Out to Lunch Artist Series

This past Saturday we decided to participate in an event in the Out to Lunch artist series.  This series involves hour long performances by different artists from various parts of Ireland.  Performances are held inside the “Theater Truck,” which is a semi-truck transformed into a stage/theater/lunch venue that holds 40 people.  Saturday’s performance featured vocalist Hilary Bow from Cork in the Republic of Ireland.  Bow covers popular songs that have been translated from their original language into traditional Irish.  Her genre is considered bella nova, which is similar to a sultry feeling jazz.  She had a great stage presence and was a heartfelt performer. 

The traditional Irish language is rarely spoken, especially in Northern Ireland, due to the presence of the British.  We have only encountered the Irish language on signs and in reading material.  Irish language is used on signs in the Catholic areas because their Irish roots are a significant aspect to their sense of identity.  For us to hear her use traditional Irish language seemed to give hope for unification of Ireland in a constructive way.  We think it was really neat to hear this singer who has taken music we may or may not have heard of, and sing it in the Irish language. It was amazing, and a wonderful way to spend our Saturday afternoon!