As has become the norm over the last few years, theĀ BanterĀ series of talks, yarns, conversations and discussions likes to hit the road over the summer. Weāre going to be at theĀ Kinsale Arts FestivalĀ on July 13 and weāll also be back in Derry for theĀ CultureTECHĀ festival in September, but weāre also heading to theĀ Kilkenny Arts FestivalĀ in August for not one, not two but three very special Banter sessions over the course of a week.
The idea of doing some Bantering in the Marble City first came about at last yearās festival and, with huge thanks to festival director Rosemary Collier and her team, weāve managed to put together a damn good programme, including one or two sessions which weāve been hoping to do for ages, for the festivalās 40th anniversary.
Banter On Music
Set Theatre, John Street; Saturday August 10
Everybody Loves Our Town
When it comes to the story of the Seattle grunge explosion,Ā Mark YarmāsĀ fantastic oral historyĀ Everybody Loves Our TownĀ is one of the definitive reads on that fabled city and such bands as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Mudhoney and more. The Guardian called it āa Herculean work of interviewing and editing which gives everyone a voice, from the biggest stars to the lowliest foot soldiersā. Mark joins us at Banter to talk about the book, the Seattle scene and the grunge legacy.
Everybody Loves This Town
Around the same time as Seattle was blowing up, Kilkenny was having its own moment in the sun thanks to a host of local bands, a brilliant dive venue called the New Park Inn and a host of other factors.Ā Cormac BattleĀ (Kerbdog,Ā 2fm),Ā Canice KenealyĀ (Engine Alley) andĀ Malcolm NoonanĀ (Jerusalem Taxis) rewind the cityās musical legacy.
The Neil Hannon Retrospective In 35 Minutes
The story of Neil Hannon,Ā The Divine Comedy,Ā āMy Lovely HorseāĀ andĀ the Duckworth Lewis MethodĀ in 35 minutes.
Banter On Music will also feature special guest performances during the course of the afternoon.
Banter On Fashion
National Craft Gallery, Wednesday August 14, 7pm
What the hell is Irish style?
Itās our favourite kind of Banter panel ā one with a lot of questions. What is Irish style? Is there such a thing? How does it manifest itself in Irish fashion? Is Irish style bright orange in colour? Do Irish men know anything about style? What does Irish style look like in the future? Our panel for this walk down the catwalk:Ā Angela ScanlonĀ (TV presenter, fashion writer and stylist) andĀ Sonya LennonĀ (RTE Off the Rails,Ā Lennon Courtney).
Banter on the Big Issues
The Parade Tower at Kilkenny Castle, Saturday August 17, 2pm
The campaigners
Maeve OāRourkeĀ (Justice for the Magdalenes),Ā Orla TinsleyĀ (cystic fibrosis rights campaigner) andĀ John SmithĀ (TrĆ³caire campaigns co-ordinator) talk about the work of a campaigner, the inspirations which drive them, the choices they have made and the victories (and setbacks) they have faced.
State of the art
The Kilkenny Arts Festival turns 40 this year so itās timely to look at the past, present and the future of the arts sector in Ireland.Ā Colm TĆ³ibĆnĀ (novelist and playwright),Ā Maureen KennellyĀ (arts producer, programmer, curator of theĀ Mountains to Sea DLR Books FestivalĀ and former director of the Kilkenny Arts Festival and CĆŗirt International Festival of Literature),Ā Donnacha DennehyĀ (composer andĀ Crash EnsembleĀ founder) andĀ Willie WhiteĀ (Dublin Theatre FestivalĀ artistic director and chief executive) discuss what weāre learned over the last 40 years, the issues which the arts sector believe should be sorted out today and where things go from here.
Political reform
It is the great cry of the political chattering classes: we need reform! Yet as various opinion polls have showed, the Irish electorate place the need for reform very far down on their list of priorities. Just how serious are we about reforming how our political system works ā or doesnāt work? Is it merely a case of some politicians paying lip service to the idea to score points or is there an actual hunger for meaningful, pragmatic change? A conversation with Ā Harry McGeeĀ (Irish Times),Ā Sarah OāNeillĀ (Dailwatch), Eamon Ryan (Green Party leader) and Mary O’Rourke (former government minister, TD and senator)Ā about the real issues behind the clarion call for reform.
Tickets are now on sale for all three Banter sessions fromĀ the festival box-office. Admission is ā¬13 and ā¬11 or you can buy a special Banter bundle for all three Banters for ā¬30.