On Wednesday, May 26 a number of traditional Italian chippers in Dublin (and the rest of the country) will be offering half price fish and chips to celebrate ‘National Fish & Chips’ day. Click here for the list of participating outlets.
That’s dinner sorted so.
There was a very interesting feature in last week’s Sunday Tribune on the history on Dublin Chippers focusing on the Toni’s in Inchicore, Rimini’s in Whitehall, Salveta’s in Blanchardstown and Borza’s in Dalkey. Also worth checking out is this piece by our mate JamesR who wrote an excellent article on Dublin’s chippers a couple of years back.
Apparently there’s 40,000+ books up for grabs at this two day book sale in aid of a number of good causes including Age Action Ireland, Care Local and the Docklands Seniors Provider Forum. I’d love to check it out but I have exams today (one in a few hours!) and tomorrow.
May 24th marks the end of the National Library of Ireland’s wonderful W.D Hogan photo exhibition at the National Photographic Archive. Below are two samples from the NLI Facebook page to promote the exhibition, and I’ve also included a wonderful W.D Hogan snap of Liam Mellows delivering the oration at Bodenstown cemetery during a Wolfe Tone commemoration.
Opening times are below the images, seize the day and get into this one before it’s too late. Due to the nature of W.D Hogan’s work (He was in the company of the Free State Army during much of the civil war) there is, of course, a greater amount of images from one side of the civil war conflict than the other, but it is the shots of civilian life that make this exhibition what it is.
“Man examining remains after the fire at the Custom House, 26 May 1921”
“National Army troops shell the occupied Four Courts”
Liam Mellows addresses rally at Bodenstown, County Kildare.
National Photographic Archive, Temple Bar.
Mon – Fri: 10am – 5pm
Saturday: 10am – 2.00pm
I’ve never really liked Whelans as a pub. It’s about as well lit as the Arigna Mines (Ever step out on the streets after being in there during the day?), a pretty pricey pub at the best of times, and the music at night never does it for me. It’s good music, but it never moves out of that The Smiths/The Cure/Joy Division safe territory, and feels a bit like the haunt of the older siblings of the Doyles crowd. Maybe it’s just that the stretch Whelans is located on is home to so many good pubs too. It’s a great spot for live music and performances (I saw Andy Irvine here not too long back, and have seen a number of comedy gigs here too), but not a quiet pint.
Whelans, from spaciousplanet.com
So, being early for Ted Leo And The Pharmacists, we pop over to Anseo, a great spot. I really like Anseo, and as we walk in we notice the pub is in silence and I comment that it’s unusual to hear it as such. Then, all is cured. The cause of the silence? He was turning the record. I love that little vinyl booth right beside the bar, and the music is at the perfect noise level to allow for conversation. Pretty chilled out music, mainly instrumental tracks and even some jazz to pass the time. Myself and Gar, the only other Ted Leo fan I could think of in the phonebook at first, are pretty damn excited.
Like myself, Gar has a love for that record, Living With The Living. Inside out and backwards, it’s a damn good record. Ted Leo an co. are on tour to promote the bands latest effort, The Brutalist Bricks. I commented recently to a friend that I found Ted Leo and his band near impossible to categorise (the way us music nerds do), and then I spotted Threadless describe it all somewhere along the way as containing “A dash of Elvis Costello’s vocal prowess, a heaping spoonful of The Clash’s politically-fueled punk, and a pint or two of The Pogues traditional bittersweet love poetry” That’ll do nicely.
I’m a firm believer in going along to see opening acts however. Some of my favourite bands today (Au Revoir Simone for example) first came to my attention when opening for others. So, we pop into Whelans to see Windings.
A very good opening band for Ted Leo, I noticed on their webpage they list Dinosaur Jr, Pavement and Wilco among influences. In my own opinion you could chuck the Pixies in there too, and have an idea what to expect. Both myself and Gar were very impressed by their set, in particular the single Brain Fluid which remained in my head long after their set and that of Leo and co. Another fine example of why you should go along for the opening band, always. I’d actually go see Windings again, on the back of that live performance. They sell tapes too. Actual tapes. Remember them?
Ted Leo And The Pharmacists take to the stage with force, and no indication of the lack of sleep Leo later tells the crowd of. A couple (literally) of hours sleep between Plymouth and Dublin, the band are apparently wrecked. They don’t look or sound it. Opening with The Mighty Sparrow off the latest LP,The Brutalist Bricks, the set includes a number of new tracks, with my personal favourite Bottled In Cork appearing towards the end.
It’s a well balanced set however, with the majority of tracks coming from earlier and acclaimed efforts. Me and Mia, Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?, Where Was My Brain? and others get an airing. Early on in the gig Ted solves an arguable divide between stage and floor by insisting the audience move in, that big space won’t eat you up. From there, things take off. The crowd is a curious mix, reflecting the diversity of the appeal of the band.
The moment of the gig was undoubtedly a solo performance of Fisherman’s Blues from Ted Leo, with every WOAH-HOO-HOOOO! coming from the crowd.
After the gig we were lucky enough to get chatting briefly to Ted, often said to be one of the nicest blokes in the industry. I’d be well inclined to believe it, if he was half as tired as claimed, it didn’t show. I’ve great time for any band that donates time and energy to good causes, as The Pharmacists did with the Rapid Response E.P, a fundraiser for both Food Not Bombs and Democracy Now. While no doubt a ‘political band’, there is nothing preachy about Ted Leo or his band, at any stage, live or otherwise.
The influence of everyone from Gorilla Biscuits to The Specials shines through in the band and their music, and after a quality gig, nice chat and the purchasing of a football scarf (Note to bands: more bands should do football scarves, my Ted Leo scarf joins a Pogues one on the wall) we’re off home, and Ted Leo And The Pharmacists are off to Belfast.
Our friends at Pue’s Occurences are organising a one day symposium under the title ‘Blogging the Humanities’. I’ll be there to do what I do best, talk about myself. Or the blog, I’ve yet to decide. In all seriousness, it looks like a great day with a fine variety of blogs taking part.It’s a worthwhile discussion no doubt, and one we look forward to partaking in.
It’s nice for Come Here To Me to be asked to partake in these things, still being a somewhat new blog, and I hold the other blogs participating in very high regard so we’re in good company.
Pue’s have set up a page specifically for the symposium (where you can register to attend) here.
“We welcome the input of all voices – from history, arts, culture, heritage and beyond, sceptics and otherwise”
Pue’s is almost a year old and, we thought, what better way to celebrate than to organise a symposium on the arts, culture, heritage and humanities blogging community in Ireland – where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we’re going in future. Hosted in the TCD Irish Art Research Centre, the day is intended to provide an informal format that will stimulate lots of debate and discussion, led by a group of speakers from Ireland After Nama, The Irish Left Archive, Come Here to Me!, History Compass, Some Blind Alleys, UCD Academic Blogging, Sligo Model Gallery Blog, and, of course, your very own Pue’s. We welcome the input of all voices – from history, arts, culture, heritage and beyond, sceptics and otherwise – so if you’re interested, have a look at our dedicated conference page and keep an eye out on Pue’s for more details closer to the event. Registration is via our online form only and numbers are limited, so we would encourage you to do so early. We look forward to seeing you there!
Pue’s Occurences is a group history blog, mainly Irish in scope, with a wide variety of contributers. It’s the kind of blog you’ll lose an hour on, and I have on many occasions. Everything from the diaries of Phd students (Terrifying reading for an Undergraduate) to a ‘soap box’ for opinion pieces, it’s worth a click.
I look forward to the conference, and congratulate Pue’s on taking the initiative.
*Alternative title was I’m a student so I obviously own several Joy Division albums, but I went with that line from Transmission*
Aware are one of the most important charities out there in my humble opinion, dedicated to fighting depression in society, and working with and for people of all age groups and backgrounds. Over 500 people a year take their own lives in Ireland, which I thought was a shocking figure when I first saw it.
Seeing as this time of year makes the anniversary of Ian Curtis’ suicide, some wise owls have decided to organise a charity night for Aware, jumping on the fact that anyone under 90 with functioning ears loves Joy Division. Charities like Aware need money, people like Joy Division, why not get contemporary Dublin bands to play a tribute night to Joy Division and raise money for Aware? Brillers.
The tribute night takes place on Friday May 14th, with 8pm doors. The venue, the recently (as in ‘the last time I was there it didn’t look the same as it was the time before that but it could be that way for ages’ recently) done up Crawdaddy. The door tax is 8 Euro,every cent of which will help Aware carry out important work.
Already confirmed are NEON STARS,FRIEND,THE VAGABONDS and SCHEME SOUL VISION
All proceeds go to AWARE
The night will also see screenings of Joy Division documentaries,performances and films such as Control.
I’m really off the radar at the minute, to the extent I’ve got plenty of those “where are you” texts that when you respond with something like “in the library” you get another one two minutes later saying “No, I mean like in general lately”. I’m AWOL, shit-deep in Microsoft Word.
This made my day. I check those Facebook events too late to spot anything anymore (Nothing worse than spotting a great gig advertised over there and realising it started…..five minutes ago) but this stood out a mile.
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists have released three of my favourite albums to date. Shake The Sheets, Hearts Of Oakand Living With The Living. I play all three constantly, and even have a Ted Leo t-shirt (OMG) which is one of very few band shirts I’d wear around to be honest,it’s been there since I was 15 or 16 too.
Ted Leo And The Pharmacists- The Mighty Sparrow (From new album ‘The Brutalist Bricks’)
They’re neither an indie nor a punk band in my mind, and near impossible to label within traditional genres of music. They should appeal to fans of either genre. Their release of Rapid Response, an EP to benefit those arrested at the Republican National Congress in the U.S showed their political leanings.
This isn’t meant to be some grand sweeping statement on our part – it’s just a way for us to contribute SOMETHING real to the lives of real human beings, and show our material support for those whose actions and thoughts we value in this ideological struggle
Recent releases have hade a stronger sense of political identity, with songs like Bomb.Repeat.Bomb dealing with U.S Foreign Policy. Ted also writes a very good blog, over on the band site, which is worthy of a read. Read his post on Record Store Day, and nod in agreement.
The list of Ted Leo covers is mindblowing too, off the top of my head (with a sneaky MP3 player peek) it includes Samhain, Billy Bragg, The Waterboys, Cock Sparrer, Amebix, Generation X, Eddie And The Hot Rods, The Jam and eh…R Kelly. Along with Face to Face, they’re one of the only bands I think ever got away with a Stiff Little Fingers cover. Ted Leo, I salute you.
In Dublin in 1984, the economy was failing, unemployment was rife and 10 young women and one young man were about to change the world. In July a shop worker on Henry Street refused to sell South African fruit to a store customer and was suspended. Ten colleagues followed her out on strike; they thought it would last 2 weeks – it went on for nearly three years.
STRIKE! is a fictionalised account of the famous anti-apartheid shop strike on Henry Street. STRIKE! will use visuals and music of the time to tell the story of a group of young people – the most dangerous shop workers in the world – who went on strike to protest against apartheid and confronted the establishment, caused a state of emergency in South Africa and eventually saw the banning of South African produce in Ireland.
This certainly looks like an interesting play. It’s running for five nights only (May 25 – 29) at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Trinity College.
Information on tickets can be found here. The €4.99 concession for ‘young adults’ for the matinees on Wednesday 26 and Saturday 29 May at 2pm certainly looks like the best deal (Concession tickets can only be booked by telephone to the box office (01) 896 2461) I suggest booking yours soon in case they sell out.
Arthur Scargill at Dunnes Stores, Henry Street with striking workers (Irish Times April 20th 1985)
Arthur Scargill, the (in)famous trade union leader of the National Union of Miners, is to address the upcoming May Day rally in Dublin. There is something about seeing Scargill speak that makes you feel almost entitled to a badge yourself, like you’ve ticked something off some imaginary list. He is, afterall, renowned for his ability in the field.
When I saw him last year, at the Unite union hall (which you can view here) I understood where the reputation comes from. Often humourous, sometimes biting and always engaging, he is in a field of his own when microphones are involved (And the same can be said of megaphones)
While aspects of his own politics remain open for debate among the left, and some debate the tactics and even the ideology of the strike Scargill led, it doesn’t change the fact he remains a speaker most worthy of your ears and time. He is a character of some magnitude.
DCTU May Day Rally: 2 pm , Saturday 1st May
Garden of Remembrance,
Parnell Square, Dublin.
March to Liberty Hall
This Friday sees the seventh installation of the Punky Reggae Party. It will be my last blow out before my summer university exams, so hope to see you there.
” I think people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics.”
Woody Allen’s Manhattan is one of my favourite films. Most student flats I’ve entered seem to boast a copy, and it is just as bittersweet as you’d expect. I put off watching it for a long, long time. It made it’s way into most of those ‘Films you’d like’ lists, but I’ve been let down by them one too many times. It was one of those ‘€3.99 in HMV‘ films that I consistently overlooked.
Then, when it came on telly, I decided to watch it. “Beats studying”. Turns out it beats most things. A beautiful black and white film, it had me from the get go. In fact, even just look at its opening moments:
The dialogue, the imagery, it all comes together wonderfully. It’s not a love letter to New York (God knows there are enough of them out there) – but like everything Allen has produced to date, a little more complex than that. It opens and closes with Rhapsody in Blue, which- since the time I first saw Manhattan– has been the soundtrack for many bus trips.
A festival of Woody Allen’s work is an exciting idea. To mark the world premiere of Allen’s latest effort, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, the IFI are doing just that, with Woody Allen: Part One running all through the month of May.Opening with Bananas, and concluding with Hannah And Her Sisters most films will be shown for one or two days apiece. Amazingly, this is just the first part of what will be a three part festival.
There is something to be said for the big screen, even if you’ve watched a DVD (Or, heaven forbid, VHS Tape) a hundred times. No film is the same away from the big screen, and a chance to catch Manhattan (and several other Allen films) in the right environment is something I’ll jump on.
Bananas – May 1st & 2nd (2pm)
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex* But Were Afraid To Ask – May 1st & 2nd (4pm)
Sleeper- May 4th (2pm & 6.30pm)
Love and Death – May 6th (2.30pm & 6.45pm)
Annie Hall – May 9th (2.15pm)
Interiors – May 10th (7pm)
Manhattan – May 11th and 12th (7pm)
Stardust Memories – May 13th (7pm)
Zelig – May 15th (3pm) & 16th (3.25pm)
The Purple Rose of Cairo – May 16th (1.45pm)
Broadway Danny Rose – May 22nd & 23rd (1.20pm)
Hannah and Her Sisters – May 29th & 30th (8.30pm)
Tickets are available from the IFI Box Office on 01 679 5744 or online at http://www.ifi.ie
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 