Bunclody festival of light forced inside
Some of the audience pictured during the Art Bank Imbolc Open Mic session
A PARADE to mark the beginning of spring and the ancient festival of Imbolc was forced indoors in Bunclody because of inclement conditions.
Members of the Art Bank arts project in Bunclody had got all their parade elements together, including a sculpture of a horse strewn with lights, but instead had to rearrange the event and took it indoors to their art workshop and gallery on the Saturday night of St Brigid’s weekend. Many of the participants who would have taken part in the parade wore their costumes to an open-mic night instead, where they were treated to poetry, readings and music.
Among those who performed were Niall Toner and Andrea Booth, Elva Crowley, Kate McMeekin, Jenny Furlong, Shannon Phelan, Derek Coyle and Pure Bliss, with organiser John Renwick performing as Kyntrich.
Art Bank is celebrating its tenth birthday this year, having been set up by local artists and run by volunteers in Bunclody. Their headquarters are in a building that was once a bank on the main street in Bunclody so the location is ideal for them. They host art and craft workshops and exhibitions there, while it’s also a rehearsal space for Clody Community Choir.
“We’re all volunteers here and we try to run the cultural centre the way that it should be done. We’ve always had a policy to involve people from different cultures. We want to develop projects that people will respond to. We started ten years ago and we survived the Covid period. There’s been more people contacting us in the last six months than we’ve ever had before. Our reach is spreading,” said John.
To find out more about their activities, see the Art Bank page on Facebook or contact John on 087 3119647.
