Ardhowen Theatre commissions Rock Doc to mark anniversary of livestream performances
14th May 2021
The iconic Ardhowen Theatre is marking the first anniversary of livestream performances from its Gallery Bar, by commissioning Rock Doc, a photographic rockumentary, which will document a typical Friday night at the venue featuring two local artists.
Rock Doc will capture the before, during and after of the livestream performance taking place on Friday 21 May featuring Fermanagh rock legend Pat McManus and his band. Local photographer, rock drummer and drumming technician, Paul Jackman, has been commissioned by the Ardhowen Theatre, to capture not just the performance, but what happens before and after the cameras have stopped rolling.
Derrylin native, Pat McManus is one of Fermanagh’s finest musicians. By the age of 7, Pat had already performed on TV, and by age 14 he was the All-Ireland fiddle champion. He discovered the music of the Godfathers of Celtic rock, Horslips, in his late teens and consequently swapped his fiddle for an electric guitar. Encouraged by their friendship with Horslips, Pat and his two brothers (John and Tommy) formed the incredibly successful Mama’s Boys. The group would go on to tour with the likes of Hawkwind, Thin Lizzy, Bon Jovi and Deep Purple. After Tommy sadly lost his long battle with cancer in 1994, Pat and John continued to play together, and formed Celtus in 1997. Celtus beat off stiff competition from U2 and Enya to win the Best Album of the Year at the Irish World Music Awards in 1998 with the wonderful Moonchild. Celtus would go on to release 2 more albums, before Pat decided to retire in 2001 to spend more time with his young family by the shores of Lough Erne. However, his love of music remained undiminished and Pat continued to play music and tour extensively with various bands across Ireland, eventually evolving into formation of The Pat McManus Band which continues to delight rock audiences around the world today.
Paul Jackman, from Lisnaskea, will be on hand to document the Pat McManus performance and tell the story of a livestream in a ‘fly on the wall’ style documentary through the medium of photography. Paul is renowned as an experienced photographer and an accomplished rock drummer and has played in number of local rock bands; a potent combination of artistic talent and one eminently qualified to document Fermanagh’s finest rocker.
Rock Doc will be launched as a virtual exhibition with a Pat McManus soundtrack hosted by the Ardhowen Theatre on their Facebook page from Thursday 24 June 2021.
Follow @ardhowentheatre on Facebook for the latest information on the theatre’s programme.
To find out more, please contact the Ardhowen team by email at ardhowen@fermanaghomagh.com or telephone 0300 303 1777.