The sorrow continues throughout the island of Ireland. So many shocking news reports of boys and girls dying and being injured in car accidents. And now teenagers Nicole Murphy, Zoey Caffery and brother and sister Luke and Grace McSweeney have lost their young lives as they were to celebrate their leaving cert exams by heading off to party in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. As Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar said the “whole nation mourns”, but the sadness stretches far beyond and opens wounds within many other families.
When I was 17 and achieved my driving licence I know there were moments when I drove too fast, paid not enough attention to road conditions, was so happy that I took risks but there were many fewer cars on the roads in those days. Today driving is more dangerous than ever and attention is paramount no matter what age and who knows why certain accidents occur; it can happen to the best of drivers even driving with care and attention.
One thing I would ban immediately is the screen beside the steering wheel. It is a total distraction and a temptation to fiddle with phone, radio, navigation and the rest. Madness as I now know as I have one for the first time. Turn it off.
No matter what, it’s devestating, four happy school leavers with all to live for, in a split second suddenly deprived of a future. To offer condolences isn’t enough, words are inadequate, prayers for family and friends hopefully will offer some comfort but I doubt it.
THE POWER OF EVIL
THIS is the man who separated parents from their children and kept the little ones in wire cages and apparently many have not been reunited. I can think of nothing more evil. And he survived to reap havoc in his time as President of the USA. What next?
You’ve got to hand it to Donald Trump, he’s a master practitioner when it comes to self promotion. He’ll become a marter having handed himself in, his image on tee-shirts and mugs ensure his posed scowling face will endure and why I wonder was this ‘mug’ shot made public. He gets away with everything it seems, indictment piles on endictment but he still sails away to Key Largo to keep plotting in the Florida sunshine. He continues to be a rising star in the ferment of American politics but surely somewhere there is a man or woman who will challenge him and save the day.
A man who doesn’t seem to be getting away with it is Luis Rubiales president of the Spanish football federation and thank goodness. People are voting against his sleezy behaviour with their feet. He hugged each woman member of the successful Spanish football team lifting them off their feet but with one of the team it was different. He held Jenni Hermosa’s head so firmly she couldn’t draw away when he planted his lips on hers. Ugg. It happens and it’s happened to me and it’s revolting, taken by surprise and it’s over and he’s away with a wave but the gross intrusion is horrible. What to do, challenge the behaviour or ignore it and avoid that man for evermore?
A RICH FESTIVAL OF MUSIC
The hills around Armagh city have been alive with music. Last Sunday saw the Festival of Hymns and the opening concert at St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, and on Monday the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition was held and that’s only a quarter of it.
The 30th Charles Wood Festival of Music and Summer School brings people from round the world such is it’s importance within musical circles, this year composer, conductor and patron of the festival John Rutter, who recently arranged music for the Coronation Service in Westminster Abbey last May, was in attendance.
It’s been a busy few months for administrator Daniel Clements who with his colleagues drew together a wide range of programmes. Although a qualified accountant and tax consultant, music has always been his preference since he was a schoolboy at Inst. “I just felt accountancy wasn’t the right thing for me and music was. I played piano from seven years of age but when I was 14 I discovered the organ and it has been my life since.” He is organist at St. George’s Parish Church in Belfast, organ scholar at St. Finnian’s Cregagh, he has played in St. Anne’s Cathedral and even on the mighty Mulholland in the Ulster Hall. “It takes a little while to get used to it but the tonal colours are very special.” I found it funny that Daniel mentions colours; the organ is my favourite instrument and in both the Ulster Hall and St. Peter’s Cathedral I love to sit with my eyes closed cutting out everything expect hearing the sound and seeing the shades and colours come sweeping down into the audience.
Who was Charles Wood?
Wood was born at Vicars’ Hill in Armagh almost 160 years ago. As a boy he sang in the Cathedral choir and went on to study at the Royal College of Music in London. He became a professor of music at Cambridge University, a prolific composer especially of church music and a co-founder of the Irish Folk Song Society. He died in 1926 and largely slipped from the scene although his music lives on and has become central to the annual Festival and Summer School which offer an opportunity for people to develop skills with music especially in worship all within the setting of the ecclesiastical and spiritual capital of Ireland.
The festival programme was extensive both physically and musically from a training day for school teachers and choir directors at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral to the festival of choirs in St. Mark’s Parish church, a lunch time concert in First Presbyterian church last Tuesday and a ‘Come and sing with John Rutter’ on Wednesday evening. Concerts, competitions, organ recitals, lectures and an open air concert of folk songs on the treelined Mall.
And now the end has come for this year with a sung mass this morning in St. Malachy’s church and still time to catch the Festal Evensong in St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh.
Once Daniel finishes and waves off the international guests there will be little time for a break as it’s straight into organising music for the Armagh Georgian Weekend at the end of November which celebrates the history of the city through the buildings, characters, customs and music of the latter half of the 18th Century. There’s a promise of the Gentry out in their splender, chestnuts roasting and mulled spices, craft and food stalls, urchins and gin soaked ladies!
Having studied economics with French at Queen’s University Belfast and a year-long communications internship in France, Daniel’s musical career won out and the future is exciting. What is his ambition? “I’d really like to play the organ in the Royal Albert Hall someday.” And why not.
LONG LIVE HER MEMORY
If ever the word legend could be applied to a woman, look no further than Barri Adair. A doyen of theatre who, at 92 years of age, was still performing until her death in May of this year. Her most recent escapade was in Derry Girls when she played the light fingered Sister Declan who pinches Michelle’s lipstick and confiscates Erin’s diary. Sadly, but hilariously, as she reads the racy diary at, much to her pupils alarm, at almost 100 years of age it’s too much for Sister Declan and she dies in her chair.
Humour was always part of Barbara Adair’s life and it was her knowledge and her wit that endeared her, not only to her peers, but to the younger generation of actors many of whom gathered last Sunday in the Lyric Theatre to celebrate her life. And what a life. Born in Detroit, her parents had left Belfast to seek their fortune in America but it didn’t work out and they returned home. Carol Moore interviewed Barri just before she died and discovered just what an independent thinker and avowed atheist she was. “You didn’t need to know Barri very long to know she would tell you exactly what she thought on any given subject and didn’t give one dam if you agreed or not!” She could read at three, attended dance class in Central Hall in 1937 and her love of reading continued throughout her life and helped her through her diagnosis of bowel cancer. At 16 she joined the Group Players drama school convinced she was going to be an actress and so Barbara adopted her stage name and became Barri Adair.
She was a maker of doll’s houses and her love of detail showed best in the fascinating houses she fashioned, they were works of art, big houses of gracious living to small two up two down all peopled with families and she was proud to be a founder member of DAME – dolls house miniature enthusiasts. She was also a keen gardener keeping a detailed note of what she planted and where.
After two years at Queen’s University she went into the civil service but theatre kept calling and in 1951 she got her first wage of £2 a week working with Harold Goldblatt and acting alongside Margaret D’Arcy and William Millar known better as Stephen Boyd. Since then her credits cover all genres of stage, Tomelty’s All Soul’s Night, Over The Bridge and radio drama about Button Brown family when she performed not only as an actress but her crying skills ensured she played the part of the baby as well.
Barri moved to Dublin in the mid fifties to join the Dublin Repertory Company playing seven nights a week often on makeshift stages around the country.
Barri died in May leaving fond memories to her many friends and audiences.
During this time she kept a detailed diary of her life, her friends and her travels and Carol Moore and other actors read from the journal at last Sunday’s gathering.
Her career took her to England but she didn’t stay preferring to come home to take up a part in a new radio drama and, to the disapproval of Rev. Ian Paisley, perform in the controversial Sam Thompson play The Evangelist in the Grand Opera House, with Paisley unwilling to cross the threshold rather making a noisy protest at the front door.
I’m grateful to Carol for her memories of Barri Adair a woman who as Carol said never courted fame. “In fact she told me ‘A lot of people who have watched me all evening, after the show don’t recognise me and that’s nice.’”
Barri Adair was the life and soul of any party, she was admired as a friend and a professional to her fingertips. She was funny and full of theatre stories like the time she played a corpse in her first television appearance; she fell asleep and when she woke up everyone had gone and she couldn’t get out of the coffin as it was perched high on two chairs. Her calls for help were eventually heard and she was resurrected! Seems she had a habit of dying on set!
Barri Adair received the Best Actress award in 2001 Dublin Theatre Festival, the TMA Best Supporting Actress award, she played with top names only sorry not to get round to Shakespeare. Her memories as told to Carol would fill a book and perhaps will, stage, radio, television, film – she embraced them all with love and professionalism.
UP UP AND AWAY – IF YOU KNOW HOW!
It’s a long time since I dropped anyone off at City Airport and it wasn’t a happy experience. Drive round two or three roundabouts, grab a parking ticket which costs £3.00 for ten minutes, rush to drop off zone, passenger gets out, kiss goodbye and, clutching my three single pound coins, head for the exit. Again roundabouts abound but eventually get to the ticket machine. No place for my three coins! What to do? Tried to get out of the car to read the small screen. So close to the curb couldn’t open the door! Thankfully no one behind me so reversed, able to get out but not to read the screen easily as the print is so feint in the bright sunlight. Glasses on and squinted to discover you can only pay with cash at the drop off point so use a card. Stick in a card – declined. Had another card so tried it – declined even thought the two accounts had adequate funds available. I don’t usually tap but in desperation tried tapping and second time to my great relief the barrier opened. Now, was I stupid? I certainly didn’t see the sign about paying cash. I could see no way of calling for help had I been stuck without a card and a pile of traffic lined up behind me. There would have been no way out. I’d go down to the airport again just to go through the routine to see if I missed something but I’m too scared of being trapped behind a barrier and in front of a dozen cars. I was lucky, I got away with it by the skin of my teeth but my advice is, take your ticket, if you want to pay in cash look for the facility at the drop off or carry cards that tap. My advice to the airport authorities or the ticket management team is to get some sort of talkback between driver and office so if you are stuck they can come and sort you out. Happy days!
