The line up for this year’s Liverpool Irish Festival has been announced, along with a major new sponsor.

The festival, which starts on 16 October and runs for two weeks, will include music, theatre, poetry, traditional sessions, film and lectures. The festival is now in its seventh year.

In a brand new partnership, Guinness is the main sponsor of this year’s festival which celebrates the historic and cultural links between Liverpool and Ireland.

The 2009 Imagine Arts Festival will be taking place at The Mall in Waterford City from October 22nd till October 31st. The festival is now in its sixth year and allows its visitors to experience and take part in a vast range of creative arts.

If you are visiting Ireland Dublin Car Hire offers cars from Dublin airport, allowing people to travel to the south of the country to enjoy the arts spectacular.

Just a note to let you about my up and coming exhibitions of my work over the next 12 months in London. Put the dates into your diary and please feel free to bring a friend.

1. Blackhorse Lane Open Studios

From the 11 – 13 of September 2009 my studio will be open to the public which will be part of the Annual Blackhorse Lane Open Studios. The Open Studios will also run along side the E17 Arts Trail which is one the largest art trails in London. There will be a private preview of the Open Studios on the 11 September from 6 – 9pm. This will be a great opportunity to buy affordable original art work. The address is: 114 Blackhorse Lane, London E17 6AA.

Buses: 123, 158, 230. Tube: Blackhorse Road on the Victoria Line. Trains: Blackhorse Road and St James Street. Car Parking: Shakespeare Road.

2. Parallel Spaces: Solo Exhibition of New Paintings

Parallel Spaces is an exhibition of new paintings that explores the relationship between Rural Ireland and Rural England. The exhibition is supported by the Barbican Arts Group Trust and Apex Arts (The Arts Council for Waltham Forest). There will be private preview on the 19 November 2009 from 6.00 – 9pm. The address is: The Project Space, 114 Blackhorse Lane, London E17 6AA.

Buses: 123, 158, 230. Tube: Blackhorse Road on the Victoria Line. Trains: Blackhorse Road and St James Street. Car Parking: Shakespeare Road.

3. Solo Exhibition

I have been invited by Waltham Forest Borough Council to show my work in solo exhibition at Vestry House Museum, Walthamstow, July to August 2010. The exhibition will be part of the Waltham Forest’s programme for Cultural Olympiad in 2010. As part of the development of the exhibition I am aiming to apply for the ‘Inspired Mark’ which is the 2012 official branding for the Cultural Olympiad. The development of the exhibition is in its early stages, so if you would like to support this cultural event, and have your organisation or company name presented in the brochure for the exhibition, please feel free to contact me. The exhibition dates will be confirmed early in 2010.

www.jonathanodea.com

We thought we were Real Madrid, seemingly invincible, in a pristine white kit so clean and well pressed you felt obliged to have a bath of a Friday night prior to wearing it to Saturday morning games otherwise you’d be guilty of letting the side down. There’s a real (sic) nice vibe about a well turned out team of young fellers wearing the same coloured: shirts, shorts and socks, with their own numbers winning a few games on the trot that gives one a confidence and adds a right spring to the step.

Deciding on the spur of the moment to take a summer break this year, prior to maybe going belly up, due to the economic slump over here in England. I set off with friends for a two week sojourn to The West of Ireland for a well earned rest from financial angst. After landing and picking up a hire car at Knock then driving to Clairemorris (where we were staying) I was somewhat taken aback to see The West in such dire economic straights. True we read and hear about this kind of strife through the media, but seeing with ones own eyes was shocking and really did take some believing.

Holidaymakers visiting County Clare may like to stop off in Doolin to appreciate a spectacular natural formation. The village is home to what is considered to be the largest stalactite in the Northern Hemisphere and the impressive site attracts many visitors each year. Measuring a staggering 7.3 metres, the geological creation towers down from the roof of Doolin Cave, which dwarfs tourists due to its vast size. Pot-holers came across the aptly named Great Stalactite in 1952 when a team were exploring underground caves in the region.

Calling all ladies interested in playing Gaelic Football in Crawley.