Go rail-Summer-2015

JULY - SEPT 2015 • VOL:05 ISSUE:02

Staycations

It’s Time to Love our own Heritage

David Norris Celebrity Table

Summer’s Here And so are the Festival & GAA Seasons!

comes home OLAF TYARANSEN MEETS THE CAST OF DUBLIN’S ICONIC MUSICAL

T •H SE P BO TI GL IGH I N T EON R VCI OR E WKS :• AMLY PFAV O ROUR T E RI T, E I TMREALIN D AJOUR M A YNE & J E RF VA F ELR OY ’ROUR D E A VK E R• Y: DE

CONTENTS

J U LY - S E P T E MB ER 2 01 5

Volume 05 // Issue 02

K AT H R I N B A U M B AC H

Once

020 I N T E R V I E W O N PAG E . . .

06 Go For It

28 Go Business

in Le Bon Crubeen.

A rundown of what’s hot and happening throughout the country.

John Ruddle of Shannon Heritage unveils his plans for the GPO, as Ireland gears up for the centenary of 1916

40 National Heritage Week

16 Go News Up-to-date train news from Iarnród Éireann.

30 Imelda May

20 Once: The Musical

Random sessions with Gavin James in Nashville and more are on the agenda ahead of her Marlay Park date.

As it returns to its spiritual home of Dublin, we talk to the two leads about being part of a phenomenon.

32 Jeffery Deaver

24 Festivals

The enormously successful author on why he likes to remain anonymous in public.

Our in-depth guide to the biggest and best events this summer season.

34 True(ish) Train History

26 Al Porter

We're pretty sure Garvan Grant fact-checked this!

The Dublin comic talks about his love for his home town, Tinder escapades and how he almost became a priest.

36 Celebrity Table A man deserving of "national treasure" status, Senator David Norris opens up to Anne Sexton

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An extensive list of eclectic events coming your way this year.

48 Go Sport How the roads to the All-Ireland Finals in football and hurling are shaping up.

50 Go Fashion The hottest trends this season.

53 My Favourite Journey Actress and comedienne Tara Flynn on travellling by train from her beloved Cork to Dublin.

54 Reviews Our team of reviewers cast their eyes over the latest album, DVD and book releases.

Credits J U LY - S E P T 2 0 1 5

Volume 05 // Issue 02 MANAGING EDITOR

Máirin Sheehy

COMMISSIONING EDITOR

Roisin Dwyer

CONTRIBUTORS

Stuart Clark Craig Fitzpatrick Peter McNally Anne Sexton Roe McDermott Colm O'Regan Marie Ryan Olaf Tyaransen

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Hot Press 13 Trinity Street Dublin 2

DESIGN

David Keane David Stanley Faye Keegan

STUDIO MANAGER

David Keane

PRINTED BY

Boylan’s Print

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Damien Doran

PUBLISHER

Niall Stokes

GO RAIL IS PUBLISHED FOR IARNRÓD ÉIREANN BY:

Editor's Message

A Virtuous Circle The wild Atlantic coast

Osnovina Ltd 13 Trinity Street Dublin 2

Contact TELEPHONE FAX EMAIL

(01) 2411 500 (01) 2411 538 gorail@hotpress.ie

LETTERS

The Editor, Go Rail Magazine, 13 Trinity St Dublin 2

While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, the publishers cannot accept any responsibilities for errors. The views contained in this magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Iarnród Éireann.

All material © Osnovina 2015.

All rights reserved.

Reproduction of material without permission of the publishers is strictly prohibited.

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here are times when it is good to travel.

Getting away affords us an opportunity to reflect on our own place from afar, as well as to dream up new ideas, inspired by the places we are visiting. It is one of the reasons why Ireland has changed so much over the past thirty years: travel broadens the mind and cheaper air travel has made it possible on a far wider scale.

Going abroad makes you better able to appreciate other cultures, and more open to and tolerant of difference.

But there are times too when it is good to stay at home – and to appreciate the extraordinary beauty as well as the excellent hospitality that is available to us here in Ireland.

Right now, the country is battling back after the worst recession in living memory. Employment is rising.

Confidence is returning. The economy is performing well.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, all of this is a good thing. But there is still a lot of ground to be regained.

Tourism is one of the key drivers in the Irish economy.

Other sectors tend to be relatively localised. The tech sector, for example, is hugely important, but it is largely based in and around the capital and other cities and urban areas. In contrast, tourism affects every nook and cranny in the country to one degree or another. And that

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is especially so, where ‘staycations’ are concerned.

There was a time when Irish people might have sniffed at anywhere that isn’t on the coast as a place to visit and stay. No longer. With hotels, country houses, golf courses, spas and other attractions to be found in every county in Ireland, we are spoilt for choice as to where to go here at home – whether for a two week holiday or a weekend break, or indeed anything in between.

People in local areas have got much better too at realising and expressing the strength of their heritage.

Great events – encompassing music, literature, culture and sport – are being mounted all over the country throughout the summer. And initiatives like the Wild Atlantic Way have put a structure on things in a way that had previously eluded Irish people, confirming that most of us have a lot to learn – about Ireland itself.

More so than ever, whether for families, couples or groups of friends in search of their roots – or merely looking for a good time! – Ireland is full of opportunities for to enjoy ourselves and to support the economy at the same time.

Now that sounds like a virtuous circle to me...

Mairin Sheehy, Editor

GO FOR IT A R U N D O W N O F W H AT ’ S H O T & H A P P E N I N G

by Peter McNally

Basement Jaxx

Fun on the Farm Promising to be the festival’s biggest year to date, Indiependence will ring in its tenth anniversary in spectacular style on the weekend of July 31 – August 2. So far the festival has announced appearances by festival darlings Basement Jaxx, Jape and Hamsandwich, along with some good ol’ rock and roll in the form of Ash, Kodaline, The Dandy Warhols and the Mark Lanegan Band. Set on the idyllic 52-acre, tree-lined Deer Farm in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, and with the Galtee Mountains as a backdrop, the beautiful surroundings certainly add to the charm of what is one of Ireland’s finest small festivals. As always, Indiependence will also host some of the finest acts in Cork music.

Need To Know...

WHERE: Deer Farm, Mitchelstown WHEN: July 31 – August 2 NEAREST STATION:

For best value fares on all intercity services check out irishrail.ie 06

Kent Station, Cork

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Dublin

Come to the Heart of the Action Dublin is full of brilliant things to do and see this summer

Irish Heartbeat The biggest event on the Irish traditional music calendar, and the largest event of its type in the world – Fleadh Cheoil Na hEireann will return to Sligo this year from August 9 – 16. A week-long celebration of Irish music, song, dance and culture, for the past two years the Fleadh has also celebrated all that is unique about the landscape, culture and heritage of The Wild Atlantic Way. Visitors come in their thousands for the lively street sessions and late-night seisiuns in the town’s many cosy pubs.

2013’s Fleadh, held in Derry, attracted more than 400,000 visitors over the festival’s nine days. Outside of the music school, Scoil Eigse, and the main competition, there is much for even the most casual music fan to appreciate. 2015’s programme features headline sets from leading ensembles like Danu, Buttons and Bows, and performances from Planxty’s Liam O’Flynn and Cathy Jordan of Dervish.

Dublin Pride Festival

JUNE 19 – 28 • CITYWIDE A joyous, jam-packed celebration of LGBT life in the capital, culminating in Pride Parade.

• Garden Party kathrin baumbach

Glen Hansard, The Frames

Dublin City Council National Play Day

Big Grill

AUGUST 13 – 16 • HERBERT PARK Herbert Park hosts the world’s best BBQ stars + seminars, live music, liquor bar, games and much more.

Laya City Spectacular

Opera in the Open

JULY 10 – 12 •MERRION SQUARE Hundreds of jaw-dropping street performers from all over the world gather in historic Merrion Square.

AUGUST 6, 13, 20, 27 • CIVIC AMPHITHEATRE, WOOD QUAY An homage to the massive contribution of France to opera, with performances every Thursday in August.

The Festival Of Curiosity

National Heritage Week

Rock & Roll Half Marathon & Rock & Roll Conference

JULY 31 – AUGUST 2 • PHOENIX PARK & VARIOUS CITY CENTRE LOCATIONS Runners from every corner of the globe descend on Dublin for a marathon – and a rock concert.

For a full list of events and further details, go to dublincity.ie/events or mail events@dublincity.ie

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AUGUST 9 • DUNLAOGHAIRE / PHOENIX PARK The renowned endurance test of swimming, cycling and running comes to Dublin for the first time..

JULY 5 •MERRION SQUARE The 10th annual free aſternoon of fun and games for all the family in one of the city’s favourite parks.

JULY 23 – 26 • CITYWIDE One of Europe’s most exciting and innovative festivals of science, arts, culture and technology.

The Frames will celebrate a staggering 25 years as a band with two special sold-out shows at the Iveagh Gardens, Dublin on July 4 and 5.

With a career that spans three decades, the band are widely regarded as one of the most influential, and most loved, Irish bands of their generation. From headline sets at Witness and the Electric Picnic, to intimate gigs in Vicar Street and Whelan’s, Hansard & co. have earned a reputation for captivating live performances. Playing outdoors, in the beautiful surroundings of the Iveagh Gardens, The Frames’ big birthday celebration is bound to be a special occasion for fans and band alike.

The iconic Dublin band are also set to release Longitude: An Introduction to the Frames ahead of the gig on June 26. The band explain, "We initially wanted to mark this anniversary with ‘Best of The Frames’. We put together a few different versions, including more popular live and radio songs - but this felt forced and incongruous. After many conversations amongst ourselves we decided it should simply be a collection of our favourite tunes, songs we would be happy to put on a mix-tape for a friend." Expect an airing of new tune 'None But I' at their Iveagh date!

Ironman Triathlon

AUGUST 22 – 30 • NATIONWIDE Celebrating ‘Ireland’s Industrial and Design Heritage’, Dublin is centre of the Heritage Week 2015 action.

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL HELPING TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN

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Galway Races Summer Festival

HORSE PLAY

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S U R E

Need To Know...

WHERE: Galway Racecourse, Ballybrit, Co Galway WHEN: July 27 – August 2 NEAREST STATION: Galway (Ceannt)

B E T

For those who fancy a flutter, the country will come to a standstill yet again this summer when the famous weeklong Galway Races Summer Festival takes place between July 27 and August 2. The highlight of Ireland’s racing calendar, over seven days the Galway Races celebrate the best of racing, fun and magnificent fashion. As well as historic races like the Galway Plate and the Galway Hurdle, one of the biggest attractions of the festival is Ladies Day – a feast of stylish, vibrant and chic fashion.

There is something for the whole family on Family Fun Day, including lots of entertainment for the young race-goer like bouncy castles, slides, face painting and crazy characters throughout the enclosure. Alongside a full day of racing, there will also be more outlandish fashion for the Mad Hatters competition, helping to close out the festival on a day filled with fun and colour.

LOVE HANDLED

The Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show, one of the top international equestrian events in the world, takes place at the RDS Dublin on the August Bank Holiday weekend (5–9).

Showcasing the best show horses and national and international showjumpers, the event boasts one of the largest prize funds of any equestrian event in the world. There are many attractions outside of the main arena too, like an exhibition of work from Ireland’s leading craft designers and award-winning up-and-coming student artists, a diverse range of shopping and trade stands, family entertainment and a selection of restaurants, food outlets and bars.

The event attracts in excess of 100,000 visitors annually for what is a truly unique spectacle.

TRIBAL CULTURE

The Outing

Little Green Cars

Celebrating one of Ireland’s oldest traditions, the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival has been pairing up the nation’s single-folk for 150 years. Now Europe’s largest singles event, the festival runs for a whole month from August 28 – October 4, with dances starting at midday and continuing on into the wee hours. Keeping the tradition alive, and keeping track of all the hopeful singles, is third generation matchmaker Willie Daly, who can be found maintaining his precious notebook of love-seeking profiles in his ‘office’ – the snug of The Matchmaker Bar. Already attached?

No problem. A vibrant programme of music, dancing and that worldfamous Lisdoonvarna craic won’t let you down. Since 2014 the festival has also held ‘The Outing’, hosted by the one and only Panti Bliss.

Ed Sheeran

Red Alert It’s clear that Ireland loves Ed Sheeran. The 24-year-old sold out four nights in the 3Arena just last October, and all tickets for his upcoming two dates at Croke Park on July 24 and 25 were snapped up in hours. Add to this the fact that his latest album, X, was the No. 1 album in the Irish charts for a staggering eleven weeks and has already been certified nine times platinum in Ireland, and you begin to understand the extent of the country’s love affair with the singer. For evidence that the feeling is mutual, look no futher than Sheeran’s decision to film his instalment of VH1’s Storytellers in Dublin’s famed Whelan’s venue. With rumours that Ed could have sold out an extra date at Croke Park with ease, those lucky enough to get tickets are bound to have a night to remember, especially with the likes of Bell X1, Gavin James and Jamie Lawson providing support.

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One of Ireland's most vibrant and exciting arts festivals, The Galway International Arts Festival returns this July 13-26. Offering a wide range of experiences, from world-class theatre to impromptu musical performances on Galway's winding streets, the festival is a creative collision of performance, music, visual art and discussion.

This year’s headliners at the Festival Big Top include acts like Damien Rice and Kodaline, Irish favourites Sinead O’Connor and Little Green Cars, and making her festival debut, the wildly inventive St. Vincent. From the all-out party atmosphere at the Festival Big Top to the quiet contemplation of the festival galleries, the Galway International Arts Festival transforms the city in an engaging and fun way.

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• Come Out & Play

A Rainbow Nation Need To Know...

WHERE: Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square East WHEN: June 27, 1:30pm

After the historic events of May 22 it would be just wrongheaded to think that this year’s Dublin Pride Festival is going to be anything but the biggest and most successful year yet for the annual event. Taking place over ten days, from June 18–28, Dublin Pride is an annual series of events that celebrates the rich diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life in Ireland’s capital city. Ten days of arts, social and cultural events held citywide culminate in the Dublin Pride Parade, a carnival of colour, music, glitter, sequins and feather boas. The parade leads to the Pride Village in Merrion Square for live acts and speeches from some of the most influential people and organisations in Ireland. Last year’s parade saw the city’s streets filled with a 45,000-strong crowd for what was surely one of the parties of the year – and you can expect 2015 to be no different.

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This August Bank Holiday weekend (July 31 – August 2), the Spraoi International Street Arts Festival will hold their annual citywide carnival across Waterford. Spraoi are the crazy creatives behind some of the most memorable and visually stunning creations that have popped up everywhere from this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, to last year’s ghoulish Bram Stoker Festival. Closing out a weekend of street theatre, arts and live music, the annual Spraoi Parade must be seen to be believed. Hundreds of costumed performers, specially created floats, fire, music and special effects combine to transform the streets of Ireland’s oldest city into an imaginative wonderland.

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• Dancing Machine

NEVER OUT OF STYLE Aspiring fashionistas and fans of everything haute couture should make a beeline for the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History’s recently opened ‘Design Gallery’. The new gallery launches with Ib Jorgensen – A Fashion Retrospective, an exhibition dedicated to one of Ireland’s leading fashion designers from the 1950s to the 1990s. At the forefront of Irish fashion throughout his career, Jorgensen was a founder of the Irish Haute Couture Group and the first chair of the Irish Designers Association. His designs were stocked in Harrods and Liberty of London and, in addition to his boutiques on Dublin’s fashionable Dawson Street and London’s Bond Street, Jorgensen was responsible for designing uniforms for Aer Lingus and the first women’s uniform for the Irish Army. The exhibition is free to the public and is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm and on Sundays from 2pm – 5pm.

This summer, the international dance sensation Riverdance celebrates its 20th anniversary by returning for an unprecedented 12th summer season at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin from June 23 – August 30. Composed by Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty and directed by John McColgan, this anniversary production last year played in 37 countries in Europe, including a return tour to the UK, and a ground breaking 25-city tour of China. Over 20 years the Irish phenomenon has been seen live by more than 25 million people. Described by the Washington Post as “a phenomenon of historic proportions”, this Irish cultural extravaganza is not to be missed when it opens for a homecoming run at the Gaiety.

History And Heritage Leading up to National Heritage Week in August, South Dublin Library Service has announced an impressive range of outdoor events and indoor exhibitions as part of their History and Heritage summer programme. Highlights include a range of walks, tours, talks and workshops that make the most of South County Dublin’s scenic woods, mountains, canals and lakes. There are free, guided heritage walking tours of the local villages, like Newcastle, Palmerstown, Lucan and Rathfarnham, and of local attractions like Massy’s Woods, the Hellfire Club and Bohernabreena Resevoir. Experience the history of the Lucan Steam Tramway, the Tallaght Aerodrome, the Pearse Museum and the recently renovated Rathfarnham Castle, all located conveniently just outside Dublin city centre.

A City Spectacular Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular will celebrate its 10th birthday in style this July over two weekends and two cities – the first in Dublin on July 10–12 and the next in Cork on July 18 and 19. In the past this free festival has seen 14,000 people breaking the Where’s Wally World Record, 1,500 people bouncing on space hoppers, a custard pie throwing championship and a rainbow disco. In addition, it has brought hundreds of jaw-dropping street performers from all over the world to take part in the festivities. The new Super Troopers with Laya Healthcare area will put children and their parents at the heart of the action, with a focus on increasing physical activity levels in a fun and friendly environment, and they’ll also join the ESB Spark Your Imagination Area and the ever-popular Kids’ Court. The events will take place at Dublin’s Merrion Square and Cork’s Fitzgerald Park. For the full programme of fun activities and excitement at Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular, check out cityspectacular.com.

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A magical, exciting place for adults and children (up to 9 years) to engage in imaginative, creative and educational play.

Experience 3 floors of innovative, interactive exhibits, along with a daily programme of educational workshops and activities in the arts, science, engineering, drama, dance, music and the natural world.

Booking essential. 01-2176130/33 www.imaginosity.ie The Plaza, Beacon South Quarter Sandyford, Dublin 18 We’re on the Luas Green Line! (Stillorgan Stop) Imaginosity, Dublin Children’s Museum is a registered charity (CHY16999)

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WE'RE ON THE ROAD TO CROKER

Need To Know...

WHERE: Croke Park WHEN: September 6 & 20 NEAREST STATION: Connolly Station

All roads lead to Croke Park this September for the climax of what will hopefully be another thrilling summer of hurling and football. Will Kilkenny be there to make it 36 All-Ireland Hurling Championships? Will last year’s football champs Kerry be back to make it two in a row? The race for the Sam Maguire and Liam McCarthy Cups will begin in earnest in late June, when the knockout rounds begin. The All-Ireland Senior Finals are widely regarded as among the most exciting sporting events in the world, with crowds of up to 81,000 packing Dublin’s Croke Park. Indeed, in 2012 CNN listed the final of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in second place for its “10 sporting events you have to see live”, second only to the Olympic Games.

k at h r i n b a u m b ac h

Survival of the Fittest

Once More, With Feeling Based on John Carney’s little-movie-that-could (you know, the one that made international stars of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, and made ‘Falling Slowly’ a ubiquitous mainstay of Grafton Street’s busking elite), Once: The Musical is taking over Dublin’s Olympia Theatre for the entire summer. The Tony and Grammy Award-winning production will run from July 4 to August 22. Having enjoyed a successful three years on Broadway and two in the West End, the Dublin-set musical has become an international phenomenon. Loved by critics and audiences alike for its intimate story and electrifying live score, Once has been adapted for the stage by Irish playwright of the moment, Enda Walsh.

On August 9, the capital will play host to one of the most physically demanding endurance races on the sporting calendar. The Dublin stage of Ironman 70.3 is expected to draw spectators and competitors from all over the globe as the long-distance triathlon takes place in some of the most picturesque locations of the city and county. Beginning with a 1.2 mile swim of Dun Laoghaire Harbour, the athletes will then compete in a 56 mile cycle race that departs from Dun Laoghaire on a route that will continue through Dublin City Centre and the Phoenix Park and on out to Meath and Kildare, passing NUI Maynooth on the return journey. The event concludes with a 13.1 mile half-marathon in the Phoenix Park.

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BEST OF THE WEST Need To Know...

WHERE: Westport WHEN: September 4–6 NEAREST STATION: Westport Station

For five years now, the town of Westport has been holding the Westport Food Festival to showcase the best of Mayo - its food producers, restaurants, chefs, hotels, bars, baristas and cafes. This year’s festival takes place September 4–6 and the organisers promise the biggest year yet.

The popular Food & Fringe village is back again – a market style event that takes place around the octagon and hosts a range of local food and artisan producers, all of whom will be providing samples of and selling their produce. Other attractions include live demonstrations from a host of top chefs, bakers and mixologists, the Food Fest Forum, Foodie Tours, Bike Buffet, kids’ pizza-making, mushroom foraging and a headline event on the Sunday night, entitled ‘Secret Supper’.

No Lagan Behind The beautiful tree-lined Ormeau Park will be the starting and finishing point of this year’s ASICS Belfast City HalfMarathon on September 20. The event is in its third year and on track to better previous years, with over 4,000 competitors expected to take part. The marathon will once again showcase the best of Belfast as the route winds its way past Belfast City Hall, Albert Clock, The Titanic Quarter, Victoria Park and the murals of the Falls Road.

Runners will compete on behalf of the Marie Curie Hospice, a charity celebrating its 50th anniversary in the city.

Popular sporting brand ASICS has been announced as the new title sponsor for the event, in conjunction with Belfast City Council, Belfast Live Athletics Northern Ireland, The Daily Mirror and U105. Online entry is available at belfastcityhalfmarathon.net until August 30.

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Down in the Park Survival of the thomas neukum

Fittest

Caribou

The third Longitude festival takes place July 17–19 and has a bumper lineup topped by home-grown world-conqueror Hozier, dance legends The Chemical Brothers, and indie darlings Alt-J. Taking place in the picturesque surroundings of Marlay Park, the sprawling south Dublin green area is transformed into a rock and roll wonderland for the weekend. Nominated for the second year in a row as Best Medium Festival at the Irish Festival Awards, Longitude 2015 is sure to bolster that reputation with appearances by a slew of festival favourites including The Vaccines, Caribou, James Blake, Wild Beasts and many more. The weather has been positively balmy over the previous two years, so fingers crossed this remains the case in 2015!

On August 9, the capital will play host to one of the most physically demanding endurance races on the sporting calendar. The Dublin stage of Ironman 70.3 is expected to draw spectators and competitors from all over the globe as the long-distance triathlon takes place in some of the most picturesque locations of the city and county. Beginning with a 1.2 mile swim of Dun Laoghaire Harbour, the athletes will then compete in a 56 mile cycle race that departs from Dun Laoghaire on a route that will continue through Dublin City Centre and the Phoenix Park and on out to Meath and Kildare, passing NUI Maynooth on the return journey. The event concludes with a 13.1 mile half-marathon in the Phoenix Park.

Life's a Picnic

We've Got Great Taste The Taste of Cavan returns on August 7 & 8 at its new home in the Cavan Equestrian Centre. Last year’s event was a resounding success, where 35,000 visitors, food lovers and families enjoyed two days of demonstrations, exhibitions and the best of the midlands. This year’s Taste of Cavan promises to be even bigger and better with a stellar line-up of chefs including Kevin Dundon, Rachel Allen (above right), Cavan’s own award-winning Neven Maguire and many more. With over 100 stalls from local producers sampling their tasty wares, Taste of Cavan offers a great opportunity to treat your taste buds to the very best in Irish culinary delights.

Keeping Tradition Alive Ireland’s favourite celtic rock balladeers, Na Fianna, are set to release new album Unearthed at the Opium Rooms, Dublin on July 29. Recorded in Cauldron Studios with Bill Shanley – guitarist of choice for greats like Mary Black, Paul Brady, Sinéad O’Connor and Ray Davies – the album sees the four-piece expanding their sound, with many of the tracks co-written by Irish singer-songwriter Don Mescall. Our first taste of the fruits of these sessions is the bands brand new single ‘Toora Loora Lay’, a rip-roaring slice of stomping contemporary trad. The release of their debut studio album is the start of a busy year for the Na Fianna boys, one that will see them play dates in Germany and Norway, including a residency at The Dubliner Folk Pub in Oslo.

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The big daddy of the Irish festival calendar just got even bigger. With capacity expected to be raised to nearly 50,000 for the first time, this year’s Electric Picnic (September 4–6) looks to be not only the biggest so far, but yet again, the only way to see out another great summer festival season. As usual the heavy-hitters have been linedup to entertain the crowds – big names like Florence + The Machine, Blur, and Sam Smith are joined by newer festival favourites like The War on Drugs, Chvrches, Tame Impala and Future Islands. However, the big draw of the Picnic has always been the more eccentric experiences found off the beaten track. Returning attractions are sure to include the Body & Soul Arena, the Salty Dog Stage, Trenchtown, the Minefield and the perennial Rave in the Woods.

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Imagination Run Wild Since 2009, Imaginosity has been stimulating the minds of the under 9’s and their families through fun and interactive exhibits dedicated to the idea that ‘children learn best when they’re having fun’. With a ‘hands-on, minds-on’ philosophy – Ireland’s only dedicated children’s museum makes education in science, maths, engineering, environmental awareness, arts and culture fun for all. Situated in the Plaza in Sandyford, Imaginosity offers daily interactive workshops for children of all ages and abilities, designed to ignite the imagination and release their creativity.

Kids will love interacting with the various exhibits like the Art Studio, the Children’s Theatre, The Construction Zone, The Roof Garden and the Puppet Room

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T R A I N news

The Need For Speed New daily morning express Cork to Dublin, and Friday evening Dublin to Waterford

Things are speeding up for rail customers on some of Iarnród Éireann’s most popular routes.

Iarnród Éireann has introduced a new nonstop express service daily (Monday to Friday) at 06.15hrs from Cork’s Kent Station to Dublin Heuston, with a journey time of 2 hours 15 minutes. The new express service is being introduced following customer research, with a particular demand identified for a faster morning service arriving in Dublin at 08.30hrs, to facilitate business meeting needs.

The new service lets customers maximise the benefits of travelling with Iarnród Éireann – productive use of time, free wi-fi, charge points for phones at every seat – while giving our best journey time.

The Cork-Dublin route is Iarnród Éireann’s flagship Intercity route, with 2.84 million journeys on the route in 2014, an increase of over 4% on 2013, with growth continuing this year.

Another express option is a new 16.15hrs

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Dublin Heuston to Waterford on Friday evenings.

This means there is an unprecedented choice of services on Friday afternoons and evenings for customers on the route, with departures at 13.15hrs, 15.10hrs, the extra service at 16.15hrs, 16.40hrs, 17.35hrs and 18.35hrs.

Furthermore, the additional service will only serve Athy and Carlow en route, giving an express journey time of 1 hour 55 minutes from Dublin to Waterford at a time when roads leaving Dublin are heavily congested. The new services have been introduced following the approval of the National Transport Authority.

And there’s more acceleration to come! Earlier this year, Iarnród Éireann began a programme of line improvement works on the Dublin to Cork line, focusing this year on the section between Hazelhatch and Portlaoise.

The initial investment in 2015 of 10 million in line improvements will lead to higher reliability, smoother running of trains and with other works deliver consistent 160kph speeds (100 mph) by the end of 2016 on this section. This will deliver further journey time improvements for customers.

The works involve improving the track substructure, by the removal and replacement of degraded crushed stone ballast which supports the railway track structure. In addition track drainage and track geometry will be improved.

The company’s ultimate goal is to continue line improvement works over a number of years, subject to funding availability, to reduce the Cork to Dublin journey time to 2 hours or less, with other routes also benefiting.

TRAINSPOTTING

ARE YOU A SNOOFER?

WE RE ON TO YOU! Frankie Sheahan, the Happy Pear Twins David and Stephen Flynn with Orlaith Carmody onboard the launch of the 06:15 Cork Express.

Train Talks Online!

To mark the introduction of the new 06.15 Cork to Dublin Express, the fastest place to do business, Iarnród Éireann hosted a unique event – Train Talks – in which a range of business leaders shared their insights with guests on board.

And what a line-up!

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Orlaith Carmody, former broadcaster, entrepreneur, Managing Director of mediatrainin.ie and President of the Irish Chapter of EO, the international Entrepreneur’s Organisation.

David and Stephen Flynn, the twin brothers behind The Happy Pear natural food market and cookbook, on a mission to create a healthier, happier world.

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Frankie Sheahan, European Cup-winning former Munster rugby star and Ireland international, now Managing Director of Front Row Speakers and founder and Event Director of The Pendulum Summit.

You can catch up with Train Talks for yourself on our blog Railway Lines – check it out at irishrail.ie/blog for talks that are inspiring, entertaining and delivered with passion – and all delivered before 8.30 in the morning!

TRAIN FACT No.002

THE LONGEST TRAIN JOURNEY IN HISTORY

13,052 kilometres

The world's longest train journey set off from China and ended in Madrid – marking the end of the line for carriages which to make the 8,000 mile trip.

The train left Yiwu, in eastern China, on November 18 last year on what was described as a test journey to see whether the route is viable.

The train passed through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France, before finishing in Spain on December 8.

The governor of China's Zhejiang province, Li Qiang, said the route was important to "implement the strategy of developing a new 'silk road'".

Regular services already exist between China and Germany - arriving from Chongqing to the city of Duisburg, and from Beijing to Hamburg. But a route down to Spain will, hopefully, significantly increase trade.

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Have you ever done a bit of snoofing on the train? Maybe you’re a frummager from time to time. Or perhaps you’ve been known to execute the perfect Gogglebluff. If so, we’re on to you, and want to let you know your dastardly tricks have been rumbled!

Iarnród Éireann has launched the first posters in a campaign to encourage greater generosity towards those in need of a seat on our busy services, particularly in the commuter area. They feature the Urban Travel Dictionary, a collection of new ways to describe the antics of those who know full well that someone needs a seat more than they do, but engage in all manner of tactics to avoid doing the right thing.

“Snoofing” is spoofing a snooze; a “frummager” fakes a rummage in their bag, and the “Gogglebluff” fixes their gaze firmly away from even an eight months pregnant woman.

We’re encouraging commuters to #GiveUpYourSeat if you see anyone who has a genuine need for the seat – from pregnant women, to elderly customers, to someone on crutches from an injury. It’s just a little courtesy, so make sure you don’t get labelled, and give up your seat to those who need it more!

T R A I N news Cycle Against Suicide

It’s Ok Not To Be Ok Over 100 Iarnród Éireann employees took part in various stages of this year’s Cycle against Suicide around Ireland.

Stay Safe at Level Crossings Ireland was one of 28 countries in Europe, and one of 42 globally marking the seventh annual International Level Crossing Awareness Day on June 3.

While thankfully there have been no fatal incidents at level crossing on the Iarnród Éireann network since 2010, and injuries and fatalities at level crossings are comparatively rare in Ireland compared to other European countries, there is no room for complacency.

Major areas of misuse and unsafe behaviour at Irish level crossings include: • Leaving gates open after use at useroperated level crossing, resulting in risk to following users • Motorists and pedestrians rushing to pass through automated crossings resulting in collisions with crossing gates.

Incidents at user-operated level crossings have the greatest potential for injury and fatality, and it is imperative that users open gates, check before crossing and always close gates after use.

However, Iarnród Eireann with the Railway Safety Commission and the Road Safety Authority are highlighting this year an increase in incidents involving pedestrians and motorists at automated crossings.

So far in 2015, there have been three incidents involving pedestrians and twenty involving motorists at automated crossings. This compares

with zero and eleven respectively in the same period in 2013, and three and ten in the same period in 2014.

While the incidents to date have resulted in minor injuries or damage to road vehicles, they have caused unnecessary disruption to services, and the trend is of concern to rail safety and road safety authorities.

Don Cunningham, Director Infrastructure of Iarnród Éireann, said: “Almost all collisions at level crossings arise from user behaviour through failing to follow rules of the road – the factors include distraction, habit and complacency, or rushing to cross. This leads to unsafe decisions – and a vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist in the path of a train stands no chance. There are more distractions than ever before with smartphones and tablets part of our daily lives, but our message is clear - take your time, don’t risk your life, and never take risks around railways.”

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The 1,400km, 14-day Cycle started in Belfast on Monday April 27 and finished in Dublin on Sunday May 10. It visited locations all over the island of Ireland with informative and energetic events hosted at various anchor schools and venues along the journey, to spread the message of breaking the cycle of suicide.

They visited Malin Head and Mizen Head. They climbed Moll’s Gap and the Caha Pass.

Ballina driver with Iarnród Éireann Aidan Slattery set the ball rolling, and over 100 people joined in at various points. This was in conjunction with our support for mental health awareness month in May, with Green Ribbons distributed through Iarnród Éireann stations.

The major message of the Cycle against Suicide is that it’s OK not to be OK, and it’s absolutely OK to ask for help.

On Track For A Great Summer

TRAINSPOTTING

It might have taken its time getting here, but summer has finally arrived.

Make the most of it, and make the most of Ireland by starting to think about where you can go and what you can do. And the train can help you with lots of plans. (clockwise from top)Nadia Forde enjoys the beach at Sandymount, Cork Beach and the DART from Killiney Bay

BOOK YOUR TRAVEL AND YOUR HOTEL WITH US!

Why not have a day out in one of our great cities – Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford or Kilkenny?

Or see some of our tourist hotspots like in Kerry, Mayo and Sligo?

There are so many events on in Irish summers now – from the constant excitement of the GAA Championship season, to major concerts and music festivals, to family events ranging from arts, comedy, sport and more. Keep an eye on irishrail.ie for details of extra trains for the biggest events.

So many great beaches can also be reached by rail.

The DART line alone has so many beaches between Howth and Greystones, and continue up the north Dublin coastline on our Commuter route or down through Wicklow and Wexford to get further afield.

We always have great summer family offers, be it for longer distance journeys or day trips by DART. With those long evenings, you’ll be able to do more and go further by rail. We hope to see you on board, and hope for a scorcher!

Did you know you can book your hotel break as well as rail travel with us?

Irishrailhotels deliver great value hotel breaks throughout Ireland so you can make the most of your journey on the rail network. No points or tokens are required so you can use the irishrailhotels.ie booking system whether or not you are a customer of Iarnrod Eireann.

The hotel's breaks have been selected for their location, quality, facilities, value and prestige. Our hotel partners around the country look forward to welcoming you on your stay.

Irishrailhotels are constantly on the look-out for great value hotel breaks and we will continuously offer our customers an increasing range of hotels at great prices in great locations. Working with over 400 hotel partners throughout Ireland our aim is to deliver the best hotel breaks from the highest quality hotels to you our customers so you can travel and arrive in style, whatever your budget.

Visit irishrailhotels.ie for more info, and for great deals starting from only 39 euro per person per night.

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GOFEATURE

20

ONCE

the interview

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Surprise Oscar-winning sensation Once has now been transformed into a musical, which has received a rapturous reception across the globe. All things come full circle, and now it’s set to enchant Dublin audiences...

I

t’s a gloriously sunny Monday evening on Dublin’s northside and, in a spacious rehearsal room just a few minutes’ walk from O’Connell Street, the cast of Once are packing up their instruments for the day. All except for lead actors Tom Parsons and Megan Riordan who’ve happily agreed to hang around and chat to Go Rail for a while.

words portrait

Fortunately, there’s a bar in the room where we can sit and talk.

Sadly, it’s just the wooden stage set – the entire musical takes place in a bar – so there’s no chance of any liquid refreshment.

“Yeah, this is basically the set,” Parsons explains, tapping the wooden counter. “Except there’ll be lots of artfully distressed mirrors, like you get in a pub. It’s sort of encompassed by mirrors when you get onto the set. But that’s the extent of it. There’s chairs lined up along the side, and they get very simply used as part of the set.”

Is it true that the audience will be able to come up, sit here and

Olaf Tyaransen

Kathrin Baumnbach

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order a drink?

“At the beginning they will,” he nods. “At the start there’s a preshow, so while the show starts at 8pm, for 20 minutes beforehand there’s a set of six Irish and Czech folk songs. The audience can come up, and it’s a working bar so they can get a drink.”

Riordan laughs. “It’s like a session!”

Rehearsals for this Dublin production, which will run at the Olympia Theatre for six weeks from July 14, are only just getting going. “It’s all going good so far,” Parsons says, idly scratching his beard. “We’re running through it. Today was the very first day of week two of rehearsals.”

“We’re doing four weeks of rehearsals here and then one week in the Olympia itself before our first preview,” Riordan adds, speaking in an American accent (she grew up in Las Vegas, but has lived in Dublin for many years).

The easy-on-the-eye couple have been cast in the roles of the unnamed ‘Guy’ and ‘Girl’ originally played by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova in John Carney’s Oscar-winning indie movie. For the uninitiated, Once tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin busker who’s about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young Eastern European woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs.

Adapted for the stage by Dublin playwright and screenwriter Enda Walsh, Once has already won a staggering eight Tony Awards for its original Broadway production (it also took the Grammy for ‘Best Musical Theatre Album’). Since then it has been staged all over the world – including a recent Korean-language version. While it

GOFEATURE Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova in the original Oscar-winning Once

“I feel that way with this character, there’s nowhere to hide with her” had a short run in Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre a couple of years ago, in preparation for its West End debut, this latest production will be the seventh to date.

Originally from Bristol but now based in London, Parsons – whose biggest role before this was in Jesus Christ Superstar – has already starred in the Australian version of Once. “At the moment there’s the North American tour, which I think is still running,” Parsons explains. “Toronto is still running. The Korean-speaking production has closed. We closed

in Australia, Broadway closed, and the West End closed over the last few months.”

For Riordan – a graduate of the Tisch School in NYC – this will be the highpoint of her acting career to date. “Without a doubt it’s leaps beyond the scale of other things that I’ve been doing,” she admits.

“I’m not nervous. I just have to do a lot of work right now, and when I think about that I’m not scared.

It’s very easy to get overwhelmed with the sense of, ‘Oh, the show has existed, so many people know it, the scale of the Olympia’ and things

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like that. But the minute that you click into it and it’s just us playing, just the twelve in the cast playing, there’s no room to be nervous. You have a job to do. That’s what I’m focusing on right now.”

Seeing as he’s often back in his hometown, has Glen Hansard dropped in to say hello?

“No, not yet anyway,” Parsons says. “Glen has been known to pop into productions across the world, as has Marketa. When I was in Australia, the Korean-speaking production was on, and I think The Swell Season were touring around there. They popped in and said hello and played through some stuff. I don’t think they’re averse to it, I think they’re just so busy all the time.”

“With The Frames anniversary stuff happening – their 25th anniversary gig is on right about the time we open – I hope we’ll get to say hi,” says Riordan. “But what’s most important is doing this, and getting it up. I wouldn’t be questing to meet him, asking, ‘Tell me the secret of the show, because I just don’t get it!’ It’s more just to be able to share what a joy it is, and how special it is. To say thanks! And as a fan of The Frames as well, it’s always nice to tell someone you like their work.”

Given Once’s proven track record, it’s little surprise that there was intense competition for the lead roles. “There were different rounds,” she explains. “The first round involved music, so I played two pieces that are in the show, one with singing. Those of us who were vetted for music moved on to movement. Those of us who made it through that came back the next week for acting scenes, and then there was a final callback with all the creatives, the whole posse sitting behind a table.

“Some of us had even more auditions after that, where we were putting things on film because they wanted to see more of us, if we could bring out some qualities that they didn’t pick up on or couldn’t get to. It was a two-month process, from the day I heard about it until the day I got cast.”

As he’d already starred in the Australian production, Parsons had an easier audition process.

Actually, he was a shoo-in. “Mine was different. I was very lucky in that [director] John Tiffany called me up to see if I was available to do it over here. I was playing the same role in Australia. For that production, I had a couple of rounds. I went in the first day and did the material, went in the second day… and that was that for me. I went back and forth for some press and stuff. They filmed the audition, and that would have been sent over to Australia to the people who were handling things, but yeah, I didn’t have to come over for the Dublin rounds.”

Once won its Oscar for the duet

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OTHER SUCCESSFUL MUSICALS

Strumming attraction: Tom and Megan on set

‘Falling Slowly’. So is there any added pressure on the pair to get that song right in particular?

“Not really,” Riordan shrugs.

“We played that so much in press launches, so having that hurdle cleared before we even got in the room cleared the pressure, so that

the ones where I always get a little…there’s nowhere to hide.”

“I feel that way with this character anyway, that there’s nowhere to hide with her,” she admits. “She’s so open, and so present, and she’s so unusual in that way, that that’s the hardest bit so far; reminding myself that you have to fully be there; as she’s there, you have to be there too. I’m finding challenges in rehearsal, like when we parachute into scenes and I’m doing the lines. I don’t feel like I’m actually there yet, but that’s at least in part because of the nature of how we have to rehearse. It looks very simple, in that it’s musicians on stage, playing for each other. It’s actually incredibly complex in terms of tracking; where all the instruments go, moving the set in and out, so a lot of time has to go into that.”

Parsons adds, “Everyone is on the stage the whole time. It’s all very simple, and I think that’s the magic. There’s no big movement of set, things don’t fly in and out, the lighting is very simple. That’s the beauty of it, I think.”

Given that he’s playing a busker, has he tried performing on the streets of Dublin in preparation?

“No!” he laughs. “I’ve always had a lot of admiration for buskers. I didn’t do it because it would scare the hell out of me. I’d do it in front of a thousand people who’ve paid, and made a choice to see you, rather than stand in someone’s way. Not in someone’s way, but in a public space, leaving yourself open to being shot down. I’ve got the utmost admiration for anyone who does it on a daily basis.”

was great.”

Parsons nods his agreement.

“That’s the one where everyone is involved musically, so you’re on a big cushion of strings and you’re nice and safe on that. There are other songs like ‘The Hill’, where Megan is very isolated; those are

With previews from July 4, Once runs in the Olympia Theatre from July 14 to August 22

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We Will Rock You

First performed in 2002, Ben Elton’s adaptation of the Queen catalogue is still being staged throughout the globe.

The Rocky Horror Show Richard O’Brien’s sci-fi/B-movie tribute was adapted into a cult film which remains the longest running release in film history.

Grease

Also adapted into a famous ’70s film, Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s play is Broadway’s 15th longest running show.

Jesus Christ Superstar Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera remains hugely popular and is currently being toured in the UK.

Cats

Another smash for Lloyd Webber, Cats ran for 21 years in the West End and 18 years on Broadway, both setting new records.

Chicago

A satire on the concept of the celebrity criminal, Chicago is the longest-running American musical in West End history.

Mamma Mia!

Based on the ABBA catalogue, the show is still currently playing in the West End and Broadway and there are also numerous international productions.

Blood Brothers

Will Russell’s enormously successful story of two Liverpool brothers ran for more than 24 years in the West End, finally closing in November 2012.

Billy Elliot

Based on the 2000 film, Billy Elliot was adapted for the stage in 2005 with book by Lee Hall and lyrics by Elton John.

Jersey Boys

Telling the story of Frankie Valli’s group The Four Seasons, the musical opened in 2005 and went on to win several Tony Awards.

GOFESTIVALS

HERE COMES THE SUMMER Looking forward to a season jam-packed with festival fun, Go Rail chats to some of the stars of the summer ahead.

I

t’s the time of year where the tents go up, the wellies go on, and – if the sun plays ball – the Factor 50 is liberally applied.

Summer in Ireland can mean only one thing – festival season is upon us.

We’ve always been a nation to embrace a good musical event during the summer months, but things have come a long way since Féile and Beat on the Street. Festivals of all shapes and sizes are popping up in every corner of the country – from the Valentia Isle Festival off the Atlantic coast (July 10-12) to the charming surrounds of Charleville Castle for Castlepalooza (July 31-Aug 2) – and some of the very biggest acts on the planet are headed towards Irish shores, in what promises to be one of the best periods ever for music on this island.

All eyes will be on Marlay Park in mid-July for the third renewal of Longitude (July 17-19). It’s taken no time at all for the threeday extravaganza to establish itself as one of the year’s standout events, and a glance at this year’s line-up suggests 2015 might well be the best yet. Among the headliners are acclaimed acts including alt-J and The Chemical Brothers, with the likes of Caribou and The Vaccines also making the journey to South Dublin. Not to be outdone, there’s a healthy homegrown representation too, led by a man who wowed crowds there 12 months ago.

When Hozier took to the stage last year, it was before the enormous success of his selftitled debut album. Since then, he has become a global superstar. The man christened Andrew Hozier-Byrne has already tasted summer action on home soil this year, of course, appearing at Slane Castle in May. Speaking to GoRail at the turn of the year, the Wicklowborn bluesman said “To be on the same bill as the Foo Fighters is just unbelievable. Also, for as long as I can remember, Slane has been an institution for live music in Ireland. I

remember seeing the Rolling Stones there in 2007 with my brother and my uncle.”

A performance at Lord Henry Mountcharles’ iconic estate completed the set for Hozier – last year had also seen him pop up at Indiependence, the wonderful festival in Deer Park in Mitchelstown, County Cork over the August Bank Holiday weekend (July 31-August 2). This year, there’s more of Ireland’s brightest stars to look forward to catching in the Rebel County. Alongside the international visitors like Basement Jaxx and The Dandy Warhols, our own Ash, Kodaline and HamsandwicH are among the star turns.

Niamh Farrell, lead singer of HamsandwicH, is looking forward to returning to the festival that proves small can be beautiful. As she tells Go Rail: “It’s probably the festival we’ve played more than any other. We played it back in the day when it was one stage in the town square, and the progression since has been amazing to see.”

Ash frontman Tim Wheeler is promising a treat for fans at the Mitchelstown get-together too, following the release of their fantastic new album Kablammo! “Sometimes we’ve had trouble filling new songs into the set list,” says the Downpatrick native, “because we’ve got all these classics to contend with. So with this record, we really want to rejuvenate our show.”

Plenty to look forward to down south then!

Of course, perhaps the biggest event of them all will be Electric Picnic, returning to Stradbally Estate for the 13th edition of the celebrated three-day spectacular (September 4-6). Boasting an atmosphere that simply cannot be matched, and entertainment ranging from spoken word and comedy to incredible circus and vaudeville acts, this year’s renewal is set to be the biggest yet, with over 40,000 patrons headed towards Laois.

There, they’ll catch one of the strongest lineups ever assembled, including Florence + The Machine, who’ve started the summer in the

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best way possible, with new record How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful shooting straight in at the top of the Irish album charts. It’s not the first Picnic for Ms Welch and co., as she tells GoRail. “We all ended up sleeping in this tent with these old four-poster beds,” recalls the flame-haired chanteuse of her previous Stradbally excursion. “We played really early on, and ended up having a great time. I’m looking forward to going back; hopefully, we can find that four-poster bed again!”

Another recent chart-topping act crossing the Irish Sea for the September spectacular are Blur. Up until very recently, the prospect of catching the iconic Britpop group seemed highly unlikely, as bassist Alex James explained when we caught up with him recently.

“We’re quite forward-looking and petulant about not wanting to be defined by our pasts,” James said. “You want to live in the present, which is why we decided that if we were to tour again, there had to be new material. The Magic Whip is our unexpected – but much-loved – late child.”

As a result, the Stradbally weekender will celebrate their unexpected – but much anticipated – return to the live stage in this country, the cherry on top of an already starstudded bill. From hot young things like Sam Smith and Dublin’s Gavin James to veteran performers like Grace Jones, Jurassic 5 and Manic Street Preachers, it promises to be one of the best weekends of music ever seen on Irish soil.

Throw in a stunning line-up at Cork’s Live at the Marquee (until July 14), the sandy splendour of the Sea Sessions in Bundoran (June 19-21), and the rootsy revelling at Folk Fest Killarney (July 24-26) and you’re looking at a mammoth musical summer. So grab your guy-ropes and gazebos, Go Rail will see you at the front!

Hozier and (top left to right) HamsandwicH, Florence, Tim Wheeler, Gavin James and Sam Smith

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GOFEATURE

The

I RR E V ERENT

A L

Flying the flag for Tallaght as his winning brand of comedy and light entertainment sees his career catch fire, Al Porter tells Craig Fitzpatrick about his love for Dublin and Tinder escapades.

portrait: David Stanley

I

n case any RTÉ 2fm listeners got the wrong end of the stick, Al Porter is actually a fresh-faced, going-places comedian in his early ‘20s.

“They think Colm Hayes hangs out with this 70-year-old gay man in studio,” Porter says when talking about his preference for jazz, Bobby Darin and Danny La Rue over “that poppy stuff ” the station plays. “I think they picture Ian McKellen. Although far less grand.”

He’s being disingenuous for the sake of humour – I’ve heard comics do this – because Mr. Porter is fast becoming one of the most recognisable young entertainers in the country. Sure, we can partly put this down to the fact the dapper chap is rarely spotted outside of a tailored suit, but he also has an all-encompassing outlook when it comes to the showbiz “game” that harkens back to the golden age of light entertainment. With his time co-hosting Driveby with Hayes now at an end, Porter has never been busier. When he’s not putting on variety shows (“The Al Porter Experience”), you’ll find him planning musical gigs (“Al Porter Swings Both Ways”), working on tentative TV ideas with RTÉ (“We’re kinda in a relationship but not committing to each other), writing a panto he’ll star in and... oh yeah, blowing up as a stand-up.

“I like to do the the light entertainment thing where people go: ‘he does comedy, presenting; he sings, he dances’... even if you can’t!”

His star in ascension at home, underlined by three recent dates in Vicar Street, he’s now spreading his comedy wings. His first run at the Edinburgh Festival comes in August and he recently supported Katherine Ryan in London.

How did his distinctly Dublin brand of humour go down across the Irish Sea? “I was really surprised that an English audience got it,” he says. “I know people love it or they hate [Mrs. Brown’s Boys], but Brendan O’Carroll has made it a level playing field. He’s made working class Irish humour very popular over there.

“They have a drier wit so they laugh in

different places than the Irish,” he continues. “I do stuff about Tinder and say, because it pairs you up by distance instead of personality, in 50 years when you ask your grandad what was the first thing he liked about granny, he’ll say: ‘she was geographically convenient’!

“They love that over there. In Ireland, they prefer my Tinder story. I was messaging two guys and I’m crap at that, so when one said something funny, I’d copy and paste that into the other conversation. This went on for weeks.

They were having these conversations with each other and had no idea. I got in too deep and realised they were perfect for each other!

I didn’t know what to do so I organised a date and they met.”

He says they are now a couple, so clearly they were also geographically convenient?

“Yeah, both in the Tallaght/Crumlin/ Walkinstown vicinity, I don’t look much farther than that!”

It’s true that Al Porter is strongly identified with Tallaght. A huge town in South Dublin with a population of over 70,000, there has even been talk that it should be declared city status. Culturally, it is very much its own thing.

“Tallaght does have its own culture. A guy I’m seeing came to my show in the Civic Theatre and he said the next morning: ‘Tallaght people are so funny. They’re so into being from Tallaght! That’s their thing.’”

Essentially, then, they’re the Dublin equivalent of Cork people?

“Well thank you very much. I always say we’re like the Northside of the South. We drifted, like an island, away. We were supposed to be with Artane and Ballymun.”

Wandering around the quays for years like the Israelites in the desert?

“Yeah, we’re going ‘guys, we’re gonna hold down the fort over here.’ We refuse to become Southsiders. Or mountaineers from Wicklow.

It’s so vast. Basically it’s just a council estate and a cinema. It’s bigger than Limerick City and what do we actually have?!”With plenty of family from Sarsfield Road in Ballyfermot, Porter has his heart in these areas.

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“It was always instilled in me – never forget where you come from. I’m almost ashamed that I don’t have the Imelda May or PJ Gallagher accent because people immediately hear them and go ‘there’s a townie, I love it!’

I’m like [posh accent] ‘I’m a townie, I love it!” I feel like Rachel Dolezal, appropriating working class culture for myself. Even though I am working class through and through!”

As such, he’s cultivated a mod style.

“Louis Copeland dresses me for my big shows. He gave me my suit for The Late Late Show and my suit for Vicar Street. Louis is a real Dub. He’s salt of the earth. He loves that he’s championing Conor McGregor and me because of our backgrounds. I think he likes the idea of ‘working boy made good’; dressing you up real good.”

It’s a good look, but it was almost so different – Mr. Porter could have been rocking a dog collar.

“Father Al!” he laughs when recalling his young dream to enter the priesthood. Never really cut out for that pious life, Mass was instead his first real taste of showbiz.

“I wanted to be a priest mainly because I loved the reaction from the elderly people after I read at Mass... I do a thing in my show where I turn hymns into swing songs: ‘He Is Love’ turns into ‘New York, New York’. While Al Porter wants to take on the world, the ultimate dream begins and ends in Dublin.

“No matter how successful I became, my dream would be to have a two-up two-down somewhere like Harold’s Cross or East Wall.

Little front garden, tiny little back garden.

That’s it. Those houses are great. You open the front door and there’s no bull, you’re into the living room! There’s no hall. Halls are pointless. What a waste! I also love the under the stairs cupboard where crisps and hoovers live. You open it and fight a hoover for a bag of crisps.”

See Al Porter each day of the Vodafone Comedy Festival, Iveagh Gardens, July 23 – 26

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kathrin baumbach

G O B U S I N E S S John Ruddle on Dublin's O'Connell Street which will be central to the 1916 commemorations

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G O B U S I N E S S

History in the

MAKING Go Rail talks to John Ruddle, CEO of Shannon Heritage, about how they’re maximising the appeal and potential of some of Ireland’s bestknown historical landmarks.

D

ublin’s O’Connell Street is relatively quiet when Go Rail meets John Ruddle, the CEO of Shannon Heritage. In a few months’ time, though, the capital’s thoroughfare will be a hive of activity, and his company will be at the heart of the action.

Earlier this year, the business – which until now has predominantly operated in the south-west – was appointed to operate and manage the GPO Witness History Interpretive Exhibition Centre. As the focal point of the 1916 commemorations, the iconic building will be seen the world over, and Easter Monday will see the doors of the €7m visitors’ centre opening to the public for the first time.

“It’s obviously a huge project,” John smiles, enjoying an opportunity to relax after a day of planning meetings. “Right now, we’re working on the visitor experience from start to finish.

There’s a variety of things to think about, from the education experience for schools and children to the adults in the café and how to make them feel welcome. It’s a lot of work!”

If there’s one thing the company doesn’t shy away from, it’s hard work. For more than 50 years, Shannon Heritage has been responsible for some of Ireland’s best-known historical attractions, successfully revolutionising the approach to attracting visitors to the west of the country in particular.

“Our beginnings had a lot to do with the start of transatlantic flights,” John reflects. “With a lot of American visitors landing in Shannon, the idea at the time was to create attractions that might encourage people to spend more time in the west of Ireland. The restoration of Bunratty Castle was one of the biggest projects the State has ever taken on, but at the same time there were some particularly pioneering individuals; Brendan O’Regan was one. He, along with a few others, came up with the idea of medieval banqueting. That started in 1963; two years ago, we celebrated 50 years of success.

“From that first venture, other attractions built up,” he continues. “We completed a huge refurbishment of St John’s Castle in

Limerick, which has been massively successful; Knappogue Castle in Quin, Co. Clare is another example. We’ve also moved outside of the region, first with Malahide Castle, and now with the GPO.” It signals an exciting expansion for the company, which currently employs 320 people, and for John, who has been at the helm for the past 13 years. Having moved from a career as a chartered accountant, he gained invaluable experience through work with the National Trust. After over a decade of overseeing heritage sites in this country, he believes redoubled efforts are sorely needed.

“The opportunities for entertaining international visitors are huge for the country; there’s not half enough of it being done, to tell the truth. Right now, our company is very much tapping into the tourism in Dublin and finding out more about that, finding out more about people; where they’re coming from and where they’re going. When people come in for a two or three week visit, they’re going to all the hotspots around the country. The same person in Bunratty Castle one day was at the Giant’s Causeway the day before, and will be in the Guinness Storehouse two days later. There is a link between all these things.”

Indeed, an interest in bringing together various strands of the Irish tourist industry is well illustrated by a recent move which has seen a group of local bodies – including Shannon Airport – join forces under the umbrella of Shannon Group.

“It’s a classic example of pulling a number of items together and making a bigger total than the sum of the individual parts. When you think back to the origination of the company – founded to promote tourism in the Shannon region – and the Airport doing exactly that, it makes sense; those two things coming together is a perfect merger. But you have to look beyond that again. If there’s some major conference taking place, then that’s an opportunity. They might be coming to learn about medical devices, but we see them as potential visitors in the evening or the weekend, whenever their downtime might be.”

There is, John says, a keen interest in the

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heritage of the country – on the part of locals and tourists alike – but it takes more than mere history to attract visitors.

“You have to strike a balance between entertainment and knowledge, that’s the key.

Nobody really wants to hear a very dry analysis of a heritage site. They want to see, and hear about what happened, but they also want entertainment at the same time. So you’re always looking to give them something exciting, something different, something new.”

To that end, the various sites are constantly updated and rejuvenated, in an effort to enhance the visitor experience.

“Engaging people is our top priority, and we put a lot of work and investment into that.

In Bunratty, for instance, you’re greeted by a personalised animated character when you arrive. From there, you move around the site; we have Smithy in the blacksmith’s house, who’ll demonstrate how to make farm utensils; at the doctor’s house, you have a doctor who’ll even put you through their procedures! That’s the type of stuff that the visitors enjoy. It’s really quite straightforward: give people something interesting, and they’ll remember being with us.”

And while there’s rarely a period without some sort of special event going on – from the Lughnasa Festival at Craggaunowen to a calendar jam-packed with garden activities at Malahide Castle – John has little hesitation in naming his favourite event of the year.

“Every Christmas, Bunratty hosts an incredible event; the whole heritage site is transformed into a winter wonderland. It’s absolutely fantastic, and attracts huge numbers of visitors every year.”

Before that, though, there’s plenty of work to be done with an eye on another major holiday season.

“The construction phase at the GPO will be finished in October, and then the fit-out will begin. We’re working with Martello Media on the interpretation centre – telling the story of the Rising and of the new state – and also some other additions.”

The countdown to Easter 2016 is on.

GOFEATURE

M A Y D A Y Ahead of her date with Marlay Park, Imelda May tells Craig Fitzpatrick about the life of a touring mother, bumping into Gavin James in a Nashville honky tonk bar and how Paolo Nutini’s dad is a big fan.

S

uch is her across-the-board appeal, you never quite know who is going to be in the audience when Imelda May puts on a show. To sum up the Liberties singer’s diverse, crossgenerational fan base while attending her most recent Dublin headliner, Hot Press’ Colm O’Regan pointed to the fact he spotted a pair of ten-year-olds asking veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne to join them for a selfie.

Today, May laughs at the image, but doesn’t seem surprised in the least.

“I don’t care who comes to my gigs,” May notes. “You don’t have to fill out a form! I like music that’s like that. I don’t like it when someone says to me ‘oh, I’m too old for that sort of thing’... Music shouldn’t be about any one age group. And I’m all for wheeling the kids in their prams to the festivals. Let them see everything. One of my friends is so proud her first gig was at the age of four and she got to see Thin Lizzy. She’s lived on that forever!”

Does the rockabilly star remember her first concert-going experience?

“I actually don’t remember my first gig. But that’s because I was brought to everything the whole time. I remember going to festivals from a young age. Going to BB King. I went to see Buddy Guy. My brothers and sisters used to sneak me into places!”

It’s a tradition she’s kept going with Violet, her daughter with bandmate and partner Darrel Higham. With Imelda touring 2014’s Tribal around the world, Violet boasts a more impressive passport than most toddlers, and has been stageside for some legendary acts already.

“She’s been all over the place and she loves it,” May explains. “She says things that make me laugh. People give her food and she’ll say ‘oh that’s like in Barcelona!’ It’s a good education. She likes planes, so that’s not a bother, and she’s been on stage for The

Pretenders. She’s seen Blondie. She dances like a mad thing!”

Violet was not in tow for a recent trip to Nashville, where May bumped unexpectedly into another well-known Dublin voice while laying the groundwork for album number five.

“I’d been talking with a couple of producers and doing my homework to get ready for recording,” she says. “While I was there, I had three or four days, so my manager asked if I fancied doing a few co-writing sessions. I never co-write, so I thought why not? Something new. I went in with a bunch of songs and worked with various different people. It was an interesting process, I really enjoyed it.

“Nashville’s a music factory. It’s crazy! It makes you step up, because they just churn out songs. People write so many every day, you think ‘oh God, I better hurry up!’ On my last day, I let off a bit of steam and went to a honky tonk bar that sold boots and beer. I ended up with a load of songwriters and cowboys, drinking a thing called ‘Fireball’ and eating waffles at a stupid time of the morning... Only to get on a long-haul flight with a stinking hangover!”

There does seem to be a bit of an Irish invasion going on across the Atlantic at the moment. Hozier is everywhere, Gavin James is singing on top of Capitol Records’ famous tower...

“Gavin James!” she roars. “I ended up bumping into him in the honky tonk bar! I’d never met him before. I’d heard of him, but didn’t know anything about him. So I ended up chatting to a couple of Irish fellas – I think I bought them loads of Fireballs and I think there was dancing involved! – and then it turned out it was Gavin. We had a good night together in Nashville, completely by accident.

Just because we were drawn together, as you are when you hear the accent – ‘Ah, where are you from?!’ I had no idea he was a musician.

It’s a small world, especially if you’re Irish.

You’ll hear the accent, start with ‘do you know

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such-and-such?’ and then it ends up that you’re related!”

Now based in England, she still gets back to her home city as often as she can.

She talks enthusiastically about the ‘Barrytown Meets Musictown’ event in Vicar Street this past April, which saw a host of musicians (including Glen Hansard, Damien Dempsey, Richard Hawley and The Lost Brothers) honour Roddy Doyle.

“The electricity was unbelievable. A very special night. The performers were all squashed in down the stairwell at the side of the stage so we could watch everyone else.”

As a huge music fan, Doyle was surely in his element?

“He was delighted with himself!”

Meanwhile, early summer found her over to record the new series of The Imelda May Show – we can expect “lots of really good stuff and a few nice surprises” but she’s remaining tight-lipped on specific details for the moment – and July will be all about her Marlay Park appearance. On the same bill as Paolo Nutini, The Alabama Shakes and Gaz Coombes, she confesses to loving the festival atmosphere, particularly when there’s an eclectic line-up and the chance to win new fans.

“That was one of the big reasons I was up for it,” Imelda says. “I love getting to a new audience. It’s a challenge but it’s good for you.

It keeps you on your toes. You can’t just play to people who love your stuff the whole time.

I’ll play to a few thousand in Ireland and then go to somewhere up the mountains in the middle of nowhere in Germany and you play to 100 people and have to win them over. And it’s a great mix of talent. I’m looking forward to seeing Paolo again. He’s terrific and a really nice guy. Actually his dad comes to my gigs!

He comes up to me and gives me a big hug. A really lovely man... And good taste in music!”

Imelda May plays Marlay Park with Paolo Nutini, Dublin, on July 4

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GOFEATURE

E A G E R D E AV E R words: STUART CLARK • portrait: Kathrin Baumbach

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Gazillion-selling thriller writer Jeffrey Deaver is more than happy to remain largely anonymous, despite his phenomenal success...

H

e is unquestionably one of the world’s most successful psychological thriller writers – 80 million books sold and counting – but noone gives Jeffery Deaver a second look as he walks into The Merrion Hotel drawingroom.

“Growing up, I was like most kids in that I wanted to be famous and get both the acclaim and the girl!” laughs the 65-year-old Illinoian, who’s every bit as genuinely charming in person as most of his characters are deviously psychopathic in print. “Now though, I love the fact that I’m able to sell three or four million books around the world every year, but largely remain anonymous. I clearly don’t look like Brad Pitt or George Clooney and can’t imagine what it’d be like to be either of those two gentlemen. You’d have to live your life in a cocoon surrounded by security.”

Deaver’s teenage plan for getting acclaim – and the girl! – was to become the new Dylan, a cunning masterplan marred only by the minor detail that thousands of others had exactly the same idea.

“I was 12 years old when, like Bob, I discovered The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem,” he resumes. “I learned all about 1916 and The Troubles from playing old Irish ballads on my guitar. I moved to San Francisco and gigged in places like The Coffee Gallery in North Beach where 10 years earlier Janis Joplin got her start. I met John Prine and generally led that West Coast folkie life. I wasn’t bad at the songwriting, but it’s fair to say I fell short in the singing department, so I had to re-evaluate my future.”

Dreams of being a Rolling Stone cover star dispensed with, Deaver bagged himself successive degrees in journalism and law, with no prizes for guessing which one lead to the bigger paycheques. His songwriting gene remained dormant until 2012 when he penned an album of songs to accompany XO, the third Kathryn Dance novel, in which his CIA investigator heroine tries to stop an obsessive stalker from destroying a beautiful young country singer.

It’s a book that’s written from personal experience.

“I’m not a beautiful young country singer, but I have been stalked, twice,” Deaver reveals. “One person, who was probably a schizophrenic, thought I’d stolen his life and his body of work and written about him. The other was a woman who became very incensed that I wouldn’t help her solve her sister’s murder. It was actually a methamphetamine overdose, but being in denial, she’d come up with this theory that the drugs had been maliciously supplied by the Police Commissioner. She turned up at one of my store appearances and said, ‘I’ve read your books, you’re very smart, you know crime.

You can help me get to the truth and uncover the conspiracy to ensure that my sister didn’t

die in vain.’ When I told her, ‘I’m very sorry for your loss, but I can’t,’ she snapped and went, ‘Okay, you’re gonna regret that.’ I can’t be 100% sure it was her, but afterwards I got a lot of threatening emails through my website.”

Kathryn Dance gets to save the day again in Solitude Creek, the latest Deaver page-turner in which another of those devious psychopaths of his manufactures situations whereby people panic themselves to death. Not content with racking up yet another bestseller, Jeffrey has also been turning his attentions to the small screen.

“TV is definitely where I’d like to go,” he confirms. “Hollywood being so securityminded I can’t give you the details, but I’ve been approached by somebody about doing an alternative thing, very much influenced by Breaking Bad and both versions of House Of Cards. Having no talent whatsoever for doing scripts, I’ll do the extended outline treatment and then hand it over to other people.”

A James Bond nut since the age of eight, Deaver was thrilled in 2010 when the call came through from the Ian Fleming estate asking him to write a new 007 book.

“That meant so much to me,” he beams.

“A previous book of mine, Garden Of Beasts, which is about an American hit man forced by the CIA to go to Nazi Germany and assassinate a fictional character, won the Steel Dagger

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Award for Best Spy Novel of the Year that the Fleming estate sponsors. I doubt up till then that they knew me from Adam.”

Was there a strict template which had to be followed?

“You’d have thought so but, actually, no. I said, ‘I want to set it in the present day with Bond still a young agent’, and they went, ‘Sure!’

The process was remarkably painless.”

Deaver is delighted that after years of being critically sneered at, best-selling authors like himself are finally being recognised for their literary merits.

“None more so than Stephen King,” he notes.

“He’ll be remembered in a hundred years; I won’t. There’s something about him that’s unlike anyone else. His imagination is just unstoppable. You read every sentence and say, ‘I can feel that. I can see him doing it.’”

He’s also generous in his praise for John Connolly, the Dublin writer he met at a publisher’s dinner and with whom he’s subsequently become bezzies.

“What I love about John is how he switches genres. Whether it’s his police detective, Charlie Parker, his occult books or the stuff he writes for children, it’s always brilliantly conceived and perfectly executed. I’ve done things like the XO album and The October List, which starts with Chapter 36 and then goes backwards in time, but I can’t genre-hop like John.”

What Deaver can do is get inside the minds of some seriously disturbed people.

“Let’s be honest, we’re all fascinated by evil and how – to lesser and greater extents – it lurks within us,” he concludes. “What I really mean is, it’s fun to write about the bad guys!”

Solitude Creek is published by Hodder & Stoughton

GOFEATURE

B A C K O N T R A C K Ireland’s trains transport millions of passengers around our beautiful island each year, but not a lot of people know about the true-ish history of Irish railways. Read on...

I

s there a better method of travel than the train? You get to see Ireland’s beautiful countryside while being able to stretch your legs, have a tasty lunch and maybe even grab a game of tennis on one of the outdoor courts on the fourth floor. (Please note: Not all trains currently have a fourth floor with outdoor tennis courts.)

But there was a time long, long ago when there were no trains in Ireland. Back then, people used to have to ‘walk’ between different towns.

The system then was run by a company called Irish Walk and entailed everyone having to show up at the ‘walk’ station for the 11.10am from Dublin to Cork. They would be told to stand in a neat row and then would all walk together in a straight line along the railway tracks to their destination.

Some people would even make train noises to lend the experience a more authentic feel. In fact, some people still make train noises to this day, even though the engine usually takes care of that automatically. In their favour, so-called ‘people trains’ were also a relatively cheap form of transport.

Later, they built wagons that could go on the tracks so that people, goats and goods could be transported more easily. This was an excellent system as long as you were only going downhill.

Unfortunately, many hills back then went up and down, as they still do today.

To get around this geographical inconvenience, it became clear that the wagons would have to be pulled by someone.

At first, Irish Wagon, as Irish Walk was now called, suggested that sheep could pull the wagons. However, the sheep said they were very grateful to be considered but had little interest in the work and would be much happier just hanging around in fields eating grass.

However, they helpfully suggested that horses would be great at pulling stuff as they were so big, strong and fast. The horses were initially quite chuffed at this recommendation, though this feeling wore off after only a few days of pulling.

By then, it was too late, and horse-drawn wagons were the norm. Many horses have still not forgiven the sheep for this, which led to the Great Ovine-Equine War of 1560-1590. To this day, an uneasy truce exists, and you often see sheep and horses in fields staring menacingly at each other.

Of course, there was no point having railway tracks unless you eventually invented a train to go on them. Not a lot of people know this, but the first ever steam engine was invented by an Irish man called Seamus Mac an tSteamengine – or so he claimed in his autobiography which he cleverly entitled The Irishman Who Invented The Steam Engine.

It should be pointed out that a lot of people dispute the ‘facts’ which Mac an tSteamengine outlines in his book. It should also be pointed out that his real name was Nick ‘The Greek’ Sweeney and that he wasn’t born until 1962, long after trains had been invented. Still, he was never one to let a white lie get in the way of a good autobiography.

Nowadays, the Irish Rail system is one of the best and most efficient in the world and indeed

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the entire solar-system, and train travel remains a very popular way of getting around the country for tourists, the Irish themselves, people who are too lazy to walk from Belfast to Cork, and sheep who like visiting different places.

In order to remind ourselves of the pivotal role trains have played in our past, here are five of the most pivotal moments in Irish rail history. As with a lot of modern history, which tends to be written by the winners, be warned that there may be one or two tiny inaccuracies ...

1. Holy train When St Patrick arrived to convert the Irish in the fifth century, he was faced with an immediate conundrum: how to round up all the snakes in the country and deport them.

He and his advisers solved this by converting an old Irish Rail train into a snake transport prison.

However, they cleverly painted ‘Irish Snake Tours’ on the side and gave the impression that it was more of a holiday thing than a mass exile.

Belying their ‘cunning’ reputation, the snakes fell for it and were convinced they were finally getting the holiday they deserved. It was only when they were dropped off at Dublin Airport and saw that their tickets were all one-way that they realised the gig was up.

2. Viking victory Back in the eighth century, while the Irish were enjoying the Dark Ages, they didn’t realise they (the Ages, as opposed to the complexions of the Irish) were about to get much darker. Vikings began to arrive and conquer a lot of the coastal

towns. However, they soon realised there was a lot more to Ireland than the coast.

Hijacking our own trains, they began to travel inland and ransack at will. However, it was during these excursions that they began to fall in love with the country and indeed with the Irish themselves, who were actually quite hospitable and always happy to see strangers as long as they weren’t intent on pillaging and plundering everything.

Very soon, the Irish and the Vikings were getting on like a house on fire and decided that it was better to live together in peace rather than always fighting.

3. Potato power The golden age of Irish trains came when it was discovered that potatoes could be boiled down and then distilled to make a very powerful biofuel. In the 19th century, Irish trains ran almost exclusively on potatoes and could reach speeds of up to four miles an hour at times.

Unfortunately, it was soon discovered that potatoes could be used for other things, such as building houses, making potato liqueur and, of course, eating.

Gradually, the use of the humble spud to power trains was phased out and they were used exclusively as a foodstuff (and for throwing at English soldiers).

4. Fighting the English It is interesting to note that independence may never have been achieved without Ireland’s excellent network of trains. As Irish soldiers were

outnumbered by the English army in most of the big urban areas, Irish revolutionaries would use trains to get around the country quickly and efficiently.

This gave the impression to the invaders that there were actually a lot more of the fighting Irish around than they had previously been led to believe. The Irish would launch an attack, jump on the nearest train and then quickly attack another garrison. It was like guerrilla warfare, but with trains.

5. Tiger trains When the Celtic Tiger economy was in full swing, a little-known entrepreneur called Horatio Sweeney had a brilliant idea while travelling on a train. If everyone was so rich and had their own mansions, cars and helicopters, why shouldn’t everyone also own their own trains?

His plan was to sell everyone in the country their very own train which they could use whenever they wanted. He would offer ordinary trains, gold-plated trains and even luxury trains that could go underwater and fly.

Unfortunately, Sweeney had this idea the day before the economy crashed and his dream never became a reality. Fortunately, that means that our railway system is still intact and is there to be enjoyed by all those wishing to enjoy the many pleasures the country has to offer.

The Trueish History of Ireland by Garvan Grant with illustrations by Gerard Crowley is published

by Mercier Press and is in shops now, priced €7.99

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G O E A T

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Celtic

WA R R I O R Flamboyant Senator, pioneering gay rights activist and legendary Dublin bon viveur David Norris discusses the battles he’s fought and won over dinner with Anne Sexton...

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ou couldn’t ask for a better dining companion than David Norris.

We meet at Le Bon Crubeen, the Talbot Street restaurant that's rightly regarded as one of the best in the capital, and is a particular favourite of theatregoers. The Senator decides on one of their most popular dishes, the beer battered haddock, for his main course. “I saw it downstairs and I thought it looked very good,” he says. There’s just the tricky problem of choosing a starter. We are both torn, so we decide to order three between us — the Ardrahan goats cheese salad; the crab creme brûlée; and the restaurant’s signature crispy crubeens. “We have to try them. It is Le Bon Crubeen!” he laughs.

w o rd s ph o to s

an n e

davi d

s e xt on s ta n le y

A politician, scholar, activist and raconteur with a gift for accents, David Norris is one of the few people who deserve to be called a “national treasure.” He is a passionate advocate for many social issues and has a wide range of interests — our conversation veers from politics to architecture to gossip about Prince Harry’s parentage — but of course, he is best known for his work which led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1993. The success of the marriage equality referendum must feel like the culmination of a very long journey.

“It does in a way,” he nods. “The tough battles were the early ones, when everyone was against us. I spoke to RTÉ in the '70s and suggested they put a gay character in Glenroe and they had paroxysms of laughter. The idea of having a gay character in an Irish soap was just an anathema.

We started working on the case in 1974 and the law wasn’t changed until 1993. It was a gradual, inexorable progress.”

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Homosexuality was, in Lord Alfred Douglas’s famous words “the love that dare not speak its name”, punishable by jail sentences ranging from 10 years to life (in latter years, this law was rarely if ever enforced).

“Irish people were always decent and compassionate. They didn’t really support the criminal law but social attitudes were a bit awkward, and that was because there was a tremendous veil of silence over the whole subject.

People nowadays wouldn’t believe it, but the word ‘homosexual’ was unspeakable, literally unspeakable. If you said it, conversation would stop. Bang! Silence. It wasn’t mentioned in the newspapers, it wasn’t mentioned on TV, there was just complete and absolute silence. That was one of the points of the court case — to blow the silence away.”

It's hard to imagine what LGBT rights in Ireland would look like today without Norris leading the charge.

“I had been at lunch one day with my aunt in Switzers restaurant and I had a collapse. They thought it was a heart attack. When I got to Baggot Street Hospital I was given all the tests and it was a serious panic attack. They sent me off to a psychiatrist, and the minute I mentioned I was gay, he said that was having an effect on my mental health because of the state of the criminal law in the country. He said, ‘I advise you to go and live in the south of France’. That just made me more and more angry. My father was English but my mother is from a very old Gaelic family that goes back to the period before Christ in this country. We survived the Christians, we survived the Danes, we survived the Normans, we survived the Cromwellians. That gave me a certain standing with regard to the law because I could show that the law had operated to my disadvantage in terms of my mental well-being.”

There is no doubt Norris attracts admiration and affection like few politicians do. He is constantly stopped in the street by people wanting to chat, and our meal is interrupted more than once by well-wishers. Would he consider a second run for the presidency?

“No! I’d be too old and the viciousness of the last

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A MATTER OF TASTE Stuart Clark Brings You The Latest Foodie News

The Italian Job

campaign triggered liver cancer. I had a big operation and afterwards I said to the surgeon that I assumed I had had a 30% chance of coming out alive, and he said, ‘If that!’” Norris laughs.

Norris has the unerring ability to find humour in the most unlikely places — even in death. He tells me the story of a childhood neighbour who, like Elvis, died on the toilet, and another who was found face down in a raspberry bush attacked by her own dog. “You can never tell what way you’re going to go, or what ridiculous posture you’ll be in when you croak. There’s not much dignity in death. The 19th century idea of expiring from a broken heart on a chaise longue surrounded by black tulips — it very rarely works like that!”

The Damage Le Bon Crubeen, 81-82 Talbot Street, Dublin 1.

Tel: (01) 704 0125 leboncrubeen.ie We shared the crispy crubeens with choucroute, apple and hazelnut mayo (€7.95); the Ardrahan goats cheese salad (€7.95); and the crab creme brûlée with Melba toast (€9.50). Senator Norris followed with the beer battered fresh haddock, with pea puree, chunky chips, and tartar sauce (€12.95). This is a huge meal, and the fresh fish is served in a delightfully light and crispy batter. I had the dry aged 8oz rib eye with slow roast tomato, chunky chips, béarnaise, and red wine jus (€18.95). I ordered the steak rare, and it was nicely bloody and perfectly cooked. We finished with a selection of creamy homemade ice cream with honeycomb crunch (€6).

Senator Norris no longer drinks, so we had minerals and sparkling water with our meal. However Le Bon Crubeen has a great selection of both old and new world wines. The house wine is €6.50 a glass or €23 for the bottle.

The pre-theatre or early bird menu is excellent value at €19.95 for two courses, €22.95 for three. All of the dishes we enjoyed are available on this menu.

Go Eat! managed to grab a bite - and some words!

- recently with Italian food legend Antonio Carluccio who was over for the opening of the second Dublin restaurant to bear his name in Glasthule.

Wonderfully warm-hearted and gregarious, the Campanian started by telling us about the dishes that quicken his pulse when he spots them on a menu.

“All Italian cities have wonderful specialities,” he proffers. “My favourites would be Napoli, where I always have the Spaghetti Vongole; Turin for the Bagna Cauda, which is a dip made with garlic, anchovies, olive oil, butter and sometimes cream, and Rome for Pasta Carbonara and of course artichokes.”

Suddenly we’re feeling extremely hungry! Along with his ambassadorial role with Carluccio’s, he reveals that: “I’m in the middle of writing the Complete Vegetable Book, and I have some TV projects in the pipeline. I’m also travelling a lot in the next few months.”

Asked about Jamie Oliver, who started his career working for Antonio at his London W1 Neal Street eatery, he says: “I could see that he was enthusiastic, talented and with that much-loved cheekiness.

Somehow, I could predict that he would have an interesting career and I’m glad that he surrounded himself with good management.”

Carluccio is impressed with the standard of culinary talent coming out of Ireland.

“I’ve met the likes of Richard Corrigan, Rachel Allen and Paul Rankin and like them all,” he enthuses.

“I’m a big fan of Irish Stew and have created my own version with lamb and pears.”

As for what’s coming up new dish-wise at Carluccio’s, its proud founder reveals: “I’d like to create something as successful as the Penne Giardiniera, which is Carluccio’s signature dish and raises money for Action Against Hunger through a discretionary donation with each one ordered.” carluccios.com/restaurants/dublin antonio’s irish stew (serves 4-6) - 1kg neck of lean lamb, diced - 300 gms of French beans, topped and tailed - 3 conference pears - Small bunch of fresh oregano - 1/2 tsp whole peppercorns - Salt - Option: if preferred, potatoes can be added.

METHOD: Cook the lamb in 2 litres of water with the peppercorns until the meat falls off the bone, at last 1 hour.

Scoop away the fat.

Then add the pears, peeled and quartered, together with the beans and the oregano. Cook until the pears are soft. Add salt to taste and ground pepper if desired.

(Clockwise from top) Antonio Carluccio, fine dining at The Twelve & the Calor Mini-BBQ

All Fired Up From back garden parties to family holidays, the Calor Mini-BBQ lets you bring the summer with you.

Use it to sizzle steaks on the balcony, host a cookout in the back garden, or for burgers on the beach.

It’s the only grill with space inside to store a 400g cartridge, so you can easily carry everything together or, if cooking for a crowd, you can also use the Calor 6kg lightweight cylinder.

The wooden lid cleverly doubles as a chopping board, so you can prep as you go. Use it for chopping salads and as a gorgeous serving plate.

Barbeques are all about food and fun, so it’s good to know the Mini-BBQ’s grilling plate is spacious enough to take up to eight burgers at a time. Instant heat and temperature control means your food is always perfectly cooked.

The only thing left to do is to kick back and enjoy yourself. When the grilling is done the Mini-BBQ is easy to clean and store, ready for the next adventure.

It’s the perfect ingredient for outdoor cooking. switch.calorgas.ie/bbq.html

West In Show Go Eat! always has the best of foodie times when it visits Galway, with our first port of call McCambridge’s on Shop Street where this week we bagged ourselves some Aran Islands Goats’ Cheese with Dillisk, Toons Bridge Buffalo Halloumi and some of their own outrageously delicious porridge scones.

We then nipped down the coast to Barna to see if all the nice things we’ve been hearing about The Twelve boutique hotel there are true; they are!

Presided over by Head Chef Martin O’Donnell, the much-garlanded West @ The Twelve restaurant offers some of the finest contemporary Irish fare on

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the island, with seasonality and sustainability two of the cornerstones of a menu that currently includes Duck Parfait with Smoked Bacon Brioche, James McGeough’s Connemara Lamb Loin, a signature Prime Hereford Dry-Aged Cote de Boeuf for two and an Artisan Irish Cheese Board among its must-tries. The winner of a Wine Spectator Award for seven years in a row, they take their vintages very seriously and also fly the flag for Irish craft beer. All the breads - the warm herb scones are to proverbially die for!

- come from their own Pins Bakery Shop and there’s also talk of Twelve honey courtesy of the hives they’re planning to install on the roof.

Add in the Le Petit Spa and funkily decorated rooms, and it’s a hotel experience not to be missed. mccambridges.com thetwelvehotel.ie

The Berry Best There's nothing that screams "summer!" quite as loudly as strawberries. With their luscious appearance, sweet taste and juicy texture, it's a love affair that starts when you're young and lasts a lifetime.

Members of the rose family, strawberries are the only fruit that wears its seeds - an average 200 of them! - on the outside.

A low calorie, low fat nutritional powerhouse with high levels of Vitamin C and phytochemicals that have anti-inflammatory properties, they're a real guilt-free treat.

Part of the Irish summer's DNA - and the official fruit of Wimbledon! - you can enjoy strawberries in the delicious range of smoothies, fresh juices and frozen yoghurts at your local Jump juice bar. Go Rail readers will be pleased to hear that they have a branch at Heuston Station.

G O P L A C E S The National Botanic Gardens

National

TREASURE A staycationer’s guide to stimulating summer holidays on the Irish heritage trail.

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G O P L A C E S

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ith temperatures steadily on the rise and all signs pointing towards another scorching summer, thoughts inevitably turn to planning some time away from the daily grind.

If Ireland’s past two gloriously sunny holiday seasons have taught us anything it’s that – given the right conditions — our tiny island can compete with the best of Europe’s heavyweights as an attractive summer holiday destination.

And, with such a wealth of world-class heritage attractions on our doorstep, the Irish are becoming increasingly aware of the value that international tourists have always placed on all we have to offer here on the Emerald Isle.

From our medieval castles, Victorian houses and exquisite historic cathedrals to our many wildlife reserves, national parks and abundant neolithic monuments – nearly 90% of all tourists who visit Ireland declare that the nation’s rich heritage is an important factor in influencing their decision to holiday here.

Recent tourism promotions like The Gathering in 2013 and the launch of The Wild Atlantic Way as a unique tourist destination have not only made Ireland an alluring option for the international traveller but have also contributed to an increase in the amount of Irish people now choosing to holiday at home rather than undertake an often expensive sojourn abroad.

Indeed, since 2009 the number of people choosing to holiday domestically has been on the increase and, according to the Irish Tourist Board, 2.5 million people (over half the population!) are now opting for an Irish ‘staycation’ over a foreign holiday.

In light of this increasing trend and in anticipation of the upcoming National Heritage Week (August 22–30), we here at Go Rail have set ourselves the task of providing the budding ‘staycationer’ with a brief guide to the best family-friendly heritage destinations Ireland has to offer. This year avoid the inconvenience of air and sea travel, the expense of travelling abroad, and take some time to discover some of the bountiful and fascinating historical and natural attractions on our own back door.

Beginning in Dublin, there is a plentiful supply of captivating heritage sites and relaxing green areas available in the capital to the astute ‘staycationer’. As in the rest of the country, many of these attractions are free to the public or in some cases accessible for a nominal fee or through the purchase of the invaluable OPW Heritage Card.

Conveniently located near Heuston Station, the beautiful city centre green area of Phoenix Park has always been a popular destination for families and visitors during the summer months.

Just a short journey from the busy city centre, Phoenix Park is also convenient to many other local attractions while offering plenty of its own interesting diversions like Aras an Uachtarain, an exploration of the history and wildlife of the park at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre and its adjoining Ashtown Castle, Dublin Zoo and the colourful Peoples Flower Gardens. For more relaxation in child-friendly and picturesque surroundings, The National Botanic Gardens and the city centre oasis of The Iveagh Gardens are just a short distance away.

Much of Dublin’s most famous heritage destinations can be found within easy walking distance of each other. A brief ten-minute walk will take you from the 800-year-old Dublin Castle, host of every presidential inauguration since 1938, past the interactive and engaging Dublinia heritage centre. Continuing on,

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you will find the magnificent Christ Church Cathedral (Dublin’s oldest building) and the impressively towering St. Patrick’s Cathedral within sight of one another. Suitably steeped in medieval and Viking history, a short bus or car ride out of the city centre, past the looming Guinness Storehouse, will bring you to the grounds and gardens of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham and a site dedicated to Ireland’s more recent history, the imposing Kilmainham Gaol. Built in the 1790s, Kilmainham Gaol is importantly the site of some of the most heroic and tragic events that have paved the way for Ireland’s emergence as a modern nation and is a must for history buffs both young and old.

Outside the capital, Ireland’s scenic east coast is packed with interesting and enchanting national heritage attractions. Just south of Dublin lies the vast natural expanse of the Wicklow Mountains National Park and its stunning jewel, the glacial ‘valley of the two lakes’ at Glendalough. At the mouth of the valley, surrounded by soaring mountains, you will find the ‘Monastic City’, an early Christian settlement first established by St. Kevin in the 6th century. Including a 30-metre-high round tower, a cathedral and the ruins of St. Kieran’s Church, it is also home to a gateway structure that is unique in Ireland. The nearby visitor centre is an invaluable resource as it provides guided tours, an exhibition and an audio-visual guide to the area.

Travelling north from Dublin, passing the historic Malahide Castle and Gardens (see panel), County Meath is home to some spectacular natural scenery and to some of the nation’s most famous and important heritage sites. Newgrange, Ireland’s most celebrated Neolithic passage tomb, has been dated to 3,200 BC and is world renowned as a site of pilgrimage during the winter solstice. On the shortest day of the year, a shaft of light enters the inner chamber of the tomb through a small opening in the roof box, dramatically illuminating the passage and chamber and marking the beginning of the new year.

Less than 10km away in Drogheda, County Louth and located in the recently restored 18th Century Oldbridge House, the Battle of the Boyne Visitors Centre is a great day out for the whole family. The Visitor Centre provides access to the site of the Battle of the Boyne, one of the largest battles in Irish history. A right royal knees-up, the battle took place in 1690 between King James II and his son in law, William III. There are many attractions in the Visitor Centre and on the surrounding grounds, including selfguided walks to the battle site, exhibitions of 17th century weaponry, a laser battlefield model and, on every Sunday and bank holiday Monday during the summer, the Living History Display – a 20-minute demonstration by a costumed Musketeer and Cavalry Officer.

The Sunny South-East of Ireland has always been the go-to destination for domestic holidaymakers eager to eke out a few days of extra sunshine from our famously temperamental summer. Gifted with beautiful beaches and rolling greenlands, the southeast corner of the island is also an area of abundant national heritage.

In County Tipperary, The Rock Of Cashel forms the base of a spectacular group of medieval buildings set on an outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale. 500 metres from the centre of Cashel town, the site is an outstanding grouping of a 12th century round tower, high cross and Romanesque chapel, a 13th century Gothic cathedral and a 15th century castle. In addition to this remarkable collection of Celtic art and medieval

G O P L A C E S Glendalough, Co. Wicklow

NATIONAL TREASURES KING JOHN’S CASTLE, LIMERICK

architecture, there are guided tours and exhibitions available to the public.

The former Norman merchant town of Kilkenny can lay claim to one of the most impressive Norman castles on the island. For eight centuries Kilkenny Castle has been a commanding presence of the skyline along the River Nore.

The Butler family owned the castle for almost 600 years until, in 1967; it was presented to the people of Kilkenny for a token payment of £50. Its grounds include the castle gardens, extensive woodland paths, a rose garden and an ornamental lake.

Further west along the south coast is the striking Skellig Michael, the larger of the two Skellig Islands, which lie west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, Skellig Michael is famous the world over as the site of a well-preserved monastic outpost of the Early Christian period and as the home of the second largest colony of gannets in the world. More recently, the island has made the news as a location for the filming of JJ Abrams’ upcoming Star Wars film.

Also in Kerry, this time on the tip of the Dingle Peninsula, The Blasket Centre is a fascinating heritage centre and museum dedicated to the solitary community who inhabited the isolated Blasket Islands until they were finally evacuated in 1953. The Blasket Centre provides an enchanting insight into the daily struggles of island life and the language, culture, folklore, customs and extraordinary literary legacy of the island community.

The mighty Shannon River links two more essential destinations – the new visitor experience at King John's Castle in the heart of medieval Limerick City and the renowned Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, overlooking the Ratty River which feeds into the Shannon in Co Clare (see panel).

Out along the Wild Atlantic Way,

The brand new tourist attraction at King John’s Castle delivers a modern visitor experience with a dramatic history of over 800 years of stories.

Touch-screen technology connects you to tales of siege and warfare and a dazzling array of computergenerated imagery, animations and ghostly projections bring the experience to life. There is an opportunity to try on historic costumes, including 18th century dresses or chainmail tunics. 3D models, discovery drawers and audio visuals help you to delve into the Castle’s history, while an array of colourful characters reveal the secrets and scandals of castle life. The busy Castle courtyard is home to a medieval campaign tent, a blacksmith’s forge and scenes from a 17th century siege. There are magnificent views of the city and the River Shannon from the castle towers. King John’s Castle is open until 8pm daily throughout the summer and is well worth a visit. shannonheritage.com/ KingJohnsCastle

the longest signed coastal route in the world, visitors will be spoiled for choice with exciting outdoor family activities like surfing, swimming and cycling and some of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. The Cliffs of Moher have long been one of Ireland’s most famous natural destinations and its visitor centre last year welcomed over one million visitors in a single calendar year (see panel).

Staying in Clare, the historic village of Kilfenora is a gateway to one of Ireland’s most unique landscapes. The Burren is a limestone plateau formed by ice and hard weather, an enchanting rocky landscape at odds with the rest of Ireland’s natural greenery. At The Burren Centre in Kilfenora, visitors will find all they need to know about the history of the Burren and guides to its many walks, hiking trails, cycling routes and day tours. It is also a great opportunity to relax in their tearooms or to browse their craft shop before heading out for a day’s exploration.

From the wilds of Connemara to the bustling and colourful city centre, Galway is exemplary of all that is best about the Wild Atlantic Way. In the City of Tribes history is everywhere you look. Lynch’s Castle on Shop Street is one of the finest examples of a medieval townhouse in the country and the Spanish Arch dates back to the 1580s.

A good starting point is the Galway City Museum, a spacious and modern building in the heart of the city. Located on the banks of the River Corrib and overlooking the Spanish Arch, the museum is home to exhibitions of Galway’s rich archaeological heritage and history. Displays range from 'Routes To The Past: Prehistoric Galway' to 'Cinema: Galway Goes to the Pictures'. From here you can travel along the coast, in view of the Aran Islands, to the town of Rosmuck where you will find a smallrestored cottage – once the summer residence of Irish poet, teacher and nationalist Padraig Pearse.

BUNRATTY CASTLE AND FOLK PARK

The 15th-century Bunratty Castle and 19th-century Folk Park are among Ireland’s top visitor experiences. A visit to the Castle provides a window on Ireland’s past and a day out exploring the grounds will give you a great chance to enjoy the sights, sounds, tastes and scents of this enchanting place as you stroll from house to house or around the charming village street complete with school, post office, doctors house, hardware shop, printers and of course McNamara’s pub! Kids will love the brand new playground, while young and old will find something of interest as the Medieval past is brought to life by the finest collection of Medieval furniture in the country. You can explore at your own leisure or join in on a guided tour with an experienced guide. At nighttime the castle is an impressive setting for the medieval castle banquets, which are held year-round. The castle is open until 7pm daily through the summer, with last admission at 6.15p.m. It closes daily at 4pm. shannonheritage.com/ BunrattyCastleandFolkPark

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MALAHIDE CASTLE AND GARDENS, CO DUBLIN

The main feature of Malahide Castle & Gardens is a beautiful and historic medieval castle with a story dating back to the 12th Century. Owned by the Talbot Family for nearly 800 years, it is one of the longest-owned castles by one family in the country. Set on 250 acres of stunning parkland, Malahide Castle is also home to one of Ireland’s four botanical walled gardens with 5,000 species of plants including a wonderful collection from many Southern Hemisphere countries. Malahide Castle & Gardens is open all year round for guided tours from 9.30am until 4.30pm (or 3.30pm Nov–Mar).

The new visitor centre located in the courtyard is where visitors can find the world famous Avoca store and cafe which overlooks the walled garden. With its beautiful castle, parkland, playground, awardwinning bars & restaurants, a visit to Malahide is the perfect day out. shannonheritage.com/ malahidecastleandgardens / malahidecastleandgardens.ie

THE CLIFFS OF MOHER, CO CLARE

The arresting sandstone, siltstone and shale cliffs stand 230 metres at their highest point and stretch for 8 kilometres along the Atlantic coast of Co Clare. Providing some of the most incredible views in Ireland, on a clear day it is possible to see the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, as well as the Twelve Pins and the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara.

In Gaelic the word ‘Mothar’ means ‘ruined fort’ and the cliffs are named as such because Moher Tower stands on the site of a 2,000-year-old fort.

Set into the hillside and located almost midway along the spectacular cliffs, The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience is an environmentally-friendly visitor centre dedicated to making your visit to the cliffs both exciting and informative. Guided tours are available to small groups who book a week in advance of their visit and cost €15 for a maximum of 15 people. cliffsofmoher.ie

G O P L A C E S Sli Chronain Mochua Walk

Framing Ireland’s

HERITAGE The four sites that make up The National Museum of Ireland, in Dublin City and Turlough Park in Mayo, are must visits for anyone interested in the rich history of our little island. With a wealth of permanent exhibitions and regular special events, there is never a dull moment at the National Museum.

The Museum of Natural History, on Merrion Street, offers visitors a chance to come face-to-face with the many species of mammals and birds from both Ireland and beyond that make up our natural world.

Long one of Dublin’s most popular attractions, a day at The Museum of Natural History is sure to be a hit with children and adults alike.

Situated in the historic Collins Barracks, a stone’s throw from Heuston Station, the Museum of Decorative Arts and History this year hosts a new gallery featuring a retrospective of the work of Danish designer Ib Jorgensen, a leading light of the Irish fashion scene for over 40 years. In addition to this are exhibitions dedicated to Eileen

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Gray, one of the most influential designers and architects of the 20th Century and, ahead of next year’s celebrations; an exhibition entitled, ‘The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916’.

On Kildare Street, The Museum of Archaeology brings Medieval, Celtic, Early Christian, Viking and Pagan Ireland to life and also contains fantastic exhibits celebrating Ancient Egypt, Cyprus and ‘Life and Death in the Roman World’.

Meanwhile, in Mayo, The Museum of Country Life tells the story of rural Ireland through historical artefacts representative of the nation’s many trades; from blacksmiths, tinsmiths, wheelwrights, and wood turners to country coopers, harness makers, thatchers, tailors and cobblers.

Admission is free to all in all four museums and opeing hours are: 10am–5pm Tuesday – Saturday, 2pm–5pm on Sundays and closed on Mondays.

G O P L A C E S

National Heritage

WEEK 2015 There is an abundance of fascinating, eclectic events taking place nationwide to help you explore your roots this year...

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reland’s canals, mines, breweries, potteries, forges, railways and cotton mills will all form an eclectic backdrop to this year’s National Heritage Week.

Through a range of largely free heritage events, including heritage walks and talks, workshops, archaeological digs, historical re-enactments and much more, this weeklong nationwide programme of events will celebrate the country’s unique and vibrant history of industry and design. Charting the living history of the changes and developments that have contributed to the island’s thriving industrial successes and distinctive creative arts, National Heritage Week 2015 offers the chance to connect with this fascinating and often neglected aspect of our past.

(From top) Loop Head Lighthouse, traditional bodhran player and Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin

2015 is to be an impressive milestone for the Heritage Council, as it marks 20 years since President Michael D Higgins passed the Heritage Act into law, and the tenth anniversary of their annual National Heritage Week. The aim of National Heritage Week is to build awareness and education about our heritage and to thereby encourage an active investment in its conservation and preservation. To accomplish this, the Heritage Council encourages hundreds of local and community organisations to participate in events that engage, educate and advocate to develop a wider understanding of the vital contribution our heritage makes to our social, environmental and economic well-being.

From August 22–30, over 400,000 people will participate in over 1,800 heritage events nationwide. Most of these events are led by local enthusiasts and are free to the public. Events range from behind-the-scenes tours of The National Gallery of Ireland’s Industry and Design in Irish

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Art exhibition, the National Print Museum and guided walking tours of the Royal and Grand Canals in Dublin, to medieval armoured combat displays in Mill House & River Run Garden in Galway and the Bandon Walled Town Festival in Cork. Other unique destinations include a visit to the site of the Marconi Station, the first transatlantic wireless service, in Clifden and a trip to explore the industrial history of Loop Head Lighthouse in County Clare, while enjoying some spectacular natural attractions as part of Whale Watch Ireland 2015. The Irish Examiner recently reported that almost 90% of all visitors coming to Ireland do so because of the country's heritage attractions, so this celebration of our unique historical resources will certainly prove popular to visitors from at home and from abroad.

In addition to all of the activities dedicated to Ireland’s industrial and design past, there will be a huge range of events that celebrate the surrounding highlights of national culture, nature and architecture. St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin will hold daily lunchtime recitals and provide free guided walking tours of the Cathedral and its grounds. In Clare, visitors can gain a deeper appreciation for the craft and individuality of Irish traditional music at a masterclass and concert with Ronan O’Snodaigh, one of Ireland’s most innovative bodhran players. Meanwhile, in Cork, the historic custom of open-air crossroads dancing has been revived at Laharn Cross and each Sunday during the summer the night will come alive with dancing performances and live music.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of an enormous calendar of attractions and events taking place from August 22–30. While it may seem a clichéd turn of phrase, there really is something for everyone and all ages at this year’s National Heritage Week.

G O P L A C E S (clockwise from top left) St. Maelruain's Churchyard Tour; Frank Tracy tour of Massy's Woods; the haunting Hell Fire Club Walk; Tallaght Aerodrome Exhibition & Clondalkin Round Tower

History & Heritage in South Dublin County Hot on the heels of the launch of the South Dublin County Tourism Strategy, South Dublin Library Service has announced an impressive range of outdoor events and indoor exhibitions as part of their History and Heritage summer programme.

Ralph McGarry looks at what this part of Dublin has to offer the “Staycationer”.

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hile we're all looking forward to National Heritage Week, which runs from August 22 to 30, sometimes a week is not enough. That is why the Library Section of South Dublin County Council have devised a programme of walks, talks, tours and workshops around history and heritage that lasts all summer long. And there certainly is something for all the family to enjoy.

The programme kicks off with the popular heritage walks of the villages within South Dublin County. Whether you’re a local, former resident or simply feel intrigued by the heritage and history of Newcastle, Palmerstown, Saggart, Templeogue, Tallaght, Clondalkin, Lucan or Rathfarnham, you can get out and about and start exploring and learning on these guided walks. Best of all, they’re free of charge. One of the events that should take your fancy is the

Massy’s Woods and Hell Fire Club Heritage Walk on Saturday July 25 and Wednesday August 26.

Led by historian Frank Tracy, he will be exploring some of the scary stories one hears about the ominously named club, while the views over the city from the top of Mountpelier are magnificent.

There’s nothing like a bracing walk followed by bracing views! All are welcome but children must be accompanied by an adult.

From woods and mountains to canals and lakes, it seems South Dublin County has it all.

A guided walk of Bohernabreena Reservoir takes place from 11am on Saturday August 29 and it is amazing to think that this wonderfully tranquil setting is only a few kilometres from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, with the reservoir supplying most of the capital’s drinking water too! The Waterways Association of Ireland is hosting a demonstration of how the lock system works at the 12th Lock on the Grand

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Canal between 2pm and 5pm on Sunday August 30. Booking is essential for the Bohernabreena walk and children must be accompanied by an adult, however, all are welcome at the Lock Demonstration.

Whilst reading this edition of Go Rail, you may be moving in comfort from Dublin to Cork or making your commute to the big smoke for another day at the office, so spare a thought for those who made similar journeys in far less pleasant rolling stock. As part of the Lucan Festival, an illustrated talk on the history of the Dublin and Lucan Steam Tramway 1881 – 1940 will take place on Thursday September 10 at the Lucan Presbyterian Church on the main street.

There will also be a chance to see the Lucan tram in real life at the Lucan Festival Family Fun Day the following Sunday September 13. The village is one of County Dublin’s most picturesque communities and attractions on the day will include vintage cars, street entertainment, rafting over the Liffey Weir and the world famous duck race on the Griffeen River!

Talking of things of yore, have you ever wanted to know how to restore and preserve old family photographs? As part of a groundbreaking initiative developed by the Gallery of Photography, the County Library in Tallaght is bringing you events around the Photo Album of Ireland project during the month of July. Staff at the Gallery will host a talk on restoring your family album on Saturday July 18, followed by a scanning workshop where you can contribute to this amazing project by bringing along photos from your own family album. Booking is essential for both events.

G O P L A C E S

(clockwise from above) Photo Album of Ireland exhibition; Hands on History; The Pearse Museum; Lucan Tram & former mansion at Massy’s Woods, (inset) SDCC Historic walks APP

Did you know there used to be an airport in Tallaght? Well, during August and September, the County Library in Tallaght will host a photographic exhibition exploring the history of Tallaght Aerodrome.

South Dublin Libraries aren’t forgetting the kids either. Irish History Live will help children aged 8 to 12 experience what life in Dublin was like during the Easter Rising of 1916 with workshops in Ballyroan, Castletymon and Tallaght Libraries. And if that is not enough, Lucan Library is inviting children to place their “Hands On History”, exploring the story of the Irish at Gallipoli through an interactive history workshop.

Children aged 6 to 10 can create scenes from history using lego in the County Library, while sporty kids can design and create their own sliotar-inspired textile balls at the Stitched Sliotar workshops on July 17. Booking for these children’s workshops is essential and the little ‘uns should be accompanied by a guardian.

And finally, we mustn’t forget the OPWoperated attractions in South Dublin County. The Pearse Museum is located in the former home and school of Pádraig Pearse, one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. In 1910, Pearse opened Scoil Éanna there. He was an innovative educator and the school played a significant role in the Gaelic Revival. It was also from there that he left, along with his brother William, to fight in the Rising.

You will find the museum in St Enda’s Park on the Grange Road in Rathfarnham, one of the city’s most charming parks. And for your diary, Rathfarnham Castle will re-open in July following renovations. Be one of the first through the doors of this fascinating building which dates back to 1583. The kids will be delighted with the playground in the castle grounds, and there is enough surrounding parkland to stretch their legs.

For further information, including how to get to each event, go to southdublinlibraries.ie or pick up the South Dublin County History And Heritage June – September 2015 brochure available in libraries and tourist attractions throughout the county. You can also call Sile Coleman on 01 462 0073 or mail her at localstudies@sdublincoco.ie.

And remember to follow South Dublin Libraries on social media through @SDCCLibraries and facebook.com/SouthDublinLibraries. When you are out and about exploring, also make sure you share the hashtag #SDHeritage and get involved!

South Dublin County

HISTORY AND HERITAGE June-September 2015

STAIR AGUS OIDHREACHT Meitheamh-Meán Fómhair 2015 www.southdublinlibraries.ie SDCCLibraries South Dublin Libraries www.localstudies.wordpress.com

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GOSPORT

ONE MORE TIME WITH

FEELING The greatest sporting show on earth, the All-Ireland Hurling and Football Championships are well underway. Paul Nolan breaks it down for us...

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ull of drama, controversy, incredible skill and nail-biting excitement, the All-Ireland hurling and football championships are the highlights of the Irish sporting summer, generating fierce passions and frenzied debate from Malin to Mizen every year without fail.

Before this season’s football action commenced, the feeling was that last year’s four provincial champions – Kerry, Donegal, Mayo and Dublin – would once again be the leading contenders.

DUBLIN – who are favourites to win what would be a third All-Ireland title in five years, having secured a third consecutive league title in the spring – remain a phenomenal attacking unit, the scoring power of lethal forwards such as Bernard Brogan, Diarmuid Connolly, Ciaran Kilkenny and Dean Rock being supplemented by forward raids from defenders like Jack McCaffrey and Philly McMahon. With their traditional Leinster rivals, Kildare and Meath, having slipped considerably in recent years, Dublin should comfortably make the last four.

From there, the main question mark over the team is whether they can eliminate the defensive frailties that led to their demise against Donegal in last year’s semi-final.

Though legendary manager Jim McGuinness has since departed to take up a full-time role with Celtic, DONEGAL have continued their excellent form under McGuinness’s former assistant, Rory Gallagher. They prevailed during an epic first-round Ulster clash with arch-rivals Tyrone, then comfortably disposed of Armagh in the best performance of the championship to date.

Although they have another tough two games ahead in Ulster if they are to retain their provincial crown, Donegal remain one of the top sides in the country.

Of course, they eventually lost out in last year’s AllIreland final following a titanic struggle with KERRY, with the Kingdom upending their status as outsiders to once again find themselves in the familiar position of champions. And with Tommy Walsh, Paul Galvin and arguably the game’s best player, Colm Cooper, returning to strengthen an already excellent squad, Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s team rightly fancy their chances of retaining Sam Maguire.

Having come close on several occasions in recent seasons, MAYO look very strong again this year, and with stars Aidan O’Shea and Cillian O’Connor

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maintaining their exceptional form, they are once more among the leading contenders. Of course, there are always one or two shocks along the way, and you can be sure there will be plenty of thrills and spills between now and the football decider on the third Sunday of September. But the quartet mentioned above look that bit tougher than the rest.

While there are no more than four or five football teams with realistic hopes of winning the All-Ireland, in hurling, the competition is much more open (something of a reversal of the historical pattern, where the football championship was always considered the more openly ‘democratic’ in terms of power-balances).

In Leinster, Dublin will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing early exit, but the two teams in the province who will really be eyeing All-Ireland glory at this point are GALWAY and perennial contenders KILKENNY. Galway were simply stunning in recent victories over Dublin and Laois, with a magnificent performance from star player Joe Canning, and hugely promising displays from new corner forwards Jason Flynn and Cathal Mannion, the latter scoring a hat-trick in the opening ten minutes against the Dubs.

Kilkenny, meanwhile, will be hoping to overcome numerous retirements over winter and spring – including that of the King himself, Henry Shefflin – as they bid to once again secure back-to-back titles. With the county’s conveyor belt in fine working order – and, most crucially, iconic manager Brian Cody still at the helm – the Cats are in with a terrific chance of retaining Liam McCarthy, and recently underlined their immense power with a demolition of historic rivals Wexford.

Down in Munster, competition remains as intense as ever. Though CORK made a disappointing early exit to Waterford, Jimmy Barry Murphy’s team will be looking to regroup and launch another assault on the title they came within a hair’s breadth of winning in 2013.

They were beaten in a final replay that year, by Davy Fitzgerald’s CLARE; and though the latter also made a first-round Munster exit this season, they still have arguably the best group of young hurlers in the country and will present dangerous opposition for anyone in the qualifiers.

Having come close to beating Kilkenny in the AllIreland final last year before being edged out in a replay, TIPPERARY will be keen to go one better this time, while newly crowned National League champions WATERFORD also have their eyes on the biggest prize.

LIMERICK, meanwhile, have uncovered some exciting new talent – including dynamic corner forward Cian Lynch – and will be confident in their ability to go the whole way.

The hurling championship in 2013 was widely recognised as perhaps the greatest of all time, culminating in two classic encounters between Cork and Clare. Incredibly, those two games were arguably outdone by the first clash between Tipp and Kilkenny last year, a strong contender for the greatest final of all time.

Overall, the sport is in rude health and you can be guaranteed this summer will be another rip-roaring rollercoaster ride. Enjoy!

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F A S H I O N

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Chic

Hippie

This summer is all about embracing the freedom of bohemian fashion, which draws on many influences and offers the confident style of an intrepid world traveller. Combining fringe, kaftans, peasant blouses, maxi skirts, scarves, embroidery and delicate patterns, the effortlessly draping silhouettes of boho suit every figure, and make for perfect summer and festival wear. Think of this trend as a patchwork of ideas, and feel free to add your own unique twist to the look via ornate jewellery, accessories, and headwear. To embrace this look, stick to earth tones, as deep rust reds, browns, mustards and creams evoke the seventies hippie-vibe of the trend. Look for loose and flirty silhouettes, with drawstring waists, short playsuits and fringed vests a must. Dainty floral motifs and tribal prints can be clashed and contrasted, and don’t be afraid to layer fabrics, like lace, crochet, suede, fringe and fur. The more layers, the more unique the look – and it will keep you warm when those hazy summer days turn into cool summer nights.

1. Black Lace Tassel Skirt €17, Penneys 2. Large Fringe Boho Bag €15, Penneys 3. LS Chiffon Tunic €16, Penneys 4. Wedge Sandal €18, Penneys 5. Chunky Boho Choker €5, Penneys 6. Plait Floppy €9, Penneys

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F A S H I O N Gothic Boho While the bohemian trend has been dominating the runways all summer, this free-spirited fashion can be elevated into a more formal and dramatic look thanks to a hint of gothic chic. That’s right, the prairie has been invaded by bad girls, and it’s looking fabulous.

Gothic boho is all about blending the dramatic and the romantic, the heavy with the light, which becomes vital when it comes to layering fabrics and pieces. Like the Romantic heroines, the girls at Valentino, Chloé and Louis Vuitton were dressed in delicate fabrics that played on the transparency of ethereal lace. The intricately worked fabric delicately unveils bare skin, lifting a veil of desire on the runway. While these fashion powerhouses played with bright white fabrics, dark lace always evokes a romantically gothic feel. Lace kimonos are great pieces for layering, and the kimono’s long silhouettes proved to be an inspiration for a number of designers this season. Marni accentuated their kimonos with oversized black belts, while Gucci and Celine went for delicate black pieces with floral designs. Black lace and kimonos are fantastic pieces to layer over and under structured pieces like denim shorts or structured blazers, and are musts for your gothic boho look.

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Beach to Bar Summer is officially here and it’s time to plan your holiday wardrobe. Dresses are ideal for sunshine holidays, as tribal, tropical and graphic prints look on trend and seasonal, and make for easy, quick changes whether you’re wandering on the sands or heading to a club. Playsuits and rompers are also cute and casual.

They look beach-ready when paired with sandals, and flirty when paired with heels that will elongate your legs and show off that tan you’ve been working on.

Mini and midi dresses can be paired with knee-high gladiator sandals to transform them from causal pool wear to a stylish and complete ensemble, while maxi dresses can be dressed down in the day with flats and a floppy hat, and dressed up at night with stilettos and unique statement jewellery. Shirt dresses are huge this season, and can be effortlessly thrown over your bikini or dressed up in the evening for a sophisticated look.

Short kaftans make for a sexy transformation into a playful mini-dress with the addition of killer heels and an updo.

Boy’s Club Stripes are a perennial spring/summer trend for men, and this season is no different. As well as beautifullytailored pinstripe summer suits, stripes also give a fashionable edge to casual wear such as polo shirts and long shorts. While Breton stripe tops are classic, this season look for striped shorts and trousers, and contrast them with a pastel shirt for an underplayed look, or a clashing pattern if you’re feeling bold. Florals are also very on trend, from African landscapes to tropical prints and delicate shirt patterns. Whichever direction you take with your floral statement piece, be sure to team it with neutrals in order to let this statement pattern shine. Geometrical patterns are also big, so try teaming sharp patterns with soft pastels and sandals that softens them, allowing them to become part of a considered but still seasonal ensemble, rather than veering into formal territory. Stock up on summer staples like a light blazer, neutral trousers and some cracking sunglasses and you’re all set.

7. Crochet black kaftan €19.99, New Look 8. Floral Printed Jumper €24.99, New Look 9. Crochet trim playsuit €17.99, New Look 10. Floral short sleeve shirt €22.99, New Look 11. Blue White Printed Shirt €22.99, New Look 12. Beach dress €19.99, New Look 13. Cream lace fringed dress €22.99, New Look 14. Printed dress €24.99, New Look

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GO DESTINATION:

Cork - Dublin

In Like Flynn

andy hollingworth

Tara Flynn’s career has seen her stray far from her roots in Kinsale; the bright lights of Dublin and London calling the actress and comedienne away from the Rebel County.

It’s little surprise, then, that the route between the capital and her home county remains close to her heart.

"It's always been great, but with the Wi-Fi now it's perfect"

T

ara Flynn’s career has seen her stray far from her roots in Kinsale; the bright lights of Dublin and London calling the actress and comedienne away from the Rebel County. It’s little surprise, then, that the route between the capital and her home county remains close to her heart.

Indeed, as the writer of You’re Grand: the Irishwoman’s Secret Guide to Life, Tara knows a thing or two about people in this country; in particular, that ‘home’ never changes.

“No matter what age you are, there’s something about going home,” she smiles. “And it’s funny; ‘going home’ doesn’t mean going back to a flat. It means going back to your mum and dad’s. When I get back to Kinsale, I love those first few days where you don’t have to explain anything to anybody; everybody knows you since you were a child. Of course, by about day four you’re thinking ‘Oh no, everybody knows me!’”

And the journey all the way back to the homestead is pretty easy too, Tara adds. “The Kinsale bus now leaves from right outside the station. What more could you want?”

“When I moved to Dublin in 1990, I moved by train,” she recalls. “The very day I graduated from UCC I was off, with a bike, a big backpack and a ghettoblaster – it was the 90s, after all. I loved living in Dublin – getting started with my life, and really feeling like I’d become an actor – but the highlight of any week would be if I’d saved enough money to get the train home for the weekend. I love Cork – absolutely love it – and I loved going home. I loved it then, and I still love it now; especially going home! “

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Of course, there is one moment where it feels like you’re already home, as Tara points out; the moment when the train reaches the famous tunnel before Kent Station.

“It’s as good as if you were in your own living room, with a cup of tea in your hand,” she laughs. “It feels very much like you’ve arrived. You can tell, too, because it’s when all the people in the know all stand up.”

“There’s plenty to watch out the windows before that,” she continues. “The scenery on the way down is beautiful, whether in summer or winter. In fact, seeing it snow-covered is always incredible.”

Though sometimes, the best thing to watch was found inside the carriage.

“Back about 20 years ago, there was an ostrich farm situated along the line,” she grins. “You could see the people who weren’t used to the journey suddenly sitting up, thinking they were having hallucinations.

It was particularly hilarious when they’d just woken up from a nap: ‘Hang on a second, I thought we were in Ireland…’”

Now, the train is more like a mobile office for Tara; indeed, Go Rail is lucky to be able to grab a few words as she hurtles towards the deadline of her next book, which will be published by Hachette Ireland this autumn.

“I’m the sort of person who goes so far as to save up some work for the journey. It’s always been great for getting something done, but with the Wi-Fi now it’s perfect. You can even avoid phone calls – ‘Sorry, I’m going through a tu—’ – and have uninterrupted hours to get your work done.”

It’s clear by now that for all sorts of reasons, both professional and personal, Tara has fond memories of the route.

“My very first trip to Dublin was on a train. I was eight or nine years old, on a school tour to the zoo.

It was the best day of my life; no parents, a trip on the train, the zoo, the National Museum – all these things I’d only ever heard of, and wasn’t even sure really existed.

There was a coach that picked us up from Heuston. The only thing was, I left my favourite storybook behind, and I had coloured in all the pictures myself. I have nothing but good memories of the train, but it’s my life mission to track down that coach driver!”

GO

REVIEW albums. movies. books

illustration by david keane

FLORENCE

pg 55

GOLISTEN.

GOWATCH.

We bring you the definitive A full rundown on what verdict on three of the to expect from political summer's essential releases. thriller Kill The Messenger; Flame-haired chanteuse witty meditation on ageing Florence returns with her While We're Young; mighty Machine; nu-folk moody atmospheric horror icons Mumford & Sons A Girl Walks Home At ditch their tweeds and Night; homegrown release banjos to go power-pop; Glassland; and Kenneth and northern lads Ash Branagh's adaptation of make a welcome return.

Cinderella...

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GOREAD. Booker Prize-winner Anne Enright never lets us down; her new tome The Green Road is reviewed herein, along with Gavin Corbett's magnificent third outing Green Glowing Skull and Jon Ronson's unblinking look at the darker side of social media, So You've Been Publicly Shamed.

GOLISTEN. s o u n d s

o f

t h e

s u m m e r

A good playlist, filled with songs you love and can associate with specific times and places, is essential for creating memories of hazy summer fun that can last a lifetime. If you haven’t been keeping up to speed with the big 2015 releases, Go Rail has you covered, selecting three marquee albums ripe for extended plays.

London nu-folk superstars Mumford & Sons have had a dramatic makeover: they’ve ditched the banjo, scrapped the accordion, booted the kickdrum into touch and donated their tweeds ‘n’ braces to Oxfam. “Rustic” has been replaced by “epic” and they’ve set sights on a place among the stadium-filling, festival-headlining indie elite.

While a band abandoning their fanbase and their musical roots makes for a great story, the truth is more complicated. While Mumford & Sons have embraced their inner indie gods, in other ways they have remained substantially unchanged. The differences are mostly superficial – with the group retaining the heartfelt sensibility that defined multi-million selling debut Sigh No More and its follow-up Babel.

What about the tunes? The low-key single ‘Believe’ has a keyboard-derived atmospheric ambience, which ignites into a crescendo of guitars and wailing voices. ‘The Wolf’ is a chugging rocker in the Springsteen/Hold Steady mode (and a decent one too), while ‘Tompkins Square Park’ veers towards jangly power-pop. An impressive sonic adventurism characterises ‘Broad Shouldered Beast’, which begins with a sombre, bolero-like rhythm, building into an anthemic climax (with a chord progression that somehow recalls Randy Crawford’s ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’).

Aiming for a kind of Radiohead ‘Street Spirit’ effect but falling short in the melody department, the mournful ‘Snake Eyes’ is a slow-burner; ‘Cold Arms’ is another bare-boned outing, with just electric guitar; ‘Monster’ blends Mark Knopfler guitar with a hip-hop beat; and ‘Just Smoke’ boasts arguably the strongest vocal here.

The family firm might have gone global and the

product comes wrapped in fancier packaging – but the essence remains pretty much the same.

Next on to an artist that we all hope will be one of this summer’s heroes – Florence & The Machine have just released new album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, and soon will headline this year’s Electric Picnic.

Since Florence Welch came racing out of the traps declaring that the dog days were over in 2008, barrelling past early indie contemporaries Little Boots and Kate Nash, she’s become defined by two things: big-throated anthems and rock ‘n’ roll benders.

Her siren vocals rarely operate at less than airraid levels, swirling above stormy pop songs that combine mysticism of a sort with empowering orchestration to frequently impressive effect.

Turns out calling her debut album Lungs wasn’t so much an act of self-awareness as a warning!

On How Big… there are some genuine charmers on display. ‘Queen Of Peace’ takes a ride on some new wave and has a robust, beguiling tune. ‘St Jude’ works well as a resigned sigh. And the really rather good ‘Long & Lost’ finds Florence slipping into a chanteuse role in Bat For Lashes territory that suits her.

‘What Kind Of Man’ begins with haunting synths and a distorted Florence locating real emotion in a fresh dispatch about the demon drink. It’s a model of economy and barely-restrained power until trumpets rear their head and the screaming commences. On this occasion, less really would have been more.

In contrast, the title track is refreshing for its sense of calm and wonder. Healing fare, it works very well, until it climaxes with a trumpet

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cavalcade that seems to signal the 2012 Olympics are about to start all over again: the Machine are perfectly suited to soundtracking sporting moments and will surely be the soundtrack of many of this summer’s music festivals.

A mixed bag, in all honesty, but what’s encouraging is that Florence has tried a little tenderness here.

From international headliners to home-grown heroes: it’s been almost eight years to the day since trail-blazing garage pop rockers Ash announced that Twilight Of The Innocents would be their final album and from that point on they’d only release singles. As the quick-witted among you might have already guessed, they recently had a change of heart: thank whatever deity you worship they did, as it’s a resounding return to form for the Downpatrick natives. Perfectly capturing the fizz and fuzz of Ash’s incendiary live show, Kablammo! strips away some of the electronic influences of recent singles and reboots the band more than somewhat.

Old school fans will be thrilled to learn that some material recalls the scuzzy punk of Trailer.

The likes of the unrelentingly catchy ‘Cocoon’ and the Brian Wilson-meets-Rivers Cuomo vibe of ‘Machinery’ are like being punched in the face by a rainbow, while ‘Go Fight Win’ stomps along like Deep Purple’s ‘Space Truckin’’ and is packed with pop hooks and metal guitars. It’s not all about revisiting their early days though, as the instrumental, galloping sci-fi western ‘Evel Knieval’, cowpunk-tinged ‘Shutdown’ and stringladen ballad ‘Moondust’ prove they’ve plenty of new ideas and sounds to explore. Welcome back boys!

GOWATCH. c i n e m a

p a r a d i s o

From political thrillers to fairytale romances, Iranian horrors to Irish dramas, Roe McDermott picks out the best of this summer’s DVD releases to keep everyone in your family happy on film night.

One for hipsters old and young alike, July sees the release of While We’re Young. Noah Baumbach’s latest film is like its characters: wistful and disdainful in equal measure. It's a witty meditation on aging, in which Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts play filmmakers Josh and Cordelia, a forty-something childless couple realising that their youthful potential has disappeared, and has been replaced with something infinitely disappointing.

When they meet the painfully hip Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darcie (Amanda Seyfried), they see the younger couple as a chance to rediscover their youth – remixed, recycled and now retrospectively cool. The selfish nonchalance of privileged hyper-aware hipsterdom is contrasted with Josh and Cordelia’s earnest attempts to inject joy into their relatively uneventful lives.

While Driver’s Jamie is a brilliantly smarmy concoction, Cordelia and Josh’s discomfort and awkwardness is naively genuine. Baumbach’s philosophy of authenticity is undercut by some cliché: mass hallucination at a shaman-led commune; underdeveloped female characters, gags about arthritis. The soundtrack — ranging from Bowie to Survivor to Vivaldi — is simultaneously smart, ironic and timeless.

On July 13, things get dramatic with the release of Kill The Messenger, an intelligently flinty political thriller: a smart protagonist, mid-level but plucky journalist Gary Webb (The Hurt Locker’s Jeremy Renner); a mysterious tip-off from a femme fatale (Paz Vega); and a trail that ultimately leads back to a seemingly undefeatable adversary, the CIA. A combination of biopic, hot-topic political thriller and cautionary tale, Kill The Messenger sees Webb uncover how the CIA knowingly brought cocaine into the U.S. to raise money for Reagan’s Contra death-squads in South America. In order to hawk the incredible supply, dealers turned the expensive cocaine into a cheaper, more street-friendly drug: crack.

Renner makes for an engaging protagonist, whose expose is published midway through the movie, leaving him to deal with fall-out from both the government and Webb’s bitter journalistic competitors. Publicly torn apart and harassed, a story that should have been the making of Webb’s career becomes the reason for his personal and professional destruction.

Director Michael Cuesta is known for his work on television thrillers like Homeland and Dexter, and deftly balances tight pacing and intimate shooting styles in this shocking and thoughtprovoking film.

Horror fans should keep their eyes peeled

Jack Reynor in Glassland

in July for A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Ana Lily Amirpour’s Iranian Vampire Western. Her moody and atmospheric horror was shot in California, though the setting deliberately evokes a hybrid sense of IranianAmericana. The blend of Western and Middle Eastern cultures is felt throughout the film, from the brilliantly evocative soundtrack that includes dreamy electro-pop, new wave and contemporary Arab rock to the graphicnovel inspired visuals. As we’re introduced to the serene, Hepburn-eyed titular character (Sheila Vand), her flowing hijab becomes a symbol of empowerment, as our anti-heroine glides through the Bad City like a dark angel, invisible until it’s too late. A night-time warrior wreaking revenge on misogynists, the fanged girl subverts incidents and imagery of female submission.

On August 10, support great Irish cinema by renting Gerard Barrett’s impressive Glassland, starring Toni Collette and our own “It Boy” Jack Reynor. Reynor brings the beautifully expressive energy he displayed in What Richard Did to this story of a young man from the opposite socioeconomic group. Playing John, a taxi driver and unofficial caretaker to his aggressively alcoholic mother Jean (Toni Collette, beautifully nuanced though awfully accented), Reynor impressively portrays the love, frustration and paternalistic care he feels for his mother – both in succession, and simultaneously.

Their complicated dynamic, which switches from loving, playful banter to desperate screaming in an instant – her looking for the

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booze he’s thrown out, him looking for the mother she’s drowned out – is an emotive dance, with John struggling to break the routine of unearthing hidden drinks, emptying them, worrying about his mother, chasing her, hospitalising her, and repeating the whole process. It's an intriguing, though undeniably heartbreaking journey.

Late in August, very little girls may find themselves swooning over the prettiness of Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Cinderella – though kids spoiled by the feisty personality of Frozen or some of the more inspiring Disney princesses may find it slightly lacking in rebellious spirit.

Cinderella, played by Lily James, has only one life philosophy: “Have courage and be kind.”

It’s a philosophy that helps her through days with her cruel stepmother (Cate Blanchett, glowering like a French madam and bizarrely laughing like a maniacal John Goodman).

Kindness doesn’t eradicate some shallow attraction, as she falls for the charming Prince (Game Of Thrones’ Richard Madden, suitably handsome). Branagh eschews the usual desire to update or cynicise Disney’s classic 1950 fairytale, and his desire to recreate rather than trample upon the nostalgic reverence of Cinderella is endearing. Great attention is lavished upon swoon-inducing details, such as the enchantingly swirly transformation sequences, and the stunning costumes that are part Jazz Age, part Golden Era of Hollywood, and part Claire’s Accessories – just the way little girls like it.

GOREAD. o u r

b a c k

p a g e s

Summer is traditionally the season for big trashy books by best-selling authors picked up in airport terminals on the way to sunnier climes. Now, we’re not saying there is anything wrong with losing yourself in a trashy novel now and again. Not at all! Sometimes, however, you need something a little meatier.

kathrin baumbach

Ronson gets our seal of approval

Anyone who has read Anne Enright’s previous work will know that this much loved Man Booker Prize-winning author excels at mapping the terrain of relationships. Enright’s new book The Green Road could be described as quintessentially Irish: being the story of the Madigan family complete with a dominant Irish Mammy matriarch, strained sibling and family relationships, as well as difficulties with alcohol, emotions and sexuality.

Beginning in 1980, the novel is written in episodic style; Enright explores the desires of each of the Madigan children to distance themselves from their origins, leaving West County Clare for Dublin, New York and humanitarian crises in Africa. When Mammy Rosaleen announces in 2005 that she plans on selling the family home, the children are drawn back again to spend one last Christmas there together. Written with sharply-observed detail and crisp prose, The Green Road is a difficult but rewarding novel.

Talking of difficult but rewarding – Green Glowing Skull, Gavin Corbett’s third novel, is truly magnificent. Ostensibly the story of an Irish emigrant’s attempts to bring old-school ballads to New York, it quickly descends into a freakish, fantastic tale of the otherworldly and the inexplicable, bringing issues of identity, mortality and mythology into the equation. It’s

hard to say if it makes sense, but that’s beside the point; students of the absurd know such a frivolous concern is somewhat irrelevant when an approach like this is taken. Written with unwavering confidence and intensity, the surreal aspects – of which there are many – are offset (or perhaps magnified) by frequent reflections on the home our protagonist left behind. Unfortunately, this stops the reader from becoming fully absorbed in the bizarro world that Corbett creates, adding to the already considerable confusion this book will induce. One requiring serious investment (of your time, that is; the book is perfectly reasonably priced.)

While Enright and Corbett, both Irish writers, explore the essential experience of what it is to be Irish or to be part of the Irish diaspora, Jon Ronson’s new dispatch, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, is a terrifying glimpse at some of the universal horrors that await us as humanity comes to grips with the digital age. Ronson rose to fame uncovering the terrifying absurdity at the heart of the War On Terror and raising

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an eyebrow at the field of psychiatry. Now, the Welsh scribe turns his attention to... us. Taking a ‘there are no innocent bystanders, myself included’ approach to the current phenomenon of online shaming, he has produced a thoughtprovoking, typically humorous book that might just make you hate all of humanity.

Reckoning that the outraged mass Twitter takedowns that have become commonplace in recent years would have been deemed cruel and unusual punishments in puritanical times, Ronson sets out to meet the victims of it, from Jonah Lehrer to Justine Sacco. An engrossing read you can tear through in an afternoon, Ronson’s unfussy writing and slightly-smarter-than-youreveryman outlook are his strong points. His real gift, however, might be for interviewing people.

While ...Shamed occasionally goes down some blind alleys, you ultimately end up empathising with its real-life characters and worrying about ‘death by a thousand offended tweets’. A set of cautionary tales for media types and pretty much anyone with a smartphone.

GOWIN. c o m p e t i t i o n Win an overnight stay and evening meal at the Carlton Hotel Blanchardstown, as well as a family trip to Tayto Park

The Carlton Hotel Blanchardstown is a stylish 4 star hotel, offering a professional, friendly service combined with superb facilities.

Located within reach of a host of attractions – including Tayto Park, Fairyhouse Racecourse, Phoenix Park, Dublin Zoo and the National Aquatic Centre – it boasts 155 guestrooms, including junior and senior suites, with all rooms fitted with luxurious amenities for your comfort and enjoyment.

Their breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner options will leave you spoilt for choice, and with rooms from only €79, the Carlton Hotel Blanchardstown is the perfect choice for both leisure and business.

THE PRIZE: The lucky winner will win a two night stay for two adults and two children, with bed and breakfast and one evening meal. Also included in this amazing prize are family tickets to Tayto Park and a family packed picnic lunch.

To enter, simply email your answers to gorail@hotpress.ie. Please include your contact details, and let us know on which train route or at which station you picked up your copy of Go Rail THE QUESTIONS: WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT OF FIFA? • (A) Jack Warner • (B) Sepp Blatter • (C) John Delaney WHICH CHART-TOPPING MUSICIAN PLAYS TWO NIGHTS AT CROKE PARK THIS SUMMER? • (A) Ed Sheeran • (B) Taylor Swift • (C) Robbie Williams WHAT IRISH ACTOR STARS IN THE FORTHCOMING STAR WARS FILM? • (A) Colm Meaney • (B) Aiden Gillen • (C) Domhnall Gleeson Iarnród Eireann are also offering 5 runners-up, 5 pairs of intercity tickets, please email your answers to gorail@hotpress.ie

Terms & Conditions: The prizes is valid for one year, and subject to availability. No cash alternatives will be offered. Entrants must be aged 18+. Go Rail may contact competition entrants with details of future special offers. Your details won’t be passed on to any third party. Please specify in your email if you would like to opt out of this.

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