County Kildare Community Network

Kilcullen Badminton Club is looking for new members and is inviting all standards of players to join them during the summer.

The friendly club, which has coaching for beginners and has players of League standard 6 to 3, is holding informal nights throughout the summer.

New players can turn up and pay just €5 a night before the membership season starts again in September. All standards are welcome and the club is particularly keen to attract both men and ladies interested in playing League matches next season.

The club meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 9pm to 11pm at the Kilcullen Community Complex on the Newbridge road.

For more details call Jennifer on 087 2628305,
email kilcullenbc@hotmail.com, or visit the website at: www.kbc.mywebweb.com.

The annual Athy Bluegrass Festival will take place from the 12th - 15th July 2007
The line up includes Patuxent Partners, Washington; Red Wine, Italy; Gary Ferguson, USA; Woodbine, Athy; Tennessee Hennessee, Armagh; The Niall Toner Band, Carlow; The Sullivan Brothers, Athy and Acoustic Grass, Derry. More acts will be announced. The festival contains a mix of traditional & contemporary bluegrass.
Musicians appearing at the festival include Tom Mindte, John Brunchwyler, Gary Ferguson, Dave Miner, Mel Corry, Sean McKerr, Niall Toner, Frank Robinson, Dessie Crerand and Tony Curran.
The festival is run by the Athy Bluegrass Music Association [www.athy-bluegrass.com] which was formed in 1997 to run the festival and promote bluegrass music. Most of the festival events will take place in the Carlton Abbey Hotel, but there will also be a gig trail which will include The Clanard Court Hotel and The Athy Heritage Centre, Clancy’s Bar, Pat Dunnes, and Smugglers.

This year's festival is sponsored by Albert Dunne, Car Sales.

What is Bluegrass?
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music which began in the mid to late 1940s in the US. It has its own roots in Irish, Scottish and English traditional music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of Scots-Irish immigrants as well as that of rural African-Americans, jazz, and blues. In bluegrass, each instrument takes a turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others revert to backing. Bluegrass is distinctively acoustic, rarely using electric instruments. Typical instruments include fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, dobro, and upright bass.

Dobro is a trade name now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar. Originally coined by the Dopyera brothers when they formed the Dobro Manufacturing Company, for a time it came in common language to mean any resonator guitar. The Dobro brand also appeared, quite legitimately, on other instruments, notably electric lap steel guitars and solid body electric guitars and on other resonator instruments such as Safari mandolins.

The annual Cecil Day Lewis Short Story, Poetry and One Act Play competition was organised this year by Athy Heritage Centre-Museum who are very proud to have the opportunity to celebrates the connection between the celebrated poet and the South Kildare area. C.D Lewis was Professor of Poetry at Oxford from 1951-1956. A talented and humorous man, he wrote in An Italian Visit, parodies on poets ranging from Hardy to Dylan Thomas. His autobiography was published in 1960 and in 1966, he was awarded Poet Laureate.

List of Winners 2007

Primary School

Primary School Short Stories

Junior Cycle

1. Rebekah Roche, Scoil Mhichil Naofa, Athy
2. Jodie Walsh, Scoil Mhichil Naofa, Athy
3. Rory O’Connor, Scoil Mhuire Newbridg
   

Senior Cycle

1. Robbie Fahey, St. Laurence’s, Ballitore
2. Aishling Walsh, Caragh NS, Naas
3. Diarmuid Mc Cowen, St Corbans, Naas
   

Primary School Poetry

Junior Cycle

1. Rosemarie Gibbons, Scoil Nioclas Naofa, Dulavin
2. Zoe Weld, Hewetson NS, Clane
3. Eoghan Mc Glinchey, Scoil Mhicil Naofa, Athy

Senior Cycle

1. Ciara Maher, St Laurence’s, Ballitore
2. Ryan Donohue, Scoil Diarmada, Castledermot
3. Ruairi Merrins, Caragh NS, Naas

Primary School Special Needs 1 Act Play Senior Cycle

1. Kirsten Loughman, Scoil Ide Naofa, Kilmead

Primary School Special Needs Poetry, Senior Cycle

1. Delia O’Malley, Newtown NS, Enfield
2. Jason Moore, Scoil Diarmada, Castledermot
3. Sean Moore, Scoil Diarmada, Castledermot
   

Primary School Special Needs Short Story, Senior Cycle

1. Eoin O’Keefe, Scoil Mhicil Naofa, Athy
2. Jamie Mc Cormaick, Scoil Mhicil Naofa, Athy
3. Katie Geraghty, Presentation GNS, Maynooth

Secondary School

Secondary School, Poetry

Junior Cycle

1. Shauna O’Brien, St Mary’s College Naas
2. Mihal Baluk, St Patrick’s Naas
3. Niamh O’Neill, Athy Community College

Senior Cycle

1. Ciaran Kennedy, Colaiste Chiarain, Leixlip
2. Dearbhla Ward, Presentation College, Carlow
3. Sinead Ryan, St Mary’s College
   

Secondary School 1 Act Play

Junior Cycle

1. Dara DelaneyColaiste Lorcain, Castledermot
2. Brian KehoeColaiste Lorcain, Castledermot
3. MJ Kane Colaiste Lorcain, Castledermot
   

Senior Cycle

1. Ronan Dowling, Presentation College, Carlow
2. Stephen Shannon, Presentation College, Carlow
3. Dearbhla Ward, Presentation College, Carlow
   

Secondary School Short Stories

Junior Cycle

1. Joseph O’ Hara, Colaiste Lorcain
2. Rosalind Jones, School Dara
3. Fionn Rogan, Scoil Mhuire Clane

Senior Cycle

1. Caitriona Mc Guire, St Mary’s College
2. Sinead Drohan, Cross and Passion
3. Caoimhe O’ Leary St Mary’s College
   

Secondary School, Special Needs, Poetry

Junior Cycle

1. David Egan PBS, Newbridge
2. Cian de Paor, Patrician Secondary, Newbridge
3. Aaron Leahy, Patrician Secondary, Newbridge

Senior Cycle

1. Shane O’NeillSt Patrick’s, Newbridge
   

Secondary School, Special Needs, Short Story

Junior Cycle

1. Andrew Moore, Patrician Secondary, Newbridge
2. John Mattimoe, PBS, Newbridge
3. Barry Halpin, Patrician Secondary, Newbridge
   

Senior Cycle

1. Patrick Shanahan, St Mary’s, Newbridge
2. Gavin Moore, St Mark’s, Newbridge
3. Sarah Kiely, St Mark’s, Newbridge

Kildare County Council Kildare, in association with MCD and Naas Town Council, is delighted to announce the short-list of bands for PLATFORM II, the OXEGEN 2007 Battle of the Bands competition for emerging bands from Co Kildare.

The short-listed bands are
Reemo
Miracle Bell
My Ok Hotel
The Re-Offenders
Half Shot
Bright Light Fiasco
Dark Age Disco
Rohan and the Band

*Kill City Defectors were initially short-listed, but had to withdraw, due to injury

The prize for two lucky performers/ bands is a much sought after slot on the New Band Stage at OXEGEN 2007, the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Weekend of the Year, which takes place in Punchestown Racecourse, Naas, Co Kildare, Sat 7th and Sun 8th July.

According to Lucina Russell, Arts Officer for Kildare County Council, a whopping 55 applications were received for the competition from solo artists and bands across the county, which confirms a very healthy music scene in Kildare.  She said ‘Musicians may be disappointed that they were not short-listed, but overall, the feedback from the bands shows that they recognise that the competition was good for the promotion of emerging bands in Kildare’.

The Platform II Battle of the Bands Final takes place in Time : Bar +Venue, Naas, Co Kildare on Thursday 24th May 2007, 9.30pm.   MC for the Platform II competition is PJ Gallagher, the undisputed star of the TV Show, Naked Camera. 

Tickets for the Battle of the Bands competition are available from Time  €14  Tel: 045-881222

For further information about Platform II, Tel:  045 448318, E mail: lrussell@kildarecoco.ie, or see www.kildare.ie/arts 

Mondello Park will bring the sight and sound of a MotoGP machine to the Irish public for the first time during the Bennetts British Superbike Championship races on June 15th-17th. The 2005, ex Loris Capirossi, Ducati Desmosedici will be on display in the paddock during Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's raceday, and will perform it's historic demonstration run on Sunday afternoon.

For many Irish fans this will be their first and last opportunity to experience the incredible sound and dramatic performance of a MotoGP bike from the 1000cc era, now that the world championship has switched to less powerful 800cc machines. The only previous laps of the Mondello circuit by Grand Prix machinery took place behind closed doors. The bike to be demonstrated is an ex-Capirossi No1 bike, with which he won the Japanese Grand prix at Montegi."

This incredible opportunity has been made possible by Ducati Coventry who acquired the bike from Ducati Corse for it's owner and self confessed bike nut, Barrie Baxter. The demonstration run is part of a series taking place at 2007 BSB events. The identity of the rider who will take the controls of the Desmosedici for its Mondello Park demo is yet to be decided, but both Mondello Park and the bike's owners are hoping to be able to make an announcement very shortly.

Speaking of the chance to air the Ducati for Irish fans, Ducati Coventry team owner John Hackett said. "We're delighted to be able to bring this GP bike over for the Irish fans. We genuinely admire the Irish spectators who have always greeted us enthusiastically and made us very welcome. Ireland is such a great place to go racing that we are looking forward to getting the Ducati on track at Mondello for what should be one of our most enthusiastically received demonstrations of the year."

Details of the timetable for the British Superbike Championship event at Mondello, including the timing of the MotoGP demonstration, will be released closer to the event. Tickets for the BSB at Mondello Park can be booked through the circuits official ticket agents ticketlord.com, or for further even information contact Mondello Park.

Naas Library, Commencing 23rd May 2007

Kildare Heritage Forum and KELT present a series of workshops and training sessions on the topic of Irish Wildlife.

All evening sessions will be held in Naas Library, with the exception of 30th May, which will be in Kildare County Hall, Naas.

All sessions start at 8pm.

Light refreshments will be served and there will be plenty of time for questions and for participants to chat informally with all speakers.

Download leaflet and Application Form (Adobe PDF File - 216kb)

Workshops

23rd May Introduction to Biodiversity, Billy Flynn

30th May Species and habitats, Betsy Hickey

6th June Bats & Other Mammals, Conor Kellegher & Billy Flynn

13th June Birds, Dick Coombes

5th September Trees and Woodlands, Mark McCorry

12th September Hedgerows, Neil Foulkes

19th September Farmland habitats, Con Moloney

26th September Wildlife: Do it yourself! Eanna ní Lamhna

Practical Sessions

6th June: Bat Walk, led by Conor Kellegher. Meet at Naas Library, 10pm (following the talk)

22nd Sept: Canal Wildlife, led by Michael Jacob. Meet at The Lifting Bridge, Monasterevin at 2pm.

Further Information

Bridget Loughlin, Heritage Officer
Kildare County Council, Naas
Ph 045 - 980791,

E-mail bloughlin@kildarecoco.ie

Web: www.kildare.ie/countycouncil/Heritage

9th- 13th July 2007, NUI, Maynooth, Co Kildare, Ireland

The Kildare Dance Summer School offers a wide-ranging programme that allows participants to immerse themselves in an exciting range of approaches and methodology to dance.

SUMMER SCHOOL CONTENT

FINANCIAL DETAILS
Summer School fees …… € 350
Daily rate ……… € 70 (includes tuition fees, tea/coffee)Cheques/ postal orders made payable to KILDARE COUNTY COUNCIL

Correspondence details
Kildare County Arts Service, Kildare County Council, Riverbank, Newbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland

Tel: 00 353 (0)45 448318; Fax: 00 353 (0)45 448328; Email: lrussell@kildarecoco.ie ; www.kildare.ie/arts

Accommodation (optional)
College room, single ………..€ 24 per night; with continental breakfast €30.50
College room, Twin…………€ 20 per night; with continental breakfast €26.50
For accommodation bookings
Tel 01- 7086400, referencing ‘Kildare Dance Summer School’

WORKSHOP CONTENT

WELCOME WORKSHOP Ann Ward
A dance experience that gently welcomes the participants to the Dance Summer School and into the realm of the art of dance. An introduction to the physical tasks inherent in current contemporary dance practices, with a focus on working from the inside, out. The approach heightens participants’ awareness of the body frame and breath, in movement work. There is a strong emphasis on safe practices, both physical and environmental.

INTUITIVE DANCE Colm Gallagher
Colm will use games, improvisation, storytelling and especially intuition to create dance sequences. Classes begin with a sense of the community within the rehearsal room. There is an emphasis on the individual strengths from each performer being celebrated whatever their individual ability, cultural or educational background. Barriers to language are made redundant in this work.

Every participant shall be able to go and teach workshops in any special needs environment using the AMICI method. The same claim exists for those that only attend a one-day workshop

DANCE INTO DRAMA Noeleen Mc Grath
Using a series of dramatic stimuli, this course will look at dance techniques and how they can be applied in a dramatic context. Using Laban analysis, the course will highlight how these techniques can enhance and develop dramatic work in a stimulating and creative manner. The emphasis is on dance utilised with a dramatic flair. It is expected that an informal performance may result from work done on the day.

MOTIVATING YOUNG PEOPLE – DELIVERING THE LABAN GUILD FOUNDATION COURSE IN COMMUNITY DANCE Ann Ward
These sessions aim to help those who have successfully completed, or are about to complete the Laban Guild Community Dance Teachers Course. The Foundation Course is a 30 hour course for young people from 16 years upwards and towards a certificate to those successfully completing the course. It is ideal for motivating youth groups or members of after school groups at this level. These sessions will offer practical guidance on delivering the course, and so increase your portfolio of skills.

This course would be useful to those working within the community on amateur/semi-professional productions, those working with children and young people, or just those who want to explore their dramatic potential.

TOOLBOX FOR CHOREOGRAPHY Anna Carlisle
The Choreographic workshop will explore techniques for dance-making in a variety of sites and landscapes. Participants will work in small groups to produce short works specific to a number of sites in and around the architecture of Maynooth and its gardens.

MUSIC FOR DANCE Wendy Hermelin
Choosing the appropriate music for your dance can be difficult ! During these practical sessions, a variety of music will be explored, and other sources of accompaniment.

DANCE IN EDUCATION Michelle Nic Chon Uladh
This workshop is relevant for facilitators working in schools, educators delivering the dance strand of the Physical Education Primary School Curriculum, secondary school teachers, or teachers of dance who may want to develop their creative and artistic work. Emphasis will be placed on themes for dance projects and how dance in education can contribute to artistic, aesthetic and cultural education. The workshop will be supported by audio, video and written material

LABAN STUDIES
These workshops will explore key aspects of Laban Fundamentals i.e a systematic analysis of movement in relation to dynamic use of body in space.
This workshop is mandatory for those completing the Laban Guild Community Dance Leaders course, but is open to all Summer School participants.

MOVEMENT CHOIR Wendy Hermelin
Dancing together in a large group ensemble is a very special experience. The movements become simpler, but the effect is more powerful. Come together with all the Summer School course group and enjoy being part of this moving finale to close the Dance Summer School.

Dance in Kildare

Over the past ten years, Kildare County Council has established itself as an agency for dance development in Ireland through

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  Dance Artist in Residence programmes
  
  


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  Provision of certified training in Community Dance (Laban Guild Community Dance Leaders course, Level 1 & Level 2
  
  


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  Kildare Dance Summer School at NUI, Maynooth ‘03, ‘05, ‘07
  
  


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  Developing inter agency projects in the field of Dance with Disability
  This work will develop over the course of ‘Making Inroads: An Arts Development Plan for Kildare County Council 2006 –2011’. Louise Costelloe, a Laban graduate is currently preparing a publication documenting the dance work in Kildare, in text and image. This publication will be launched in Spring 2008.
  
  

Rudolf Laban
Rudolf Laban (1879-1958) was a major pioneer in the evolution of Modern Dance during the period of Central European Expressionist Art. He evolved an exciting new approach to the study of Dance and Movement through his systematic analysis of movement in relation to the dynamic use of the body in space. He taught and inspired Mary Wigman and Kurt Jooss and has influenced such modern choreographers as Pina Bausch and William Forsythe. Laban identified four fundamentals in relation to movement

THE BODY Body parts we can use and body actions we can perform WHAT
SPACE Direction, level and pathway WHERE
EFFORT Dynamics or movement quality HOW
RELATIONSHIP Interaction with other people, objects, etc. WITH WHOM

‘A visionary, a mystic, a lover, a leader, an artist, a teacher, a theorist. Laban was all these things and more’.

Valerie Preston- Dunlop, Rudolf Laban : An Extraordinary Life (1998) Dance Books

The Laban Guild
Established in 1946, the Laban Guild have been inspired by Laban's work in the fields of dance theatre, mastery of movement for actors, community dance, movement and dance therapy, personal growth and development, dance in education, dance notation and action profiling. The Laban Guild promotes publications, courses, conferences and other events to provide high quality experiences relevant to members in the dance and movement world of today.

The Guild is a member of the Movement and Dance Division of the Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR) and is governing body for Laban-based Movement and Dance recognised by the Sports Council of England.

TUTORS PROFILES

ANN WARD
Ann Ward has many years experience teaching a variety of subjects to all age groups. She studies Laban’s principles under Lisa Ullman and other tutors from the Art of Movement Studio, working with LinC, UK. As well as organizing courses for the Laban Guild, she teaches on their Community Dance Leaders Course and devised and piloted their Foundation Course in Community Dance. Ann has been a key figure in the establishment of both the Laban Guild Community Dance Leaders courses and the Kildare Dance Summer School

COLM GALLAGHER
Colm Gallagher got involved in the field of disability whilst working as a carer in Stewarts Hospital, Palmerstown. He studied Drama, Dance and Literature at University of Hertfordshire. Meeting Wolfgang Stange, Artistic Director of AMICI Dance Theatre Company was a life changing moment. Colm is currently the Education Director AMICI and has worked on many projects in Germany, Ireland, Austria, Poland, USA, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Egypt and Japan.

He teaches Destress through Creative Movement courses for South Thames College, London and other workshops, (recently receiving an Excellence in Teaching Award). As Associate Artist, he teaches the Lyric Integrated Drama Project (LID) at The Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. Colm also teaches on two groundbreaking projects for seriously disabled people in Kensington & Chelsea and choreographs for AMICI Dance Theatre Company (London) and MiCHi (London).

NOELEEN MC GRATH
After spending time in London working as a professional actor and dancer, Noeleen to return to Ireland, re-training as a drama & dance teacher. Through her work in secondary and Further Education colleges (teaching drama and dance to GCSE, A’ Level and BTEC), Noeleen was introduced to Laban’s work and become completely hooked. A graduate of both the Stage 1 & 2 Laban Guild Community Dance leader’s course, she now teaches and assesses on the Stage 1 course. Abandoning the securing of a post as Head of Drama at a College in Portstewart, Noeleen made the brave (or insane) choice to work as a freelance dance and drama teacher, for The Rock Challenge, school shows, community pantomimes and general performance training, in the nursery, primary, secondary and university, as well as teaching local pupils on the OCR A’ Level performing arts and is an External Examiner for the subject

This is Noeleens first year working at Maynooth and she is really looking forward to creating a dramatic impression.

MICHELLE NIC CHON ULADH
Michelle works as a freelance dance teacher and choreographer. She currently runs two dance projects with Dublin South Area Youth Services and since 2006 has been involved in a three year arts programme with Larkin Community College and Dance Ireland. She has choreographed work for Tallaght Youth Theatre, Fatima Mansions, Purple Heart Theatre Company and National Youth Dance Company and others.

She started her professional training at Dorothy Stevens School of Dance before receiving a Diploma in Dance Theatre from LABAN in 1999. She gained a certificate in Community Dance from The Laban Guild in 2005 and was subsequently invited to study on the Guild’s Phoenix Project under the guidance of Anna Carlisle.

ANNA CARLISLE
Anna Carlisle was Head of Dance at Lewes College and Lecturer in Choreological Studies at LABAN, London. She was Director of the Lewes Youth Dance Company, First Edition that won the British Telecom National Performance Award at Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1997.

Anna has taught extensively on the international circuit. Choreographic projects have run in Copenhagen, Iceland, France and Ireland and choreographic commissions for the Brighton Festival include Dances Sacrees et Profanes with the Musicians of All Saints and the Community Opera, Figlia del Mago . Recent site specific works for her inter-generational Community Dance Group, Thin Skin, include The Rise of Spring and Where the Land Meets the Sea for the Arts Council Big Dance, summer 2006.

She is currently Director of the Phoenix Project, a Professional Development Course in Laban Studies for Dance and Theatre practitioners based at Royal Holloway College, London. Her research interests revolve around Dance and Sacred Geometry.

Anna was awarded the MBE for Services to Dance in 2002.

WENDY HERMELIN
Wendy is an experienced senior tutor for the Laban Guild, teaching Community Dance Teachers course and the annual LinC Summer School. She works in the UK and abroad teaching and choreographing. ‘Threads and Memory Footprints of Time’ was her latest project. Funded by the Arts Council of England, she explored the links between dance and stitch, on the theme of Iron-Age hill forts, with four schools, a youth drama group and a group of adults. Over a period of one year, participants created large stitched panels and costumes and made dances for performance.

Wendy also makes stitched textile panels, hangings and 3D items.

NUI Maynooth

A Contemporary Venue …. Steeped in History
Maynooth is a charming university town in north Kildare, situated just 24km west of Dublin on the M4. It is serviced by regular rail and bus connections from the capital.
Maynooth Campus offers a variety of accommodation options, from standard rooms for the budget conscious to elegant suites for those who want a unique experience of comfort. A range of apartment accommodation is also available during the summer months.
Savour the historical ambience of Gothic quadrangles, atmospheric cloisters, the sublime College Chapel, the ruined Geraldine castle.
Or soak up the buzz of Maynooth with its abundance of restaurants, lively pubs and excellent shopping.
There's so much to do in Maynooth. Stay and enjoy the experience.

At Maynooth, historic ambience and modern convenience exist together. In the South Campus, distinguished by Georgian and neo-Gothic buildings, individually appointed en-suite rooms and college rooms are available in a mixture of singles, twins and doubles. Beautiful views over St Joseph's Square, the Bicentenary Garden and the Geraldine castle create a uniquely memorable backdrop. Breakfast is served in the magnificent Pugin Hall.

College room, single ………..€ 24 per night; with continental breakfast € 30.50
College room, Twin…………€ 20 per night; with continental breakfast €26.50
For accommodation bookings
Tel 01- 7086400, referencing ‘Kildare Dance Summer School’

Closing date for applications is Friday 18^th May 2007.

An exciting inter agency summer camp is taking place this year during the month of July 2007.

The Naas Summer Fun Camp was piloted last year in the community and it was such a great success that it will now be an annual event in the summer calendar.

The camp is an initiative organised by different community and voluntary agencies in the locality.

Kildare Youth Services, Kildare Community Partnership and Kildare Sports Partnership have pooled resources and ideas together to plan a programme of fun activities for children who use our services.

The Summer Camp will take place over three weeks in July from Monday 9th July to Friday 27th July 2007 facilitating different age groups each week.

Volunteers are urgently required to help out with this initiative so if you have some free time on your hands for one week in July, have a good awareness of personal boundaries and like to have fun please contact Kildare Youth Services Reception at 045 -897893 for an application form or you can e –mail reception @kys.ie.

Garda vetting applies to all applicants. Closing date for applications is Friday 18th May 2007.

Kildare County Council Proudly Presents:

PLATFORM II

The Oxegen '07 Battle of the Bands

COMPETITION TO SELECT TWO KILDARE MUSIC ACTS FOR OXEGEN

Kildare County Council, in association with MCD and Naas Town Council, is delighted to announce details of PLATFORM II, the OXEGEN 2007 Battle of the Bands competition for emerging bands from Co Kildare.

The prize for two lucky performers/ bands is a much sought after slot on the New Band Stage at OXEGEN 2007, the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Weekend of the Year , which takes place in Punchestown Racecourse, Naas, Co Kildare, Sat 7th and Sun 8th July.

Bands who have played on the New Band Stage in the past include The Go Team, Super Furry Animals, The Magic Numbers, Editors, The Killers, Razorlight, The Fratellis

Platform II is open to all unsigned solo artists and bands from Co Kildare, over the age of 17

The Platform II Battle of the Bands competition takes place in Time: Bar + Venue, Naas, Co Kildare on Thursday 24 th May 2007, 9.30pm. MC for the Platform II competition is PJ Gallagher, the undisputed star of the TV Show, Naked Camera.

Tickets for the Battle of the Bands competition are available from Time @ €14

According to County Arts Officer, Lucina Russell, "this project was negotiated by Kildare County Council and Naas Town Council, with MCD, organisers of Oxegen. Already, it has generated great excitement among emerging bands in the county. It is a great way for MCD to acknowledge the local support for the Oxegen festival’.

Application forms available here

Or contact:

Kildare County Council Arts Service , Riverbank, Newbridge, Co Kildare.

Tel: 045 448318, E mail: lrussell@kildarecoco.ie

Closing date for applications is Monday 14 th May 2007, 5pm