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Dazzling drone display marks lights up Dublin skyline ahead of Oasis shows

Dazzling drone display marks lights up Dublin skyline ahead of Oasis shows

Hundreds have rushed to the streets surrounding Croke Park to catch a glimpse of a drone show marking the imminent arrival of Oasis' two sold-out concerts at the stadium as they continue their all-conquering reunion tour.
Gallagher brothers Noel and Liam have returned to Ireland, reigniting their close affinity with the country where both of their parents were born and raised.
In what has become the band's very own bat signal, ahead of each set of highly-anticipated performances across England, Wales, Scotland and now Ireland, hundreds of drones assembled over Croke Park to spell out Oasis in the band's trademark logo.
Mother Peggy, from Mayo, is rumoured to be attending both Saturday and Sunday's gigs (August 16 and 17), with Noel previously confirming she'd support her sons if she's recovered from a recent knee operation.
But, speaking with the Irish Mail, the lead singer for a popular Oasis tribute act claims to have 'a little source there' that suggests she will be in attendance.
"I can confirm she's going to be at both [shows]. We have a little source there," Gavin Fleming, who imitates Liam in the band, claims. Drones made the Oasis logo in Edinburgh. (Image: Supplied.)
"She's going to be at the Dublin shows, looking out and seeing her two sons back talking together. It was a real family feud, so it's great to see. They're brothers again, most importantly."
Saturday night will mark the first time Oasis have played on Irish soil since 2008 as Dublin prepares to reportedly rake in more than €60 million through ticket sales, hospitality, accommodation and transport across this weekend.
More than €1 billion is expected to be generated by the returning band across its 41 scheduled dates as around 80,000 mad fer it fans prepare for Croke Park's opening night.
Friday's (August 15) drone spectacle replicates what has been spotted in the skies over Cardiff's Principality Stadium, Manchester's Heaton Park, London's Wembley Stadium, Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium and now Croke Park.
Footage uploaded to social media showed dozens posing for pictures outside of the venue with the Oasis moniker up in lights behind them.
The dazzling display is understood to be the work of Celestial Drones, world-leading drone art show creators, working alongside Avtrain drone pilots, with the founder of the latter company, Julie Garland, posting to social media about the Dublin sequence.
"Lift off for @oasis with @Avtrain_aero, @CelestialDrones and @Spectrum. Kudos to Irish Aviation Authority and AirNav Ireland for pulling out all the stops," she posted, adding, "some days are really hard to call 'work'."
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In the frame: RINN features work by six Japanese and six Irish makers
In the frame: RINN features work by six Japanese and six Irish makers

Irish Examiner

time10 minutes ago

  • Irish Examiner

In the frame: RINN features work by six Japanese and six Irish makers

WOOD, stone and clay are the materials predominantly showcased in RINN, the new exhibition at the Glucksman Gallery in UCC. The word 'rinn' has various meanings, in Gaelic and Japanese, most of which relate to place, circularity, and the sharing of ideas between cultures. It sums up perfectly the spirit of the exhibition, which features work by six Japanese and six Irish makers, including the Fartha, Co Cork-based designer and sculptor, Joseph Walsh. Walsh has curated the exhibition with Wahei Aoyama, of the A Lighthouse called Kanata gallery in Tokyo. 'The primary focus is on work that's crafted,' says Walsh. 'It's about making, the process of making, and the celebration of making.' The RINN exhibition first ran in April, at the Government's new Ireland House in Tokyo. 'The Ireland House is designed by Henry J Lyons, practicing in Ireland with a Japanese partner architect. It's a very substantial undertaking, located beautifully in the centre of Tokyo. It's a new approach in that it has cultural spaces and is kind of open and inviting as opposed to the more guarded image we have of embassies. Ireland House wanted an exhibition for the opening, and that led to a conversation with Wahei, who I've known since 2012. We got talking about the possibility of a dialogue between artists and makers in Ireland and Japan, and then that naturally led to the idea of bringing the exhibition back to Ireland.' Walsh employs a number of Japanese craftspeople at his workshop in Fartha, County Cork, and several more have participated in Making In, the gathering of international makers he has hosted every year since 2017. 'Three of the Japanese artists in the exhibition have spoken at Making In,' he says. 'And most of the Irish and Japanese artists met at the opening in Ireland House in April. I suppose ordinarily, if you talked about a dialogue between Ireland and Japan as represented in the exhibition, you'd be referring to a dialogue between the objects. And that's true, there's a definite conversation between the objects and the process, but there is also quite literally a dialogue between the people. And hopefully the project will have longevity, and there will be consequences into the future.' Frances Lambe, artist pictured at the launch of RINN – Ireland and Japan. When Walsh and Aoyama began planning the exhibition, both brought ideas to the table. 'I would have known maybe half the Irish artists, and half the Japanese. They're a very individual group of people with very different paths, but there's a shared focus on the material and making. Kan Yasuda, for instance, is 80 years of age, and is long established as a sculptor. His obsession with carving brought him to Italy in pursuit of perfect white blocks of marble. He realised that it wasn't good enough to just go and buy a block, he needed to be living in close proximity to the quarry. So he moved to Italy, and for the past 50 years, he's spent half of the year there, and half in Japan.' 'Sueharu Fukami is known for his porcelain, and particularly his use of a qingbai glaze that was developed under imperial patronage in China maybe a thousand years ago. Today in China, you can't find anyone doing qingbai glaze to this standard. It's interesting that Fukami is not alone preserving a Chinese technique, he's pushing it further.' Deirdre McLoughlin, artist pictured at the launch of RINN – Ireland and Japan. RINN includes one of Walsh's sculptures in wood and stone, along with examples of Irish artist Frances Lambe's stoneware, Sara Flynn's exquisite vessels, and Deirdre McLoughlin's abstract black and white sculptural forms. 'Deirdre's an amazing lady,' says Walsh. 'She's been a big figure in Ireland for years. But what I didn't know until we were in Japan together is that she'd lived and practiced in Kyoto early on, and that's where she found the style that's informed the rest of her career.' Also featured are two of Joe Hogan's woven 'nests': 'I've known Joe for a long time, and what I love is the fact that he became renowned for his mastery of basket making and impeccable crafting. But as the years go on, it's almost like he's got so competent that he doesn't need to prove that he can do a complex weave. He's got looser and looser, and you get these exquisite objects emerging that just look so natural, they could be found nests, albeit very large ones.' The best-known of the Irish artists is Seán Scully, represented by a tapestry he produced in collaboration with Mourne Textiles in County Down. 'That was something we brought about specifically for the exhibition,' says Walsh. 'We showed three prototypes in Japan, but the piece in the Glucksman is the first 'final' work, as it were. It's one of the things I'm very excited about. Scully absolutely loves the tapestry pieces. He's decided to do a show with Mourne Textiles for the Kerlin Gallery in Dublin, and they hope to send that exhibition to Japan.' Joseph Walsh. Picture: Andrew Bradley RINN also features a work called Bridge by the architectural partners O'Donnell Twomey: 'One of the unique things about bringing the exhibition back to the Glucksman was, of course, that the building was designed by O'Donnell and Tuomey and completed 21 years ago. John Tuomey and Sheila O'Donnell have featured prominently at Making In over the years. They've been very active and supportive, and that led to us collaborating on the building of three experimental pavilions at Fartha. 'The Sisk Gallery, downstairs at the Glucksman, features an installation about the process of constructing the pavilions, rooted in what the traditional farmhouses around Fartha were built of; stone, timber, and thatch.' Walsh is busy preparing for this year's Making In seminar, which runs from September 5-6 and features makers such as Tarlach de Blácam of Inis Meáin Knitting Company, the Dutch designer Hella Jongerius, and Frére Paolo, a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint-Benoit d'En Calcat in France: 'Pat Collins, the filmmaker, has made a documentary on the last few seminars called Making II. That will be screened on RTÉ 1 a few days earlier, on Monday September 1.' Walsh's own work continues as his primary focus. He employs a team of 20, including designers, makers and administrators. 'We're working on projects in about 25 countries,' he says, 'in the US, Europe, and Asia and some other far-flung places. I'm also working on a solo exhibition in Paris next year. It's always interesting.' RINN runs at the Glucksman Gallery, UCC until November 2.

All the photos from Wexford as Duncannon summer festival returns with a bang
All the photos from Wexford as Duncannon summer festival returns with a bang

Irish Independent

time11 minutes ago

  • Irish Independent

All the photos from Wexford as Duncannon summer festival returns with a bang

On Saturday, July 26, the locals from the village, the wider Hook Peninsula and further afield came together to celebrate the treasures Duncannon and its community have to offer. The festival, held in the heart of the village overlooking the beach and the historic Duncannon Fort, presented events to suit all ages, starting off with an outdoor yoga session on the green. Pipers from the New Ross Pipe band, Brian MacMahon and Jodie Fanthom officially opened the festival with a great performance as they played through the village and up to the Fort. Duncannon Fort was opened prior to its official launch, specifically for those who were in attendance at the festival, and left a lasting impression on visitors who admired the works carried out to date. Held in the unique setting of the moat in Duncannon Fort, young children enjoyed the Teddy Bears' Picnic, feasting on picnic food, listening to stories, playing party games and dancing to music. The popular pet fancy dress also took place in this area, with a great range of pets on display and both owners and dogs of different breeds and sizes, cats, rabbits, and a guinea pig all splendidly dressed in very creative outfits. There were a whole range of prizes and the participants and audience had a great time, delighted by the imagination, resourcefulness and effort all entrants had displayed to make this event so extraordinary. The Fort Parade Ground was the place to be for people wanting to buy something special to remember the festival by, with stalls from the renowned Duncannon Beach Market selling a range of beautiful crafts, other stalls selling delicious food, ice-cream, and strawberries to name but a few. Duncannon Scouts Group was on hand to make knotted key rings and recruit new members to enjoy fun activities throughout the year. Down on the green in the heart of the village was the main stage which hosted a variety of entertainment for young and old and everyone in between. A local Ukrainian choir, dressed in traditional Ukrainian costumes, sang lively folk songs in their own language; the fun ukulele band The Cool Hand Ukes entertained large crowds who joined in singing along to their popular songs; the incomparable Rathnure Pantomime Society put on a great family show to an enthralled, packed audience. On the beach, the RNLI and the Seal Rescue Ireland were on hand to showcase the important work they do, and the SEA School from Dunmore kept both children and adults busy discovering the treasures offered by the sand, sea and shore. The family 5-a-side football tournament proved to be a great hit as did the Bar Servers' Race (won by Roche's Bar, Duncannon) and the Sand Sculpting Competition had over thirty entrants, with very creative designs sculpted by young and old. The traditional Irish band, Skin the Deer, was formed especially for the festival and played to delighted crowds in the Fort as a Fringe performance for the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann. They also performed on the green, followed by the popular band The Controversial All Stars, who played on into the night accompanied by the audience singing along and dancing to their music. The festival finale was a thrilling fireworks display provided by Rocket Pyrotechnics, uniquely launched from a boat off the beach. The night sky was filled with colour, which reflected in the calm waters of the coast The Duncannon Renewal Committee has offered 'a sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped to make the festival such a great triumph' which wouldn't have been possible without the 'help and support of a whole range of people'; the financial support of local business, including main sponsor Scurri, individual donations, grants and generous contributions from local councillors, Bridin Murphy and Marty Murphy. 'Nor would the festival have happened without the support from lots of volunteers who gave up their precious time to help run the festival, stewarding, supervising the parking, directing people and helping to set up and clean up after the revellers had gone home,' they continued. "The advice and support from officers and councillors from Wexford County Council and New Ross District Council was invaluable. A team of Gardaí from New Ross Garda Station helped to make sure the festival passed smoothly and safely, the Order of Malta provided first Aid support and the Local Link Shuttle Service ferried people between Duncannon and Ramsgrange. 'All in all, a great day was had in the village and the Fort and Duncannon Renewal Committee are already planning to make next year's summer festival a bigger and better day of family fun for all the community,' they said.

Heartwarming scenes as hundreds of Oasis fans gather outside Croke Park to sing
Heartwarming scenes as hundreds of Oasis fans gather outside Croke Park to sing

Irish Daily Mirror

timean hour ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Heartwarming scenes as hundreds of Oasis fans gather outside Croke Park to sing

There were heartwarming scenes outside of Croke Park on Sunday night as hundreds of Oasis fans without tickets gathered for a sing-a-long. The surrounding area of Croke Park has been rocking all weekend as 80,000 fans a night travelled from all over for the two sold out shows, with hundreds more sans a pass for the concerts congregating outside to catch a moment of the gig over the loudspeakers. A stunning video shared by Oasis on social media showed a huge crowd gathered outside GAA HQ singing along to Half The World Away just after the sun set over the city, Dublin Live reports. The second sold out show from Oasis brought thousands to Croke Park as the Gallagher brothers busted out some of their most beloved tracks. Cast and Richard Ashcroft didn't disappoint punters as they kicked off the night with back to back bangers. The night ended with a huge fireworks display after the band's last track Champagne Supernova, signalling an end to two days of non stop Oasis mania in the capital. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.

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