I’ve just finished something like 80 episodes 40 minutes each with Netflix and the series Greenleaf. The story of Bishop Greenleaf, his wife Lady Mae and daughter pastor Grace and the comings and goings of this family and their huge and wealthy church in Memphis Tennessee, preaching, total emersion, gospal singing and corruption. My head is buzzing and my dreams are filled with the goings on, ‘Praise the Lord and Thank you Moses.’ Now having put them to bed along comes The Crown starting on Netflix today – 12 episodes I think probably each an hour long.
It will suck us into believing all we see and hear and naturally many of us are looking forward to the scandals and the back room gossip. The appalling outcome of the Bashier interview should warn us not to take everything on face value. It shows the extent of getting a ‘scoop’ by nefarious means.
How does anyone know exactly what was said in the Audience Room between the Queen and Margaret Thatcher as in one scene, it’s not like Johnson and Cummings where there was an actual audience, let alone the relationship between Charles and Diana. We might be looking forward to it but apparently the royal family are not.
I met Diana some years ago at Hillsborough Castle at a Relate Marriage Guidance reception. It was ironic as it was the week her own divorce news came to light. Her eyes were extraordinary the only description is sapphire, the colour and the sparkle of the beautiful blue gem stone and her smile infectious. She was charming and chatty and I was dying to tell her I was wearing a little black number designed by her wedding dress designers the Emanuels. As I’m a fan of Prince Charles that is a compliment.
To me Charles is a star. In a wild conspiracy theory is he possibly the love child of Spike Milligan – looks like him when he tells a joke and smiles, so funny and lovable and a Goon fanatic.
A VIRTUAL JOURNEY TO A SPECIAL ISLAND
I had such a lovely time recently walking the villages and shores of Achill Island enjoying all the moods of this the largest Irish Island, an island connected to the mainland of County Mayo by a swing bridge and has been since 1887. I’d been there once before when with youthful friends I took off in a small car to tour Ireland; we didn’t make it all the way but we did find Achill and the memory lingers.
This time I was able to relax and take my time enjoying the beaches and the sea, sometimes blue sometimes turquoise, Keel Bay and the mountains of Slievemore. I could feel the wind on my cheek, the smell of a turf fire, a whiff of seaweed and my companion was full of information and good craic. All this without leaving my front room thanks to Mary J. Murphy is a well known author and through her latest book, Achill Painters – An Island History, she transported me to the place she loves best.
This is a remarkable publication, 300 pages filled with paintings, pen portraits of the artists and the fascinating story of Achill. It took three years to write, difficult years with the death of her beloved mother and more recently the Coronavirus so I’m not surprised this project that had been marinading in her heart for years turned out to be “a bit of a divil to write”. She has left no stone unturned, her research is meticulous and as she says, it’s a relief now that her baby has been born and turned over to the public.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Although from Menlough in Galway, Achill has been her ‘soul-home’ for over three decades. This is Mary’s fourth book and is a tribute to both the artists and the history, the characters and anecdotes; her words paint a picture of an island that has played host to some of the most important men and women working in a variety of mediums.
The author concentrates on two artists, one she admits she’s been obsessed with and has already written about Eva O’Flaherty in her book ‘Forgotten Island Heroine’.
Eva studied in Paris, ran a millinery shop in London and enjoyed the café society , however, she turned her back on the glitz and glamour to move to Achill in 1910 and established St Colman’s Knitting Industries which provided employment for local women for almost fifty years. The knitting showroom was in her own home which overnight would be turned into a gallery, an artistic salon for visitors and the island artists and their friends. O’Flaherty’s friend Paul Henry is probably the most famous artist to live and work on Achill where he found plenty of big bulbous clouds to satisfy his artistic self and his admirers. Percy French was another visitor to, as he put it, ‘The island of my dreams.’
The second artist Mary has chosen to feature is Marie Howet, the Belgian expressionist painter who visited the island on and off from 1929 and it is her village scene in Dooagh that graces the Achill Painters cover.
The book is unique as it’s the first time anyone has attempted to gather the names and live styles of the scores of artists who have painted on the island, beginning with William Evans in the 1830s, he being the painting master in Eton school, to Billy Austin from Co. Armagh currently one of our most exceptional portrait painters.
Mary’s inspiration came from the landscape, the people and the spirit of the island and she certainly captured all three. Every word was written on Achill, then came the huge job of matching the full colour and black and white paintings with the words, editing, working with designer Damien Goodfellow and Knockma Publishing producers of this excellent book. For someone who doesn’t paint she has a remarkable understanding of the subject and an appreciation of what artists go through when putting their innermost talents into the public domain.
I love the way she talks of writers; “Writers really aren’t fit company for ‘normal people’ because even when we’re physically present our minds are often away on safari elsewhere. We are greedy for solitude and yet we crave company – on our terms.”
Achill Painters is available to buy online at Achill Tourism email info@achilltourism.com €20/£16. or MayoBooks.ie in Castlebar 00 353 94 9024422
ALL THAT JAZZ
I was sad to read of the death of jazz man Malcolm Gooding and it was so lovely to join in his funeral last weekend via a television link. As a teenager I had a crush on this handsome musician as I jived my way to a bunion at Cavehill Tennis Club, all dirndl skirts and stiletto heels! No one cared about your background, no such thing as a Catholic jiver or a Protestant partner.
Walter Love remembers his band playing on Sunday nights at ‘The Stables’ in Glenmachan with Malcolm on piano and tenor saxophone. He recalls that after a somewhat wild session in Cork for some reason his saxophone ended up in the middle of the River Lee and he joked about playing in the wrong key! The Guards rescued the sax a few days later three miles down stream heading for the Celtic Sea! Walter paid tribute to a man “with a lovely personality and an invaluable member of the jazz society.” Fellow musician Bill Morrison one of the Belmont Swing College with Davy and Dougie Smith and Trevor Foster played with Malcolm a Queens’s student of civil engineering and when there he formed the Malcolm Gooding Quartet playing ‘Jazz at the Whitla’ and in the famous ’Guinness Spot’ during the Queen’s Festival from 1961 onwards. Belfast was a great jazz centre in those days with all the big names visiting with their bands and such was the standard of their musicianship Malcom and his colleagues were regularly invited to join them on stage.
Condolences to his wife Rae and his family and thank you Malcolm for all the happiness you brought us in those wonderful days.
I thought it was sad to read of the death of John Hays who with his wife took over 555 Thomas Cook Uk travel agencies so saving thousands of jobs. Hays Travel became UK’s largest independent travel agencies. The stress of the last year may well have contributed to his collapse yesterday when working in one of his agencies.
And a word of goodbye to Des O’Connor who has died after a fall in his home. Always smiling and a throughly talented all round entertainer.
WELL DONE YOU TWO
Our two young singers on The Voice last night did us proud and Booke Scullion and Jonny Brooks both made it to the final with Jonny being runner up. I wish he’s kept his beard on, he looked very handsome with it on his chin and more like a folk singer. I hope they will both have a career ahead.
Hold onto this thought during these days of sadness and fear and please, keep washing your hands, wearing a mask and keeping your distance. If we each do this there is hope of reducing the terrible figures of corvid 19 illness and death and a chance to jump in the ocean some day.
