Chapbook hits Bookshelf in Galway

The chapbook is formally on a bookshelf… for sale… at €5 – the sole stockist in Galway is Bell Book & Candle. A launch in aid of the housing fightback group “The Hub” is in the planning and details are to be announced.

Tullamore Rhymers on Fringe of Fringe Festival in Galway @ Mechanics Institute

I roped along James Delaney of the Tullamore Rhymers club to one of the open stage events that were on in the Galway Mechanics Institute during the Galway Frange Festival. I attended two of the days, I read “The Long Acre”, “Give to Me an Angry Sea”, “There Is No Time for Art” among others.

There was a lecturer from GMIT at the second day, and the orginisation was a bit better, with Francesco – who turns out not to be Italian at all but Dutch – was doing MC. An American woman interviewed us for a blog she is doing while travelling the world, which was interesting, I have to check is her posts up yet, and if so, how well did we impress!

James read his signature verse “Limitless” –

Old Soldier Wears War Wounds Well as Drama takes centre stage at Galway Mechanics Institute

Two men and a bed is all the props needed to make a family friendly play in Galway, as I watched “Under Any Old Gumtree” as part of the Galway Arts Festival. Yes, that’s a double entendre, and no, its not that or about that at all, although if it was about that and all that it would be OK, as all that is OK theses days!

An emotional acting experience was preformed by the soldier in the play, and the guy playing the psychiatric nurse reminded me a lot of myself dealing with similar unfortunates in a hospital setting from time to time.

The emotional scars are raw and show how the lucky died, and the unfortunate ones bore their scars for the rest of their lives.

It reminded me of my granduncle Tom Reilly, who was lucky enough to be able to contain his memories. Hes the chap behind the verse “Life to His Kind Is a Game of Chance” that I wrote. I remember my mother telling of him telling of the bodies piles not like sandbags, but as sandbags in World War One, and her father begging him to stop telling the stories.

He refused to fight in the War of Independence, going back to America instead, and came back in the thirties, enlisted with the British this time, only to lose his arms and legs in Dunkirk. Where he is buried I do not know…

… and the rest…

The rest of the Arts Festival / Fringe Festival was also entertaining – I was looking forward to seeing “The Countess Cathleen” in Aras na Gael, but slept it out, I was NOT impressed with the “Divas” or “Skywhale” – a satire on the latter is in the planning – loved the comedy gigs, “Lunatic in a Suitcase” from JOhnny Graham was all it was expected to be, the Comedy Club night in Coyotes was entertaining, though Id seen most acts before, the highlight of the street shows for me was the man juggling the chainsaw and who lay on the bed of nails… a very entertaining couple of weeks, and it was great being able to be a small part of it, doing the readings at the Fringe Festival Open Stage…

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