free 2016 magazine issue 05
FEBRUARY
ISSN - 2009-8650
EOIN BARRY
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Welcome
TO t he li merick magaz i n e The Limerick Magazine is a fun and informative monthly free-sheet keeping you up to date with what is happening in Limerick
City and County, with reviews, event listings, interviews, men and women’s fashion, lively opinion and interesting articles to get you talking.
Publisher - Fusion Media - 74 O’Connell Street Limerick - 061-597627 Editor in Chief
Design - Keith Aherne
michelle@fusionmedia.ie
Phone - 061-597627
Michelle Costello
Editor - Kayleigh Ziolo
Email - kayleigh@fusionmedia.ie Phone - 061-597627
Email - design@fusionmedia.ie
Advertising - Fusion Media
Email - advertising@fusionmedia.ie Phone - 061-597627
TLM contributors:
Photographers:
Cornelia O’Riordan
COVER: Tarmo Tulit
Shauna Lindsay
Eoghan Lyons
Rebecca Egan Mary Kiely
Katie O’Brien Kevin Bolger
Laura McNamara Orla Dallman Olivia Chau
Sharon Slater
Fernando Sanchez Rebelle Haze Sintija Zorge
Niall McInerney, Fashion Photography archive Leanne Aherne Jim Berkeley
Kelan Chadwick Mike Cowhey
Cormac Byrne
Limerick Writers Centre
This is a free magazine. You are free to give it away (in unmodified form) to whomever you wish. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. This magazine is designed to provide information to our readers. It is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged to render any type of legal or any other kind of professional advice. The content of each article is the sole expression and opinion of its author, and not necessarily that of the publisher. No warranties or guarantees are expressed or implied by the publisher’s choice to include any of the content in this volume. Neither the publisher nor the individual author(s) shall be liable for any physical, psychological, emotional, financial, or commercial damages, including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential or other damages. Our views and rights are the same: You are responsible for your own choices, actions, and results.
Jane Butler O’Halloran Christine Costello RG Allen
@limerickonline
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@thelimerickmagazine
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THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
2016: l i meric k ’s y e a r Limerick council CEO Conn Murray believes 2016 is shaping up to be a very important year for Limerick. With long term projects coming to fruition, and many more developments in the pipeline, the vision is coming close to a reality.
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It’s an exciting year for Limerick dwellers for many
reasons: The biggest is of course we are soon to learn whether the work of Limerick2020 has paid off, as
the battle for European Capital of Culture reaches
the final selection stage in July. It’s also the year that the new Troy Studios is set to host its first film
production (and yes, we’re dying to know what it is as much as you are!).
Plus, as Conn tells us, the next 12 months will see big
steps forward for the 2030 economic and spatial plan, which has been in progress since mid-2013. ‘We’ve
already seen tangible results emerge in the form of job creation, with more than 7,000 jobs created in the city, and the momentum looks set to continue. There
has been a strong return to life for the retail sector, which isn’t just good news for businesses but also for
maintaining the vitality and beating heart of the city.’
Renew and regenerate Regeneration is a key part of the plan, and this year will also see important steps forward for two major
construction projects in the city centre: The Opera
Centre site and the Henry Street Hanging Gardens. The council confirmed they had purchased the latter
in 2015, and will take over the half completed works to turn the Hanging Gardens building into clean
office space to accommodate up to 800 office workers. As for the Opera Centre site, Conn confirms they are
now at the end of the procurement stage and the next
stage will be to plan development. ‘It’s taken a long
time to get here but it was necessary, as this is such a transformative project for the city, it has to be right.’
International business
things that are happening right under their noses.
2016 has already seen the arrival of Uber, who opened
Having spoken to many people about what makes
ago. ‘There are currently 116 overseas companies
and it’s encouraging to see more action being taken
an attractive, successful and easy place to do business,
surroundings.’
their new Centre of Excellence just a few weeks
Limerick great, we often hear it’s all about the people,
operating in here, and counting. They see Limerick as
by individuals to promote and engage with their
and it’s important we embrace that identity ourselves and promote it’ says Conn.
Optimism
2016 and beyond So this year is the year of tangible action. It will see
the beginning of important projects that have been
Conn also talks about the general positive attitude
talked about, almost to death, for many years prior to
last few years, but what is happening now is that the
full potential, we have to look at Limerick in a wider
building amongst people is turning into real tangible
relating to transport and accessibility over the coming
and do the right things to play to its strengths and
is made in these areas. We need to look at solutions
and confidence has translated into action through
county, and ensure that transport links are up to
volunteers and organisations working for Limerick in
success of Limerick for which the foundation has
that now exists in the city. ‘It’s been a feeling for the
now. In order for these developments to achieve their
positive attitude towards the city and the pride that is
context, says Conn. ‘There will be a lot of discussions
change. There is a willingness to do more for Limerick
months, and indeed years. It is critical that progress
work to make it an even better place. The optimism
to the build-up of traffic in and around the city and
goodwill. There are so many community groups,
scratch. All this is vital to the continued growth and
social intervention projects and this is important to
already been set.’
of volunteers is the number of people involved in
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
support regeneration.’ A great example of the efforts
Limerick Tidy Towns and other volunteer groups,
Image by: Tarmo Tulit
whose pride and dedication to a cleaner city were
directly responsible for Limerick city moving up 12 places in the Irish Business Against Litter (Ibal) antilitter league to 18th place, and regarded as Clean to
European Norms. ‘And of course, City of Culture, and the continuation of that with Limerick2020
has brought the creative and cultural to the fore, giving many people a whole different perspective on
Limerick city life and drawing attention to incredible
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a rti st Pro file Kate Hennessy Over the course of 30 years, Kate Hennessy has had almost 30 shows in Europe, displaying her uniquely colourful
creations inspired by the intricate design patterns of the East, as well as some things closer to home. Kate is not
afraid to hold back on the page, with beautiful results that are sure to lift your spirits. She tells TLM about her
global outlook, her experience of setting up an art school
for asylum seekers and refugees, and why she will always come home to Limerick.
How long have you been an artist?
Since I can remember really. I have always drawn and
art is my life. So I studied at LSAD, and then became a qualified art teacher. It’s not easy to make a living
as an artist as many will attest, so that gave me an
income while I painted and exhibited simultaneously. I taught for 30 years in many schools, all age groups
from nursery to secondary, and in adult education, including people with mental health issues. Have you always lived in Limerick?
I was born and bred here, and moved away for 5
years after graduating, spending time in Dublin and Kilkenny. But I came back because I missed it. I had a
lot of good friends here so I missed the social aspect, and Limerick is a great place to live anyway. Whenever
I am not travelling you’ll find me here, it is my home. Limerick is and was always a city of culture: it always
invited world acts to the Savoy, in fact I saw my first Indian dancers on stage there. It’s always been artistic
too - I organised exhibitions on the railings in Pery Square years before Merrion Square in Dublin, I was
a founding member of EVA International, which has
evolved and is going strong to this day. When I was at art school it wasn’t cool, not many students studied
art. Now just look at LSAD it’s expanding so rapidly
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and has an international reputation, and there’s so
get that multicultural experience. Limerick is very
You’ve been very involved in the artistic community
Tell us about your travels, do you have a particular
Yes, and the global community here too. I worked
Way back in the 1960s no one could afford to fly, so
many art students it’s hard to get in!
here…
with Doris Luimni to open an art studio for refugees and those seeking asylum. Doris Luimni help arrivals
with all manner of things from legal administration
to medical assistance, and they connect people with education centres and the like. While many of these were teaching English language I decided on an art
studio as a way to share culture. While we taught art, we listened to their music and even learned their languages, a shared learning experience. I used to go
to London and stroll around Carnaby Street etc. to
multicultural now, and that’s so fantastic.
favourite place?
my first trip was over to England on a cattle boat! I love London and my favourite places are Liberty and the Victoria and Albert Museum, I just love
the patterns and designs on show. Then I went from Limerick to Barcelona, and another time Venice, by boat and train – that took two days then, now it takes
about two hours. My first plane trip was to Russia in 1986, and I haven’t got off a plane since! I’ve spent a
lot of time in the Middle East. One of my favourite
countries there is Armenia, it’s a Christian country
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surrounded by Islamic nations, and the art reminds
me of the old Irish monastic art - I combine Irish and Armenian in my paintings. My favourite city is Venice, it’s just so beautiful, and my other favourite
country is India because of the colour and the energy. You also have to face the very visible reality of poverty alongside all the colour, saris, and decoration. Next I
want to go to Uzbekistan, though I’m struggling to
find someone who will come with me as people are so worried about current global events and travelling. How would you sum up your style and approach?
My work is imaginative - I take plenty of artistic
licence to create more expressive pieces. And colour. I love colour and people and showing the beauty
that surrounds us. I sketch and take photographs wherever I go on my travels; it’s my way of keeping a diary. I even look at tiles in hotels, I love the little
details. I photograph buildings and people, not just
the museums temples and high design but also the everyday, for example winding street scenes, or a little
run down building that reminded me of an old Irish shed.
I’m not in tune with conceptual art; it just isn’t what I’m about. My art is about colour sense and more
traditional technical skill, about capturing something and communicating it – telling a story, recording
where I was and how I felt. I’d like to see the current trend move towards those things again, but what can you do!
You recently held an exhibition, Chroma, in the Hunt Museum. Will you be exhibiting anywhere else this year?
I haven’t got anything planned at the moment. There’s a lot of work that goes into exhibitions to put it
together, so we’ll see, it has to be worthwhile. I did a show in London a few years, which was great but cost
a lot to do. I would love to exhibit more regularly in
Limerick, but there aren’t many commercial galleries, they’ve all closed down, which is a shame as there is such a strong artistic community here, I’d like to see
more opportunities and spaces for people to showcase their work.
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
Photographs by Kate Hennessy
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The 061 New Work by Eoin Barry
visual artist from Limerick, Barry’s work is concerned with social and societal issues.
Presented by Limerick Printmakers, The 061 is an
Why did you decide to become a visual artist?
Barry is the recipient of the 2013 and 2014 Limerick
and Design that was the ‘official’ decision. I had a
given to individual graduates of LSAD’s ‘Printmaking
great support from my peers, whose approval and
exhibition of new work by visual artist Eoin Barry.
When I went to college in Limerick School of Art
Printmakers Bursary Award, an accolade which is
strong inclination towards art growing up and had
and Contemporary Practice’ degree each year. As a
encouragement played an integral role in me pursuing
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my passion. The more I studied I began to realise how
versatile an artist can be and the how our role in society has changed drastically from the traditional
concept of an artist. I found myself taking on roles such as a coordinator, facilitator, educator, public speaker, writer, photographer, designer, painter and printer - the list is endless. These roles keep what I do exciting and challenging. One day I’m bent down on
Gerald Griffin Street painting an ESB box, and the
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next week I could be in a secondary school delivering
What has been your most successful project?
the festival has allowed me to deliver workshops to
versatility of the profession is something I really get
called ‘How much does this bag really cost?’ It was
to develop a link with. Limerick is full of organisations
a workshop around issues such as child labour. The a kick out of.
Can you explain the concept behind the 061 exhibition?
The 061 is an area code - one that you would dial as a prefix if you were to ring someone via mobile or
telephone. Area codes were assigned to geographical locations based on a hierarchy system, assigning the codes according to areas of telecommunication importance. Limerick has a long history of place
names - from historic such as The Treaty City or PigTown to the more recently designated title such
as the City of Culture. In Irish we have various
versions from Cathair Luimnigh to Luimneach. And now through various visual means Limerick has
a new title, a numerical sequence called ‘The 061’. This method has been used widely by various figures in popular culture. Rap superstar Eminem refers to
his area of Detroit in the film 8 mile as ‘The 313’. Recently a bunch of Gaeilgeoir’s came together on
I carried out a workshop in a school in West Limerick
a multi-disciplinary workshop aimed at looking at
issues surrounding labour and value. The students
watched a documentary entitled ‘Behind the Swoosh’ which is a documentary investigating the conditions
of Nike factories in Indonesia. Following this, the
students were asked to discuss some of the issues
raised by the film. I then showed the students how to stitch – very badly I might add. Earlier I had ripped
of the work that I do on the street and with various communities across the city. I refer to what I do as a social practice and the majority of the projects I do
focus on people. Unfortunately I can’t display people
in the gallery (although that could be a pretty cool idea) and so I have created prints and objects that
somehow relate to the ‘other’ work which can be difficult to translate into a gallery context. If you go
in to see the show you will recognize many of the objects and images - they are all derived from the city and some are even taken directly from the streets and displayed in ways that they were never intended to.
Article by: Laura McNamara Photograph by: Tarmo Tulit
the bags in Irish and English with the text ‘How
much does this bag really cost?’. Once the product was complete the students were asked to allocate a
price to the bag based on the labour that they put into creating it. Once a price was decided the students had
to sell the bags with the decision of keeping the profits for themselves or donating the profits to charity (they donated the profits to charity).
Get involved - if you’re in college use that time
was created over 2 years and attempts to reflect some
as you can. So yeah, just Get Involved!
the students assembled a silk-screen press and printed
The 061 is where I’m from.
The exhibition is the achievement. This body of work
your interests, so utilise those opportunities as much
asked to stitch a canvas bag back together. After this
Is there any advice you would give to any visual
What do you hope to achieve from this exhibition?
and festivals that you can affiliate with depending on
the stitching out of bags and the students then were
Twitter to verbalise the number and concluded with
the rhyming scheme of ‘‘Is as a náid, a sé, a haon dom!’
communities that I otherwise may not have been able
artists starting out?
to volunteer and enter as many exhibitions as possible. This way you will begin to understand the structures that are in place and how to utilise them
when you graduate. The most rewarding element
of my practice is workshops. For some it might be exhibitions or writing so find what area you get the most satisfaction from and focus on that. Being part
of an arts organisation is also a key element to the
progression of any artist’s practice so get involved
with an organisation where you are surrounded by like-minded people. I was lucky to be awarded a bursary from Limerick Printmakers, so I have access to facilities and people who have much more
experience than me and every day you can avail of their advice and opinions with regards to something
you might be working on. The Make A Move Festival is another example of an organisation that has allowed
me to develop my practice. The urban art element of
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l im e r i ck 1 9 1 6 As 2015 drew to a close, Limerick City and County
council announced the 2016 calendar of events to mark the centenary of 1916’s Easter Rising. Limerick and the rising
The Limerick Irish Volunteers were said to have
been the most robust and organised of all units in the country. There were in total 872 members in 22
branches in Limerick according to police reports in 1916.
The contribution of Limerick’s people before, during
and after the insurrection was significant, and the
sacrifices great. Edward (Ned) Daly was part of the ‘inner circle’ of the supreme council, and along with
fellow Limerick man Con Colbert they were executed as revolutionary leaders in May 1916.
Ned Daly John Edward Daly, known as Edward or Ned, was born on Frederick Street in Limerick City on Wednesday 25th February 1891 and was part of
a notably nationalistic family. A number of Ned’s
sisters were involved in Cumman na mBan and also
played a part in the Rising. His uncle John Daly had taken part in the rebellion of 1867. Edward Daly led the First Battalion during the Rising, which raided
the Bridewell and Linenhall Barracks, eventually seizing control of the Four Courts. A close friend
of Tom Clarke, their ties were made even stronger
by the marriage of Clarke to Daly’s sister Kathleen. Ned Daly was the youngest of the fifteen, shot at Kilmainham Gaol on 4th May 1916.
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of each kilometre of the run. They run with a special
Kathleen Clarke
Memorial Gardens
Kathleen Clarke, sister of Ned and wife of Tom Clarke
A permanent legacy of the centenary will be left with
baton which they will pass on to the next group. In
husband, Tom Clarke, forbade her permission to take
and county – Newcastle West, Rathkeale, Killmallock
as part of the 2016 Commemoration. The revival of
be a memorial to Con Colbert at his birthplace in
Easter Rising in 1916 and the aim is to promote the
across the county.
Rith is organised locally with a local co-ordinator in
Geneology
clubs, sports clubs, community groups, families and
was a founder member of Cumann na mBan. Her an active part in the 1916 Easter Rising as she had
orders regardless of how the events would pan out. After the Rising Michael Collins established contact with her while in prison in his attempts to re-build
the IRB network. She also set up the Irish National
Aid Fund to aid those who had family members killed or imprisoned as a result of the Easter Rising.
Con Colbert Born in Moanleana, Castlemahon, County Limerick
and raised in Athea, he was the fourth youngest of
thirteen children. After leaving for Dublin at 16,
Colbert became a drill sergeant at St Enda’s School, founded by Padraig Pearse. Colbert was the captain
the opening of four 1916 memorial gardens in city
2016 the Rith will visit the 32 counties of Ireland
and Merchant’s Quay Limerick. There will also
the Irish language was a hugely important part of the
Castlemahon, and several tree planting ceremonies
Irish Language in this important year to celebrate that. each town. Various groups take part including youth
Limerick Genealogy is researching the family
students from primary schools, secondary schools and
Limerick using genealogical and historical sources to
the Rith and Conradh na Gaeilge and Glor na nGael
will be an online aspect to the exhibitions allowing for
of the main events taking place during Seachtain na
histories of Edward Daly and Con Colbert in
third level. Rith Teoranta is in charge of organising
culminate in exhibitions on the two families. There
provide support and assistance. The Rith will be one
more extensive family trees and details on each family
Gaeilge and will visit Limerick on 8th March 2016.
member illustrated with original source material, documents and photographs. The launch of these
Anthology
exhibitions is due to take place in February. It will
The Limerick Writers Centre is producing an
gatherings, allowing members from Limerick, Ireland,
of Reactions’. The anthology while welcoming
the first time. They welcome contact from anyone
is also open to writers from other parts of the country
families and indeed from any persons with memories,
reflects reaction to the 1916 Rising. Irish writers,
seven main strands: State and Local Ceremonial,
collaboration with the families, Limerick Genealogy
of life, will be invited to contribute an essay or poem on
and Imagination, Cultural Expression, Community
the Daly and Colbert families and commemorate the
different views, feelings and reactions, from Limerick
of F Company of the Fourth Battalion, Colbert was
be an opportunity for the Daly and Colbert family
anthology with the title ‘1916 Today : An Anthology
and around the world to reunite or indeed meet for
submissions from writers with a Limerick connection
descending from the extended Daly and Colbert
and abroad. The aim is to seek quality writing which
The Ireland 2016 Centenary programme will have
memorabilia or photographs relating to the family. In
living in Ireland and abroad, representing most walks
Historical Reflection, The Living Language, Youth
sees this as an opportunity to preserve the memory of
what 1916 means to them today. It is hoped to garner
Participation and Global Diaspora. The events due to
sacrifices of their sons Ned Daly and Con Colbert.
and elsewhere, from these writers and publish their
set to be typically diverse, surprising, and enriching.
Rith
Anthology will be edited by the poet John Liddy and
from the programme organised by Damien Brady and
to promote the Irish language in an athletic, lively and
in command at the Marrowbone Lane distillery when
it was surrendered on Sunday, 30 April 1916. His execution took place on 8 May 1916.
Centenary in Limerick – Key Events
take place in Limerick over the coming months are Here are just some of the highlights we can expect
Rith is a relay run which inspires local communities
Tony Storan of Limerick City and County Council.
different manner. A different group takes ownership
views in the anthology during the centenary year. The Dominic Taylor and will be launched in Limerick City Library.
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
Image supplied by Limerick City and County Council
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l ing e r Dance Limerick will be hosting critically acclaimed dance artist Breandán de Gallaí’s new work Linger.
Linger is a contemporary Irish step dance work for two male dancers. The mesmerising dance experience was choreographed and will be performed by De
and traditional music. Although Irish dance is a
potential to engage with issues rarely explored in
influenced by many dance genres, resulting in a new
Announcing details of the performance of Linger in
choreographic starting point for Linger, de Gallaí is
style of Irish dance that is both contemporary and provocative.
Gallaí himself, accompanied by Nick O’Connell, both
Linger is accompanied by an original score
opposite spectrums of their dance career. The piece
music. Although Irish dance is a choreographic
extremely talented dancers who are currently at two explores and celebrates this contrast, prompting the
audience to reflect on the passage of time and who we are at various junctures of life. The mesmerizing Linger is described as being a fully immersive
theatrical experience that unfolds through a rich tapestry of movement, music, photography and film.
Dance Limerick are especially proud to be hosting
the dance piece as it explores the poetic potential of our native Irish dance and examines topics rarely
dealt with through the genre, such as identity, sexuality and ageing. Linger is accompanied by an
original score incorporating elements of jazz, classical
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incorporating elements of jazz, classical and traditional
starting point, de Gallaí is influenced by many dance
traditional dance.
Limerick, Jenny Traynor, Director of Dance Limerick, said, “We’re delighted to present this new work by
Breandán de Gallaí at Dance Limerick. Breandán is a well-known and highly accomplished performer
who is pushing the boundaries of his art-form in very exciting ways.
genres, resulting in a new style of Irish dance that is
Linger is a Dance Ireland Commission, a legacy
artistic ambition is to explore the expressive potential
with Dance Ireland, Dance Limerick, Firkin
both contemporary and provocative. His overarching of the traditional Irish dance form and to use this potential to engage with issues rarely explored in traditional dance.
Breandán de Gallaí is an esteemed figure in the world of Irish dance - having been the principal of Riverdance for many years his work is followed and
admired by a worldwide audience. His overarching
artistic ambition is to explore the expressive potential
of the traditional Irish dance form and to use this
fundraising award of DI21, presented in partnership
Crane Cork and Project Arts Centre, Dublin. The performance will take place 4th February, 8pm at Dance Limerick. Advance booking is recommended.
Tickets €12/€10 from www.dancelimerick.ie or on the door.
Article by: Cornelia O'Riordan Image by: Declan English
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Lim e r i c k NEWS: Jigsaw arrives in Limerick Headstrong, the national centre for youth mental
health will be bringing its Jigsaw project to Limerick. Jigsaw is a network of programmes across Ireland
designed to make sure every young person has
somewhere and someone to turn to with free, confidential mental health supports for people aged
12-25. The Headstrong website states that recruitment
of a Project Manager in Limerick will commence in February. Following this there will be engagement
by Citylink
Limerick to Dublin Airport Non-stop from only
â‚Ź15
*
each way
with young people, the HSE and Limerick City and
County Council to secure a suitable premises as a base for the project. It is anticipated that Jigsaw Limerick will have approximately 1,500 face to face contacts with young people in a year.
M20 plans shelved
In only 2hrs 30mins 16 Daily Services Book at www.eireagle.com Tel: 091 564164
There was plenty to be talked about on our roads over the last month: As well as the announcement of the preferred route for the Foynes Road, there was an
angry response from businesses and commuters alike as the government decided not to go ahead with plans
for the M20 motorway connecting Limerick and
Cork. Limerick Chamber of Commerce expressed
their dismay at the decision, declaring it short sighted, and that the initial high cost of the project would bring untold amounts of investment opportunities
to the area. Meanwhile a poll on IrishExaminer.
com found that 94% of its readers believe the road is needed. With the plans currently shelved, it is now unlikely that the road will be built before 2030.
*Promotional Fare. Applies to advance bookings made online only.
WC
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Valentines
g if t ideas
Valentine’s Day is one of those highly debated
to please everyone on this celebratory day of love.
has the time or talents for that. This year, step up your
opinions right down the middle. From the singletons,
have to be all chocolate and roses: sometimes a simple
choosing a present to suit your partner’s personality
occasions throughout the year that splits people’s to the Hallmark Holiday conspirators and of course
not to forget the old fashion romantics, it is hard
Contrary to common belief, Valentine’s Day doesn’t gift with a little more thought behind it is the better
option. A DIY gift is always sweet but not everyone
game and get your beau a gift that they will adore by or interests.
Article by: Katie O’Brien
FOR HER
The Beauty Lover:
The Memory Maker:
The Chic Freak:
Brown Thomas - €50
Argos - €96.99
Asos.com - €197.16
Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette: The Dolce Vita
The Ethical Indulger:
L’OCCITANE en Provence: Delicate Cherry Blossom Collection -€62
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Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Instant Camera
FRENDS Layla Rose Gold Headphones
The Sentimentalist:
The Girl who has everything:
Seoidín - €99.95
Debenhams - €72
Two Tone Ring Necklace
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb La Vie en Rose 50ml
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
FOR Him
The Style Seeker:
The Luxury Groomer:
The People Watcher:
Keanes Jewellers -€249
- Brown Thomas - €149
Easons - €31.60
Daniel Wellington Watch
The Adventurer: Go Pro Hero4
Harvey Norman - €389
Clarisonic Grey Mia 2 Sonic Skin Cleansing System
Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton
The Fitness Fanatic:
The Man who has everything:
Currys - €89.99
Berkery Leather - Limerick Milk Market
FITBIT Flex Activity and Sleep Wristband
Personalised Belt
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Th e li me rick magazine
Fashion & Beauty New Year, New Me, New Styles! 2015 was a BEYOND incredible year for me and
I’ve had so many great experiences and opportunities thrown my way, all to prepare for this year, 2016. A
new beginning, 2014/2015 were the warm ups, but
for me, 2016 is game time. I’m going to do everything in my power to make this year the most exciting yet by working hard and reaching as many of my goals as I possibly can.
I personally love New Years, it’s like turning over a
with Shauna Lindsay Instagram - @shaunalindsay
new leaf. You have 365 days (or fewer as you read this)
to create a life for yourself that you’re going to LOVE. And why not do that in style?!
With that in mind I’m going to show you some
key pieces that are a MUST-HAVE in your 2016 wardrobe.
tOPS You can never have enough tops to accessorise
with. Trousers and jeans can be worn over and over
again and you won’t get bored of them but tops can definitely get boring very quick so stock up. Try to experiment with different colours and textures while
still keeping some basic tees to throw on with jeans for that more casual look. I’ve recently shopped online quite a lot and Missguided have the most amazing
selection. Here’s one of my favourites, all available at www.missguided.co.uk
Tall Boyfriend V Neck TShirt White €11.20
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COATS
Shoes
gym gear
If there was any wardrobe piece you were to invest
What literally connects us to the earth… We live in
It’s time to jump on the 'New Year, New Me’ band
We have to just accept the fact that we live in a cold
getting the essentials right so we’re comfortable and
stylish way possible. I’ve always loved Nike’s gym
in I would definitely recommend it be a good coat. climate, often all year round. Our coats are basically the only thing people see on us so we may as well make it a nice one (that’s my excuse anyway).
I fell in love with this DKNY coat, which is actually
on sale. I just love the colours and different textures throughout.
them. I think it’s important that we spend money stylish. Kurt Geiger is my go-to brand.
The black boot: Kurt Geiger London Nevern Boot €245.00
wagon and hit the gym - but of course, in the most clothing range, be it the colourful or just the classic pieces, it always looks amazing and you know it’s the best quality. NIKE
Epic
Lux
Clash
Tights WAS €90 NOW €62.99
Women’s
Running
DKNY Embellished Notch Collar Coat WAS €986.00 NOW €493.00
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Th e li merick magazine
Beauty with Mary Kiely
Beauty trends for S/S16 We’re in the doldrums of winter, so let’s cheer ourselves up and look at what is on the horizon for beauty in Spring/Summer 2016…
Grunge There are a lot of recurring trends for 2016, which is
normal from year to year. The ‘Grunge’ look has come back from the likes of Julien MacDonald for his S/
S16 fabulous gown collection in London. Models had slicked back hair and smokey eyes with a very natural lip and flawless complexion.
White eyeliner White eyeliner is making a comeback in a big way
- like Nanette Le Pore’s a graphic white eyeliner
look, and models at the Zero & Maria Cornejo show at NYFW rocking a smudged, exaggerated white eyeliner look also.
Block colour Another trend is block colour eyes: that means NO
BLENDING!! I actually can’t believe I’m writing that. And coloured eyeliner on the top and bottom
lash line - we saw Derek Lam models with a yellow
liner along the bottom lash line during Fashion Week in 2015, buffed out for that dusty effect.
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Natural look
look was extremely cool with Gigi Hadid opening the
We are also seeing more and more of this ‘natural
show with big backcombed blonde hair and pastel or
is taking a backseat again, with the focus being your
the eyeliner, extremely exaggerated for that 70s look.
and moisturising products.
models backstage as trying to paint on the eyeliner on
beauty’ trend each season. That matte contoured look
coral lips and radiant complexion. The main focus was
natural contour by strobing the skin with highlighting
The eyeliner had to be stencilled on to most of the
Red lips
each model would take forever.
Big bold red lips are also making a return from the
Another make up look that has stood out to me for
with a deep rich red, and also Dolce and Gabbana in
had a couple of different looks from a textured silver
stunning Jason Wu in NY, Antonio Madras in Milan
this season was Galliano, where again Pat Mc Grath
Milan with a bright orange toned red lipstick.
pattern under the eye on the models, to a really
Gold Lips
berry lip.
One trend I did not see coming was the ‘gold lip’ trend. As seen on the Milan runway by Prada, makeup artist Pat Mc Grath decided to use a gold metallic
colour lipstick on the lips. The tailored sharpness of
the clothes with sequins and colourful stripes, the
gold lips really made the whole look come together, very futuristic. The skin and eyes were kept bare, with strong defined brows.
1970's eyes Jeremy Scott produced his usual OTT style in the most amazing way possible. The makeup really set
off the prints and loud colour on the clothing. What
sprang to mind with this collection was 70s style, which will remain the biggest trend this season. This
powdered face with azure eyeshadow and a smudged
At Dior’s mountain of delphiniums in the heart
of Paris, they had very dramatic and aggressive eye makeup. This big, unblended, block smokey eye was amazing and held its own against the lavender colour creations at the runway - still so feminine as always with Dior.
S/S16 is shaping up to be a bold and versatile season! Article by: Mary Kiely
Image: Penneys Accessories
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fa shi on
Nial l M cIner ney
On Fashion’s Front Line ‘Fun, feisty’, ‘tenacious like a terrier’. These are just
some of the words those in the fashion world use to describe its most prolific runway photographer, Niall McInerney.
Humble beginnings While Niall may have entered the world of fashion
photography by chance events, his success is no coincidence, but down to a determined and gutsy
spirit that was nurtured by his upbringing in Limerick. Niall was born in October 1941. He was the youngest of five siblings, his father was an engineer and his mother stayed at home to rear the children. The
family struggled and like many of his generation, once he was free of school he sought his fortune further
afield. He left Limerick at the age of 16, with just £20
in his pocket, and headed for London. His beginnings in the English capital were as unremarkable as the
next, finding work where he could get it. He spent time as a rail porter, cinema usher and ice cream factory worker, and at 21 was working in a Soho strip
club as a projectionist. This was the start of a series of
events that led to his explosion onto the high fashion photography scene.
It was clear that Niall had already found something
he liked within his role in the club, as he displayed
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some of that famous tenacity by working his way up to stage manager. Around this time, he had also struck up a friendship with Lewis Morley, the
portrait photographer most noted for his infamous
shot of Christine Keeler and the chair. The friendship reignited the burgeoning interest he had originally found in photography as a child in Limerick, where
he had dabbled with wildlife shots. Morely lent Niall equipment when he was asked to take promotional
shots of the women at the club, and taught him the tricks of the trade.
Niall’s spell at the strip club came to an abrupt end
when the owner of the club passed away in tragic circumstances, being found dead in his own swimming pool. But it presented an opportunity for Niall to
finish what he started, and, armed with the guidance
from Morley, he set up as a freelance photographer. It was then he began collaborating with Tony Ross
of Piccadilly Press, where he took photographs of
tourists visiting London in front of famous landmarks. This took him in the direction of street photography. The London streets of that era were at their peak in terms of style and excitement, with the likes of Biba and Vivienne Westwood’s flagship shop Sex bringing
a new buzz to London fashion scene. Naturally, Niall soon fell in with the young and cool players in Camden, namely those who founded the famous boutique Swanky Modes, and so his focus turned to
style and couture. His first catwalk gig in 1976 was
photographing one of Swanky Modes collections in Covent Garden, and life on the frontline began. He hustled, he charmed and blagged his way into shows
that should have been a closed shop to an unknown
non-agency photographer, as he was at the time. Soon
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there wasn’t a runway that didn’t welcome him with open arms.
Changing times
where we didn’t have ongoing access to the beautiful
construction, relaxed and jovial. And who could
His job officially may have been to document the
on earth Naomi Campbell, laughing her socks off
people via their perfectly curated Instagram accounts. designer collections, but he knew what he saw in front
Why was Niall McInerney’s photography so iconic?
of him encompassed much more. He tapped into that
of – the rock star supermodels, a pre digital world
the likes of Kate Moss and Linda Evangelista mid
It captures an era that we’ll never again see the likes
desire to see what lay beyond the catwalk , catching
forget the most human shot ever captured of goddess
after she fell off her ridiculous tower platforms on the
runway. It may have been a chance occurrence, but it
was no accident that Niall was the one to capture it. He was notoriously dogged when it came to getting
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the optimum spot at the runway. He even had a self-
designed set of interlocking plywood slats that he would use to swiftly construct a makeshift platform when other photographers got in his way.
There are simply so many iconic fashion moments captured by Niall McInerney. Now, they are chronicled
in Fashion’s Front Line, a fascinating new book
dedicated entirely to the enigmatic photographer, with many rare and never before seen images. We get
to indulge in the golden era of the supermodel, and gain a whole new insight into the photography with interviews from Niall himself and those who were present. The book is published by Bloomsbury and edited by Nilgin Yusuf and is available at all major bookstores.
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
Images: Bloomsbury Publishing Niall McInerney Collection
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Th e li me rick magazine
Music Tigwara Tigwara, which means free man, defines the band as
they bring their own uncompromising blend of rock to
Limerick. With a new EP out, they give an insight to TLM about being part of something different. Tell me how Tigwara got together?
Mark and I met at a party one night and over a long chat and a few drinks discovered we had similar tastes
in music and decided to play a bit together. I’d known Jamie for years playing in bands since we were kids so when myself and Mark started writing some songs and when we realised there was a band in there somewhere
we instinctively asked Jamie to come on board playing the bass. After a slight reshuffle of drummers we met
Fionn through a rigorous advertising campaign, where he found us from our “Drummer wanted” page on a college noticeboard!
How long have ye been going?
In our current set up just under a year I guess. However Jamie, Mark and I have been playing and writing for
about two years. Honestly we only started making
music that we felt really defined us since Fionn came along before that we were still finding our feet. Best gig so far for the band?
We did our own headline gig in cobblestone Joes
during the summer then which was very memorable. There were a load of Belgian scouts losing their shit
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to our set in full uniform and all. It was both rather
The songs were written over the course of about a
festivals over the summer were also great craic.
us and what we felt were the best representation of
strange and rather hilarious in equal measure! A few
Who are your main influences and how would you describe your sound?
We’re influenced by any music whereby one inexplicably starts nodding their head along to
year and we picked ones that felt most significant to our band both musically and lyrically. I guess we have quite a vast range of themes for song lyrics ranging
from random happenings in our day to day lives, to
stories people tell us, to listening to funk on the radio!
the music! We’re influenced by a wide range from
When is the EP out and where can we get it?
depending on the particular mood we’re in. Other
called “City Sleeps”. It’s available on our SoundCloud,
Nightmares On Wax to QOTSA to Aretha Franklin
than that I suppose we’re just influenced by the happy
accidents and curious thoughts in everyday life! I guess as our sound goes we are alt rock with a hint of
funk and indie thrown in for the craic. Think smokey
The EP is out now, and follows the release of our single
it’s self-titled so it should not be too difficult to find. We’ll also have a few hard copies available in the near future.
vocals with big drums and guitar hooks.
Have you any gigs coming up to promote it?
Can you tell me about your recording process and
hopefully have a release gig and a few promotional
the thought put into the music and lyrics of the EP?
We started the recording at the beginning of autumn
with Ciaran Culhane in his home studio. We recorded
the four tracks over the course of about a month, after which we left it simmer for a while, like a good stew, and then tackled the mixing over the course of
We’re going to sit tight for the time being and gigs closer to Spring, when everyone has thawed out after the Winter!
Article by: Olivia Chau
Photograph by: Kelan Chadwick
about a week or so. Ciaran was the man behind the recording and mixing process and an absolute legend
to work with both professionally and as a person. He's a sound man, by both definitions, who made the whole process very enjoyable.
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dj p r ofi le
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Name: Everyone knows me as Tig
Preferred weapons of choice?
From: The Pale
preference it would be Technics 1210’s. Currently I’m
Age: 31
Day Job: Practicing How long have you been a DJ?
10 years a DJ - 23 years a musician What first got you interested?
I have been a violinist since the age of 8 and studied
classical performance in college. In college I joined an indie-rock band and through that band I met friends who introduced me to the dark arts of DJing. I joined
External Sounds (a collective of DJs, Visual Artists and Musicians) back in 2006 and never looked back. Your first gig?
External Sounds started a music night in our
It doesn’t bother me what I play on but if I had a using Traktor for my DJ sets. Where have you gigged?
I’ve been lucky enough to play gigs and festivals here
and abroad. Playing the beach bar at the Electric
Elephant in Croatia and Corsica Studios in London are two highlights.
Where can we catch you next?
Chirp in the Red Hen on Tuesdays
Article by: Olivia Chau
Photograph by: Eoghan Lyons
hometown due to what we felt was a lack of alternative music in pubs and clubs. My first DJ set was in
Crusoes, the first bar we ran a night in, though it
should be noted that we had run a gig in Manchester and outdoor parties previous to Crusoes. Type of music you play?
An eclectic bag. I’m known for Disco, but if I feel like
I can get away with dropping some hip-hop or rock, I will. Have a soft spot for some heavy Funk and sure House and Techno ain’t bad either. Who have you collaborated with?
I’ve worked with Motor City Drum Ensemble on two
tracks. The first was a remix of the Zero 7 track Home and most recently on Ubersprung, which appears on
the album Vermont (MCDE’s collaboration with Marcus Vogel).
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the van m o r rison p r oj ect
Moondance: The Van Morrison Project on tour
You’re currently working on The Van Morrison
The people we interact with reflect who we are and
Tell me about that, where did the idea come from
explore what they believe, it is as if we borrow their
Van Morrison songs have been translated into Irish,
unique to them. I was lucky enough to take a glimpse
Pitt Light Orchestra perform this work. I believe we
the world for himself, one he lends to others through
translate beautifully into Irish. Gabriel Rosenstock
Irish culture. Basking in the bliss of communicating in
translating and they did a mighty job.
for TLM.
Have you had any involvement in the translation of
You have a great history with music and are known
No my only involvement so far is in the interpretation
what we think. When we talk to somebody new, really
and what should people expect?
lenses and see the world in a hue, which they painted,
which is fantastic. Hilary Bowe, myself, and the Brad
through the lense Liam Ó Maonlaí has painted of
honour the music of the man, and his words, I believe,
his unmistakable passion and adoration of music and
and Cathal Póirtéir are the poets who did the
Irish with Liam, he warmly answered these questions
Van Morrison’s songs for the concert yourself?
for your independent work and as part of Hothouse
and delivery of the songs.
as Carlos Nunes, Donal Luney and U2. Tell us
Will there be any surprises on the night?
Flowers as well as collaborations with artists such about your career to date…
There will!! There always are with music!
piano and was an actor at the time. My father loved
What inspired you to develop the style of music you
all over Ireland. As an engineer he travelled the length
The human world is but a layer in the complex tapestry
our indigenous culture. He passed that on to me. I
this wonder. Many cultures are live connections. This
a little button accordion, all the while singing and
against silence can transport the listener. Many
that connect that way. The band started in ‘86 and were
all that exists.
first solo record. From that came a collaboration with
Listening to your music, you really can identify that
Irish music to a new audience and context. New dance
Nós ‘sits’ shall we say, with your rhythm and blues
from 2011 and toured the world from Hong Kong to
I believe sean nós is a collective expression of the
I am working with Hothouse Flowers on new music
transmuted into sound and through participating in
Music began for me at home. My mother played the music of the country; the traditional songs from
have?
and breadth of the country and was passionate about
of creation. Our culture is what connects us closest to
started with piano and whistle. I went on to Bodhrán,
excites me. The voice has no limit and when exposed
developing a personal interest in blues and the music
understand sound to be the very building blocks of
making a big noise worldwide by 1988. Rian was my
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Project, with which you are touring the country.
Michael Keegan Dolan which brought traditional
belief you speak of though. How do you think Sean
forms were enabled to be born of the music. This ran
style?
Paris and London and many great cities in between.
people, the pain , the beauty and the belief all become
and hope to release the work in 2016.
this sound we understand the more profound aspects of ourselves. This is so with the blues. They fit.
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You have such a grĂĄ for the Irish language and
what makes a band great is the story within the band.
understand their own language! Imagine knowing a
sustains it?
brings everything back and gives it an edge - these are
are familiar with and are culturally bound to... the
traditions - where did you get this passion and what My life sustains my passion. The possibilities are infinite. Any given moment could bring forth the
greatest or the most subtle of realities. Being true to yourself can be a roller coaster but the rewards are
great. When you 'get it', when those moments of clarity come, they can make all the difference.
Limerick’s own David Blake and the Brad Pitt Light Orchestra (BPLO) will be joining you on the tour, along with Hillary Bow; have you worked together before?
Bands are great! The BPLO is no exception. Part of
Every band re invents what it is to be a band. This
not reproductions. Hilary is just a presence of gold. We all bring ourselves to a new place and feed off the energy of the work of a master and the work of
masters. Ultimately we all love what we do and bring to the work our individual stories. I love it.
song by heart and then hearing it in a language you understanding happens within. Above all I believe our pleasure is infectious and music is the food of love!
The Van Morrison Project is currently touring nationwide.
What do you wish for the audience to take from the performance?
To witness songs that may be engrained in the
memory, sung in the native language, something happens. Apart from the experience of good music
Article by: Rebecca Egan
Photograph by: Jim Berkeley
and song, the audience can throw away the books and
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mi ck Dola n Dolans, 21 Years Young During the lunch-time rush in Dolans, Mick strides
You’re not a man of Limerick origin, what brought a
Not easy work I’d say?
a quite corner today for sure” he said as he ushered me
Well, myself and Valerie, my wife, sold up our house
pub, so we got a stone mason, a Kerry man based here
towards me with a warm welcome, “it won’t be easy find
out to Kasbah Social Club. I’m here to find out about the
work that has gone into making Dolans one of Limerick’s shining lights for more than two decades…
Dublin man down here?
in Dublin and bought a pub in Clare. We had decided
to make this big change and establish a music pub
where you would find traditional music every night of the week. We thought we’d have a relaxing time
in Clare. We were not unfamiliar with the southwest having friends and family in Adare. The pub in Clare
fell through and we were in a bit of a bind, not quite sure what to do. Our relatives in Adare said why not
in Limerick, to dismantle and redo the fire place- all the stones are from the original architecture which dates back to the 1800s. We had to redo and treat
the walls too, the old stippled plastering was stripped, and the false ceiling was changed. We stripped it back to what it originally was... we certainly made some surprising discoveries in the process.
buy a pub in the Limerick region and we thought
Anything you’d like to share?
bought the bar and did a lot of restructuring before
discovered a layer of wall paper of nudes! I should
about it and said, “well why not!” So in 1992 we opening it in 1994.
Aahh… there was a few funny things, we even have kept it and framed it as a feature but we tossed it!
It was nice to have a link to Limerick already I’m
When did you open then as a venue?
I’m ex-merchant navy so I had already spent time on
stonework and made all the arches and made it what
sure?
the docks right outside where the pub sits now, that
was my first time in Limerick. That would have been in 1978.
It seems the Clare plan falling through could have
been the greatest blessing in disguise. I know Kasbah is a recent addition here, as are your links with the University Concert Hall and the Lime Tree Theatre; exactly how much has the pub changed since you first bought it?
When we bought the pub initially it was just the
front window and up to the step and archway which
brings you to the back of the main bar; quite a small
space. There used to be a pool table there in the front window by the door. The pub was called the Mill
Tavern, we bought it in 1993. We opened on the 19th of December 1994, so we opened the first part where the fire is in, and we made all the arches what they are today.
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Well we always wanted to keep the essence of an Irish
We opened December 19th 1994, we did all the
it is today. The back wall and everything is built from
stone pulled from the original building. There is great history to the pub really. This would have been the
main bar where we are (Kasbah), it was the Consulate for Norway, Sweden, Belgium and Denmark, the people that lived there were called the Becks.
The architecture of the city and the purpose of the buildings have changed greatly over time.
It has, all up the docks along here were business buildings, all the area where the bar is now was full
of little laneways linking offices and other buildings together. There were cottages and people fixing sales. Tell me how the Warehouse came about?
We decided to expand into a venue in 1997. We bought the properties, the two, the one out here
(Kasbah) came up, and I had called up the owner of the unit at the back, the Warehouse back then. We met
up and did a deal, shook hands and the rest is history. That was in 1997, we opened April 28th 1998. When
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we came first we lived upstairs; which is now ‘The
Would you say the key to being successful is to meet
out and that these artists could produce good music.
turned the upstairs into dressing rooms so we then
Oh absolutely, if you don’t meet the needs of the
ran our first bit on original bands and although they
Upstairs’ Venue. When we opened the Warehouse we
bought two units at the side of the warehouse and turned that into a dressing room and the upstairs into
a separate venue with a smoking area as the smoking ban came in, that’s in ten years now.
the needs of the people?
people you’re at nothing. You have to change for the
people. If we ran the music in the Warehouse on
music I wanted to run we would have had to shut shop.
How involved are your family in the business?
Did you cop that from the beginning or was there
and my wife Valerie does the advertising and social
Oh no, in the beginning I had said I didn’t want
Oh very involved. Neil does the bookings with me media, my daughter is involved too but she is away at the minute as she is an Opera singer.
any tough lessons along the way?
I’m a big music lover, I just wanted original music. We
were great it was still hard to get going. The Devlins were the first sellout we ever had supported by Mundy
from Birr, Co. Offaly. We started doing cover bands
and the people started coming, the place was jammed, it saved the venue. But we had to change. If you don’t do that you may turn the key.
cover artists or cover bands, I didn’t want DJs; having changed and given chances to these types of music I
saw that people wanted to enjoy this music on nights
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You have many of the same acts returning; do you
journey down, the last thing somebody on tour wants
work. Séamus Beggly and Sharon Shannon played the
a stage?
want a bit of personality. That comes from the top
that night, it was just incredible.
like inviting the same artists back and giving them
Certainly, I believe in music. I believe even if people don’t sell out but it is good music that they should
have their chance. Even if fifteen or twenty people come to see them it is worth it.
Is the favour returned then when these musicians
is to be tossed to a corner to set up all the gear, they
down alright… even if we’re not here we make sure
somebody will take care of them. You get a better
Do you have a message for the people of Limerick,
better and everyone else then is happier too and there
Just a massive thanks to everyone for supporting us
performance, because these people are happy the play are good vibes.
grow and become more popular themselves?
What are the magic ingredients to create the Dolans
Dempsey, Walking on Cars… they all started out here
First of all, you have a good atmosphere - you need
Absolutely, sure all the acts you have heard of, Damien
with small numbers. Damien Rice would have been down here in the early days doing support to Hot
House Flowers. He came down on the bus with his guitar, stayed in our house and went back on the bus the next day. That’s history, y’know!
It must be amazing to see people make that kind of life journey.
It really is. We have most people come back still and
experience?
a good environment. Here you can get a snack, a hot tea or bit of grub, meet friends for drinks or whatever
you want, all bases are covered. We have the trad
in the front every night of the week and then gigs Upstairs or in the Warehouse and late bands now at the weekends for The Window Sessions. We keep it
simple so you know where you’re going and what you will get!
do gigs and we do venue gigs too, with our link to the
Did you ever think 21 years ago when you opened
and of course the Big Top, it’s great.
things as they are?
University Concert Hall and the Lime Tree Theatre
Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?
(Laughs) There is always something new in the pipeline. We have a huge gig coming up with The
Coronas at King John’s Castle - were delighted to be building a link there.
As a family run business, what is to be said about the personal touch?
Without a doubt, you can go into places that are
soulless. Bands come in and ask “where are we playing?” and they can be just pointed to a corner “over there”. That doesn’t work, that’s not what happens here. You know, we just make sure they’re comfortable, they
get a coffee, something to eat. They’re after a long
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opening in 1998… you could walk on the atmosphere
the doors that you would stand here today with Oh no, God no! It has surpassed what I had thought
but we’re not done yet. We still have more plans and
we’re still going with it, we’re always looking for venues where we can up the anti. The Castle (King John’s) will hold 2000, the UCH holds 1100 and the Lime Tree Theatre holds a big crowd too. We did our 10th year anniversary over on the docks so we had the
original marquee there, in 2008, and that held 5000
people. That was a five-year plan but we put a huge investment into it, but then ticket prices shot down because the recession hit. So we might get to return to that again some day, we’ll see.
What is your ultimate memory?
Opening The Warehouse. It was just amazing, the
atmosphere was phenomenal; everybody wanted it to
our readers?
over the years; I wouldn’t be here otherwise either. As
well, thanks to everybody for supporting live music.
That’s so important… it keeps everybody together, their body and mind in a good place. Article by: Rebecca Egan
Photograph by: Cormac Byrne
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Th o ughts on.. Valentine's Day Cheesy and commercialised, or a good excuse to get loved up? With the season of love fast approaching, we took to the streets of Limerick to check out what people really think of Valentine’s Day.
Filip Lampart
Gavin Kiely
Erin Ryan and Crea Cahill
How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?
What do you think Valentine’s Day is all about?
What do you think about Valentine’s Day?
would say it’s very overrated and focused on material
stuff. It’s not really aimed for single people so I haven’t
pressure to go out and celebrate.
I don’t have much of an interest in it to be honest. I
items rather than important things like love. I’d much rather it was relaxed and easy going, then there’s not as much pressure.
Have you any big plans for it this year?
I’ll probably celebrate with my friends and have a boy’s night for the laugh.
What would your perfect Valentine’s Day involve?
Ideally, I’d like to spend Valentine’s with someone
special. I’d probably end up doing the clichéd things you like go for dinner, but that would be nice.
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It’s a good day if you enjoy love-dovey relationship given it much thought. There’s a lot of pressure to do
Erin: It’s very cheesy and dramatic, there’s a lot of
something perfect, and you feel guilty when you have
Have you any Valentine’s memories that stick out
though.
Crea: My worst Valentine’s experience would have to
no plans. I do think the idea of the day itself is cute
Would you change anything about Valentine’s Day and how it’s celebrated?
It shouldn’t just be about relationships and romantic
things; it makes it a very limited holiday. And there
shouldn’t be so much pressure on having to buy gifts. I’d rather someone spent their time on me than their money.
for you?
be when my boyfriend forgot about it. I thought he
was only pretending and going to surprise me so I was really disappointed. As cheesy as it sounds the perfect Valentine’s Day would be going for a walk
along a beach and watching the sun set. Or better yet, an engagement!
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Rene Gorgina in Fitto Café
Nolene O’Donoghue and Maureen Twoomey
Shane McNamara and Sophie Butler
What do you think of Valentine’s Day?
What do you think about Valentine's Day?
Do you have any good Valentine’s Day stories?
I mean, you should celebrate it every day but it’s
commercialised. If you wanted to go for a dinner for
Shane: Well we hung out properly for the first time
In general, I think it’s a lovely day to celebrate love. beautiful to pick one day in the year where everyone
is celebrating the same thing together, with that thing being love of course. If I had my way I would have
Nolene: I think it’s probably a money racket and very example the cost would go up and that’s not what the day should be about. It shouldn’t be exploited.
Valentine’s Day every day of the year, it’s great.
How would you like to spend Valentine's Day?
How would you like to spend Valentine’s Day?
Day it would be enjoying a beautiful holiday and
Well, the perfect Valentine’s Day would include
waking up in the morning and preparing a nice
breakfast for my girlfriend, and we would spend the day together and go for a nice dinner. And hopefully she would get me some nice presents too!
Maureen: If I could pick anything to do for Valentine’s where the sun is shining and drinking cocktails on a beach.
Nolene: I think I’d do something very unoriginal and
cheesy and go to Paris and take a cruise on the Seine. Throw in a glass of red wine too.
Sophie: We actually met on Valentine’s Day.
on Valentine’s Day but it wasn’t very romantic.
What are your most embarrassing Valentine’s Day memories?
Sophie: We had a fight last year in our friend’s house. It was actually the same house that we met each other in on Valentine’s Day three years ago. It wasn’t actually
on Valentine’s Day, it would have been past midnight so it doesn’t count.
Article by: Laura McNamara and Orla Dallman
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Health & Wellbeing Let’s make a resolution to stay happy throughout 2016.
accomplish those dreams with good strategy, patience and dedication. So to accomplish your New Year
resolutions, my advice is to use a simple but very
effective goal setting system. I must tell you there is
Part of being happy is to be well too, and your health
nothing magical about goal setting, the magic is in
food and celebrations of the Christmas season many
pin them where you can see them every day, whatever
direction and feel the need to get back on track. That’s
which will help you to stay on track. Plan out what
needs and our bodies are unique. There isn’t one for
directions to get closer to your goal, and stick to it.
health, so don’t fall into a trap of crash dieting which
Be honest with them and yourself to find the solution
plays a big role in your happiness. After all the gorgeous
you! All you have to do is write down your goals then
of us are feeling like we have steered off in the wrong
you happen to be doing. This will be your reminder,
a good spirit, just remember that we all have specific
you have to do daily/weekly/monthly, with specific
all diet or one for all exercise regime to improve our
And don’t be afraid to ask people for helpful advice.
can lead to serious health problems and bad habits
to the problem.
that can ruin your metabolism system.
Spring clean
Happiness starts at home Once you find where you have been missing strength
A good place to start is to cleanse yourself inside and
you can focus improving that part. So if it has been
from your body, by cutting back on or eliminating
why do you find it so hard to prepare your own healthy
with healthy nutrients on a daily basis – no skipping
to not eat out or buy ready meals to regain control of
on. By driving those toxins out of your body you
simply be due to lack of energy after hard day of work,
plenty of fibre found in fresh fruit and vegetables and
routine will recharge your energy levels.
stress with exercise and think positively. Exercise is
equipment or get a membership in the fanciest gym
toxins too. Once you cleanse yourself you will feel
you into a routine of good exercise habits. Set your
will reduce risk of disease/infection.
am sure you have some sort of exercise DVD at home
Set goals
exercise routines that you can enjoy at home. Once
out. This involves removing and eliminating toxins
eating habits that’s making you gain weight, find out
alcohol/cigarettes/fast food. Next, feed your body
food and get a simple resolution - for example, resolve
meals, that will only encourage unhealthy habits later
what you put in your body. Lazy food habits could
renew your ability to maintain optimal health. Eat
but including at least three days a week of exercise
include good carbohydrates like brown rice. Reduce
And you don’t need to go spend on the latest gym
one of the best ways to help your body to get rid of
either! Start with simple home workouts first to get
more energetic, less bloated, more focused and you
routine on same time weekly and follow through. I
At the beginning of a new year, many people feel like
it can be a fresh start with many ideas and dreams to complete. I truly believe that each one of us can
36
that hasn’t been used - if not, YouTube is great to find you feel confident about your fitness abilities you can
pick up a kettlebell at the sales and continue with home workouts.
Find the right gym If you are joining a gym make sure that you are comfortable in its environment and that the staffs on
duty are very helpful. Don’t waste your hard earned money just to use the treadmill, you are entitled to use all the equipment that is there, and the instructors on duty must be happy to help you out and show how
each machine works in order to help you towards your health and fitness goals. For more health benefits try to combine cardio with resistance training, but if
you are really struggling and lacking motivation you should consider getting a trainer that can help you with your health/fitness journey.
You should always strive for improvement and
progression in life, but sometimes you could be too hard on yourself and even forget about your
overall health. This year is the time to become more compassionate to others and yourself. We can be our own biggest critics, which drags us down. So my advice is: complain less and stop judging, instead
every day remind yourself how unique and amazing
you are, what you have achieved in your past and what
you will achieve next, and be thankful for what you already have. I wish you a very healthy and happy New Year.
Article by: Sintija Zorge
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Star Signs 5 Aqu ari u s Re l ati o ns hi p S e c re t s You S houl d K n o w
dies off, Aquarius will be looking for a new partner
elsewhere. Almost uniquely among zodiac signs, compatibility for Aquarius increases with the amount of sparring going on.
Give your Aquarius Lover Options In a similar vein, nothing is ever cut and dried for
your Aquarius lover. When you need him or her to
make a decision and you need it to be the decision you want it to be….resort to the same tactics you might
use with a small child. Give them options. If you want to go out for the night, offer them a choice of
cinema or gig, rather than a choice of going out or not
going out. Think toddlers and vegetables – you know,
Jan 20th – Feb 18th In love compatibility, Aquarius is a quirky, independent
and quite tricky to pin down individual, but one with a
huge amount of love and joy to bring to the right partner. If you’re in love with an Aquarius, read on for a quick guide to the 5 Aquarius relationship secrets you should know.
Debate is Good Everything turns into a debate with Aquarius, but the first and probably most important love secret about
this sign is that debate is a good thing. It is not the same as having an argument. Repeat that to yourself
often if you’re in love with an Aquarius. Differences of opinion are often healthy for relationship
compatibility; Aquarius is an expert at differences of opinion, managing to hold numerous contrasting
opinions on the same subject before breakfast, so your relationship should certainly involve a healthy
amount of intellectual to and fro. Even if you tire of the constant discussion and would rather just agree with your Aquarius lover for the sake of a quiet life – don’t be tempted. As soon as the intellectual battling
do you want broccoli or carrots rather than do you want veg. It’s devious, but it works, and in terms of
your relationship compatibility, Aquarius will thank
you for not limiting their freedom and for still giving them a chance to make a choice.
Be Willing to Abandon Routine Aquarius is an unpredictable sign, ruled by Uranus, and your Aquarius lover has a pathological horror of routines, rules and regulations. Deciding that you
must do the same thing at the same time each week is
one of the quickest ways to lose an Aquarian’s heart, so be prepared to be spontaneous. This could be tricky if you’re more set in your ways than your Aquarius partner is, but you’re going to have to compromise on
this one, because this freedom is simply too important to your partner. Try to look delighted when he or
she announces that they’ve booked a surprise night away on the same day as you’re meant to be visiting
Limit Emotional Scenes Although your Aquarius lover has many talents and
great qualities, emotional depth isn’t one of them. This sign is cool and quite emotionally detached, and
is frankly frightened and turned off by major displays
of emotion at either end of the emotional scale. If you’re the dramatic sort, try to tone down your
reactions of joy and despair into something a little more regulated, something your Aquarius partner can
cope with. In terms of your relationship compatibility, Aquarius needs you to level off those highs and lows just a touch.
Be a Friend Because Aquarius is such an intellectual sign, compatibility for them is a mental thing as much as
it is a physical one. The relationship will thrive if it’s based on a shared friendship and mutual interests, so do try to take an interest in your Aquarius lover’s quirks
and pastimes. It might seem contrary to suggest that
you focus on being friends first and lovers second, but that really is the way this sign works when it comes to compatibility. Aquarius will love and respect you all
the more if you don’t push the point and don’t try to force the relationship ahead of its time.
Out of all the zodiac signs, compatibility issues occur
most frequently for Aquarius, because of this sign’s
independent streak. For a full low down on your relationship with an Aquarius, try an Astromatcha astrology compatibility report, and go beyond the confines of Sun signs alone.
your Mum. They haven’t done it deliberately. Honest. Compatibility Aquarius style means adjusting to the
unexpected just when you could really do with the tried and tested.
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Poetry from s tanza s
Ink blots RG Allen Ink blots
Pen drops Splatter Clatter
Across the page, The stage Is set
With words Well met
RG Allen, is a poet, playwright, director and
I love you,
International Poet of Merit award for 2001
Love
in theatre and dance theatre, and is based in
The breath of anticipation
production manager. He is the winner of the
I
and 2002. RG Allen predominantly works
You
Limerick city.
The moments of exhilaration
Stanzas takes place monthly in Hook and
Your feel
of the city at 19:00. Stanzas aim to encourage
You.
February event takes place on the 19th and is
My hands still holding you
mic section, so bring your own poems, or come
To put you down
Your smell
Ladder just down from Debenhams in the heart
I adore it
and develop new and emerging writers. The
Falling asleep beside you
themed “Still” – All events include a large open
I hate to leave you
and have a listen.
To abandon your pages for another day In reality
Such cold fragility
Compared to the warm escape Of Your words
Like ink blots in my brain You stain my thoughts
38
Patience, no pretence Passing your passion On to the public
Learn, grow, perform
Pushing yourself to new heights Reach with yearning Strive and struggle
All the while smiling On the inside
Internal elation
Externalised in expression Emotion, movement A journey of joy An hour
a moment
A fleeting fluctuation
Of someone else's time Ink blots
Pen drops
The dancers scatter From the stage
The show is done.
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NI C E S CREAMS A CITIZENS PROJECT Working closely with Limerick City Gallery of Art, Arts Council of Ireland, Limerick City and County
Council, LIT and Limerick School of Art & Design, EVA International has probably offered you a fantastic art experience without you even realising it.
NICE SCREAMS - A CITIZENS ANTHEM… what’s the story?
This is an opportunity for you to have your say!
Anybody and everybody is being invited to create
their own alternate citizens anthem celebrating Ireland in 2016. The song will be converted to a
chime, playing on two Shannon Ices ice-cream vans across Limerick, as the public enjoy a complimentary
ice-cream they could be enjoying your music! The anthem will be premiere at EVA International as a public performance on Saturday April 24th 2016. How can you enter?
Once you have composed and written your original
composition containing one verse and a chorus, with What is EVA International?
maximum duration of 3 minutes, submit the lyrics and
develops a 12 week programme with curators
that the lyrics and melody are easily read and clearly
Deirdre Power and Softday (Seán Taylor and Mikael
relevant to and engage the people of Limerick city.
simple video or recording of you humming or singing
wish to share their most recent innovative plan; NICE
it was founded in 1977 and has worked with some
in the correct format however- PDF for texts, WAV,
welcomes all creatives, young and old, to enter a song they
exhibitions and art ideas of the highest calibre to
already, include a hyperlink in the PDF document to
music will be played at local events and festivals through
curator for 2016. Importantly, EVA International
Enter a song and win €200!
Every two years in Limerick EVA International
melody online to nicescreams@softday.ie. It is crucial
organising exhibitions and events that will be
audible You can record on your phone or laptop- a
Ferstrom) are part of EVA International, and they
Known as Ireland’s Biennial of Contemporary Art,
your own anthem. Make sure submissions are sent
SCREAMS- A CITIZENS PROJECT. This fresh idea
of the worlds’ leading artists and curators, delivering
AIFF or MP3 for audio. If your song is uploaded
have written with a fantastic prize of €200. Plus, your
audiences here in the south west. Koyo Kouoh is the
your YouTube (or other) account.
an ice-cream van speaker!
focuses on developing and delivering art in gallery and
The deadline is Friday, February 19th 2016, and make
song-writing competition.
ANTHEM 2016- in the subject bar.
non-gallery places- as exemplified by this delightful
sure to write NICE SCREAMS- A CITIZENS
Article by: Rebecca Egan
Photograph by: Deirdre Power
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ta l ki ng p oetry As winner of Limerick’s Got Talent 2015 and runner up at the All Ireland Spoken Word Finals, Paul McNamara
had a pretty good year. In 2016 he hopes to build on his success, and tells us how he got into Spoken Word Poetry.
When did you first realise you had a flair for writing and poetry in particular?
I have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I enjoyed writing stories from the age of four or five
and poetry followed soon after. In recent years I have
also enjoyed drama writing and hopefully my first
play "Searching for Rusty" will be on in Limerick next March or April. When I got to college in Mary I, I joined the writer’s society and that is when I began
to really focus more on writing. Spoken word poetry was a quite recent addition as I didn't even know what it was a few years ago.
What was the appeal of spoken word poetry?
I got hooked on spoken word poetry via YouTube
and discovered the work of some of the greats like
Shane Koyzcan and Buddy Wakefield. It was like finding something I never knew I was looking for. I
loved writing drama and I loved poetry and had an itch for performing and this ticked all the boxes. It
allowed an easier avenue of bringing poetry to life
for the everyday person. So many people today feel
poetry is only something for school books. But this can help change perceptions and hopefully help gain
a renewed appreciation for all kinds of poetry from the public.
What subject matter do you cover and where do you get your inspiration?
I cover all kinds of subject matter. Inspiration comes from the strangest of places in daily life. I do poems
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that are complete comedy and ones that are more
I found out existed about the same time I qualified
What are your future plans and where do you hope
the two together. When you can hit the right balance
two poets from each province qualified for the All
For the moment I want to perform and write
serious but I suppose I really enjoy ones that blend of those two and make people laugh and then stop and think about that same line a moment later. I have
covered everything from gender issues to life in your twenties to strange celebrity crushes. Who are your influences?
Wakefield and Koyzcan for spoken word - I love
watching their work on YouTube and even learning off some of it. Practicing how they perform, how
they construct sentences and how they hold an
audience. The best way to improve is to study the best so that's what I try to do. I have studied videos of poetry readings of many other poets also such as E.E
Cummings. In terms of writing I find John Steinbeck
for them). It was all a bit of a whirlwind. The top Ireland's in the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast on the
27th of November. I must say the quality of the other performers and the variety of styles was fantastic and an incredible learning experience. The competition was divided into three elimination rounds. With eight
starting, then five in round two and the final three
fighting for first, second and third in the final round. It was a nerve wrecking experience but felt great
being around people who were so dedicated to their
Last summer I decided to try my hand at this Spoken
word poetry and entered myself into Limerick's Got Talent. After only getting through the heats on a
wildcard vote I managed to come back and win the best variety prize and the best overall prize. So I decided
there might be something here. After practicing at a number of places around Limerick such as at the open mic nights with Stanzas and the Limerick Writers Centre, I travelled to Cork for the open invitation to the Munster Finals (which I found out existed about
two weeks before going) and placed second in that
Championships - I am currently this year’s back up performer if the winner was unable to go. But outside
of competitions I really just want to get in front of as many audiences as possible and try and show people what Spoken Word Poetry really is.
If anyone is interested in trying Spoken Word, use
such an incredible experience.
I will definitely be trying to make the push for first
experience like?
of the All Ireland also qualifies for the European
first real performance at Limericks got talent. It was
I received second place about three months after my
balance of comedy and seriousness.
how did you get into competing, what was the whole
Munster and All Ireland Championships. The winner
What would you say to anyone interested in spoken
What's in the pipeline - do you perform locally and
Tell us about the All Ireland Spoken Word finals -
as much as possible. I am aiming for next year’s
craft and really loved poetry. When the night finished
and Beckett and more recent writers such as Martin
McDonagh very helpful, people who mastered that
to take your talent?
where can we see you in 2016?
place in next year's All Ireland which actually happens
to be taking part in Limerick. Before then I will be doing as much writing and performing as possible. I
will try and be a regular at Limerick writing events, Stanzas, On the Nail and the White House poetry
nights, as well as a number of other entertainment
events throughout Limerick. You can look me up on Twitter @PaulMcPoet for news on all upcoming
performances. I have a new play coming out this year
called "Searching for Rusty" which is being directed
word?
YouTube and study the people who have been doing it for years. And just practice, practice, practice and read, read, read. I would like to give special thanks to Mike O'Connor the organiser for Limerick's got
Talent whose competition was the platform for my poetry career and to the MIC Writers' Society for giving me a place to work on writing with loads of
enthusiastic people, Dominic Taylor of the Writer's
Centre and to my parents who always support me even when they didn't know what I was even doing.
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
Photograph by: Limerick Writers Centre
by Lorraine Donnallen and will be performed in Mary
Immaculate College in Late March/ Early April. I am also in the process of recording some poetry for YouTube and possibly even a CD down the line!
qualifying for the All Ireland Finals in Belfast (which
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STAr WARS the legacy of the force
Right now, anything (anything) that carries the Star
Fresh from American Graffiti's commercial success,
products flood the market, from Lego sets to coffee
film making altogether, as he felt the writing and
Wars logo sells like hotcakes. Officially licensed mugs, and everything in between. Any item that may
become an object of merchandise, it surely will. And it
will sell, again, and again, and again. Star Wars, in fact, single-handedly kick-started the movie merchandise business. And business is good.
And so they roll, the Star Wars dollars. The latest installment of the long-running saga, The Force
Awakens, has become the most financially successful
movie, ever, effortlessly flicking away the previous chart-toppers, film titans Avatar and Titanic, without so much as a hint of remorse.
Yet, the saga's humble beginnings took place a long
time ago indeed, in a galaxy far, far removed from the current mighty glory.
American Graffiti and The Star Wars Shortly after graduating from the University of Southern California (USC), George Lucas co-
founded American Zoetrope with fellow film maker
Francis Ford Coppola. Lucas wrote and directed THX 1138 (1971), a futuristic tale which received critical acclaim, but was a financial flop. He next directed
the seminal American Graffiti, released by Universal Studios in 1973. American Graffiti would receive five Academy nominations, including Best Picture.
Universal Studios had actually hired Lucas for a two-
movie contract, and thus Lucas began working on a new project, an epic space opera tentatively dubbed The Star Wars.
Lucas didn't know it yet, but two of those letters would forever alter the cinematographic landscape
worldwide, and make him personally a very, very
wealthy man. Nevertheless, the project was almost stillborn.
42
George Lucas actually considered retiring from
directing process took a heavy personal toll on him. Still, harkening back to THX-1138, a movie about a grim, dehumanized world, sort of spurred Lucas
on to embark on a new journey. Taking influence
from diverse sources, such as Akira Kurosawa's The
Hidden Fortress, and the 1930's serial Flash Gordon, Lucas originally envisioned The Star Wars as a self-
contained film, rather than a long-running saga. However, as he undertook the writing of the story, he quickly realized that the material could be greatly expanded far beyond one single film.
Still, the first draft was indeed rough. The story was
contrived and convoluted, very difficult to understand. And Lucas's poor grammar did not do it any favours, either.
Lucas wrote four major drafts for The Star Wars project, each expanding on the previous one, and
making substantial alterations as he went along. Luke Starkiller became Luke Skywalker, The Imperial
Space Force morphed into the Empire. The Jedi appeared, and The Star Wars dropped the article to
become simply Star Wars. Slowly, all elements fell into place.
Despite his best efforts, the movie proved a hard
sell. Lucas pitched the idea to United Artists and Universal Pictures; in a decision that would prove illadvised, both refused. United Artists in fact ceased to exist as a film studio shortly after the release of Star Wars, due to the catastrophic failure of Heaven's Gate (1980). Finally, Lucas went to Twentieth Century Fox. They bought it, and history was made.
Filming the monster From the outset, Star Wars proved incredibly difficult
to put together. Lucas' vision for a grandiose and epic
sci-fi opera far surpassed the technical capabilities
of the era (this was in the mid-seventies, remember,
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way before the advent of CGI and computer-aided
words, in an act of open rebellion. The firm belief that
weeks of the film's release. And by the time the movie
had a monster in his hands, one that would take a
make slowly set in among cast and crew.
year, Star Wars was well on its way to become the
cinematography.) The director soon realised that he heavy toll on him after months of gruelling filming
and editing work. The special effects required for Star Wars would turn out to be a constant source of pain
and frustration for Lucas and his team. For starters, shortly after Fox accepted to make the movie, Lucas learned that the studio's special effects department no
longer existed. Hence, he created his own, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), a division of his own production company, Lucasfilm.
ILM would go from one challenge to another, as the team struggled to make things work the way Lucas wanted. George, always a man with little tolerance
for failure, would not accept technical limitations. He
believed the special effects would work by his sheer
Star Wars would be the last movie they would ever
At one point, Lucas would work a gruelling 12 or 14 hours day to get the movie editing done on time. The
Star Wars cultural and cinematographic legacy
He began suffering hypertension due to the immense
inexhaustible cash cow and single-handedly creating
Star Wars, he'd never film another shot, ever again. pressure he was under, and had to be temporarily checked into hospital for rehabilitation.
To make matters worse, Lucas showed an early cut
of the film to a few colleagues, Steven Spielberg and
Brian de Palma among them. Reportedly, Brian de
Palma spent most of the time laughing at what he
considered to be the “worst movie ever.” Spielberg however, more optimistic, did accurately predict that Star Wars would make millions of dollars.
It was in this panorama of uncertainty that Lucas
spaceships would be little more that plastic models
would be a massive flop that would effectively end
on strings. The planets, moons, etc. depicted on the
movie were actually painted balls, and if you think the escape pod used by the droids to blast off the Tantive IV frigate looks like two buckets of paint, that's
because it was indeed made out of the halves of two paint buckets glued together and painted over.
For a test screening for studio execs, stock footage of
WW2 aircraft was actually used, simply because ILM
could not produce anything workable at the time. The
studio people were aghast, and came out believing that the project would be a monumental flop.The actors hired did not fare much better. Because of the fractured nature of the filming process, scenes were shot in a random order, often without any sense of
what the actual storyline was, and with Lucas making constant changes. Lucas himself often treated his
actors with open disdain. His directions would often
be limited to “faster” or “more intense”. At the time when Lucas lost his voice during filming, the actors
actually gave him two hand written signs with those
phenomenon that it is today.
man swore that if he ever did manage to complete
determination to make them so, though this proved a fallacy more often than not. At the beginning, the
reached European shores around Christmas of that
finished the movie. Yet, utterly convinced that it
his career, he went on holidays to Hawaii with his pal Steven Spielberg, instead of attending the movie's premiere. During this holiday break, both men would
come up with the basic premise which would go on to
cannot be denied. Apart from becoming a seemingly the movie merchandise business, Star Wars heralded
what some believe to be the golden era of science fiction. George Lucas' tale of a young, idealistic boy's quest across an universe populated with bounty
hunters, beautiful princesses, and evil Imperial forces, wetted the world's appetite for all things sci-fi.
Battlestar Galactica (1978), for instance, would likely not have existed had it not been for the phenomenal success of Star Wars. The seminal Blade Runner and
The Thing were released in 1982, along with the more family-oriented Tron and E.T. The latter would actually topple Star Wars as the highest grossing
movie ever, albeit only temporarily. Star Wars would
retake the crown after its re-mastered re-release in 1997.
become Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
A myriad of films would attempt (and mostly fail)
flop, and in fact almost sold their stake in the film, to
budget sci-fi flick would flood the market. Some
Fox's people also believed the movie would be a total
minimize losses. However, this decision was reversed at the 11th hour.
Then, Star Wars premiered for the general public on May 25, 1977…
The Star Wars legacy From humble beginnings, and largely driven by Lucas' determination, Star Wars soon became a worldwide
phenomenon. The film was originally shown in just 32 cinemas across America. Back in those days of 1977, pre-release marketing of a movie was virtually
unheard of. Nevertheless, it soon became apparent
that Fox had a massive success in their hands. Indeed, the studio's stock value more than doubled within
to capitalize on Star Wars' success. Hundreds of low
would gain some notoriety; The last Starfighter (1984), Dune (1984), Enemy Mine (1985), an update of Hell
in the Pacific (1968), to name but a few. Others would
become great successes, e.g. The Terminator (1984), and Aliens (1986).
Today, Star Wars reigns king among kings. Its iconic
music, opening crawl, its characters, and its mythology
have long since entered into the fabric of society. And with Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) heralding
the arrival of a new trilogy, the myth is still going strong.
Article by: Fernando Sanchez
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bu s ine ss profile: Ian Scanlan
was too young and had no experience in business, but
I finally got a break and I haven't looked back since.
Ian Scanlan is one of County Limerick’s youngest and
Five years on and I'm already looking to expand my
most ambitious businessmen in fashion retail. Recently
business. We hope to start building on a new shop
named as president of the Newcastle West Chamber of
this year. My advice is, if you have a passion for it, just
Commerce, he is the proud owner of Scanlan's Menswear
go for it and try and make your dream a reality.
and has just hit his fifth year in business. Ian talks to us
about his passion for social media, plans for expansion and
I've seen from your Facebook and Twitter that
his earliest memories as a fourteen year-old entrepreneur.
you're quite passionate about the use of social media
in business. Do you think small, local businesses
How did you get to this point in life?
could benefit from digital marketing?
I was born and live in Newcastle West. I went to
Yeah, most definitely. Just recently we were on the
college in the University of Limerick and studied
Today Show and within minutes afterwards we had
business before working with Foreign Affairs for
over 480 messages on Facebook from all over the
a year. I then went back to UL to study a Masters
country; people looking for suits, jackets, jeans. We
degree in Peace and Development before opening a
were sending stuff up to Donegal, to Cork, down
clothes shop in Newcastle West. I started looking at
to Tralee. There were people that wouldn't even be
what needed to happen in the town and decided to
passing the door who we targeted as well. It was all
join a few committees and this year I am the president
through Facebook. I don't have an online shop at the
of the Chamber of Commerce after being on the
moment, but I can still sell through Facebook. I put
committee for the last two years.
up photos and people message or phone the shop
with credit card details and it arrives at their doorstep
Thinking back, was there anyone that inspired you
with next day delivery. Facebook is a huge part of
to become an entrepreneur?
my business and I think, definitely with smaller
I suppose my Grandfather was in business all his life
businesses, everyone should be using it daily.
as well. He actually started in the rag trade also before moving on to open a pub and a grocery shop. He was quite the influence in the business side of things.
Were you passionate about business from a young age?
Actually, when I was younger, in the Newcastle West youth club, around the age of fourteen, I decided to set up a tuck shop for them which was kind of a first
entry to business for me. I saw the niche in the market
with the hundred, hundred and twenty young people
coming to the youth club every night and leaving all
their money to the shop down the road. So, we decided to open up our own little tuck shop within the youth club and it started generating money that went back
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into funding the youth club, so that was probably the
first business thing I started off. In school, I didn't study business exactly, but I did study economics and
that gave me a feel for the business and economy side of things as well.
In your opinion, what's the ideal age to start a
business? Should you start young, or wait to earn some kind of degree?
I'd say you could give it a go at any stage in life. With
myself, I got my degree at twenty-two before opening my business and people were just laughing at me, the banks especially when I asked for loans. They'd say I
Do you plan on expanding to an online store?
The demand is clearly there, yes. We actually have someone developing one at the moment for us. There
was one up and running before, but enough time wasn't being put into it and we were far too busy. It
was taken offline a few months ago and we are now working on a better one which will be fully monitored
throughout the day with a few people looking after it. As we come out of recession, are you starting to see a rise in new businesses opening in Newcastle West?
Absolutely. I started my business in the recession, so
I didn't see the good times as much, but every year I see it improving, improving and improving. A few
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shops have closed down in the town, but there's a lot
is bringing all the local organisations and committees
spent in most of the local shops. It can be given as
restaurants open up lately, three new pubs opening
common goal: to make Newcastle West a better place
keeping the money within the town.
of new businesses opening up. We've had three new
and a kids clothes shop across the street. I'm definitely
seeing a lot more activity in the town, a bit more of a kick.
What will your main focus be as president of the Newcastlewest Chamber?
The main thing I would've been working on behind the
scenes, and hope to continue working on as president,
around the town to work together to achieve the same
to work and live. As well as this, the chamber has
a birthday or Christmas gift, generating revenue and
started looking at a five-year plan for the town: What
And finally... What essential fashion items should
for the next five years. One of our bigger projects this
Keep it simple and smart with a nice blazer and pair
we can do and how we can bring the town together year is the Gold Voucher Scheme. People were using
One4All vouchers in local shops, which was just money going out of the town. The Gold Voucher is accepted by all Newcastle West businesses and can be
Limerick men be sporting this year?
of chinos. And, of course boots are still in! Article by: Christine Costello
Photography by: Mike Cowhey
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bu s iness M A T TE RS
Why You Shoul d Hir e a Commer cial P hotogr apher Your brand is an important investment. As Meryl Streep once said, “How you first meet the public is how the industry sees you. You cannot argue
with them. That’s their perception.” Once you
are ready for custom imagery, hiring the right commercial photographer to illustrate that brand
can be overwhelming. An experienced professional photographer will be able to walk you through the process and assess possible challenges, but knowing
what to expect and what kinds of questions to ask can make the experience less complicated.
Most people will go through life without ever having to hire a professional photographer. With
the exception of wedding photographers, or portrait
photographers who photograph our kids for school, most folks just never have a need for a commercial
photographer. Commercial photographers usually deal with other businesses, a B2B approach that
makes Graphic Designers, Ad Agencies, Magazines
and Corporate Communications their main points of contact for work. Those entities are usually working on
behalf of another company that requires photography to promote their business, product, service or craft.
However, increasingly people are in need of a
photographer who shows the detailed quality of their work. Perhaps they are starting a website, or
have opened a service business and need images for a
brochure and website, or require interior photography, staff portraits or food and drink images to showcase their own unique contribution and brand to the
market. Having a consistent image for a business is becoming more important as personal branding
draws in customers. Gone are the days of taking stock images – as our social media age evolves people want a more personalised experience. While we’re on the
subject of stock photography, there are indeed some
places in your marketing where good stock photos can be used, but remember those same images can
be used by everyone, even your competitors – now THAT would be embarrassing!
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Tips for hiring If you are one of these people,and are thinking that you maybe need a professional photographer, here are some things to think about as you make your decision…
You are not hiring an “Artist”, you are hiring a “visual solution provider” Yes, I know that sounds kind of pedantic, but that
is what commercial photographers do. Every product has challenges to making it look great. Every
service has challenges in bringing that service to a
photograph. Professional commercial photographers are uniquely prepared to meet those challenges and
provide solutions that make images that work for you. Most commercial photographers consider themselves problem solvers first… and that is good for you.
Don’t look for “your photograph” in their portfolios Photographers always have portfolios of images they have taken for someone else. Those images solved that client’s problems and provided the unique visual solution that had been worked out with that with them. Your needs and challenges will most likely be
different than theirs, and the photographer will work with you to find the best solutions to your unique visual challenges.
All photographers are not the same The wonderful photographer who photographed
your friend’s wedding, may not be a commercial photographer, nor have the skills needed to provide
Discuss your budget honestly
ways of getting things done. It is certainly OK to look
that work (but, perhaps they might… always ask for a
Most professional photographers are decent, honest
at different photographers and compare their quality
for someone who does that well. If you have a product,
budget and find the best way to get what you need
a professional photographer. Would you haggle the
Remember that their portfolio, while not having the
rental, they will find a way to shoot it on location. If
asked for your budget this is for the photographer to
know if they are capable of shooting products, people,
the photography, most photographers will find a way
of you.
the person, product or room).
And for sure, different photographers have different
client list). If you need a people shot, you should look
people and want to work with you. They can take your
and bids. It is considered rude to haggle the price with
make sure the photographer can shoot products.
done. If your budget will not be enough for a studio
price of your food in a restaurant? No! When you are
exact shot you are looking for, will definitely let you
you only have a specific amount of money to spend on
help you, not for them to try to get more money out
locations and studio work (look at their lighting of
to make sure you get the absolute best work possible.
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They will want to know exactly what you want to do
of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of euro
How can you tell if they understand your needs? They
presentation possible.
works. In side by side comparisons, consumers and
want to see what you consider your competition, they
Great photography is not a cost item, it’s a profit centre!
for a pre-production discussion. They may ask to do
Good photography sells more product. It makes your
can solve the challenges in the best way possible.
it in the best light (no pun… seriously). Look at
Hire a photographer that understands your needs ask questions. Lots and lots of questions. They will may want to scout your location, or meet with you
test shots before the actual shoot to make sure they
with the images so they can prepare them for the best
on their imagery. Why? Because they KNOW it
purchasers choose brands with great photography
over products with bad, boring or mediocre imagery. In short… better photography sells more stuff to the clients you want to serve.
service look better. It takes your business and shows
the premium brands for the truth. They spend tens
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Hiring a professional photographer should not be difficult or cause angst or pain. It is an important business decision, and should be considered with deliberate
thoughtfulness. Choosing the wrong photographer, or
making visual decisions that are not in keeping with your brand and the goals of your business can have long reaching consequences. Choosing the right photographer
can bring more to the bottom line of your business than you even imagined.
List of questions to ask when hiring a commerci al photographer •
Are you insured?
•
Can you provide references and may I see your
•
• • • • • •
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What's your background and credentials? portfolio?
What is your photographic style?
How many jobs like this do you photograph in a year?
What does your fee include and what's the delivery timeline?
Do you require a written contract?
What is the commercial licence on these images?
What can I do to help capture the right images?
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Photography by Tarmo Tulit
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Inte rv i ew: Tarmo tul i t the photography came in. Once I took it on more
and communicates your vision is a different story. So
plan to continue doing. The best part of it is that I can
the initial consultation stage as openly and in detail
seriously I was hooked, this is what I love to do and
still work within the area that I was passionate about
in my 20s with food and drink photography – that, together with the interiors/exteriors of restaurants is one of my favourite things to shoot. What inspires you?
Initially it is beauty that inspires me, in any form, but
mainly visual - be it a beautiful person, someone’s
kind eyes or contagious smile, an interesting dish made with love and passion, incredible architecture or We speak to Limerick’s busiest commercial and creative
photographer Tarmo Tulit, whose clients include, Adare Manor, The Treasury Restaurant, Texas Steakout, The
Jasmine Palace Group, Angel Lane, Pandora Bell, The
Radisson, Barrington’s Hospital and Fusion Magazine
to name but a few about how he helps his clients reach their full visual potential.
interior design, things like that. What really makes it
tick for me is the light. Whatever it is I am shooting, or just observing without the intention of shooting it, if there’s a rare moment of beautiful lighting, whether naturally occurring or premeditated studio lighting, it sends tingles up my spine every single time. How does each client vary?
Absolutely every client varies, everyone is different Name: Tarmo Tulit
Occupation: Commercial Photographer Website: www.tarmotulit.com Tel: 061 597627
How did you become a photographer?
For most of my adult life I had been pursuing a career
in Food and Beverage industry as I had always been
fascinated with everything food and drink related, and
the behind the scenes side of things in that particular business as well. I went to study it on a professional
level and obtained a diploma and a qualification, after which I started participating at national
competitions and further learning of the craft. Soon after I started pursuing a career in F&B management
and ended up running different bars and managing
nightclubs. Only when I reached my 30s did I realise
that my interests had changed and I needed to try
my hand in something more creative. This is where
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and so are their needs. There are very few shoots I
can remember which I can say were very similar. But that is absolutely OK with me - I prefer it that
way because that is what makes my job interesting. I like problem solving, I like finding a solution to a
my advice would be to work with the photographer at
as possible, preparing a well explained brief, and you are guaranteed to get the best possible results for your money.
What makes a good picture stand out from the average?
This one is a bit tricky to answer as the requirements are different in different areas of photography. How long is a piece of string? There are many variables and
they can be different in different areas of photography, fine art photography for example pays very little if any
attention at all to the technical side of things, street photography for example is all about that one single
decisive moment, but when it comes to commercial
photography then in my opinion what matters
most is professionalism, great technical execution, unique approach yet staying true to the brief and guidelines, and added value from the image for the
client’s business. A commercial photographer needs
to understand the brief well, follow the guidelines
clearly, offer the best possible solution within those
guidelines, and execute it well. A good commercial
photo is only good when it adds value to your business.
challenge, especially if I get to approach it creatively.
What is the influence of digital technology on your
rarely face, which can make things very difficult, and
I love working digitally, always have. Even though I
There is a possible downside though which I very
that is an uncooperative client, a client who hasn’t
bothered to think what is it they want to get out of
the shoot. It is in the client’s own interest to work with the expert as closely as possible and make sure to communicate clearly what is it they need and want
out of the shoot, because at the end of the day it is their business, and their brand that will be affected
by those photos, so clients really need to put some
thought into it from that perspective. The photos will be most likely still done professionally and well but
whether the style suits your brand, adds value to it,
photography?
do like to grab my old film camera and work with whatever unveils in front of me, my main interest lies with the digital. I don’t consider myself as a
photographer in its purist sense, I rather consider myself an image maker. Digital offers some great
solutions, and comes very handy in cutting down time
and production costs. For example, to create a single technically great and well lit image of a luxury hotel room with a film camera can make you face some
impossible tasks, a whole team of people, tons of gear, and most part of a full day to create, whereas with
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digital technology I can create as good of an image by
But in general, after the initial inquire I usually try to
looking for it when I’m already set up and ready to go.
process. It is still a fairly complicated procedure but
brief it usually takes between half an hour and hour
photographer is ready to go, once the dish is plated
myself and in few hours, plus then some time in post you can achieve great results in shorter times if you
have mastered the specific craft. There are as many
different opinions about that approach to digital
photography as there are different photographers, but as long as I’m giving my client exactly what they
want for cheaper and way quicker, then it’s a win-win situation in my books for sure. But by no means have I intended to devalue analogue photography, there are some subtle elements that you just cannot create in
digital, but I would believe it to be the least relevant to the area of commercial photography.
Can you walk us through the process of an actual commercial shoot?
There is no one answer to this as every shoot is different;
they can be complete night and day from one another.
meet face to face with the client. Depending on the to narrow down and agree on most of the details of the shoot, like the shot list, the style, the times and
dates, locations, specific requirements, turnover times
etc. Once all that is agreed I usually either give them a list of prep work required from their side or mail it to
them later. That prep work is important both for me and my client, more they can prep from their side, less time it takes for me to shoot it, less it is going to cost them. For example if it is an interior shoot, the room
should be cleaned to the tiniest detail before I arrive
If dealing with food, do not cook anything before the
it only has about 10 minutes of shooting time in it, after that it dries out, all sorts of juices and sauces
mix together, and everything goes bland or just soggy. Or if it is a professional headshots you are after then
there’s a whole other list of things to prep altogether. Be patient, things take time to get done right.. Most professional shoots vary between half a day and a
full day to shoot depending on an assignment, but sometimes it can take few days as well.
there, no dust or rubbish, no unnecessary elements
(e.g. no room service menus in hotel rooms or other brochures/labels/things that do not add anything to the image and just clutter it), have everything you
want to showcase ready and prepared, be it a breakfast
Article by: Michelle Costello Photograph by Tarmo Tulit
tray or a chess table, whatever it is, no need to go
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th e li me rick magazine f o o d & dr i n k Get grilling Whether you’ve resolved to have a healthier 2016, or simply never want to look at another roast dinner or
cheese board ever again, January / February is all about finding healthy and let’s face it, inexpensive alternative
recipes to the traditional excess of December. One
simple way to make meals healthier is to give the roast
tins and frying pans a rest and stick to the grill. Here are some delicious, varied and healthy recipes ideas that are simple to make.
Recipes and images from www.georgeforeman.co.uk/recipes
Asian Style Noodle Salad Ingredients
Method (Serves 2)
•
•
•
60g buckwheat or soba noodles, cooked & drained
250g of pre-cooked tofu, drained & cut into cubes
•
For the marinade: • • • • • • • • • • •
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1 garlic clove, crushed
1 red chilli finely chopped
•
2 tbsp reduced sodium soya sauce 1 tsp sweet chilli dipping sauce 1 tsp sesame oil Juice of ½ lime
1 carrot, peeled & grated into long strips 1 head of pak choi, shredded
½ courgette cut into long strips ½ red onion cut into strips
Small handful of fresh coriander leaves
•
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the cubes of tofu and leave for a few hours in the fridge or overnight.
Place the marinated tofu onto a pre-heated grill
and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove & set aside.
Place the carrot & courgette strips, pak choi and onion onto the hot grill and wilt down for around 30 seconds – 1 minute.
On a serving dish, place the cooked warm noodles, top with the wilted vegetables and the
grilled tofu. Scatter with the torn fresh coriander leaves & a squeeze of lime juice to serve.
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Grilled Salmon
Greek Chicken
Ingredients
Ingredients
•
•
400g Skinless chicken breasts or skinless and boneless chicken thighs
•
3 dessert spoons mint sauce
• • • • • •
4 salmon fillets 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp sugar
115g low fat margarine
1 tbsp fresh basil, finely minced 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 spring onion, finely chopped
Method (Serves 4) • • • •
• •
the fish flakes easily and is cooked through.
• •
•
In a small bowl, blend the margarine, basil, lemon juice and spring onions.
Chop the chicken into thin strips.
Put the chicken into a freezer bag then add the yogurt, 3 dessert spoons of mint
sauce. Seal the bag and mix the ingredients around, squeezing out all of the air from the bag.
Put in the fridge to marinate for at least 1hr or ideally overnight. The longer you marinate it for the better it will taste – the acids in the yogurt and mint sauce will break down the protein in the chicken and make it cook quickly but still taste
To serve, arrange each steak on a plate with some steam vegetables and top with a generous spoonful of the lemon basil butter.
A ziplock freezer bag
Method (Serves 4)
Preheat grill for 5 minutes.
Rub the salmon with paprika and sugar on both sides. Grill for 5 minutes or until
1 small tub natural yogurt
• • •
moist and tender.
When ready to cook, pre-heat your grill until ready.
Remove from the fridge and cook on a hot grill for about 10 minutes. You can also add veggies to the grill at this point and make skewerless kebabs.
Serve with pitta bread and coucous and maybe a Greek salad for a delicious fun summer meal.
Top Tips: Add vegetables to the grill at the same time as the chicken for tasty skewerless kebabs or put the meat in the skewers for instant indoor barbeque when the weather isn’t cooperating!
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BE h ind the foo d The Treasury RESTAURANT Underneath the ground, in the basement of 74
O’Connell Street sits a beautiful restaurant where
candles glimmer and firelight adds warmth to the
ambience. Friendly staff make you feel comfortable, while tantalising delights from the kitchen have
echoes of oohhs and ahhs from very happy customers. This hidden gem is The Treasury Restaurant; one
of the restaurants that is leading the culinary way in Limerick. The Treasury first opened its doors in November 2014 to rave reviews and continues to
surprise and delight even their most regular customers with their fresh artisan menu. We sit down with
founder and proprietor Barry Kiely for a glass of wine and chat about his motivation behind The Treasury. How did your food journey begin?
Well, I actually started washing pots in a restaurant
kitchen when I was 14.After a while working there I would be asked to come help out the kitchen with
some preparation, and then to help make desserts and help chefs with the starters. I have always loved
cooking so I loved to help. I worked in kitchens until I was 17, but I always found myself looking out the
glass panel, to see what was happening in the front of house.
When I was 16 years old, I got myself a part time job
as a waiter in The Jasmine Palace and that is when my
addiction to the industry started. I loved it! The buzz, the energy and the people. It was such a fantastic
social job. After a year, I gave up kitchen work and took a full time job in the restaurant. This was also
when I first really fell in love with food. Talented chefs from all over Asia introduced me to styles of
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cooking with flavours and textures that I had never experienced - I was completely hooked!
After I spent 5 years working in the restaurant
industry in Limerick, I began to travel. I worked in Chicago, Dublin, Sydney and Manchester and I got
to experience so many different types of restaurants
What are some of the challenges of being a restaurant owner?
Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong! I think the trick is to make sure it only goes wrong once, but I
am only a baby restaurant owner. I would be interested
in my answer to this question in a years’ time (laughs).
and food, it was a very exciting time in my life. Then I
You have a very busy restaurant, what is your secret
fell back in love with Limerick again. I decided to stay
We honestly have the best customers that I have ever
came back to Limerick after 7 years for a holiday and around for the summer and I’m happily still here. What inspired you to open The Treasury?
In all honesty…. I saw a gap in the market. There are so many amazing things happening in the food industry in Limerick. We have seen some really tough times and we have been fighting through the
recession, but things are changing and I felt it was time for something a little different. I wanted to
create a restaurant that I would love to eat in - finally it felt like the right time.
to keeping customers coming through the door?
come across in any place that I have ever worked. I am not sure why this is yet but we seem to attract a great
clientele. We have customers that come to us 2 or 3
times a week and those that come once a week. But the biggest compliment that we get is when customers
have friends or clients coming from Dublin, London, New York etc. and they want to bring them to The Treasury to showcase what great restaurants Limerick has. There is no bigger honour than when the people
of your hometown want to showcase you as what Limerick has to offer on the food scene.
What is the concept of The Treasury?
And with a clinking of our glasses to the ongoing
interesting and creative food that they would not be
his energy from?
We want people to feel at home, while being served able to get at home. Our goal is to give people a warm and opulent experience without being pretentious. We
success of The Treasury, I ask Barry where he gets “I’m single”, he laughs!
always do our very best to source local produce, fresh
You can check out the delicious menus on
possible. I have an incredible team working with me
The Treasury opens Tuesday – Saturday
fish from the coast and as much organic produce as in The Treasury - they are so talented at what they do
and I feel like this why the restaurant is so successful: the combination of great food and great people.
www.thetreasuryrestaurant.com from 5pm – 10pm
Book your reservation by calling 061-590005 Article by: Michelle Costello
Photography by: Tarmo Tulit
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Opinion: with - Rebelle Haze
How are your New Year’s Resolutions going? Or should I not ask? New Year’s Resolutions are the great divider. Some
people (me especially) love the idea of setting goals as we head into another twelve months. Others find it
utterly pointless, knowing from bitter experience that
bin collection day. These tiny inconsequential acts throw a small bolt of good karma into the air and the
end result is a slightly less horrible world. Plus they won’t cost you a single cent.
Send Lovebombs!
they will fall off the resolution wagon and spend the
Lovebombs are my favourite thing ever. Telling people
like they have let themselves down.
you, made you smile or just turned a crappy day into
Post It Notes.
We spend so much time and energy exercising our
I also write out my dreams, my desires, and my hopes.
have it when they screw up but rarely put the same
to paper.
they rock.
affirmations or think it’s a load of old rubbish here is
email them to let them know. A product delivers above
all be mindful of if we hope to have a happy 2016.
book leaves you breathless and is a total page-turner,
next few months kicking themselves because they feel
when something they have said or done has impressed
My New Year’s Resolutions can fill whole sides of
something bearable is such a good habit to get into.
I not only make practical promises (I will write more)
right to complain, get so hung up on letting people
I feel there is a real alchemy about committing these
time and energy into letting people know we think
Whether you sit down on New Year’s Eve making
So if you experience really good service at a restaurant
a list of New Year’s Resolutions that maybe we could
and beyond write a message on their Facebook page, a
And it’s not too late to start!
write a 5 star review on Amazon. Throw compliments
Do one "selfless" thing a day (or a week if you’re busy )
if a friend is there for you again and again buy her a
Now this is a slightly misleading resolution because by performing a selfless act you are basically doing a good thing with no expectation of acknowledgement
or reward, but here's the thing: The more of these
selfless acts you do, somehow the more good stuff pings into your life. I'm not sure why.
Selfless acts don't have to be big gestures, just small
stuff. Giving the parking disc which still has thirty minutes left on it to someone about to go and buy
one, helping someone carry their heavy bags onto the
bus, helping someone with a buggy on a stairs, taking
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in your neighbours wheelie bin along with yours after
like confetti! Let people know they are brilliant and cute mug from Penneys, a bar Of Dairy milk and a beautiful card, just because!
Just Do it! Start saying Yes in 2016. We all remember everybody
walking around with that Nike slogan on their tee
shirts but how many of us actually took the advice to just do it? So often dissatisfaction comes from the fact that we feel we have missed out on chances or let our insecurities or fears stop us from forging ahead.
In 2016 start saying yes to more opportunities. Don't
just sit at home like the green eyed monster casting
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envious looks at other people's achievements, start following your own dreams.
It's easy to look at others who appear to have it all and
think they are just "lucky" but most of these people
will tell you that "the harder they worked the luckier they became”. And if you do something that doesn't work out? Well, at least you tried. It beats sitting on
your arse watching telly and scowling at the Facebook posts of someone who has given it a go.
*Side Note* If you are a person who says yes to everything, to the point that you are overwhelmed
and overworked then ignore this posting! You need to take a step back and try saying No for a change.
Be Good To Yourself It’s a sad fact that we often take better care of others
than we do ourselves. Why do we only light the lovely
scented candles or buy the beautiful flowers when we have friends over for tea? You wouldn't dream
Finally acknowledge your negative thoughts and change them. It can be really difficult to become a more positive you, when you’ve got a barrage of negative thoughts swirling around your head. Remember that a) you
aren’t your thoughts and b) thoughts can be like bad habits. It’s like saying “I’m fat” is the first thing
that pops into our heads because we’re used to it. It’s become our go-to phrase. But we can work on changing that. So take one negative thought and try
to make it into a positive one. Even if you don’t believe it at first, it’s a good start. Best part is eventually you will start to believe the things you say to yourself.
So there you have it. A few New Year’s Resolutions
which don't involve losing three stone or learning French but which I think will get us all on a much more positive footing for 2016.
of ignoring your pet if they looked to be in pain, or "forget" to feed your child, but how many of us have
put off making doctor’s appointments for ourselves
because we are so busy, or not eaten properly because the day "got away from us"?
Treating yourself well tells yourself and the world that you are deserving of this treatment and is a pretty
powerful statement. Ranking your needs equally with your other daily demands is not only important, it’s
savvy. A well looked after, pampered you will perform better, live longer and be so much happier.
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pa r enti ng New Year, new me? Well if you insist, says Jane…
clothes daily. I will only wear pyjamas at bedtime. I
them in Dunnes. You can put them in the microwave
It should come as no surprise that I have been told I
the child has projectile vomited all over it instead of simply just turning it upside down and going back to
I will also develop more healthy habits, as per…
am the Mary Poppins of wives and parents; practically
perfect in every way… or words to that effect. However I am realistic and am a firm believer that perfection can always be improved upon. Ahem.
Here are my marriage and motherhood resolutions
for 2016. High five to all you other parents who feel that even though they’ve clearly already nailed it they might as well join in with everyone else…
Resolution #1 Laundry I must admit putting clean clothes on myself a once a week instead of every day is not optimum hygiene and probably takes my laundry and housework avoidance
to a new level. Although I must ask, what is the point in putting on my immaculate River Island Mollys and faux fur gilet when they will inevitably be covered in
all types of baby bodily fluids within two minutes? Well-worn and stained pyjamas usually work best. If
I have to venture outside I can just cover up with my
trusty trench coat to hide all signs of laundry neglect. Furthermore, it could be argued that I am being environmentally friendly while subsequently reducing
the dreaded water bill. The world can learn from my thrifty ways.
However, from now on I will try to wash and change
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will also remove and wash the duvet immediately after
sleep.
Resolution #2 General Hygiene While we are on the subject of washing, the husband believes that bathing myself is another area where I can slightly improve. He insists that a quick whip
round with the baby wipes does not count as a wash. Look we’ll agree to disagree, but in order to keep the peace I will do my best to ensure that I am washed
nightly. I promise to do a proper bubble bath. I
will wash my hair once in a while instead of using dry shampoo for days on end. Realistically having a
shower/bath is an elusive luxury with a toddler in tow. So just in case I don’t have the time I will invest in a stronger deodorant to mask all signs of body odour just in case I’m gonna get lucky…
Resolution #3 Cooking I think it’s time I stopped putting my husband at risk
of food poisoning. Accidentally or otherwise. The one time that it was not-so-accidental was when I was
pregnant, hormonal and just simply sick of cooking… I will also deviate from the dinner routine which
involves alternating Chinese, chipper and Dominoes. From now on its proper dinners all the way. I’ve seen
and five minutes later voila a perfect dinner is served.
Resolution #4 Ok so the old generic ‘must get healthy, exercise, eat
vegetables blah, blah, blah’ is always a good resolution. I will start running daily. I will do The Great Limerick Run, The Flora Women’s Mini Marathon and The
Dublin Marathon. Sure I might as well do The London Marathon while I’m at it and squeeze in
some shopping at the same time. Two birds and all that. Sure I’ll think about it. Maybe leave that ‘til next year…
Article by Jane Butler O’ Halloran
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Discove ri n g the Pas t william harvey The noted Naturalist Charles Darwin considered
Limerick man, William Henry Harvey, a 'first-rate botanist'.
William Henry Harvey was born on 5 February 1811, into a prominent Quaker family. He was the youngest of Joseph Massey Harvey (1764 – 1834) and Rebecca Mark’s eleven children. His father had moved to
Limerick from Cork in 1786 to work for the Fisher Flour Mills on Francis Street. That same year the
couple built their family home, Summerville, which has since been incorporated into the grounds of Mary Immaculate College.
From a young age William showed a passion for
natural history, especially sea life, which he explored while summering in Miltown Malbay. He attended a
Quaker School, Ballitore School in County Kildare, where this particular line of study was encouraged. On leaving school he returned to Limerick, where he
apprenticed with his father, but took no interest in the business. The upside to this work was that it provided the finance for his studies, particularly botany.
His discovery in 1831 of Hookeria laetevirens, a moss
species never before recorded from Ireland, led to a
life-long friendship with Sir William Hooker. At this time Hooker was at Glasgow, but was later the
director of Kew. In 1832 William undertook the algal account for J.T. Mackay's Flora Hibernica.
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In office he continued his botanical work, publishing
19 Sir John’ s Quay, Dublin, and that of Mary Christy
years in Africa he resigned his post and returned to
surviving brother Rueben. In 1861 he married a
books on both British and African flora. After six Dublin. In 1848 he was elected Professor of Botany
of the R.D.S. In 1849 he undertook a lecture tour and collecting trip to America, where he would make his
well-known 'Key West' collections. By delivering the
Lowell lecturers at Boston, he made the acquaintance
of and became friends with Asa Gray, the best known American botanist of his day, and his wife. Also
in 1849, Harvey published the popular work, The
over 30 papers on the subject of botany. Harvey
travelled around the world, visiting South Africa, Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, and
Chile on his three year voyage, starting in 1835, in
brother, Joseph. As the commission had been issued
the government decided not to alter the mistake and both brothers travelled to South Africa. Almost
immediately Joseph's health declined and decided to
turn around and face the journey back to Ireland. He passed away during the voyage home and William inheriting the original post, though he preferred to collect plants than taxes.
no children. William died of tuberculosis in Torquay where he was buried on 15th May 1866. His brother
Rueben after whom, Harvey’s Quay in Limerick is
named would pass away in September that same year.
the seaweeds of the British Isles, William Harvey
75 genera of algae. Between 1833 and 1862 he wrote
clerical error caused the appointment to be to his elder
physical health began to decline and the couple had
In 1856 he was appointed to the chair of botany at
newly discovered species of plants and in excess of
Colonial Treasurer in the Cape Colony, Africa. A
move to 4 Winton Road, Dublin. Unfortunately his
Many species of alga and one genus of higher plant,
1866. In his fruitful career he described over 750
William was nominated in 1835 for the role of
childhood friend, Elizabeth Lecky Phelps, and the
Seaside Book.
Trinity College; he held all three of these posts until
Following his parents deaths in quick succession,
Harvey in 1857, the daughter of his eldest and only
order to research new findings for his next publishing. Harvey's aptitude as a plant-collector was formidable;
in Australia he collected at least 20,000 specimens, 700 in one day during his excursion of King George's
Harveya, are named after him. In his 1841 book on
created a system for classification that is still in use today. He was highly respected in his lifetime by Charles Darwin, pair exchanged many letters
and conversations during the course of their works, though it is noted that they disagreed on the process of natural selection. William Harvey’s name lives on in Limerick: in 2014 a plaque was erected on his
place of birth Summerville House by Research Office, Mary Immaculate College. Article by: Sharon Slater
Sound. At least 100,000 specimens were added to the T.C.D. herbarium by Harvey. His book production is
especially extraordinary, as not only did he collect the material, describe it and draw it, but he also engraved
the lithographs. He produced an average of one
lithographic plate per week from 1856 until his death, and remarkably few changes were made by Harvey between the draft and final version of his book.
William was struck by tragedy with the death of his
sister, Hannah Todhunter, with whom he had lived at
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th e li me rick magazine E v e nt gu i d e NEGATIVE CREEPS The Definitive Irish Nirvana Tribute Band.
Saturday 30th January 2016 @ 9pm - 11:55pm
Dolan's Warehouse, 3 & 4 Dock Road, Limerick
SEE FOR CINEMA – MY SKINNY SISTER Wednesday 3rd February @ 8pm 69 O'Connell Street, Limerick
VILLAGERS
CATCH ME
Saturday January 30th 2016 @ 7pm - 10:55pm
Thursday 4th February @ 7pm
Dolan's Warehouse, 3-4 Dock Road, Limerick
PAT SHORTT - SELFIE Saturday 30th January @ 8pm
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
LOVE IS GOLDEN - WEDDING FAYRE Sunday 31st January @ 4pm - 7pm
Fitzgerald's Woodlands House Hotel, Knockanes, Adare, Co. Limerick
MILFORD HOSPICE 10K WALK/RUN Sunday 31st January @ 12pm
University of Limerick Castletroy Limerick
LUNCHTIME PERFORMANCE SERIES: WEEKLY EVENT EVERY TUESDAY Tuesdays @ 1.15pm
Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, University of Limerick, Limerick
"THE KING IS BACK" BEN PORTSMOUTH AS ELVIS Tuesday 2nd February @ 8pm
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College, Courtbrack Avenue, Limeric
JOE JACKSON 'Fast Forward' Tour
Thursday, 4th February 2016 @ 8pm - 11:55pm Dolan's Warehouse, 3-4 Dock Road, Limerick
FEBRUARY WINE THEATRE Thursday 4th February @ 7.30pm
George Boutique Hotel, Shannon Street, Limerick City
THE KILKENNYS Friday 5th February @ 8pm
Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick
STOMPTOWN BRASS Friday 5th February @ 10pm
Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick
JACK L Saturday 6th February @ 8pm
Friars Gate Theatre, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick
NO STAIRWAY- LED ZEPPELIN TRIBUTE BAND Saturday 6th February @ 9pm
Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick
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BEN CAPLAN Wednesday 10th February @ 8pm
Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick
MODERN VEGETARIAN Thursday 11th February @ 7pm - 9.30pm Hook and Ladder, 7 Sarsfield Street, Limerick
SILENT Friday 12th February @ 8pm
69 O'Connell Street, Limerick
UNDERNEATH Saturday 13th February @ 8pm 69 O'Connell Street, Limerick
START YOUR OWN BUSINESS Tuesdays from 16th February @ 6pm - 9pm Kilmurry Lodge, Castletroy, Limerick
SONGS OF IRELAND: COMMEMORATING THE RISING OF 1916 Tuesday 16th February @ 8pm
SEODA SHOWS PRESENT THE ALTERED HOURS
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Friday 19th February @ 9pm
8pm
Limerick
College, Courtbrack Avenue, Limerick
Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road,
DES BISHOP - GREY MATTERS
Limerick City
Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
LIMERICK STRAND HOTEL WEDDING OPEN DAY
LIFE OF ILLUSION
Saturday 27th February, 11am - 4pm
University Concert Hall, University of
Saturday 20th February @ 3.30pm
Millennium Theatre LIT Moylish Park Limerick
WILHELMINA GEDDES Thursday 23rd February @ 1pm
The Hunt Museum, Custom House, Rutland Street, Limerick City
Limerick Strand Hotel, Ennis Road, Limerick City Centre
SOCIAL MEDIA BOOTCAMP Mondays from 29th February @ 1.30pm 5pm
Limerick Education Centre, Dooradoyle, Co. Limerick
SEE FOR CINEMA – THE LESSON Wednesday 24th February @ 8pm 69 O'Connell Street, Limerick
WARSAW RADIO WITH SUPPORT FROM DELLA LUPA & KEV MINNEY
Thursday 25th February @ 4pm - 6.30pm
Limerick
Friday 26th - Sunday 28th February
Friday 19th February @ 8pm
STEPHEN GRAHAM LITERACY WORKSHOP 2016
Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road,
Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate
LIMERICK LITERARY FESTIVAL
Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College
Friday 19th February @ 8pm
Thursday 25th & Friday 26th February @
Castletroy Park Hotel, Dublin Road, Limerick
MEN ONLY COOKING Thursday 25th February @ 7pm - 9.30pm Hook and Ladder, 7 Sarsfield Street, Limerick
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the l i m e ri ck magazi ne gi g GU I DE DES BISHOP GREY MATTERS Friday 19th February @ 8pm
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
Grey Matters tackles the issues confronting Des these
days: returning to live in New York, being surrounded
by other people’s kids, gender and marriage equality, the dangers of Snapchat, dating a Chinese woman, the prospect of reaching 40… Most of all, after the
documentary-style stand up show about his time in
China, Des is looking forward to returning to straight stand up where he can riff about whatever is on his mind.
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Presented by the Lisa Richards Agency
Tickets: €25; available online at www.uch.ie
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
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Closing Time 1 0 m inutes wit h … DAVID WA LS H
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The Black Tie Magician David Walsh has been
in a café studying, or practicing a new trick. My other
Are you an early riser or a night owl?
paid gig aged 20 in 2000, and became a full time
I will be in the gym. Other than that I am an avid film
can get done before midday, and as I am my own boss
practising magic since 1993. David did his first professional performer in 2010. He went through numerous jobs and pursued a variety of career paths
main interest is health and fitness so 4-5 days a week
lover and I spend time hanging out with good friends.
before turning his passion into a pay cheque. He’s a
Do you have heroes, and have you met any of them?
though David admires the talent and success of the
also greatly admire Greg Wilson and Wayne Dobson;
man who is very sure of his identity as a magician: likes of Dynamo, he has no desire to emulate his approach. David Walsh concentrates on close up
magic, though his easy quick wit means he can more
Definitely an early riser, it’s amazing how much you I have the freedom to decide what to do with myself for the afternoon once all the work is out of the way!
Oh yes, my biggest inspiration is David Williamson. I
What other talents do you have?
they are the best in the game. I am lucky enough to
I’m pretty good at poker.
have met David and Wayne, so just need to tick Greg
Well I have a flair for cooking, a flair for talking, and
off my list!
Do you have a favourite anecdote?
enters his 23rd year studying the craft, we delve into
Favourite quote(s)?
But probably my most treasured memory was when I
thoughtful adventurer who really loves what he does.
of giants’ Sir Isaac Newton. And ‘women are meant to
than hold his own on stage in front of a crowd. As he the mind of the magician, and find a sharp, enigmatic, Even if you don’t believe in magic, David Walsh will make you.
‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders be loved, not understood’ Oscar Wilde – that last one I can definitely vouch for!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
to do. My first love was cooking and I wanted to
success. And be yourself – you can take inspiration
Surprisingly enough, magic was never what I wanted be a chef. I’ve had a lot of different roles, I’ve been
a bartender, a TV poker dealer, even dabbled with hairdressing, but never thought of turning magic into a career until I was an adult.
How would you sum up your life in 6 words?
Adventure, diversity, exciting, tiring, never boring Describe a typical day off in Limerick…
I generally find it difficult to switch off so I’ll always
be working on something, so you’ll probably find me
To be patient - there really is no such as overnight from others but never copy: build your own brand. When was the last time you were nervous?
I’m not easily rattled but I found myself a little out of my comfort zone last October, when I found myself
I have so many stories, some more PG than others! was working in the Mail Exchange Bar in Melbourne. I turned up for my shift and before I clocked in the manager said she wanted to see me, I thought I
was in trouble but she took me into a room where her husband and some members of her family were
waiting and asked me to do some of my tricks. I spent 10 minutes with them and the husband handed me
50 dollars, then another family member handed me another 50, then another… this was before I went
professional so that meant so much to me that they
wanted to see me and gave me my first impromptu gig! I’ll never forget it.
offered a slot at Limerick Racecourse, performing
on stage in front of 100-odd people. Once I got talking the nerves disappeared, and it helped that
I was introducing Suzanne Jackson who is a total
sweetheart and helped to put me at ease just by her presence!
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo Image by: Leanne Aherne
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