Hello all,

Latest news for The London Irish Centre.

Theatre//Gaeilge//1916//Film Club//History Evenings//Donegal Natives//Writers’ Group//Poetry Group//Access to Mental Health Services//London Irish Walk

- Our ‘Six of The Best Irish Theatre’ season is proving to be very successful. See www.londonirishtheatre.com for upcoming shows.

- There are very few places remaining on our ‘European Qualification in Irish’ courses (Levels A1 and A2) starting in September. We’ve had some requests to run Level B1 – let us know if you’re interested and we can make it happen.

- ‘Comhrá’, our friendly Irish language night, will return on Wed Sept 9th, and will run on the first Wed of the month from October. (We’re aware that the 9th is the second Wed in Sept!)

- Close to 1,000 people have registered to audition for ‘1916 The Musical’ on Aug 18-20 here at the Centre. See www.1916themusical.com for your chance to be a star.

- The London Irish Film Club will return on Thur 17th Sept for its monthly residency (Sept 17th/Oct 19th/Dec 17th). Programme details coming next week.

- Booking for ‘Irish Encounters: Three Evenings of History and Culture’ will open next week - £5 each or £12 for all three. 7-9pm.
Sep 22nd: Between Peace and Conflict - A brief introduction to Modern Irish History
Oct 20th: Between the Jigs and the Reels - A brief introduction to Irish Traditional Music
Nov 17th: Between My Finger and My Thumb - A brief introduction to Modern Irish Literature.

- The Donegal Democrat is looking to speak with Donegal natives of all ages. Contact sue.doherty@donegaldemocrat.com.

- London Irish Writers’ Group returns on Sep 9th, and will run on Wed 7-9pm. £50 per term (£30 if paid before Sep 9th). New and established writers are welcome.
e: info@john-dunne.com.

- Also returning is our weekly poetry workshop with Róisín Tierney: Every Tuesday 7-9pm Term: Oct. 6th-Dec 8th. £50 per term (concessions available) e: roisintierney@hotmail.com.

- Slightly off topic, if you’re feeling stressed/anxious/depressed, we can offer culturally sensitive easy access to help and support through our dedicated mental health worker. Contact Nell on health@irishcentre.org. Take the first step.

- Finally, in other news, we went on the London Irish walk last week, which runs from St. Pauls to Covent Garden and is presented by Blue Badge Guide Tony McDonnell. If you’re interested in the role that the Irish have played in London’s history, it’s well worth seeing. Tony 07850 184 790.

Warm wishes,

The London Irish Centre

Hello all,

Firstly, big congrats to the three Irish writers that have been ‘long-listed’ for the Booker Prize - http://alturl.com/4dim. Well done gentlemen.

Latest news: Irish Language//Theatre//1916 Musical//UCL//New Dance School// New Sports Site//Rí Rá//History Evenings//Recent arrivals

- Places for our new Irish language courses are filling fast. You can now register and pay online on the ‘Irish Language’ page at www.irishcentre.org. Book now to avoid disappointment.

- Our ‘Six of The Best’ Irish Theatre season is going great. This week’s show is ‘Mirror Mirror’, featuring The Irish Elders’ Drama Group. See www.londonirishtheatre.com. London’s Rose of Tralee rep ‘Charmaine Kenny’ will be the very special guest at Thursday’s show.

- We are delighted to host auditions for the massive ‘1916 – The Musical’ in mid August. Details on www.1916themusical.com. This will be HUGE.

- University College London is looking for native Irish speakers for a research project. Drop us a line if you’re interested in taking part.

- We’ve got a new Irish dance school kicking off in September. The Aidan O’Neill School of dance will run on Thursday evenings. More on this soon.

- A group of young UK-based Irish journalists have just set up www.thissportingsite.com. Worth a look.

- We’ve just received stock of the new Irish Language comic ‘Rí Rá’. Let us know if you’d like to pick up a copy. www.coimicigael.ie.

- We have teamed up with Tony Murray from London Met University to bring you ‘Irish Encounters: Three Evenings of History and Culture’, starting off in mid Sept. More details soon.

- Various researchers and press people are looking to chat with young Irish arrivals, especially those working in construction. Anyone out there?


All for now,

The London Irish Centre.

P.s. Follow us on Twitter @IrishinLondon.

Hello all,

Welcome to the latest news from The London Irish Centre.

Irish classes // Smaointe Nua – New Ideas // Twitter // London Irish Theatre // Free Irish music taster session // Patrick Maguire exhibition // Bell X1 Tickets // Kilburn Film Festival

- We are kicking off exciting new Irish language courses in September, based on the European Qualification in Irish (www.teg.ie). Full info at the end of this mail. Places are limited - sign up soon.

- We are also bringing together a forum of fresh-thinking people with an interest in Irish culture, under the title ‘Smaointe Nua/New Ideas’. We want to promote Ireland and its art (both traditional and contemporary) in a positive and innovative way. Please get in touch if you’d like to be part of this project – all skills, ideas, and opinions are welcome.

- We’re on Twitter. Follow us (#IrishinLondon) to receive latest news, ticket offers, and interesting Irish cultural content.

- London Irish Theatre are busy with both ‘Celtic Craic’ - a showcase of Irish writing, music and song – and of course their jam-packed programme of summer theatre here at the Centre – ‘Six of The Best: Six new plays by six new writers spread over six weeks’. Full details on both on the ‘Theatre’ page at www.irishcentre.org and www.londonirishtheatre.com.

- Our resident music teachers, Kathy and Karen, are offering the opportunity to ask questions and try your hand at flute, whistle, fiddle, banjo and mandolin. It’s never too late to take up Irish music. This drop in session will take place on Monday 20th July at 7pm, here at LIC. (For great live music see www.returntocamden.org.)

- Our friends at the Kilburn Festival are involved with an exhibition by Irish artist Patrick Maguire. An ‘In Conversation with…’ session will take place on Friday 10th July, 7.30pm at Kingsgate Community Centre. Adm £6.Details at http://alturl.com/v4a5.

- We’ve got 5 pairs of ticket to see the brilliant Irish band Bell X1 on Thursday 19th November at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. To win them, simply send us through the most interesting Irish-related link that you come across. We’ll hold some kind of a vote to pick the top 5! You can buy tickets for the gig at http://alturl.com/vat2.

- The Kilburn Film Festival at The Tricycle Theatre got off to a great start last weekend. The quality remains high this weekend with ‘A Film with Me in it’ (starring Dylan Moran) and more. See www.irishcentre.org for details.

All the best for now,

Gary

Cultural Officer
The London Irish Centre


// IRISH LANGUAGE CLASSES //

Our courses are based on the Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge/European Qualification in Irish, and we have teamed up with the course developers at N.U.I. Maynooth to offer not only top quality classes, but also the opportunity for U.K. based speakers to take exams on completion of the course.

By signing up for one of courses in Sept 2009, you will:

- Join a welcoming bunch of fellow learners, facilitated by our professional teaching staff.

- Work through a structured and dynamic course, based on the European Qualification in Irish, developing skills in the four areas of Speaking, Listening Comprehension, Reading Comprehension and Writing.

- Be given the opportunity to interact with native speakers at our regular Comhrá sessions.

- Be given the opportunity to gain a formal qualification by completing the TEG exams at the end of term, here at London’s only official exam centre. Note: There will an additional standard fee for this exam.

Start dates:

Level A1: Absolute Beginners - Tuesdays 6.30-8.30pm from Sept. 8th 2009
Cost: £75 per term. Full course is taught over two terms.

Irish Language - Level A2: Beginners 2 - Thursdays 6.30-9pm from Sept. 10th 2009
Cost: £110 per term. Full course is taught over two terms.

Please contact Gary on culture@irishcentre.org for an application pack.