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THE IRISH POST ENTERTAINMENT SECTION | AUGUST 20, 2011 | www.irishpost.co.uk |
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DUBLIN actress Amy De Bhrun is on top of manygames in the world of arts.The quality young performer recently brought
her self-written short, Life: A One Woman Show, to theRoundhouse in London for the Camden Fringe Festival.
She co-produced the piece under Solas Productions —formed by a company of actors (including De Bruhn)who follow the Michael Chekov technique of acting.
And she’s seemingly capable of turning her hand toanything — comedy, singing, drama and writing — if herplay is anything to go by.
Life proved a perfectly fresh tale when De Bhrun —complete in her ringmaster-esque attire — quickly shookoff a few initial nerves to commandeer the stage inCamden last week while the debris from the previousnight’s riots were still being picked off the streetsoutside.
She told us: “It was quite strange to be playing inCamden with everything that was going on that weekbut it was great to see the people still coming out to theFringe and the show.”
The 45-minute production tackled the loneliness ofLondon, the struggle to achieve and the fact that
women don’t really need a man to validatethem.
Finally, some clarity on these points.More importantly it was done in such astyle, with enough comedic interludes,to make the message manageableand not lecture-like. Phew. And so the27-year-old Rathfarnam native is
definitely one to watch.De Bhrun is currently preparing to
bring the uplifting production — a medley ofcharacters, settings and sounds all from the
uber-capable actress’ hand — to New York,Hollywood and back to Britain in the future.Keep up to date with her movements and details
on her next play, based on the social media world —which she will debut at Dublin’s Mayfield Restaurant inSeptember — at www.solasproductions.webs.com orwww.amydebhrun.com
DifferentlivesFiona Audley speaks to Amy DeBhrun about her one-woman showLife, which sees the actress displayher skills across a range of genres
Sir Bob cracks asmile! Plus other
showbiz newsPage 5
Graham Cliffordlaunches debut
albumPage 9
What’s theattraction with The Magnets?
Pages 6-7
THE long-established CrawleyIrish Festival takes place onBank Holiday weekend, onSunday, August 28. This oneday festival, located atSouthgate Playing Fields, is nowin it’s 16th year and is rated asone of the best value for moneyfamily festivals in the southeast.
There will be seven hours ofmusic on two stages from noonuntil 7pm. The youngermembers of the community areespecially well catered for with afree children’s entertainmentmarquee featuring games, songand story, magic shows and artworkshops with particularemphasis on Irish traditions andfolklore.
Stage One will feature,amongst others, Cavan’s KathyDurkin, one of Ireland’s leadingrecording stars. Kathy had a
massive hit some years ago withRita McNeill’s poignant songWorking Man – the record was inthe Irish charts for a year.
Other acts on this stageinclude Mustang, Pat Nugent,Dun the Veil and EmeraldElement.
The second stage, thetraditional platform, will featureThe London Lasses and PeteQuinn, Irish Mist, Celtic Crunch,Ciarog and The Flying Toads.
The London Lasses areseasoned festival campaignershaving played just abouteverywhere to outstandingacclaim. The six-piece — fivefemales and Pete Quinn (blessedart thou amongst women, Pete)celebrate 11 years of fineperformances and will no doubthave the crowd buzzing.
Irish Mist (yours truly andMalcolm Rogers) should need no
The Hut PeopleThe Hut People are constantly gaining more of reputation as one of thehottest acts to come out of the Yorkshire folk scene in a long while. Withamiable charisma and sheer talent topped with huge professionalism andshowmanship, they perform a truly unique high-octane blend of originaltunes mixed with British, Nordic and European folk music, perfectlyformed and embellished with a foot stomping accordion and mind-boggling array of exotic percussion. See them this week at Small WorldFestival, Badger Farm, Asterby, Louth, Lincolnshire. Seewww.woldscollective.co.uk for tickets and more details.
Lincolnshire Saturday, August 20
V FestivalThe Script will bring theirmoody alternative rockto Chelmsford andStaffordshire thisweekend. Their first twoalbums stormed Britishand Irish charts,becoming multi-platinumselling No. 1s. FrontmanDanny O’Donoghue hassaid that the Irish spiritinspired the second record, Science and Faith, saying: “With Irish people,no matter how bad things get, you always pick yourself up and carry on.”They will be bringing that spirit to the stage that they share with the likesof Rihanna and Primal Scream. In its 16th year, V Festival is best known forits history of being significantly more peaceful than its many equivalents.For tickets visit www.seetickets.com.
Chelmsford & Staffordshire August 20 &21
The GuardBrendan Gleeson plays anunorthodox Irish policemanin John MichaelMcDonagh’s The Guard.The darkly comic filmfollows Gleeson’s characterBoyle, as he teams up witha disciplined FBI agent,who arrives in the GalwayGaeltacht to tackle aninternational drugsmuggling gang. Togetherthey wade through thebribery, blackmail andmurders in the case. Butexpectations are high for this on-screen partnership, in which each manhas as much to learn, as he has to teach. But still their moments ofunderstanding are fleeting. The expectations stem from the establishedwriting talent of McDonagh, who also makes his directorial debut with TheGuard. He now waits anxiously to see how the audience will react to lineslike: “I’m Irish; racism is part of my culture.”
Cinemas nationwide from Friday, August19
Sharon CorrThe multi-talented Sharon Corrgoes on tour from Monday.Fans of The Corrs will be gladto hear that their ongoinghiatus will be partially broken,but do not expect to hear thehits. Those were songs ofinnocence and now her latestsolo project, Dream of You,showcases the songs ofexperience. She will be startingin Aberdeen on Friday andworking her way down toLondon via Edinburgh,Liverpool and Birmingham. Thesongs may be different, but theentrancing melodies remainthe same. For tickets, visit www.ticketweb.co.uk or call 0844 477 2000..
Nationwide from Friday, August 19
Four Men & A DogFour Men & A Dog are best known for their eclectic and vivacious blend oftraditional Irish music with a wide spectrum of other genres, including rap,Southern rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, polka, country swing, and even salsa.Their high-energy approach to playing and entertaining combines furioustraditional dance tunes with irreverent new music and inimitable covers.Catch them this week at Beautiful Days, Festival Site, Escot Park, NrOttery St Mary, Devon. See www.beautifuldays.org.uk for details. .
Devon Friday, August 19
THE WEEK AHEAD rí–rá August 20, 2011IRISH MUSIC2
CD REVIEWOonagh DerbyHarmony Street
ARMAGH-BORNsinger/songwriter OonaghDerby has written 12 tracks onthis debut album.
Although Oonagh’s familyroots are in traditional musicthe album opens with her veryown interpretation of TheSugar Babes’ About You.
It works incredibly well, asindeeddoes thewholeproject.Thealbum isa mixtureofdifferentinfluencesbutsomehowOonaghmanagesto knitthem alltogetherto produce a very impressiveand enjoyable sound.Particularly impressive are herown harmonies.
The arrangements byguitarist Gerard Thompson aremelodious, well-crafted andbeautiful — it seems Oonaghhas gathered a wonderfulcollection of musicians tocomplement the choice ofmaterial. Sometimes it is easyto pick a favourite track butthis album is different becauseso many of the songs are ofequal strength.
Since radio play is such a
lottery these days I wonderwhere Oonagh will get theexposure she deservesbecause some of these songsdeserve recognition — I can seesome of them being coveredby other artistes.
Track 4 September is simplygorgeous.
The brilliant Gerry O’Connor,who also plays a number ofinstruments as well asproducing the album, shows
hisconsiderableproductionskills bygetting thefeel of thesongs justright.
OtherguestmusiciansincludeBarry Kerron uilleannpipes/whistles,Colin
Hendry on dobro, CormacO’Kane on keyboards andLiam Bradley on drums.
This is a cracking debutalbum that has manifestlybeen given a lot of thought. Itshould certainly help establishOonagh Derby’s reputation asa singer and songwriter of realquality.
■ www.oonaghderby.com
■ For more informationcontact Copperplate on 0207585 0357 or email:copperplate @talktalk.net
North-east knees
THE FIRST ever SunderlandFolk Festival takes place overthree days from Saturday,
August 27 to Monday, August 29.St. Peter’s Riverside will come alivewith a cracking line-up oftraditional folk acts.
The event is the result ofcollaboration between Phoenix Folk— a non-profit organisation thatprovides instrumental lessons byexperienced tutors in traditionaland folk style — Sunderland CityCouncil, and the well-known DavyLamp Folk Club.
Phoenix will be running 10special instrumental workshops onSaturday, August 27 in the RegVardy Centre at SunderlandUniversity, St. Peter’s Campus.
Proceedings will be brought to aclose with a concert featuringsome of the star tutors includingNorthumbrian piper AlistairAnderson, accordionist KarenTweed and guitarist KevinDempsey. This will take place at theNorth Shore Building just a coupleof minutes from the Reg VardyCentre.
Acts appearing in the differentvenues throughout Saturdayinclude The Peatbog Faeries, amuch-travelled six-piece outfitbased on the Isle of Skye, whohave twice won Live Act of theYear at the Scottish Traditional
Music Awards. Their musical lineupfeatures pipes, fiddle, percussion,drums and guitar, and their musicalprowess has taken them tofestivals all over the world. Theband release a new album, Dust,this month.
The Phoenix festival featureseclectic mix of artists — but nonewill be more popular than thenorth-east’s Doonan Family Band, ahigh octane good time folk band.
Also featured will be the greatsongwriting of Chris While andJulie Matthews , the gentlehumour and clever observations ofColum Sands.
Sunday’s acts include thewonderful Cara Dillon and themighty Kieran Halpin with JimmySmith, among a long list of greatartists.
An outdoor céilí with the TonyCorcoran Band also promises to bea very lively occasion!
Monday features bluegrassoutfit Southern Tenant Folk Unionand the very talented Jez Loweamongst many others.
As well as the workshops andconcerts there will be a wide rangeof free entertainment in the citycentre, along the riverside and atthe Marina. Hopefully, this willbecome an annual event.
■ www.phoenixfolk.co.uk
Joe GiltrapAn insight into trad musice-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.joegiltrap.com
Festival fling in CrawleyCara Dillon will be playing at the Sunderland Folk Festival on Sunday, August 27.
The LondonLasses withPete Quinn.
ASHTON IN MAKERFIELD■ Ashton CCE have their Irish music
classes every Thursday from 7-8.30pm for juniors and from 8.30-10pm for adults at the Brian BoruClub, Bryn Street, Ashton inMakerfield nr Wigan. Traditional Irishmusic sessions held on the firstSunday of the month in Brian BoruClub from 2pm. Everyone welcome.For information contact Julie on 07773858228.
BOLTON■ Bolton Comhaltas session on the first
Friday of the month at the IrishAssociation Club on Lever Street from8.30pm. Musicians and singers arewelcome. More details fromBernadette Murray on 01942 522326or John McManus on 01204 305800.
BRISTOL■ Irish trad session every Tuesday from
9.30pm at The Scotchman And HisPack, 20 St. Michael’s Hill, Bristol,Avon. Tel: 0117 929 1327.
CAMBRIDGE■ The Cambridge branch of CCE meets
every Wednesday evening duringterm time at the Rathmore Club,Cherry Hinton Road, for lessons inbanjo, bodhrán, button accordion,fiddle, guitar and tin whistle. Theyalso host open sessions on the lastWednesday of each half-term. Formore information call 01638 552953.
COVENTRY■ Traditional Irish music session, every
Tuesday from 9pm until late. TheHearsall Inn, 45 Craven Street. Warmwelcome assured. Contact JarlathMulhern on 07876 013590.
CROYDON■ Irish trad session every Saturday at
the Gypsy Tavern, 10-12 Station Road,Croydon CR0 2RB. From 8 until late.Experienced players welcome.
LEAMINGTON SPA■ The Leamington Spa branch of
Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann havetraditional Irish music classes onFridays from 3.30-6pm (term timeonly) at St. Josephs School Whitnash.We also have a session on the lastThursday of every month at St.Patricks Club, Adelaide Road,Leamington Spa CV31 3PW. Formore info call Michelle on 01926336946.
LEICESTER■ Leicester CCE music classes for the
under-18s are held every Mondayfrom 7pm at the Sacred Heart Club.Mere Road, Leicester, with tuition byCarmel and John Burke. Open musicsessions are now held on the firstFriday of every month and the seniormusicians meet every Monday at8pm under the tuition of TheresaColeman. Set dancing classes areheld every Thursday and Sundayfrom 8pm. More information fromBrian Smith, tel: 0116 2877481 oremail:[email protected]
LONDON■ Trad Irish music session and
singalong on Friday, Saturday andSunday evenings at 6pm at the SirColin Campbell, 266 Kilburn HighRoad NW6 2BY, tel: 020 7624 7553.
■ Trad night at The Magnet, 23Archway Road, London N19. EveryFriday, 9.30pm until late. Musicians
and singers are most welcome byNoreen, a renowned local of manyyears.
■ Irish trad session with PeterMcAlinden, Paddy Egan and friendsevery Friday evening at Keenan’s Bar,87 Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill,London N10 1LR. Tel: 020 8883 7174.
■ Sir Colin Campbell pub, 266 KilburnHigh Road NW6 2BY oppositeTricycle Theatre. Trad Irish music sitdown session and singalong. EverySunday evening from around 6pmafter the GAA. Tel: 020 7624 7553.
■ Trad session at The Porterhouse, 21-22 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden,every Sunday from 4-8pm.
■ John Bowe and Peter Coughlan hostan Irish trad session every Sundayfrom 6pm at The Kilkenny Tavern,131 Merton High Street, WimbledonSW19 1DE.
■ Roisin Dubh hosts an Irish tradsession every Sunday at TheHaverstock Arms, 154 Haverstock Hill,NW3 2AY. Tel: 020 7586 9476. From6.30-9pm, free.
■ Irish traditional music classes onTuesday evenings (during term time)at The Pope John Centre (HestonCatholic Social Club), Eton Avenue,Hounslow TW5 0HB. Beginners 6-7pm. Intermediate 7-8pm. All agegroups welcome.
■ Irish traditional session on the lastTuesday of the month at FilthyMcNastys pub, 68, Amwell Street,London, EC1R 1UU, near Angel Tube.Tel: 020 7837 6067. From 9-11pm,admission free. Sonya Rose onrhythm guitar, backing and songs,and Helen McGrath Doherty onfiddle. All musicians are verywelcome to come and join in with us.
■ Irish traditional accompanimentteacher in London. Learn how toaccompany Irish traditional music tothe highest of standards on guitar,piano and bodhran. Please callSinead Egan, BMus, on 07780 521367or email: [email protected]
LUTON■ Colgarra, traditional music and song
at The Pines Hotel, Marsh Road, LU32 NH. Every Sunday from 5pm.
MAIDENHEAD■ Noctors Bar traditional Irish session
every Thursday. Musicians, singersand dancers welcome. Live musicSaturday and Sunday. Tel: 01628634740.
MANCHESTER■ Grace Kelly and friends hold a
traditional Irish music session everyWednesday from 9pm in the UnionMusic Lounge, 845 Stockport Road,
Levenshulme M19 3PW. Tel: 0161224 1271.
■ Grace Kelly, Debbie Garvey andfriends hold a traditional Irish musicsession every Friday from 8.30pm inthe Victoria pub, 196 Burnage Lane,Burnage M19 1FL.
MIDDLESEX■ Trad session every Thursday at
O’Riordan’s, 3 High Street, BrentfordTW8 0DX Tel: 020 8560 5543.
■ Trad session every Saturday night atDelaneys Bar, 404 Kenton Road,Kenton, Harrow, HA3 9DW.Musicians welcome.
MILTON KEYNES■ Traditional Irish music session on the
first Friday of the month from 8pm.Lessons in traditional Irishinstruments held fortnightly onSaturday mornings 10am-12pm, alllevels welcome. For more infocontact Milton Keynes Irish Centre on01908 375978,www.irishcentremk.com
NEWCASTLE■ Trad session every Thursday at the
Tyneside Irish Centre, 43-49Gallowgate, Newcastle Upon Tyne,NE1 4SG. Tel: 0191 261 0384. Free.
NEWPORT■ Amairgin the Gael CCE provide Irish
trad music classes on Tuesdaysduring school terms at Glan UskPrimary School, Newport from 7-pm.Lessons in tin whistle, buttonaccordian, fiddle, banjo, guitar,mandolin, bodhran, flute, uilleannpipes and set-dancing available. Alllevels welcome. We also hold asession on the first Friday of themonth in the Irish National ClubNewport, from 9pm. For moreinformation contact Willie Cowan on01291 425880 or log-on to thewebsite www.amairgin.net
NOTTINGHAM■ Four Provinces Bar, Nottingham Irish
Centre has live music every fortnighton Saturdays. For more informationcontact 07970 513523.
■ Nottingham CCE hold lessons from7-9pm every Monday at theNottingham Irish Centre, followed bya session. On the first Monday ofevery month a beginners’ groupsession replaces lessons, so alllearners have a chance to playtogether. For more information call0115 952 1305 or 0115 952 5627.
PRESTON■ Comhaltas sessions are held at the
Moorbrook, North Road, everysecond sunday of the month from 4-7pm, and also on the last Thursdayof the month from 8.30pm.
RUGBY■ Quigleys Bar in Rugby Town have a
seisiun every Monday. All welcome tojoin in or listen. On Saturdays the barhas a stage performance of Irish folksongs and trad music, now in its 20thyear!
WALES■ Informal traditional music session in
the Nelson public house, BeachRoad, Bangor every Friday, 8.30pm.
August 20, 2011 rí–rá IRISH MUSIC 3
Irish musicIrish musictrad sessions
and classes
in your area
SEND DETAILS TO: [email protected]
For free inclusion, send details ofsessions and classes to:
Email: [email protected]: Events, The Irish Post,
First Floor, West Wing,26-28 Hammersmith Grove,
London W6 7HATel: 020 8735 9402Fax: 020 8741 3382
THE GREGORIAN96 Jamaica Road, Bermondsey SE16 4SQ
NEW summer menu12-8 all week
Try our Great Gregorian SUNDAY ROAST
Bermondsey’s New Irish pub
ALSO SHOWING LIVE SPORTS FROM PREMIER
LIVEMUSIC
FRI 19TH AUGUST
KARAOKE DISCOWITH MS & LANASAT 20TH AUGUST
ELVIS vs THE BEATLESSUN 21ST AUGUST
ISSAC
NEW summer menu12-8 all week
Try our Great Gregorian SUNDAY ROAST
43-47 London Road, Morden, Surrey
Tel: 020 8685 0481
Ganley’sIrish Bar
Fri. 19th August -
ASH LEESat. 20th August -
JOHNSONSSun. 21st August -
ALICE & CORREESSTTAAUURRAANNTTT
OPEN UNTIL 9.30pm TUES-SAT
AWARD WINNING CHEF (ex-Claridge’s)Sunday Carvery 12-7pm
999 LLAARRGGEE PPLLAASSMMAA SSCCRREEEENNSS
www.ganleysirishbar.co.uk
Opening
Fri and Sat
1am
Call KATIE BROWNT: +44 020 8735 9417
SARAH MURPHYT: +44 020 8735 9418
or EMMA DOWNT: +44 020 8735 9411
77755,,000000rreeaaddeerrsss aaa wweeeekkk hhaavveee ggoottt tthheee mmeessssaaggeee .. .. ...
SSOOO WWHHYYY IISSNN’’TTT YYOOUURRR VVEENNUUEEE SSPPEEAAKKIINNGGG TTOOO
TTHHEEMM??
up
introduction if we’ve beendoing our jobs properly, while Ilook forward to hearing CelticCrunch — Helen Mullen onbutton accordion and herbrother Noel on guitar,mandolin and bodhrán. Localduo Ciarog and four-piecemulti-instrumentalists TheFlying Toads complete theline-up on this stage.
The Crawley Irish festival isorganised by the Celtic & IrishCultural Society — a non-profitvoluntary organisation thatinvests all monies raised intocommunity activitiesthroughout the year.
Entrance will cost just £5for adults with concessionsdiscounted to £3 for studentsand OAPs, children under 16£1. To keep these prices atsuch a low rate the organisersare always looking forvolunteers to help out. ■ More information atwww.celtic-irish.co.uk or callJohn Nolan 01293 513189.
McDaids3 Harry StreetDublin
STOUT is still on tour. Boy is he.OK, he has only moved aroundthe corner since last week’s visitto Dawson Street, but then hemoves slower on holidays.
Dublin turned into one. Itstarted as a short break, yet daysturned into nights thick withblack water and capped withcreamy heads.
Yes, it is really difficult toescape from McDaids. This pubalways felt like one more until adate with the last bus home leftlittle choice and no more.
The bus runs much later now,but not much has changed inMcDaids.
This used to be the centre ofthe literary world; a kind ofGuinness fountain frequented byplaywrights like Brendan Behanand poets like Patrick Kavanagh.
Stout never felt guilty aboutspending boozy Sundays in thepresence of their passing.
He knew Monday would arrivewith a hell of a bang, but Behannever checked out early becauseof the din of Monday’s drum,surely!
He is still there on the wall, ofcourse, pint in hand, one eye halfopen, the other closed. Theportrait paints an unhealthypicture. Too many Sundays andno bus for Behan to catch,probably!
Still, the tipping point ofFriday afternoon wasclosing fast. You know, thatfinite moment of the weekwhen mournful calm canturn to busy clamour in thespace of a few gulps. Then,punters wave €20 noteswhile shifting weightimpatiently from foot tofoot. There’s no music ofcourse. There never was inMcDaids. Sure you didn’tneed it when you hadKavanagh and FlannO’Brien waxing in onecorner and Behan waveringin another.
Stout felt ready toembrace the quiet of theday. He gathered up anIrish Independent from thecounter. It was already limp andworn from too many page-turning-fingers. Stout raised onein the direction of the barmanand down went the tap.
Wow, he thought, it must beone of the few cities in the worldwhere a stranger can tell yourorder by subtle gesture alone.Here, they default to Guinnessunless told otherwise. So Stoutadmired the pour, enjoyed thepeace while adding wear to thepaper.
Later, there would be clamour.For now though. McDaids was allabout pockets of conversationand pints. Something of an odeto Patrick Kavanagh andBrendan Behan you might say.
The Pour: 4The Appearance 4The Taste 5
The Ambience 5Total 18/20Price £4.38
Stout of this world
Stoutstanding
Stout of the ordinary
Nothing to Stout about
Down and Stout
STOUT ’N’ ABOUTWith The Irish Post
✔
VERDICT: Something to write home about!
An ode to days gone by at McDaids
STOUT AND ABOUTGIGS rí–rá August 20, 20114
THIS WEEK...LONDON FRIDAY, AUGUST 19■ CURRAGH live at Hennessys, Ruislip,
(Opposite Ruislip Manor TubeStation)
■ STICKY BANDITSlive at O’Neill’s, 762High RoadLeytonstone, E113AW
■ TOUCAN CHUperform atO’Neill’s, 28-29 TheQuadrant, Richmond,TW9 1DN,
■ TRIPS live at Inn On TheGreen, 295 Green Lanes, PalmersGreen, N13 4XS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20■ ASTONS at Inn On The Green, 295
Green Lanes, Palmers Green, N13 4XS ■ AUDIO GIANTS live at the Fox, 413
Green Lanes, Palmers Green, N13 4JD ■ BANJAXED perform at McGoverns,
147 Cricklewood Broadway, NW2 3HY ■ BLACKAWAYS live at the Quays, 471
Holloway Road, N7 6LE BRASS ■ MONKEY live at Hennessys, 138
Broadway West Ealing W13 0TL INDIE ■ PATROL live at O’Neill’s, 28-29 The
Quadrant, Richmond, TW9 1DN■ JEROME CHANCE perform at
Hennessys, 5 The Broadway,Greenford, UB6 9PH
■ LITTLE ROCK at Hennessys, Ruislip,(Opposite Ruislip Manor Tube Station)
■ QUICK FIX at Brass Monkey, 23 West
Street, Town Centre, Fareham PO160JW
■ ROCKAOKE at O’Neill’s, 109 StationRoad, Ilford, IG1 4DW
■ SHOPS live at the Claddagh Ring,Church Road, West Hendon NW4
4EA ■ SIOBHAN live at
Hennessys, 379 NortholtRoad, South Harrow HA28JE ■ TAYLORS live atHennessys, 543Kingsbury Rd, KingsburyNW9 9EG
SUNDAY, AUGUST 21■ BIBLECODE SUNDAYS at
Claddagh Ring, Church Road, WestHendon NW4 4EA
■ CRISIS live at O’Neill’s, 28-29 TheQuadrant, Richmond, TW9 1DN,
■ JEROME CHANCE at Bootlaces,596 Leebridge Road, Leyton, E10
7DN ■ SARAH live at Hennessys, 138
Broadway, West Ealing W13 0TL
SUNDERLAND FRIDAY, AUGUST 19■ DUSTY TOOLS live at TJ Doyles,
Hanover Place, Deptford, Sunderland.Tel: 0191 5101554. www.tjdoyles.com
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20■ THE MONOLOGUES perform at TJ
Doyles, Hanover Place, Deptford,Sunderland. Tel: 0191 5101554 or seewww.tjdoyles.com
Going Live
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Going Live
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TOP 10 SINGLES
The Irish ChartsLWTW TITLE ARTIST WKS
1 1 GLAD YOU CAME WANTED 5
23 2 JAR OF HEARTS CHRISTINA PERRI 9
2 3 SWAGGER JAGGER CHER LLOYD 2
3 4 SHE MAKES ME WANNA JLS FEAT. DEV 3
6 5 THE A TEAM ED SHEERAN 9
5 6 BEST THING I NEVER HAD BEYONCÉ 9
21 7 MARRY YOU BRUNO MARS 5
19 8 LITTLE BAD GIRL DAVID GUETTA FT TAIO CRUZ & LUDACRIS 5
4 9 GIVE ME EVERYTHING PITBULL FT. NEYO, AFROJACK & NAYER 17
8 10 BAD BEHAVIOUR JEDWARD 61
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5 6 MAYHEM IMELDA MAY 49
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BEDFORDSHIRE ■ Jim Carway presents Luton Irish Live onDiverse 102.8FM and online every Tuesdayevening 6-8pm. Contact Jim on 07977063233.BRADFORD ■ Joe Sheeran presents Echoes of Ireland onBradford Community Broadcasting 106.6FMevery Sunday at noon. The programme isrepeated on Mondays at 9am andWednesdays at noon and can be accessedonline at www.bcbradio.co.uk COVENTRY■ Hands Across The Waters on Hillz FM,Mondays from 1-2pm and Thursdays fromnoon to 1.30pm on 98.6FM and online atwww.myspace.com/hillzfmGLASGOW■ Celtic Music Radio on 1530AM (MediumWave) and online at www.celticmusicradio.netHERTFORDSHIRE■ The Emerald Hour with Kathy Weston andLydia El Khouri every Thursday from 7-8pmon Radio Verulam 92.6FM and online atwww.radioverulam.com (click listen live)LONDON/SOUTH-EAST ■ Gerry Byrne hosts Irish Spectrum onSpectrum Radio every Saturday between 1-2pm and between midnight and 1am on
Sunday night/Monday morning on 558AM■ Johnny Jameson hosts Ireland’s Eye everyTuesday from 9.30-10.30pm on Resonance104.4FMMANCHESTER■ The Full Irish Radio Show with Martin Loganand Joe Casserley on 96.9FM, Wednesdays 7-9pm and Sundays 3-5pm■ The Irish Connection Show with JohnLowry on Wythenshawe 97.2FM, Saturdayfrom 10am to noon■ Irish Citizen Manchester with LennieConnell and team on BBC Radio Manchester95.1FM, Mondays 8-9pmMIDLANDS■ Bob Brolly Show, weekdays from 1pm onBBC Coventry & Warwickshire 94.8FM |103.7FM■ Bob Brolly’s Irish Show, Sundays from 4-7pm on BBC Radio WM 95.6FM and DABRadioOXFORD/BERKSHIRE■ BBC Radio Oxford/BBC Radio Berkshirehosts Henry Wymbs’ Irish Eye, Sundays from2pm on 95.4FM | 104.1FMONLINE■ Mid West Radio, the home of Irish music,chat, news, culture and gossip 24 hours a day,www.midwestradio.ie
Catch MARTIN LOGAN onWednesdays 7-9pm with all theGAA news, lots of great music,
plus highlights from THE IRISH POST
Join JOE CASSERLEY everySunday 3-5pm playing you thebest in Irish and country musicalong with your requests and
the What’s On guide.
Tel: 0161 248 6767 | Web:www.thefullirish.net | E-mail:
[email protected] write to: The Full Irish,P.O.Box 119, Levenshulme,
Manchester M19 1XP
Tune in to96.9FM Manchesteror listen online at
www.allfm.org
Irish radio in your region
RADIO
Bruno Mars — double Top Ten joy.
Jedward
GOOD VIBRATIONS, a film about the life and times ofBelfast’s legendary punk ‘godfather’ Terri Hooley,begins production this month (maybe even today!),with its executive producer, SnowPatrol frontman Gary Lightbody,and producer David Holmesbossing everybody about.
The film, whichcovers Hooley’s careeras manager of TheUndertones, is setto star SteveCoogan and KillingBono’s RobertSheehan. Armaghman RichardDormer will playTerri himself.
The movie’s titleis only tangentiallyconnected with surfin’California; the BeachBoys song was also thename of Terri’s recordinglabel and record shop, whichhe opened in Belfast at the heightof the Troubles. This was a time whengood vibrations were very thin on the ground inBelfast, and opening a record shop a remarkablyimpractical thing to do. A bit like opening a plasma TVscreen shop in Tottenham today, Showbiz suggests,topically.
We just hope the film covers one example of verybad vibrations — when Terri chinned John Lennon forhis ‘ill-informed’ views about the struggle in the North.As Terri himself said, “It was a proper haymaker andLennon landed on his arse”.
Maybe they could get Chris de Burgh to play JohnLennon, and everybody would be happy.
August 20, 2011 rí–rá SHOWBIZ 5
BACK in the golden age of Hollywood, a lot ofpeople were shocked when actress Greta Garbomade her first comedy, Ninotchka. Indeed, itwas so out of character for the gloomy Swedeto crack a smile that the poster’s tagline read‘Garbo laughs!’ A lot of people were ratherunnerved — and to be frank, Showbiz feels thesame about the new, smiley Bob Geldof.
Bob, you see, has said he finally understandswhat life’s all about, and that all you need is
love; to be precise, love for French actressgirlfriend Jeanne Marine, with whom he
has been in a long-term relationship.“I’d never got it ’til recently, how
critical it is to be in love and to beloved,” said Bob. “Writing the song ToLive In Love for the new album was ablinding revelation to me, 40 years too late,of course. It surprises me as I race to 60, thatthings are OK. Who would’ve expected that?”
Not Showbiz anyway, who far preferred thegrumpy old sod when he didn’t like Mondays,and was so angry at Third World poverty thathe swore at us all from the telly. You knowyou’re getting old when your favouritecurmudgeons start to mellow. Still, there’sabsolutely no sign of Van Morrison cheering up,so that’s OK.
Jed see redSURELY no-one would be surprised by thesight of Jedward looking battered and bruised— there are some who might even say thatthey had it coming to them — but Showbiz canreveal that it’s all in a good cause.
The twins have joined MTV presenter LauraWhitmore, actress Saoirse Ronan, X Factorjudge Louis Walsh and Westlife’s Mark Feehilyin a hard-hitting campaign to target bullying,allowing themselves to be photographed asvictims for publicity posters.
“We were bullied at school, but we werelucky in one way as we had each other,” saidJohn (or Edward). “We know first-hand howhorrible bullying can be and so we jumped at
the opportunity of being part of thiscampaign.”
It’s a serious problem;last year Ireland’s
Childline servicereceived around2,300 calls andmessages everyday fromyoung people,with almost aquarter ofthesecontactsrelating toabuse,including
bullying.The twins
meanwhile will betaking part in
Celebrity Big Brother,which has a new home on
Channel 5. Kerry Katona isalso set to appear on the reality TV show.
God help the rest of the contestants...
Sassy SaoirseTV presenter Amanda Brunker is not best pleased withyoung Carlow actress Saoirse Ronan.
Saoirse has been making sarky comments aboutthe TV presenter’s musical debut at the Oxegen
festival last month, when she stoodin for an indisposed Jesse J.
The actress joked to thatshe, too, had aspirationsto take to the stage nextyear, saying that ifAmanda could performthen anything waspossible.
“I don’t want to bemean, but come on. Itmeans I could headlinenext year. My friendand I are learning theukulele and are goingto hula-hoop,” jestedthe star, notunamusingly, in HotPress magazine.
Indeed, Amanda’sperformance wasroundly panned, withthe SundayIndependentreckoning her a“pointlessnonentity” with a“self-absorbedsense ofentitlement”.
The othernationalpapers wereless kind.
Have you met Miss Jones?ODDLY, most of her detractors seem to be Welsh — who says the Irishhave the monopoly on begrudgery? — but Showbiz could not be moredelighted at the rise and rise of the very-nice-indeed Alex Jones.
The Carmarthen girl originally had a tough time when she first tookover from Co. Down presenter Christine Bleakley asco-host of The One Show, but Alex hasimpressed the BBC bosses so much during her
first year that she’s been hired for another one;oh, and she’s also signed up to be a contestant
on the next series of Strictly Come Dancing.Let’s hope Alex can actually dance, and that she
does a bit better than Kate Garraway, whoseDaybreak popularity wasn’t quite enough to concealthe fact that she had two left feet, poor lamb.
with Keira Callaghan
WAG for lifeSHOWBIZ seriously doubts that Coleen Rooney
has ever slummed it on a cheap flight in her life —
or at least, not since she met Wayne.
However, the millionairess WAG-turned-business
woman is certainly no stranger to the airlines, having
flown an astonishing 50,000 miles (at a cost of
£216,000) in over 10 holidays in just one year.
From Ibiza to St Tropez, from the Caribbean to
Prague and Dubai, Coleen’s been burning up the
air miles like there’s no tomorrow — which at
this rate, there won’t be.
It’s not very green, Coleen. Less bag
for life, Showbiz would suggest,
than WAG for life.
Lady and TedSHOWBIZ had learned that Chris de Burgh’sdaughter, Rosanna Davison, has recently become
the owner of a cute Pomeranian puppy named Ted.The former Miss World assures Showbiz that her
famous father is as smitten with the three-month-old bundle of fur as she is, and has been popping infor regular visits.Showbiz sees the advent of Ted as yet moreproof that Rosanna’s romance with live-inlover Wesley Quirke is gatheringmomentum. The patter of four tinypaws this week — who knowswhat next year may
bring?
Surf’s up!
Nothingcompared 2 her
SHOWBIZ can’t be the only one to have been saddened by
the sight of Sinead O’Connor at The Bray Seaside Festival last
week.
Overweight and dressed in an unflattering stomach-baring
black outfit, the woman who once made Andrea Corr look
like Mary Byrne bore little resemblance to the ethereal,
waif-like beauty who once mesmerised the world in
the iconic 1990 Nothing Compares 2U video.
Poor Sinead. She may be a little dysfunctional,
but at least she’s always given her
children sensible names. Which is
more than you can say for
Sir Bob!
Bob laughs!
2 Mornington Street, Camden, NW1 7QD.www.sheephavenbay.webeden.co.uk
Tel: 020 7380 1323Brand New
Irish Food MenuHOME OF ALL THINGS IRISH
RUGBY - GAAAND ALL CELTIC GAMES SHOWN LIVE
Fun Quiz Night Every MondayGreat Bar Food Menu Available
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INTERVIEW FEATURE BOOKSAugust 20, 2011 rí–rárí–rá August 20, 2011FEATURE6 7
Anna McPartlinAnna’s latest novel, The Truth Will Out, is out now published by Penguin, £6.99.
AAnswersQQuestions&
Who are your heroes? The compassionate, intelligent,cultured, witty and capableSenator David Norris. NellMcCafferty, Irish journalist, civilrights campaigner and feminist,for the rights she sought andgained for Irish women and mymother for teaching me how tofind the smallest glint of lighteven in the darkest of places.
What song would you likeplayed at your funeral?Leonard Cohen’s Tower Of Song.All eight verses please.
What record sends a shiverdown your spine?The Communards For A Friend,singing along to that song is theclosest I’ve ever come to praying.
What is your favourite place inIreland?A place called Kenmare, it’s asmall beautiful town nestledbetween the mountains and thesea in south Kerry. I grew upbetween Dublin and Kenmare andwhile Dublin is in my soul, myheart will always be in Kenmare.
What is your most treasuredpossession?My wedding band.
What makes you angry?Arrogance.
What book influenced youmost?Roddy Doyle’s The BarrytownTrilogy. I read it in hospital afterhaving an accident and it was life-changing because it was afterreading it that I decided to walkaway from stand-up comedy andfocus on storytelling.
It’s a special meal— what’s onthe menu?Herb andgarlicpancakes tostart followedby roastlobster incitrus butterand for desertIrishfarmhousecheeses. Allcan be had inthe divinePackie’srestaurant inKenmare, Co.Kerry.
If you couldchange onething in your life, what would itbe?Every bad decision, impossiblesituation, loss and trial has mademe who I am and brought me to aplace of contentment and sodespite the pain and suffering Icouldn’t possibly change a thing.
What gives your life meaning?My friends, family, animals andthe fascinating people thatcontinually cross my path.
Can you tell me a joke?How do you get a fat woman intobed? Piece of cake.
Can you recommend aninteresting website?Of course it’s annamcpartlin.combut if you’re not interested inwomen’s fiction thenstandtotours.com offers thechance to go back in time todiscover the lost soldiers in WorldWar One. I went on a trip toBelgium and France and it wasincredibly moving and humbling.
What’s the bestadvice you’ve everbeen given?If it matters nevergive up.
When did youlast cry?Five minutes agowhen I played ForA Friend afteranswering thequestion on whatrecord sends ashiver down myspine.
What do yousee when youlook in themirror?I see a happy,smiling, fake
blonde in not bad shape andnever far from the brink of tears.
What is your favourite film andwhy?The Big Lebowski because if Icould have ever been a characteron screen it would have been TheDude.
What is your passion?Telling stories.
What do you have hanging onyour walls at home that youlike looking at most?Pictures of my family and a
beautiful abstract landscapepainting by the artist Ken Browne.I spend a lot of my time looking atthe faces of the people I love andhave loved especially a black andwhite photo of my mother at aparty in the ’60s. She was sobeautiful and cool and full ofpromise.
What was your most formativeexperience?Caring for my mother who hadmultiple sclerosis and my ageinggranny from the age of six until 11.
What do you believe in?Possibility.
What trait do others criticiseyou for?Talking too much.
What is the funniest thingyou’ve ever seen or heard?Impossible to say, I find mostthings hilarious.
What is your favourite wordone-liner or retort?Call me old fashioned but anysentence with the word ‘f**k’ in itmakes me smile or succinctlyconveys my state of mind.
What would your motto be?Every cloud has a silver lining.
As a child, what did you wantto be when you grew up?A storyteller.
What are the best and worstthings about where you live?The people, the beauty and thehistory are the best things andthe rain the misery and negativityis the worst.
Which Irish work would yourecommend most highly?Anything by Roddy Doyle.
The Irish Post has five copies of The Nolans’Survivors: Our Story to give away to the first
readers who email [email protected] Survivors in the subject line.
REVIEWS
Survivors: Our StoryThe NolansMacmillan, £17.99 ISBN 978-0283071317EVERYONE knowsThe Nolans — foursisters who kicked offtheir long-standingstint in the limelightthrough their musicand have remainedthere for all manner ofreasons since.
The stage, screenand musical favouritesremain as tight as everdespite facing manybattles along the way.
The most recent,Bernie’s battle withbreast cancer, is amongthe saddest of theirstories but one whichsaw the strength of theIrish family once againpull together to face theworld as one.
Now they havechosen to bare their souls to the world onpaper for the first time in Survivors: OurStory.
The inspirational tome offers insightsinto Bernie’s pain, Linda’s own battle withbreast cancer and Maureen’s sadness asshe watched her mother succumb toAlzheimer’s.
This true insight into experiences manycan relate to also offers a message ofhope and optimism for all.
Fiona Audley
Elegy For April Benjamin BlackPicador, £7.99 ISBN: 978-0330509145LITERARYstalwart JohnBanville returns tothe pen asBenjamin Black inthe third edition ofhis Quirke series.
Freshly dried-out after a stint inthe ‘bin’, quasi-alcoholic Quirkereturns to Dublin tofind a mystery hasbegun and hissomewhatestranged daughteris determined they,together, will solveit.
Black’s attention
to detail and unwavering ability to paint a scenequickly bring this tale of ’50s Ireland andits pivotal characters startlingly to life.
More impressively, the possiblemystery of the missing April — and herband of friends who could have all theanswers — grabs hold rather silentlyearly on and demands a quick andfocused read until those answers arerevealed and the characters accountedfor.
Black brings the expected twists andturns none could have imagined andwhen the awful truths come a-knocking, his eloquence and emotionmake them almost bearable.
This skilfully crafted piece will leaveyou wanting more from the ever-intriguing Quirke.
Fiona Audley
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?Claudia CarrollAvon, £7.99ISBN 978-1847562104
DUBLIN author Carroll is backwith another feel-good book,perfect for thosedays spentholidaying by thebeach.
The former FairCity actress hasbecome somewhatof a chick-it queen,with her previousbook Personally, IBlame My FairyGodmotherreaching numbertwo on thebestsellers list lastyear. This latestoffering looks at thehighs and lows oflove and marriagewhere we discoverif absence reallydoes make theheart grow fonder.
Will You Still LoveMe Tomorrow? is the story of Annie andDan — the perfect couple. Only now thenot-so-newlyweds are feeling more likeflatmates than soulmates. Actress Annielands a part in a big Broadway productionand so as she heads off to New York, thepair decides to hit the pause button ontheir marriage... one year off from eachother, no strings attached! They agree tomeet at the Rockerfeller Centre in 12months to decide their fate. The questionis will they both turn up?
If you’re a fan of this genre, you’ll find ithard to put this book down.
Siobhán Breatnach
In the mood for reading this summer
Reader competition!THE MAGNETS perform a
cappella. And no, that isn’tsome kind of fancy Italian
food.“A cappella is music without
instruments,” Jim Fortune, thegroup’s Irish contingent, says.
To many music lovers thatmight sound like a pretty boringpitch. But for over a decade, TheMagnets have surprisedaudiences of all ages and tasteswith their genuinely originalwork. So what exactly is theirproblem with instruments?
“We don’t have anythingagainst instruments,” Jim says.“But we have found that thereis something very powerful andimmediately attractive about sixblokes using only their vocalcords to create music.”
The other five group membersinclude Nick, Michael, Stephen,Fraser and Andy, whose talentfor beatboxing has shonethrough in his drum-less drumsolos. Apparently, instrumentsare simply not necessary tocreate a complete band sound.
At least somebody agreeswith Jim because the band thatbegan as a bit of fun in
university has played for thelikes of Philip Green, supportedBlondie and just got back from atour of Australia.
“I think people hire usbecause we have no backline,”Jim laughs. “No instrumentsmean we are easy to get on andoff the stage! Although I hope
it’s because of the smile we puton people’s faces.”
So what makes The Magnets
special? “We like to mess with people’s
expectations and play the songsthey love like they have neverheard them before,” Jim says,likening The Magnets toWestlife. He then smiles andadds: “We are just a little moreadventurous with our covers.”That’s an understatement.
The Magnets’ back cataloguestretches from Bon Jovi to Blur,from Kraftwerk to Beyoncé andfrom Joy Division to Adele.
Yet somehow none of theirwork carries the dull aftertastethat follows so many coversongs.
That is because The Magnetsare brimming with creativity.
To cover is one thing, toreinvent is another.
For proof that they do thelatter, check out their version ofLady GaGa’s Poker Face.
“That is not easy to do,” Jimsays. “A lot of work goes intothose compositions.”
But getting that variation intothe music is a little easier whenyou are in a band whosemembers are as ‘eclectic’ as TheMagnets. “You can immediately
tell who has suggested thesongs. I would never havesuggested Bon Jovi — JoyDivision was closer to my taste,”Jim admits.
The Magnets also refuse tofollow the established blueprintfor live music. When the crowdis won over and the end of a gigis approaching, they perform anA-Z medley.
“It getsmental,” Jimsays. “We gothrough filmsongs fromthe A-Team toZulu and theaudience shout outthe answers. At themoment the highlight of
my day is turningup in a blonde wigas Kelly McGillisfrom Top Gun.”
Do not be fooledthough. These sixmen are not acomedy act. Afterconfessing to afear that there is aterrible reviewwaiting around thecorner, Jim adds:“The ideal reviewwould say thatThe Magnetsmanaged to havea real sense ofmusicalsophistication,which camethrough in their
unusual song choices.
And theymanagedto
entertainthroughout.“We also pride
ourselves on being aband that has lasted
15 years, during whichtime nobody has fallen
out.” Just as was the case back
then, it is the sheer joy beamingfrom their expanding audiencethat keeps The Magnets going.
“If we were going to break up,it would have happened by now,”Jim says.
Once The Magnets returnfrom the Edinburgh Festival,they start a tour of Britain andGermany before heading back toAustralia to escape theEuropean winter.
“Listen to The Magnetsbecause you may be pleasantlysurprised by what people can dowith just the human voice,” Jimsays. And while there may wellbe some who still think acappella is an Italian antipasti,they should definitely give thispolyphonic thrill a chance.
Niall O’Sullivan chats to Magnets manJim Fortune about how the group’sunique a cappella and beat-boxingbrilliance has led to international acclaim
See TheMagnets live in
Edinburgh at AssemblyGeorge Square — Spiegeltent
(Venue 3) until August 29. Boxoffice: 0131 623 3030 or
www.assemblyfestival.com/www.edfringe.com
Seewww.themagnets.com
for more tourdates
“We don’t have anythingagainst instruments.But we have found thatthere is something verypowerful andimmediately attractiveabout six blokes usingonly their vocal cordsto create music.
MAGNETIC ATTRACTION
rí–rá August 20, 2011OUT AND ABOUT8
WORDS AND PICTURES BYMALCOLM McNALLY
THE ANNUAL summergarden party at InnisfreeHousing Association’sClochar Court in Harlesden,North London took placerecently.
Guest of honour was theMayor of Brent Cllr AslamChoudry and entertainmentwas provided by Mick Baileyand Mick O’Connor from theWraggle Taggle Céilídh Bandand the London IrishPensioners Choir.
A great afternoon was hadby residents and guests alike.
BIRMINGHAM■ A Very Different County by Irish Post
journalist Robert Mulhern is nowavailable to buy in Minstrel Music, TheBirmingham Irish Centre, High Street,Deritend Birmingham B12 0LN andThe Irish World Heritage Centre, 10Queens Road Cheetham Hill,Manchester, M8 8UF. Priced £10.99.
■ A social group for Irish mental healthservice users, carers, supporters andworkers meets monthly at The SpottedDog pub, Alcester Street, Digbeth,Birmingham on the last Friday of eachmonth from 6.30pm. For details emailJackie at [email protected]
BOURNEMOUTH■ Bournemouth Irish set dancing
Thursdays from 8-10.30pm at Our LadyQueen of Peace Church Hall, DouglasRoad. Call Theresa on 01202 252480 orMargaret on 01202 888539.
BRENT■ Brent Irish Advisory Service (BIAS)
holds a drop-in session Wednesdaysfrom 9.30am to 12.30pm for advice onhousing, DLA and Outreach. Homevisits by appointment. Contact 0208459 6655.
BRISTOL■ The Hibernia Centre offers tuition in
Irish music, dance and song to all ages
and abilities. Saturdays from 9.45am to12.45pm, St. Andrew’s Hall,Avonmouth, Bristol BS11 9EN. £5 persession. Workshops from 10-11.30am,coffee break and then session at noon.www.hiberniacentrebristol.org E-mailinformation@hiberniacentre or call Jillon 01275 847909 or Alan on 07802317326.
CHESHIRE■ Weekly events at the Irish Club, 83
Orford Lane, Warrington, CheshireWA2 7AL. Monday and Thursdays:Bingo. Tuesdays: Irish dancing.Wednesdays and Sundays: Irish musicsession. Saturday: Live Irish music.Contact 01925 243363.
CLARE■ The Clare roots society is hosting a
major genealogy and family historyconference at the Templegate Hotel inEnnis, Co. Clare on October 1. Theevent will be held in Templegate Hotelin Ennis and is themed ‘The Future ofour Past’. The event will be addressesby leading figures from the world ofgenealogy and family history. For moreinformation contact Gerry Kennedy on+353877553304 [email protected]
CRAWLEY■ The 16th Annual Crawley Irish Festival
takes place on August 28 between
12-7pm. Traditional, ballad, country andmodern music is set to be played outover two live music stages in additionto the Irish dance stage and céilímarquee. There’s also a specialchildren's entertainment marqueeinvolving games, song and story withparticular emphasis on Irish traditionsand folklore. In addition, sport andcultural identity are featuredprominently with GAA sports, a funfair,workshops, food and craft stalls anddisplays, with the added attraction of alicensed beer tent with Gaelic sportsshown on the big TV screen.
■ The Crawley Celtic and Irish CulturalCentre are looking for extra committeemembers and volunteers to helporganise and run the event. ContactJohn for more information [email protected]
EASTLEIGH■ Eastleigh & District Irish Society, music
and dance most weekends. Cardschool (25s) on Friday nights open toall. Call the club on 02380 613835(after 3pm) or Tony on 01489 690615 /07980 880602. [email protected].
GLOUCESTER■ The Gardiner School of Irish Dancing
holds adult classes on Mondays 7-9pmat St. Peter’s Social Club, Gloucester.Contact Sarah on 07792 031042.
LEAMINGTON SPA■ St. Patrick’s Irish Club, Adelaide Road,
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV313PW, hosts Irish dancing classes everyTuesday and Thursday from 6-8pm. Onthe last Thursday of the month there isa Comhaltas session. For moreinformation call 01926 420265.
LEICESTER■ Gala Day at the Emerald Centre, 450
Gipsy Lane, Leicester, LE50TB, onSaturday August 20. Starts at 12pm.Music from 6pm. Entry fee: Adults 1pound, children 50p. For moreinformation telephone 0116 2769186.
LIMERICK■ Revival Literary Journal is calling for
submissions from local, national andinternational poets and writers for thenext issue which will be published inLimerick, this month. Submissions,poetry and short fiction or extracts (500words) now being sought for the nextissue. For more information contactThe Editor, Revival, Moravia, GlenmoreAve., Roxboro Rd., Limerick. Email:[email protected] Submissionguidelines: www.revivalpress.com.
LIVERPOOL■ The ninth Liverpool Irish Festival is
shaping up to be the most exciting yet,with a programme of music, film,drama, heritage, literature and lecturesto suit everybody when the fun kicksinto action from October 14-30.Highlights include a weekend of freeactivities down on the Albert Dock, thesecond Irish Sea Sessions at thePhilharmonic Hall, a week of earlyevening Irish film at FACT, Beckett at TheUnity and the redoubtable DamienDempsey and his band with their matesAmsterdam at the O2 Academy. Forfurther information, gig listings andtickets visit www.liverpoolirishfestival.com
LONDON■ The monthly Jump Jive & Shout dance
has moved to a new address inCamden. For more information contactJeniffer Jackson on 020 8964 8399.
■ The Cara Irish Elders Day Centre hold amonthly tea dance at the Haringey IrishCentre, Pretoria Rd, Tottenham, LondonN17 8DX. Raffle, & live music. Entrance£3. Lunch available at 12 noon –combined lunch & tea-dance £5.Booking essential. For moreinformation call 020 8801 1739.
■ Watch all this summer’s Inter-countyGAA live in The Hop Pole Pub, 64Putney Bridge Road, W18 1HRWandsworth, London.
■ London Irish Network’s New Membersclub is always held on the secondSaturday of the month at O'Neills inGreat Queen Street, London WC2B5AA. This is a very popular pub withfriendly staff. New Members Night isopen to everyone especially those withan interest in all things Irish. All arewelcome. Contact Caireann McElligotton 07504 122274.
■ New Irish dancing classes take place inHarrow every Thursday from 4.30pmto 5.30pm. The classes take place at St.Joseph’s Scout Hall, Claremount Road,Harrow Weald, HA3 7AU. Girls andboys over four years-old and of alllevels are welcome. Meanwhile, Keepfit with the céilí classes continue in thesame venue on Wednesdays from 8-9.30pm. For more details seewww.keepfitwithceili.co.uk or contactDenise Rochford on 07984 675481.
■ A new Irish dancing school at the TabCentre, Austin Street in Shoreditch isoffering classes for children from agefour. Kids classes start at 6-7pm andadult classes take place on 7-8pm.Teacher Emma Collins is a fullyqualified Irish Dance Teacher registeredwith An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelachaand is CRB checked. She previouslytaught in Newmarket, Cambridge, andeven further afield in Tokyo. ContactEmma for further details in the evening
and at weekends on 077 2569 8706 orby email [email protected].
■ The Meath Association of London holdtheir monthly meetings on the secondMonday of the month at the GwaliaClub Manor Park Road HarlesdenNW10 starting at 8.30pm all membersare welcome to attend. Tel: Clubsecretary Mary Lynch on 020 89610235 or PRO Michael Kearney on 0208961 0874.
■ Find out more about the MonaghanAssociation in London, affiliated to theCouncil of Irish Counties withfundraising events linked to ShabaraCharity Foundation. Contact [email protected] or 07802 454978.
■ The Heston set and céilí class runTuesdays from 8.15pm to 10.15pm inthe Pope John Centre, the Green,Heston Road, TW5 0HB. Beginnerswelcome.
■ Principal teacher Denise Rochford, ofthe Rochford School of Irish Dancing,offers tuition in the traditional Irish artto children aged four and above withno experience necessary. Classes takeplace for an hour on Saturdays from11am at St. Matthews RC Church inHallowell Road, Northwood. Call 07984675481 or [email protected].
■ Sunday nights ‘Real Céilí’ at the LondonIrish Centre in Camden, Camden Town.Tuition starts 8pm, partners notneeded. Cost £4.
■ The Offaly Association London meetson the fourth Tuesday of every month.New members welcome. Contact 0208202 2225. Enquiries to Denis on 0208200 3039 and Peter on 07876213091
■ Irish Language group Cuideachta meetsmonthly at The Irish Cultural CentreHammersmith for an evening ofconversation and music. All levels of
In your area
SEND EVENTS IN YOUR AREA TO: [email protected]
In your area...fundraisers ...céilís ...quizzes ...dinner dances...language classes ...televised sports ...bingo ...
Left, DaraMillanefrom theAranIslands,JulieHorganfrom MayoandSeamusHarveyfromTyronewereamongthoseenjoyingthe gardenparty.
Left, Geraldine Connollyfrom Cork and BillyNeely from Mayo.
Below left, Guest of honour CllrAslam Choudry, the Mayor of Brent,is pictured with Bridie Walsh fromRoscommon and Philomena DeSouza from Cork.
Below right, enjoying the afternoonwere, left to right, John Murphy fromKerry, Margaret Gallagher fromMayo and Tom Traynor from Meath.
Summer garden party bringsout best in Brent
OUT AND ABOUTAugust 20, 2011 rí–rá
CD launch abig success
fluency welcome. Contact Dónal on020 8348 5016.
■ Are you an Irish woman, aged 55plus, with a longing to act?Professional Theatre Director,Rosalind Scanlon, is leading dramaworkshops in London. ContactRosalind on 077 42320001 [email protected].
■ Irish Community Services (formerlyIrish in Greenwich) hosts five lunchclubs across three Boroughs —Greenwich, Bexley and Lewisham. Allclubs run from 12.30-2.30pm. Mealscost £3.50. ICS also hosts a fortnightlyTea Cake Club at Our Lady of Grace,Charlton from 1-3pm. Contact Angelaon 07727 817559 or Chris 07727969236 or 020 8854 4466.
■ The Kelly Academy of Irish dancingholds classes every Saturday atMcGowans Function Room, 225-227Edgware Road, London, NW9 6LUand Tuesdays at The Green Man pub(Function Room) 6-7pm, Kingsbury.Classes with Rachelle Kelly for boysand girls aged three upwards. Tel:07747 125282 or email:[email protected].
■ East London Comhaltas hold Irishmusic classes Mondays from 7-9pmat Ilford Catholic Club, 324 HighRoad, Ilford, Essex IG1 1QP. £5 perclass. Contact Louis McAuliffe on07831 490903 or email Orlaith [email protected]
■ The Irish Film Group meetsWednesdays 7-9.30pm at the IrishCultural Centre in Hammersmith.Admission £5.
■ St. Kiernan’s Gaelic Football club arecurrently looking for new players. St.Kiernan’s Underage and Senior GaelicFootball club are a friendly familyorientated North London club whoare situated at Mill Hill Rugby Club
Champions Way, London, NW7 2EL.The underage club currently operateat the under-8,10,12,14 and 16 agerange and our senior club operate atunder-18, 21 and senior age rangeand are looking for new andinterested players to come and join.Contact Declan Ryan on 07818023639 or visit www.stkiernans.com.
MANCHESTER■ St. Kentigern’s Irish Social Club
welcomes everybody to the familyschool night featuring DJ Tricky Mickey.On Saturday join the fun again toenjoy the thrill of the races with theadded bonus of a late bar and amotown disco. Ticket both each eventcost £2. The social club is located atFallowfield, Manchester M14 7DW
■ Talbot Catholic Club, Eldon Place,Patricroft, Eccles M30 8QE. Mondays,belly dancing class; Tuesdays, Irishdancing class; Wednesday, SlimmingWorld class; Fridays, private functionsin the Concert Room, Free ’n’ Easy inthe Lounge. Last Wednesday of theMonth: Manchester Irish VintageTractor Association. All enquiries on0161 789 1021.
■ The Claddagh Association of AdultIrish Dance hold Step and Fíor céilíclasses Mondays 7-9pm at the IrishWorld Heritage Centre, Cheetham HillRoad, Manchester. Beginnerswelcome. Call Chris on 01706 521480.
MILTON KEYNES■ Events at the Milton Keynes Irish
Centre, Manor Fields, Watling Street,Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK2 2HX.Irish music session on the first Fridayof the month, from 8pm. traditionalIrish music lessons held fortnightly onSaturday mornings, 10am to noon.The Julie Herlihy School of Irish
Dancing hold classes on Wednesday,Thursday and Saturday. Call 07729468075 or visit www.herlihyirishdancing.co.uk
■ The Mary Drake school of IrishDancing hold classes Tuesdayevenings and Saturday mornings forboys and girls aged three upwards.Call Claire Bunker on 07857 017924 orsee www.mary-drakeschool.co.uk. Alsosee call the centre on 01908 375978or visit www.irishcentremk.com.
NOTTINGHAM & EASTMIDLANDS■ If you live in the East Midlands, keep
up to date with Irish events by joiningthe East Midlands Irish Forum onFacebook.
SLOUGH■ Set dancing classes Thursdays, 8.30pm
at the Slough Irish Club, Sheehy Way,Wexham, SL2 5SS. Contact PatO’Sullivan on 07932 008547.
WARWICKSHIRE■ Quigleys Saturday Night Session has
attracted artists like Sean Cannon,Finbar Furey, James Morrison, JohnConnolly and is a venue to find Britishfolk artists on their way to theWarwick Folk Festival. Quigleys is inRugby, Warwickshire CV21 2RS.
WIGAN■ The Brian Boru IDL Club on Bryn
Street, Ashton in Makerfield hosts linedancing Mondays from 3pm plussing-along with Mike Callaghan. Irishdancing classes Tuesdays from6.30pm with Herring Clarke School ofDancing. Ashton CCE have musicclasses Thursdays 7pm-10pm. Socialafternoon Fridays from 2pm with MikeCallaghan. Irish Country music.
PICTURES BY MALCOLM McNALLY
THE DEBUT album by newsinger on the block GrahamClifford was launched recentlyat the Irish Cultural Centre inHammersmith, London.
Clifford, a Kerry native, sunga selection of tracks from hisalbum called A Longing ForHome.
Cecilia Greene from Leitrim, Scheme Manager at Clochar Court, ispictured with her three-year-old nephew Rian Walshe and local PoliceCommunity Support Officer Guler Mustafa.
Musical entertainment was provided byMick O’Connor and Mick Bailey of theWraggle Taggle Céileidh Band.
Above, Graham is pictured with Sean Roche, LindaKissane, Anita Houlihan and Barry O’Sullivan.
Right, also at the CD launch were Frances Lynch, OliverTirado and Anna Davis.
Below, Kathleen Moynihan and Bill McCormackenjoying the evening.
Below right, Brendan and Linda Connolly fromConnolly's Bar in Chiswick were among the audience atthe Irish Cultural Centre.
Grahamon stage.
Graham Clifford with Irish Post music man Joe Giltrap and Editor Malcolm Rogers.
9
Left to right, Mary McCabe and Celilia Byrnefrom Carlow, Dominic McDonnell from Mayo,Patricia Maxwell from Leitrim and AnnMcCabe from Carlow.
Dancing at the Clochar Court summer garden party were MaryMcCabe from Carlow and Seamus O'Brien from Donegal.
Below and right, musicianson the night.
rí–rá August 20, 2011OUT AND ABOUTLOOK BACK10
Ballina Festivalwas ‘Tradtastic’
BBaallll iinnaa,,, CCoo... MMaayyoo,,, tteell::: ooooo3355333 99666 7733999900
• Live musiceveryFriday,SaturdayandSunday
• Traditionalmusic everyFriday night
• Open seven days aweek
• Breakfastservedfrom9am
• Home-cooked
carveryfood from
12-4pm
• A la carte menufrom 4-9pm
TThheee MMeerrrryyy MMoonnkk
LookBack:
Twenty Years Ago…1991:Cuts could kill us■ ONE of Britain’s premier Irishstudies centres was threatenedwith closure this week.
The three-year-old Institute ofIrish Studies at the University ofLiverpool was facing financialcrisis just weeks before the newacademicyear wasdue to start.
LiverpoolUniversityhad helpedestablish theinstitute butits ownmountingfinancialproblemsforced it tolook inwardsfor cutbacksto ease itsbudgetdeficit.
Therecentliquidationof buildingcompanyDeclanLynch plc,one of theinstitute’sbiggestbackers,did nothelpmatters.
Dr Patrick Buckland,director of the Institute of IrishStudies, claimed the crisiscomes, ironically, at a time whenits work was flourishing — withno shortage of takers for theirgraduate and undergraduatecourses and the institute’sacademic provisions continuingto expand.
“Properly funded, we couldbe expanding even more, doingan M.Sc in modern Irish societyfor example,” Mr Buckland said.
Mr Buckland had spent thepast few months travellingextensively across Britain andIreland to raise funds — but histask was marred by therecession, with many pledging
moral rather than financialsupport.
Twenty-five YearsAgo…1986:RTÉ launch in Britain■ THE IRISH Government wasexpected to give permission to
RTÉ to link withRadioLuxembourg thisweek to form anew commercialradio service tobe broadcast inBritain.
With Britainclaiming theywould not have anationalcommercialservice before1990, RTÉ hopesthe decisioncould allowthem tocapitalise onlucrativeadvertising
opportunities byproviding 12 hoursa day of pop musicfor the under-30age group acrossthe country.
“It will be likeLondon’s CapitalRadio nationwide,”an RTÉ source said.
The new service,a company entirely
separate from RTÉ, would havethe working name of Radio Tara.
A Government green light forthe money-spinning projectwould see RTÉ acquire a long-wave transmitter located on theeast coast of Ireland — possiblyin Co. Wexford.
The British IndependentBroadcasting Authority posedno objection to the possibility ofthe new service, stating: “RadioLuxembourg has alwaystransmitted legally and, as longas the new operation goes outon a frequency that has beenallocated to RTÉ, then there isnothing that we will want to doabout it.”
The stories hitting The Irish Post headlines this week in years gone by…
PICTURES BY TONY HENNIGAN
THE first Irish Post sponsoredBallina Music Festival was haileda tradtastic affair by traders andvisitors to the town on the banksof the River Moy in Co Mayo.
It featured the very best ofIreland’s top traditional acts anda young traditional Irish bandcalled Tradtastic, who won thebusking competition.
Thousands of visitorsattended the festival, whichfeatured two open air concertsover the weekend. HothouseFlowers kick started the festivalon the Friday night and SharonShannon and her big bandfeaturing the award winningManchester fiddle player DeziDonnelly headlined the Saturdaynight. Over 30 acts wereinvolved in the free festival withthe pubs, clubs and hotels full tocapacity.
The Hothouse Flowers perform.
Sharon Shannon live.
Joe Lavelle – owner of the MerryMonk bar in Ballina.
Right: Dezi Donnelly with Mozart’snightmare – winners of Friday’sbusking competition.
Sharon Shannon with Saturday’s busking champions Tradtastic.
Grace O’Boyle and Dayna Hopkins with Annettte Carey from the award-winning Full Irish radio show.
The stage and right: Musician Dezi Donnelly.
Sandra Cribben from Ballina Chamber, Lawrence Hennigan from the Manchester Irish Festival and organisersDavid Dwane and Mark Winters.