After a packed day and evening of Culture Night festivities, we are delighted to share the readings and performances that made Kylemore's first Culture Night programme such a success.

 

The music, readings and prayer were beautiful and we are delighted to share the performances with you from beginning to end as the day occured.

 

Enjoy!

 

At 12 pm Kylemore Abbey Hisotry Guide, Gerrit Nuckton began event with a reading of W.B. Yeats' beautiful Lake Isle of Inisfree on the shore of Pollucapal Lake.

 

 

This was followed at 1 pm by Kylemore Abbey History Guide, Tim Heanue, reading the tragic Requiescat by Oscar Wilde.

 

 

At 2 pm Joanne Smyth, History Guide and Historic Interiors Consultant gave a brief talk on Lady Gregory and her deep and enduring connection to Kylemore Abbey...

 

 

At 3 pm Sr. Genevieve Harrington OSB shared her beautiful arrangement and performance of Fidelity, a poem by new Zealand poet Judith Powell.

 

At 4pm, Kylemore Abbey History Guide, Emma O'Sullivan, read Lady Augusta Gregory's much-lauded translation of the traditional Irish poem Donal Óg.

 

 

At 5pm, Abbey & Gothic Church Manager, Eithne O'Halloran shared a favourite piece of hers, Golden Stockings by Oliver St. John Gogarty, who once lived near Kylemore and wrote a short story about the Princesses who attended school in Kylemore.

 

 

At 6pm, as the Angelus bells rang out around the Kylemore Estate we enjoyed a peaceful moment as The Benedictine Community shared an excert pf their beautiful Vespers in celebration of the Feast of the Assumption.

 

 

At 7pm we went live from the neo-Gothic Church with a fabulous line of talent. Harpist, Lynn Saoirse, played beautiful tunes and shared her enthusiasm for the history of the harp and the influence of Turlough O'Carolan on her and indeed all harp music. Eileen Keane, singer-songwriter, sang a number of traditional and personal songs which spoke to the richness of culture of the building, the times we are in, and the people of Ireland. And Emma O'Sullivan who wonderfully comered the evening rounded off event with a lively acapella Sean Nós step.

 

 

We hope you enjoyed Kylemore Abbey's Culture Night Programme as much as we enjoyed putting it together for you.Thank you to everyone who performed on the day, to The Benedictne Community for so graciously opening up the neo-Gothic Church to the wonderful performers, and to Culture Night and The Arts Council for their support in making the event possible.