Music, film and art this autumn

The RCC presents a wide range of events from music, film to art as part of its autumn programme.

Starting off an exciting line-up of musical events, the RCC welcomes the incredible Handsome Family to Letterkenny this Friday, 16th September. During their 25-year career Brett and Rennie Sparks (a.k.a. The Handsome Family) have written some of the most haunting and beautiful songs in American music. The group has gained a lot of new fans in recent years, with their hit song Far From Any Road being used as the theme to Season 1 of True Detective and both Guns ’N Roses and Bruce Springsteen using the song as walk-in music.

Culture Night makes a much anticipated return on Friday 23rd September and the RCC looks forward to opening its doors for the night to offer a host of free events. The evening will feature Donegal Youth Orchestra (Open Rehearsal); Drive-in Cinema Workshop for Kids; The Letterkenny Social, an eclectic evening of live music; Mary Toland (Exhibition Opening); and the Dumbworld Pop-up Exhibition.

John O’Connor and Ailbhe McDonagh join forces to bring an intimate evening of cello and piano music to the RCC performing sonatas by Beethoven and some glorious shorter works by Faurè, Chopin and McDonagh herself on Sunday 16th October.

Making their long-awaited return to the RCC, the renowned West Ocean String Quartet take to the RCC stage on Thursday 20th October. The quartet has shared stages and studios with some of the very finest, including Christy Moore, Liam O’Flynn, Stephen Rea, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, Matt Molloy, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Brian Kennedy, Cathal Ó Searcaigh and Eimear Quinn.

On Wednesday 26th October, Howe Gelb (Giant Sand) with special guest Mark McCausland (The Lost Brothers) will be at the RCC. Howe Gelb has long been burdened with mantles such as ‘godfather of alt-country’ and ‘elder ambassador of desert rock’, but in truth, he can’t be categorised. The Guardian described MacCausland’s most recent album, ‘After The Fire After The Rain’, as ‘sublime’ while The Irish Times stated that the album was ‘deeply soulful’.

LOOK! FILM CLUB

The RCC’s Look! Film Club presents two films this autumn, showing The Good Boss, a darkly funny Spanish comedy starring Javier Bardem, on Thursday 6th October and Róise & Frank, which tells the story of a widow who has given up on life and becomes convinced that a stray dog is the reincarnation of her Hurling-loving husband, on Thursday 27th October.

On Thursday 10th November Music Network presents the unusual combination of Christian-Pierre La Marca on cello and Félicien Brut on accordion performing a set of world music, including Bach, Rameau, Paganini, Gershwin, Galliano and more.

The RCC is kindly supported by Donegal County Council & Arts Council Ireland.