegal, which will give voluntary disability organisations, the health services, community organisations, as well as private providers an opportunity to present themselves and the services they provide to people with disabilities. The event focuses on organisations providing services in the greater North West Region, including Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.

It is a well-known fact that the services for people with disabilities are undergoing major changes at present – new service models, different providers, reduced levels of funding and ever increasing standards. The Disability Federation wants to give the stakeholders in the field an opportunity to inform about and promote their services through this event, which will have three distinct parts:

1. Series of short presentation by any interested organisation
2. Opportunity to have information stands
3. Networking & Opportunity to talk to media representatives & the general public

The event is aimed at disability service providers, professionals from the sector, people with disabilities, in particular those that are not receiving services at present, local media and the wider general public.

For more information and bookings you can contact Marcus Hufsky, Regional Support Officer, Disability Federation of Ireland. Tel. 071-9150098

GET THE BLESSING

Friday March 19th  -   Tobergal Lane Café Upstairs

“Occasionally you hear a jazz album that you know would shift truckloads of units if only it weren’t labelled ‘jazz’. Bugs in Amber is just such a disc.”- Metro
The Bristol Boys are back! After a rapturous reception last July they just had to come back. Tobergal Lane Café have duly come up trumps, bringing them as the headline music event for the SÓ Food and Cultural Festival. Adm €15, Doors 8.30. This time its even better than last time! The original line up, with 2 original Portishead members, bassist Jim Barr and drummer Clive Deamer, plus the horn section from hell, Pete Judge, trumpet and Jake McMurchie, saxophone. Tickets Available online - Click here to buy them at Tickets.ie

Get the Blessing on YouTube

****** “Gloriously powerful”– BBC Music Magazine

“A blast” – Mojo

“A revelation” – Evening Standard

Other Sligo gigs in March:
Tobergal Lane Café:  Fridays March 12 and 26, 8pm adm free -

The Odd Couple – Kieran Quinn, piano, Eddie Lee, bass and Ken McDonald drums, return to the fray after a couple of month’s absence.

Tobergal Lane Café: St Patricks Day March 17, 2-5pm:

Jazz Brunch with The Odd Couple. Jazz and hi-jinx for Paddys day. €15 including buffet (upstairs).
The Strand Bar, Strandhill: Saturday March 20, 10.30pm:

Sinead’s Swing and Soul Revue with Sinead Conway (voc), Dave Flynn (guitar, vocs), Eddie Lee (bass), Kieran Quinn (piano), Ken McDonald (drums)

more info: www.sligojazz.ie

Dutch DJing legend Marco V embarks on a three-date Irish Tour this Month as Planetlove WKD host three mammoth nights on both sides of the border.

The Clarence in Sligo, Clubland in Cookstown and The Relic in Newry home the international superstar from Friday 12 to Tuesday 16 March and revellers can expect to hear some of the biggest tunes in dance music history from the man who created them all.

Marco V set the trance world alight in the early 2000s with productions like ‘Godd’, ‘Simulated’ and ‘In Charge’, and his remix of Energy 52’s iconic track; ‘Café del Mar’

He shot to the forefront of the world’s DJing circuit and achieved instant fame, securing sets at every major club and festival around the world.

In 2005 and 2006 the media-friendly showman introduced the sound of electro to his productions and again enjoyed massive success with electro-trance crossover hits like ‘Second Bite’, ‘Red Blue Purple’ and ‘False Light’.

Demand for the “V man’s” services was unprecedented and he again took his ever-evolving sound across the planet winning a new legion of fans in all four corners of the globe.

Just last year Marco V returned with his third (two-part) artist album; Propaganda V1 and Propaganda V2.

The album is a trip across the spectrum of electronic music touching on trance, techno, electro and more chilled out sounds.

Taking the concept of the artist album further, the Dutch sensation collaborated with UK illustrator Vee Ladwa to produce a comic book to accompany both CDs in the release – who said the music industry was predictable?

Now in 2010 Marco V has just released his latest productions – a double A side release featuring ‘Predator’ and ‘Song In My Head’.

The electro/trance crossover tracks are already topping download charts and powering through club speakers across Europe reconfirming Marco V’s place amongst the world’s DJing elite and setting the benchmark for aspiring DJs and producers.

Planetlove WKD presents Marco V’s Ireland Tour 2010 in The Clarence, Sligo, on Friday 12 March, Clubland in Cookstown on Saturday 13 March and The Relic, Newry, on St Patrick’s Eve Tuesday 16 March.

Admission to The Clarence is €15 with support coming in the form of Michael Doherty, William Britton, Tommy Finan, Gavin Conlon and Fionntan Ganley.

DJ Mog warms things up in Clubland while John Gibbons, Major 12 Inch and Jonny Brown do the same in The Relic. Entry on both nights in £12.

For more information on Marco V’s Ireland Tour 2010 and all other Planetlove events log onto www.planetlovemusic.com, www.bebo.com/planetlovemusic, www.twitter.com/planetlovemusic and search Planetlove Official on Facebook.

We are delighted to announce another Drink & Draw, put together by Wayne O’ Conner. Its been a while since the previous one back in Novemeber 2009. As before the club invites anyone interested in doing a sketch over a chat and a pint. A very informal evening, all is required is a sketchbook and a pencil/markers whatever takes your fancy.
Founded by Dave Johnson, Jeff Johnson and Dan Panosian, the Drink & Draw Social Club was founded out of a mutual love of socializing, drinking and drawing. Drawing on napkins, menus, walls and sometimes even a sketchbook or two, this informal group huddles around the tables and booths of pubs and taverns for the unusual camradarie that it promises to bring.
The club started in America and has spread out across the country, with Drink and Draw clubs cropping up in San Diego, LA, New York, Miami and more and recently spreading to England and to Cork City.

EVENT VENUE: Furey’s Bar
EVENT TIME: Tuesday 23rd @8.00pm

RSVP: Drink And Draw II

Join Open Coffee Sligo for a networking event Wed 24th Feb, 6.30-7.30pm at the Innovation Centre, IT Sligo http://eepurl.com/hU9j

Enterprise & Innovation Week will run from the 22nd to the 25th of February 2010 at The Innovation Centre, (formerly the BIC). The Innovation Centre has invited Open Coffee Sligo and Northwest Connects to participate.

This free, casual networking event will be held on the Wednesday, 24th of February from 6.30-7.30pm at The Hub (in the Innovation Centre, 1st floor). Refreshments will be served. After the networking event the attendees will go to A0005 in the IT’s main building to see Sean Gallagher from Smart Homes on Dragon’s Den. This is an open event, no need to register.

Details of the Temple House Festival will be announced soon.

A new festival is to launch this year in Temple House, a country pile not too dissimilar to the Electric Picnic-hosting Stradbally Hall, which is set in over 1,000 acres of countryside.

It’s located just outside Ballinacarrow in County Sligo, with the nearest railway station a few miles away in Ballymote.

The promoters of the “music, culture & the arts” event are promising to reveal all shortly on their dedicated website.

NOTE: SligoTV did not publish the website’s links due to a report of malicious software detected by Google (see image beside).

Led by children and disabled individuals to the beat of samba drums, a crowd of pedestrians gathered on O’Connell Street Saturday to “take the street back.” Participants, also including families, shop vendors, shoppers, and the arts community, used the theme of a “Love-In” for O’Connell Street and Sligo’s future – emphasising the need for a proper pedestrianised centre in order for Sligo to thrive. Those most dramatically affected by the creation of the contested street corridor – children and the disabled – held signs such as “People Not Cars” and “Hello, it’s me!” which stressed the necessity of all voices being heard and for the development of car-free zones for everyone.

Campaigners, holding signs such as “We Love Our Street,” re-pedestrianised the street “with love” for part of the afternoon. Organisers were delighted with the turn out, the sunny weather and the welcome that the march received from the public. “People not only applauded us, they came onto the street and joined the event – which indicates that everyone feels they have a stake in the development of the town’s centre,” a spokesperson stated.

Another spokesperson continued, “The campaign is growing more and more into the mainstream since the street was opened to traffic. People who may not have felt strongly about this issue now see the devastating effect of losing this pedestrianised zone.” Since the street was opened to traffic, the safety of the town’s centre has arguably diminished – creating an “obstacle course for the disabled” (Marcus Hufsky, Disability Federation) as well as for pedestrians and cyclists. Additionally, traffic in and around Sligo has allegedly worsened since the street was de-pedestrianised. “At this moment, many wonder what was the real reason why the Sligo Borough Councillors made this retrograde decision – where the ill effects are so dramatically obvious and solutions offered for traffic congestion and emergency services have failed,” a spokesperson continued. Shortly after the “O’Connell Street Love In,” an ambulance with sirens was stuck on O’Connell Street – unable to make its way to the hospital because of a traffic build up. “If the street were pedestrianised, emergency services would maneuver down O’Connell Street with ease when bollards are opened to accommodate these necessities. It’s common sense.”

Last November, Sligo Borough Councillors decided to open the pedestrianised street to traffic in defiance of 96.5% of the community’s opinion and the advice of professionals (Manager’s Report to the 2010-2015 Sligo Development Plan). Since June of 2009, when the campaign to protect O’Connell Street began – including a highly attended O’Connell Street Festival in August – support for keeping O’Connell Street pedestrianised has gained momentum. A facebook site to support the campaign (“Walking Down O’Connell Street”) has grown to over 3600 members.“We are a highly visible community that has had to begin our own group, Sligo Democracy, in the absence of due democratic representation on this issue.”

“We welcome negotiations with the Borough Councillors for a solution to pedestrianising the street without spending several million euro,” a spokesperson stated Saturday. “The Council’s recent offer to repedestrianise the street on weekends is a sign that there is a willingness to work with us – but the street must be pedestrianised full-time, as it was until last December.”

“We have to work on this together with imagination.” Another spokesperson concluded, then indicating that a drawing contest for “Imagine O’Connell Street” will be announced shortly to help fuel the community’s participation in shaping Sligo’s future.

Campaigners promise further events and activities in the near future until a solution is made.

The Collaborative Portrait Project is an artist-led project generated by Sarah Stevens. This project ran from May ’08 – November ’09 at The Gilhooly Hall Studio, Sligo. It was funded by Sligo Arts Service and The Arts and Disability Forum. It was supported by Rehab Care, Sligo. Mary-Kate Dolan was the other participant involved in the project.

The aims of this project were:

• To open up the experience of arts practice to someone from a non-arts background.
• To address the issue how someone with artistic talent and also with intellectual disabilities can gain better equality of access to the arts.
• To blur the divide between community arts and studio practice.
• For the artist to enrich their own studio practice through collaboration.
• To create an experience that is productive and meaningful for all involved.

The intention of this project was not to work creatively to someone with learning disabilities, but to address a need. This project also attempts to ask how someone who is very good at art but also has learning disabilities can realize their potential. What can be learn from this experience?

Sarah and Mary-Kate worked together on a one-to-one basis to create a studio-based practice at The Gilhooly Hall studio. Over a 1.5 year period both developed a series of drawings and paintings around the theme of portraiture. Through working on separate pieces, the experience of working together was collaborative. This is because the open-ended process-based nature of the project allowed both artists to influence each other in terms of choice of subject matter; materials used and approaches to drawing and painting. Both found the process deeply engaging and enriching.

The work made in The Collaborative Project will be exhibited in February at Teach ban Nua Gallery, Sligo. Opening on 18th February.

The Model are delighted to announce the final New Spaces for Music gig later this month featuring the awesome Neosupervital. On February 27th the Wolf on Arm Studio space will rock/pop one last time before we return to our brand new building on The Mall.

Neosupervital (aka Tim O’Donovan from Dublin) makes pop music for dancing and related activities. Set to release his second album later this year this Sligo gig will be a chance to catch his toe-tapping inducing live set before he heads off to the prestigious Canadian Music Week in Toronto in March.

Neosupervital’s self-titled debut album was released in late 2006 and its success resulted in Tim sharing the stage acts like Tom Vek, Money Mark, and Telepathe among many others.

The video for Rachel was picked up by MTV2 and this was swiftly followed by a tour with the Human League through Ireland, the UK and Europe. If you’ve seen him do his thing on stage it’ll be no surprise that the live show is where it’s at for Tim “I want to taste the sweat and feel the people”, he says.

A recent review describes the Neosupervital magic perfectly: “The place was rammed with punters in seconds. Clawing our way to the front was well worth the wounds, Tim O’Donovan never fails to entertain and this evening’s performance was no different. Working his way through the sea of sweaty dancing bodies to serenade them while standing on the bar and inviting adoring fans to join him onstage, that Neosupervital magic got every foot in the venue stomping. Those flashing shades, the infectious electro beats coupled with O’Donovan’s witty banter and boundless energy make for an aural and visual experience to be contended with. . . .He’s like a cross between the energiser bunny and Bowie! Unpredictable? Yes, but we can’t wait to see what he does next!”.

Tickets are €10 and include a free dink on arrival. Tickets are available from The Model now on 071 91 41405. The gig starts at 9pm in the Wolf On Arm studio space, Wolfe Tone Street, Sligo. Early booking is advisable.

The “Save O’Connell Street Campaign” kicks off again this Saturday at 1 pm.

Valentine’s Day Style “Take Back O’Connell Street” Event
Saturday February 13th
1 pm
O’Connell Street

An artist’s rendering of O’Connell Street illustrates the simple potential of Sligo’s main street as a pedestrianised zone. This drawing by Sligo-based Leonie Cornelius epitomises the local spirit to create a proper centre for Sligo. Since summer last year, the public repeatedly indicated to the local Borough Council that O’Connell Street should not be de-pedestrianised. Now that traffic has been reintroduced in the most retrograde fashion – against the majority of the public’s will – a campaign continues to take the street back.

Everyone is welcome this upcoming Saturday event to take back O’Connell Street, Valentine’s Day Style. Organisers expect a cross-section of the local community, from business people to the arts community to members of the disabled community and Sligo families, educators and youth. The theme is “love Sligo, love the street,” and signs (see attached images) are already prepared for this event.

It is clear that the Sligo Borough Councillors’ November 2009 decision to re-introduce traffic on the pedestrianised street has not only been unpopular, it has outraged the local community. The Sligo County Council’s recent decision to deny renewing the Borough Council’s responsibility for Sligo roads is a clear message that the Borough Council are incapable of representing the Sligo public’s best interests on this matter. Further, the legitimacy of introducing traffic onto this street continues to be investigated – especially the means to which Sligo Borough Councillors passed this decision in opposition to all democratic process and consultation. The anti-democratic decision has eroded the public’s faith in their local representatives and has spurred the campaign to save this street. The Save O’Connell Street Campaign will continue until the re-instatement of the pedestrian zone is complete. An opening on weekends (as suggested by one Borough Councillor) does not suffice, campaigners clearly state.

Re-introducing traffic has and will continue to be bad for Sligo – whether by destroying the town’s vital centre, being a domino effect for job loss as businesses see less activity on O’Connell Street, or by making Sligo a less attractive destination for tourists. Further, since re-opening O’Connell Street to traffic in December 2009, the traffic in town has dramatically worsened as has the safety for pedestrians, families, cyclists and the disabled. The current design of O’Connell Street with dozens of steel bollards at the street’s edge has been identified as a dangerous “obstacle course” for disabled individuals, cyclists and ordinary pedestrians.

Campaigners welcome everyone to attend the “Save O’Connell Street” event this Saturday, 1 pm, on O’Connell Street.

Sligo Democracy