An Afternoon with Kate O'Brien
No. 1 Pery Square
Photo credit ©Special Collections, Glucksman Library, University of Limerick.
An afternoon of literature, performance, history, music and delicious delights as we celebrate the life of Kate O’Brien, Limerick author and trailblazer, who passed away 50 years ago this year.
Award-winning soprano Sarah-Ellen Murphy, accompanied by Irina Dernova, leads us into the afternoon with a song by CMC composer Fiona Linnane, based on the works of Kate O’Brien. Local historian, Sharon Slater, examines O’Brien’s ancestry – “From Evicted Tenants to Limerick Bourgeoisie – the Changing Fortunes of the O’Brien Family.”
Serving of afternoon tea with themed links to Limerick and the O’Brien family (introduced by Patricia Roberts of No.1 Pery Square). While tea is served, Sarah-Ellen and Irina will again perform for us – a rendition of Thomas Moore’s In the Mid Hour of Night which Kate O’Brien and her siblings regularly sang for relatives at family gatherings. “In the Embrace of Love” – Limerick Literary Festival committee member, Eileen O’Connor, informs us of the ups-and-downs of O’Brien’s literary career.
Renowned actor, Myles Breen, takes on ‘the aunts’ in an excerpt from O’Brien’s memoir ‘Presentation Parlour’ where she recalls the influence and occasional interference of her Limerick, Cork and Dublin-based aunts.
Finally, Sarah-Ellen Murphy, accompanied by Irina Dernova, will close the event with another song based on the works of Kate O’Brien, composed by Fiona Linnane.
To top off this fantastic event, all guests receive a themed keepsake to remember the day.
Tickets
€65 per person. Booking here.