What a Surprise Carlow Turned Out to Be - The VISUAL

I moved to Carlow in August last year mostly because it was handy for Dublin with the new M9 nearby and not as expensive as Dublin. Little did I know what treasures there were to find here. And I'm only beginning the great discoveries.

The VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Arts & G B Shaw Theatre

To make friends and meet new people I decided to check out The VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Arts as a friend of mine had told me about it.  I was enchanted the first time I went there for lunch in Lennons @VISUAL, the wonderful restaurant that is part of the building.  Not only is The VISUAL a remarkable space for art (being able to house the largest art works in Ireland because of the main gallery), there is also the 300 seat George Bernard Shaw Theatre, where I have since managed to see some of the best productions I've seen anywhere. More on that later.  At the time that I first went to The VISUAL they had an exhibit by the artist Sonja Landweer, a retrospective of her work over 50 years.  After the viewing, I asked if they needed volunteers and it turned out that they had a new volunteer meeting that following Monday.  I went along and signed up as an invigilator in the galleries and then got to spend many happy hours amongst all the beautiful art.
  

The next exhibition was truly extraordinary and never failed to enchant and amaze anyone who came into the galleries. It was by Eileen McDonagh, who works in stone, using large pieces sourced from all over the world. She works with the stones, polishing and shining, drawing out their beauty.  The part that really took peoples breath away  was the exhibit, 'Cathedral', in the Main Gallery.  Because this gallery is so large it could finally house art work she'd dreamed of creating for a long time but had never found anywhere that could house it.  

She created a forest of what looked like stone trees, with their branches reaching to the skies, as though in prayer.  The trees were actually made of styrofoam and papier maché and were 8 meters tall.  When you walked into the gallery, you had to stop and breathe, in awe.  This is an exhibit where the word 'awesome' really applied.  It never failed to move me to see children, teenagers, older people, people from all walks of life, stand there and look awestruck.  

Of all the visitors I saw there, my favourite was a group of beautiful young Breton dancers, in their full regalia of long black velvet dresses, embroidered with flowers and leave and hung with gold chains, lace and lawn wimples covering their hair.  They went into 'Cathedral' on the opening night of the Pan Celtic Festival and danced among the trees, whirling about, their skirts like bells, their laughter like the tinkling of those bells. It seems to epitomise what the exhibition was all about.

The latest exhibition is called Everything Can Be Done in Principle by Brian Duggan and is based on the film Heaven's Gate. The Main Gallery now houses a large barn with a wooden floor where you can roller skate to your heart's content. The other night it was full of opera singers who were to perform Orfeo that night in the theatre, skating and practising their arias, using the great acoustics in the room. I wish I'd seen that.

Speaking of the theatre, I have been to two operas there, Orfeo and The Magic Flute, world class performances by the Opera Theatre Company, who perform in English and with a pared down orchestra.  I've also seen some wonderful plays, a series of pieces by Beckett and love the independent movies they show on Sundays. Looking forward to The Artist this weekend.

The President of Ireland flashes past me!

The latest volunteering opportunity there has been as an Usher in the theatre and I was lucky enough to be working the opening night of the above-mentioned Pan Celtic Festival when President Michael Higgins came to open it.

We are so lucky to have this marvelous arts centre in Carlow, only an hour from Dublin. Every week there's something new, always a variety of options to suit most tastes.  At the very least, you must see the building, designed by architect Terry Pawson (check out the gorgeous photo of it on his website) and locally called The Glass Box. It's work of art in itself.

I cannot write this piece without also mentioning the marvelous staff and volunteers there. Nothing is too much trouble, no matter how busy they are. They are sunny and cheerful, intelligent and knowledgeable.  

Oh, and I've made some wonderful friends there too :)

Don't miss it!