‘We're not a one-trick pony like some places' – how Wexford town has defied rural decline as it gears up for the Fleadh
The old adage 'you get out what you put in' springs to mind on a walk down the buzzing main street in Wexford town.
On the Friday afternoon of the August bank holiday, pubs are busy, outdoor seating areas of cafes are full, and shop owners are finishing off their window displays ahead of the biggest celebration of traditional Irish music in the world.
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Influential Irish documentarian George Morrison dies aged 102
Influential Irish documentarian George Morrison has died aged 102. Morrison was best known for his celebrated 1959 work Mise Éire, which premiered that year at the Cork Film Festival. The documentary, produced by Gael Linn and scored by Seán Ó Riada, dealt with key figures and events in Irish nationalism between the 1890s and 1910s. The title itself was taken from a 1912 poem by Republican revolutionary Patrick Pearse. Morrison's work on Mise Éire was painstaking, and involved the identification, salvage, and restoration of more than 300,000 feet of newsreel and other footage. The documentary, the first full feature-length film produced in Irish, was constructed from archival footage, a now common technique which was groundbreaking at the time. Morrison's follow-up documentary, Saoirse?, which charts the lead-up to the 1916 Easter Rising and the War of Independence, was released in 1961. Born in Tramore in Waterford on November 3, 1922, Morrison's mother worked as an actress at Dublin's Gate Theatre. His father worked as a neurological anaesthetist. Morrison studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin, but subsequently dropped out to pursue a career in film. The first project on which he worked was an uncompleted production of Dracula. After being introduced to the founders of the Gate Theatre — Micheál Mac Liammóir and Hilton Edwards — Morrison began working on documentaries in partnership with the venue. Morrison's later documentary works included 1961's Rebellion, about Ireland from 1913 to 1923, Two Thousand Miles of Peril, released in 1972, and Dublin Day, a 2007 documentary on James Joyce's Ulysses. In 2009, Morrison received the Industry Lifetime Contribution Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards. Speaking at the time, director Neil Jordan said: "It is remarkable what George Morrison has achieved through the 1970s and 1980s with almost no support. He's done extraordinary documentary work and extraordinary work as an archivist, one of the few in Ireland who have done that, he's an inspiration to all of us." He was elected a Saoi of Aosdána in 2017 and presented with the symbol of the office of Saoi, the gold torc, by President Michael D Higgins. Morrison is predeceased by his wife, Theodora Fitzgibbon. Speaking to the Irish Examiner in 2012, Morrison said Mise Éire was the film he enjoyed making most during his career. "It combined all operations of film-making in the one structure, the archival, too. I was very pleased with that.'
Extra.ie
2 hours ago
- Extra.ie
How many people are set to trot to RDS for the Dublin Horse Show?
More than 120,000 people are set to flock to the RDS for the Dublin Horse Show, which kicks off tomorrow. While 1,800 horses and ponies, and their riders, battle it out in the historic D4 arena for more than €1.4million in prize money, the crowds will be enjoying the view, the shopping and the hospitality. The show, which brings in around €50 million to the Irish and local economy, runs from tomorrow until Sunday and costs over €7 million to stage. It has come a long way from the first ever Dublin Horse Show in 1864, which attracted 366 entries for a total prize fund of £520. More than 120,000 people are set to flock to the RDS for the Dublin Horse Show, which kicks off tomorrow. Pic: Getty Images It is estimated that 40,000 ice cream cones will be consumed, along with 35,000 glasses of wine, 40,000 pints and 15,000 coffees. Approximately 40,000 flowers of 20 different varieties will decorate the 43 acres of the D4 showgrounds, while 7,600 bales of shavings and 4,200 bales of hay have been brought in for the horses. Those with their eye on the style may be tempted to enter Thursday's best dressed competition, with €10,000 in cash up for grabs for the chosen fashionista. Poretti has sponsored the lucrative top prize for the best-dressed person, while the runner-up will receive two nights' bed and breakfast at the five-star Morrison Dublin hotel, plus two nights' B&B at The Trafalgar St James Hotel in London and a €100 travel voucher. Emma Green and Highview Pickpocket at the RDS ahead of the Dublin Horse Show. Pic: ©Fran Veale/Julien Behal Photography The winner of the best hat design will scoop a €2,000 Ireland's Blue Book luxury gift voucher, while there are other prizes for Irish heritage and sustainability style, and best duo. Entrants can register online now, with co-judge Bairbre Power advising them to focus on the three Cs – colour, comfort and confidence. In the show ring, over 168 national and international competitions will be held, including the prestigious Aga Khan Nations Cup on Friday, the Defender Puissance on Saturday and the Rolex Grand Prix on Sunday. The RDS Concert Hall has an exhibition detailing 150 years of Dublin Horse Show history, while the grounds are packed with food and drink options, ranging from seafood and champagne to the Swing Grill and churros. The Bray-based Festina Lente charity returns for its second year to showcase the transformative benefits of equine therapy and its impact on society. The event will also feature its own 'Pop-Up Gaeltacht', showcasing the rich heritage of the Irish language. Meanwhile, Spanish horseman Santi Serra will return to the RDS with his unique and breathtaking equestrian entertainment in the main ring. Born into a family that breeds Arabian horses in Spain, Serra is an exceptional exponent of 'natural dressage' and first performed at the RDS with no tack in 2016. The trade stands are traditionally one of the biggest draws to the show, and the setting-up was in full swing yesterday, with more than 350 exhibitors.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Daniel O'Donnell: ‘Hell opened up that night' – remembering the Miami Showband Massacre 50 years on
Fifty years ago last Thursday – on July 31, 1975 – the world of Irish entertainment, which back then revolved around the showbands, was left shocked and devastated by the horrific murders of members of The Miami Showband. Singer Fran O'Toole (29) and musicians Tony Geraghty (23) and Brian McCoy (33) were shot and killed that night by loyalist paramilitaries on their way back to Dublin after playing at a dance in the North. Several events were held on Thursday to mark the anniversary of what has become known as the Miami Showband Massacre. And last Monday night saxophone player Des Lee, who survived that shocking night with his bandmate Stephen Travers, launched his autobiography, My Saxophone Saved My Life. Speaking at the book launch in Dublin bookshop Hodges Figgis, Stephen Travers said he wouldn't have survived the last 50 years without the support of Des. He spoke about himself and Des, plus Ray Miller who had travelled separately that night, celebrating '50 years of our survival'. 'I've often said that on the night the best of us were taken,' Travers said. 'This year we are going to celebrate the lives and the legacy. Bands come and go, music comes and goes. I mean, how many people today under the age of 50 could name all the members of The Rolling Stones, and yet they are one of the biggest bands in the world. 'Why do we remember The Miami every year, especially on anniversaries like this, and it's a big one? 'What is it about us that is so special that it should be remembered? It's not the music. 'Every single man or woman that ever stood on a stage north of the Border during those dark days was a hero – every single one of them. 'In our case, we paid the ultimate price and our legacy is that during those dark days, regardless of religious, political or social standing, we brought people together. The happiness that the showbands brought was destroyed 'And when they came to see us in the dancehalls and ballrooms, sectarianism was left outside the door. 'I'm so very, very proud to be a member of the showband fraternity, the showband brotherhood, going back all those years.' Travers, who is now a mental health advocate, remembers thinking that fateful night, 'What the hell just happened here?' He said the answer was in his question. 'Hell had opened up that night,' he said. 'The people had come and destroyed something beautiful, destroyed a band and destroyed an industry. 'The happiness that the showbands brought was destroyed because people didn't see each other as human beings…and the beauty of the dancehalls and the beauty of the industry that we were in was that we brought people together and they saw each other as human beings, and sometimes they even fell in love and got married. 'So I'm very, very proud that this year we are going to celebrate the lives of our friends, our own survival and the legacy of the showbands, not just The Miami.'
