‘Hidden Peak’ Phil Elvrum
‘As Much as I Loved Her’ Bonnie-Jeanne Lawless
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F**k Off and Do it Yourself A quick look at some of the progressive cultural spaces popping up around Dublin “Jackpot” Spot on clothes for Banging Bingo Birds The Village Person Conor O’Brien Pilled Up Picnics The BESTivals “Oh, Billy” Betty’s Stylish Boyfriend Ye Big Hairy Mess Do not allow the No Money Situation ruin the Hair Situation Spaniel’s Heart Club Aw look at the lonely woofter and his little face Rubber Bandits Real Life Irish Rap Icons, or whatever Poems Poppin’ Poems Recipes From young chef Donal Skehan
contents Season 1: Issue 2
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Perhaps there are reasons to harbour a secret excitement for the recession. Excitement for the fertile ground now serving emerging talents in Ireland's cultural scene. Enter the DIY ethic – the decision to do something without waiting for approval, on the cheap and with an audience of friends and likeminded artists. Seomra Spraoi, The Hideaway House, The Shed, The Joy Gallery, The Box Social and The Joinery, are just a few of the trail blazing galleries, alternative venues and social spaces that have, in the past year or so, begun springing up around Dublin to provide an alternative to the established music and gallery scene previously on offer. My first experience of such a space was The Hideaway House in Deans Grange. I was there last July to see Calvin Johnson, a mythic mammoth of a man in America’s independent music scene, founder of the Go Team and indie label K records and also lead singer with The Beat Happening in the 80s. Johnson’s strict DIY ethics mean he prefers to play smaller and all ages’ alternative venues rather than the regular commercial venues. But rather than play in the house, Calvin led the crowd to the back of the untended garden to play a completely unamplified set in the setting July sun. One of the support acts from that faithful night last July was Patrick Kelleher and The Cold Dead Hands. Band member Ger Duffy is the mastermind behind The Box Social. A humble concrete shed at the back of Patrick’s garden on the South Circular Road plays host to The Box Social. The atmosphere of the Box
Social is vitalised by its DIY aesthetic. Looking at the ceiling covered in old carpet pulled out of skips in a sound proofing attempt, one feels some kind of solidarity of effort. Seemingly, these spaces have only begun to pop up in the past year or so which would suggest to me that their emergence is in some way connected to the recession. But The Shed, a project of Italian born Eli McBett has been going since 2007. Originally run out of the same building that housed Pallas Studios on Foley Street the Shed has recently relocated to a laneway behind Henrietta street. I was awestruck to see the interior for the first time. Eli has worked tirelessly over the past year to convert the old carpentry workshop into a truly beautiful space, using reclaimed wood, old furniture and gallons of whitewash to create an atmosphere highly conducive to audience centred cultural events, experimental music and film screenings. Eli sees herself as a facilitator more than anything. The programme of events is created by participants and the entry fee goes directly back into the maintenance and rent of the property. The Joy Gallery is another space that has been at the forefront of Dublin’s recent underground music scene. Located around the top of O'Connel Street down a small lane called Rutland Place, The Joy started as artists' studios and it was later decided to convert the ground floor into a gallery space with a small rehearsal space attached for bands. Though they operate along the lines of a more conventional gallery and studio space the willingness of The Joy Gallery to open their doors to
experimental music, poetry readings and all manner of unconventional cultural happenings has made the gallery a really important hub of emerging culture in the city. Much like The Hideaway House, The Joy also hosts the occasional international act that prefers to play to a smaller audience in an uncommercial space. A few months ago I saw the one-manelectro-shaman-band Lucky Dragons, aka Luke Fishborn from LA. The whole space was entranced by a combination of organic sampling and strange, strobing visuals of swirling cacti, mescalito guardians and people crying neon tears. Lucky Dragons’ secret weapon is a long, multicoloured rope which he passes to the audience. One person holds the rope, and touches another person’s hand or arm who in turn touches another part of the rope to create a circuit that alters an aspect of the music in real-time. Soon enough, the whole audience was sat cross-legged on the floor, holding hands to form one giant music machine, blurring the space between performer and spectator. The Joy Gallery’s closest relative in terms of gigs in art spaces would be The Joinery. Nearing its first birthday The Joinery is located on a quiet street on Arbor Hill. It is predominantly an art gallery committed to showing lens based work as well as sound installation and performance art from students and emerging artists. The studios upstairs are home to about 7 creatives – an illustrator, web designers, a writer and a few photographers. The ground floor is quite a large gallery space comprised of three rooms, the largest of which serves as a
music venue for the occasional BYOB gig which have tended to be on the experimental side of lo-fi acoustic and electro music. Seemingly, the DIY scene in Dublin is only in its nascent. There isn’t a cohesive movement per se. Everyone I talked to seemed aware of all the other spaces around Dublin, and were keen to form relationships with each other. But there is also a reticence to forge some kind of solid organisation. Perhaps that would betray the spontaneity behind most of these spaces, as well as their often specific and differing aims and audiences. But one thing is for certain, they are happening in the right place at the right time. Interest is waning for the kind of alienating night life and culture that was received rather than created from the ground up. And interest is growing for stuff that is cheap, genuine and promises community and participation to its audience. Watch these spaces.
“Swansong” in performance @ The Joinery
By Sam Keogh
“strange, strobing visuals of swirling cacti”
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JACKPOT!
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When The Immediate released their debut album ‘In Towers and Clouds’ in 2006 it was met with considerable acclaim from critics and music fans alike. It seemed as though this four-piece represented something of a bright light, shining strong and true at the helm of a burgeoning music scene in Dublin. But this light soon swelled into a supernova and, one summer’s day a couple of years ago it collapsed in upon itself, as the band announced their split via a MySpace notice board message. “Existential differences” was cited as the cryptic reason for this discord. We may never know precisely what they meant by this, but if we did, it wouldn’t really make a difference, anyway. “Never overstay your welcome” was a favourite saying of one Bing Crosby, a sentiment which could be attributed to The Immediate; just as quickly as they had arrived on the scene, they departed. Some were left with an overbearing feeling of loss for what might have been, but those not stricken with an over-developed sense of drama were left disappointed but satisfied, thankful for the indelible mark that The Immediate made in their brief window of existence. All of this, however, is the past, and it would be oh so very easy to dwell upon, were it not for Villagers, former Immediate man Conor O’Brien’s new project. Villagers isn’t really a band, nor is it a solo effort – it is more something of a marriage of the two. There is no official line up to speak of. There isn’t even a set number of musicians in the band, at least at this stage of its inception. Villagers began life, as Conor puts it, as a collection of musical
poems, written with no real intent for some sort of predisposed destination. They were seemingly written because they were there to be written - a notion certainly preferable to that of keeping them locked away in the confines of his mind. ‘Hollow Kind’, the debut Villagers EP, was released in February, and immediately piqued the interest of many who had been anxiously awaiting some sort of musical output to fill the niche that his old band had vacated. They were not to be disappointed. ‘Hollow Kind’ is a remarkable offering, populated with the sort of lyrical maturity and an open, inclusive worldly introspection that one comes across all too rarely these days. If there is a centrepiece of this EP it would probably be ‘The Meaning of the Ritual’, a stark, brutally open song. To assuage any potential assertions of hyperbole on this writer’s part, it is worth noting that these scribbled musings of mine are shared by many of the luminaries of the Irish music scene, Jape and Redneck Manifesto head honcho Richie Egan among them. Egan, who incidentally has contributed bass to some of O’Brien’s live performances, has heralded Conor as one of the foremost talents we have at the moment. “That gentleman embodies everything I hold dear about music”, said Egan. So what happens next? There is a european tour supporting Tracy Chapman in the offing, as well as O’Brien’s continued duties with Cathy Davey. Davey, an admireer of the Immediate, invited Conor to join after their
split. The waves that began emanating just a few months ago have also begun to break on distant shores. A slot at this year’s Electric Picnic festival has been secured too, and if things keep going the way they have been so far this year, it promises to be one of the most eagerly anticipated performances of the weekend. O’Brien also intends to record the first Villagers full length album in August. “I already have enough songs for an album”, he says. “It’s just that I might write some songs between now and then that I prefer to the ones I have now!” There has also been a (somewhat irresponsible) article in a national publication which proclaimed Villagers as the early favourite to win the 2010 Choice Music Prize for best Irish album, despite the aforementioned album not being in existence yet. And with this comes the second phase of Villagers’ standing in the public domain. Hype. It’s a word I deliberately avoided using until now. So many bands in this country are broken by the unyielding weight of public expectation, and this weight will soon be applied to Villagers, as it was to The Immediate. O’Brien said himself that the hype surrounding The Immediate served not as a burden, but as motivation – a continual reminder that self-improvement is the only way forward. This is an admirable outlook to have, a self-awareness that should shepherd Villagers away from any potential cliff edges that may lie ahead. There certainly is hype (there’s that word again) - it’s impossible to avoid when your fifth-ever gig is featured on
RTE TV’s Other Voices. The ‘H’ word has negative connotations attached to it, justifiably most of the time. It feels a little different in this case, though. ‘Hollow Kind’ has been championed by all the right people, and the music simply really is that good. This is the old-fashioned ‘word of mouth’ hype, not the synthetic record-company-shoving-it-downyour-throat hype. Villagers have only really been in existence for a few months, yet have the advantage of being already somewhat established within the collective consciousness of those ‘in the know’. There are to be no torturous Eamonn Doran’s gigs for Villagers; O’Brien is already in the advantageous position of having a well established audience to aim at, so already a couple of the rungs of the ladder have been skipped. Rightfully so, this music deserves to be seen and heard by many and time will precipitate this. This time next year there won't be any more "Who are Villagers?" features in magazines, there will be no need for that. It's only been a few months, but already there is a significant weight behind Villagers, as there is with Conor O'Brien himself and, as the upcoming performances in Europe and around Ireland should prove, a fire will be lit under this musical project and ears will perk up as this songsmith continues down his path - always moving, never remaining constant.
by John Balfe
s ou t u c d p i e n l l c i i P P Could I get three days in the rain in a field please? Yeah, site preferably waterlogged so I can try to dislocate my hip as I trudge around looking for the right stage for that band I want to see. And could the information tent be located in the remotest possible place so we can all fork out about ten of our hard-earned dole bucks on a laminated schedule that bears no similarity to actual reality once the festival kicks off. Thanks. Could I dish out about 300 quid for the privilege please, and could I queue for hours for a Dublin Bus and sit in traffic for a few hours on Friday afternoon? I’d love that, jaysus thanks. Oh could you throw in extortionately priced pints and long queues for them as well, maybe someone defecating on my tent during the night? Most of all I’d love if you could give me the same headliners as the last few years and well then I’ll be pretty much sorted for festival season. You’re so giving dear festival behemoth; shall I bend over now? Okay so maybe I’m being a little harsh but by and large, the biggies can become an exhausting endurance trial; luckily there are tons of alternatives that offer better value, better vibes and most importantly a greater variety of performers and general all round entertainment. Oh, Francis spent some time mulling over the little nuances which serve to make these small fests so special, memorable and preferable with the people behind Sibín, Mantua Project and Inisfox. The first festival of the summer, Sibin, had its second annual event on May bank holiday Saturday. The festival brought together some of the city’s
most popular and most neglected genres over six stages, with 50 acts and over 14 hours of music. Mantua Project (formerly The State of Mantua) had been a summer highlight for festival-goers for a number of years, sadly it won’t be going ahead this year, though the team continue to put on smaller gigs and events around the country, and Inisfox is an exclusive invite only event which has been taking place on an island off the west coast since 2006. First and foremost one wonders how a group of people take it upon themselves to try and pull together a new festival, Lorcan Fox of Inisfox explains his motivation: “It was a birthday party about six years ago and as more and more of our friends who DJ and are in the 'creative arts' got involved it naturally progressed from there. Our experience from working on loads of other festivals and film productions helped the process.” Sonja Bermingham of Sibin puts it down to the partying spirit: “It's something we've always wanted to do, we've been going to festivals since we were kids and in more recent years we've been doing little stages at some of the independent festivals so we were moving in that direction for a long time. Then a few years ago we came across our current site at the Man'O'War and just decided to take the plunge! We used phone-calls, emails, veiled threats, arm chancing. Nothing is below us really.” So what makes you lot think your festival is different to all the others, and what do you think these smaller events have over the
“You’re so giving dear festival behemoth; shall I bend over now?” bigger festivals around the country? With Inisfox there’s, “Genuine intimacy, all night music, no transport issues, no 'undesirables', better atmosphere, less hassle finding friends, less restrictions on music policy and behaviour and the freedom to do what you want.” Sonja: ‘’Sibin is a festival by party-people for party-people. We don't get too bogged down trying to attract the top of the pops crowd, instead the focus is on bringing in more underground acts that we know will rock the place and put smiles on faces. Smaller festivals offer more FUN! First and foremost. Mike from Mantua: “I suppose we wanted to keep the DIY, non-corporate buzz of free parties and festivals and add to that a really good and varied line-up and include other art forms so that folk could enjoy some of the best homegrown and international music and art without the advertising bombardment, blatant money-grabbing and restrictions imposed by bigger festivals, and be able to wander around and enjoy the intimate and care-free atmosphere that doesn't and can't exist in other bigger festivals, especially in Ireland. With smaller festivals people tend to interact more with each-other and there is much less of a separation, often none between the organisers,
artists & punters- kind of a by the people for the people type of thing where everyone gets stuck in to make things work and hopefully benefits from the experience.” Unusually Inisfox started out as a birthday party and remains an invite-only event, why so? “Safety, and the delicate nature of the island. It just would not be possible to have more than a few hundred people safely stay the weekend. The island resources couldn't handle it either. This year it’s going ahead on a very small scale, but no big tents or temporary chapels or the like. We’ve got to let the eco system replenish every few years. Just like Glastonbury. I think they stole that idea from us.” The last few years have seen an overabundance of festivals around Ireland, last summer being the pinnacle. A lot of these festivals have now been postponed until next year, Mantua sadly being one of these . Is this due to the far too oft-cited recession, or did other factors contribute? Mike: “The recession had nothing to do with it, We were all just worn out really- continuously losing money didn't help- and people had different things they wanted to pursue- careers, families, studies… rather than work their arse off year in, year out… So the impetus and drive wasn't there like before so rather than do it half-heartedly we decided it better to take a break, recuperate, all that shit… and come back in the future with a different perspective on things.” Other highlights of the festival season include Indie-Pendance in Co. Cork which features the
most established acts of the Irish music scene, The Punx Picnic now in its second year takes place outside Letterkenny in Co. Donegal, Sea Sessions in Bundoran, Co. Donegal is a music and surf festival with Super Furry Animals headlining, KnockanStockan bills itself as ‘fun in a field’ and takes place at The Blessington Lakes, Co. Wicklow, and Life Festival, the ever-popular psytrance festival continues to go from strength to strength which took place in Ballinlough Walled Garden on the June bank holiday weekend and the Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures rounds up the small festival season in late August. Along with this and despite the massive cuts in the Arts Council’s budget this year there is an abundance of literary and arts festivals taking place throughout the country, most reputable of these being The Flat Lake Festival, itself set up and run by renowned author Patrick McCabe and film-maker (and Lily’s uncle) Kevin Allen, which takes place in Clones, Co. Monaghan and describes itself as the point where high art meets popular culture; “have you seen Brendan Bowyer's King Lear in the Butty Barn?...It’s seminal", and likely the only place one may bump into such literary stalwarts as Seamus Heaney leaving an eco-loo.
By Jade O’Callaghan
“the only place one may bump into such literary stalwarts as Seamus Heaney leaving an eco-loo”
Oh BillY
Ye big mess
Ye big
I am 21 and I define a sadly large portion of myself by my hairstyle. That is in no way an exaggeration. Girls with similar fringes make me sick and worried. I try to stare them down, how dare you, how dare you steal this, this is mine, stop making it ugly immediately go home and change it right away you dreadful woman – it is vain and cruel to think this way but this hair is mine and I made it myself. I am possessive of it. It is mine. I assume they paid for it and thus feel robbed, and thus feel hostile. This is because I did not pay for this hairstyle, oh no, oh no – it was created by my body, a pair of silver nail scissors that came out of a fancy posh Christmas cracker from Woolworths in Newry about six years ago, and a box of chemicals that I bought in a chemist. I invented this and I wear it on my head. These days it is long, so I wear it around my shoulders, too. I do it myself; all on my own, because I am BROKE, yes broke, we are all broke, aren’t we? BUT I will not let this paralyse me and my control over the way I look (and of course, my insufferable vanity). There’s a certain Economic Climate Situation occurring, apparently, and this means that I am a full time student with absolutely no money – this makes it the No Money Situation. This No Money Situation means that things have to be different. Things have to be done oneself. We are all in this boat together. It isn’t 2005 anymore when you can work two part time jobs, be 17, in school, wonderfully middle class and have all the Topshop clothes in the world and sit on your arse in Cowboys and Angels being fed lattes, and asked what
mess you’re doing this weekend by some gorgeous blonde praying mantis who has been trained to hold a person’s image in their palm. They could hand you the milky coffee and transform your blind mouse brown shoulder length centre parting schoolgirl locks into something that makes you look immediately as though you have a personality. Worth every copper of the hundred and twenty euros you casually hand over to the wan behind the counter because its grand sure you’ve two jobs anyways so like it’s not like it’ll make a difference. And when you walk into Dorans with out even getting asked for ID, you’re like, eh its clearly the hair. Clearly. Or on the other dark hand, it could be one layer too short. Just one. So you look a bit like Bon Jovi and a bit like your ma when she was pregnant with your sister in 1994. Handing the money over with tears streaming down your face (now your face is mad blotchy and you’re even more hideous if anyone sees you you’ll hate yourself) knowing, knowing, it’ll be months of a ponytail and clips before you look like yourself again. But it’d grand like because you’re getting paid again next week so you won’t miss the money that much. No more are these teenage dreams of having someone well trained making you beautiful. There is no money. There is no part time job. If there is you’re saving every penny you have because the fear of baby Jesus has been put into you by RTE and everyone telling you it’s a CRISIS AND IT’LL BE JUST LIKE THE SITUATION IN THE EIGHTIES.
We are together now. We trust our friends with nail scissors now if we are too scared to do the back ourselves. Clairol are making a fortune off us (but never Schwartzkov again; they tell lies – brown is meant to be brown, not purple). We let our stylish gothy boyfriends shave our undercuts (true story) (no, really). We let brown roots grow through peroxide blonde for months and do not care because there is a woolly hat that cost three euro that is far more efficient than fourteen euro in Terrisales plus the risk that you could end up scabs on your scalp from chemical burns. Do not allow the No Money Situation ruin the Hair Situation. Take it into your own hands. I appeal to you, those who save money to go risk their image in a posho hairdressers – cut your own hair. Get your mate to do it. Make a night of it, have a bottle of wine like (there’s a whopper 4.99 wine in Lidl, economic crisis and all). Get a box of dye. Change your life cut in a fringe (if you see some bird with one just like it glaring at you don’t mind her she probably won’t hit you). The No Money Situation doesn’t have to be a BAD situation – it can just be a Do It Yourself Situation – thus giving you the pleasure of, when asked ‘OMG your hair is totes amazing, where’d you get it done?’, smugly replying that you invented it entirely yourself.
“OMG your hair is totes amazing”
by Sarah Griffin 21
t Club r a e H
Spaniel’s
Bill sat in Martha’s café scanning the personal pages for comfort. His thoughts struggled to be heard beneath the murmur of conversation and the clink of faux white china. Blonde, bubbly 24 year-old seeks adventurous outdoorsy type for fun, friendship, maybe more. Box 25036/42. His breakfast, long gone cold, stared up at him from a kitschy patterned plate. A steadily congealing sausage caught his eye. It’s cracked black skin revealing the mix of ground flesh, animal fat, salt and spices beneath. It appeared to him as a deformed and downturned mouth. Forty-something female (VGL), enjoys fine wine and dining, interested in meeting wealthy gentleman of similar age for comfort and conversation motor-car a must. Box 25036/38. Beside him a young couple spoke to each other, about nothing in particular, in some sort of baby talk. They babbled on and on in code, an inane cooing, audible but indecipherable. The couple were in love, and so wholly dependent upon each other that one couldn’t be understood, let alone exist without the other. Man wanted: 33 year-old (but looks younger) plus-size girl in the market for loving man (25-40) for quiet nights in and long, romantic walks - GSOH, BBFN, LOL. Box 25036/67. Bill considered what he needed to live - ground flesh, animal fat, salt, spices and numerous chemical and neurological reactions he’d never taken the time to understand.
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Young farmer (male) seeks MOSS to warm country manor on cold evenings. Make me smile and I’ll let ye ride on my tractor. Thirty-five, married but available. Box 25036/89.
He considered too the times happiness had been wrenched from his grasp. The chain-smoking nights when yellowing fingers, topped by broken, bitten nails, grasped at eternally full wine glasses, to the melancholy soundtrack of country radio. He mourned each fleeting doe-eyed lover that had passed through his life. His thoughts rested briefly on the one whose heart had been broken long before he met her, and would be broken still. It hadn’t registered that love had been a delusion, albeit happily shared. All that mattered was the world seemed less like a pointless and fragmented spiralling ball for whatever amount of minutes that particular delusion lasted. Feminist political activist seeks like-minded crusader. Must have grasp of Marxist analysis and be versed in the rhetoric of the Second Situationist International. Vegetarian preferred. Box 25036/56. A question formed in Bill’s mind. This was that question: do the miserable masses find comfort in the fact that their maladies, although unique and independent, are echoed in the hearts of billions of other empty vessels on this pointless and fragmented spiralling ball? He couldn’t think of an answer and failing to capture the waitresses’ attention, gave up on refilling his coffee and set about haphazardly doodling upon the news print. Presently, he was drawing concentric circles beneath a personal ad which read:
Broken heart seeks like-minded others to forgo romance and find joy through shared pain. Age, sex and circumstances are unimportant. Meetings will take place in the rec room of the Mother of Mercy Community Centre, every Wednesday at 7pm. Spaniel’s Heart. Box 25036/13. He smiled as his hand involuntarily circled this ad and folding the newspaper under his arm, set out the door to take his place amongst the empty vessels muddling through the streets of the section of this pointless and fragmented spiralling ball he called home
By Aidan Stennett
“Young farmer (male) seeks MOSS to warm country manor on cold evenings. Make me smile and I’ll let ye ride on my tractor.”
RUBBER BANDITS This inte rvie w hon estl y too k pla ce
Who are you? How did you get into my house? “Up the drainpipe, why?” You’re that guy from that thing I… “Yes. I'm Bobby Chrome, from the rap legends Rubberbandits, and we are Irish hip hop.” How’s things? “I crashed my car into another car today because I was looking at a car crash. Then I thought the bonnet was okay and as I drove off, the bonnet flipped back and smashed the windscreen. The moral of the story is don’t look at car crashes.” Em, What got you guys into rap music? “We came up to Dublin in 2001 to settle a bet about crocodiles…” Did you win? “…No, my forfeit was to buy a spice burger. We chose a chipper by the name of Leo Burdock’s, and on the wall in the place there is a list of people who had dined there. A-listers like Timothy Dalton, Def Leppard and that guy from France. We wanted to make that list so bad, so we decided to become famous rappers.”
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How long have you known the other guy? “Blind Boy Boat Club? How long have I known him? We met in first year secondary school in Limerick, I used to encourage him not to eat his Ritalin, thus entertaining me all day long.” Would you guys be, like, an early Lennon and McCartney sitting on a bed type collaboration thing? “I would see us more like Zig and Zag, but in the early days, before they started wearing clothes and everyone forgot that they spent years nude, on TV, on a kid’s show. What’s the best gig you played so far? “We played a gig in Galway, it was rag week for one of the colleges there. We got pissed and can’t remember the gig, except patches…Shaking the hand of a girl ‘cause she was from Moyross…We were followed back to our hotel by a man claiming to be Sean Connery or something, he advised us not to leave our rooms ‘til after sunrise.” Who is your inspiration? “Blind Boy Boat Club, not because I’m a benny, but because I’m jealous of his life. He has a horse that lives in his garden and he pisses in a Lenor bottle because he’s too resourceful to go to the jacks ten feet away. Blind Boy, that is, not the horse.”
What’s the best gig yiv ever been to? “Ice Cube in Tripod.” Did you meet him?! “We met him. We supported him. We gave him an autographed hurl. We nearly didn’t play because my dog got in a fight with another dog an hour before the show, leaving the hound severely traumatised.” Which one of you smoked crack and shifted Ice Cube? “The other guy.” Is there a drug problem in Limerick? “No, we’re great at drugs.” And, finally, where do you see yourself in the future? “Getting my car NCT’d in mulhuddart coz I know the dude who does it there. He used to sell maggots to my dad.” Your dad was a fisherman? “No.” Words by Steph Doyle
Sprint Through Bleeker Street
Abstractions
Get the A, B, C, D or The JMZ to Bleeker Street To the poor village Express, express, express Pop tarts or Jean Paul Sartre In Harlem I can’t deal with the pessimism Of communism Give me the calories And the sidestepping notions That perpetuate the 16 year olds Idea of travel The dig shape dreams Of the West Coast As long as you have car Cue the attendant Inhaling bitter sentiments off 45th Along with a foreign view On car parking and half smoked Menthols Quickly you find That most think they’re Funnier than they actually are Silence becomes A new friend So it’s a toss up Post Modernism or Impressionism Any time, doesn’t matter Take it, think it Free time and Christians Make it difficult to tell Between the varying levels Of conservatism you try to avoid
Let slip on the 1 train I think that Arrogant is arrogant No matter how many Pop culture references And girls’ numbers You have
Like all those young hopefuls who came before I followed down the rickety path. Bare with me. Now I knew that this time the beautiful spiders hiding cooked in my skull crevasses could make the difference.
By Rhys Leyshon Evans
Look. I’ll tell you something. Underpinning the ructions of overstatement is a tricky business. Don’t take my word for it; look at The Road Stones or The Ballad of Last Night or that funny sonnet about Lucia. Martha doesn’t think I’m schooooled enough.
(To be read with an Irish accent)
Washing powder Now theeeere’s an invention. Genius That’s it then That’s all I have to say You can take it or leave it
By K. J. Nolan
Poems
She says Mary will always have the upper hand And that only a fool would peg themselves up against the likes of Dante Alighieri or John Millington Synge
Taaaaake it or leave it. Sniff.
Ba r b e q u e C a j u n S patc h c o c k C h i c k e n The combination of spices here are so tasty, but if you are missing some, don’t be afraid to use dried herbs or even whatever fresh herbs you have available to you. Barbequing can be a little tricky but the cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken, if you are worried, simple insert a skewer at the thickest part and if the juices run clear, the bird is cooked! (Serves 6-8)
Ingredients
2 small chickens 4 cloves of garlic 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons of paprika 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons of dried oregano A small handful of fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped A small handful of thyme Juice of 1 lemon 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil A generous pinch of sea salt and pepper To prepare the chicken, place the bird breast down, and using a knife or a sharp scissors, cut along the back bone. Open the bird out and flip it over breast side up and using your fist push down hard on the breast to break the back bone. Thread a skewer diagonally through the bird from the leg to the breast and repeat on the other side. Score the bird on the legs and breasts. Repeat the twhole process for the second chicken. Place the chicken in a large roasting tin. Prepare the marinade. Place the rest of the ingredients in a pestle and mortar or a food processor and break down until you have a rough paste. Spread the paste over the chicken until it is completely covered. Cover the roasting tin in tin foil and place in the fridge to marinate for 30 mins to an hour, if you have time. Place the birds on the barbeque over a medium heat and cook breast side up for 25-30 minutes. Half-way through give the birds a squeeze of lemon juice. Turn the birds over and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chickens are cooked through. If you fin the chicken is blackening too much, place them on some tinfoil until they are cooked through. Enjoy!
When it comes to snack foods, everyone has their weakness, mine just so happens to be these homemade potato chips. Makes enough for 4 portions, or one giant selfish one!
Ingredients
5 rooster potatoes cut into chips 3 tablespoons of olive oil 2 teaspoons of paprika 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper 1 tablespoon of sea salt Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 Cut the potatoes into chips about 1cm in thickness. Spread the potato chips evenly over two large non stick baking trays. Try and give the chips as much space as possible, this will make them extra crispy. Drizzle the oil over the chips and toss until they are all combined. Sprinkle over the paprika, pepper, salt and toss again. Place in the oven and roast for 40-50 minutes or until crispy and golden. Serve straightaway as a tasty snack or alongside a main meal.
Homemade Paprika Roast Potato Chips By Donal Skehan Donal has a book coming out in October called “Good Mood Food” with Mercier Press. Check Out www.thegoodmoodfoodblog.com
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‘The Audbjorg’ Lucy McKenna
‘Swing Set’
Lucy McKenna
Credits www.ohfrancis.com
Editor: Emma Dwyer Artistic Director: Stephen Banville Instigator No.3: Simon Dowling Contact: us@ohfrancis.com Design: Kate Dwyer kdwyerdesigns@gmail.com
Images P. 2-3 Project by Padraig Robinson P. 5 Photos by Daniele Idini , ”Swansong” P. 7,15+20 Photos by James McLoughlin P. 10 Photo of Conor O’Brien by Enda Doran P. 23 Illustration by Shauna McGowan P. 25 Freud’s Childhood Doll by Zuzana Kalinakova P. 26-27 Aoife Nathan
Jackpot Shoot 1. Jackpot Pink ruffle blouse by Pink Soda at Urban Outfitters Orange brocade dress from River Island Grey 'Richie Vice' cardigan by Aprill 77 at Circus Navy hat, vintage from the Dublin Flea market Pearls from a selection by Freedom at Topshop Brown leather belt stylist's own. 2. Gate, Garden and Flats Salmon simple fold dress by Poltock and Walsh at Circus Cream and navy cardigan by Upper Fifth at Topshop Gold beads by Freedom at Topshop Grey socks by Topshop Silk scarf and slip, vintage from Enable Ireland Grey handbag and sunglasses from Urban Outfitters Coral peep-toe heels by Lotus at Office 3. Laneway & Blue Outfit Liberty print blouse by Petria Lenehan at Dolls Blue tweed and chiffon jacket from Zara Blue jacquard skirt by See by Chloe at Urban Outfitters Pearls from a selection by Freedom at Topshop Stockings by Aristoc at Clearys Yellow Faux Snakeskin heels from Zara Tan snakeskin clutch bag, vintage from Urban Outfitters Blue gloves, vintage from the Dublin Flea Market
Oh Billy! Shoot 4. No Dumping Blouse with blue pattern and bow from Age Action charity shop Plaid skirt from Zara Pink earring worn as a brooch from Enable Ireland Pearls from a selection by Freedom at Topshop Sunglasses from Urban Outfitters Chain strap metallic handbag stylist's own Pink socks from Topshop Brown platform heels from Office 5. In the Street in Yellow Yellow Dress by Eley Kishimoto at Circus Moss green silk blouse from Zara Beige cotton cardigan from Zara Pearl and gold earring, worn as a brooch by Freedom at Topshop Brown leather loafers from Office Silk scarf, stylist's own Purple leather bag, vintage from the Dublin Flea Market Circus Store and Gallery, Powerscourt Townhouse, Dublin 2, www.circusstore.net Dolls, 32b Clarendon Street, Dublin 2, 01 6729004 Topshop, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, www.topshop.com Urban Outfitters, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk Office, Grafton Street, Dublin 2, www.office.co.uk Zara, South King Street, Dublin 2 Age Action charity shop, Camden Street, Dublin 2 Enable Ireland, Liffey street, Dublin 1 + Georges street, Dublin 2 Dubln Flea Market, held on the last Sunday of every month in the Dublin Co-Op, Newmarket Square, Dublin 8 Photographer and Stylist : Emma Turpin, eturpin@gmail.com, colouritin.ie Make up and hair: Ruby Dodds, rubydodds@hotmail.com Model: Kami @ 1st Options With Extra Special Thanks to Ruth Turpin, who made it happen.
Picture 1: Shirt - Harlequin, Yellow Vest - Topman, Green Trousers - Harlequin Picture 2: Orange Zippy top - Wild Child, T-shirt – Wild Child, Brown Skinny Cords - Harlequin, Pacman Badge - Available at Cafe Market Picture 3: Leather jacket - Harlequin, Jumper - Topman, Trousers - Topman Picture 4: Green Zippy Jacket - Wildchild, Outfit - As Snowflake below Picture 5: Green and White long sleeve - Topman, Shirt - Harlequin, Trousers - Harlequin Picture 6: White snowflake Jumper - Harlequin, Shirt - Harlequin, Skinny Jeans - Topman, Pacman Badge - Available at Cafe Market Picture 7: Blue Cardigan - Harlequin, Shirt - Harlequin, Skinny Jeans - Topman Wild Child Vintage Clothing & Furniture, 24 Georges Street Arcade Dublin 2 Harlequin, 13 Castle Market, Dublin 2 Topman, 41 Grafton Street Dublin 2 Café Market, Last Saturday of the month, Upstairs in FilmBase, Temple Bar. Stylist: Sheilagh Tighe Photographer: Caroline Murray Model: Keiron @ Morgan The Agency
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