Random Waffle Thread

Nokia6230i

Why was there a split in Eigse that caused it to become Carlow Arts Festival where "Arts" doesn't seem to be all inclusive (seems to
be mainly pricey pints in plastic pint glasses, "music" incl. some Max Richter yoke that's sold out where people're paying €110 per ticket to sleep in a tent/marquee to listen to!) and Carlow Fringe Festival which seems to be more like what Eigse was, and still should be.

Is there a schism? Did Eigse not want to promote certain art exhibitions, sculptors etc. or weren't doing it sufficiently?

I.e. Tokenistic approach?

Is it a case of more money in the direction Eigse/Carlow Arts Festival've taken and that what Carlow Fringe is doing was weighing them down?

Also when'd it happen? Only in last 3-4 years?

Carlow Fringe're now in Perrys Cash & Carry Building, have another unit on Tullow St. on a temporary basis and one on a more long term basis.; both're beside each other.; think Carlow Photographic Society are under their umbrella too and they've a unit filled beside Dealz.

Surely there's not a sufficient market for both to operate separately; that at least if they were to reunite it'd make more sense and better publicity?

Cos like footfall in Carlow is poor enough for arts & culture (fights outside of Supermacs at chucking out time don't count apparently; you wouldn't get an Arts Council grant for them) without two niche festivals competing against each other?

Also the Piggy Bank yoke?

It started out @ Visual this evening for their (soft) launch 6pm-10pm; I had to laugh when I see their signs & brochure saying it's from Tuesday the 4th to Sunday the 9th; for most people they'll just associate it as being a weekend offering now and within that again, mainly the Saturday and Sunday itself.

Wednesday through Friday it's @ Fairgreen (though presumably it'll actually be inside even if the grounds're also private property & patrolled) from 12 Noon to 6pm. Friday evening it moves over to Festival HQ @ Carlow College 7pm to 12 Midnight & on Saturday it's there from 1-10pm & Sunday it's 1 to 9pm.

With 50 Nuts to open I can't see too many of our "homeless" community bothering to have a go; will be interesting to see where the funds raised do actually go in the end......it'd stink place out of it if they were to end up being for Eigse which is itself a charity....!

Thundercats Ho

Are all of the music gigs free?
I see they've got Pillow Quens / Bitch Falcon / Kormac / Galway street band etc, all listed as free.
That's pretty good in fairness.

maccored

i thought the fringe festival was set up to be an alternative to eigse, with more live bands and gigs in the towns venues. this year though, its back to the painting and sculpture that eigse was

D_BEAR

BabyWillis wrote: »

Anyone know if Keltruck on the O’Brien road is still open? Taught it looked empty in there the last two weeks.

They are gone creditors meeting is next week

astragte

Apparently Walls Engineering is gone as well vans and trucks all parked up in the yard

byhookorbycrook

Éigse got a festival director (paid) who then went on to diss the work done by the original (voluntary) committee and sneered that the first festival had cheese and wine and a céilí. Time was Éigse was a big bookmark in our calendar, now, meh.

Nokia6230i

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Éigse got a festival director (paid) who then went on to diss the work done by the original (voluntary) committee and sneered that the first festival had cheese and wine and a céilí. Time was Éigse was a big bookmark in our calendar, now, meh.

Now it's all over priced plastic pints & foie focking gras (or similarly overpriced caviar or a 5 Euro Festival hot dog etc.).

A 5 or even 7 to 9 day festival has, as I said previous, been reduced to 2 and a bit in reality.

Last year the weather brought people out; it'll not be in their favour as much this year and if it rains Friday night into Saturday morning the Max Richter 110 Euro gig, even if the ground is hard wood won't be pleasant not to mention Friday night @ the movies with the Muppets/Sunday with Back to the Future.

As for CHARGING people in to watch these when every Tom, Dick & Harry can access the top lawns from Penny Lane/Visual side without getting checked or simply go up to the ticket check line and watch from there for free means they are taking the absolute and anyone who pays needs to have a word with themselves.

road_high

astragte wrote: »

Apparently Walls Engineering is gone as well vans and trucks all parked up in the yard

That place is there forever and always seemed very busy. What happened?

astragte

No idea i was told sunday it was closed the last two weeks passed tuesday and all vans amd trucks are parked in yard and it was locked up

Thundercats Ho

They got caught up in the Carrillion thing afaik. Were owed savage money when they went bust, and couldn't carry that sort of debt.

HenryWoods

The old Eigse's were good, this modern version is full of absolute nonsense 'art'. I'm auld enough to remember running around Carlow town in the 90's.

It's like all good things, as soon as the bitter cnuts get a hold of it they try to turn it into a money spinner, but the sack falls out of it, the cnuts snake off and it's gone.
Like the old Bagenalstown Festivals we used to have here.

Incidentally the Writing Festival in Borris is also on this weekend and is insanely high priced just to hear nobodies talking about books no one has read.
It'll cost ye about 3-400 for a weekend ticket and 'luxury' camping.

Enjoy the weekend, if you can afford to, my fellow Carlovians.

Be well and win

So yes there are a few arties down in Borris but there is also the likes of Simon Schama Michael Morpugno, Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), Martin Amis, Carl Bernstein, Joseph O'Connor, Panti Bliss, even the guy who does the Grim Reaper in Horrible Histories is down there. Plenty that most people will have heard of or read. It's also totally sold out so good for them

HenryWoods

Be well and win wrote: »

Panti Bliss

Absolutely disgusting.

Enjoy the weekend anyway.

Nokia6230i

Be well and win wrote: »

So yes there are a few arties down in Borris but there is also the likes of Simon Schama Michael Morpugno, Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), Martin Amis, Carl Bernstein, Joseph O'Connor, Panti Bliss, even the guy who does the Grim Reaper in Horrible Histories is down there. Plenty that most people will have heard of or read. It's also totally sold out so good for them

Panti Bliss & Joe O'Connor, the West Cork Podcast, Fintan O'Toole, Roisin Ingle, Sinead Gleeson, Anne Enright etc.'re are all serious coups for such a niche/boutique but now well established festival.

It's better off being a standalone one rather than being hitched to Eigse; I think when Hugo Jellett left Eigse it was never going to remain part of their stable; perhaps he saw the possibilities and didn't want to be hindered by them?

As for Eigse; despite having a big screen/outdoor cinema on site they're not showing the Denmark v Ireland game tonight; missed opportunity, esp. with bar & food stalls onsite surely?

byhookorbycrook

HenryWoods wrote: »

Absolutely disgusting.

Enjoy the weekend anyway.

???? Why so?

iwillhtfu

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

???? Why so?

Don't even bother feeding it.

iwillhtfu

I went down to take a look at that Sleep concert/event/living art whatever you call it.

I have to say I did think it was a farce but I spent maybe 20 mins listening to it at the gate and if I had the spare change I could think of worse ways of spending it. It was very relaxing and atmospheric as if you were sitting in an Ennio Morricone movie. The lights at night certainly added to the atmosphere as I went down this morning and although a beautiful morning it was a slightly different atmosphere but not in a bad way.

Either way I'd say there were a few cold campers, tents were only single skinned and no clouds means no rain but also a cold night.

It all seemed to be quiet and no trouble although as I was chatting to security lastnight one drunk idiot insisted on making a show of himself. Pontificating about how he's travelled the world and never been spoken to like he was by security at the gate. The security guard only asked him to be quiet telling him that he can't come in without a ticket and that it was a sold out event. He was old enough to know better, some folk should really give drink a miss.

Great to see something alternative like this in Carlow and I'd imagine it will gain traction despite the price. I would say the ground of Kilkenny castle would be another great location for it.

ScallionAyter

It was a serious coup to have that Sleep event performed in the town. Max Richter is a widely acclaimed composer. Shame they never show anything interesting for the Outdoor cinema though. I mean, Billy Byrne's movie night every single week in Kilkenny has a lot more artistic merit than the Muppets Movie or Back to the Future.

Maybe someday they'll show something on the Screen that can't be seen regularly on ITV4.

Nokia6230i

ScallionAyter wrote: »

It was a serious coup to have that Sleep event performed in the town. Max Richter is a widely acclaimed composer. Shame they never show anything interesting for the Outdoor cinema though. I mean, Billy Byrne's movie night every single week in Kilkenny has a lot more artistic merit than the Muppets Movie or Back to the Future.

Maybe someday they'll show something on the Screen that can't be seen regularly on ITV4.

As per I Will HTFU above for 110 quid I'd've been expecting to be allowed bring those tents home....or back to Pound City!

I'm sure Mr. Richter is richer (!) this morning; I just don't get it to be honest.

Re Outdoor Cinema/Big Screen I may've said it already a few posts ago but the 2 Films're Back to the Future & the Muppet Show from 79; same year Eigse started. Won't be same next year but Dirty Dancing and the Goonies (I think) were on in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

A brief list of 1979 Films indicates a better choice but sadly majority, Apocalypse Now, Monty Pythons Life of Brian, Scum etc.'re not of a family friendly nature.

Someday, some clever bucker'll figure out how to bung on a DVD of an adult nature instead of scheduled film and in the grounds of Carlow College, a Catholic ethos one and the whole place'll be scandalised and Eigse'll be ran back down to Haymarket/Town Pk. forever more.

iwillhtfu

A serious spanner thrown in the works for tonight's schedule.

Ryanair lost one of the presumably main performers baggage containing all of her AV equipment. :eek:

https://www.carlowlive.ie/news/home/422661/breaking-musician-forced-to-cancel-carlow-arts-festival-show-after-ryanair-lost-her-baggage.html

Nokia6230i

Eigse. Tact. Dignity. Cop on. So much wrong with this. Opening of Pig to help a homeless* (*may or may not be; the jury seems to be somewhat out on that one) guy (he'd be well known for various reasons and not all of them're good) & putting it on video for all to see & judge him; hard to hear what's being said, bit of gesticulating & I'm wondering were some people being told to go away who may've been asking why he's getting some of the money but that's only my interpretation.

Also something about the Pig; it's not THAT easy to dip into; 50 Wingnuts means a lot of unscrewing & then screwing back on so lends itself to "occasions" like this.

https://www.facebook.com/CarlowArtsFestival/videos/469001313643237/?comment_id=10156057225732714&notif_id=1560092843327071&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic

iwillhtfu

The whole thing is crass but that lad would be far down my list of deserving people if for no other reason it's well known where it will end up. If they want to help homeless on the street a better idea would be if the pig have out meal or hostel vouchers.

iano.p

Nokia6230i wrote:

Eigse. Tact. Dignity. Cop on. So much wrong with this. Opening of Pig to help a homeless* (*may or may not be; the jury seems to be somewhat out on that one) guy (he'd be well known for various reasons and not all of them're good) & putting it on video for all to see & judge him; hard to hear what's being said, bit of gesticulating & I'm wondering were some people being told to go away who may've been asking why he's getting some of the money but that's only my interpretation.

I just seen the video on Facebook. Steve is by far down the list of people that should get anything off people or out of that pig. He goes into a chipper with lose coins every day to change for notes. Never mind the way he treats people who don't give him money. Then the fecker goes home and shoots up and sleeps in his health board flat

Starfleet Student

Carlow Arts have deleted that post now a total PR nightmare he took every note in out could be thousands in notes. He is now bad begging on the streets. I really can't put my true feeling for this on here. That money is going to Carlow's biggest drug dealers now.

Nokia6230i

The only good thing to come out of this is people who give to him (and far too many give to "homeless" in Carlow without actually checking whether they actually are or why they're homeless; sorry pal I don't want to feed your addiction and let your dealer get richer today....or ever) and others might think twice.

Eigse clearly didn't; surely to God the people in the video knew who he was; vast majority of people at the event and hanging around would've.

They could've made their excuses not to; perhaps indicated to him that a community in Carlow, like Eist, the Soup Kitchen (though in that way we're also contributing to dealers in that meal takers who don't pay use the money they might've to fund habits; not all obviously) had already been identified as the recipients.

Nokia6230i

Am brutal at sums but rough guess for Max Richters Sleep other night it **looked** like 50 Tents either side of front lawns?

All 2 Person Tents = 200 (50 x 2 x 2) x 110 = €22,000!

Even if only 25 each side that's 50 x 2 Person x 110 = € €11,000.

Now a previous post on here suggested they may not've been the best insulated of tents and given quantities they were inevitably bought with a discount; perhaps 10 or 15 Euro each?

They were on sale at the gate on Saturday for €20 each.......

iwillhtfu

Nokia6230i wrote: »

Am brutal at sums but rough guess for Max Richters Sleep other night it **looked** like 50 Tents either side of front lawns?

All 2 Person Tents = 200 (50 x 2 x 2) x 110 = €22,000!

Even if only 25 each side that's 50 x 2 Person x 110 = € €11,000.

Now a previous post on here suggested they may not've been the best insulated of tents and given quantities they were inevitably bought with a discount; perhaps 10 or 15 Euro each?

They were on sale at the gate on Saturday for €20 each.......

I was only having this conversation the other day. How did they manage to cover the cost of security and also pay the musicians who were there for at least 8 hours?

Be well and win

iwillhtfu wrote: »

I was only having this conversation the other day. How did they manage to cover the cost of security and also pay the musicians who were there for at least 8 hours?

I'm sure the grant they got from the Arts Council of €165k helped

HenryWoods

SOME PIG

Agent Coulson

It seems the Pig may have moved on to Cork with the money still in and the only beneficiary from Carlow was the most undeserving person in Carlow.


Any money not taken out moves onto the next town.