The View from Ireland Still Crazy After 25 Years

By Maurice Fit zpat rick

The timing of the brokering of the Windsor Framework could hardly be more propitious for most of its stakeholders. Those who wish to implement it in the UK, Irish and US governments and across the EU all have the wind at their backs The UK has faced waves of dissatisfaction with the economic downturn resulting from Brexit, manifesting principally in strikes across crucial public service providers It needed a ?victory?to placate its discontented population. While Northern Ireland is of no interest to the British public, the prospect of a trade deal with the EU certainly is and that has a direct effect on their lives. The EU had made a trade deal contingent upon bedding down the Northern Ireland Protocol, or the Windsor Framework as it is now known after it was put through the political and PR laundromat (washed down with tangible improvements on the regulation of goods travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland).

The Irish government is obviously relieved that the interminable playacting over the Protocol seems to be over Since Brexit, when the Irish government signs off on an aspect of Northern Irish affairs the EU is almost certain to support it Like the EU, the US also made a trade deal with the UK conditional upon the Northern Ireland Protocol So, Washington can look forward to better relations with London now That also chimes well with the appointment of Joe Kennedy as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland and President Biden?s April visit to Ireland Moreover, a large majority who live in Northern Ireland are greatly relieved that the economic limbo in which they have been suspended now appears to be nearly over They can make the pitch that Northern Ireland enjoys unique access to the EU and UK markets; Washington is lending credibility to that claim with the promise of a surge of investment in Northern Ireland So, everyone is happy? Of course not Welcome to Northern Ireland

At time of writing, the DUP, the largest unionist party, and the cause of the ongoing suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly, has not endorsed the Windsor Framework One action of the party is ?taking time?to scour the legalese of the dense agreement before declaring its position; the other wing, led by Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley Jr , has already repudiated the advances of the agreement Even so, the Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, has taken ownership of this deal, and he has enough support in Westminster for the protocol to pass through And the Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer, has also pledged to support it So, if the DUP continue to oppose it, they will only further distance themselves from the mothership Leader of the DUP, Jeffrey Donaldson, who has not yet declared his position on the agreement, is anxious to bring his party with him in whatever policy he espouses It is not clear what he will do, but if he does embrace it one aspect of the agreement is likely to be central to his attempt to sell it to his party The ?Stormont brake?clause in the agreement enables a group of 30 Northern Irish Assembly members (out of 90) to block an EU law if it can demonstrate that that law will negatively impact the lives of their constituents.

Alternatively, a group of 30 could attempt to trigger the break if they can demonstrate that a new EU law represents a democratic deficiency (since Northern Ireland no longer has political representation in the EU). In practice, such a demand, if made, will almost certainly come from unionists and it is certainly possible that unionist members of the assembly could muster the requisite 30 votes.

However, they should think three times before doing so. The ?brake?must ultimately be pulled by the UK government, which would have to decide whether remonstrating with the EU over a Northern Irish grievance is in its interests. Even the most pro-unionist British government will be unwilling to do so since London?s priority will be its trade deal with the EU. Given how contemptuous London has been towards unionism since Brexit, it is almost impossible to imagine London acting in accordance with such a petition from unionists. London has repeatedly used Northern Ireland as a political football in its negotiations with the EU since 2016, and it has never worked. The Tories, under Rishi Sunak, appear to finally have faced reality. They will convey that reality to unionist politicians who attempt further wreckage.

The ?brake?is being sold as a sop to Northern unionists, allowing them to claim that they held out and extracted this and other concessions from the EU However, the ?brake? , if exercised, would put them in the position of supplicant to London and tee themselves up for yet another betrayal if London dismisses their concerns and refuses to negotiate with the EU London will remain deaf to the claims of many in the DUP, and to all in the party on its right flank, the Traditional Unionist Voice, that the agreement constitutes a ?democratic deficit? . So, the Windsor Framework is here to stay, and it will be implemented one way or another.

Northern leader of Sinn Féin, Michelle O?Neill, might soon be sitting as First Minister of Northern Ireland

The next act will be the Northern leader of Sinn Féin, Michelle O?Neill, sitting as First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly Sinn Féin will hope that that can happen before President Biden?s visit so the party can display to the world?s television cameras that the agreement which they signed on Good Friday 25 years ago is a triumph In that scenario, the DUP may be sulking in the corner, but at least they would not have walked away as they did during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations in 1998. Such is progress in Northern Ireland. In the long run, the DUP can deny evolution, but they cannot stop it.

Riverdance w ill be live in Los Angeles at t he Dolby Theat re from April 18 t o April 23!

The Riverdance Am erican Tour st art s on January 10 in Sarasot a, Florida and plays in LA t his Spring! Ticket s are on sale. For over 25 years, nothing has carried the energy, the sensualit y and t he spect acle of

Riverdance A pow erful and st irring reinvent ion of t his beloved favorit e, celebrat ed t he w orld over for it s t hrilling energy and passion of it s Irish and int ernat ional dance Im m erse yourself in t he ext raordinary pow er and grace of it s m usic and dance?beloved by fans of all ages

Since Riverdance began perform ances in Dublin in 1995, t he show has...

- Played m ore t han 15,000 perform ances

- Been seen live by over 28 5 m illion people w orldw ide

- Played t hroughout 48 count ries across 6 cont inent s

- Played t o a global t elevision audience of m ore t han 3.5 billion people

- Sold over 3 m illion copies of t he Gram m y Aw ard-w inning CD

- Sold 10 m illion Riverdance videos & DVDs

- Riverdance holds t he Guinness World Record for t he ?Longest Riverdance Line?

- 2500 of t he next generat ion of dancers have at t ended Riverdance Sum m er School and learned t he iconic Riverdance st eps

M on d ay, T u esd ay,

W ed n esd ay & T h u r sd ay: 12 N oon to 11:PM

Fr i d ay: 12 N oon to 2:A M

Satu r d ay: 9:A M to 2:A M

Su n d ay: 9:A M tPM

NOW OPENING APRIL !%

These ast ounding sea cliffs locat ed in Count y Clare are w ort h t he drive t o see such a nat ural w onder as t his Photoby RichardAtkins

Aft er t he excit em ent of t ow n, head for t he Sheen Falls Lodge

The quaint lit t le t ow n of Kenm are w as next , buzzing w it h energy including an enjoyable flea m arket surrounding t he t ow n square.

It ?s a m yst ical place in t he Irish count ryside w here you can enjoy horseback riding, archery, golf at t he nearby Kenm are Golf Club, bicycling, not t o m ent ion a fit ness room , spa and culinary delight s at t he Falls rest aurant I have t o say t hat t he Sheen Falls Lodge experience is unequivocally, off-t he-chart s, glorious

We arrived next in Dingle and st ayed at t he Greenm ount House B & B, a charm ing accom m odat ion overlooking Dingle Bay Gary Curran is t he highly inform at ive host of t he propert y w hich feat ures a delicious breakfast , a piano parlor and cozy guest room s From t he B & B, it ?s a short w alk int o t ow n for great pubs w it h even bet t er m usic as w ell as fine dining offerings t hat m ake a killer, seafood chow der. For a day t rip, t he Slea Head Drive is 2 hours around t he Dingle Peninsula and undoubt edly t he m ost spect acular drive on t he planet

The bust ling t ow n of Lim erick cam e next as w e st ayed at t he St rand Hot el overlooking t he river Shannon.

By Popular Dem and, The School of Night present s t he Aw ard-Winning Ret urn of

?Bat t lesong of Boudica?

Opening April 9 at The Hudson

Taken from t he hist ory and legend of t he Iceni Warrior

Queen Boudica, fam ous for her bloody uprising against t he invading Rom ans in 61 A D The School of Night ( Punch and Judy, Klingon Tamburlaine, Hercules Insane, The Final Girl and m ore acclaim ed product ions present s Battlesong of Boudica, ret urning aft er it s aw ard-w inning 2022

Hollyw ood Fringe prem iere Writ t en and direct ed by School of Night co-founder Christ opher William Johnson and feat uring fellow co-founder and m ult iple aw ard-w inning fight choreographer and act or Jen Albert as Boudica, Battlesong of Boudica is an ancient saga of t he iron age, a prim al spect acle of pow er and revenge t old in song, spoken verse, dance and epic st age violence

Perform ances w ill run April 9 t hrough April 30 at The Hudson Backst age in West Hollyw ood

The legions of conquering Rom e have sw ept across t he m ist -shrouded island of Brit annia and subdued m ost of it s w arring, disunified t ribes. On t he advice of his consort Boudica, Chief Prasut agus of t he Iceni t ribe, has forged an alliance w it h t he occupying Rom ans in hope of preserving his people?s libert y. But w hen Prasut agus is conscript ed by Rom e and killed in bat t le, Rom an law refuses t o recognize Boudica or her young daught ers as t he deceased chief ?s heirs For resist ing t he confiscat ion of her fam ily?s ancest ral hom e by t he Rom ans, Boudica is flogged, and her daught ers brut ally assault ed. Savaged, dishonored, and discarded for dead, Boudica seeks a bloody revenge

Securing t he chiefdom of her t ribe by t rial of fight , Boudica sends w ord across Brit annia: Rise up, unit e and push t he Rom ans out . Soon all of Celt ic Brit annia is in revolt , rallied beneat h t he banner of War Chief Boudica

But t he st eeled force of Rom e int ends neit her surrender nor ret reat And so, t he st age is set for an epic bat t le, t he subject of legends and songs sung across t w o m illennia

Battlesong of Boudicais a fast -paced act ion-packed hist orical dram a filled w it h visceral onst age bat t les, raw and savage fight and dance choreography, innovat ive st agecraft , and a haunt ing m usical score com plet e w it h an on-st age percussionist It is a m ust -see product ion t hat t ells t he t im ely and relevant st ory of a significant hist orical figure of t he ancient w orld, a fierce w om an and devot ed m ot her w ho w as w ronged and sought an epic and hist ory-alt ering revenge

?A ret urn t o early t heat rical principles,Battlesong of Boudicais a prim al, t ragic, cat hart ic, spect acle t old in poet ic verse,? says Johnson ?A hist orical piece t hat explores several very cont em porary issues, includingcolonialism , sexism , revolut ion, and m ult icult uralism (just t o nam e a few ) t hat doesn't offer a sanit ized or predet erm ined set of conclusions/ posit ions on t he t opics We hope audiences get a lit t le m ore fam iliarit y w it h a fascinat ing place and t im e in hist ory as

Saul,Dhar Mann) plays Agricola,Payt on Cellaplays Legionary,Sara Gorsky(aw ard-w inning act or,Broads You Should Knowpodcast ) plays Mebdh,Brad C Light (Entropy)port rays Decianus,Chloe

Madriaga(Nimrod,Klingon Tamburlaine,Nothing is the Same)plays Percussionist ,Christ opher

Neim an(Entropy,Hercules Insane) plays Paulinus,Trist an Rew ald(The Crucible,A Doll?s House) t akes on t he roles of Cerialis and Gladiat or,Lacey Rosew allis t he underst udy for Brenda and perform s in t he final w eekend,Lucy Schm idt (Bonestall Studios&Incorporeal Investigationspodcast s) plays Kerm a,Allegra Rodriguez Shivers(Earth Eclipsed&Mortuusvoice act ing roles) plays Brenda,Jack TenBargeport rays Caut rix,Jesse Jam es Thom as(Ovat ion Aw ard nom inat ed Fight Direct or) plays Cam ulos,Frank Tirim accoplays Legionary, andDan Wingard(La Bête,The Swine Show) port rays Archdruid

The creat ive t eam forBattlesong of Boudicaincludes light ing designerAiden de Jong, Linda Muggeridgeis cost um e designer,Ryan Beveridgeis t he com poser and sound designer.Kat e Colem anis t he dance choreographer andAndrew Lem anis t he graphic designer The st age m anager isMichelle Elizabet h Vasquez

Christ opher William Johnsonis a co-founder of The School of Night for w hom he has direct edPunch and Judy,The Final Girl,The Troublesome ReignandLamentable Death of Edward II,Hercules InsaneandKlingon Tamburlaine Ot her Los Angeles direct ing credit s includeMarian or the True Tale of Robin Hood,Entropy,The Pity of Things ?Desert Aria(all at Theat re of NOTE) andHenry VI,Part I(The Product ion Com pany). Before relocat ing t o Los Angeles, Christ opher w as t he founding art ist ic direct or of Chicago?s hist oric Defiant Theat re for w hom he direct ed product ions ofMacbeth,Titus Andronicus,Hamlet,A Clockwork OrangeandDope, as w ell as w orld-prem iere adapt at ions of St ephen King?sApt Pupiland Thom as Harris?sRed Dragon Johnson has appeared as an act or at t he Goodm an Theat re, Chicago Shakespeare Theat er, Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theat re, Redm oon Theat er and The Building St age He current ly oversees t he prop and w ardrobe depart m ent s at t he Asylum w here he has w orked as a screenw rit er, product ion designer, art direct or and act or

Jen Albert is an act or, producer, aw ard w inning fight choreographer and an Int im acy Direct or She is an em erit us com pany m em ber of Babes w it h Blades, Chicago?s first all-fem ale st age com bat t heat re com pany She is current ly a facult y m em ber at Art of Act ing ? t he St ella Adler St udio of Act ing Conservat ory, w here she t eaches st age com bat and is t he resident Fight Choreographer and Int im acy Direct or. Som e Los Angeles fight choreography credit s include:Klingon Tamburlaine(Ovat ion Aw ard nom inee),Hercules Insane,The Final Girl,Edward IIandPunch and Judy(SON) (LADCC aw ard for Fight Choreography,

Stage

Raw Nominee),An Octoroon,