BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:NingEventWidget-v1 VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6442157:Event:39271 DTSTAMP:20260426T005858Z SUMMARY:The Wild Geese Virtual Síbín with Composer Fran O'Neill DESCRIPTION:We are proud to present our inaugural Wild Geese Virtual S íbín, a series of occasional conversations with newsmakers (often me mbers) from the global Irish community, broadcast live via Google + Ha ngout.\nThis Friday (August 16th) at 6 p.m. ET, The Síbín features a conversation with Melbourne-based Fran O'Neill, the creator, producer and composer of the upcoming ceoldrama, \"The Last Torch.\" Based on historic events in Ireland, Fran describes her musical as \"'Les Miser ables' meets 'Game of Thrones.'\"\nPerhaps the most intriguing aspect of Fran's work is the sentimental angle which drew her into it.  In F ran's own words:\n\n\"This story needs to be told, the ancestors told me so. I have been practising music from a very young age and have st udied music for many years. A singer by trade, my passion also lies in composition, education and mysticism. This musical is a culmination o f many years of study, research, dedication and passion. Many years ag o my mother piqued my interest in her family history. Her family, the O'Rourke clan, were once the Princes of Ireland but over generations e nded up in Scotland impoverished, living with abuse and alcoholism.  My mother broke this cycle and moved to Australia where I grew up in a very protected yet passionate environment. Mum was never proud of her name or where she came from which in some way I understood, but I kne w behind it all was a situation or circumstance that must have led to the downfall of this generous, noble clan. I am sure you have noticed the interest of the public and film/television producers in Queen Eli zabeth I and the Tudor period in general. I have a great love of this period myself, not only for its intrigue and politics but also for its style. I realised the need to tell the the Irish side of this fascina ting period in history. I started to research ferociously and was le d to an event that has practically gone unnoticed but was a turning po int in the O'Rourke clan’s history and the history of Ireland and En gland.  This event is the wreckage of 25 or so of King Philip of Spai n’s fleet off the West coast of Ireland in 1588. With Spanish and Ir ish music and passion, this musical/opera could not go wrong. On many levels it's a love story. It tells of the love of the Irish for their culture and land, the love for their children and their love for each other. It is romance and passion on the backdrop of conflict. This st ory gives homage to the fallen, to the men and women who have fought f or their independence against dire odds and have given their lives in the name of freedom. In this way it explores Indigenous, colonisation and power issues all of which are relevant today. Although taken from history, it contains supernatural and fictitious events. No Irish sto ry would be complete without some paganism and superstition. In short it's like Les Miserables meets Game Of Thrones. Whilst writing the mu sic I was transported to another realm. I could hear the music like it was emerging from my bones, like it was being whispered in my ear. Th e main themes arrived in a frenzy of writing and visualising that last ed 3 months.   These first shows in Australia are our showcase and w ill lead to bigger and better performances worldwide. This is VERY imp ortant story to many Irish. Ideally I would love this show to be perfo rmed in Ireland and England.\n\n\nFor more information visit https://t hewildgeese.irish/events/the-wild-geese-virtual-shebeen-with-composer- fran-o-neill DTSTART:20130816T230000Z DTEND:20130817T000000Z CATEGORIES:live, broadcast, interview LOCATION:www.TheWildGeese.com WEBSITE:http://www.TheWildGeese.com URL:http://www.TheWildGeese.com CONTACT: ORGANIZER;CN="The Wild Geese":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWi ldGeese ATTACH;FMTTYPE="image/jpeg":http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/ file/get/122479060?profile=original ATTENDEE;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=ACCEPTED;RSVP=TRUE;CN="Jane She rry Gardner":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/JaneSherryGardner ATTENDEE;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=ACCEPTED;RSVP=TRUE;CN="Richard Strathern":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/RichardStrathern ATTENDEE;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=ACCEPTED;RSVP=TRUE;CN="Kelly O' Rourke":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/KellyORourke ATTENDEE;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=ACCEPTED;RSVP=TRUE;CN="Alannah Ryane":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/AlannahRyane ATTENDEE;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=ACCEPTED;RSVP=TRUE;CN="The Wild Geese":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/TheWildGeese ATTENDEE;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=ACCEPTED;RSVP=TRUE;CN="Ryan O'R ourke":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/RyanORourke ATTENDEE;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=ACCEPTED;RSVP=TRUE;CN="Gerry Re gan":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/ger_regan ATTENDEE;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=ACCEPTED;RSVP=TRUE;CN="mary mc ginnis":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/marymcginnis ATTENDEE;ROLE=REQ-PARTICIPANT;PARTSTAT=TENTATIVE;RSVP=TRUE;CN="Michael Moir":https://thewildgeese.irish/profile/MichaelMoir END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR