LOCAL THEATRE company Heart’n'Crown arrive shortly in the Town Hall Theatre with its touring production of Jimmy Murphy’s acclaimed play The Kings of the Kilburn High Road.*

*The play is a long evening’s journey into sentimental angst. Five
expatriate Irish friends gather in their local London pub for a wake - a
sixth member of the group has died at age 50. As the alcohol flows, their
shared history is told.*

*They came together from Ireland 27 years before, seeking new opportunities
in England, planning to return home as conquering successes. Only one has
flourished, Joe Mullen (Fair City’s Seamus Feerick), who started his own
business.*
*The others still struggle in futureless jobs at the margins of solvency.
For the most part, they have romanticised their memories of Ireland with
wishful fantasy. Only Shay Mulligan (Joe Tighe) sustains both a clear
recollection of the past they fled (”A pigsty, that’s what I left behind
me”) and the bleak present in which they are trapped.*

*Jap Kavanagh (The Bill’s Mike Kinsella) was their leader and is in the
greatest denial of their failures. He sustains the dream of returning home
to Ireland in triumph; the truth is, his rare visit back home has involved
saving up for weeks before to put on a show of affluence for the home folks.
Maurteen Rodgers (Aidan Archer) is a wife-beating alcoholic and father of
six, struggling to dry out, but all too easily coaxed back to the bottle by
the peer pressure of his boozy buddies.*

*The situation of these men - self-exiled in a foreign land, away from their
roots yet profoundly anti-English - is complicated not only by the failure
of their emigration, but also by the realisation that, after all these
years, the home they knew is not there to return to - all is changed.*

*They are trapped, disappointed with life, regretting opportunities
foregone, and what might have been. Their solution is yet more alcohol and,
intended or not, the play seems to suggest that their taste - or social more
- for booze and partying is as much the cause of their failures as it is the
escape from their dismal prospects.*

*The production is directed by Robbie Gallagher and runs at the Town Hall
from Tuesday June 24 to Thursday 26. For more information and tickets
contact 091 - 569777.

Guests were treated to a special Martini tasting hosted by International
mixologist, James Somerscales who jetted in from London for the special
occasion. Attendees gathered to launch an exclusive series of Martini
promotions taking place across ten select bars in Galway city throughout the
summer months.

Visitors to the promotional nights at these bars will be in with the chance
to enter the Martini Milan competition.

Martini, like the Italians, is passionate about its customers. That’s why
they are offering customers the chance to win a trip for 2, to the fashion
capital of the world, Milan. The lucky winner will also be treated to the
excitement of Formula 1 with tickets to the World Championship at Monza.

Speaking at the launch, Karen Halpin Martini Brand Development Manager said:

“We are delighted to be bringing Martini Rosato and the Martini Milan
competition to Galway this summer. It’s a wonderful prize that will give
one lucky winner a chance to experience Martini, fashion & Formula 1″

MARTINI Rosato is a new variant to add to their current range of Extra Dry,
Bianco and Rosso. It is a new rose style of Martini made using a base of red
and white wines, providing a lighter alternative to higher alcohol drinks
such as wine and vodka. It is the perfect long drink for the summer season.
For further information and photography please contact:
Roisin Tierney-Crowe or Grace O’Reilly, Slattery Communications
01 6614055 / 087 6759014/ 086 1968831
roisintierneycrowe@scomms.ie/ grace.oreilly@scomms.ie

The 10 selected bars that will be hosting Martini Promotions are:
* The Living Room,
* Foxes
* The Front Door
* Mc Swiggans
* Skeffington Arms
* Busker Browns
* The Quays
* The Rosin Dubh
* Bar 903 (Cuba)
* Cellar Bar

The language barrier and the difficulties with communication among migrants from Central and Eastern Europe has always been an important matter not only for the Irish institutions like Social Welfare or Tax Office in Galway, but also for such organisations like The Granary Learning Centre, a local language school, and The Galway Irish - Polish Association that has been established in Galway over a year ago. This is why the three organisations decided to join the forces and set up a series of information meetings for new-commers on such matters as: social rights, PPS number and registration in tax office, openning a bank account, how to build up a CV and how to successfully prepare for a job interview.

The first two meetings will take place in the school building (The Granary Learning Centre, Dominick street, Galway) on Thursdays: the 19^th of May and the 26^th if May. The meeting will start at 5pm and will last approximatelly for three hours and will be held in English. Tea and coffee will be provided to the participants.

The Participant will also have an opportunity to get an information on the courses provided by The Granary LC and the services and projects organised by the two co-organisers: The Galway Irish - Polish Association and The Galway Migrant Service.

For further information please contact Marzena Dombrowska on 0857307974 or info@granarylearning.com, or visit the websites:
www.granarylearning.com
www.gipa.org.pl and
www.galwaymigrantservice.ie.

It has been a year now since Galway Irish Polish Association first met and worked on their very first projects. On this occasion GIPA will be holding its First Anniversary Party on Sunday, 22^nd of June at The Cellar Bar. The official part will start at 6 pm. A Birthday Cake will be shared by volunteers and officials who supported GIPA over the last year and GIPA members. There will also be a speech and multimedia presentation which will summarize some of the biggest GIPA’s projects such as The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity that took place in January 2008 or Polish Group in St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Although GIPA is very proud of its accomplishments it is not resting even for a minute. By organizing an Anniversary we want to show that we are here for Polish and Irish People, to help in everyday problems and to integrate two nations. This is why we will be also telling about some of the current projects such as English Language Classes, Polish Information Point and Polish Business Network.

After the official part, at 8pm, there will be an opening of the very new GIPA’s project “The Fylym” - Polish and Irish Movies Evenings. As one of GIPA’s goals is to promote both Polish and Irish culture, we will be showing some of the national Cinema’s classics and for each film we will also prepare a short introduction that will make the film experience more complete. The screenings will be taking place every month at The Cellar Bar. As an opening of this project we picked one of the best known polish comedies, Seksmisja (1984). For convenience of the ones who’s first language is not polish we prepared English subtitles.

Everyone’s invited to the screening of “Seksmisja” which will be followed by the most anticipated part - The BIG Party! Two bands - “This Nachez” & “Elektrische Muzzikae” together with DJ playing afterwards will definitely make the evening very special.

We hope to see you there.

For more information please contact:

Magdalena Pietrowska
Ph. 085 1345 367
E-mail:  Magdalena.pietrowska@gmail.com

The PADI Bubblemaker program is a first introduction to scuba diving for boys and girls age 8-12 years, and is a great way for youngsters to join in the family fun of scuba diving or even start a trend!   All participants are given a certificate at the end.

Galway based website Mykidstime.ie is a free resource for families in Galway. With a full range of listings for activities, classes and clubs for children of all ages, as well as information on services and events for children and families.  Mykidstime.ie has also compiled details of Summer Camps and Classes around the City & County, including a special section on Water Sports, making it easy for parents to find this information in one handy place.

Contact details:
The Galway Dive School, Charlie Brehony, 085 2626957, galwaydiving@eircom.net
Mykidstime.ie, Jill Holtz, 087 2299128, jill@mykidstime.ie

DATES: Weds July 9th – Sat July 26th - Druid Theatre, Galway Arts Festival
PRESS NIGHT: MONDAY JULY 14th @ 8pm

‘Staring back behind the blusher and the eye shadow a girl who’s yet to be kissed. Properly kissed.’

Hot on the heels of the critically acclaimed run of Enda Walsh’s The Walworth Farce in New York and the Cannes Camera d’Or for the film, Hunger, (co-written by Enda Walsh and director Steve McQueen), this summer Druid will present The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh at Galway Arts Festival as part of an Enda Walsh Season. This summer also sees the welcome return of the acclaimed Druid Debuts as part of the festival.

In this new play, written and directed by Enda Walsh, (creator of Edinburgh Fringe First winners Disco Pigs, Bedbound & Druid’s The Walworth Farce), three sisters in a remote fishing village, trapped in the years that have passed since their halcyon days at the New Electric Ballroom, are still obsessed by darker memories of something resembling romance.

This is a coiled, dark, glitter-dusted fable of the emotionally stultifying effects of small-town life. Enda Walsh is internationally celebrated for his exhilarating wordplay and the sheer visceral power his stories release in performance. This latest work promises to be among the most explosive and compelling yet from one of the leading playwrights of our time.

Commenting on Druid’s latest plans, Artistic Director, Garry Hynes said: “We are delighted to present the Enda Walsh season at this year’s Galway Arts Festival and in particular are very proud to be giving an unprecedented commitment to the new work of one writer. Enda has already taken us on a very compelling journey with The Walworth Farce and we’re looking forward to working with him again on The New Electric Ballroom. We can assure you that audiences in Galway are in for another theatrical treat this summer.”

Enda commented, “It’s a great honour to have three pieces produced by Druid this summer at Galway Arts Festival. I am very much looking forward to working with an exemplary cast and production team on The New Electric Ballroom. Druid have always meant a great deal to me and it’s very exciting to be working with them so soon after The Walworth Farce.”

In addition to the Enda Walsh Season, Druid and Galway Arts Festival presents the welcome return of the acclaimed Druid Debuts. The company is presenting new work from three talented, fledgling writers Maria Elner, Stephen Jones and John McManus. Druid’s Literary Manager, Thomas Conway, commenting on the Druid Debuts “Druid is delighted to be working with these three very talented writers making their professional debut. We’re on record as saying that new work is the lifeblood of the company, and we’ll certainly feel our pulse quickening with these three plays. Our thanks to Galway Arts Festival for helping to make this possible”.

THE NEW ELECTRIC BALLROOM

Written and Directed by Enda Walsh
Designed by Sabine Dargent
Lighting Design by Sinead McKenna
Sound Design by Gregory Clarke

Cast:
Val Lilley
Rosaleen Linehan
Mikel Murfi
Catherine Walsh

Venue: Druid Theatre, Galway
Dates: Monday 14th July – Saturday 26th July
Previews Wednesday 9th – Saturday 12th July
(No show Sunday 10th July)
Evening show time: 8pm
Matinee dates & time: Sat July 19th & July 26th @ 2.30pm
Duration: 1 hour 30 mins
Tickets: €24 (€18 conc.) €16 Previews

ENDA WALSH’S ONE ACT PLAYS

Lynndie’s Gotta Gun
Directed by Sarah Lynch

Gentrification
Directed by Thomas Conway

Lynndie’s Gotta Gun and Gentrification together give a concentrated look at the darker themes animating Walsh’s work. Lynndie’s Gotta Gun is a disquieting, highly charged riff on the US female soldier, Lynndie England, notoriously pictured at Abu Ghraib humiliating Iraqi prisoners, while Gentrification examines the perils of parenthood and Coke can rings in Walsh’s inimitable style.

Venue: Druid Theatre, Galway
Dates: Tuesday 22nd July – Saturday 26th July
Time: 1.10pm
Duration: 45 mins
Tickets: €10

DRUID DEBUTS

Those Yellow Boots
By Maria Elner
Directed by Rachel West
Monday 21st July

A Lock of Fierce Roars
By John McManus
Directed by Garry Hynes
Wednesday 23rd July

A Certain Romance
By Stephen Jones
Directed by Mikel Murfi
Friday 25th July

Venue: Druid Theatre, Galway
Dates: Show dates above
Time: 3pm
Duration: 2 hours
Tickets: €5

For further press information, contact Kate Bowe or David McCadden at Kate Bowe PR +353 1 6713672 or email: kate@katebowepr.ie or david@katebowepr.ie

Monille on varmaan tuttua jatkuva tyohaastatteluissa ramppaaminen ja hylatyksi ehdokkaaksi tulo. Varsinkin jos olet vasta muuttanut Irlantiin eika sinulla ole kontakteja kehenkaan alallasi oleviin ihmisiin ja yrityksiin. Joskus hakuun vaikuttaa myos onko sinulla alaltasi kokemusta Irlannissa tai kuinka hyvin osaat englantia. Mielellaan tyonantajat eivat myoskaan palkkaa vuodeksi tai pariksi maahanmuuttaneita. Tulos tasta sitten on, etta patevat ja hyvinkoulutetut opettajat, sairaanhoitajat jne. paatyvat tarjoilijoiksi, lastenhoitajiksi tai jopa siivoojiksi pitkilla tunneilla ja huonolla palkalla.

Inflaatio painaa paalle kuin myos vuokra ja muut laskut, ja rahaakin tarvisi yrittaa saastaa siina valissa. Yha enemman tehtaista muuttaa ulkomaille, sitten lahdetaan takaisin kotimaahan oman tyopaikan perassa ja irlantilaisille jaa paha maku suuhun maahanmuuttajista. Miten kay niille ulkomaalaisille, jotka jaavat Irlantiin ja milla saadaan tasa-arvoa irlantilaisten ja ulkomaalaisten valiseen kilpailuun tyomarkkinoilla?

Onko kaikki tyopaikat kiven alla vai johtuuko hylatyksi tuleminen pelkastaan siita, etta en ole taalta? Irlantilaisilta kuulee aina ettei heilla ole ennakkoluuloja ketaan vastaan ja toista sanovat ulkomaalaiset. Mika sitten lienee totuus? Ehka se on puoleksi sita ja puoleksi tata tai joku saattaa olla oikeassa.

Oma tarinani paattyy koulutetusta lahihoitajasta lastenhoitajaksi yksityiseen perheeseen kehnolla palkalla ja ilman tyoehtosopimusta. Ei maarattyja tyotunteja, irtisanomisaikaa tai mahdollisuutta edeta urallani.

Kaiken kaikkiaan elama tuntuu kuin pitkalta lomalta Irlannissa, jos muistaa ottaa kaikki irti vapaa-ajasta ja kun tilaisuus tulee hyvaksy hyva tyopaikka ja pida siita kiinni!

Many of us probably know how it feels to go on interviews and not getting the job. Especially if you just moved to Ireland and don’t have any contacts with anyone who could help you or someone who could recommend you to your future boss and for your job. And of course it is always the issue how good you speak English and have you got any working experience in Ireland. Also employer doesn’t want to hire people who have moved to Ireland just for year or two, except if that’s what they are looking for.

Then the outcome of this is that qualified teachers and nurses etc. will have to work as a waiter/ess, au pair and cleaners or so on with long working hours and under paid.

Inflation is pressuring same as rent and other bills, and not to mention that people would like to save some money as well. More of the factories are moving abroad and people will move back to their homeland because of the jobs. That, if anything, will leave sour taste in Irish people mouths about foreigners. And what will happen to those foreigners who will stay in Ireland, and with what we can promise equality between foreigners and Irish in interviews?

Are there not enough jobs or is it because I am not from here? You always hear Irish people saying that they don’t have anything against foreigner and foreigners say the opposite. What is the truth? Maybe it is half of that and half of this or maybe one side is right.

My own story ends from being qualified care assistant, for people with severe disability or illness, to childminder in private home with not so good salary and without any contract. I don’t have any promised amount of hours, without any notice period nor opportunity to go forwards on my career.

Well, all and all life feels like long holiday in Ireland if you remember to take everything out of your free time and when the opportunity strikes accept the good job and keep it!

Now Galway parents can now search online for camps and classes taking place during the summer months thanks to www.mykidstime.ie, which takes the hard work out of planning what to do with your children during the holidays.

Mykidstime has compiled details of Summer Camps and Classes round the City and County making it easy for parents to find this information in one handy place.

Jill Holtz, one of the founders of Mykidstime.ie said, “As parents planning summer time, we know how time-consuming it can be to find out information, and often when you do find out about the camp, it’s too late as it has already filled. So we’ve put all the summer camp information we could find up on our website for parents.”

Mykidstime.ie have also just launched a Kids Museum Detective Sheet at Galway City Museum, with the help of two local children, which Deputy Director of the Museum and Education Officer, Breandán Ó hEaghra, believes will greatly enhance children’s visits to the Museum.

“The activity sheet will be a major plus for children and parents who visit the museum as it is a tool that helps children to discover exhibits for themselves and to interact with the history on show, in a fun way,’ says Ó hEaghra. “We are delighted to have worked with mykidstime.ie and the children involved on producing this sheet.”

For more information about activities in your area log onto www.mykidstime.ie or email info@mykidstime.ie

Contact details:
Jill Holtz,
0872299128,
jill@mykidstime.ie

Check out the site people and feel free to do the polls!!!!!

*Heart N Crown Theatre Co. in assocation with One Shot Agency proudly
presents”Stags and Hens” by the man who brought us “Shirley Valentine” and
“Educating Rita” Willy Russell.The story takes place in the Gents and Ladies
loos of a tacky Galway nightclub, where Dave (Gerard Faherty) and Linda
(Tammie Bane) have decided, unbeknownst to each other, to hold their stag
and hen parties….what could possibly go wrong in this laugh out loud
comedy???

Produced and Directed by Stephen Patrick Kenny

Cast is Graham Feeley (Kav), Eddie Heffernan(Eddy), Edel Morrell
(Bernadette), Frederic Valencia (Roadie), Mark Dooley (Robbie), Emily
Boland(Maureen),Colin Hogan (Billy), Mark Mc Cormack (Peter), Ciara Brady
(Frances), Ashling McNally (Carol)

June 26th (Thr) - 28th (Sat) at 8pm.
Booking on 091-569777 or log onto
www.townhalltheatregalway.com

Stephen Patrick
Kenny Heart N Crown Theatre Co. (Galway)
www.bebo.com/HeartNCrown
085-1416928

One Shot Agency (Galway City)
www.bebo.com/OneShotAgency
085-1649524