free 2016 magazine i s s u e 1 4 November
ISSN - 2009-8650
Be Green, recycle
Featuring: Hazel Murphy Mí c heál Ó Súilleabháin MYLES BREEN Natalie King
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Welcome
T O th e lime ric k m aga z i ne 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 Michelle Costello Email -michelle@fusionmedia.ie Phone - 061-597627 Editor - Kayleigh Ziolo Email - kayleigh@fusionmedia.ie Phone - 061-597627 Photography - Tarmo Tulit Email - photography@fusionmedia.ie Phone - 061-597627 Graphic Designer - Paul Geaney Email - paul@fusionmedia.ie
TL M c o n tr ibu to r s : Sarah Talty Laura Duhan Amanda Flannery Ali Molloy Sarah Lafferty Sophie Butler Laura McNamara Jane Butler O’Halloran Sintija Zorge Fernando Sanchez Douglas Murray Christine Costello Gabriel Griffin
Phone - 061-597627 Advertising - Fusion Media Email - advertising@fusionmedia.ie Phone - 061-597627
P h o to g r a ph er s : Eoghan Lyons Tarmo Tulit Gareth Williams Caleb Purcell Alan Place COVER – Tarmo Tulit
02
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.
Gift Card
Available at | Reception | Website | By Phone
Texas Steakout 116 O Connell Street T | 061 410 350 E | reception@texassteakout.ie W| www.texassteakout.ie
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
TLM contributors Editor’s Note With every issue of TLM, we are always overwhelmed by the amount of incredible individual stories that
are just waiting to be told. All of what we do is about people, ordinary people doing the extraordinary. Everyone has a story to tell. I had to write a mini bio recently, a task I always dread, but as cringe-worthy
as I find it it made me realise how we all have a story that seems normal to us, but can prove interesting and inspiring to others. So this month, think about your own story, and read some of the amazing stories
K ayl e i gh Z i ol o
of Limerick's past, present and future generations in our November issue.
Kayle i gh Zi olo
Mi c h e ll e C os t e l l o
pA UL gean ey
s i nti j a z or ge
Chr is t ine Co s t e l l o
L a ur a McNa ma r a
J a n e B u tle r
D o ug l a s Mur r ay
E o g ha n Lyo ns
Sarah Lafferty
A l i Mo l l oy
L a ur a D uha n
Am an da Flan n ery
S a ra h Ta lty 04
TA R MO T UL IT
fern an do san ch ez
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
COV E R STORY Hazel Murphy, of The Buttery Kitchen, Wine Bar & Coffee House
The Buttery has truly made its mark on Limerick,
What was it like embarking on a venture like this at
Where does your drive come from?
lunch spot to a vibrant day to evening wining and
When I look back I actually wonder, what in god’s
was the director of the University Concert Hall and
in a short space of time evolving from a cosy little dining experience. The Buttery is now serving up delicious wholesome breakfasts in the morning, as
well as mouthwatering lunches and gorgeous evening meals on weekends, accompanied by live music from local artists. The concept is somehow simultaneously
unique to the city, but also typically outside-the-box
Limerick. And it’s all the brainchild of Limerick born
Hazel Murphy, who started the business at the tender age of 24. Now 27, you can see where the vibrancy
comes from – she oozes energy and passion, and she has big plans to take her ideas further. We simply had to know more about this ambitious young woman…
You’ve recently refurbished and reopened: How are
such a young age?
name was I thinking?! I had absolutely no idea what
beast I had taken on. I mean, at 24 I didn’t think interviewing chefs, designing menus and trying
to figure out how to work a coffee machine would
be top of my list. I genuinely see now what people
mean when they say having your own business is a lot more than what it looks. You basically park your life
for a year and dive in; it’s pretty much all or nothing. Having to miss out on holidays, nights out, and
having any social life in general is not the easiest thing
crawled into my head and brought everything to life, he is seriously talented. It’s now a wacky, whimsical, fun and bizarre space with bucket loads of character and fun.
business?
always envisioned one day having something of my
own. I had a pretty steady job beforehand but I found myself feeling increasingly sad. I woke up one day and
asked, “Is this really it, is this all there is?” My brain is always super active and I used to wreck my dad’s head when I was younger throwing hypothectical
business plans at him over Sunday dinner. It would
generally lead to an argument because he, being the
job I’ve ever had or any company I ever worked for
I always gave 110% I could never understand how
anyone could just float around in first gear - I would
always want to know everything, to be more deeply
involved in the business and to help it perform better.
I find hospitality fascinating; it’s kind of like putting makes people happy, people go out to eat to celebrate
and generally have a good time… so what’s not to love!
I got my first taste of it when I worked in the Jasmine
Palace on O’Connell Street, and it just blew my mind. I was front of house and I have never enjoyed a job so much. I found Paul Tsang absolutely fascinating; the way his brain works; how he sees things and what an
incredible success he has made of everything he has touched. I remember being in awe of him and how down to earth he was, and thinking I want to be like that one day!
conservative accountant he is, would give his honest
It’s an indescribable feeling to hear happy customers
can see in to the future, but I definitely feel like I’m
big smiles and full bellies. It’s an addictive kind of
opinions to my off the walls ideas! Obviously no one doing what I should be doing. The first time I finally
felt like I was good at something was when I first opened these doors.
06
any better. I love working and I love being busy. Any
on a show for customers every day. Lets face it, eating
I knew an office job was never my calling, and I had
Orlandi and he did such a fantastic job; it’s like he
up in a house like that I guess you don’t really know
hell or high water.
one chance to do this so I have to make it work come
was so apprehensive and so were our regulars, , but me away. We worked with interior designer Tullio
20 years. They ate, slept and breathed work so growing
Why were you attracted to hospitality?
Did you always know you would start your own
everyone is embracing it! The feed back has blown
mum was the Box Office Manager for the best part of
to do, but I just kept reminding myself that I only get
people responding to the new look?
Oh my god, the reactions have been incredible! I
My parents have an outrageous work ethic. My dad
walking out the door, thanking you for their visit with buzz and I just knew I wanted to feel that way every day.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
07
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Was there a lot of pressure on you starting out?
Absolutely yes. I can see now that I had absolutly no clue what I was getting myself into; I had a vision of
what I wanted The Buttery to be, I just wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to get there.
I still have this vivid memory of our very first day
when we opened. It was 4 o’clock and we had just finished our first day of service. We closed out the
door and everyone looked at me and said “how do you
want us to close up Hazel?” I looked around, scratced
my head and thought to myself oh, I have absolutely no clue! I had to run over to Dunnes and buy a mop and sweeping brush. There’s all these little things you just don’t think of when dealing with the big stuff.
I had never really managed people; I didn’t know
how to do a roster, I had no clue about how to gage centages or how to calculate them, how to deal with complaints - this was a whole new world to me and
there was absolutely no manual to refer to and no
manager for me to ask and people were turning to me for the answers!
In the first year I had a lot of moments where I wish I
could have walked into a HR department and handed
my notice in. There were a lot of sleepless nights, a lot tears, a lot of moments where I wished I had never ever opened my doors.
08
It put immense pressure on my family as well: no
He now looks after all the accounts side of things, and
that. But my parents stood by me every single day
found this balance works much better.
I was doing a great job.
Being in Limerick is brilliant; Ive always loved this city
My older brother Joe was living in Canada at the time
at heart I guess! I think it will be unrecognisible in the
come home and help his drowning sister! We agreed a
two years, it’s brilliant to see new businesses opening
dress it up like the perfect situation, he is my biggest
what we needed!
on my toes, and I’m eternally grateful for what he and
What advice would you give to others about starting
have done any of it without them.
Find what you love and gives you fire in your belly and
How does it feel to now have an established family
college I always felt a little lost. Realistically at the
It’s pretty cool. It’s lovely being able to work with your
like it was achievable because of the cost, but all I will
boring! We have tried to put a rule in place that we’re
really want to do something, nothing will or should
stick to it!
true. The only person standing in the way of making
I love working with Joe, we have such a laugh. When
school, I was always acting the pup, breaking teacher’s
blue murder a few times, but it was just the pressure
doing homework, but I guess that all makes sense
parent wants to watch there daughter go through telling me to keep going, that I had to give it time and
I’m in-house making lattes to beat the band, we have
and knew I would never really move away – Limerick
with a pretty sweet set up, but he packed it all in to
next year or so. The city has grown so much in the last
partnership and never looked back since. Now, I wont
and so many positive plans for the future - it’s just
supporter and also my biggest critic, but he keeps me my parents have helped me achieve. I 100% could not
up and getting through those difficult moments?
just go do it. Plodding my way through school and
business in Limerick?
time opening my own business didn’t ever really feel
family, although dinner conversations have got pretty
say is: where there’s a will there’s a way! If you really
not allowed talk shop at the table, but we have yet to
stop you, I know that sounds awful cheesy, but it is something happen is yourself. I was never brilliant in
we both worked in The Buttery on service there was
hearts and more obsessed with having a laugh than
we were both under.
now. I can chat to my hearts content and no one can give out to me!
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
I love to help others in the same boat. Some business owners can be so protective but helping others get
on helps us all – It costs nothing to be kind and give knowledge. The more proud, successful local business we have here in Limerick the better we all do!
The main thing I’ve learned when times get a little hard is to not be afraid to pop your hand up and ask
for help. It’s not weak to look for help from those that
have experience. Call on others and build a team to support you - at 24 I shouldn’t have had the stresses
that I had, I should have been starting out in life not
worrying about wages and overheads. I so often felt no one understood what I was going through, so speak up and ask for help, because you will be very surprised
the outpouring of care and kindness you will get back. What’s next for you?
Well, we just recently opened another company called Rival Nutrition which is customised meal plans cooked fresh & delivered to your door, it’s going very
New Buttery interior
well but again, more learning - it’s a totally different kettle of fish to hospitality.
In the future though I’d like to open another restaurant, whether it’s going to be a Buttery or another kind of eatery is still to be decided. I’d also love to try my hand
at a bar as well, but I have a lot more work to do here first.
Do you find there are more challenges that come with being a woman in business?
I don’t know if it’s to do with being a woman or just a general thing, but it can be tough. You are viewed a
little differently, as a woman and business owner too – there are people who talk to me differently to how
they would talk to Joe. I do feel at times I have to prove myself a little more in converation when I say
I have my own restaurant. I’ve come across people
who find it hard to understand why I decided to do it, but most of the time you get big pats on the back for giving it a go. You just take it in your stride keep doing
Brother & Sister - Joe & Hazel Murphy
what you’re doing. I love watching women getting out there doing their thing.
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
Photography by: Tarmo Tulit
09
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Be We ll Week Limerick
A group of young adults from Limerick Youth Service have set up Be Well Week in Limerick. Be Well Week will deal with the all-important issue of mental health among young people. A number of exciting events will take place during the week including a mental health first-aid workshop and ‘Mental Fitness Through Martial Arts’. Three of the members involved with this project, Bobby, Andy and Áine came into the TLM office to have a chat with us about why the issue of mental health is so important to them, why they chose to run a week-long event and about some of the events going on throughout the week.
10
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Be Well Limerick Week will run until Sunday the 6th
Another major feature of the week will be a photo
for young people to go and learn more about mental
Well committee from Limerick Youth Service. The
of November and will host a number of free events
health and how to deal with it as a young person. Each of the events have been set up by young adults
who have suffered with mental health issues in the past, and the group hope to create an atmosphere
of involvement and comfort for other young people
who might be struggling. They hope to get across the message to young people across the City and County
of Limerick and throughout the country that they are not alone in their mental health. 19 year old Áine and Andy want the events to encourage young people to “just talk to somebody about it” and hope that the
workshops and talks with allow somebody struggling with their mental health to not see that as such a daunting feat.
“If it’s a problem to you, it’s a problem worth talking about,” urges Andy. He hopes that one event in
particular being held in the Savoy Hotel, Limerick will allow anyone attending to relate and feel more
exhibition put together and organised by the Be fascinating exhibition will show photos taken by the group of the group in a fantasy theme all about
being who you are and not being afraid to show it. The group chose to dress up as Vikings for the shoot
as, for them, Vikings are the symbol of strength and
resilience and the group felt those themes were fitting in managing mental health and being yourself. They also developed a character background and story for
each of their Vikings and were photographed as the
character they created. “I was a rebellious Viking child that didn’t want to grow up to be a wife and stay at home minding all the kids,” Bobby says of her
character. The exhibition will be held in the Limerick Milk Market on Friday 4th November and the group
will explain more about their 10 week journey in learning the ropes of photography with photographer
David Lane, and they will even be dressed as the Viking characters depicted in their photos.
comfortable talking about their mental health.
The group feel that as a country, Ireland is still not quite
members of LYS the chance to talk about their own
health issues and this is why they felt so compelled
‘Pathways to Recovery’ on 4th of November will give experience with mental health as a young person in Ireland, how they have learned to deal with it and
eventually, how they have overcome it. Richard Lynch and Operation Transformation’s Eddie Murphy will
also talk their personal mental health journey. This
event will step away from the usual discussion, usually being spoken about by an older person. Instead, each
and every story will come from the heart of a young
person and intends to have the effect of allowing
other young people to know and hear that they are not alone in their mental health.
there in terms of being up-to-date with youth mental
to organise Be Well Week. Bobby says that mental health in Ireland is still not talked about enough and
still remains a taboo subject and is something that is
too often brushed off as unimportant. She explains that there is not enough information out there yet
“I feel like the word really needs to be pushed out about youth cafés and services,” Bobby says, explaining how a number of people she knows “don’t even know what a youth café is.”
Bobby, Andy and Áine urge anybody that may be
suffering with their mental health that is unsure of whether or not they should attend the events to take the plunge and just go, “even if you just come and
listen and leave again.” the group stresses everyone
will gain something from the experience, even if it is just the knowledge that there are other people out there who understand what you’re going through. Check out the full event listings at
www.limerickyouthservice.com/bewelllimerick Article by: Ali Molloy, Sarah Talty and Amanda Flannery
that will point you in the right direction of who you
should talk to if you’re struggling with an issue, and that there is not enough information about youth clubs and services which have provided solace to so
many people having issues with their mental health or well-being.
11
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
A rti s t Pro file : NeSpoon
It’s unusual to think of something as delicate and intricate as lace being used to create street art, but that’s exactly what professional Polish street artist NeSpoon does. She
has now become so successful and sought after that people ask her to come and paint her beautiful lace designs all over the world, and now her work is here on the streets of Limerick.
Hybrid is a one week series of events dedicated to Limerick Lace. Currently taking place, it is a multi-site exhibition and conference exploring the past, present and future of lace addressing the role of multiple influences in the creation of contemporary lace inspired work.
12
Hybrid takes place across Limerick until 4th
November. The exhibition is being organised by Giordana Giache of the Limerick School of Art & Design, Jacqui Hayes, Matthew Potter and Sharon
Slater of Archives/Limerick Museum. Along with Limerick City Council they invited NeSpoon to create work in Limerick city. A number of artworks ranging from traditional lace to contemporary interpretations
are going to be exhibited at The Church Gallery, LSAD, Clare Street Fablab, Rutland Street, Limerick
Council Offices and The Glazed Street, Merchants Quay.
Still living in Warsaw, NeSpoon has been painting
ever since she can remember but she only started to paint on the streets in 2009.
For that reason she likes to say that she is seven years
old, because she feels her life only began when she
started her street art. NeSpoon travels all over the world creating fabulous lace street art. She says the lace graffiti is the only type of graffiti that old people don’t seem to get mad at.
Of how it all began, NeSpoon said she was really angry
at illegal outdoor advertising spreading across Poland. She had a thought one day that if corporations can overtake and destroy the landscape for commercial purposes, her art would not hurt anyone, even if she did not ask for permission. But this isn’t just a hobby for her, it’s a profession.
She decided to accept the invitation to come to Limerick because of the beauty of the place. “When
I saw the pictures of birch trees at the front of the city hall, with the beautiful, ancient church in the
background, I knew that this project needs to be done.”
Why does she use lace as a medium for her work?
“I make positive art and I like to evoke positive
emotions in people. I use lace patterns because every lace contains a universal aesthetic code that is deeply embedded in most cultures around the world. When I
add colors to patterns, people say sometimes that I am inspired by Tibetan Mandalas, Moroccan Ceramic or
native pre-Columbian art. Lace patterns contain basic
codes of harmony, which are common for most people. I think it is a very ancient code that it is older then the humanity. We can find it all around us in nature: in the
shape of small sea creatures, flowers, snow flakes. The
harmony and symmetry of lace patterns is biological, alive, not mathematical or machine generated.”
NeSpoon has travelled all over the world, performing
During this monotonous, almost meditative work,
lace patterns change around the world? She says "it's
same time organised my thoughts. It seemed as if
her unique style of street art and I asked her how do funny because in every place where I spoke with old
lace makers, they claim that the patterns are 'local', 'typical for this region' and 'you can find it only here'.
the petals became more arranged and calmed, at the
they have materialised themselves by forming white, delicate discs.
In Limerick her hosts gave me "typical local" laces,
“This project started in 2012 and I intend to continue
laces." She said these patterns spread during centuries
that until today, in the course of hundreds of hours
and some of them were identical to genuine Polish
across the globe as an effect of migration and conquests. As far as Nespoon knows, one of earliest centres of production of laces was Ireland.
What’s next for NeSpoon? After she finished her work in Limerick she went on to paint an overpass in
Middlesbrough, England. In November she’ll exhibit
her lighting objects during the Fair in Cannes. By 2042 she will have completed, what she considers to
be, her most important project so far – simply named
‘Thoughts’. It started four years ago and continues to grow.
Thoughts is a project focusing on the story when searching for inner peace. “Initially, I just started
creating porcelain petals without any specific or intended purpose, almost unconsciously formed by
my fingers from the remnants of clay from other works. As weeks passed by modeling of the petals became ever more subtle; it required more and more attention and cautions to form them.
it as long as it is possible, at least until 2042. I estimate
of work, I have created over 35 thousand porcelain
petals. Gallery visitors, where the work is presented, may in some sense physically touch my mind, rotate them in their fingers and play with them, bringing out the specific sound.”
By 2042 she will have made 1500 kg of hand-made porcelain petals.
Article by: Sarah Talty
Photography by: Alan Place
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e li merick magazine
Music
Mícheá l Ó Sú illeabhá in Internationally acclaimed composer and performer
So a good deal of what I’m doing at the moment
How did you develop your unique piano style and
post at UL. He is acknowledged as having developed
past 10 years, taking it out again and polishing it up,
I grew up in Clonmel, Tipperary, not too far from here
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin is retiring this year from his a unique Irish piano style exploring the sounds of traditional and classical music with occasional
incursions into jazz and other world music forms. In
1994 he was appointment as the first Chair of Music
is actually going back on music I’ve written in the reimagining it, maybe fusing things together. There’s a lot of material there that I didn’t give myself the time to actually address in detail.
at the University of Limerick, where he founded the
Do you think there’s scope for you to bring out
privileged to get the chance to sit down with Mícheál
Yes I have a number of irons in the fire for recordings.
Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. We were to discuss his esteemed career so far, and what his retirement means for him going forward.
On your retirement year, have you been taking time for reflection on your life in music or focusing on the future?
I’m very focused on what’s coming in the future. I’ve spent my life in higher education in Ireland and abroad, always in the arena of the arts. I’ve kept up a twin track action as a composer, performer, recording
artist, etc. They’ve been separate but of course they
would overlap. The first half of my adult life was based in UCC in the music department there. Then it all happened again a second time in UL, it was
another album?
Of course, the whole industry has changed with the
collapse of the big record labels and the closing of
the shop and you have this massive problem with Spotify and iTunes where there’s virtually no financial kickback - all the royalty thing is just gone down the
concerts when I was at it full time, because there’s a lot of staying up till 4am writing!
in any direction. Some artists, me included, seem to be physiologically set up not to make choices because
you want everything and don’t want to leave anything go - maybe it’s a greed thing? Some people make the
choice and some people live at the cultural crossroads. So instead of being sensible and heading in one
direction and actually getting somewhere I would feel obliged to sit down.
allowed to pick, they’re odd and eccentric but they
meetings about graphics and then suddenly there’s an
album. That’s all different now. But on the other hand it’s so much easier now to put stuff up on the web and
you just need to put it up free of charge and get your stuff out there.
incredibly time consuming: it could take three months
extent that I wonder how I ever managed to perform
a rock group. It’s a strange mixture; I could have gone
week, you record, it comes out, there’s a big number of
up a sum of money, hires an orchestra, you go in for a
the rest of what I do is just coming up very naturally. them in a more detailed way, things like that, to the
my background. I was a 1960s adolescent and formed
I feel like a Burren flower. You know these unique
What I’m really interested in, now I have the time
I have free time to be able to plan concerts and do
and there was a small amount of traditional music in
tubes. So the day is gone where a record company puts
like having a second go at something. Now with the
higher education falling away like a booster rocket,
compositions?
to do it, is working with classical orchestras. It’s hard work to prepare for a two hour concert. But once
you’ve done that you can do the concert again infinite
times more or less. You can also do it with different orchestras because that’s the way the scene is set and everything is already written out.
flowers growing in between the rocks that we’re not have the beauty of eccentricity and the beauty of difference about them.
Before there was no way of playing traditional music
on the piano. I came under the influence of Sean Ó Riarda, a teacher who taught me in Cork. I wanted to play traditional music, I found there was a lot of it inside me already so there was a sense that I didn’t
really have to learn it, but discover it inside myself. But there was a mismatch between the music and
the instrument. It came out of that conflict; I had to make the piano sound Irish. When you think a bout it there’s jazz piano, early romantic piano, blues
piano and it’s exactly the same instrument but there are different ways of extracting sounds. The fiddle is another great example of an instrument the travels like a spaceship across cultures.
14
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
"I feel like a Burren flower. You know these unique fl owers growing in between the rocks that we’re not allowed to pick, they’re odd and eccentric bu t they have the beauty of eccentricity and the beauty of difference about them"
15
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Someone once reviewed a concert I did in Glasgow
What has been the highlight of your career or what
I’m also quite excited about touring with the Irish
had fallen into it. It was very clever and it was a good
When I started teaching in UCC in my early 20s
and they have an international reputation. I’ve always
and said I played the piano like a glass of Guiness
review, it could have been a bad one obviously. The style is slightly tipsy because traditional music has a
lift, it’s has what jazz musicians call swing. It’s the
quality in the music that makes you want to dance. It’s the basis for the Brian Friel’s play Dancing at Lughnasa.
Tell us a bit about your time at UL?
A particular point came 22 years ago when I had to
make the choice of heading up the music situation
at UCC or UL. I surprised a lot of people by picking Limerick because of course it was the younger university. But what I found was that it was a complete
start up situation in Limerick and music was new, UCC had been founded in the middle of the 19th
you consider to be your greatest achievement?
there wasn’t really any entry point for traditional
musicians, certainly dancers. There was no higher-
level education for dancers on the whole island. So by changing in the entrance procedures, which
To have the opportunity of working with the RTE
can remember a moment where it felt like pushing a rock up a hill, and you got so used to it you stopped
seeing if you were anywhere near the top. Suddenly you realise you’ve passed the top and now the stone is
rolling down the other side. We’ve been running after
it since and you think it can’t go on. But in 2016, there it is, still rolling.
jobs. Within European civil service culture you get
within two generations you have Chicago. Europe can sometimes be too weighed down by its history. I
found UL to be a very American place to work - in fact it was modelled on MIT, Massachusetts.
It just took off from there really, some amazing
I don’t understand the word; all I’m doing is shifting thrown out when you’re 65. But they start hiring you now at this stage in America, it’s exactly the opposite - they hire you because they say look this guy has
65 years experience. I’ve been involved with several American universities but don’t intend to get fully
involved in the same thing again. I’m very fortunate
that there is all the music to fill up any vacuum that might have been left from leaving UL.
Presidents and Vice Presidents and people were
What’s next for you?
something an awful lot and I’d get half of it and then
Orchestra of Ireland, who are amazing young classical
receptive to new ideas. I was famous for looking for apparently I’d go away with the half and about six
months later I’d be back myself looking for the other half. I wouldn’t realise this myself but one of the Vice
Presidents, John O’Connor, said that to me, he said
that’s what you do all the time. I think tenacity is the word.
Next year I’m doing a tour with the National Youth musicians. There’s a significant minority of them who
play traditional music very well like they’re bilingual, they’re bimusical. There’s something quite Irish about that being an option depending on your family
background: you might come from a traditional family but study classical and play the two of the
equally well. There are few players actually like that so it’s very valuable.
16
New York, probably in the autumn of 2017.
change people’s lives. Once that started to happen I
and on paper it is, that changed people’s lives. Rules
have to dismantle things if you want to change.
a one-street village and what they see is Chicago and
of mine in the States, staring with Carnegie Hall in
Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming retirement
What will retirement look like for you?
American culture thrives on that. Americans look at
been a big fan of their music. They’re touring a piece
sounds like a really boring bureaucratic thing to do,
Century and it had a very proud tradition in terms of music education. But with an older university you
Baroque Orchestra, IBO. They’re based out of Dublin
concert at the UCH?
Orchestra, 50 musicians of that calibre is quite
extraordinary. I’ve called the concert Elver Gleams which is the title of my most recent CD; it’s a
quote from Seamus Heaney. I’ve drawn together
a programme of different pieces of mine. There is several of the shorter 3-5 minute trad piano pieces
that I do but they’re scored for the full orchestra as well so there’s a big whack off them, a massive
bang. It’s very detailed work to be preparing for, it’s
a bit nervewracking. The brilliant Kathleen Turner
is going to bring along her gospel choir, it’s a quite
extraordinary international standard. My two sons, who are both singer/songwriters, are coming back to
sing in it. So I’m going to end with two pieces with them and I’m scoring them into the orchestra. They’re completely mad, the two of them.
Article by: Sarah Talty and Kayleigh Ziolo Photography by: Eoghan Lyons
Website Development Graphic Design Photography
FULL PACKAGES AVAILABLE INCLUDING CONTENT CREATION & COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY INVEST IN YOUR BUSINESS
WWW.FUSIONMEDIA.IE - INFO@FUSIONMEDIA.IE - 061-597627
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
W ir ed FM Marking 21 years of the student community station
Anyone who has studied in Limerick or is involved in
Speaking to Manager Ray Burke, he explains that
With around 150 volunteers passing through the
Wired FM. The community radio station officially
that of Spirit FM or UCC Radio. “It is and always has
rewards more than make up for that. As a community
Limerick’s music scene will have fond familiarity with came into existence way back in November 1995, the same year that community radio licences came into
existence themselves. They have recently applied for a ten year licence, so Wired FM is going to be around for probably several more decades to come.
the station has a community of interest status, akin to been produced by students, for students, and of course
as a community organisation we only enough money to keep things running. I’ve been with Wired myself for just over two years, though I’ve been involved in
community radio a lot longer, working with Dublin
South radio and others before. I had the opportunity to go into commercial radio when I graduated but I found my heart was very much with community radio.”
18
station each week, the work is hard, but Ray says the service, Wired FM works with a number of youth and
education groups in the city, including Youth Reach
and Enable Ireland. “It’s great to see the enthusiasm in older groups as well – we’ve been working with some senior citizens (though I’m not sure how happy
they would be about being called that!), and they have
a real interest in learning and producing with us, you get such a buzz from that.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
We also recently had a young woman from Enable
Ireland who produced a documentary for us about
her first year of independent living. To provide those opportunities for stories to be told, and to watch
students develop their skills, their confidence, even
friendships with one another, it’s a great thing to see.” Another aspect of the community that Wired FM
exists to serve is emerging musicians. “Of course, we’re not just here to provide opportunities to develop skills, we need to entertain too. At the end of the day
there is no point giving volunteers experience if we can’t draw in listeners. So our focus is very much
about music, about playing tracks you probably won’t
here anywhere else, and most of all supporting local bands and artists who are trying to break onto the
music scene. For those who have their first gig in Cobblestone’s or Dolans, making their music in their bedrooms before that, we are the first broadcaster they speak to, the first time they every go on air is with Wired FM. That’s an important moment in any
musician’s career and knowing they will be excitedly
sharing it on social media, and friends and relatives will all be tuning in, there’s something exciting about
that for us too. We hope it’s something they don’t ever forget either.”
To celebrate their past and present, Wired FM are
All present students, alumni, past and present
volunteers and everyone in the Limerick community will be invited to gain a fascinating insight into radio
broadcast and the work of those who are or have been
involved with Wired FM. Many of those who have
volunteered with us are still working to this day in broadcast radio or journalism, so it’s going to be great
holding a 21st anniversary celebration on 26th
to provide the chance for all those that have passed
event. They will be broadcasting live from the foyer,
get together.”
November, with a very special day and evening long
with a whole host of big media names set to descend
through or have some connection to come back and
The event will see the likes of Colm Tobin and Cian McCormac of RTE giving talks. “We want people to know that it’s not just for current students, there’s
going to be so much going on for anyone with any
interest in what we do and in radio and broadcast
as a whole. Plus it’s totally free, all you have to do is register as attending – we’re overwhelmed by the response we’ve had already and we can’t wait.” Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
on the city for informative talks and workshops.
19
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
interv i ew: Myles Breen Myles Breen is one of those wonderfully versatile acting talents whose instantly recognisable face could pop up anywhere. Whether its Fox Jaw’s recent video
for Hit it Off, pantomime, or writing and teaching
behind the scenes, it seems there is very little the man can’t turn his hand to. In a quiet corner of one of Limerick’s most iconic public houses, W.J Souths, I find Myles with coffee in hand working on
a laptop. Does he ever stop? “Well, things are quiet at the moment; it’s the quiet before the storm of panto. It’s been a busy few months, couple of years even, so I’m glad of a bit of downtime to attend to
things that have been left alone for a while.” Myles
has certainly been occupied over the past 24 months
or so – around this time last year his one man show, Language Unbecoming a Lady, had travelled to New York for the Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival. Did he
anticipate it would take off the way it did? “I wrote Language… in 2009, and it was initially just going to
be on for four nights during Limerick Pride - little did I know, the Lady got legs! That’s the exciting and
scary thing about what being an actor or a writer, you
never know where it will take you, you don’t know when you are doing it what makes something work. If we did we’d be doing that thing all the time!”
Another reason Myles’s name is so well known around
the locality is thanks to his father, Myles Breen Snr, and the pub that remains and still bears his name.
Though the family sold the pub back in the mid-80s,
Myles still goes back to see how the old gal is doing. “Not much has changed, reassuringly. They’ve done toilets the toilets up recently but that’s about it. ! I still
some of the old faces I remember from serving there when I was younger and starting out – my father was very good to us giving us work. I’m a small town boy
at heart - going around town with my mother takes ages, everyone knows her and a few know me too; it’s Myles in What Happened Bridgie Cleary, Bottom Dog Theatre
20
nice that people care.”
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Myles considers himself lucky that he has been able
That element of personal, and personality shines
That’s not to say that it is totally easier for everyone
Limerick. “I started off in Limerick as a child actor
great people here and feel lucky to be asked by them
more open – most of them don’t even see why it’s an
and shape his projects to his identity." I suppose I do,
people still face individual difficulties. Acceptance
started writing, it was something I fell into because I
support and speak out. I was honoured to be made
to do it myself. There’s a lesson in that about creating
Looking at how the festival itself has grown to be such
you ever know what’s around corner and bills have
to see. I even had old ladies coming up to me saying
was the Easter Bunny, oh I was Santa himself another
you think it wasn’t so long ago that these things
convincing myself there!
role models, which I hope I am too. It helps that the
That gave me enough of a boost to say to myself, yes,
"I believe nothing is wasted in terms of experience and
office with the likes of Senator David Norris or Mary
Dublin, including a stint on Fair City, Myles began
that feeds into the practical side of being a freelancer
it helps the young realise how far we’ve come and
business for nothing! I have to do accounts and
have another upcoming project which deals with
has helped. So yes I am in a good place, actors in
something that people often don’t speak of or know
but the bottom line is I have a real passion for what I
resonates with people."
that. It’s been an interesting ride so far and hopefully
Immediately on the horizon though is the pantomime.
to continue his professional career as an actor here in
and of course theatre was a very big part of our lives, with our mother dragging us to everything that was
showing here! Then I went to college in Cork to do a degree in commerce – I know, what can I say, it
was the 80s and the idea was to get a ‘proper job.’ I got very involved with the drama society at UCC, so
when I graduated I went to my parents and said: yes, about the degree… I don’t think I’ll be using that! So I moved to Cork to be an actor. I had made a few
contacts and the year before I had auditioned for a film. I was invited back and got the part, so that was
my first professional job, which doesn’t happen very
often (and hasn’t happened often enough since!). I think I can do this.” After some years of working in looking back to home.
“I had some local friends who were looking to start
up a company, so that’s where Island Theatre began and continue for a long time. I’ve been able to stay at
home and still do range of projects, it’s great to have best of both. Things have changed in that respect, now as an actor you don’t have to be in Dublin as there is
through in everything Myles does. "I worked some
now in society, even though the young are so much
too.” Does he feel in a good place to be able to choose
issue at all which is exactly how things should be, but
at this stage I just feel like, why not? That’s how I
still isn’t always a given so it is still important to offer
wanted to act in something that didn’t exist, so I had
Grand Marshal of Limerick Pride back in 2014.
opportunities. I’ve done my fair share of graft too, as
a big event for the whole community, that’s incredible
to be paid! So I’ve also been Santa’s Elf, one year I
'oh congratulations on being Grand Marshal!' When
time though that was a bit of a stretch, I wasn’t even
simply weren’t spoken about by most. There are more
more that those stories are told, whether it is in public
I’ve learned a lot from every job. Even the commerce,
Robinson or on stage and in writing and productions,
and an actor to some degree – they don’t call it show-
where we are going. Telling stories is what we do. I
marketing myself and all of that so that knowledge
grief and tragedy, which a taboo of a different kind -
Ireland have to have a sort of mix and match career,
how to deal with. I hope that will be something that
do and telling stories and there are lots of ways to do will stay interesting."
“This year we’re doing Beauty and the Beast at UCH
Language… there were lots of Limerick reference and
Another big part of Myles’s life is imparting
us. Can you believe I’ve been doing it every year in
an audience would get it. But authenticity translates.
Daughters of Charity as his day job, something
Showing my age I think. I love it though, it’s so much
a spokesperson for the LGBT community. “It wasn’t
different way. I don't know how much longer I have
in Ireland, and like many I found a sort of home in
And with that, I leave Myles to attend to his business.
so much work being made outside. I believe if work is
true to its roots it will go anywhere. For example with very Irish elements and you would wonder whether
It was amazing that people from other parts of world related to something that was in many ways very personal to me.”
and it’s the usual gang, plus Karl Spain is joining
knowledge and experience, teaching drama with
succession now for the past twenty. TWENTY years!
which he finds very rewarding. He is also noted as
fun as you get to interact with the audience in a whole
always easy for gay people when I was growing up
left hopefully I’ll be doing it for a few more years yet!
the creative community, which has always been more
There’s no business like it.
accepting of everyone and their differences.
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
21
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e li merick magazine
Music
Limerick Music Review: Hammy and the Pilgrims
Limerick four-piece Hammy and the Pilgrim burst onto the music scene in September as a hugely successful opening act for Le Gallaxie. The blues rock band comprises of
Shane Ryan on drums, Liam McMahon on bass and Wesley Carmody and Patrick Kearns on electric guitars. They launched their self-titled three-song EP shortly after the gig and are quickly gaining traction.
The EP opens with Whatever This Is, a laidback song with clear, mellow vocals and story-telling lyrics. Slow guitar solos create a summer vibe, vaguely reminiscent of Elbow. This leads into Buckle Down Tease, more of a classic rock anthem with blues vocals, influenced by Jimi Hendrix. The EP finishes on earworm ‘Hey Girl’, which has more of a rock’n’roll vibe that you can’t help but tap your feet along to. These three chilled songs make for easy listening, and show huge potential.
Overall, the EP combines diverse genres to excellent effect, with chilled melodies evocative of Depeche Mode at their best. The band are incredibly musically-accomplished for
a debut single, and as they have already reached Number 2 in the Irish iTunes Blues album chart, one can expect to hear a lot more from Hammy and the Pilgrim. I for one eagerly await their future endeavours. Article By: Laura Duhan
22
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
L IME RI CK M us ic New Release Roundup
Parliament Square
Slow Riot
The return of these Limerick rockers has been a long-awaited one and a worthwhile
With the success of their previous 2016 release Trophy Wife, Slow Riot had a
As I Have
wait it was, as proven by their most recent track As I Have. This upbeat and full
track is a prime example of Limerick's rock music scene that is, without a doubt, still alive and kicking. Think Bowie and Muse together on a futuristic crash of sound
and infectious songwriting, all combined to create a solid debut track in the return of Parliament Square. Following their album launch in early October, Parliament
Square have successfully maintained our faith as both talented musicians and a promising band for Limerick's ever-growing music scene.
Absent Dreams
lot to live up to. It was hard to imagine a band achieving and defeating their best
in the space of a few months. Slow Riot's rapid development however, is not the only impressive aspect of this young band. There's maturity in their words, a vast knowledge of both the music world and their own personal sound. Absent Dreams
further showcases Slow Riot's attention to detail and fearless experimentation as
the delve deeper into their influences and inspirations to achieve a slightly altered, slightly improved, but definitely different sound from that of Trophy Wife. Slow Riot's newest EP Cathedral was released on 23rd October.
Windings
Fox Jaw
Great things expected, great things delivered: Windings continue and will forever
After the release of their new EP, Black Light Vignette, Fox Jaw have shown
Ambivalence Blues
continue to be leaders in the world of musical exploration and experimentation, not
only in Limerick, but across Ireland and the rest of the globe. There's simply no visible
end to the masses of talent hidden in this band. The one evident flaw was my struggle to choose one single song to represent an entire album of pure genius. Ambivalence Blues is simply a gateway to Be Honest and Fear Not. The whopping seven and a half minute track is a lament to both nostalgia and euphoric despair as the almost uplifting melodies work as a stark contrast to the bleakest of lyrics. To pick simply one song is
an unfair judgment of the album as a whole, but to review the entire album would be to take up the entire November issue.
Weakness
nothing but sheer artistic variance in their newest tracks. Weakness is both an eerie and tense track enhanced further by its slow, percussion-soaked vocals and
lulling, intoxicating rhythm. The vocals alone are strong and effective, impacting
the listener even before they take into account the skillful songwriting and lyrics involved. Weakness is a powerful, spine-chilling tune that successfully sets up an equally impressive EP.
Article by: Christine Costello
23
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e li merick magazine
Fashion Natalie King
A member of this new wave of designers is Natalie
Natalie King’s brand is the perfect example of the
Clare-native returned back home to set up her own
emerge throughout Ireland. The clean and interesting
King. After spending seven years in the UK, the label, Natalie King Designs.
Natalie grew up around fashion and clothes making,
“Both of my grandmothers were really into fashion.
comes to designing is the quality of the fabrics. “I have
fashion, but also around business. “Entrepreneurship is in our family. My parents have a company, my
uncle has a company, my other aunt and uncle have a company so when you grow up around it you’re so used to being around that and you see the drive and
the ambition it takes to come up with ideas and run a successful business.”
which were based abroad. Now there is a new wave
of young, talented and driven designers appearing
throughout the country, many of which are staying in Ireland or else returning to Ireland after witnessing the beginning of this evolution.
24
the Irish fashion industry has become.
Brown Thomas twice a year and buy two amazing
always around.” Not only did she grow up around
of very well-known designers from Ireland, most of
innovative patterns really show how contemporary
While these are some of the stand-out features of
suits than buy cheaper stuff. So it was kind of just
industry. In previous years there were only a handful
cuts that are featured in her designs as well as the
One was a really good seamstress; she was really particular. The other would rather go to Dublin to
There has been an evolution in the Irish fashion
new edgy and innovative design that has started to
After studying in UCA, Natalie spent seven years
working in London for brands like Roksanda, Ilinic, Betty Jackson, Erdem, Diesel and Dolce & Gabbana
Natalie’s clothes, the main thing for her when it
a big emphasis on good quality fabrics. That’s kind of a thing for me. Everything is really good quality whether it’s leather or silks. I don’t use anything that
isn’t 100% silk if that’s the type of fabric it is.” Even
where she sources the fabrics is pretty interesting: “The mills that I get fabrics from are based in Italy
and France. One of them for instance, the one I’m wearing now, is from Hermes – they have a company that produce fabrics to sell wholesale to the market so
it would be from that level so I am really particular about that.”
where she learned about all aspects of fashion design
So where does Natalie draw her all of her inspiration
production side. This experience led to her to be able
story?" and I kind of do but in the industry you have
from the technical side to the design side to the
to move back to Ireland and set up her fashion label in 2014.
from? “Everyone is like “oh do you think up this big to go to Premier Vision.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
25
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE It’s a massive trade show and it has all the forecasting. So you have to be aware of what is coming. They have colours, fabrics, everything. You can take on board as little or as much as you want but you need to be aware
of it otherwise you’re going to be so way out left field that you’ll never sell to a boutique. Once I’ve looked at that I’ll marry the theme I have in mind myself and then start working from there.”
Despite designing being a fun and creative process, any entrepreneur will know that starting up your own
company, especially at a young age, is far from easy. With all of the travelling, production costs, admin and
promotion that’s involved (and that’s before creating any pieces), it’s not a walk in the park.
Natalie believes that one of the biggest aspects of the industry that could be improved upon is the financial
side of designing. While there is financial aid given to companies that are just starting out, there are very few
fashion experts out there who are giving out loans. This can lead to some pretty awkward situations: “You’re trying to explain to a bank manager and enterprise boards what it is you do and they aren’t really getting it because it’s seasonal, it’s not like a
normal business where you just go and sell products
every day. You’re selling a collection each season so the cash flow is completely different.
That side of it needs to improve a lot. And there
definitely needs to be mentoring. It’s quite difficult unless one of the bigger names are willing to mentor
you or you head over and back to London to get mentoring from there.”
26
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE With that being said, over the last few years the industry has grown
by leaps and bounds with designers like Natalie King, among others, paving the way for aspiring designers. “The good thing about the
brands over here is that they’re smaller so you’ll get to do more… [they] would probably bring you more places and give you a bit more experience. You’ll be brought to more meetings and you’ll get experience in an all-round way whereas in London, in my first internship, I felt like a glorified courier.”
Natalie King is living proof of the type of incredible talent that
our little island has to offer. Natalie has had her fair share of career highlights already since starting up her business just over two years ago. She considers one of her career highlights so far to be The
VIP Style Awards back in May 2016. The Irish awards show saw the likes of Conor McGregor, Vogue Williams and Roz Purcell in
attendance as well as Aoibhin Garrihy and Maria Walsh who arrived showcasing some of Natalie’s designs. “Aoibhin Garrihy is great and Maria Walsh of course. She wears a ton of my clothes and is always singing my praises.”
Natalie is still experiencing the beginnings of what is bound to
be a long and successful career. She still has plenty more tricks up her clean cut sleeves and has a countless number of goals set for
both herself personally and for her label. Who would she like to see wearing her clothes in the future? “I love real kick-ass girls who
have something to say, not the typical people. I love Mindy Kaling, Lena Dunham, Jemima Kirke and all those kind of people; I think
they’re just cool. I’d love them to wear my clothes because I just really identify with them as women.”
As for her goals for Natalie King Designs, it seems like we may see
them being achieved sooner than you think. “At the moment I’ve
been speaking to some companies in the UK, we want to expand out into Europe and the States as we have contacts in LA and New York
as well. We’re working on both of those sides so that’ll probably take
another year or two anyway but it’s good to get a start. We just want to expand and get outside Ireland and get selling.” Article by: Sophie Butler
Photography by: Tarmo Tulit, Portrait Eamonn O Mahony, Fashion
27
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e li merick magazine
Fashion Baby, it’s cold outside!
A good winter coat is a vital investment, particularly here in Ireland where we
can expect to be wearing it until at least
the following May. A warm, stylish
Floral Embroidered Long Coat from River Island -
Classic Puffer Jacket in Yellow from Next - €111.00
The cosy wool-blend coat will be the icing on the cake of
This jacket, especially its colour would really look
into the coat is stunning and gives it a little something
scarf combo. Next are known for their great quality
€125.00
any chilly day outfit and the floral detailing embroidered
extra. It’s also got quite a slouchy feel to it, giving the coat that stylish oversized look.
transitional coat is the ultimate holy grail
lovely with a wine or dark burgundy coloured hat ad
clothing and this jacket will certainly live up to that. Making an investment in a coat is always a great
decision, especially when it’s something like this puffer that is sure to make its home in your wardrobe as a firm
– luckily there are plenty of options to be
favourite for years to come.
found on the high street.
We have picked out five gorgeous, cosy, fashionable coats that would each be a
great addition to your winter wardrobe. From bombers to faux fur, here are our top picks.
Satin Floral Bomber Jacket from H&M - €39.99
Perfect for those ‘unseasonably warm’ days or to top off
your outfit for a night out, pop this over a grey hoodie or sweater, ripped black jeans, a pair of biker boots and a slouchy woolly beanie hat and be effortlessly on trend.
Parka Jacket with Faux Leather Sleeves from H&M - €49.99
The parka jacket is another classic that just never seems to go out of style. And this biker-style parka
from H&M with faux leather sleeves adds a bit more of an edge. Like the bomber, parkas aren’t always
the warmest jacket so this would be perfect for early
spring when the weather starts to pick back up but still aren’t quite warm enough to ditch the layers altogether. Bonus Item - Rain Jacket from H&M - €69.99
We just couldn’t pass this adorable raincoat from H&M. Heaven knows that the Irish are the most unprepared
when it comes to wet weather even though we see rain
28
at least once a week. Be prepared for whatever Mother
Faux Fur Leopard Print Coat from Topshop -
that comes in either baby pink or white. Team this with
If you’re worried that you’ll look like Bette Lynch
more soggy days or with converse and a slouchy beanie
Team this coat with your favourite LBD, or cigarette
Nature may throw at you with this gorgeous rain mac
€125.00
a pair of cute ankle rain boots and a bobble hat for the
reincarnated, keeping the rest simple is the key!
on days that could go either way.
trousers and brogues and you’ll be on to a winner.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e l i merick magazine
Fashion
Limited edition Seoid í n neck piece for Rape Crisis Midwest The organisation provides support and counselling to
men and women who were sexually abused as children
or have recently been raped or sexually assaulted. In addition to these services, there is also a provision of
Garda and Court accompaniment as well as training and education programmes.
Maureen has chosen to exclusively design a specially
commissioned, gorgeous sterling silver necklace to raise funds for Rape Crisis Midwest. All profits from the sales of this beautiful neck piece will go directly
to the organisation to help in further improving their support system. This classic piece will be available in
Limerick’s Seoidín store on Thomas Street for one day
only on Saturday the 12th of November. If you can’t make it there then, the piece can also be purchased in advance on Rape Crisis Midwest’s online store.
Seoidín Retail Jewellers are located in Ennis, Limerick and Dublin and also online. When
designing, Maureen considers all styles and types of
women and she has now created over 3000 various designs that are made to last. Maureen says: “When a
person gets a piece of good jewellery as a present, that piece is to last a life time, for the sentimental value of
it if nothing else. So my designs really are different, A stunning new piece of jewellery has been designed by Maureen Harrison with all proceeds going towards the fight against sexual violence
Internationally recognised designer Maureen Harrison has been designing beautiful handmade jewellery for over
20 years. Maureen has been designing and making her Seoidín Jewellery range since opening her first store in 1996. Seoidín Jewellery is all handmade using gold, silver, gold fill and semi-precious stones to bring her designs to life.
Rape Crisis Midwest is a regional organisation serving Limerick, Clare and Tipperary, that has provided support
good quality, classic and attractive”. Every piece in the store has clearly been made with care and attention to detail and their timeless designs will certainly stand the test of time.
Price €49.99. Pre-order the design at www.rapecrisis.ie/ products.html/Products-to-buy/seoid-n-jewellery.
and a wide range of service to thousands of people since 1980.
29
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e li merick magazine
Men's Fashion Top 5 must-haves for your Winter Wardrobe
With the winter chill well and truly here it’s time to liven up that winter wardrobe. Here are five must have items for your casual collection that will see you through the cold spell right into spring.
Roll Neck Sweaters
Copper
This cable roll neck sweater from Next is the perfect
runway show was copper, bringing an earthy and
Roll Neck Sweaters are most definitely in this winter. style and colour for those cold frosty days.
Amidst the palette of dark and earthy tones on every warm orangey-brown tone to the A/W16 wardrobe. This quilted jacket from Zara is the perfect colour to brighten up dark wintery shades.
Bobble Hats
Hats - you have to have at least one. Bobble hats are
the go to where casual and warm wardrobe items are concerned - they are made from a thicker material
than your standard Beanie, which makes them the ideal winter hat. Brown and tan-coloured Bobble hats are a great choice, as these tones will blend with those
autumnal outfits. This Merc Croydon brown and
burgundy Bobble hat from Smiths Fashion UK ticks
all the right boxes and can be teamed up with almost every colour in your winter wardrobe. Article By: Amanda Flannery
Tartan
Them Denim Feels
is no different with the popular pattern choice here to
seasons. For the season that’s in it these Levi’s ‘511’
Tartan never really goes out of fashion, and this winter stay. This grey checked tartan scarf from New Look
is the perfect classical look to keep warm heading out on those frosty mornings.
30
Denim is something that can be carried through all Slim Fit Grey (Light Black) Ripped Jeans are a definite wardrobe essential.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
31
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e l i merick magazine
Beauty Winter skincare
It can be hard to know which way to turn when transitioning from your
summer skincare routine of light BB creams and SPF’s into a regime
that will protect and have your skin looking gorgeous come wind, rain or snow this winter. Here are some of the top products that you should
be using this season to make sure your skin doesn’t come down with the winter blues.
Face Wash
One we love: Philosophy’s ‘Purity Made Simple’ 3-in-1 cleanser Most face washes contain a lot of soap and while this is great for the summer when you want to wash off excess oil and dirt, but during the winter months these face washes can do more harm than good, disrupting the natural PH of your skin.
This product is really great for cleansing your face gently but effectively. It removes
dirt and makeup and tones and moisturises all at the same time. The creamy liquid emulsifies oils and makeup without drying out your skin. Boots €11.00.
Lip Care
One we love: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Lip Repair Balm While you might think to reach for a tin of Vaseline, petroleum jelly based lip balms
really just sit on top of the lips and are only effective if you’ve moisturised your lips sufficiently as they lock in moisture rather than adding it.
The Eight Hour lip balm will leave your lips feeling healed, healthy and happy almost straight away. It is extremely conditioning and the more you use it, the more gorgeous
your lips will be. Available from most department stores and pharmacies from €20.00 - €25.00.
32
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Moisturising Serum
Toner
Serums are amazing for adding that extra boost of moisture before applying
This toner is fantastic for winter time. It tones your skin, removing any last traces
needing a bit of love after a day out in the cold, harsh winter weather.
clean and ready for your next steps. The key in this toner is that it is alcohol free
One we love: Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum
your usual cream moisturiser and can be an almost instantaneous fix for skin
This serum is absolutely amazing for all skin types. The velvety texture makes it apply beautifully and soak right in to your skin without an oily-feeling residue
One we love: No.7 Soft & Soothed Gentle Toner
of makeup and dirt that might still be clinging to your skin, leaving it squeaky which is the ingredient that can cause that tight feeling you can get from a lot of toners. Boots €11.00.
leftover. It gives the type of moisturising that feels like it’s reaching down to the deepest layers of your skin. It’s also great for sensitive skin, soothing and refreshing as it moisturises. Available from most pharmacies at €25.00.
Body Wash
One we love: Simple Nourishing Shower Cream Hot showers can strip the natural oils off your skin, making it feel dry and sore. So, turn down the heat dial on your shower – we know it’s hard - and do a bit of Cream moisturiser
shopping around for a body wash that will keep your skin moisturised and soft
One we love: La Roche-Posay Hydreane Riche
throughout the season.
Thicker, heavier moisturisers are ideal as they’ll provide longer lasting moisture
This particular wash is soap free and contains chamomile oil which will calm any
worth spending a little bit more money for that extra bit of quality.
pharmacies and supermarkets for less than €2.00.
while adding a layer of protection against harsh winds and coldness. It’s also
pre-existing skin irritations that are already on your skin. Available from most
Though the 40ml tube might look a bit on the small side, a little really does go a long way. La Roche-Posay are known for their high quality products that are specialised for sensitive skin. The rich consistency is great for applying just
before bed as the cream will continue to soak in and hydrate your skin overnight. Available from most pharmacies for around €16.00.
Body Moisturiser
One we love: Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter Lotion This product is a really good all-rounder, it smells great, feels great and moisturises
great. The buttery texture melts into the skin as it warms up and leaves your skin
feeling supple and healthy. For best results, use this product at night before bed and let it work its magic as you sleep. €15.00. Article by: Ali Molloy
33
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
O P I N ION ‘Feminist’ Adverts Trend jumping or turning tide?
The cynicism is compounded when brands don’t
exactly practice what they preach. H&M’s 'Ladylike'
ad campaign is probably one of the most strongly diverse campaigns there has ever been – with muscular women, hairy women, trans women, tattoos
and all kinds of individuality featured - but they have been criticised for using suppliers that actively exploit women; hardly feminism in action. Vogue have recently produced a ‘non-model’ special, but that’s
all it is, a one off, paying lip service to the demand for diverse beauty without really having to change as
a brand, back to business as usual next issue. Those
gestures don’t address the constant drip-effect that has been psychologically proven to alter people’s perception of acceptable body norms. Advertising is reaching us more frequently and in more ways than ever before, so it’s even more important that
What is also slightly galling is that so many of these
long been a contentious issue in advertising and media, and there are signs that companies are finally starting to
this - like they are leading a movement, educating
the people behind the brands consider the messages they are drip feeding. Body image and gender perception has
brands seem to be self-congratulatory about all
address those long held concerns. But is it a permanent shift, or should we be suspicious of bandwagon-jumping?
the masses on what so-called real women ‘really yes
It began in recent years most notably with the Dove campaign, the use of real women (whatever that is supposed
amiright ladies and gents?!’ Never mind that actually
statement, yet the use of the term real may have caused more debate as to who decides what makes a woman ‘real’
consumers and observers have been screaming at
really look like and hey that should be celebrated,
to mean) instead of the standard model dimensions we’ve become accustomed to. It was on the surface a positive
they are only at last starting to catch up with what
or not.
them for years as they flick dishearteningly through
The slew of adverts celebrating women in all their guises is the sign of an Improvement of Things, however it can
esteem destruction. The time to start undoing some
being deemed as something fresh that all the young people are talking about (rather than, say, a vital political and
more before congratulations are really earned.
be difficult to not be cynical about the timing and execution of these types of adverts. With feminism somehow social movement that’s been evolving for many, many decades) there does seem to be an element of media and
marketers opportunistically capitalising on something topical. Fair enough, that’s their job after all. But as so many
of the issues around body image have been actually created by certain corners of the media and marketing industry, it can feel a little bit irksome.
34
TV channels and magazine pages devoted to selfwrongs was long passed and it’s going to take a lot
Parking the cynicism for a moment, the fact remains brands aren’t
just faceless entities. Humans work for them, and as new generations
come through they shape the organisations they work for and are able to push broader beauty ideals to the diverse audiences they personally
identify with. The unfortunate truth is those individuals cannot influence every aspect of the way the business is run, but if they are enacting positive change in the areas they can reach, that is to be respected and applauded.
So let’s respond by saying ‘More, please!’ And tell them it must start
early on, too. Child-facing brands underestimate how their toys and goods are marketed to genders at their peril. I have to admit, as a
mother of a young girl and despite my cynical tendencies, I have
welled up at Disney’s Dream Big Princess ad campaign, soundtracked by emotional manipulation-masters The Script’s Hall of Fame. Yes it’s
an obvious heartstring pulling ploy, but if it serves to inspire children
to see their Disney princesses as braver, more diverse role models
rather than just girls in impractical dresses waiting for their ‘prince’, perhaps we should be a little less cynical and embrace the positive
changes we are seeing in advertising as a whole? To add to that mix maybe we should have a few more aimed at young boys showing them
in nurturing, emotion-led roles instead of expecting them to always play the tough hero. What we are seeing are small steps, but at least they are heading in the right direction.
I’m choosing to end optimistically. Keep a healthy dose of cynicism at
all times, but let’s embrace the changes and hope we can start to see advertising aimed at the diversity and complexity within all genders all
of the time as a norm, rather than as a click-generating talking point. With all our advances in communications and technology allowing us
more connections, perhaps advertising truly is becoming more human. Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
stud e nt P ro file Vicky Enright When did you first become interested in drawing and painting?
For as long as I can remember I’ve always been drawing. I remember drawings loads of Disney
cartoons and at one stage actually wanted to be an artist for Disney! Wishful thinking! For as long I can think of I’ve always been drawing and doodling. I didn’t get into painting until second year in secondary and fell in love with it then.
What drew you to Limerick School of Art and Design?
Since I was little I was always told "you'll be going to
the art college" and so I just aimed for it. I didn’t see
why I wouldn’t want to go to the college. It seemed like the perfect place for me, and now that I’m in my last year there studying painting, it’s crazy how much I feel at home there. Even in secondary school
I would go to every open day or any portfolio day, just to get in the door of the college! By the time I
got accepted into first year the building didn’t seem as
alien or intimidating because I had been in there so many times before. Vicky Enright is a Limerick native and a fourth year student at Limerick School of Art and Design. She recently won a competition to design a life-size baby elephant statue as part of the Elephant Parade in aid of Asian
elephant conservation. The statue is currently touring Europe and will be auctioned off for charity at the end of its journey. We spoke to Vicky about her achievement and what it’s like to be an up-and-coming artist in Limerick.
What do you think of the art and cultural movement in Limerick?
So far I think it’s great that there are so many opportunities in Limerick for artists, especially since the 2020 bid. Artists are a lot freer to express
themselves and get involved with our city and the buildings around it. We have welcomed so many
artists into the city within the last few years and I think it’s great to find so many nooks and crannies
covered with murals and artwork. It brightens up the city and adds character.
36
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Had you won art competitions before entering the
It's a very interesting, varied design. Where did you
I used to enter loads of local-based colouring
I had recently got into zentangle and mandala designs
Elephant Parade?
competitions or drawing competitions in school. At
one stage I designed the Christmas card for Salesians [Secondary School] every year. I entered loads of competitions throughout the years and always came first or runner-up in them.
How did you hear about the Elephant Parade?
For my nineteenth birthday I received the Art Box elephant from Carraig Donn. The idea was to enter
to win the chance to get a life-size elephant to paint
to tour in 2016. Unfortunately, my elephant didn’t win that time but was acknowledged in the entries. I
looked into the website and found a section on how to
become an artist in the parade - a different section to the competition - so I entered my design. At the time the competition was for the current parade in Taiwan and unfortunately they couldn’t send the big elephant
sculpture to Ireland. They said they would keep my
"Milly" drawing on file thanked me for my input. Long story short, a whole year later I received an email
from an art director Freya Somers who offered me the chance to have my design in an upcoming European
Parade. Of course I was over the moon and couldn’t believe it! It didn’t sink in until I started talking to
her more. I was first sent a small scale 20cm blank elephant onto which I had to transfer my design from
get the inspiration for it?
and thought it would be a cool pattern on such a large scale piece. Little did I know that there’s a huge difference between drawing on a page and trying to reproduce the same design on a 3D curved surface.
How long did it take you to paint the life-sized version of Milly?
I had about a month to paint her but got it done within the space of three weeks. That involved making circle stencils to work from and a lot of drawing before I even started painting.
Where can our readers buy some of your art and support you as an artist?
I have my own Facebook page dedicated to my art which is called "Artwork by Vicky" and an Instagram
page of the same name, which is where I mainly promote and show my work. My work is always available for viewers online and prints of my work will be available to buy soon. A lot of my work is
promoted through word of mouth too. Anyone that
knows me knows what kind of work I do and what I
in your own work and the more effort put in the
it was only then I realised that I was being sent the
life-size version of 5ft by 6ft! I was laughing so much
out of shock as it was going to be so big! I was only expecting a medium-scale elephant; it was practically a real life baby elephant!
artist and that is what I hope to achieve and work
towards after college. Limerick has a great tattoo
scene and is well known for it too - I can’t wait to be part of it.
Article by: Laura Duhan
meet loads of new people.
then received an email confirming the details for the be about 3ft high, but when I properly measured it out
world. It’s been a lifelong dream to become a tattoo
I also do face-painting which is fun and lets me get to
What advice would you give to aspiring artists?
large-scale elephant which I originally thought would
After college I hope to still be involved in the art
am capable of doing. As well as drawing and painting,
my drawings, which would then have to be sent back
to the Netherlands to be reproduced for replicas. I
What are your plans for the future?
Keep at it! No matter what, you need to be confident better the result. Practice and support from family
and friends really boosts your confidence too. If it wasn’t for my family and friends being so supportive
of me, I wouldn’t be where I am now when it comes to art. It’s a way of life for me and I can’t image myself without it.
37
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e li me rick magazine
Food &Drink The Wine Gurus guide to the perfect wine gift
Attention all wine lovers: I come bearing good news.
The Wine Gurus range is currently establishing a
They even managed to employ two of Spain’s top
producer, Casa Rojo, aka The Wine Gurus, is now
of special gift boxes and wine box sets will be made
labels for their wines which certainly add to their
Spain’s most prestigious, and creative top quality wine available in Limerick for your enjoyment. The Wine Gurus represent the top wine growers from each
of their regions of Spain that include Rias Baixos, Rueda, Cava, Jumilla, Priorat and the most famous Ribera Del Duero.
route to market within the on-trade and offerings
available through selected outlets. Their ethos will be to continue to strive in providing top quality wines
that are innovative, creative, fun and unique for us all to enjoy. With this philosophy in mind, the quality
of the wines are top notch and their presentation is
simply unprecedented with each wine having its own unique character and story to tell.
38
internationally well-known illustrators to design the overall appeal.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
If you’re looking for something a little different to give to a fellow wine enthusiast, or want to treat your
guests (and yourself ) at a festive dinner party you are holding, you would do well to check out this fine gift pack by Punk Farm.
The set contains the Moltó Negre Brut Cava (DO
Cava Vilafranca del Penedés.) – it’s a cava with
fine and consistent bubbles, a touch of brioche and
pleasant Mediterranean acidity. It is also rebellious, unique, different, and definitely, the new Black Sheep in the universe of sparkling wines.
Meanwhile the Ribera del Duero red wine has been
awarded +93 points by Gilbert & Gaillard for the best red wine of Spain. An explosion of fruit combined with an aging of 20 months in French oak. It also
The Wine Gurus are at a level that can consistently
Our own wine guru Douglas Murray can be contacted
corkscrew and a cava block stopper.
sense, but that push the boundaries of expectation in
doug@premiumwineslimited.ie
The proof is certainly in the pudding as they say, so
ambitious and are constantly looking at innovative
taste even better. Without doubt it’s a fantastic
separates them from the norm.
premium wine offering not too dissimilar to what is
Salud!
beer producers, who have been very successful in
Article by: Douglas Murray
comes with two red wine glasses, two cava glasses, a
not only do the wines on offer look great but they
opportunity for those who are looking to provide a currently being offered by the gin, whiskey and craft
provide wines that are not typical in the classical
their quality and presentation. They are vibrant and
through Premium Wines via email -
ways to establish themselves in a unique sense that
providing a diverse range of options that continue to satisfy their customer’s tastes and expectations.
39
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
The Texas Steakout, located in the basement of 116 O’Connell Street, first opened its doors in 1989 and has established itself as a staple restaurant in Limerick’s dining circles ever since. Don’t let the name put you off, the Steakout isn’t just for meat lovers, they also offer a wide variety of
40
vegetarian, chicken and Mexican dishes, among others. Head chef at the Texas Steakout Stuart Ross is certainly passionate about continuing on the success of the restaurant, made easy by his passion and love for food.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
T h e l i merick magazine
Food &Drink Stuart Ross - TEXAS STEAKOUT
How long have you been a chef? 35 years.
Where did you learn your craft?
My first job was a summer job in a small restaurant called Ted’s here in Limerick, which as it happens
is now reopened under new management. I started
on wash up and by the end of the summer I was in uniform and training to be a chef. After a year there
How do you cope with kitchen pressure?
What is your signature/favourite dish to make at
only comes with experience and I think that's why a
At work every now and again I treat myself to one
Dealing with the pressure of a fast paced hot kitchen lot of chef don't last the course. You can be a great cook but if you can't handle the pressure a professional
kitchen is no place for you. In saying that it’s all about good preparation, having all the groundwork done
before service, plus having a good confident team
work and at home?
of our succulent fillet steaks with some king prawns
cook in garlic butter better known as Surf and Turf. I spend a lot of time at work so anything that's handed up to me at home I appreciate.
around you helps, which I have.
What dish or cuisine do you most like to be cooked
formal training and spent two years there in what was
How would you sum up dining at the Texas
Honestly I like all types of cuisine I don't have any
I headed to the bright lights of London for a couple
Fun, Casual, Friendly Service, and Great Food.
I applied for a college course in Galway to get some then the RTC and is now GMIT Galway. From there
more years hopping from job to job gaining different culinary experiences. Then it was back to Limerick working in local hotels and restaurants.
How have you developed your approach to cooking? It’s simple really; the cooking is the easy part. The
most important thing I find is getting good quality ingredients. If you can source reliable, consistent
suppliers, that’s half the battle - if you can get that right then there are no excuses.
Do you have any career idols/role models in the chef profession?
I really admire Heston Blumenthal for his creativity
and the way he brings food science in to his dishes.
Steakout?
for you?
particular favourite. As long as some TLC went into it I'll be happy.
How have you developed Texas Steakout dishes,
Current favourite ingredient?
The best way I find to develop dishes is from customer
dabbling with the super food group such as soups
any future developments on the horizon?
feedback, the only way that can be achieved is through good relationships between front of house
and the kitchen. We have that here in the Steakout; the floor staff will liaise with the chefs as to whether the customers like a dish or not and which are the
At the moment I'm on a bit of a health kick so I'm with beans and lentils, salads with beets, kale and quinoa and adding chia, flax seeds and berries to my
breakfast in the mornings. Any ingredients that are in season are always the best.
most popular and we build or menu's around that
Ultimate culinary guilty pleasure?
Future developments are getting prepared for the busy
children (only as a treat, kids).
information.
Christmas and New Year period. We'll take stock in January for the year ahead.
A large pepperoni pizza at the weekends with my
Article by: Sarah Talty
Photograpphy by: Tarmo Tulit
He gives it the ‘wow’ factor.
41
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
H om e a nd lifes t y l e Office pick-me-ups Motivating yourself to work when
you mainly sit at a desk all day can sometimes be difficult. The days are
shorter and it’s freezing outside, which makes the daily commute to work and
Block
Desk one drawer
€12.45
€199
Dotcomgiftshop This colourful calendar block is a cheerful way of counting down the days.
sitting at your desk 9-5 that little bit
Harvey Norman
Add a splash of colour to your workspace with this
sturdy desk, which comes in five vibrantly coloured
drawer front options. It’s also convenient if you only need a small desk.
harder. Here at TLM we understand, so we’ve come up with a few nice
things you can get to make your desk that bit more attractive.
Fancy lamp
Desk two drawers
€48.50
€249
Designist
This fully-adjustable lamp is perfect for adding a
touch of elegance to your desk. It’s also the perfect study lamp, allowing you to direct light wherever you need to.
This desk is a bit bigger as it comes with two drawers
but it has the same five colour options, including plain white.
Cactus
Flask
€5
€35
Tiger Stores If like me you’re capable of killing even a cactus, these fake ones are great for tricking people into thinking you’ve got a green thumb.
Designist This thermo pot is perfect for an office lunch or
breakfast, for those trying to eat on the go, as it keeps your food hot for five hours.
Crayons
Globe
€4.95
€99
Dotcomgiftshop Mindfullness colouring is taking the world by storm, finally it’s acceptable for adults to colour and is even encouraged! This giant pencil holder will bring you
back to your childhood, when there was a constant silent battle over who had the best pencil case.
42
Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman Inspire your next trip or indulge in your wanderlust with this exciting LED lit globe.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Lamp
Pretty notebook
€4.95
€1.95
Dotcomgiftshop This cute little red lamp is perfect for when you’re reading late into the evening. It also doubles as a table lamp and book lamp!
Dotcomgiftshop These serve as very cute notebooks for to-do lists but also add a floral touch to your desk.
Tape
Rubber
€1
€2
Tiger Stores This lively tape dispenser is great way to add colour to your desk top.
Tiger Stores This whimsical rubber is a perfect reminder that we all make mistakes, sometimes giant ones.
Light bulb lamp
Storagebox
€60
€3
Designist
Doesn’t this table lamp remind you of Thomas Edison? Hopefully this unique lamp will inspire
you to be as creative as the inventor, but your desk instantly looks like more of a creative space just by having it.
Tiger Stores Cheap and cheerful, this box is great for tidying your desk and storing any messy papers out of the way. Article by: Sarah Talty
Paperclips Designist €4
These cute colourful paperclips will brighten up any
boring paperwork you have lying around your desk, and if not at least they’ll hopefully make you feel more cheerful about tackling it.
43
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Can you tell us a bit about your background?
te chnology
I served my hospitality apprenticeship in Adare
working in the Woodlands House Hotel, Dunraven Arms Hotel and Aunty Lena’s Bar before deciding to
broaden my experiences by moving to Birmingham. There I managed a pub owned by the JD Wetherspoon chain. In 2000 I returned and opened Scoby’s Bar
Nightfinder App
in Hospital. We have been trading successfully for
16 years now, so I feel I have a good idea of what hospitality businesses want, and indeed need to do to
progress and promote their businesses, particularly
now in the ever changing post-recession environment. How did the idea for Nightfinder Limerick come about?
I noticed that a lot of hospitality websites were out-
dated and very static. So I set about building a site and app incorporating all the best features from those already out there, whilst adding an interactive
twist. I also felt that some hospitality businesses were ignoring their mission statements and bypassing the personal touches that make us so successful. I guess you can say NightFinder is a platform for matching a
business with its target customer, and a customer with the perfect business, and encouraging interaction and direct communication between the two. What constitutes a 'good night out'?
I believe there is no firm definition of a perfect night
out. One person’s trash is another’s treasure. However,
with the Filter Search facility on the website and app, you can personalise and plan your night to suit your individual needs. For example, are you looking for a nice quiet wine bar with a piano? Or a busy bar with Nightfinder Limerick, a new hospitality website and app, has joined forces with the very best hospitality businesses in Limerick in order to give visitors and the people of Limerick one place to find everything they need for a good night out.
The app helps you find find local taxis, the best pubs, nightclubs, casinos, restaurants and even a place to stay for the
night. You can also filter your search to suit your needs, including by reviews, opening hours, menus, directions, live music, events listings, and indeed any special offers, discounts or promotions the businesses offers.
Limerick man and bar owner Brian O’Callaghan feels his expert knowledge of hospitality and Limerick combined made him the perfect person to head Nightfinder, as he knows what both sides are looking for.
a live rock band? An Italian restaurant that stays open
late, or a steakhouse that caters for coeliacs? All you have to do is tick the boxes and your perfect night out will appear before your eyes.
What use will people get out of the app?
As well as automatically being entered into monthly competitions when you download the app, you can
also search for events such as live music or gigs, or even promotions such as discounts or special offers. There
is no complicated voucher printing or registration needed. It is instantaneous and all done at the touch
of a button. The app also allows you to use a booking facility if enabled.
44
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
For example, book a room, a table, a taxi, or you can simply dial straight through to the business to talk
to them directly. The app also allows you to favourite particular premises and receive instant notifications
from them. For example, your favourite restaurant may wish to offer a free bottle of wine on a quiet Tuesday night and you will be notified of this offer immediately.
Why do you think people are drawn to Limerick and enjoy going out here?
Limerick has progressed so much in recent years and has blossomed into a thriving social hub we can all be
proud of. The fact that we ran a city such as Galway so close with our 2020 bid is testament to this and with the 2030 plans now firmly in place, I believe we will
really see the city realising its full potential in the next 10 years or so.
What businesses are able to join Nightfinder Limerick?
All hospitality businesses are welcome to come
on board. We have pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, cafes, takeaways, casinos, taxis and all types of accommodation listed. We also list all ATMs for
convenience, so we believe we have covered all necessities in finding your perfect day or night out in Limerick.
How can businesses benefit from joining?
We are very confident that listing a business with us will increase footfall by utilising the most up to
date technological features. We use extensive in house, external and digital advertising campaigns to
attract three groups of potential customers – regulars and locals, visitors and tourists, and students. We are also proud to announce that we have already
received testimonials from some prominent Limerick Hospitality businesses as well as the Restaurant’s
Association of Ireland. We anticipate that we will be announcing other national endorsements in the near future.
If you are interested in adding your business to the
service email info@NightFinder.ie. The Nightfinder
Limerick app is now available for free download from the App Store.
Article by Sarah Talty
45
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Health & Wellbeing With health and fitness instructor Sintija Zorge
Strength of a Woman
Women are today more independent, have more
Exercise will help you and uplift your mood; it’s not
that, we need to pay more attention to what is best
It will show you what you are capable of, it will let you
freedom, more say and more responsibilities. With
for us, and maintain high standards in the advice we take and the company we keep.
As I always remind people, a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing is not just about eating nutritional foods
about changing who you are and what you look like. set your mind free from daily worries and stress it will
become a positive part of your life once you set your mind to it. You are stronger than you think, so let’s all help one and another.
and exercising regularly, it is also about being happy
My message this month is get out and train together!
life, making time for your hobbies, experiencing new
When we get together, we can be unstoppable and we
being kind and loving, feeling good and being the
I meet women who train just to stay sane, women
with yourself. That means positive energy, enjoying
things, learning something useful, fulfilling your life, best you can be.
Working as a trainer, I would never order clients to cut their joy out of their lives, or make them do things
I would not do. As women we have to become strong to survive, and that is why I love to bring women
together as a community that supports each other, that shares similar passions and love. We should avoid
judging or assuming things about others, as we have all got a story.
I meet a lot of female clients with different goals and needs. Us women we have to deal with all kinds of
moods and emotions during the day, sometimes we
get super high and other times we may get low and
other times we may lack the push, so we need help.
46
can complement each other in ways we never realised. who have long followed a healthy lifestyle, women
who need to lose weight for health reasons, women
who have never trained in their lives - maybe we seem different but inside we are very much the same. We
have the gift of being caring and loving we all have stories and problems. By training together, we push each other more in order to progress and evolve.
Exercise doesn’t have to be all military and strict. When I train my clients I do make sure that they have
a good workout but I also make sure they are having a
good time too. I love to see people smile and be happy and accomplished. I love motivating people to achieve their goals.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
For some it takes time to get that “runners high�, some just naturally love it but be patient, exercise will improve your whole wellbeing, positive energy will
relieve your stress and having body/mind/spirit in balance will set you free towards happiness.
Here is a fun workout you could do with your besties as a mini competition!
Depending on your fitness level, either try them all or choose round of exercises. Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
30x lunges
20x lunges
10x lunges
30 x squats
30x push ups 30x sit ups
30x burpees
20 x squats
20x push ups 20x sit ups
20x burpees
10 x squats 10x push ups 10x sit ups
10x burpees
Article by: Sintija Zorge
47
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Health & Wellbeing Mind Your Mind Colouring For Mindfulness
Colouring essentially creates a space of peace and relaxation. Many find that it induces a juvenile state
of being, reminding us of simpler times and relishing
in nostalgia of the days gone by. According to studies, carrying out tasks that have the same tranquil effects
such as colouring proves to be quite productive for
work and carrying out more stressful tasks in times
of need. With pressures at work forever mounting, sometimes we can’t avoid the responsibilities, so
it’s good to know that relaxing and doing creative ventures outside of the office actually helps our work abilities too.
Colouring books aimed at adults are exceptionally
beautiful, with delicate illustrations and designs simple in their intricacies. There are even colouring
books specifically designed for relieving stress and inducing calm states, with the designs in the book With adult colouring books still making many people’s Christmas lists, it looks like therapeutic colouring in is here
to stay. From scribbles on a piece of paper to more elusive masterpieces like a few flowers excessively coloured in a notepad, we are finally embracing the mindful benefits a good scribble can have.
Things have really gone back to basics as of late, using simple techniques to keep our heads together. The process of colouring as a creative escape is being referred to as ‘colouring for mindfulness’ and it is a very intriguing practice
when you get down to it. Colouring isn’t about relaxing the mind exactly, but rather about being a distraction
and reverting focus on something else. That’s what mindfulness itself actually is; being aware of something and acknowledging it, in this case, colouring and the satisfaction it brings. The science behind it focuses on how the mind meditates on repetitive motions through simple tasks. With this, our concentration is being used on simple and straightforward tasks that don’t require too much thought or concentration, which releases the mind of negative thoughts and worries.
being peaceful and simple to divulge in, from soothing
illustrations of waves to straightforward displays of floral sketches. These can be found in a diverse range
of forms, online on websites such as Amazon and in shops like Eason and Tiger, and are available at great prices for the service you’ll be getting. While
the practice is great for dealing with stress or anxious feelings, it’s always great to find a creative side to
escape to and boost creativity regardless of how we are feeling. There are a number of benefits and
advantages all piled into the pages of one book, which is definitely something we can all appreciate and get on board with.
Article by: Laura McNamara
48
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
pa r enti ng Mothering the Mother - Q&A with a Doula A doula is a woman who gives support, help and advice to pregnant women during the pregnancy, birth and after the baby is born. TLM’s parent columnist
and expectant mother Jane spoke to Cathy Noble to find out what her work entails, and why you should consider using a doula.
Can you tell us a little about your background and
A couple of years after this started I trained as a baby
I put my business on hold while I took on the next
wearing consultant, which along with baby massage
to support and share my knowledge with mums and
experience?
yoga and rhythm kids teacher and also became a baby
one girl aged 14. After many years working in retail
brought me to many homes across Limerick, Clare,
I am a mum of three - two boys aged 23 and 17, and and later administration I decided to start my own business. Over the last nine years I have taught baby
massage, I’ve shared my “class room” and attended many home/business visits during this time.
50
Nenagh & other parts of the country. With over 30
years of experience minding babies, I love to share
my knowledge with new parents as they start their parenting journey – it’s always a new journey even if it’s baby number three! Three years ago
chapter in my book of life. I decided that I needed dads in more ways than just baby massage and baby
wearing. I’ve always wanted to be a midwife and thought that a birth and postpartum doula would be exactly where I could offer that support.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
How did you become a doula?
What is the history of doulas?
What advice would you give to new mothers?
enhance not only my business, but my life as a whole.
‘servant’, and is used to describe a woman experienced
2. Trust your instincts at all times, as everyone has an
I was very eager to find something that would To spend my days surrounded by beautiful strong women during the most vulnerable time of their
lives. In Jan 2014 I decided to complete four courses
on line, all at once - birth and postpartum doula, breastfeeding counsellor and childbirth educator. I’ve
recently received my diploma in postpartum doula and I’m excited to be on the road to certifying in the
other three quite soon. I also trained in Cork for birth
doula hands-on experience. I am excited to say from
The word doula originates from the Greek word for in childbirth who assists women as they journey into motherhood through labour and birth. Doulas
began to increase in the 1980s after increased rates
of Caesarean section were troubling many women. Inviting other women such as friends or childbirth
instructors to attend births, women hoped to have
someone who would enable them to advocate for themselves to avoid intervention.
Jan 2017 I will be looking for my first three clients.
Does a doula replace a birth partner?
What exactly does a doula do?
feel a strong need to have their partners present because
My favourite doula explanation is “mothering
the mother”. Doulas can perform different roles, depending on your needs. Doulas, unlike midwives, do not perform clinical or medical tasks, diagnose medical conditions or give medical advice. A doula is employed directly by you she is an independent source
of support and is there solely for your benefit. During pregnancy you will have developed a relationship with
Dads are some of doulas biggest fans! Many women of the strong emotional bond they share. Sometimes
however, fathers may feel anxious or stressed by the responsibility they feel towards their loved one as they
advance through labour. By having a doula present Dads become more confident by the information and
reassurance provided, less overwhelmed and more effective in their ability to support their partners.
your doula. She will come over to your house during
What are the benefits of having a doula?
you during labour and birth, and usually for at least
shorter labours, are less likely to need a C-section,
the early stages of labour if you wish, remain with an hour afterwards to help establish breastfeeding as
required. A debriefing visit will also be arranged at the
mother's convenience after the birth. Some doulas also
Studies show that women who use a doula have request less pain medication, and have a more positive childbirth experience.
undertake postpartum doula work and can provide
What should people consider when selecting a
their journey into parenthood. All of this information
It’s really down to personal choice; a doula they
great support and assistance as the new parents begin and more can be found at www.doula.ie
1. Never predict your baby
opinion on how to raise your baby.
3. Put yourself in your baby’s shoes and you’ll always find the answer.
4. We are the experts, our babies are our teachers. 5. Avail of as much support as you can.
6. Sing, chat and talk to your baby as much as you can, after all you are their world
7. Skin to skin as often as you can
8. HALT (whenever you’re Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired just HALT)
9. Take your time getting to know your new baby, the dust will wait.
10. It’s ok to say ‘no’ to letting others hold your baby.
11. Finally we are all only doing the best we can with the knowledge we have until we learn something different.
What advice would you give to new dads in helping the mother?
All of the above - I think it’s wonderful for dads
to be involved as much as they can; skin to skin is
wonderful, not only for dad but for baby and it also gives mum a chance to sleep/shower or just take time out for her. Offer support and encouragement, keep
talking no matter how hard it gets, and lastly: love never grows old.
doula?
How can people contact you to find out more or
feel fits their criteria. Doula care is tailored to the
I’ll be offering a lot of services from January. To get
individual needs of a mother, which is determined
through pregnancy as the doula and mother/couple build a relationship.
how to avail of your services?
in touch with any questions that you might have feel
free to give me a call on 087-7544579 or find me on Facebook /Your-4th-Trimester.
Article by: Jane Butler O’Halloran Photography by: WonderWorks
51
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
D iscov e ri n g THE PAS T Maureen O’ Hara at Foynes Museum
The Hollywood Star’s Oscar, Film Memorabilia and Fashion will now be on display at Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum, Co. Limerick.
All the style and glamour of the Golden Age
Maureen O’Hara was first introduced to Foynes by
the Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum,
Charles Blair. He flew in and out of Foynes during
of Hollywood is to go on permanent display at
Limerick, thanks to the generosity of the family of its late patron, Maureen O’Hara.
For more than a quarter of a century the life of Maureen O’Hara and the Foynes Flying Boat and
Maritime Museum was intertwined; and the special
relationship will now continue after her death last
year. Conor Fitzsimons, the grandson of Ireland’s first Hollywood Superstar, has bestowed almost all of
her late husband, pilot and airline owner Captain the flying boat days 1939-1945. It would be more
than 30 years later before his wife would join him
in Foynes when he landed in his own Sandringham
Flying Boat in 1976, and returned again in 1978. Then, in 1988, when the idea of a museum for Foynes
was first muted, Ms O’Hara (who by then had a residence in Glengariff Co. Cork) was suggested as a potential supporter of the project.
Ms O’Hara’s memorabilia on the museum. Among
Founder and Manager of the Foynes Flying Boat and
costumes and accessories from many of her films,
woman tasked with contacting the Hollywood star.
the items to go on display is Ms O’Hara’s Oscar, as well as the style and dresses the Irish beauty wore to major Hollywood events and broadcasts. And it is not just her Oscar that will be displayed in the
County Limerick museum, but every international
award she received, never before seen personal items, her collection of Meissen China, and many other fascinating items.
Maritime Museum Margaret O’Shaughnessy was the “I was given her telephone number in Glengariff so
I called her, I was terrified, but I needn’t have been. She was wonderful and fully supported the idea, and
promised to do all she could to promote it. When it
was built she officially opened it on 8th July 1989 – the 50th anniversary of the first commercial passenger
crossing of the North Atlantic. She became the
museum’s patron and remained so until her death on October 24th 2015. Each summer she would join us in
Foynes for the Irish Coffee Festival which coincided
with her birthday, so she would also celebrate her birthday in Foynes.
52
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
We had a special celebration at the Dunraven Arms
Hotel in Adare for her 80th birthday. All her family
flew in for it. In 1991 we hosted the European Premier of her last major movie ‘Only the Lonely’ with John
Candy, Ally Sheedy, Milo O’Shea and Anthony Quinn, here in Limerick at her insistence.”
“Now the family have decided to donate almost all of her memorabilia to the museum and we are honoured
to house it in a new wing of the museum which is currently being designed.”
Of course, Foynes has another claim to fame as the place where the first Irish coffee was made. Indulge in some of Ireland’s harbour history, with a touch
of Hollywood glamour, followed by a glass of that warming concoction this winter – visit
www.flyingboatmuseum.com for more.
Celia Holman Lee modelling one of Maureen O’Hara’s dresses from the permanent exhibition launch in October
53
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
T h e limeric k m aga z i ne The Dice rolls on Limerick’s own Monopoly Board
What Limerick landmarks can people expect to see once they pass GO?
Adare Village and the Hunt Museum will be two of the 22 Landmarks that replace the famous
multicoloured squares. The other 20 are all under our Monopoly top hat, so to speak! The board will fill the
length and breadth of Limerick and will be themed in sets, so there will be an Arts set, a Leisure set, a
Tourist set and a Heritage set. The four train stations from the original Monopoly board take on a travel
theme. There are also two charities that will appear as well.
When will it be available to buy?
It will be available from 28th October. In Limerick
it’s available at The Range, Easons, Smyths and online widely including Amazon.
Earlier in the year Limerick fought off stiff competition to win its own Monopoly board. The squares on the
much-loved board game will now take on Limerick’s most iconic landmarks around the city and county and will be available just in time for that post-Christmas-dinner entertainment with the family. We chatted with Limerick Monopoly Promoter Graham Barnes to find out more.
Monopoly has come in many different guises in recent years. What can you tell us about the history?
Monopoly was first conceived in the 1930s. The first place in the world where there was a board based upon was
Atlantic City in the U.S. Soon after London had its first board, and since then there have been boards all over the world.
Why did Winning Moves decide to look at Ireland for another Monopoly board?
We had a look around the island of Ireland and there are some charming places that we’re quite sure we will come back to in years to come, but Limerick for this particular year was somewhere that we decided to do. There were
campaigns on Facebook and other social media for Limerick to have its own official board and we’re delighted to facilitate.
What do you think the Monopoly board will do for Limerick?
It will further put it on the map. It will be on the Monopoly map and it will be even more so on the
world tourist map. For the people that flood into Limerick, this board can be a permanent memento
for them. Also, for Limerick natives living in different parts of the world, and for those who live here and
celebrate it, they can buy up their favourite landmark, even if it’s only for one afternoon or evening over the
Christmas period. They could own Thomond Park, which although we haven’t confirmed it’s on the board, it would be highly unlikely not to be. It’s a bit of people’s past and present that they can own and cherish.
Article by: Amanda Flannery
54
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Auth or Inte rvie w : Da n M oone y I wrote my first story in a magazine, when I was ten
How did you feel when you first heard that you had
up a newspaper called The Parteen Screamer, when
Award?
years old. In my neighbourhood Aoife Ferguson set
I was living in Parteen. It was like a news of the
neighbourhood, but I wrote a story that was based
loosely on the legend of King Tut. That was the first piece of fiction I ever wrote and I’ve been writing in some degree or other ever since. So I kind of credit Aoife with being my first patron! You started young!
Yeah, but I don’t think that’s uncommon for writers, for people with a massive passion for writing - they’ve Limerick author Dan Mooney’s first novel, Me, Myself and Them: Your Own Worst Enemy follows
Denis Murphy, a young man suffering from bipolar, obsessive compulsive and multiple personality disorders. His
personalities
manifest
as
four
monstrous ‘housemates’, and the book chronicles his
struggle with their influence as he tries to recover from a difficult period. We spoke to Dan about his
inspirations, his writing process and winning the Luke Bitmead Bursary Award
What inspired you to write Me, Myself and Them: Your Own Worst Enemy?
The story itself came out of hearing two old women
inside in The Old Quarter one day. They were sitting behind me and I heard one of them say “We all have
our own monsters to deal with” and I’m sure she meant demons, because that’s a common expression, but she
said monsters and it just struck me as a really visceral
image that all of our problems could be represented
by monsters. What that monster would look like, what form it would take and what it would sound like, what it’s attitude would be, if you’ve got a temper problem, what does your temper look like? What does
it physically look like? Is it constantly angry or is it a
flash kind of anger that comes and goes? That was the initial image that started the whole thing off. What first got you interested in writing?
been doing it all their lives.
Can you tell us about your writing process?
I’ve got kind of an unusual one. I’m involved in a writers’ group at the moment and I’m the only one
that has to structure their stories before they start writing them. Everyone else writes and then applies
been shortlisted for the Luke Bitmead Bursary I was surprised, really surprised, and incredibly delighted. The
Luke
Bitmead
Award
is
an
extraordinary competition - Luke Bitmead died in 2006.
He had published two books with Legend Press and his family wanted to continue his name and create a legacy so they got together with Legend and decided
that they’d do a search every year for a new author. There’s a cash prize and a publishing contract so as
a result every year a new author gets discovered and
gets to see their book published, which is lovely and
an incredible legacy out of such a massive tragedy. When I got longlisted I kind of started to hope a little
bit that I would make the shortlist but you don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself. When the word came back about the result I was just bowled over.
structure afterwards. They write the bits that they
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
where the story takes them. I can’t do it. Every time I
and they’re not actually writing, or if they’re writing
want to write and they start with a story and they see try to write without a plan I end up staring at a page
and thinking “Well what would he do next? What
would she do next? Why would she do that?” and I
spend more time sitting looking at the screen than I do actually writing, so I have to structure everything
first. I think the story through in my head and I think about the characters and then I apply a structure and
start writing to that structure. The structure never survives the story; the story imposes its own shape
as it goes on. Characters develop new traits that I hadn’t considered based on the evolving narrative of the story, but without that structure to start with, I get nothing done. The first draft of Me, Myself and
Them was written in six months, and by the time it
was ready to be published it was four years later. So the writing itself is done very quickly, the real work is in the editing, taking what’s there and trying to shape it into something really, really good. I don’t think I
could’ve done it without my editor, Alex Dunne, she is fantastic.
Actually write. So many people want to be writers, and it’s not going their way they’re putting it down
and walking away from it and “Ugh, I’ve got writer’s
block.” No, you don’t, you just have to keep writing. Doesn’t matter if it’s good, it doesn’t matter if it is total crap, it can be fixed afterwards; you just have to keep writing. Don’t leave the laptop until you’ve hit
your word count for the day. After that the rest of it falls into place, you’ll be crap when you start and
a month later you’ll be a little bit better and two
months after that you’ll be a little bit better than that and by the time you have a first draft done you’ll hate it because you’ll have become a much better writer
than you were when you started. You’ll be constantly trying to write fresh but you’re growing in talent and in ability all the time.
Me, Myself and Them: Your Own Worst Enemy is available as an e-book on amazon.com Article by: Laura Duhan
55
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Literary Review The Story of Ireland’s Only Steeplejill Angela Collins O’Mahony If someone asked you what kind of book Steeplejill is,
Although everyone loves hearing an account of a
And while you would be right, it’s so much more than
to success, it’s nearly better when we realise that this
it would be quickly described it as an autobiography. that. Now in her 70s, Angela brings us on a journey
from her earliest memory as a child growing up on a
farm in Kilkishen, Co. Clare, to setting up her own steeplejack company as a young woman, up until her retirement after a long successful career.
A steeplejack is a person who climbs tall structures, such as churches, in order to carry out repairs. It
successful person’s life, as if it will unlock the secret
person has had to work extremely hard. It gives us inspiration. The thing that sets most people apart is
how they react to setbacks in their lives, do they give up or do they persevere? Angela certainty perseveres
and doesn’t let anything get stop her, in fact she was still working while heavily pregnant her work ethic is simply amazing.
saves time and money as they just use ladders and no
As well as being extremely motivating, the book is
man’s job, before Angela came along that is. It was so
from 1930s to 2016. Angela writes about her life in
scaffolding. The job is named Jack as it was solely a unknown for a woman to be running a company back then, let alone, working as a steeplejack, that Angela
was featured on the Late Late Show with Gay Byrne. Angela and her business also featured in numerous newspapers, radio shows and magazines over her career. Her sheer determination to do anything she
set her mind to shines out of the pages and inspires
funny and also beautifully details life in Ireland
so much detail that it is like stepping back in time. Angela did so much travelling around Ireland and the
world with her business and it’s lovely being able to
picture the streets you know today with the same ones she walked down 50 years ago. You get a real feel for
how different life was back then, for example Angela went from growing up in a home with no electricity
One question seemed to arise a lot when the media
even volunteering to teach hospice patients how to
what is it like having a woman for a boss? Today that
to being a woman in her 70s who is addicted to IT,
interviewed the steeplejacks who worked for Angela:
use email.
question would be met with outrage from men and
become entrepreneurs. She tells us the story of how
Steeplejill is also a good study of how women were
people really wanted to know. It’s funny to think
company and upon leaving the company decided
were business partners, her husband never did any
Angela’s lifetime. After reading this book I have the
mind because that was her role in the home and she
be too modest to admit it, had a part to play in Ireland
Angela conformed to one aspect of a woman’s role
business.
her own business.
Article by: Sarah Talty
her readers that you can do anything, even as a woman in the 21st century.
Angela’s goal for her book is to motivate people to
she started off working as a secretary for a steeplejack to set up her own as she had learned so much. As well as being a fantastic account of her life it is also
a wonderfully inspiring tale, one of overcoming
obstacles and breaking down barriers. Angela’s voice is a strong, powerful one that resonates with us because of how honest she is.
56
women alike but back then it was an honest question,
expected to behave in the 20th century. Although they
how much a woman’s role in society has changed in
cooking or cleaning. But Angela states that she didn’t
impression that Angela herself, although she would
liked to see him resting watching TV. Even though
and in fact the world’s changing views of women in
back then, she also greatly challenged it by heading
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Po etry from sta nza s The Hag of Beara By Gabriel Griffin She gazes always seawards, seems to scan the long fiord for ships, awaiting one Gabriel Griffin Gabriel Griffin is the founder and organizer of Poetry on the Lake events and competitions. She has been prized
and placed in many competitions (inc. winner Hungry
Hill 2011), published in Temenos, Scintilla, Orbis, and more, and produced two collections: Campango and the Mouthbrooders, and Transumanza. See more at:
www.poetgabrielgriffin.com www.poetryonthelake.org
Stanzas takes place monthly in Hook & Ladder Sarsfield Street. Stanzas aims to encourage and develop new and emerging writers.
The November event takes place on the 18th and is the Munster Regions of the All Ireland Slam Competition. All Poets are encouraged to sign up, either by email or on the night, to perform a poem and perhaps make it through to
that’ll no more sail in sight, sunk far off
with all on board – her lover or a son? We’ll not know, she’s sat too long
above the sea, her tongue’s now stone. She wraps
landscape around her shoulders’ bones but is never warm, the rain runs down like tears from eyes that watched ships fade where the sun goes down, while tubers blotched and rotted underground.
For consolation – theirs or hers? – they bring gifts of flowers and fairings, small things
they offer as to a goddess, saint or witch;
maybe they pray for love or health, or plead
for some spell or grace – who knows? They say she built the mountains, valleys, hills, herds deer, fights spring and with her staff drums ice into the earth. The Hag
is dumb, can’t say a word, the wind encircling her is the only voice, it keens as for a loss.
the All-Ireland Finals.
Stanzas is taking a break from chapbook making for December, but to be in the Slam email stanzas.limerick@ gmail.com
57
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Fi l m : Revi ew A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night Director: Ana Lily Amirpour Rating: 8/10 The whole film is shot in black and white and this transforms the vibe and storyline. Instead of being a
typical love story, the black and white filter enhances
the character of the vampire, giving the film an eerie, foreboding feel. The film well and truly smashes the
sparkly skinned self-absorbed stereotype that the
modern vampire romance film has created. Amirpour successfully creates a unique film and executes it brilliantly at every turn.
The soundtrack to this film is unlike any I’ve ever heard before. Each song and piece of music has been
carefully hand-picked to suit and enhance a particular
moment. It contains some well-known songs from Western culture but the majority of the soundtrack
includes Iranian songs that beautifully complement each scene and moment they have been picked for.
Do yourself a favour and sit back watch this gorgeous Going in to to A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, I knew nothing about it other than the fact that it
would be fully subtitled. But sometimes, this is the
best possible mind-set you can have when going to see a film you’ve never heard of. Instead of trailers spoiling all the best bits and waiting to see favourite actors, I went in completely open-minded. A Girl
Walks Home Alone At Night is the first film directed by American writer and director Ana Lily Amirpour and she has truly encapsulated all the best
elements of so many film genres. Spaghetti western, vampire classic and 1950’s rebellion all mesh together beautifully to create a visually stunning film with a killer soundtrack.
58
The film is set in Iran and follows a vampire – the ‘girl’ played by Sheila Vand – who skateboards around the fictional town of ‘Bad City’ at night and preys on the
men she observes being disrespectful towards women. Vand’s portrayal of the vampire is nothing short of mesmerising. Her beautiful eyes and subtle facial
gestures take the character to another level, saying
so much without uttering one word. One night, she meets Arash – played by Arash Marandi – and quickly falls in love with him and his James Dean-
esque charm. The development of the relationship
between these two characters is really quite beautiful. The tension and electricity between them is captured
in the tiniest of subtle moments, carefully and artfully shot in tight angles.
piece of art. With equal parts of creepiness, romance and comedy, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is truly enthralling from beginning to end and will open
your eyes to the gorgeous work of Ana Lily Amirpour
if you have never heard of her before. It has definitely firmly made its home in my top ten favourite films of
all-time and if you are at all a film aficionado, it will surely make its home in yours too. Article by: Ali Molloy
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
FI L M - T h e B l ac k A new short film takes a unique look at the impact of domestic violence
Producer Aaron O’Neill and Director Mark Riordan
Aaron and Mark felt that this was not being addressed
The Black shows Jane interviewing Sarah, about a
as The Ninety Ones for the past ten years, alongside
there is only one organisation dedicated to male
the previous night. “The film’s underlining question
are two friends who have been making films together their full time jobs as graphic designer and web
designer. “We’ve probably been working on The Black, from conception to now for about a year. The
idea began to form after some conversations around the video released by Emma Murphy after being
assaulted by her partner in 2015.” For those who don’t remember the video, it became a huge talking point as
a deeply emotional Emma, with visible facial injuries detailed the assault, a previous assault, verbal abuse
and blame that had been inflicted on her by her then boyfriend. Her former partner later admitted what he
had done, saying ‘it is always wrong to hit a woman’. Of course the issue goes much further than it being
‘wrong’ to hit a woman. It’s more than wrong to hit and abuse a woman, domestic abuse shatters lives, and
takes on a number of forms with men, women, and
children all at risk of becoming victims of domestic
enough. “We started doing some research and realised
domestic abuse, Amen in County Meath. Niamh
Farrell of the organisation told us that calls are on
the increased, and we realised that this is an issue that needs to be discussed more widely and openly. Abused men feel they have nowhere to talk to and nowhere to
turn. The name The Black refers to something that can’t be seen, something dark that people want to
avoid and don’t acknowledge. We hope the film will start some much needed conversations and help those
affected. Ultimately we just hope in some way we can make a difference to those people.”
violent incident that happened between her parents
is: what's really going on inside? “We never really know how someone else feels inside, or what is really
happening inside the family home. It is much easier
for someone to put on a brave face, instead of opening up about something that is hurting them inside. The
Black is a fictional film raises awareness for this and
hopefully people will start to think differently about
domestic abuse and realise that there’s no single ‘type’, anybody could be a victim of it.”
The Black was recently screened at the Richard Harris International Film Festival, Kerry Film, and
Los Angeles CineFest. To find out more visit www. theblackshortfilm.com.
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
abuse.
59
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Fi lm : E ll en Ri pl e y, or t he ep i t o m e o f f e m a l e po w e r Alien surprised pretty much everyone by having
the seemingly lead male role, Dallas (Tom Skerritt), killed off early in the movie. This is a masterstroke, as
it throws both the Nostromo's crew and the audience
into disarray. From that point on, anything is possible, and as the Alien picks off crew members one by one, Ripley emerges as the last survivor.
Ripley's Journey: Alone in space, from surrogate motherhood to hardened warrior
Much has been written about Ripley's endurance and resourcefulness while facing a superior foe. Our
protagonist finds herself in a rather unenviable plight: Last one standing, alone inside a gigantic spaceship in the far reaches of the Outer Veil, with a monstrous
alien creature stalking her. Where most would In the dying days of 1979, Ridley Scott's Alien
introduced a brand new mythos to the world of cinema. The alien creature soon became an icon of
the relatively new sci-fi horror genre, spawning movie sequels, countless imitations, games, books, and a whole bunch of movie memorabilia.
Alien's premise is simple enough. A Weyland-
Yutani- the 'Company' owned commercial freighter called Nostromo (a nod to Joseph Conrad's novel
Heart of Darkness) is on its way back to Earth after
a deep-space mining expedition (to the fictional, resources-rich planet of Thedus, for those who love
their facts). Somewhere along the way, the ship's
central computer, Mother, intercepts a transmission, and in accordance with Yutani's standard operating
directives to investigate any transmission with a possible intelligent origin, wakes the crew up from
hypersleep. After setting down on the planetoid
where the transmission came from, the crew discovers what appears to be a derelict spaceship with a cargo of thousands of egg-like objects.
60
A crew member, Kane ( John Hurt) touches one of
these eggs and something leaps out from within, attaching itself to his face. What follows is movie history.
The alien lifecycle, the derelict spaceship, the
Engineers, all entered the popular psyche and culture. Alien is certainly notable for many things, and besides creating the whole mythology surrounding
the alien creature, it also introduced the character of Lieutenant First Class Ellen Ripley, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver. Weaver was barely 30 years of age
when she accepted the part that would turn a largely unknown and struggling actress into a household
name. Alien was, in fact, Weaver's first major role, as she had only had a minor part in Woody Allen's Annie Hall two years prior. The character of Ripley
as we know it today almost never existed, however, as Ripley was indeed a male character in early drafts
of the screenplay - they only switched genders after a personal request by Scott.
have crumbled and broken down waiting for their inevitable fate, Ripley makes use of her cunning and will to survive, first by setting up the detonation of the
spaceship and finally outwitting the heinous menace. Ripley's character stands out for many reasons, not least because a female lead was almost unheard of at the time of the movie's release - Ripley contravenes
all the rules of what a woman was then supposed to be. She stands strong and determined in the face of
adversity, facing off against a dark enemy. She refuses to give into despair by rising up to the challenge, on her own, and against all odds. The character of Ellen
Ripley would be further developed in the powerful sequel Aliens (1986). Under the expert direction
of James Cameron, Ripley would evolve into a
matriarchal role to the last survivor of Hadley Hope's colony, 12 year old Rebecca "Newt" Jordan (Carrie Henn).
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
As both females grow closer throughout the events
And it's also a woman emptying her weapons on all
to the child, and there is a key element that explains
against Her in the Hangar Bay on board the Sulaco.
of the movie, Ripley becomes an accidental mother
this dynamic, though it is absent from the version of Aliens released in theatres. It wouldn't be until the
release of Aliens: The Director's Cut that we learn about Ripley's own daughter, Amanda.
After the events depicted in Alien, Ripley spent 57
years drifting through space on board the Nostromo's lifeboat. She's eventually picked up and taken to the
Gateway Station, orbiting Earth. It is at Gateway that she learns of Amanda's death in the intervening
years. This fact explains Ripley's bonding with Newt, as Ripley perhaps attempts to redeem herself from the guilt of 'abandoning' her own biological daughter. Get away from her, you bitch Besides being a saviour for Newt, Ripley's character
becomes a warrior of superior calibre, a fact that it's perfectly epitomized in her final confrontation
against the Alien Queen at the end of Aliens. Using a Power Loader, Ripley takes on the Queen on her own terms, pummelling the monster into submission
for attempting to take Newt from her. Once again, Ripley is the last one standing, empowered by her
own resolution to save the child from the clutches of the cruellest of fates. Once again, Ripley succeeds
where a whole platoon of tough Marines failed. It is
clear that a point is being made here. She represents
the power of a female, the embodiment and pinnacle of Second Wave Feminism. Ripley may be armed and dangerous, using man-made technology to defeat a
cunning adversary. Yet, it is a woman using a flame thrower to burn the Queen's carefully laid eggs.
of the Queen's unborn children, and later squaring off
Ripley, icon of power and victory over male superiority
Early in Aliens, Company rep Carter Burke (Paul
Reiser) asks Ripley to accompany himself and a platoon of Colonial Marines on their mission to find out why all communications have been lost with
Hadley's Hope. He refers to the Marines as 'tough
hombres', adding that they're 'packing state-of-the-
art firepower.' But Ripley is not fooled by this. She has seen what just one alien creature can do, and initially refuses, perhaps believing that wars cannot
be won by firepower alone, a fact painfully learned by the American army in a well-known conflict in South East Asia. But more significantly, Ripley
stands up against a man's world. Earlier on, while being grilled by a Company committee about her role
in the detonation of the Nostromo, the almost allmale commission implicitly accuses her of blowing up the ship in a reckless act, dismissing her accounts
of the alien creature.Later on, as the Colonial
Marines platoon is decimated, largely because of
its inexperienced commanding officer, Lt. Gorman, Ripley once again kicks into action and takes control. She turns the tables around and is chastised by it, but at least manages to save some of the Marines. Ellen
Ripley stands as an icon of female empowerment, both as a woman, a mother, a hero, and a kick-ass warrior.
Article by: Fernando Sanchez
61
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e li merick magazine Light Moves Festival of Screendance 2016
Jurgen is a composer and academic. His work is performed internationally and spans the areas of
dance, electronic music, film, opera and installation art, and he has also worked with Mary on seven
screendance works. For him the idea of curating was
always there; understanding that as an artist he had Light Moves Festival of Screendance 2016 is the third held here in Limerick. What started as an idea
to serve the local dance community is fast becoming the renowned international home of screen dance. So
what exactly is screen dance? A common definition
is that screendance is expression in a cinematic context made through movement rather than dialogue or spoken word. That is, the story is told
through movements. Screendance offers unique ways of engaging with identity, gender and environment
through the language of movement, choreography and film. Many screendance films are very much conceptual, but screendance as seen through the lens
of Light Moves exists in many forms of film, including
popular Hollywood films. Though in these it may not appear as the primary form of expression, screendance
supports the translation of emotion and response on screen. Camera, light and landscape all play a part in
forming that movement, and it is an art form that can help us appreciate how we express complicated concepts and emotions on stage and screen.
62
Speaking to Light Moves curators Mary Wycherley
the potential to contribute culturally by enabling
Limerick’s own international screendance festival.
to build up infrastructures to bring this out into
What led to the creation of Light Moves, and why
connect with city, and we ran concerts and events to
Limerick?
built a world class finely tuned visual sound system
performance, choreography and film. Her work has
and gallery exhibition, thanks to our collaborations
Europe, the Americas, England, Scotland and Ireland.
and the Belltable.”
in the medium, I had to travel abroad, and saw an
Why has Limerick turned out to be an international
City of Culture 2014 had been announced, and at the
Jurgen: “I think the principle of utilising what is
was a feeling that a festival would strongly represent a
together to grow a festival. Working with LCGA
well as the potential for collaboration with universities
really important and have been built over time. We
and Jurgen Simpson, we found out more about
others as well as creating his own works. “We started city: there was already the sense in the university to
they felt there was a need for something like this in
do so.” Jurgen says. “Light Moves built upon that. We
Mary is a dance artist whose work embraces live
for it, and visitors can engage in cinematic context
been shown at festivals and galleries throughout
with the university, local and international galleries
She says: “I realised that in order to immerse myself opportunity to develop something here. Limerick
home for a screendance festival?
same time Dance Limerick had re-emerged, so there
here, noticing what we have here and what can come
significant community of dance artists based here, as
and last year with LSAD, these relationships are
and colleges.”
collaborate with international galleries too to bring
whole exhibitions. So over number of years we’ve had a good solid building of something.
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
You see, relationships between visual arts and contemporary dance are not a given; in visual arts
there is tendency to engage directly with political
sociological, but the conceptual side not so much – the translation of dance to screen doesn’t often get
an outing in interdisciplinary context. The idea of a
festival that resided between visual art thinking and
dance thinking, the coming together of those ideas evolved well here.”
Mary: “I think that we’ve cracked something quite
unique in Light Moves, the response we’ve had, the attention from international community and all
these big names asking to be part – we didn’t predict that when we started! It’s definitely reached peak
international interest. There are many festivals across Europe but here it is unique, there are multiple strands of engagement with the work: installations, short and long films, labs and workshops allowing attendees to
grow and deepen their practice and play with ideas. It’s
enticing as a festival. The city scale means there is an intimacy about it, which is exciting for international
visitors because they can engage with us and other artists immediately. There’s something homely about
it! People are really enthusiastic about returning to visit, present, and be part of it.”
How do your identities as artists shape Light Moves as a festival?
J: “Another reason that we’ve received the response
we’ve head is that we are artists ourselves, we take a lot of time out of our artistic practice to do this, so
there is an appreciation of that. That’s not diminishing organisers who aren’t artists, but as makers we ask
different questions about what touches us, and take risks on things we might see differently.
As artists we tried to place a provocation – creating that talking point allowing people to interrogate their own mediums, and raise a bit of a smile internally. We love
to show beautiful epic works that people look forward
to indulging in, but also to create opportunities for questions for looking outside of beauty, encouraging something unique and transformative.”
What else does Light Moves have to offer?
M: Yes the Irish element is a highlight for me too.
people from venue to venue throughout the
international perspective, lots of work has gone into
M: “We’ve also developed walking tours, bringing programme. It’s a simple idea but it responds to the
audience. They can really engage with works they’ve
Also hosting Tacita Dean is very exciting from it and LCGA is the perfect space for it.”
seen and it encourages conversation with one another.
J: “Also I’m dying to see Le Quattro Volte by
helps them make most of their days in the city, but
Terence Malick’s To the Wonder. That is one of those
In a practical sense it is supportive of visitors and
most of all people love to talk and network and meet other artists and hear our vision, it gives them the
opportunity to develop and respond to works. Above all it supports dialogue.”
What are your personal favourites from the programme this year?
Michelangelo Frammartino, and the screening of films can really reach broad audience, with really
gorgeous visuals and cinematography. Ultimately the film about globalisation, love and distance, old
universal themes, but there is so much insight into emotions through how they respond to each other through movement.”
J: “For me the most exciting thing, as this is the 1916
Light Moves Festival of Screendance takes place 3rd-
with two dedicated programmes to Irish filmmakers,
place at Dance Limerick, Limerick City Gallery of
centenary year, we have a huge focus on Irish film, plus a Q&A with every filmmaker involved. There is
some incredible work happening here in Ireland so we hope we can give those people the opportunity
to present that to an international audience, inviting opportunities for Irish films and makers to be invited
6th November with a programme of events taking Art, Belltable, and University of Limerick. Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
Photograph of Mary and Jurgen by: Gareth Williams
to other global festivals.”
63
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Th e li merick magazine TV: November 2016 It's cold and with the holidays just around the
corner, we need to save our pennies. Enjoy
your nights in and indulge in riveting, seatgripping TV.
Atlanta
Having been a writer for 30 Rock and a star of Community, as well being successful rap artist Childish Gambino, the immensely talented Donald Glover is both creator
and star of this new show premiering on FOX UK on 4 November. Glover plays Earn, a Princeton dropout, who is struggling financially while trying to help his
cousin break into the Atlanta rap scene. Atlanta encompasses topics such as race, celebrity culture, poverty and family with Glover's unique sense of humour. Critics, as well as audiences, have fallen in love with this show as it has broken FX viewing records and a second season already commissioned. Witty and clever, set aside some time and give this show a watch.
The Affair
The Affair returns for a third season on Sky Atlantic this month, making love even
more complicated than it has been in the first two seasons. Having already seen how
infidelity has affected the lives of Noah (Dominic West), Helen (Maura Tierney), Alison (Ruth Wilson) and Cole ( Joshua Jackson), season three will introduce a new character to the lovelorn foursome. Jumping forward three years from the end of season two, we will witness the aftermath of Scott's death as each of our characters
explore their darker sides. Complicated and intense, this will be a season of love, regret and redemption.
64
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life
Dave Gorman's Modern Life is Good-ish
been eager to find out how life has turned out for Lorelai, Rory, Luke and Sookie
take a unique look at the foibles of modern life. He has previously examined
Gilmore Girls amassed a cult following throughout its seven year run and fans have since the show ended in 2007. Luckily, on 25 November on Netflix, all will finally
be revealed. Broken into four 90-minutes episodes, each episode will be centred on
a season, beginning with winter. Details are being closely guarded by Netflix but it
looks likely that we will discover the fate of Lorelai and Luke's relationship and how much Rory has grown up since graduating college. Guaranteed to be an emotional
The inimitable Dave Gorman returns for season four as he and his trusty laptop
society's obsession with money, online petitions and customer feedback and his intelligent humour certainly helps provide a new perspective on elements of modern life. Starting on 8 November on Dave, this show promises to be just a bit more than good-ish.
rollercoaster, get a blanket ready and curl up for the trademark humour and warmth that fans love so much.
The Crown
Grey's Anatomy
have a new show chronicling the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her wedding in
on 2nd November on Sky Living. Drama will be running high at Seattle Grace
From Peter Morgan, the writer who brought us The Queen and Frost/Nixon, we 1947 to present day. Starting on Netflix on 4 November, this is the first of six seasons
and if Morgan's films prove anything, it's that he is a master of unapologetic biopics. The show is an adaptation of Morgan's 2013 play The Audience which won Helen
Mirren an Olivier award for her portrayal of Her Majesty, following her 2007 Oscar win for her performance in The Queen. This iteration is directed by Stephen Daldry
(Billy Elliott) and starring Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Jared Harris (Mad Men and
son of Limerick's very own Richard Harris) and John Lithgow (Dexter). Season one focuses on her wedding to Prince Phillip as she attempts to establish a working
Thirteen seasons and still going strong, Grey's Anatomy returns to our screens Hospital this season as it picks up right where season twelve ended. Karev is in
big trouble after a misunderstanding with Jo and DeLuca, Owen and Amelia
contemplate the fate of their relationship and April proves that she is a tough
mama. With rumours that Katherine Heigl will be returning as Izzie Stevens, season thirteen is about to get hearts racing. Article by: Sarah Lafferty
relationship with Winston Churchill and with a cast and crew as impressive as this, we are guaranteed a show definitively worthy of Her Majesty herself.
65
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Theatre The Pillowman
Having previously visited Galway Dublin, Cork and Belfast, the 2016 tour will see the acclaimed Martin McDonagh-penned play The Pillowman come to Limerick on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th November at Lime Tree Theatre. The story, written by the man behind In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths Martin McDonagh, has won several top industry awards and has seen great success in the West End and on Broadway.
When we caught up with director Andrew Flynn of Decadent Theatre, it was the morning after the first night of this second Irish tour...
66
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
How does it feel to be on the road with The
You are the first and only Irish production company
What attracted you to stories The Pillowman and
around?
McDonagh chose Decadent Theatre?
Theatre creates?
Pillowman again, and what is different this time It’s been great to come back to it. This time around
we have a new cast – Gary Lydon is returning from
the previous run as Ariel, and coming new to the play we have Peter Gowen as Tupolski, Diarmuid Noyes as Katurian, and Owen Sharpe as Michal. Revisiting
the story means we were able to really investigate it, there was a comfort in that familiarity that allowed
us to explore even further and work out what worked before and what we needed to do this time. Of course
the new cast brought fresh eyes and qualities to their respective roles too, which made it a different experience.
Coming to the story synopsis for the first time, it
to have taken on The Pillowman. Why do you feel It was a great honour to take on the story. It’s
actually been a long time in the making. I would have
known Martin for a long time, since Druid Theatre
days, 1996. The Pillowman had been on a long stint in London, but when Martin gave us the rights to the play we didn’t have the money to do it then so
it wasn’t until we approached him again when we
were better financially placed that we managed to go
ahead with both rights and capital. Martin was very actively involved in the first production tour, from the
casting to the rehearsals. This being the second time
It is very hard to explain the story! There are two
production in theatre with #WakingTheFeminists.
where the author is being interrogated about a series
of crimes that closely resemble events that took place in series of books he has written. The writing
is brilliant in that it takes you into the stories as they
are described, so there’s a lot to play with visually. The audience doesn’t know if he is being interrogated
because he is genuinely under suspicion, or is guilty, or if he is the victim of a witch hunt because he is
a writer. Within the dialogue of the play we get to see five different stories, allowing us into the author’s head. It’s dark and deals with huge concepts like totalitarianism and the power of the written word and
the reasons people might try to suppress ideas and arts, but does it in a really very funny way – you will find yourself laughing at things you feel you probably shouldn’t!
We like to pick up stories and plays that have been
somewhat neglected, doing maybe a couple of shows
in Dublin and that’s it. We love to pick up those plays
and tour them around the country to give them a new audience – a great story with interesting characters needs to be explored and shown to a variety of audiences.
Article by: Kayleigh Ziolo
see rehearsals and tell us what he thinks of it all!
There has been a lot of talk about the lack of
worlds presented in the play, one the realistic world
What grabs me as a director is a really great script.
he hasn’t been here as much, he’s busy too but he will
would seem to be a very dialogue heavy. How does the story come to life visually on stage?
where does it fit with the productions Decadent
female led and written plays making their way to How do you see that problem being addressed?
It’s definitely an issue, and one that must be solved. The problem is there is still a narrow view on what
will be deemed commercially successful – venues
want big names to get bums on seats and there is indeed an imbalance in the big names that already
exist. For women coming through there needs to
be support coming from the bigger production
companies who don’t depend on that level of funding, who have the funds to make what most needs to be
made. They need to lead by example and change the landscape. Independent companies are at the mercy of what is deemed commercially successful and what
that is defined as needs to open up. Small companies
just don’t have the financial power behind them; we have to second guess the council to get projects off the ground.
67
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE EVENT GUIDE TWELVE AT THE HUNT CAFE: MARY O’DEA ART EXHIBITION
6TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE SOCIETY FOR MUSIC EDUCATION IRELAND
MILLENNIUM FILM CLUB - THE COMMUNE (KOLLEKTIVET)
The Hunt Museum, Custom House, Rutland Street,
Friday 4th November @ 9am
Tuesday 8th November @ 8pm
Tuesday 1st - Wednesday 30th November
of Limerick, Limerick
Limerick City
Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, University
MILLENNIUM FILM CLUB - "DAWN OF THE DEAD"
THE PILLOWMAN
Tuesday 1st November @ 8pm
Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College,
LIT Millennium Theatre, Moylish Park, Limerick
THE 5TH INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT OF THE BOOK 2016 Wednesday 2nd - Thursday 3rd November
Limerick Strand Hotel, Ennis Road, Limerick City Centre
LIGHT MOVES FESTIVAL OF SCREENDANCE 2016
Friday 4th - Saturday 5th November @ 8pm Courtbrack Avenue, Limerick
PAT SHORTT PRESENTS HOW’S THINGS Friday 4th & Saturday 5th November @ 8pm
Friars Gate Theatre, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick
PHOTO ETCHING WEEKEND Saturday 5th - Sunday 6th November @ 10am- 5pm
Limerick Printmakers, Bridgeland House, 3 Johns
LIT Millennium Theatre, Moylish Park, Limerick
IRISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - WIDMANN’S MENDELSSOHN Thursday 10th November @ 8pm
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
"LENORE" BY ANGIE SMALIS & COLIN GEE Thursday 10th November @ 8pm
Dance Limerick, 1-2 John's Square, Limerick
HUDSON TAYLOR Thursday 10th November @ 8pm
Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick
Square, Limerick City
THE CORK POPS ORCHESTRA
Various locations
AIDA
Friday 11th November @ 12pm
GUIDED TOURS OF GRISTON BOG
Saturday 5th November @ 8pm
Thursday 3rd – Sunday 6th November
Wednesday 2nd November @ 10.30am
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick,
Griston Bog, Ballylanders, Co. Limerick
Castletroy, Limerick
LUNCHTIME PERFORMANCE SERIES - CROAGH SCHOOL OF MUSIC
EMMA LANGFORD (Support Synéad Toomey & Hannah O'Brien)
Wednesday 2nd November @ 1.15pm
Saturday 5th November @ 8pm
Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, University
Dolans Pub and Restaurant, 3/4 Dock Rd., Limerick
DUO CAMPISI DE VERO
FLOWER FLAIR WORKSHOPS - CREATIVE CHRISTMAS & GIFT WRAP
of Limerick, Limerick
Wednesday 2nd November @ 1.15pm
Sunday 6th November @ 11am
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
MUNSTER V MAORI ALL BLACKS Friday 11th November @ 7.30pm
Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick
BALLYHOURA ACTIVE DUATHLON Saturday 12th November @ 9am
Ballyhoura Failte Kilfinane, County Limerick
PINK FLOYD - THE WALL
St Mary's Cathedral, Bridge Street, Limerick City
The Gift Store, Limerick Milk Market
Monday 14th November @ 7pm
THE BARTÓK PROJECT - PROGRAMME NO. 2
SUNDAY NIGHT DANCING - JIM DEVINE
Castletroy, Limerick
Thursday 3rd November @ 6pm
Sunday 6th November @ 8.30pm
Square, Limerick
Adare, Co. Limerick
Limerick City Gallery of Art, Carnegie Building,Pery
68
Fitzgerald's Woodlands House Hotel, Knockanes,
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick,
SEE FOR CINEMA - JULIETA Wednesday 16th November @ 8pm
Belltable, 69 O' Connell Street, Limerick
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
F o l lo w u s on li n e for more e ve nt l istings www.the l ime rickm aga z ine .c o m
LIMERICK RUN IN THE DARK
SANTA EXPERIENCE 2016
'IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE' SCREENING
Wednesday 16th November @ 8pm
Friday 25th November - Friday 23rd December @
Sunday 27th November @ 7pm
Jetland Shopping Centre, Ennis Road
Castletroy, Limerick
Castletroy, Co. Limerick
HAVE A HEART Saturday 19th November @ 8pm
Belltable, 69 O' Connell Street, Limerick
INTRO TO LETTERPRESS
12pm - 6pm
FRIDAY NIGHT GREYHOUND RACING
'DIE HARD' SCREENING
Friday 25th November @ 6.30pm
Monday 28th November @ 7pm
Limerick Greyhound Stadium, Dock Road, Limerick
Sunday 20th November @ 10am - 6pm
DAVID KITT
Square, Limerick City
Kasbah Social Club, 3-4 Dock Road, Limerick
Limerick Printmakers, Bridgeland House, 3 Johns
Friday 25th November @ 9pm
FLOWER FLAIR WORKSHOPS - FESTIVE FLORISTRY
AL PORTER AT LARGE
Sunday 20th November @ 11am
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick,
The Gift Store, Limerick Milk Market
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick,
Saturday 26th November @ 8pm Castletroy, Limerick
LUCK JUST KISSED YOU HELLO
KEYWEST
Monday 21st - Tuesday 22nd November @ 8pm
Saturday 26th November @ 8pm
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
SEODA SHOWS PRESENTS THE WEDDING PRESENT Monday 28th November @ 9pm
Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick
SEODA SHOWS PRESENTS THE WEDDING PRESENT Monday 28th November @ 9pm
Dolans Pub & Warehouse, Dock Road, Limerick
Dolans Pub and Restaurant, 3/4 Dock Rd., Limerick
PRIMAL SCREAM LIVE AT THE BIG TOP WITH SPECIAL GUESTS BO NINGEN
ELVER GLEAMS
THE ESKIES
Tuesday 29th November @ 7pm
Tuesday 22nd November @ 8pm
Saturday 26th November @ 9pm
Belltable, 69 O' Connell Street, Limerick
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
ALL SHOOK UP Wednesday 23rd - Saturday 26th November @ 8pm
Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College, Courtbrack Avenue, Limerick
SEE FOR CINEMA - WHO IS DERVLA MURPHY? Wednesday 23rd November @ 8pm
Belltable, 69 O' Connell Street, Limerick
MAGICAL MOZART BY CANDLELIGHT Wednesday 23rd November @ 8pm
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
Kasbah Social Club, 3 - 4 Dock Road, Limerick
SANTA AT ADARE'S OLD CREAMERY Sunday 27th November - Friday 23rd December
Adare's Old Creamery, Blackabbey, Adare, Co. Limerick
FLOWER FLAIR WORKSHOPS - FESTIVE FLORISTRY Sunday 27th November @ 11am
The Gift Store, Limerick Milk Market
'ELF' SCREENING Sunday 27th November @ 3pm
Limerick Milk Market, Cornmarket Row, Limerick
CASTLECONNELL CONCERT VANBRUGH QUARTET
SERIES
-
Tuesday 29th November @ 8pm
All Saints Church, Castleconnell
SEE FOR CINEMA - THE MEASURE OF A MAN Tuesday 29th November @ 8pm
Belltable, 69 O' Connell Street, Limerick
CINDER AND THE ELLAS Wednesday 30th November @ 11am & 7pm
Lime Tree Theatre, Mary Immaculate College, Courtbrack Avenue, Limerick
University Concert Hall, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick
69
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
Closing Time 1 0 min ute s with…A da m R e e v e s Occupation: I am a marketing consultant and session
As a child what did you want to be when you grew
and Event Space on Foxes Bow.
I knew I always wanted to work for myself. Growing
musician; I also own The Stormy Teacup Artisan Café
Fun fact about yourself:
I dropped out of the Bachelor of Business Studies course in UL at the age of 18 to take over and reopen The Stormy Teacup.
What motivates you in the morning?
up?
Describe your ideal weekend in Limerick:
appealing. Being honest, I never saw it happening this
the vibe is always incredible at them! It’s such a nice
they had due to working for themselves made it so quick. I always wanted to go to college and live that life for a while, but I’ve been lucky enough to be able to start the self-employed journey very early on. What is your favourite word?
late at night, so I do most of my work around 2 or
shock or a fright. It’s perfect.
3 at night. Might explain why I’m so grumpy in the mornings…
What one thing do you never leave the house
Jeepers. My granddad’s word of choice if he got a
Favourite quote of all time:
“It’s times like this that make you.”
without?
What is the most recent book you’ve read?
phone these days. From pulling till reports from
Hour Work Week’ is really insightful and thought
My phone. You can literally do everything from your
Stormy, to using cheat sheets on my phone while
playing gigs, I would be lost without it, which makes it imperative that it’s always in my pocket. My laptop is only good for watching movies these days. Any hidden or lesser known talents?
I give great massages? There is literally no un-creepy way to say that! I wanted to do physio in college, if that helps? Or does that make it weirder? Jesus.
I’m reading three at the moment. Tim Ferriss’ ‘4-
provoking. His book ‘The 4-Hour Body’ is also a must read. I am also reading ‘What They Don’t Teach You
At Harvard Business School’ by Mark McCormack, which is really interesting, and I’m just about to
We have amazing gigs on in Stormy most Fridays; buzz, and it gives me great satisfaction being able to
promote local music at Stormy. I love the Milk Market
early on Saturdays, especially at this time of year when it’s cold and crisp. Saturday night’s invariably sees me end up in Costello’s – usually after playing a gig or having been to see one. Sunday is my chill out day, I
like to go have lunch or dinner somewhere and then fold myself into the couch for the evening, most likely with a takeaway - because I literally can’t stop eating. Favourite place to grab a bite:
I spend way too much money on food! The Red Hen is great for lunch. The pizza in Cobblestone Joes is amazing. The Buttery’s new menu is great - the nacho
salad is amazing, as are the pancakes! Nothing beats the satisfaction of Chicken Hut or Abra after a night out though!
finish the latest Dan Brown book, which is absolutely
Favourite people:
weekly book review…
really blessed to be surrounded by great people all the
savage. I feel like I’m back in second class doing a
Are you superstitious/do you have any personal rituals for good luck?
I don’t think so. I believe hugely in remaining positive
and in putting out good vibes always. What goes around, comes around…
70
Amazing so far, only just beginning.
up and looking at my parents and the freedom
Nothing enough to make me get out of bed! I’m useless in the morning. I am most productive really
How would you sum up your life in six words?
I have an amazing family and group of friends. I’m time.
Happiness is…
Seeing others happy. Article by: Amanda Flannery
Photography by: Caleb Purcell
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
71
THE LIMERICK MAGAZINE
LIVE MUSIC 7 NIGHTS A WEEK TUES. 1st Plan B WED. 2nd Tiny Giants THURS. 3rd Escapade FRI. 4th Renovator SAT. 5th Pearly Whites SUN. 6th Switch MON. 7th Traffic TUES. 8th Plan B WED. 9th Tiny Giants THURS. 10th Escapade FRI. 11th Transmitter SAT. 12th Gorilla Radio SUN. 13th Switch MON. 14th Traffic TUES. 15th Plan B WED. 16th Tiny Giants THURS. 17th Escapade FRI. 18th BlueMoose SAT. 19th Hot Fuss SUN. 20th Switch MON. 21st Traffic TUES. 22nd Plan B WED. 23rd Tiny Giants THURS. 24th Escapade FRI. 25th Divine Invention SAT. 26th Humble Earthworms SUN. 27th Switch MON. 28th Traffic TUES. 29th Plan B WED. 30th Tiny Giants
72
icon
NIGHTCLUB
THIS november
LIVE BANDS
i
EVERY NIGHT
USIC Denmark St. Limerick 061 310766 enqueries@smythsbar.com
Smyths Bar