​Evening of music and poetry at Y Tabernacl for St Brigid’s Day

Musician Keith Donald joins the award-winning poet and playwright Damian Gorman at Y Tabernacl, Machynlleth on February 1.

Legendary Irish saxophone and clarinet player Keith Donald joins the award-winning poet and playwright Damian Gorman for a one-off evening of music and poetry at Y Tabernacl, Machynlleth on February 1.
 
Donald, from the Irish band Moving Hearts, will be crossing the Irish Sea specially to join local poet and playwright Gorman for a unique event supported by The Tabernacle and Penrallt Bookshop, Machynlleth.
 
This is a unique event on the theme of negotiating trauma and opening new chapters of healing for St. Brigid’s Day, a day of healing and protection and the seasonal festival of Imbolc, passing from the darkness of winter into the warmer light of spring.
 
These two vastly experienced artists work together to find ways to resolve profound difficulties into joyous release through words and music.
 
Donald is one of Ireland's master musicians. While best known for his work with Moving Hearts, he has played with some of the biggest names in music, including Gerry Mulligan, Van Morrison, Zoot Sims, Ronnie Drew and Christy Moore.
 
His contribution to the evening will draw on his one-man show consisting of verse, prose and music, NewBliss. This tells the story of his professional life, through story, verse, jazz and blues, from his first public performance on BBC Radio at the age of 10 to playing high profile gigs in North America, Africa and every major European city and his own struggle with alcohol addiction.
 
A composer for theatre, film and television, he composed and played the soundtrack for Neil Jordan's muti award-winning film Angel starring Stephen Rea. As well as theatre work with Gorman, he wrote the music for Frank McGuinness's Carthaginians.
 
While born and reared in Co. Down, Gorman now lives in Glandyfi, near Machynlleth. As well as being a poet and playwright, he has been an encourager of writing in others for most of his working life, including at Ty Newydd, the National Writers' Centre of Wales.
 
His contributions to the evening will draw on his selected poems and memoir, As If I Cared and So Young, his rendering of his brother Gerard's life story (Blackstaff Press, 2022) which led the Irish Times to remark that 'words cannot do Gorman justice'.
 
Donald and Gorman have been friends and regular artistic collaborators for more than 30 years. Among the pieces they have worked on together are the BBC network documentaries Drink Talking and Great Journeys: Mexico and the short film United, winner of BBC Northern Ireland's first ever BAFTA.
 
Their occasional live performances together have included sold-out shows at the Seamus Heaney Homeplace and the Project Arts Theatre. They have also shared a bill at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and are delighted to be adding Y Tabernacl, Machynlleth to the list.
 
Tickets available online at: https://moma.cymru/en/e/the-player-and-the-poet/ or through our Box office: 01654 703355 / [email protected]
£8.00 Standard/£5.00 concession
 
This event has been made possible through the generous support of the Night Out scheme run by the Arts Council for Wales.