Waterford Today | Waterford's free weekly newspaper

Animals in the order Insectivora are restless creatures with elongated, moveable noses. Their teeth are unspecialised and they mainly feed on small invertebrates but will occasionally eat seeds. Two are known to occur in Waterford, the Hedgehog and they Pygmy Shrew and both are to be found throughout the city and county but still wait to being recorded in a few local 10km squares of the national grid. It is likely that the hedgehog was introduced to Ireland, possibly by the Normans as a source of food as no remains have been found in kitchen middens used before the Norman invasion. The pygmy shrew on the other hand appears to have been here since the end of the last ice age and it occurs to the Arctic circle, throughout Europe but is absent from Spain and Portugal.

The pygmy shrew is

Read More »

Kitty Bolger is nearly four years old. Unlike other little girls her age, Kitty doesn't talk and isn't able to run around as easily as she might like. She has a condition called global developmental delay.

When she started at the Sacred Heart Centre in Lady Lane, Waterford, she

was only two years old. She showed no major interest in her surroundings and she couldn't walk or talk. Two years on, and Kitty communications through sign language with her parents and staff at the centre. She is now taking steps and her behaviour has improved enormously. Her dad Ian says loves music and going very high on a swing!

The Sacred Heart Centre was established in 1974 to primarily provide support to families of children who had varying degrees of disability.

The Centre run by the HSE, currently provides a main Early Intervention Service

Read More »

Only two weeks left until you can catch all your favourite Glee songs performed live on stage by some of Waterford's most talented musical theatre performers.

Well know actress and director Vicki Graham and actress and choreographer Megan Cassidy have come together to give you what is sure to be a scintillating evening of song and dance, with a few laughs thrown in for good measure, with all the best loved Glee characters.

This show ticks virtually all the boxes. It features music, bright young things, comedy, dancing and engaging characters. As the title suggests, it's set in the rather insular world of a high school glee club. This peculiarly American institution is like an amatuer musical theatre troupe, but operating as part of the school curriculum.

The thing about glee clubs though is that they

Read More »

Fionn Regan finally arrives for his debut show at the Forum Lounge on Friday, 9th September. Fionn had to postpone his July Irish Tour due to a very painful wisdom tooth, but the good news is that his fans will now be familiar with his amazing new album 100 Acres Of Sycamore which was released last month and has been getting 5 star reviews everywhere, like these:

UNCUT: Every song here is pure quality. Dramatic and ravishing,

100 Acres of Sycamore is some achievement

MOJO: A starkly beautiful, unerringly poetic outing... a dark delight

HOT PRESS: If you liked his debut, you'll absolutely adore this. It has heart, it is art.

This beautifully understated album will undoubtedly put a smile on your face"

As a singer, lyricist and musician, Fionn Regan fizzes with bravado and

Read More »

A touch of Hollywood magic has been added into the mix of the much anticipated new Red Kettle play, The Country Girls. Edna O'Brien's best selling book, now re-written by the author for stage, will star Peter Hanly as the character Mr Gentleman. Peter recently appeared in the critically acclaimed television film, Brendan Smyth: Betrayal of Trust but is probably more widely known as Edward, Prince of Wales in Braveheart or Ambrose Egan in TV's Ballykissangel.

There are other well known names from Irish television and stage lined up along with professional local talent. With such an experienced cast, Director Mikel Murphy and designer Ben Hennessy are hoping to create the most talked about event in this year's theatrical calendar.

Waterford actress Holly Browne and Caoimhe O'Malley play the central characters Kate and Baba. Charlie Bonner (The Tudors), Simon Boyle (Abbey Theatre),

Read More »

Konor Halpin is a fully qualified speech and drama teacher and is back with a new term of speech and drama for Primary School pupils.

Konor is passionate about good clear speech in children and has been successfully teaching in various schools around the South East.

The classes aim to encourage and enhance public speaking, vocabulary,voice projection, pitch and tone.

This will be delivered in a fun and creative way through a variety of vocal games and activites and singing exercises.

Konor's approach is versatile visual and entertaining.

Pupils can be prepared for examination with Irish Board of Speech and Drama, London Academy of Speech and Dramatic Arts, the Royal Irish Academy, and the Leinster School of Music.

All pupils will present on stage next year in a Speech and Drama Feis.

The new 10 week term will commence as follows : Ardkeen Community Rooms, Ardkeen on

Read More »

Frankie Gavin & De Dannan will play in the theatre on Sunday September 11th in the intimate theatre setting which allows people to witness the talents of the world's greatest fiddle player and his top calibre band up.

Frankie Gavin is one of the genuine legends of Irish music and in September 2010 he entered the Guinness World Records as the fastest fiddle player in the world. De Dannan has been responsible over many years for bringing some of Ireland's immensely talented traditional performers to the world stage the current line up tops them all.

The De Dannan ensemble is led by Frankie Gavin on fiddle, flutes & whistles with Damien Mullane on accordion, Eric Cunningham on percussion, flutes & whistles, Mike Galvin on bouzouki & guitars and

Read More »

Packed brim full with drama, music, ballet, comedy and panto, the autumn Theatre Royal brochure has entertainment for all the family right up to Christmas. In what is another sell out season, the theatre is going from strength to strength as the go to venue in Waterford for a great night out.

In a first for the city, the theatre is staging the first of 3 live broadcasts of the Bolshoi Ballet direct from Moscow beginning with Esmeralda and Sleeping Beauty in October. These sumptuous films offer a unique opportunity to see one of the world's great ballet companies performing the best loved ballets.

Another first for the Theatre Royal is the highly anticipated visit of renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber in November. The music season starts with

Read More »

Waterford based vocal ensemble 'Concordia' perform their summer programme this Saturday September 3rd at Christ Church Cathedral at 8pm. Concordia along with pianist Deirdre Long present a selection of Romantic and Early 20th Century music featuring Schubert, Brahms, Poulenc, Vaughan Williams and Debussy.

'Concordia' is a male vocal ensemble comprising of Waterford based quartet Ruairi de Fréin, Dermot Doyle, Brendan Long and Niall Crowley. Formed in 2009, the group has established itself as one of Ireland's leading male vocal ensembles. Performing to the highest standards, they quartet has gained a reputation for its innovative and imaginative approach to programming, exploring a wide variety of repertoire with a particular emphasis on music audiences rarely have an opportunity to hear.

So why not kick off the Waterford Harvest Festival by treating yourself to this feast of music or indeed make time for an early

Read More »

The most important factor for most parents when sending their children to private music lessons is that they want to see their child create music with their own fingers and more importantly enjoy it. "Helping our students get top results from distinguished music academies such as the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Associated Board is really important to us. This is how we measure our success. All students receive both personal time and attention which ensures that every opportunity is given to progress as musicians within our friendly environment. Music theory is covered during lessons, which is really important as they achieve a greater understanding of general musicianship. Students who wish to partake in graded examinations for their instrument are given the best one to one tuition when it comes to preparing them for exams. We have 100%

Read More »

The Choral Programme has nearly 200 members and is one of Ireland's most respected and progressive choir programmes. The young singers, who come from across the South East, are shared across six choirs of different ages and abilities. These start as young as senior infants' class and continue right through to sixth year.

It is well known that being part of a choir is hugely beneficial to a young person's development. The combination of learning new musical, creative and performance skills along with the equally important social and personal development a choir offers is what makes group music making so popular and worthwhile.

In addition to this the programme provides unique performing opportunities for the various choirs. These range from musical plays for the younger choirs to International Choir Festivals for the advanced groups,

Read More »

Waterford writer Ciaran Murphy (right), has teamed up with Stagemad Theatre Company to present his new play ALL FALL DOWN as part of Waterford City Art's Festival this October.

The play opens at the Granary Theatre (formerly Museum of Treasures) on Friday 28th October at 7pm and continues with lunchtime performance at 1pm Saturday 29th with an evening performance at 7pm.

Tickets are €10 on sale now at Theatre Royal Box Office 051-874402 or on-line at imagineartsfestival.com.

You are advised to book early as stagemad had a full house sign up last year at the same venue for Anna Jordan's play.

ALL FALL DOWN tells the story of brother and sister Conor and Eva, played by Brian Coady and Brid Power. Eva helps Conor with his everyday routine, at the surface she seems to be coping well, however all is not what it seems.

Please

Read More »

The new term for Waterford Youth Arts is coming up very soon and if you know of any young people who are interested in developing their creativity, making new friends or just want to try something different then maybe WYA could be the right move for them? Each September over 200 local young people enrol in the various workshops and they commit to attending a ten-week term in various art forms including : drama, creative writing, film production, dance and visual art classes. When they get involved in such workshops they hear of other opportunities for example at present WYA has a show running at Garter Lane Theatre, One young drama student is appearing in the Peacock Theatre Dublin in a production. In Film they made a short dance film which is now on You Tube – check it out

Read More »

One of Australia's top celebrity chefs will be in Waterford with a documentary film crew filming for several days of the Waterford Harvest Festival.

Lyndey Milan (left), is one of Australia's most recognised food, wine and lifestyle personalities with a career spanning over 25 years across most TV and radio networks and publishing houses. Her forté is presenting seemingly complicated ideas in an easy, straight-forward and entertaining manner. They will be filming for a seven part series entitled 'Lyndey Milan's Taste of Ireland' which will air in Australia and New Zealand later this year. The programme makers are currently in negotiation with several European television networks, including one in Ireland, for the rights to the series.

Filming will take place on Saturday 3rd of September at the Big Street

Read More »

Suirfire Productions present; Someone Who'll Watch Over Me

Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of John McCarthy's release from terrorist abduction in Lebanon, Suirfire Productions present the Waterford premier of Frank McGuiness's Someone Who'll Watch Over Me at the Theatre Royal this September. This Tony award winning play, based on the true story of hostages Brian Keenan and John McCarthy, tells the fascinating story of an Irishman, an Englishman and an American, who are thrown together in the harshest of environments but manage to find humor and hope in their situation.

Brian Keenan, a journalist from Belfast, went to Lebanon to teach at the American University of Beirut. On the morning of April 11th, 1986 Keenan was kidnapped by Islamic terrorists. After spending two months in solitary confinement, he was moved to a cell he would share with the journalist John McCarthy. Both

Read More »