Irish Arts & Entertainment, October, 2022 Update

Film for NBFF's Irish Spot light has

e a World Wide Hit ! A first for an Irish

film w it h English Sub-t he t it les

past sum m er, The Quiet Girl broke records as t he highest grossing Irish language film in Ireland and in t he nort h of Ireland (UK) . The film also w on aw ards and great audience review s at 2022''s European Film Fest ivals including Berlin and Venice. According t o t he Hollyw ood Report er, The Quiet Girl has signed w it h Super Film s for US dist ribut ion but no dat e for st ream ing services or t heat er screenings has been set

can see t his film now as part of t he Irish Spot light on Oct ober 16.

Link: Irish Spot light

The Quiet Girl(

An Cailín Ciúin

This film w as released t his year and it is t he opening film at The Irish Spot lingt (Screens @ 6:30pm ) It is a com ing of age film direct ed and w rit t en by Colm Bairéad and spoken m ost ly in t he Irish language

Set in 1981, t he film follow s a w it hdraw n nine year old girl w ho experiences a loving hom e for t he first t im e w hen she spends t he sum m er on a farm w it h dist ant relat ives in Rinn Gaelt acht , Count y Wat erford

An Cailín Ciúin w as film ed on locat ions in Count y Meat h

So far, t he film has been highly acclaim ed despit e lim it ed dist ribut ion and w on aw ards ar t he Berlin Film Fest ival

More on this and other Irish films: w w w irishscreen com

BELOW on the left:

Red Carpet & Packed lobby at t he Big New port Cinem a w hich is next t o Muldoon's Pub Court yard of Muldoons

Let t er From THE PUBLISHER

Dear FriendsandReaders

This issue is a celebrat ion!! Our 30t h Anniversary issue!!

We are also delight ed t o be part icipat ing in t he Seaside Highland Gam es! St art ing on Page 2, w e have a preview of t he event . Covid forced a 2 year break but t hankfully t hey are back. You can get t icket s on line and det ails on t heir w ebsit e, a link t o it is on our inside front cover in t he Seaside ad!

In t his issue and in our m id m ont h updat e, our Celt ic Cam era feat ure has been enlarged int o a Ret rospect ive Pict orial of som e of t he am azing event s and aw esom e new s w e have covered.

On Oct ober 16t h, t he Irish Spot light t akes place as part of t he New port Beach Film Fest ivl This is t he 23rd year and t he Irish Art s and Ent ert ainm ent and Muldoon's Irish Pub have part icipat ed every year Act or/ Film m aker Ow en Dara w ill be represent ing us t his year at t he event !

Finally, w e are st art ing our Subscript ion Drive, w e need you t o subscribe if you can. We are doing a draw ing for a pair of t icket s on AER LINGUS from LAX t o Dublin! Det ails on Page 37

To all our friendsand readers, we will be in Ventura for the Seaside Games! Please invite your friends and family and please drop by our booth and say HI!

We are working on our expanded Mighty Irish Network and we will have details for you on that very soon too

Jim McDonough, Publisher irishmissive@gmail.com

Dancers

Andy

View from Ireland

Banshees and Ghost s

By Maurice Fit zpat rick

Tw o Irish film s opened at t he Venice Film Fest ival in early Sept em ber: Mart in McDonagh?s

The Banshees of Inisherin and Adrian Sibley?s

The Ghost of Richard Harris

McDonagh?s film is rum oured t o have em erged from his ow n (unpublished and unproduced) play,Banshees of Inisheer Shot m ost ly on Achill Island, t he fict ional island of Inisherin clearly resides alongside McDonagh?s earlier Aran Islands w orks. McDonagh has m yt hologised t he Aran Islands like nobody else since J. M. Synge. Unlike Synge, McDonagh depict s a dram at ic cont ext w here people do not live as t he forebears, but nevert heless t hey live in t he unique cult ure of t he islands t hat has not quit e been erased by m odernit y.

The rat her slender st oryline of t he film is t hat t w o friends? Colm Dohert y played by Brendan Gleeson and Pádraic Súilleabháin played by Colin Farrell ? cease t o be friends for no apparent reason ot her t han t he form er no longer likes t he lat t er Dohert y t hreat ens t o cut off his fingers unless Súilleabháin desist s from follow ing him and seeking reconciliat ion When Súilleabháin persist s, Dohert y is as good as his w ord Against t he backdrop of t he severance of t his friendship and fingers, t he Irish

are t urning t he gun upon each ot her aft er t he Anglo Irish Treat y has been signed.

At a press conference just aft er t he indust ry screening in Venice, McDonagh w ondered if t his is his least violent film How ever, t here is brut al violence t hat happens off-screen: on t he m ainland, t he Free St at e forces execut e Ant i-Treat yit es in t he dying days of t he Civil War in 1923. The film alludes several t im es t o t he t ragic shift from t he Irish fight ing t he Brit ish in t he War of Independence t o fight ing each ot her in t he Civil War. But McDonagh rem ains in com ic m ode. To a Free St at e Garda, t he civil w ar execut ions m ean a t rip t o t he m ainland, overt im e and a free lunch To Padraig, t he Civil War represent s an aspect of t he ?big st at e? , t he int im idat ingly m odern m ainland

This film reunit es Gleeson and Farrell, w ho McDonagh first brought t oget her in his highly successful film , In Bruges Bot h are in excellent form and feed off each ot her as t hey did in t he previous film Gleesonalso has a side hust lei n t he film ? he is credit ed for t he t it le song, w hich he com posed on his fiddle.

In Venice, Farrell ext olled t he need for conversat ion and defended it s ongoing validit y in a w orld subm erged by social m edia noise McDonagh?s fort e is dialogue and it com es t hrough in t his film as m uch as in any he has m ade. The speech pat t erns reside neit her in our t im e nor in t he 1920s and are uniquely his. McDonagh t ook t he best script gong at Venice and Farrell t ook t he best act or aw ard So, it w as w ort h t heir w hile com ing for t he chat

Adrian Sibley?s The Ghost of Richard Harris

is a very com pelling docum ent ary about t he act or, poet and singer Richard Harris. It is t old principally t hrough his t hree sons w ho revisit places in t heir fat her ?s life such as t he suit e he had in t he Savoy in London for 32 years The sons also open a cont ainer of his possessions and archives for t he first t im e on cam era Their fossicking t hrough t heir lat e fat her ?s object s and w rit ings enables t he film t o segue int o chapt ers in Harris?life Harris?hell raising get s plent y of focus. For exam ple, his exit ? t o buy t he new spaper ?and reappearance eight days lat er w it h a quest ion for his w ife: ?w hy didn? t you pay t he ransom ??

Direct ors and producers fret t ed about t he risk of Harris arriving on set drunk, t o w hich one direct or, Ken Hughes, found a novel w orkaround. During a t axing role as t he lead in t he 1970 film Crom w ell, Hughes scheduled a w eek off for Harris as w ell as a jet and a pilot

Writ er Malachy McCourt joined Harris on t he bender t hat t ook in Paris, Am st erdam , Durt y Nellies pub near Shannon Airport and t he red light zone in Ham burg Com prom ising phot ographs w ere splashed across t he new spapers

The incit ing incident in Harris?life com es, som ew hat incongruously, at t he end of t he film . A t all, dashing and st rong youngst er, he w as forced int o a long period of quarant ine aft er cont ract ing t uberculosis in his lat e t eens Suddenly he w as aw ay from t he at t ent ion of young m en and w om en in t he t ow n of Kilkee w here he grew up (Kilkee is apparent ly t he only place in Ireland w here t he sport of racket s is played; Harris excelled at it ) In his solit ude, he read Ham let and ot her w orks of lit erat ure and resolved t o becom e an act or.

The cent ralit y of t he film The Field in Harris? t raject ory com es t hrough w ell in t his docum ent ary. He had act ed in a st ream of unw ort hy film s, using him self as bait t o land roles for his second w ife in

"Harris m ade his nam e in London and t hen becam e a Hollyw ood st ar, but he rem ained a proud Irishm an w ho w ould have loved t o have played rugby for his count ry " MP

t he film

Hollyw ood product ions

Then he ret urned t o Ireland, w hich at t hat st age had hardly a film indust ry at all, t o play t he ?Bull? McCabe in The Field

Bull is a dem onic pat riarch w ho em bodied a great deal of Irish bit t erness over t he dispossession of land, im poverishm ent , fam ine and ecclesiast ically m andat ed class prejudice The docum ent ary focusses on one scene in part icular Confront ing t he ?Yank?in t he parish priest ?s parlour, Bull t hrow s dow n t he gaunt let t o ?any m an?w ho t ries t o t ake t he field aw ay from him . The direct or of The Field, Jim Sheridan, w as convinced t hat t he Bull should not break dow n in t his scene Against Sheridan?s w ishes, Harris played t he scene in a w ay t hat a m em ory of him priorit ising t he field over his .m ot her breaks t he Bull?s em ot ional m ask. Sheridan urged him t o re shoot it Harris refused and got his w ay

During t he product ion, Harris t old Sheridan t hat w hat t he direct or w as really confront ing w as his ow n fat her and out of t hat idea em erged Sheridan?s next great film , In t he Nam e of t he Fat her. Harris?w it could be revealing Int roduced at a gala event in LA as one of England?s best act ors, he ret ort ed t hat w hen he w ins an aw ard he is

int roduced as an English act or and w hen he is involved in a pub braw l he is described as Irish Harris defined him self as a 32 count y Republican

Yet he had t he m oral fibre t o urge Am ericans t o st op funding Noraid w hen he w as repelled by t he IRA?s

t arget ing civilians in England.

Harris m ade his nam e in London and t hen becam e a Hollyw ood st ar, but he rem ained a proud Irishm an w ho w ould have loved t o have played rugby for his count ry The direct or of t he docum ent ary, Adrian Sibley, an Englishm an, got t he nat ional nuances right in t his fine film .

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Irish Unity, The Census, Death of a Queen, Special Envoy, Moore Street

ByJohn McNally

Support for Irish Unit y

is clearly on t he rise, as confirm ed by t he lat est Universit y of Liverpool Inst it ut e of Irish St udies survey A slight m ajorit y of respondent s w ho expressed a preference w ould vot e for a Unit ed Ireland "t om orrow " And t he num bers for a fut ure vot e are subst ant ially m ore in favor One of t he unusual result s of t he survey w as t he support it found for Irish reunificat ion am ong support ers of unionist part ies, w it h one in five saying t hey w ould vot e for a unit ed Ireland in 10 15 years

Meanw hile, Sinn Fein has increased t heir lead as t he largest part y in bot h jurisdict ions of Ireland, confirm ing t he Irish people's desire for const it ut ional change since Sinn Fein has a unit ed Ireland high on it s agenda

And in Scot land, an independence referendum proposed for Oct ober of 2023 w ill also have polit ical im plicat ions across t hese islands in t he com ing m ont hs ht t ps:/ / bit ly/ 3rjm gbe

Finally published in Sept em ber, Nort hern Ireland's 2021 Census result s show a Cat holic Majorit y for t he first t im e The proport ion of t he resident populat ion, eit her Cat holic or brought up Cat holic is 45.7% com pared t o 43.48% Prot est ant Alt hough not a religious conflict per se, t he Nort hern Irish st at elet w as set up by a religious headcount t o ensure enduring loyalt y t o Brit ain from a large m ajorit y of Prot est ant s The Orange

John McNally, our feat ured w rit er and Irish Com m unit y Act ivist and Colum nist shares his t hought s on t he lat est new s, react ions and updat es, Different opinions and view s are essent ial in any free societ y We deeply appreciat e our press freedom s Now , m ore t han ever, it is im port ant t o have Irish Com m unit y act ivism , diversit y and input

St at e is gone, and w e are closer t han ever t o a unit ed Ireland aft er census result s show ed t he dem ographics m oving decisively in t he Irish nat ionalist direct ion w w w nisra gov uk/ st at ist ics/ census/ 2021 census

On t he Life and Deat h of Queen Elizabet h

Am ericans t hink t he idea of a m onarchy as a t hrow back t o Im perial t im es and em pires long gone The belief t hat som eone is born t o rule, appoint ed by God t o head a church, and t hat ot hers are t heir subject s is absurd and validat es t he Brit ish rat ionale of a class societ y But Elizabet h, t he person, w as a peacem aker On her 2011 visit t o Dublin, she laid a w reat h and bow ed her head at a m onum ent t o t he rebel leaders of t he East er Rising w hom t he Brit ish execut ed in 1916. She opened a speech w it h Uacht arán agus cairde (President and friends), and subsequent ly m et and shook hands w it h form er IRA leader Mart in McGuinness Alt hough t he Royals are t he sym bolic heads of t he Brit ish m ilit ary t hat killed and t ort ured m any Irish people, w e should recognize Elizabet h's m eaningful gest ures of reconciliat ion SAVE MOORE STREET PRESERVATION TRUST

is cam paigning t o prot ect t he hist oric Moore St reet area of Dublin and t o see t he ent ire t errace & surrounding lanew ays designat ed a Nat ional Monum ent . Redevelopm ent t hreat ens t o erase t he sit e w here t he leaders of t he East er Rising m ade t heir last st and.

Special Envoy t o Nort hern Ireland

We urge you t o cont act President Biden request ing he appoint a Special Envoy t o Nort hern Ireland, a posit ion w hich has been vacant since he t ook office. The great legacy of t he hard w on Good Friday Agreem ent is current ly in jeopardy. Brit ain is at t em pt ing t o renege on it s Good Friday obligat ions w it h Brexit and t heir failure t o address t he conflict 's legacy by grant ing am nest y for crim es com m it t ed by it s m ilit ary personnel. w w w w hit ehouse gov/ cont act /

Mícheál Mac Donncha andStephen Rea at a SAVE MOORE STREET event in Dublin, the site of the Easter Rising leader's last stand

The Celtic Camer a

We are here looking for you! Submissions wanted.. send jpeg & caption to: ir ishmissive@gmail.com

This is t he 30t h Anniversary issue of t he Irish Art s & Ent ert ainm ent ! We have been doing our Celt ic Cam era feat ure for alm ost 20 years. This m ont h w e are doing a ret rospect ive Celt ic Cam era of t hose years w it h a look at som e of t he event s and people t hat w e have feat ured We w ill need t o break our coverage int o Tw o Part s

Ed note: Over 25 Years ago, O'Briens Pub on Wilshire opened Ii had m et Willy O'Sullivan w hen he had w orked at ot her pubs and he called and invit ed m e t o m eet him at t he rest aurant t hat he had just t aken over (A French Bist ro)) Willy t old m e of his plans and w e m ade a deal t o advert ise and prom ot e t he new pub He confident ly agreed t o a one year cont ract ; w e have renew ed t hat deal 22 t im es.

William WILLY O'Sullivan in t he early days of O'Brien's. Willy is a great publican, t ruly dedicat ed t o his craft and cust om ers, a loving fam ily m an & a w onderful friend of t his publicat ion!

Page 16 October

w it h a follow up issue w it h m ore of t he past and an updat ed Irish Calendar. in about 10 days

We hope you enjoy t hese special issues. To m ake sure you don't m iss anyt hing, please subscribe! AER LINGUS has agreed t o run a cont est w it h us and all subscribers are ent ered! See Pages & for

A Beacon of Irish Hospit alit y for t he West Side & Sant a Monica! Fine food and great bar! Congenial at m osphere, excellent st aff and service.

w w w.t om m yandt hebrot hers.com

By

Seaside Highland Gam es & Celt ic Music Fest ival

On the right: The Scottish Fiddlers of Los Angeles, always at Seaside and always much appreciated for keeping the wonderful traditional Scottish music alive and well!

sponsored

ABOVE: Jim McMahon of t he West Coast Irish Fest ival organizat ion w as on hand t o represent t he Irish Art s & Ent ert ainm ent and our Irish Out reach boot h at Seaside

Am y Robert s, Jim 's daught er, helped w it h set up and got som e great phot os.

OUR YEARS WORKING Wit h THE CHIEFTAINS

The Irish Art s and Ent ert ainm ent has been around for a seem ingly long t im e and w e have had t he great honor of m eet ing and prom ot ing som e great event s and individuals! In our second year, w e got an ad for The Chieft ains at t he Hollyw ood Bow l!

We got t o go backst age and w e got t o m et Paddy Moloney and all of The Chieft ains From t hen on, every t im e The Chieft ains cam e t o SoCal, w e w ere lucky t o int erview t hem , advert ise t hem and w e alw ays got t o see t heir show s. It w as t ruly heart breaking in 2021, w hen Paddy died suddenly More on Paddy Moloney

The Greening of t he World!! For several years, one of t he best and m ost m em orable prom ot ions ever! Tourism Ireland got w ell know n places t o honor St Pat rick's Day by t urning t he w orld's m ost fam ous sit es green The pandem ic put it on hold, w e hope t he pract ice ret urns.

Paddy Moloney, founding m em ber of The Chieft ains.

2021

Paddy loved life, Irish Music and his fam ily, friends and fans He alw ays t ook t im e t o t alk & list en t o everyone!

The King's Head Pub in Sant a Monica has added a Coffee Bar!

The alw ays excellent Brit ish & t radit ional pub food and drinks (w it h great Guinness and a w ell st ocked full bar) have m ade t he King's Head a favorit e for

locals and t ravelers alike for alm ost 40 years!

Now , t he Shop and bakery area has been rem odeled and a w onderful, t op rat ed Coffee Shop has been added See pict orial spread on page 9 w w w yeoldekingshead com

ABOVE: John and Sally McNally aft er hiking up Cave Hill in Belfast

ABOVE RIGHT: Jay Hart , Chief of Police for Torrance, being present ed w it h his Belfast Am bassador Medal by New York Assem blym an Mike Fit zpat rick at t he Belfast Int ernat ional Hom ecom ing.

RIGHT: Sally McNally at an Im elda May concert in Belfast , as part of t he Feile na Phobail (Peoples Fest ival) in August

An Irish Christ m as and St

Pat rick's Day In Ireland

Over t he last couple years a force has em erged in Irish Music & Dance via Kerry Irish Product ions under t he direct ion of Margaret O'Carroll. Am azing st age show

hat have becom e Irish Tradit ions.

ehow during, t his sam e t im e, t w o

agnificent Christ m as CDs w ere produced

sold

Ticket s for all show s

Christ m as CDs can be found at :

Ann and Andy Scot t at t he Clan Scot t enclave at Scot t ishFest ! Alw ays a great pleasure t o cat ch up w it h t hese folks and t heir clan m em bers at event s t hroughout t he year!

Guest Commentary

Dear Readers of t he Irish New s and Ent ert ainm ent

My nam e is Andrew Scot t , aka ?Andy,? and I have been friends w it h your edit or Jim Mc Donnough for m any years. Because I play t he bagpipes and play Irish pub-songs I have a long hist ory of playing for t he Irish on St . Pat rick?s Day as w ell as for w eddings, funerals, Not re Dam e foot ball gam es and birt hdays. I have had m any m eaningful experiences, as w ell as m any joyful t im es providing t hat special sound of t he pipes. Not only can I play ?Danny Boy? but I can sing it , bot h verses.

It should be no surprise t hat I am not Irish w it h a nam e like Andrew Scot t . My root s com e from t he Scot t ish Borders, and I am a vet eran host for t he Clan Scot t t ent at various Highland Fest ivals over t he years.

I have t o share w it h you w hat occurred at t he m ost recent fest ival in Cost a Mesa, California. I set up m y t ent and sign t he day before and t hought it looked pret t y good. In fact , it looked really good, for w hen I arrived t he next m orning I w as surprised t o see an Irish Band, ?Craic in t he St one,? playing right in front of m y t ent and being film ed for KTLA TVNEWS.

All w eekend long t he Highland Gam es w ere feat ured in t heir program ing, and m y lovely t ent w as t he w elcom ing locat ion. I felt honored and delight ed t he w hole w eekend. Especially w hen your edit or cam e by and t ook a pict ure. By t he w ay I change m y nam e t o Andrew O?Scot t every March 17.

The Joy of Christ m as in Ireland

No one celebrat es Christ m as w it h m ore joy t han t he Irish. Kerry Irish Product ions is excit ed t o be back on t he road spreading t hat joy t o audiences here in Am erica w it h t heir show An Irish Christ m as.

Music and dance are t he heart of Irish cult ure, and t hey are at t he core of t he show The com pany feat ures t op flight m usicians and vocalist s such as Mark Alfred on percussion and bodhrán Mark, from Carrickm across Co Monaghan, is t he aw ard w inning m usical direct or for Riverdance and an in dem and percussionist for m ajor recording art ist s across t he U.S. and Europe. But Mark really shines on t he bodhrán? playing w it h an energy t hat brings crow ds t o t heir feet w it h excit em ent .

Maeve Coughlan, dance direct or for t he show , has assem bled a cast of aw ard w inning dancers t hat have appeared in Riverdance, Lord of t he Dance and Celt ic Wings Having danced w it h Riverdance for 10 years herself, Maeve brings a love and in dept h know ledge of Irish dance t o t he show Maeve com m ent ed: ?Irish dance has been m y passion since m y childhood in Wat erford, Ireland I?m so proud t o w ork w it h t hese dancers and t o share a bit of m y hom e w it h

audiences in t he U S ?

The show , w hich has been broadcast on PBS, is a celebrat ion of fam ily and com m unit y t hat show cases som e of Ireland?s great t radit ions including blessing t he but t er churn, chasing t he w ren, and dancing on t he half door A segm ent of t he show feat ures sean nós dancing, an old st yle of dance originat ing in Connem ara, t hat st rips dow n t he convent ions of Irish dance w it h an im provisat ional approach t hat focuses on t he rhyt hm s and t he joy of dancing

An Irish Christ m as is a labor of love for it s creat or Margaret O?Carroll w ho fell in love w it h Irish m usic and cult ure grow ing up in Count y Kerry in sout hw est Ireland. When Margaret w as asked about w hy she put t his show t oget her she said: ?It is ext raordinary how closely connect ed w e are t o our past We are a product of so m uch t hat cam e before us, and our t radit ions inform w ho w e are now Our Irish cult ure m at t ers? w e com e from it , w e are shaped by it , w e ident ify w it h it , w e draw from it ? and w e m ust celebrat e it !"

Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir!

ABOVE: But t er Churn Dance ABOVE Right , The Wren!

Bot h dances are fine Irish Folklore brought t o life!

"

"Lit t le bird, lit t le bird, w here is your nest ?

'Tis in t he bush t hat I love best

It ?s in t he t ree, t he holly t ree w here all t he boys do follow m e"

Irish Arts & Entertainment's VERY IRISH PERKS (VIP) PRIMER

The VIP program is a very im port ant com ponent

It has a m ult it ude of posit ive fact ors built int o t he

subscript ion program

serves as a bonus/ rew ard syst em

spending hard cold cash

are able t o at t ract subscribers and advert isers t o our publicat ion and keep t hem int erest ed w hile

it is a good net w orking t ool for t he Publisher

great Irish int erest cont ent and inform at ion t o our readers

advert isers benefit by having a readership int erest ed in our excit ing

m akes

t arget our readers w it h special

o part icipat e.

Pandem ic has set us all back a bit in one w ay or anot her and w e are rebuilding our VIP benefit s package. We w ere count ing on discount s and deals at pubs and event s but t hat plan is now on t he back burner as t here are few event s and pubs need volum e t o m ake t he discount s pract ical. In t he m eant im e, w e are w orking hard t o line up new offers for our subscribers. Throughout t his Buying Guide, w e have som e list ings on good deals and w e w ill be adding special offers t o our w ebsit e as w e find t hem One VIP, w e have now of int erest is Buy ONE SUB and get a Gift Subscript ion! Be sure t o check out t he Very Irish Perks each issue and on our Facebook pages

VERY IRISH PERKS VIP CLUB

All subscribers become members of our VIP Group.

Current ly w e are offering som e really good prom ot ions and as t he Pandem ic eases w e w ill add m ore.

At Present :

O'Brien's On Wilshire in Sant a Monica w ill give our subscribers a Free Appet izer w it h purchase w w w obriensla com Go t o t he m enu click here

Thom at t he Irish Im port Shop (Free Delivery) ext ends 10% OFF all purchases t o our Subscribers See Pad or his ad and num ber!

An am azing offer for our ow n VIP Mem bers and Subscribers! Buy a GIFT SUBSCRIPTION bet w een now and March 15 and w e w ill give you a FREE ONE YEAR EXTENSION on your ow n subscript ion.

A m ovable feast ! Tom m y Moloneys Irish Meat s and Im port s w ill alw ays have a

special for our subscribers It changes every couple of w eeks but so far Tom m y's have given Free Shipping, Free food it em s an up t o 15% off any order Check out t heir w ebsit e t o see m ore goodies in st ore for you.

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Dance of Masks and Bonfires

Second of three installments

By Greg Pat rick

Niall w ent t o his old haunt of his favourit e pub ?Revenge for Skibbereen?

He decided t o t reat him self He looked int o his drink leaving it unt ouched as t he pat rons t alked bet w een t hem selves Then t he song played ? Their song? Maeve had once called it The song t hey had slow danced t o before leaving t he Hallow een part y t he night of t he accident

?She st epped aw ay from m e And she m oved t hrough t he fair

And fondly I w at ched her Move here and m ove t here

And she w ent her w ay hom ew ard Wit h one st ar aw ake

As t he sw ans in t he evening Move over t he lake? .?

He w as about t o get up t o ask for a change of song Then he m et t he eyes of a girl over t he rim of his cup Eyes t hat w ere silence set t o m usic

?Sorry. I? I didn't m ean t o st are...You? you look like m y girlfriend w ho died...So anyw ay? Cheers,? he explained aw kw ardly.

He sm iled shyly and raised his pint of Guinness in a t oast She sm iled w arm ly and in reply, raised an ornat e silver chalice Eyes over t he rim w inked at him Her red lipped sm ile w as like a reopened w ound.

?Niall Niall w ho you t alking t o lad?? t he barkeep asked

He had looked aw ay from her and w hen he t urned back it w as t o an em pt y chair. The song w as st ill playing. He sang soft ly along w it h it .

?The people w ere saying No t w o e?er w ere w ed

But one has a sorrow That never w as said And she sm iled as she passed m e Wit h her goods and her gear

And t hat w as t he last t hat I saw of m y dear.?

?You are? alright ? You look like you?ve seen a ghost ?

?Yes? sorry? ?

?It 's grand It ?s grand People have act ing st rangely around here, ever since t hose t om bs w ere dug up Have one on m e ?

?Thanks a m illion Liam ?

He drained t he cup and gat hered his coat . He lingered at t he t hreshold, w ait ing out a passing t orrent of rain. The m usic t railed him int o t he gloom haunt ingly, like a caress of ghost ly fingers t o his heart .

?I dream ed it last night

That m y t rue love cam e in

So soft ly she ent ered Her feet m ade no din

She cam e close beside m e And t his she did say,

"It w ill not be long, love Till our w edding day "

He w at ched as a girl w it h her arm s loaded w it h groceries ran across t he st reet and int o t he pat h of a speeding car Niall st epped in and t hrew him self at her t o push her out of t he w ay He rolled off her and helped her gat her her spilled groceries, as she st am m ered t hanks ?For you Maeve,? he w hispered as he w alked back hom e, oblivious t o t he rain

For his part , t he Professor ?s dream s had been haunt ed by night m ares as w ell.

He had slept fit fully plagued by vivid night m ares. He heard a voice t ell him of t he sit e he sought t o excavat e.

?From t he ancient burial grounds, an accursed place w here none dared vent ure, neit her w arrior arm ed w it h sw ord nor druid w ielding count er spell against w hat ever fell necrom ancy held sw ay am id t he m ist enshrouded st ones This place of ancient slaught er w here w arriors of old w ere left t o ravens ?

The professor had t aken a cache of rings for safe keeping t o a st at ely old m anor hom e t hat a pat ron of t he dig had allow ed him .

It w as m idnight by t he clock and t he t olling of t he dist ant count ry st eeple When t he bells ceased, he heard it Whispers out side? He list ened closely The w ind seem ed like a disem bodied serenade, a dark carol, but t here w as som et hing else At first it seem ed like t he chat t er of noct urnal insect s t hen rose m addeningly, grat ingly He looked t o t he art ifact s The m ullioned w indow ?s panes w ere lit by t he m oon in a spect ral searchlight , shim m ering on t he rings arranged on t he desk

He shuddered at som et hing scrat ching on t he w indow pane in t he night . Then he gasped and cried out at seeing a skelet al hand claw ing at t he pane. Only Hallow een decorat ions hanging from t he t rees he reassured him self. They w ere rubbing against t he w alls and w indow as t hey w ere st irred by t he w ind, rat her t han being besieged by t he dead. I w ill t ake t he groundskeeper t o t ask and have t hose eyesores rem oved t om orrow he t old him self.

His irrit abilit y only becam e sharper w hen t he clueless groundskeeper lat er asked him :

?What decorat ive skelet ons are you t alking about ?? To his revulsion he saw t he w ord ?t hief ? had been scrat ched int o t he w indow pane.

?A prank t hen? Well, if t hose prankst ers t hink t hey can drive m e off, t hey have anot her t hink com ing? ? he resolved

Lat er, Niall w as shaken aw ake. He heard an all t oo fam iliar voice reprim anding him st ernly. He had sleepw alked again, t his t im e t o t he ancient ruins. He w as shivering violent ly.

?What ?s all t his now ? Cam ping out here? We can? t have yet m ore bad publicit y hindering us You m ust learn t o cont ain yourself This sit e has only yet begun t o yield it s secret s and it s t reasures There is so m uch t o learn here, for t he advancem ent our discipline, of science. This is a discovery t o put t his rem ot e village on t he m ap!? He had said as m uch in a rehearsed speech loft ily t o report ers and hopefully prospect ive donors. The excavat ions cont inued t ill sunset cast it s crim son light on t he m yst erious st ones carved w it h sacred w ords and crypt ic sym bols carved upon t hem . The professor reluct ant ly dism issed his int erns from t heir t oil.

?I expect everyone t o report back here at 5 sharp t om orrow I have m ore t han a feeling t hat w e are on t he verge of a great breakt hrough You know m y rules I w ant every art ifact cat alogued and account ed for See you all t om orrow Dism issed ?

Meanw hile a lonely figure st anding in t he dusk, w at ched a haggard disheveled Niall as he shuffled w earily aw ay, silhouet t ed against t he crim son t w ilight As night cast it s dark spell, he rem em bered t he dark st ories t old by his grandm ot her by t he t urf fires He could alm ost hear her croaking voice adm onish him : ?Do not vent ure fort h t his night It is All Hallow s Eve All m anner of evil beings prow l t he darkness ?

The echo of her w ords seem ed t o follow him dow n t he dark leaf st rew n pat h t o a dist ant crim son glow bet w een t he ancient , gnarled t rees Wit h t he m oon and cloud form at ions cast ing eerie m isshapen shadow s on t he w ood, it w as not difficult t o believe t he shadow s w ere infest ed w it h t he denizens of lore

He polit ely joined a bonfire, invit ed by his younger colleagues. He rem ained aloof as t hey gossiped and drank. Firelight flut t ered at his brooding face as his dark eyes w ere haunt ed by pyrom anced visions of his lost love dancing around a bonfire, w it h flushed face, laughing and gest uring him t o join her

He excused him self and drift ed back t o t he t railer housing t he art ifact s He had fallen asleep w earily, over painst aking cat aloguing of excavat ed art ifact s from t he sit e. They w ere arranged on t he t able for inspect ion. Like a shim m ering horde in t he overhead light s. And t he pride of t hat t rove of art ifact s w as a regal golden diadem , int ricat ely carved w it h Celt ic knot w ork, like a coiled serpent rest ing on an ancient horde. He held vigil over t he ancient w onders t ill he sank int o exhaust ed dream -haunt ed sleep. He aw oke groggily. He recoiled suddenly as a hideously feat ured figure w as claw ing at t he w indow panes, t ilt ing it s head curiously like a noct urnal creat ure from a net her realm and beckoning hungrily. Then w it h aw kw ard realisat ion he sm iled.

?It ?s Hallow een night again? oh? right ?

He had lost t rack of t im e? so im m ersed in t he past He shuffled w it h a bucket of candy t o t he door

?Trick or t reat ? ? t hey chorused.

As t hey dispersed, he saw a solit ary figure w at ching from t he shadow s am id t he falling red leaves She looked at him int ent ly, before dem at erialising

He shrugged and shuffled back t o his chair t urned off t he light s. He aw oke lat er shivering t o a sudden coldness Roused groggily, he felt for t he art ifact

It w as in t he hand of a robed and hooded figure looking at him ?St op! Wait !?

He m et haunt ingly fam iliar eyes ?Maeve??

She pulled a hood low er over her head, before ret reat ing. He pursued her dim inishing form int o t he night . She w as m addeningly elusive as she fled under cover of m ist and darkness, yet her eyes bet rayed a pleading look, urging him t o follow. The diadem shim m ered in her pale hand, guiding him . She seem ed t o be leading him t ow ards t he archaeological sit e. She lingered at t he t hreshold of t he t om b t hat w as inexplicably opened and seem ed lit from w it hin like a port al t o anot her realm . He follow ed her inside only t o feel a m aelst rom ic rush of w ind. The room seem ed t o sw irl kaleidoscopically and he felt t he sensat ion of falling.

?Where? w here am I?? he w ondered disorient ed ?Out side again?? Final installment in our next issue.

ED NOTE: In this wonderful Samhain story, the writer delves into the supernatural in a compelling way. But as it happens art imitates life here too.

Irish archiolegsts know that near Newgrange alone there are many more sites to be explored. Ireland's has been home to long forgotten people and cultures for centuries Who knows what is hidden under it's verdant ground?For more: w w w bbc com / new s/ uk nort hern ireland

Gregory Brendan Pat rick

While not exploring Ireland and rt e w orld, our feat ured w rit er likes t o use his considerible im aginat ion and t alent t o conjure t ales of heroes, love and m yst ery! Look for part 3 of t his t ale in our Novem ber/ Sam hain issue

IRISH MUSIC News& Reviews

Strings & Things

This great Irish Band is one of our favorit es and it is nice t o see t hey are going on a t our! We hope t o see t hem again soon They w ere one of t he m any bands, groups and individuals w ho w ere part of last year 's LIVE STREAMED St Pat rick' Day show ALONE/ Toget her The show w as produced by t he Irish Art s and Jim McMahon's int ernet radio st at ion in Warrenpoint N. Ireland

St rings & Things garnered m ore posit ive feedback and generat ed m ore int erest t han m ost of t he act s on t he show In Part II of our Ret rospect ive of our 30 years, w e w ill bring you a lot m ore on Alone/ Toget her.

We can honest ly saw t hat doing t he show w as really excit ing and w e t ot ally appreciat e everyone w ho helped

BONO Announces 14 Cit y

Tour in support of his new book Surrender. Each t icket purchased for t he t our com es w it h a copy of SURRENDER, released on Novem ber 1, and all t icket s purchased online w ill be delivered as secure m obile t icket s There w ill be a t w o t icket lim it per person. Tw o are in California:

Sat Nov 12 ? San Francisco, CA ? Orpheum Theat re - Sun Nov 13 ? Los Angeles, CA ?

The Orpheum Theat re

AER LINGUS Once Again Flying from US t o Shannon

From New York: 4 Non st ops per day. From Bost on: 3 Non st ops per.

Connect ions from all over t he US. Once t he gat ew ay t o all of Ireland before t he spect acular grow t h of Dublin's Airport , New York and Bost on are delight ed t o have flight s direct ly t o Shannon near Lim erick

IRELAND?S

7t h ALBUM ?TIME STOPPED? ON OCTOBER 7 AHEAD OF WORLD TOUR

UK, Europe, Nort h Am erica and Aust ralia Dat es

THE CORONAS SET TO PLAY at ECHO in Los Angeles in Novem ber

Ireland?s popular band The Coronas are finally heading out on t he w orld t our t hat w as sidelined by t he pandem ic, not t o m ent ion t he derision associat ed w it h sharing a nam e w it h t he virus t hat shut dow n t he w orld. The band m ade good use of t heir t im e off t he road, ret urning w it h a st rong, new album apt ly t it led TIME STOPPED Set for release on Oct ober 7 on t he band?s im print SoFarSoGood Records (dist ribut ed by Blix St reet ), TIME STOPPED addresses t he pandem ic head on via 11 original songs bearing an underlying t hem e of hope

The band?s 7t h album , TIME STOPPED overall is an album grounded in opt im ism Lead singer Danny O?Reilly explains t hat t he album ?s t hrough line addresses how w e all sought t o st ay connect ed in t he t im e of global panic ?When everyt hing is suddenly upside dow n,? he says, ?relat ionships and our place in t he w orld are given a new perspect ive Even t hough it cam e t oget her in an uncert ain t im e, TIME STOPPED is a posit ive album about t oget herness and support ?

Know n for high energy live perform ances and audience singalongs, it ?s not surprising t hat The Coronas w ere nam ed #1 Live Act of t he Year in Ireland?s Hot Press 2022 Readers' Poll The Coronas, com prising O?Reilly, bass guit arist Graham Knox and drum m er Conor Egan, are ecst at ic t o be able t o ret urn t o live appearances, kicking off t he sum m er season w it h sold out show s at t he Marquee in Cork and t he grounds of Trinit y College in t heir nat ive Dublin Most recent ly, t hey w ere on t he bill for t he Elect ric Picnic m usic fest ival, w hich drew m ore t han 70,000 people.

The Irish Poet ry Corner is looking for original poem s w it h a spooky t hem e for our SAMHAIN issue

We w ill aw ard t he poet a $25, gift cert ificat e from See's

Som et im es t his call out has been a dud and if t hat happens, w e w ill reprint t he poem Alm ost A Ghost w hich w e have already used once and w e w ill eat t he candy ourselves!

Send your poem t o Jim at jm cdonough44@gm ail com

We are opt im ist ic so w e w ill print t he best t w o poem s t hat are subm it t ed

A r ts & En ter tai n m en t Calen d ar

NOW WITH By Date& On Going Listingsand Links

Reader 's Tip...We som ehow

m issed t his one! Thanks t o our loyal reader Kevin Drum m ond for t he subm ission!

NOW t hrough at least t his Friday: God's Creat ures, a film by t w o w om en Am erican direct ors is playing at t he Alam o Draft house in DTLA & in WLA at t he Laem le Royal in WLA unt il Friday at least It is beaut ifully film ed in an Irish fishing village Em igrant son ret urns from dow n under t o rest art t he oyst er farm ing biz w it h his Mom , w ho is w orking for a fish sort ing com pany. He is just ly/ unjust ly accused of a sex crim e & Mom gives him an alibi w it hout know ing w hy t he Irish cops (Na Gairdei) seek him . Go for t he scenery, if not hing else Click icon for t he t railer