I will not be in attendance at Dublin Pride this this year – I am travelling abroad on the weekend, which will be the reason for my absence. However if I think about it, it feels like I am dodging a bullet. Continue reading Pride – what a shame
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Having a Bath
When I was invited to go to Bath I was excited. I had heard about this place – the reviews were positive. My knowledge of the city on the other hand was scant. I knew that it was built on hot springs and that the EU (otherwise known as the Roman Empire) had invaded and had built Roman baths there which lasted for centuries, until the Celts decided to ‘take back control’ and that ‘Brexit meant Brexit’ and kicked them out when the EU collapsed in the 5th century. That was it really. The links to Jane Austen (she lived there for four years between 1801 and 1804) and its proximity to Stonehenge were news to me. My sojourns to England tend to be to London or Brighton. This would be my first excursion to this part of the country. My travel companions were to be the members of a writing group that I am peripherally involved with. I have been to one of their meetings, but I’m friends with a regular attendee, so I decided to go. I wouldn’t encroach on their plans and would do my own thing, while availing of their company in the evening. It would be a more social style of travelling. Continue reading Having a Bath
A weekend up North
It was 10pm on Saturday night. I was festering on my sofa at home in Dublin, planning what to do for the remainder of the bank holiday weekend. A brainwave struck. I would take an early train to Belfast on Sunday morning; book an overnight stay at some flop house and travel back late on Monday evening. To confirm my intent I booked my train ticket and paid for an overnight stay. I also booked a day trip for Monday to see the Giant’s Causeway. Continue reading A weekend up North
Theatrical: ‘Citysong’
On Tuesday night I was at the Abbey Theatre again so see ‘Citysong’ – one of the early bird tickets I had bought last December. Written by Dylan Coburn Gray and directed by Caitriona McLaughlin this is a co-production between the Abbey and Soho Theatre in London – where it will play for a month after its fortnight in Dublin. Continue reading Theatrical: ‘Citysong’
Maria Bailey: The oldest swinger in town
(Maria Bailey left; Josepha Madigan right)
This is a tale for my foreign readers. Everyone in Ireland is already well aware of this story as it has been front page news for over a week. Continue reading Maria Bailey: The oldest swinger in town
Paul Young – No Chantez. Please
During the 1980s Paul Young sang the opening line to Band Aid’s ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’. This was because of his glittering pop career. The hits back then were plentiful – ‘Love of the common people’; ”Where-ever I lay my hat’; ‘Everytime you go away’ among many others. I was a fan. Not a huge fan – in my pre-teen years I was more besotted with Georgios Panayiotou – better known as Andrew Ridgley’s bandmate in Wham! I enjoyed Young’s music – it seemed sophisticated to my ten year old palette. Continue reading Paul Young – No Chantez. Please
Theatrical: ‘Electrolyte’ – a fantastic show
Some weeks ago I paid my inaugural visit to the Axis Theatre in Ballymun to see ‘Before’ by Pat Kinevane. Very entertaining it was too. As is my custom I followed the social media accounts of the theatre afterwards, to be kept abreast of upcoming events. One such event was ‘Electrolyte’ which opened last night. Continue reading Theatrical: ‘Electrolyte’ – a fantastic show
Lassie in the Wastelands
I boarded the bus, sat back and relaxed, looking forward to another inspiring day in the industrial wastelands of county Dublin. At the stop after mine an older woman boarded with her guide dog. This came as no surprise – the National Council for the Blind Headquarters is en route to my workplace, so people travel with their dogs on a regular basis on this route. This woman asked the driver what number bus it was. He told her and she asked him if he passed my stop. This came as a surprise – I guess I am just used to blind travellers disembarking at the NCBI building – the wastelands has never to this point been a destination. Continue reading Lassie in the Wastelands
IDGTF Reviews: ‘The Little Pink Book of Masculinity’ and ‘The Measure of a Man’
Availing of my participant pass, I hauled myself to the Pearse Centre for the 7.30pm show at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. ‘The little pink book of masculinity’ by John Best; and ‘The measure of a man’ by Gavin Roach are a pair of one-man shows from England and Australia respectively. Both are deeply personal accounts of the life experiences of the two men, who perform their own work. Best tells the story of how arbitrarily cruel the gay scene can be to a young gay man who doesn’t fit within the parameters of what is acceptable. To be embraced as a fully functional young gay man it appears you must be beautiful and muscles and absolutely not camp. Our hero does not measure up to this ideal so he struggles. It was a moving piece watching the characters with these struggles – especially when your value is influenced by by what some toxic app like Grindr tells you is hot. Being young and gay is still a bit of a minefield to navigate your way through. At the age of forty and above the superficial judgement is even more harsh, but hopefully our hero will care less about it by that point. The show features ‘Whatta man’ by Salt ‘n’ Pepa and En Vogue which is a welcome addition to any show – including Hamlet. Continue reading IDGTF Reviews: ‘The Little Pink Book of Masculinity’ and ‘The Measure of a Man’
IDGTF Review: ‘All I see is you’ and ‘Bingo’
I entered the grounds of Trinity College with trepidation. My destination was the Players’ Theatre. My mission was to see ‘All I see is you’ by Kathrine Smith. My problem – well the Taoiseach had been to see this show the previous night; and one of the actors in the piece was an alumnus of the TV shows ‘Shameless’ and ‘The Bill’ – Ciaran Griffiths. I was unsure whether I’d be able to source a seat with my standby festival pass. This show seemed like a hot ticket. Thankfully as I was early to the party, I was granted entrance. I made a beeline for the front row. Continue reading IDGTF Review: ‘All I see is you’ and ‘Bingo’
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