A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Banjos and beards in Belfast
An unlucky number for some maybe, but the word on the street is that the 13th Coors Light Open House Festival in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter (June 22nd-26th) is poised to be the best yet. From humble beginnings as an adjunct to the Belfast Festival at Queen’s, Open House has steadily extended its musical and geographical spread under founding director Kieran Gilmore. It offers a line-up of folk and roots sounds from all corners of the world, as well as a ChilliFest, featuring red-hot American music, food and ice-cold beer.
The usual sprinkling of banjos and beards is headlined by Fleet Foxes, performing their first ever gig in the Northern Ireland, with Mercury Music Prize nominee Laura Marling and flute and fiddle duo Mike McGoldrick and Dezi Donnelly also on the bill. Smoke Fairies from New Orleans and Marcus Foster from England, whose folk-blues style is described as “drenched in the poetry, ennui and ambience of the last orders bar call”, will be there. More local artists who will be e appearing include Nollaig Casey, Arty McGlynn, Cathal Hayden, Máirtín O’Connor, Seamie O’Dowd and Alan Burke. There are free sessions every day, and the Breakthrough programme will shine a
spotlight on some big names of the future. See openhousefestival.com. JANE COYLE
Word on the street: Mum-upmanship
What it means: Forget politics, sport and international warfare – the toughest arena in modern times is down at your local mummy-and-toddler playgroup, where the mummies battle it out daily to assert their motherhood superiority. Armed with hardback copies of Gina Ford to beat off their opponents, and equipped with all the skills of Rachel Allen, Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton and Xena the Warrior Princess, these "mumzillas" are intent on bringing up perfect little specimens who sleep through the night, can play several sports at national level, and have mastered particle physics and Urdu by the age of four.
Child-rearing is no longer the simple, intuitive process it used to be. It’s now an all-out competition to see who’s the number-one mum – and the rulebook has been tossed out the window.
Where it comes from:It has ever been thus. In wartime, mummies battled it out to see who could knock off a back-to-school wardrobe out of parachute material; in the baby-boom years, mummies fought to the death with fondue spears. These days, working mothers who have to take a step back from the boardroom are asserting their child-rearing power with businesslike precision. In the stone age, you can bet the mummies were competing to have the best cave interior decoration.
How to say it: Oh, Mary hasn't stopped telling everyone that her kid's the messiah; talk about mum-upmanship. KEVIN COURTNEY
Fade Street to black
Thanks to a certain television show, the words Fade Street are not quite associated with cutting edge, thrilling screen experiences – but this could all change on June 24th. As part of the celebrations for Bike Week (bikeweek.ie), community activist Peter O'Brien and his team are turning the Dublin 2 street into an open-air cinema. Between 9pm and midnight it will be closed to non-two-wheel traffic, and a selection of short films and clips with a biking theme will be screened, for free (weather permitting, of course). So pop into a local hostelry, grab a refreshment and spill out on to the street to soak up the filmic atmosphere at the Fade Street Clips. And before you say it, no I will not shut up and yes, it is indeed awesome. LAURENCE MACKIN
A midsummer night's
dream for collectors
“A collection takes many years to achieve, it’s terrific fun and truly rewarding with a story behind every piece. To be a collector you don’t necessarily need a lot of money but you do need time, patience and, above all, a good eye . . . Our decision to downsize and move to a smaller house offers us the opportunity to open an exciting new chapter in our lives. So as we part with our collection, I hope you will enjoy, and perhaps benefit from our 40-year journey through the antique shops of Dublin, London, Paris, Monte Carlo and New York.”
Thus Rose Kelly opens the catalogue of the extraordinary collection of furnishings, objets d’art, vintage clothing and paintings that she and her husband, publisher Kevin Kelly, are putting up for auction on Tuesday, June 21st at Adam’s salesrooms at 26 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, starting at 11am. But today, tomorrow and on Monday you can view the contents of their impeccably furnished home at 24 Fitzwilliam Square from 11am-5pm (from 9.30am on Monday), as long as you have a catalogue to hand.
PATSEY MURPHY
INDEX
What's Hot
The Clarence's Octagon BarIt's making a comeback, with great barstaff, happy-hour cocktails at €7, and fish and chips for less than €10. Whiskey sours all round so
I Draw SlowWe love this five-piece indie bluegrass band headed up by siblings Dave and Louise Holden, she of the education pages in this paper. Their new CD Red Hills is sure to set you dancing. See idrawslow.com for "a greener shade of bluegrass". And while we're at it . . .
NEeMAAn oddly spelled name to watch. This singer gets Leonard Cohen's approval, which is good enough for us. She is at the Sugar Club on July 4th
Eamonn O'DohertyThe sculptor/painter/printmaker/ architect/teacher/flute player/family man's work is on show at the Graphic Studio Gallery in Temple Bar. The Derryman is always way ahead of his time, and funny to boot
Trim Haymaking FestivalOne of our favourite country events starts tomorrow and, alongside all the good food and vintage machinery and making hay while the sun shines, there will be a high-kick competition (round or rugby balls allowed) to raise money for Aware
Turkey steaks, grilledWho knew we'd suddenly take to these in summer? Good value and good diet food
Going with the little guyFerris Wheels in Booterstown, Dublin, made buying a bike fun with good, practical advice, no hard sell and best of all, some humour . . . and they charged €50 less than some large city stores were asking for the same bike
Midsummer's nightBe sure to celebrate it somehow or other. There are festivals all over (Shankill Castle, Kilkenny, for one) but a long drawn out supper in the garden or on a nearby beach or green field would be a fine thing
'Let The Great World Spin'Now is the time to read Colum McCann's Impac award-winning novel if you haven't already
A vintage shot in the arm
Lisa Magrath, a former television researcher, and her cousin Katie Prior have just opened a vintage shop in Temple Bar, Dublin, called Shotsy. The name comes from the movie How to Marry a Millionaire, in which Lauren Bacall played a character of that name. Magrath admits to having a lifelong interest in old clothes, "before they were called vintage", she says. Her grandmother was a seamstress, so she was always aware of well-made clothes in quality fabrics. It's a fascinating shop with rails of shirts, denim, 1950s-style dresses and knits, even lingerie, ties, shoes and old Vogue patterns that attract young people doing sewing courses. She's adamant about metal zips – "if a dress hasn't got it, it's not vintage. That's the holy grail of vintage," she says. There are fur coats – she's got her views on fur – and she sells at least one every week. Look out for a range of aprons, scarves (for men and women), quilted turbans for €7 in loads of colours, and see if you can find an amazing pig-print jumper. Shotsy is at 2 The Granary, Temple Lane South (opposite the Button Factory), Temple Bar, Dublin. DEIRDRE McQUILLAN
Dalkey books
Now in its second year, the Dalkey Book Festival is organised by economist David McWilliams and his wife Sian Smyth. Given that the area has a number of literary locals, and McWilliams can probably pull in a few favours from his phonebook, the line-up is particularly robust. The to-be-expected list of heavyweight political pugilists includes Pat Kenny, Mark Little, Bruce Arnold, Vincent Browne, Maryam Nemazee, Declan Kiberd , Margaret E Ward, John Simpson, Frank McNally and Colm O’Mongain. Featured writers include Paul Murray, John Boyne, Maeve Binchy, Barry Murphy, Katie Donovan, Sarah Webb, Kevin Barry, Roddy Doyle, Tim Pat Coogan, Dermot Bolger and plenty more.
The festival will also be screening a number of films made by locals, and there is a fine public interview series as well, with Conor McPherson and Billy Roche talking to Dave Fanning on Sunday night, and Jim Sheridan taking questions after a screening of Brothers.See dalkeybookfestival.org for details. LAURENCE MACKIN
Tipperary casino Just what this indebted country needs. A casino. A hotel with 500 rooms, as if we don’t have scores of zombie hotels already, and ghost estates and an over abundance of golf clubs. Jobs for the boys, for loansharks and addiction counsellors? Why not a medical research centre of excellence? We’re good at medical research
Taxi wars Since when did it become common practice for drivers not to turn on their meters? And then get narky when you question them? We’re taking the bus/Luas/bike in future
Good Golly 'Miss Mollie'
The last decade has seen a huge wave of hip, creative crafting, with younger women using traditional skills to create new and exciting craft projects. But although the internet is full of gorgeous crafty blogging, most of the craft magazines on offer have been either mumsy, cutesy, bland or all three. At last, however, today's craft fans have the magazine they've been looking for. Mollie Makesis a gorgeous new British publication full of inspirational ideas, patterns and beautiful photographs. The first issue of the magazine appeared in May and quickly sold out – soon copies were selling for £20 on Ebay. The second issue is out now, and the editorial team are still stunned by the magazine's success. "We thought it would be a small magazine for girls who like making stuff, but the response from all over the world has been phenomenal," says production editor Davina Rungasamy. But in a way, she's not surprised that a magazine, whose slogan is "living and loving handmade" has proved so popular in an age of blogs. "It's about having something beautiful to hold in your hand, something to keep and treasure." Mollie Makes is published every four weeks, and issue two is out now, priced £4.99stg. molliemakes.com. ANNA CAREY
Utterly butterly
It was the annual comedy festival that first brought Anne Barber to Kilkenny a decade ago; but it’s her colourful treasure trove that keeps her there. The Butterslip is a little explosion of colour in the centre of the city, filled to bursting with an ever-changing collection of gifts and trinkets. Barber found it so hard to get bright, colourful objects for her own home when she moved to the Marble City – “everything was beige” – that she decided to open a shop selling interiors and gifts. The boutique takes its name from its original location on a tiny covered walkway in Kilkenny, which was lined with butter vendors as far back as the 1600s. Today, Barber is based in a larger shop around the corner, and over the years the focus has evolved to include vintage jewellery, handbags, baby gifts and a lot more. If it’s colourful, you’re likely to find it here, crammed into an antique display cabinet or stacked on a pastel-coloured wooden dresser.
Barber travels abroad a few times a year to source jewellery in London and Paris and beautiful children's wear in Denmark. Pearls and vintage jewelled hair combs vie for attention alongside crystal and semi-precious stones, while Nica bags combine bright leathers with unusual buckles and patterns (we found an amazing peacock-patterned purple clutch here); there are chandeliers and ornate coat hooks; candles, chocolates and retro greeting cards; Johnny Loves Rosie accessories crop up in bursts of flowers and feathers; from London come butter-soft leather Daisy Roots shoes for newborns; and wooden toys for toddlers. Refreshingly, prices are very reasonable. It seems the comedy isn't the only thing in town that can put a smile on your face. The Butterslip, 31 Rose Inn Street, Kilkenny, butterslip.com, tel: 056-7702502 RACHEL COLLINS
TRUE CHARACTERS:Gilbert O'Sullivan, singer songwriter
If I can't hear my voice during a gig . . . it's just horrible and impossible to cover up how uncomfortable it makes me feel. It happened at my last Dublin concert when I didn't have my own sound engineer. It made it so difficult to perform that I went off stage in the middle of the concert. I was on such a downer, I felt like walking out of the theatre and just disappearing. I am glad I went back on but it's a struggle to sing when I can't hear my voice. I got two letters of complaint, and I apologise to anyone else who had a bad experience. I wear my heart on my sleeve when I perform and I just couldn't hide that I was having problems.
The perfect cup of tea is . . .strong, Assam, loose tea served in a china cup. Between Assam and Camomile I drink around 10 cups a day. The first single from my new album is called Where Would We Be Without Tea?
The new album is called 'Gilbertville' because . . .my brother was driving through Missouri in the US and he passed a sign for a place called Raymondville – Raymond is my real name – and then a while later he passed a sign for Gilbertville. It was one of those things. We used the real road sign on the album cover artwork.
I used to get annoyed . . .about some people only wanting to hear my old stuff and not being interested in my new music, especially when I am writing and releasing new material all the time. I stopped worrying about it around five years ago. Life is too short.
Home is . . .the island of Jersey. I am also very proud of my Waterford roots and of growing up in Swindon in the UK. There is a great education system in Jersey which I wanted for my two daughters and it's been very good for me creatively. People do write asking me to open village fetes but I explain that I am not a red-carpet person or even a village-fete opening person. I like that I can just be myself on Jersey.
I only cook . . .on Friday nights. That's my egg, beans and chips night. I make very good chips. It comes from my Catholic upbringing that you don't eat meat on a Friday. If I go to my mum's in Swindon on a Friday, we always have fish and chips from down the road.
I think Lady GaGa . .. is interesting in terms of that kind of theatrical pop. She can put a teapot on her head and nobody cares, while I had trouble getting away with wearing a cap and boots. I like artists like Jessie J and Rihanna, but I think it's sad they have to be half naked in pictures. It doesn't do them justice. People like Aretha Franklin are remembered for how they sounded, not how they looked. An artist like Adele shows they don't need to go down that road to be successful.
My stage outfits are made by . . .Paul Smith, and they cost a fortune. I don't have any qualms about spending silly amounts of money on clothes for my gigs, but at home I wear clothes until they fall off me. I get very attached to things – shoes with holes in them or cardigans that are unravelling – although sometimes I'll ask my housekeeper to mend them. My wife Aase would like me to be more interested in my clothes but I think it's crazy to spend more than 30 quid on a pair of trainers. I'm just a scruff at heart.
People might not know that . . .Dublin city councillor Mannix Flynn featured on my single Divorce Irish Style. I wanted to have a man and a woman arguing with each other as the song faded out. He was the man we hired and he did a great job.
Gilbert O’Sullivan plays the Olympia Theatre, Dublin on Thursday, June 23rd. See gilbertosullivan.com
In conversation with Róisín Ingle
