IRISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC ARCHIVE

Drawing from the Well is a new series launched by ITMA that commissions leading artists to connect with ITMA’s deep “Well” to inspire new works of art. Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media stated that “ITMA’s Drawing from the Well series is an example of innovative thinking in a time of crisis.”

Drawing from the Well 2021 features Ireland’s leading traditional and folk artists including Radie Peat, Cormac Begley, Steve Cooney, Lisa O’Neill and many more. Connecting artists with archival material to inspire new art is at the core of ITMA’s role in serving the living tradition. Artists can access our collections remotely, find inspiration to create new art and share with the public.

In January 2021, ITMA were delighted to announce that we were successful in our application to the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund in partnership with Business to Arts. Together with Bank of Ireland and Business to Arts, we can grow our ambitions, better empower Irish artists and grow our impact on people who have an interest in Irish music throughout the world. ITMA offers free universal access to all its online material and does not charge any subscription charges which brings financial challenges. To have Bank of Ireland financially supporting artists in the creation of new interpretations of Irish traditional music, song and dance is very important for ITMA and very much welcomed.

The first episode of the 2021 series is seen here and you will be able to watch all episodes after they have aired, on ITMA’s YouTube Channel, here.

CLONMEL JUNCTION ARTS FESTIVAL

This Spring, the CJAF team are building the Junction GeoDome, an innovative geodesic dome that will act as a pop-up venue for the festival for years to come, thanks to an Arts Council Capacity Building award and Tipperary County Council funding.

It’s a sustainable, theatrical state-of-the-art design created by the organisation’s production manager, Colin Everitt (who has worked as Paines Plough’s technical director for Roundabout since 2014), working with an expert engineer. Junction GeoDome will provide a visual identity for CJAF, an auditorium that doubles as its set, and, for a summer that will continue to have restrictions, one that’s been adapted to operate at all levels from L1 to L5, freeing the team to an extent from the frustration of constant re-planning that shaped 2020.

CJAF have a lot of exciting work in development as they head into this celebration of Junction’s 20th Anniversary. They’ll be looking back at the memories, but are excited to look forward into the future with this wonderful new venue that will be a hub for future Junction Festivals.