How playing an instrument benefits your brain (TED-Ed)

The TED-Ed videos are excellent. Here's one about the benefits of playing an instrument benefits your brain.

Link to YouTube Video

Stars and Seas", an evening of storytelling and music from far and away, Saturday 26 January 2019

The Spirit of Rasputin's, Ottawa's Folk Music Society, invites you to "Stars and Seas", an evening of storytelling and music from far and away...

Award-winning Storyteller Jacqui du Toit will lead you on a magical voyage with a tale of an Inuit sea goddess, under a soundscape of the Northern lights, the story of a Water Kelpie, a shape-shifting malevolent water horse that dwells in the dark icy Scottish lochs, with swirling stars and oceans crossing over to West Africa, Australia and the Andes mountains of South America.

Joining Jacqui will be Acacia Lyra Celtic harp duo, who perform original and traditional world music in many languages, along with exotic multi-instrumentalist Jack Pyl on flutes and percussion, and Marc Vautour on a variety of didgeridoos. The music will speak of fire, ice and ocean waves with drum rhythms echoing the heartbeat of all living things.

This will be a unique concert - I hope you can come !

Saturday January 26, 8:00 pm
Westboro Masonic Hall, 430 Churchill Ave. N. at Byron
Tickets $20 at rasputins.org

Live Theatre - Canadian Premiere of "Minding Frankie" by Maeve Bunchy at The Gladstone, 17-26 January 2019

The Canadian Premiere of Maeve Binchy's "Minding Frankie" starts this Thursday night at Ottawa's The Gladstone Theatre. Produced and Directed by the local resident and Irish born, John P. Kelly, of SevenThirty Productions. Featuring Vivian Burns and Lawrence Evenchick.


"Maeve Binchy was probably Ireland’s greatest romantic fiction writer.  Here, her 2010 hit novel Minding Frankie has been adapted for the stage by Shay Linehan. Watch Noel, a middle-aged Dublin alcoholic as he sets about raising baby Frankie.  “I intend to be the best mother I can be” he says.  Watch his whole community join in to share the responsibility – “It takes a village to raise a child. Or a street.” And watch well-meaning social worker Moira, a woman with secrets of her own, go beyond her call of duty to make his life as hard as she possibly can."


Visit The Gladstone Theatre webpage for the remainder of the description and to purchase tickets, to another fantastic production.

Enjoy an interview with John P. Kelly about the play on Irish Radio Canada.

Your blogger has never been disappointed in a John P. Kelly production!

Listening and Watching RTE - Online

If you haven't given it a thought lately (or ever), you can watch and listen to Ireland's national public service broadcaster, RTE, on your computer.

For radio, on your home computer use (requires Flash, which you probably already have):
http://www.rte.ie/radio/

Also, look for the RTE Radio app on iTunes or for Android. It's very good.

For television use the Player:
http://www.rte.ie/player/