CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE TOUR

March 29th, 2019, The day when the UK officially are due to Exit the European Union. A day of celebration for some and sadness for others. Nowhere more so than on the border.

To mark the occasion, Belfast Film Festival, Clones Film Festival and Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival have teamed up to present EUROPE ENDLESS, an evening discussing the border and its history, filmic and otherwise.

And where else would we screen it but near the Border itself in Iontas Arts Centre, Castleblayney Co. Monaghan.
This event will feature contributions from writer Pat McCabe, writer Claire Dwyer Hogg and BBC4 journalist Peter Curran.

6pm Start, €10 adm

FILMS

‘Europe Endless’

Following Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in June 2016, Colin MacCabe visited celebrated writer Patrick McCabe in his hometown of Clones, Co. Monaghan, to discuss his novels, the impact of the referendum on the Irish border, and the Republic of Ireland’s relationship with Europe. Featuring musical performances, the famous DeLorean time machine, and a McCabe clan rally, this fascinating exploration of Irish identity and Ireland’s often troubled history captures Patrick McCabe’s unique and darkly comic perspective at this defining moment in history.

The Director, Christopher Roth, Colin MacCabe and Pat McCabe will take part in a Q&A following the screening.

Brexit: a cry from the Irish border

‘Jacob Rees-Mogg you're right. You don't need to visit the border... you need to have lived here.’ Actor Stephen Rea explores the real impact of Brexit and the uncertainty of the future of the Irish border in a short film written by Clare Dwyer Hogg.

Fiction

The Art Of Border Living

BBC Broadcaster Peter Curran will present an atmospheric extract of new short story about the Irish border (read by Kamila Shamsie Womens Prize for Fiction winner).

Discussion

Filming the Border

Documentarian Brian Henry Martin and Peter Curran take a look at films which feature the border such as ‘Oh Mr Porter’ and ’Puckoon’.

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 14th SEPT FROM 10am

Blindboy's increased notability away from his band Rubberbandits, has allowed for him to explore wider avenues and create perhaps outrageously mind-altering brainchildren which can only be described as courageous, yet bonkers.

With a number one selling book under his belt and a podcast that has reached interest not only in Ireland but internationally, the satirist could possibly single-handedly change people's mind set on mental health and the deafening stigma it surrounds.

Outspoken, informed and empathetic, Blindboy engages his audience with an unusual touch of realism. There is a very authentic feeling of "freedom" he exhumes which allows his listeners and participants to openly speak their mind without judgement and no topic off limits - certainly an air of belonging encircling the space you find yourself in when listening or in company of Blindboy.

His latest innovative creation, The Blindboy podcast espouses mental health issues but reaches further into an eclectic spectrum of current topics from gun laws to feminism, racism or a bit of history. Blindboy has it covered.

His uncanny ability to articulate what nearly everyone is thinking is unparalleled and something that is sorely needed in Irish society. - The Daily Edge

8pm (Doors 7.30pm)
Adm: €26 (includes €1 Booking Admin fee)

Join Bernie Jones on her crazy “Dirty Dancing” themed hen party and get ready to meet her madcap family and friends while you have “The Time Of Your Life!”

Bernie is a single mother to her stroppy teenage daughter and from her living room runs an ironing service called “Let’s Get Steaming.”

When Bernie’s long-suffering driving instructor pops the question she reluctantly agrees and sets the date!

Will she make it down the aisle or will she discover her real-life Johnny Castle?

This high energy, hilariously funny comedy show features 90’s disco classics and some iconic songs from Dirty Dancing!

Join Bernie Jones on her crazy “Dirty Dancing” themed hen party and get ready to meet her madcap family and friends while you have “The Time Of Your Life!”

Bernie is a single mother to her stroppy teenage daughter and from her living room runs an ironing service called “Let’s Get Steaming.”

When Bernie’s long-suffering driving instructor pops the question she reluctantly agrees and sets the date!

Will she make it down the aisle or will she discover her real-life Johnny Castle?

This high energy, hilariously funny comedy show features 90’s disco classics and some iconic songs from Dirty Dancing!

Jon Kenny is touring with a new play CROWMAN and will be performing it at a theatre near you shortly. The play received standing ovations every night during a run in Cork Midsummer festival at the Granary. 
In it Jon plays numerous characters but the primary one is Dan, a man in his 50s who is living alone. He is a loner and feels himself an outsider looking in on the community but he discovers during the play that he is not as much an outsider as he thinks. 
When he hears about the passing of a dear friend, he is forced to look back on his own troubled youth and face up to his demons. The play is at times poignant and tragic but also has a warmth and humour as Jon slips seamlessly in and out of the many uproariously funny characters. 
The people he depicts are surreal and humorous but tinged with tragedy and Jon plays each with his amazing ability of character acting and hilarious humour.

Review of 'Crowman' by Colette Sheridan 
Irish Examiner 23 Jun 2018 

Set in a sparsely decorated kitchen, this intimate one-man show starring Jon Kenny (D'Unbelievables) feels like a window into the soul of a lonely bachelor, Dan. A crow-hating man who noisily tries to shoo the blighted birds away, Dan measures out his life by the amount of funerals he has to attend every week. They are social occasions with the added bonus of refreshments. 
Dan, who vacillates between high comedy by mimicking TV celebrity chefs; and pathetic admissions, including attending Mass just to connect with another human by shaking hands, is a master at distraction, But one day, hearing a death announcement on the radio. his world is shattered. 
Kenny is brilliant in the role, conveying the gamut of emotions. Katie Holly's script is strong, conjuring up a life of quiet desperation.