SHAME ON YOU.
My heart goes out to any parent who is waiting for an organ donation for their child, indeed anyone hoping for such surgery. We are being asked to donate organs and where possible most of us are only too happy to sign the form but that is pointless when there is a huge immovable object in the way of providing them to save lives. How shameful for the DUP to refuse to appoint a Speaker at our so called Assembly. How shameful for them to force our business to be dealt with at Westminster, I thought that was the last thing we want or is direct rule a foregone conclusion.
Shame on Jeffrey Donaldson who writes to his party members: “It is disgraceful that the issue of organ donation is being used as blackmail for the return of devolution. We will not be nominating a Speaker on Tuesday. Westminster is sovereign and can resolve the issue quickly.” Duplicitous or what.
What Will Her Daughter Think
The `Brit Awards threw up some dreadful costumes, seems everyone want to outstrip each other for headlines. Jessie J is a lovely looking woman and a good singer but what inspired her to expose her pregnancy in such an unfortunate manner. My opinion of course but I wonder what her little son will think of such exhibitionism when he’s an impressionable teenager?
Looking forward to the film awards tonight – we have a lot of talent on show and hopefully the prizes will flow into this little island of ours. I am completely enthralled by The Banshees of Inisherin, I thought it was brilliant – acting, writing and direction, music, production values and scenery – filmed on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands. I’ve been to the smallest of the three island and it’s breathtaking, unfortunately now they will probably be overrun with tourists. I’ve watched the film twice already and I know I’ll visit it again and again. Something I won’t be watching is The Gold BBC television series, I don’t approve of glorifying a criminal act where people suffered so dreadfully.
From Portrush to Botanic And Back
Patrick Ramsey, who has worked mainly in publishing and book selling and is co-founder of the Lagan Press, has published two books of poetry, one written during pandemic and the other the result of a friend checking through a substantial number of work written between 1982 and 1990 when Patrick was studying at Queen’s University. They had been lost for over 30 years and now, in A Lore Of Civics/Falling In Love With Rosie, make a collection of thoughts from Portrush Strand to A December Morning in Botanic Gardens – even Tony Hancock gets a look in,
Pat takes us around the country meeting many people on the way, he even delves into politics with A Self Portrait As Brian Faulkner.
The poems in these privately printed books are very descriptive, Flat Projections: January 1988 for instance:
…………. Above in the chill bitter wind/dark clouds scuttle/the season early. While unseen/and inexactly sensed,/the black unfathomable lough;/its sudden white wounds/offered to the elements; the slow burning/ of lights in unlikely attics.
In the more recent collection one poem stands out for me: In Memory Of John Keyes. This Belfast boy trom Roden Street was a close friend of mine and of Patrick as well and the poet has captured John the man, the modulated voice of an actor and raconteur, his stories of performing with Anew McMaster, with MacLaimmoir both in Dublin and London, parties where he served the Duke of Kent afternoon tea, supper in The Savoy Grill after a West End appearance, parts in ‘Dixon of Dock Green’ and more latterly ‘Give My Head Peace’. Arthur Askey – who wasn’t as big hearted as all that – and Christmas pantos with Frank Ifield and Cliff Richard and his friendship with Noel Coward.
John was 64 when he was destined to make a name for himself with his one man show ‘The Importance of Being Michael’ In 2002. It opened in Culturlann Theatre in Belfast where he became MacLiamoir – in fact, with makeup, posture and voice the audience gasped as he strode to the chair to begin his story as he sat in the green room at RTE waiting to appear on the Gay Byrne television show.
MacLiamoir Incarnate
He got rave reviews, transferred to London and an all Ireland tour was scheduled. He and I planned a celebration lunch in the John Hewitt pub but for the first time ever he didn’t turn up for our date. Instead he was found lying on the floor of his flat oblivious of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy on his record player. He’d had a massive stroke. Although over the next few years he recovered sufficiently and with great courage was able to perform ‘Michael’ a few more times before retiring from the stage. In his book, Ignorance Of Their Names , Pat Ramsey ensures his memory lingers on.
………… Your stories unwinding like film off a spool/the colours of a half-forgotten world/where you wanted to be; a kind of exile -/ but not like Falstaff, once again like Wilde. Right down to your own deathbed conversion/to Rome (Now that’s far from the Donegall Road’)/a fin de siècle pose? Desired absolution?/Or a faith that irony, too, was a thing of God?
No matter. Enough your talent to ease or amaze,/to gossip with only the occasional malice/with the measured word and well-turned phrase/on the mirthless burlesques all around us.
His last words on our friend are well said:
The lanterns burn low, The stage begins to dim. Then darkness, leaving just the memory of him.
Praising The Lord
J.D has asked me to pass on a compliment to BBC. He listens to Morning Service every week and at the end of January the Reverend Niall Lockhart of Ballyhenry church Newtownabbey led the service and “Anne, he was perfect. He gave a lovely service and his speakers and singers were great and he deserves a mention on your page. And you could please ask Radio Ulster to have him on soon again, honest he was great.”
Done J.D. and I have passed your letter on to Mr. Lockhart. And thank you for your compliment about my writings.
STILL TIME BUT BE QUICK
Lockdown generated a lot of books thanks to creative people having more time to put pen to paper including Paul Clements who has hit the headlines with his current , and second biography of Jan Morris, Paul has written much about this highly respected journalist, historian and author who accompanied the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition alongside Edmund Hillary and was the first to send the news back to The Times newspaper to be made public on Coronation Day. In 1964 she began transitioning to life as a woman and had sex reassignment surgery eight years later, Her life since then was filled with travel writing, publishing and receiving awards for her work including a CBE in 1999. I was delighted to meet Jan with Paul and soon realised how fascinating she was and the amazing story she had to tell. Although she and her wife divorced, they continued to live together as a family and eventually enjoyed a civil partnership. Jan Morris died in 2020 and since then Paul’s book, Jan Morris Life From Both Sides, has been an international best seller and now he’s going one step further when he talks about Morris at the Heaney Homeplace Bellaghy this afternoon, Sunday 19th February at 2.p.m. Just turn up and enjoy.
