I like the ‘On our Radar’-section in the ‘What’s on’ guide so much that I am going to steal the idea and have my own Dock Blogger Radar out there for you. Well, maybe not stealing, just copying, six eyes see more than four I guess! I might be able to yet figure out how to have those little snippets of radar-information somewhere separate in the blog, but for the time being I’ll just number them and fire away.

What’s that Radar about? Anything out there in the world of art, literature, events, culture etc. that strikes me – not necessarily linked to the Dock or Carrick-on-Shannon (maybe not yet), but somehow relevant or interesting and exciting nevertheless, obviously very much down to my humble and subjective opinion… I hope you enjoy

Radar 1:

It’s a Website definitely loved by parents, maybe used by childminders and teachers too, my own kids certainly adore it and on tired evenings that’s what we do! The site is a Programme of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation where Actors read engaging children’s stories online, just the right length as a bedtime piece; and for the rainy day there is a couple of additional and related activities for each of the stories too. If you have small kids yourself, check it out, I bet you’ll be smitten by it!

Talking of children, just a quick reminder that there is no Family-fun-day happening at The Dock next Saturday... so should it be one of those rainy days log onto the Storyline online page and find some suggestions what to do instead!

Hi Everybody,

I just heard that on Culture Night The Dock will be opening up the artists' studios to not just ‘The Blogger’; so one and all are free to walk around the space and see what it is all about! The artists will also be part of the deal, some giving workshops and others performing, just to tickle your curiosity...

Seems like a great idea to me, just drop by and get a peak into their space, I'll be most certainly there, trying to get hold of them and see if one or the other is up for a mini-interview!

On a different note, I read a lovely thing Mark Twain said, I am putting it out there, I think its heart warming and encouraging...

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~ Mark Twain

That's it for tonight, hope you are out there, and if you are - check out this amazing moon!

Your Dock Blogger

I had my first meeting with the gang from The Dock yesterday, to become part of the fabric of the place I was allowed up every creaking staircase and have a look into the last nook and cranny of the building. My three favourite hidden places: the sound box in the performance space (what a view from there!), the dressing room for the artists (wish I had that at home!), and third a hidden jewel of  artist’s studios somewhere under the roof...

Latter is the one I’ll be telling you about today, as I never knew until yesterday that this “Artists in Residence” set-up is on; what a smashing idea to intertwine emerging art with the building, to have it happening right on the terrain! Currently the studios are rented by three artists, two painters and one composer as that, and hidden from the public’s eye they work away quietly just at the other side of the door. What a nice thought, while we inspect the newest exhibition or watch the Blunnie Sisters in action, they are there too, in the same house, tinkering away at their projects… or a sleepless composer turns the night into day and works on his newest piece and shares the Dock with the rising sun.

The actual room radiates calm and creativity, its floor is covered with blobs and splashes of paint, and IF there is sunlight in Carrick then it is in this room; a generous arched windowpane lights the colourful palette of work beautifully, and I found my mind wander to the smaller and more important things in life and just wanted to hang on there…

I haven’t laid eyes on the actual artists yet, but if you are as charmed by the whole idea as I am please let me know, then I will pursue the subject and work on a follow-up of this, and maybe I get to interview the guys if they are up to telling me about their work and themselves!

Your Dock Blogger