Music legend Nile Rodgers stumps up £35k to help protect ancient NI woodland
One of music's biggest stars is helping to protect a rare and ancient woodland in Northern Ireland.
Nile Rodgers and his band Chic — famous for hits such as Le Freak and Good Times — are donating more than £35,000 to support the Faughan Valley in Co Londonderry.
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Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Music legend revealed love for 'historic' Glasgow venue
Nile Rodgers & CHIC performed at the Barrowland Ballroom in the East End on Tuesday, August 12 and Wednesday, August 13. Following their gig, Nile, 72, shared his love for the well-known venue. In an Instagram post, the American musician, songwriter, and record producer said the Barrowlands is an 'uplifting stop to play' while on tour. READ MORE: American music legend announced exciting Glasgow gig In the post, the star said: "This historic Barrowlands is an uplifting stop to play." Nile is known for being the co-founder of CHIC (Nile Rodgers & CHIC), who are an American band. The Barrowland Ballroom is one of Glasgow's most famous music venues, which has hosted several big names over the years. It is located in the East End, next to the Barras Markets. It was originally built by Maggie McIver as a dance hall in 1934. READ MORE: Legendary British 90s band announced Glasgow concert READ MORE: Oasis support act's huge promise ahead of Glasgow gig However, in 1958, the building was largely destroyed by a fire, but the venue reopened in 1960 after extensive renovations. Since 1983, the prestigious venue has been used as a concert venue.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
Padraic Fiacc: Blue plaque unveiled in Belfast to poet of the Troubles
His work captured some of Northern Ireland's darkest years, but Padraic Fiacc's poetry has been largely Wednesday admirers of his work unveiled a blue plaque commemorating him, which they hope will put his life and work back in the public plaque was unveiled at Falls Road Library for the Belfast-born writer who was celebrated in the US and at home for stark and compassionate poems that focused on the violence of the Troubles. The Ulster History Circle, supported by Libraries NI, led the ceremony close to Fiacc's birthplace. "He'll forever be on the wall and back in the room," said Seamus McKee, from Ulster History Circle, who unveiled the plaque. Paul Muldoon, a poet himself, was among the visitors to the library to witness the plaque being expressed his excitement about the influence Fiacc had on the literary world."Padraig was a true poet, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head," he Muldoon collaborated with Fiacc when the worked at the Muldoon created two programmes, one exploring Fiacc's childhood in Hell's Kitchen on Manhattan's west side in New York, and another about crossing the Atlantic by ship."I believe Padraic would be very pleased with today," he said."Like many poets, no matter how famous, there's always a lingering sense that they're not receiving the recognition they deserve." Born Patrick Joseph O'Connor near the Falls Road in west Belfast, he moved to New York in 1929 when he was five. They settled in Hell's Kitchen, a neighbourhood troubled by social problems and gang later met the poet Padraic Colum, who was living in New York and inspired him to embrace his Irish heritage. The name Colum derives from the Irish word for homage, Padraic took on the name Fiacc, meaning writings often incorporate themes of birds and the natural moved back to Belfast in 1946, took on various jobs, and then returned to New York for about a decade before finally settling in Glengormley with his wife at the time, Nancy. Aine Andrews and her husband were friends with Fiacc since the early 1970s, following the murder of one of his friends and the breakup of his marriage. "I hope the unveiling of the blue plaque will capture people's attention and inspire them to revisit Padraic's work with renewed interest," she said."I believe the creation of the blue plaque would successfully draw their focus." Seamus McKee said a significant part of Fiacc's life was marked by being "shunned by some of his fellow poets" who considered his work too raw, leaving him lonely for much of his life. However, in his later years, people began to recognise and appreciate his described him as "raw, immediate, and very honest" and said his poetry stood out as he spoke when others remained silent."There is such a wave of support for Fiacc," Mr McKee said, adding that many people had advocated for the plaque."He had a brilliant sense of humour, combining New York and Belfast wit."I wish he could be here today to hear all the wonderful things being said." While Fiacc was celebrated in the US as well as in Northern Ireland, he faced criticism at home for his poems that looked unwaveringly at received the AE Russell Award for Woe to the Boy, the Poetry Ireland award and was elected to Irish arts association Aosdána.
The Herald Scotland
20 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Nile Rodgers brought funk and soul to the Barrowlands
Edinburgh might have had the guitars and the attitude and the Gallagher brothers on Tuesday night, but Glasgow had the funk. And the soul. And disco and pop and even a dash of jazz and hip-hop. All of it combined in one man. On a sweltering evening in the Barrowland Ballroom Nile Rodgers reminded us that effectively he is the living embodiment of pop music. Backed by a group of stellar musicians and two remarkable vocalists - Audrey Martells and Naomi Rodgers, both dressed in silver and Afros (purple in Martells's case), and looking like they've both just stepped out of a George Clinton fever dream - Rodgers telescoped 50 years of music into just under two hours of continuous sonic pleasure. Read More: Starting with a quartet of Chic classics - Freak Out, Everybody Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) and I Want Your Love; all of them sounding fresh and vivid and shockingly contemporary - what followed was a trip through Rodgers's back catalogue, taking in songs from Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Beyonce and Daft Punk. All songs graced by Rodgers' writing, performing and producing skills and all of them as familiar as the back of your hand. Beyonce's Cuff It - a top 10 hit and a Grammy winner - was as close this evening gets to a deep cut. Duran Duran's Notorious even got a run-out. But so good were the performances and the vocals that you never felt the absence of the original singers. This was an act of reclamation. In all, it felt like the best kind of history lesson. Since he and his friend, the late Bernard Edwards, co-founded Chic in the late 1970s, Rodgers has been a remarkably consistent and successful music-maker and tonight that back story was laid out for us. There's an astonishing scene in Ryan Coogler's recent film Sinners in which the entire history of black music, past, present and future, is conjured up in a 1920s Mississippi juke joint. At times watching Rodgers at the Barrowland I was sure I was watching an extended version of that sequence. At the same time, this was a reminder that great music never goes out of date. This was a tightly organised and choreographed performance - some songs were cut short just to squeeze more than 20 songs into the set - with every transition nailed down and on the money. And yet it never felt calculated, confined, or by the numbers. 'We're sweating our asses off,' Rodgers admitted as the temperature peaked. You might be inclined to wonder why. Rodgers has survived cancer twice and suffered in the past from a terrible fear of flying. He is - as every second of this gig reminds us - hugely successful. He doesn't need to do this anymore. But as he duckwalked across the stage or dueted with bass player Jerry Barnes it was abundantly clear that he still loves it. And that love is reciprocated from a raucous, joyous Glasgow audience. Everyone of us lost in music. This was a breathless night. A giddy, exhilarating performance and a reminder that the primary purpose of music is to make you dance. So, I did.
