July 2022
VISUAL ART: NYTDC Art Show
Riverbank Arts Centre is delighted to welcome Newbridge Youth Training & Development Centre to our Foyer Gallery with their end of year Art Exhibition. "As art is currently taught in education, it leaves a lot to be desired. It is stringent, uninspiring, yet demanding. The students of NYTDC have been given free reign of a variety of materials, to create and explore outside of standardised testing. Whatever materials interested them was fair game, no holds barred. The evidence of this…
Find out more »September 2022
VISUAL ART: A Way Home – An Slí Abhaile
Riverbank Arts Centre welcomes a new exhibition for children, showcasing the breadth of talent in contemporary Irish illustration, while retelling the story of Samhain (Halloween) for a new generation. Two siblings get lost in the woods. There they meet a mysterious traveller and embark on an adventure that sees them encountering a cheeky púca, some lost souls, and a choir of banshees… This is a story of Halloween as told by children’s writer Olivia Hope. A Way Home / An…
Find out more »FAMILY: Joe the Magician Live! Children’s Magic & Illusion Show
It’s Joe the Magician from RTÉjr! And he’s bringing his spectacular children’s comedy magic and illusion show to Riverbank Arts Centre for one spectacular afternoon of mind boggling fun! Joe’s show fuses laugh out loud comedy magic with absolutely jaw dropping spectacular illusions live on stage. It’s a rollercoaster theatrical ride that reinvents children’s entertainment. Tables will fly, a friendly ghost will magically fly into the audience and charm kids and grownups alike! Joe will even make it snow live…
Find out more »VISUAL ART: Fathom by Caoimhe McGuckin
Riverbank Arts Centre welcomes artist Caoimhe McGuckin to the McKenna Gallery with her first solo exhibition Fathom. " Measurement is an ordering principle we use to understand and orient ourselves in time and space. We need dimensions to help us make sense of an otherwise chaotic existence. Tools of measurement serve as reliable objects that keep us in line and on the straight & narrow. The sense of authority bestowed by reliable objects can provide a place of solace & support in the face…
Find out more »THEATRE: Arán & Im by Manchán Magan
What can the word for the lonesomeness of a cow bereft of her calf, diadhánach, teach us about our current methods of food production? Why does one need to orientate oneself to the sun to give directions in Irish? Arán & Im is a theatrical performance in which Manchán Magan bakes sourdough bread while offering insights into the wonders of the Irish language – exploring potent words of landscape, terms of intuition and insight, and the many phrases that bring…
Find out more »THEATRE: Arán & Im by Manchán Magan
What can the word for the lonesomeness of a cow bereft of her calf, diadhánach, teach us about our current methods of food production? Why does one need to orientate oneself to the sun to give directions in Irish? Arán & Im is a theatrical performance in which Manchán Magan bakes sourdough bread while offering insights into the wonders of the Irish language – exploring potent words of landscape, terms of intuition and insight, and the many phrases that bring…
Find out more »CINEMA: Joyride
When 13-year-old Mully robs a taxi to escape from his selfish father, he discovers two unexpected passengers sleeping in the back seat: a local solicitor named Joy and her newborn baby. An unhappy Joy plans to leave the baby with friends and fly to Lanzarote. However, those plans are thrown up in the air when she and Mully end up on an unexpected road trip across County Kerry. Joyride is a true crowd-pleaser. Award-winning documentary maker Emer Reynolds (The Farthest,…
Find out more »THEATRE: Paddy Cullivan’s The Murder of Michael Collins
Historical Entertainer Paddy Cullivan brings you the incredible story of the death of Ireland’s first Commander-in-Chief. An audio-visual spectacular featuring hundreds of images, shocking new research and incredible songs, Paddy dares to unravel the secrets and lies around what happened that fateful day in Béal na mBlath, 22nd August 1922. Did Michael Collins have a secret son in London? Was he really going to keep to the Anglo-Irish Treaty or was he planning to resume the war? If the anti-treaty…
Find out more »MUSIC: Ian Wilson – Beside the Sea
Beside the Sea is an ambitious and innovative work of music theatre by composer Ian Wilson for violinist, soundtrack and found objects that explores ideas around memory, personhood and how to evoke a life and its trajectory through music. Wilson wanted to make this piece since his father died four years ago after a long battle with Alzheimer’s; the goal is a work of art which examines how much of a role memory has in making a person and what…
Find out more »FAMILY CINEMA: Lightyear
A sci-fi action adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy. Lightyear follows the legendary Space Ranger after he’s marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million lightyears from Earth alongside his commander and their crew. As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time,he’s joined by a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg,…
Find out more »MUSIC: The Legend of Luke Kelly
It is said that on January 30th 1984 the whole of Ireland grieved the early death of Dubliner Luke Kelly. He has left an indelible mark as being the greatest folk artist of the 20th Century and his music is widely regarded as one of Ireland's cultural treasures. Now Dublin man & multi-instrumentalist Chris Kavanagh & his band return to Riverbank Arts Centre with their successful show The Legend of Luke Kelly. Audiences will be treated to a passionate performance…
Find out more »CINEMA: Elvis
From Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, ELVIS is an epic, big-screen spectacle that explores the life and music of Elvis Presley. Elvis’s story is seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Central to Elvis’s journey is one of the significant and influential people in his life, Priscilla Presley. His rise to fame and subsequent unprecedented stardom, is set against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Starring…
Find out more »MUSIC: Freddie White
Freddie White has long been synonymous with music of the highest quality. He has been part of the fabric of the live music scene in Ireland since the 1970’s and his albums continue to sell well, amongst his loyal and newfound fan base. Born in Cobh, Co. Cork into a musical family, by age 17 he was playing professionally. At 19, he moved to London, where he busked in subways, and developed his unique voice and guitar style. His earliest…
Find out more »CINEMA: Anaïs in Love (Les Amour D’Anaïs)
In this sparkling and elegant romantic comedy, the free-spirited and giddily impulsive Anaïs (Anaïs Demoustier) careers from one lover to the next while trying to find some direction in her life. Following a brief dalliance with an older man (Denis Podalydès), she soon finds herself captivated instead by his beautiful long-time partner Emilie (Valeria Bruni- Tedeschi), a successful and beguilingly charismatic writer, and an affair begins which may just offer the contentment Anaïs has been searching for. Featuring stunning Paris…
Find out more »COMEDY: How to get the Menopause and Enjoy It
Join Anne on this fabulous, informative, laugh-out-loud, trip through all things Menopause. What is it? Why does it happen? How come it barely bothers some women and shakes others to the core? Why is it named after men? Why didn’t our mammies warn us about it? Is there anything you can do about it? And why oh why is so little known about this inevitable phase of lady-life? Anne answers all these questions and more, as she brings TMI to…
Find out more »October 2022
Music Network Presents: Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Cormac De Barra & Mark Redmond
Music Network brings together three leading lights of Irish traditional music for a unique autumnal confluence: a journey through a landscape rich with the timbres of fiddle, harp, uilleann pipes and whistle, and voices intertwined in song at every bend in the road. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Cormac De Barra and Mark Redmond have graced stages and screens around Ireland and the world for several decades, and they are each undisputed masters of their respective instruments, rooted in tradition and with…
Find out more »CINEMA: The Good Boss (El Buen Patron)
The Good Boss is a workplace comedy with Javier Bardem as the friendly face of capitalist corruption, a biting and acerbic character study and a darkly funny social. It tells the story of Básculas Blanco, a Spanish company producing industrial scales in a provincial Spanish town. They are awaiting the imminent visit from a committee which holds its fate in their hands as to whether they merit a local Business Excellence award: everything has to be perfect when the time…
Find out more »CINEMA: Operation Mincemeat
It’s 1943. The Allies are determined to break Hitler’s grip on occupied Europe, and plan to launch an all-out assault on Sicily; but they face an impossible challenge - how to protect the invasion force from potential annihilation. It falls to two remarkable intelligence officers, Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew MacFadyen) to dream the most inspired and improbable disinformation strategy of the war - centred on the most unlikely of secret agents: a dead man. Operation Mincemeat is the extraordinary and true story…
Find out more »CINEMA: Everything Went Fine (Tout S’est Bien Passé)
Eighty-five year old André is a wealthy and successful art-collector, used to doing everything on his own terms. So, when he suffers a stroke, which leaves him unable to continue life as before, he asks his two daughters for help with his assisted suicide. The burden of dealing with this falls to his eldest daughter Emmanuèle, who must navigate the challenging consequences and practicalities of André’s decision. Acclaimed director François Ozon’s handles this difficult subject, which is based on the…
Find out more »THEATRE: Selvage
Selvage (a line of self securing knitting), is a show about unravelling tightly wound modern anxieties and a boy's triumph over his 'gnaw'. It is a creative examination of the countless avenues people trudge in an effort to calm themselves while a ‘gnaw’ waits not far from the surface. Following the incarceration of his beloved granny, Selvage follows Joe as he navigates an often cruel world, seeking solace in consumerism, charity and religion. Written by James Riordan, Directed by Lara…
Find out more »COMEDY: Deirdre O’Kane Demented
There's a point beyond burnout where all you can do is laugh, and funnywoman Deirdre O'Kane has well and truly reached it. Catch her brilliant new stand-up show, Demented, at Riverbank Arts Centre. "Unique star quality." – The Guardian
Find out more »LOCAL ARTS: Route 66 Big Band – Live in Concert
Route 66 is a 16 piece Big Band with big sound! Route 66 make a very welcome return to Riverbank, bringing their unique mix of music which has proved a huge success in theatres all over Ireland. Fronted by a male and female singer and with a mix of brass, saxes and rhythm, Route 66 produces a fabulous sound. Their programme, which includes numbers made famous by Adele, Frank Sinatra, Amy Winehouse, Tom Jones plus many more , will have…
Find out more »CINEMA: Róise & Frank
Róise, a woman still in mourning following the death of her husband Frank, is initially annoyed when a mysterious dog shows up at her door. But a series of eerie coincidences soon has Róise convinced that the dog is Frank, reincarnated. As this new canine companion helps Róise overcome her grief, ‘Frank the dog’ also proves an unlikely new friend for shy, hurling-loving local boy Maidhchi. But as Frank wins over the town, Róise’s neighbour Donncha has some sinister plans…
Find out more »MUSIC: Ye Vagabonds
Brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn grew up playing music together around their hometown of Carlow, a small town in the south east of Ireland. After moving to Dublin in 2012, they quickly became a staple of the live music and session scene in Ireland, playing their own original songs as well as folk songs from Ireland, Scotland, England and America. Following two critically acclaimed studio albums, Ye Vagabonds released their third album, Nine Waves, on Rough Trade’s River Lea label in May 2022. Nine…
Find out more »DANCE THEATRE: Michael Keegan-Dolan / Teaċ Daṁsa – MÁM
Mám 1 : 1.Yoke. Faoi mhám an pheaca, under the yoke of sin. 2. Lit: Obligation, duty, function. Mám 2 : Mountain pass. Mám 3 : Handful. ~ mhilseán, of sweets. Scaipeann sé ina mhámanna é, he throws it away in handfuls. MÁM is a meeting place between soloist and ensemble, classical and traditional, the local and universal. It brings together the virtuoso, Irish traditional concertina player Cormac Begley, the European classical, contemporary collective, s t a r g a…
Find out more »WORKSHOP: Samhain Illustration Workshop with Brian Fitzgerald
Join illustrator and Kildare native Brian Fitzgerald for a fun workshop exploring the basics of designing, sketching and illustrating scary (or not) characters for your own Halloween story. Children will also have an opportunity to make their own Halloween mask. This workshop is suitable for any child who likes to draw, doodle and paint! Duration 90 mins | Ages 8-12 years About the Artist Brian Fitzgerald is an experienced and professional illustrator based in Dublin. A graduate of the National…
Find out more »FAMILY CINEMA: The Addams Family 2
Just in time for Halloween and perfect for your little Ghouls and Ghosts! Everyone’s favourite spooky family is back in the animated comedy sequel, The Addams Family 2. In this all new movie we find Morticia and Gomez distraught that their children are growing up, skipping family dinners, and totally consumed with “scream time.” To reclaim their bond they decide to cram Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester and the crew into their haunted camper and hit the road for one last miserable family vacation. Their adventure across America takes…
Find out more »DANCE THEATRE: Michael Keegan-Dolan / Teaċ Daṁsa – MÁM
Mám 1 : 1.Yoke. Faoi mhám an pheaca, under the yoke of sin. 2. Lit: Obligation, duty, function. Mám 2 : Mountain pass. Mám 3 : Handful. ~ mhilseán, of sweets. Scaipeann sé ina mhámanna é, he throws it away in handfuls. MÁM is a meeting place between soloist and ensemble, classical and traditional, the local and universal. It brings together the virtuoso, Irish traditional concertina player Cormac Begley, the European classical, contemporary collective, s t a r g a…
Find out more »November 2022
COMEDY: David O’Doherty whoa Is Me
Here he comes again, trotting on to the stage with all of the misplaced confidence of a waiter with no pad. Is he going to remember it? HOPEFULLY! There'll be lots of talking, some apologising and some songs on a glued together plastic keyboard from 1986. As seen on BBC's 'Live at The Apollo' and Channel 4's '8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'.
Find out more »MUSIC: The Liverpool Quartet
Róisín Walters, violin Sareah Hill, violin Dani Sanxis, viola Nick Byrne, cello Founded in 2010 , the Liverpool String Quartet is made up of musicians who met whilst playing together in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Róisín Walters’ Liverpool Quartet brings an exciting and varied programme including their own arrangement of the impassioned tangos of Piazzolla’s extraordinary Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Still relatively unknown, Zemlinsky pursued a parallel compositional path to Schoenberg and this beautiful early masterpiece is very much in the genre of…
Find out more »CINEMA: Tigers
Tigers is based on the enthralling true story of a young Swedish football prodigy who's plunged into the seductive and cut-throat industry of global professional sport. Erik is a dedicated 16-year-old footballer whose childhood dream comes true when he is signed by the world famous club Inter Milan. However, he is not prepared for the competitive nature of the sport and the hostility he is met with by his peers. Based on Martin Bengtsson’s autobiographical record of his experiences, Tigers…
Find out more »VISUAL ART: Dētrīmentum by Katie Whyte
Dētrīmentum is a video and photographic installation by Kildare artist Katie Whyte. A Latin word meaning harm, loss, or damage, Dētrīmentum is an exploration of the journey of an object from an intact historical/archival piece, to an object that has fallen into disrepair and out of the collective memory. This installation focuses on presenting hidden and lost historical narratives in photographic form. Using new media glitching techniques, the detached narrative histories of these objects are interlaced with the code of…
Find out more »VISUAL ART: FIBRE Felted by Tamzen Lundy
Tamzen Lundy’s colourful exhibition FIBRE Felted introduces young people to the wonders and possibilities of felt making, the oldest textile making process in the world. Using 100% wool (and sometimes other natural fibres), soap and water plus rubbing, rolling and a little magic, the artist creates intriguing 2D and 3D objects and many familiar characters inspired by much-loved children’s books. The woollen textiles in FIBRE Felted are playful and experimental, the only tools required to create them are the artist’s…
Find out more »CINEMA: Small Body (Piccolo Corpo)
Set in north-eastern Italy, Laura Samani’s feature debut follows a grieving mother on an impossible journey to safe the soul of her stillborn daughter. In an isolated island community at the beginning of the 20th century, Agate gives birth to a little girl; sleeping. Terrified that her child will forever drift in spiritual limbo, she flees husband and family, with her baby’s body, embarking on a desperate, dangerous journey to the mountains, where there may be someone somewhere who can…
Find out more »WORKSHOP: Glitch Workshop by Katie Whyte
Discover Data Bending and Glitch Art with Artist Katie Whyte. Katie Whyte is an artist who uses data insertion to create glitches in digital photography and video (Glitch Art, Data Moshing and Data Bending). In this workshop Katie will introduce and explore the topic of Glitch and Glitch Art. Participants will then be guided through the process making their own unique glitch artworks. Participants should bring their own laptops if possible. Duration: 2hrs Katie Whyte is a Kildare based artist…
Find out more »LOCAL ARTS: Riff Raff Drama Group Presents – The Work of Art
Riff Raff are back with The Work of Art by Dave Tiernan! Set in 1960 rural Ireland, Biddy Smith’s husband Mick is away in the Congo and Biddy is left to keep her home and family in order. But with her son Tommy wheeling and dealing with Biddy’s brother-in-law they get on the wrong side of the parish priest. The situation isn’t helped when her daughter Peggy’s new boyfriend Morgan claims an old painting is the real deal. Madness, Sadness and…
Find out more »LOCAL ARTS: Riff Raff Drama Group Presents – The Work of Art
Riff Raff are back with The Work of Art by Dave Tiernan! Set in 1960 rural Ireland, Biddy Smith’s husband Mick is away in the Congo and Biddy is left to keep her home and family in order. But with her son Tommy wheeling and dealing with Biddy’s brother-in-law they get on the wrong side of the parish priest. The situation isn’t helped when her daughter Peggy’s new boyfriend Morgan claims an old painting is the real deal. Madness, Sadness and…
Find out more »LOCAL ARTS: Riff Raff Drama Group Presents – The Work of Art
Riff Raff are back with The Work of Art by Dave Tiernan! Set in 1960 rural Ireland, Biddy Smith’s husband Mick is away in the Congo and Biddy is left to keep her home and family in order. But with her son Tommy wheeling and dealing with Biddy’s brother-in-law they get on the wrong side of the parish priest. The situation isn’t helped when her daughter Peggy’s new boyfriend Morgan claims an old painting is the real deal. Madness, Sadness and…
Find out more »CINEMA: Where the Crawdads Sing
From the best-selling novel by Delia Owens comes a captivating mystery. Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumours of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is…
Find out more »December 2022
MUSIC: Andy Irvine & Dónal Lunny
Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny, in their separate ways, have contributed to a veritable renaissance in Irish traditional music. Between them, Dónal Lunny and Andy Irvine have careers that read like a 'Who's Who' of popular music. Lunny has produced albums for Elvis Costello, Paul Brady, Clannad, and The Indigo Girls, and composed the soundtracks for Eat the Peach, and Teardrops. As a musician, Lunny has performed on more than a dozen Christy Moore albums and was an integral part…
Find out more »COMEDY: Dirtbirds #No Filter
In a world where women are expected to have the patience of Mother Teresa, the arse of Jennifer Lopez, the social media profile of Kim Kardashian and the BMI of Elle McPherson the pressure is relentless. Dirtbirds the comedy duo and internet sensation present their hilarious new show ‘No Filters’ which takes a close look at the barrage of bullshit we are subjected to on a daily basis and reminds us that despite what we’re told there is NO SUCH…
Find out more »WORKSHOP: Wet Felting with Tamzen Lundy
In this fun morning, children will learn the basics of wet felting, the worlds oldest form of textile making. This is a fabulous introduction to a very sensory craft, suitable for beginners. There will be plenty of soapy bubbles and soft fibres. Roll up your sleeves and rub a dub dub! 10am Magic Wand Pencils 7-9 years Tamzen will introduce the group to the basics of wet felting, then move on to felting around a pencil, each student will go…
Find out more »WORKSHOP: Wet Felting with Tamzen Lundy
In this fun morning, children will learn the basics of wet felting, the worlds oldest form of textile making. This is a fabulous introduction to a very sensory craft, suitable for beginners. There will be plenty of soapy bubbles and soft fibres. Roll up your sleeves and rub a dub dub! 10am Magic Wand Pencils 7-9 years Tamzen will introduce the group to the basics of wet felting, then move on to felting around a pencil, each student will go…
Find out more »CINEMA: Both Sides of the Blade
Claire Denis’ piercing exploration of married life features a trio of powerful performances by Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon and Grégoire Colin. Sara (Binoche) and Jean (Lindon) have been together for ten years. Happy in their relationship, the couple first met when Sara was living with François (Colin), Jean’s best friend. Now, years after she last saw him, Sara catches a glimpse of François on the street. He doesn’t see her, but shortly after the encounter, he reconnects with Jean. Slowly,…
Find out more »WORKSHOP: Christmas Felting Workshop with Tamzen Lundy
Make your very own Scandinavian style Santa Claus! Your Santa Claus can be used as a wine bottle topper to gift to a neighbour or to dress your own Christmas table! Adult participants will be introduced to a few wet felting techniques, including an introduction to wet felting in 3D. All materials will be provided and each participant will take away their Santa project. This is an easy, fun and practical workshop suitable for beginners and those that would like…
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