Aistear an ealaíontóra
Is ait liom leagan beag picteilíneach den amhránaí David Keenan a fheiceáil idir cnaipí an fhísghlaoigh. Tá rud éicint faoin amhránaí atá as alt leis an teicneolaíocht seo. Ach is léir go bhfuil sé ar a chompord ina chistin gheal ildathach agus bástchóta cniotáilte air. 'Táim sách insular,' a deir sé agus muid ag labhairt ar ghréasán ceoil na hÉireann. 'Táim i mo chónaí i gCill Cheannaigh, like! Ach táim an-bhródúil as an sruth Éireannach a ritheann tríd mo scríbhneoireacht.'
Scríbhneoir a bhfuil flúirse ar a pheann is ea é. Tá trí albam, chomh maith le dornán singlí, leabhar filíochta, agus clár faisnéise taifeadta aige ó bhí 2020 ann. Chuir sé iontas orm, mar sin, gur bhraith sé go raibh srian air go dtí seo. 'Bhí mé dúnta síos ar bhealach. Ach tá fuinneamh nua san albam nua. Tá draíocht ag baint leis - draíocht sa gceol, mistéir sa gceol – tá sé difriúil an uair seo. Níl an brú céanna ann, an bhfuil a fhios agat?'
Ní rún é gur iomaí brú a bhíonn ar ealaíontóirí an lae inniu – costas maireachtála, athruithe teicneolaíochta agus cumarsáide, gnéithe dá saol nach soláthraíonn struchtúr laethúil ná buanseasmhacht - ach is léir go raibh brú inmheánach ag luí air freisin.
'Bhí mé i m'fhear óg nuair a tháinig an chéad albam amach. Ní raibh a fhios agam conas a bheith socair ag an am sin. Bhí mé plúchta ag an mothúchán sin – that you might miss the boat! – go gcaithfidh tú gach rud a chur amach láithreach.
'Tá contúirt ann nuair a dhéanann tú gach rud i d'aonar – ag tour-áil, margaíocht, taifeadadh, gan bhainisteoir, gan léiritheoir – contúirt go mbeidh tú dóite amach. B'shin an riocht ina raibh mé.'
I ndiaidh trí albam a thaifeadadh laistigh de thrí bliana, seo an tréimhse ab fhaide ar chaith sé gan ceann a thabhairt ar an saol, ó eisíodh Crude in 2022.
'I mo thuairim táim anseo chun ceol a dhéanamh, scríbhneoireacht a dhéanamh, ach thosaigh mé an t-albam seo trí bliana ó shin - trí bliana ag fás!
Tá an chothromaíocht tábhachtach. Is duine mé a bhíonn obsessive, mar sin caithfidh mé a bheith cúramach . . .'
Ní albam amháin atá idir lámha aige, ach clár faisnéise freisin. Leanann Focla ar Chanbhás tréimhse 500 lá dá shaol.
Filleann an scannán ar a bhaile dúchais i nDún Dealgán, le stair agus miotaseolaíocht na háite a fhiosrú, chomh maith lena stair agus próiseas cruthaitheach féin.
'Mar a deirim sa scannán, bhí mé ag éalú ó mo chuid mothúchán, le deoch, le ceol, ó mhothúcháin a bhí ann ó bhí mé i mo pháiste. Bhí gach rud bunoscionn, fuair cara a bhí sa mbanna liom bás. Nuair a bhíonn na ceolchoirmeacha críochnaithe agus tú ar ais i seomra i d'aonar - tá sé contúirteach.' Ruaigeann sé leochaileacht an nóiméid seo le racht gáirí – 'tá sé ar fad ar an albam nua!' a deir sé, lámha san aer – 'ach no, tá an t-ádh orm na rudaí seo a chur síos ar albam.'
Is léir go raibh tionchar ag próiseas taifeadta an scannáin ar a mheon maidir leis an albam úr seo a scríobh. 'Bhí sé crua in áiteanna, mar gheall ar an macántacht a bhí ann, bhí sé deacair ach bhí an t-ádh orm é a dhéanamh. Mothaím níos éadroime ina dhiaidh.'
Ní foláir go bhfuil sé dian ar cheoltóir a ghlór a chailleadh, glór inmheánach go fiú. Céard a bhíonn ag teastáil leis an nglór sin a chothú an athuair? 'An leigheas atá sa gceol, agus na sound heads in aice liom. Caint faoin ngortú agus dorchadas. Bhí mé in ann é a chur in amhráin roimhe seo ach ní raibh mé in ann caint mar atáim anois. Bhí náire ann. Mar a deirim bhí sé crua, bhí sé deacair, ar feadh cúpla bliain, ach tá mé fós beo. Tá banna ceoil nua den scoth agam, tá an scannán ar siúl i mBéal Feirste an mhí seo, tá an t-ádh orm, big time.'
Tá rómánsaíocht ag baint le stíl Keenan, a thagann leis an rómánsaíocht chultúrtha atá le feiceáil go forleathan le tamall anuas. Lasann rud éicint ann nuair a ardaím an cheist: 'tá teoiric agam faoi seo!' Leagtar cupán caife leis an splanc seo, ach leanann sé á míniú agus an bord á ghlanadh. 'Tá sé cosúil, má bhrathnaíonn tú siar, leis an réabhlóid tionsclaíochta sna 1800idí. Le AI anois, tá imní ar dhaoine. Tá muid ag dul ar ais mar sin ar 'the rise of the occult', ar seances agus ar an miotaseolaíocht, athbheochan na Gaeilge, agus an béaloideas.'
Tá ceist na hinteachta saorga á hardú arís agus arís eile i gcomhráite faoin ealaín, ar ndóigh. Tá éiginnteacht maidir lena buntáistí agus go deimhin a baol cultúrtha. Ní mór an meas atá ag David ar an intleacht shaorga: 'caimiléireacht atá ann! Caith aon rud isteach i ChatGPT agus tá scéal agat. Tá muid ceangailte le traidisiúin: na baird, scéalaíocht, seanchas, mar sin AI? No. I'm not having it! Níl aon anam sa bpróiseas sin. Níl aon streachailt ann.' Luann sé go bhfuil aontais bunaithe ag aisteoirí agus scríbhneoirí, agus gur chóir do cheoltóirí amhlaidh a dhéanamh. 'Caithfidh muid rud éigin a dhéanamh anois, beidh sé ar fud na háite i gceann cúpla bliain.'
Spás nach féidir leis an intleacht shaorga a líonadh is dócha ná ceolchoirmeacha, ach fiú sna spásanna sin is é an comhluadar, agus comhráite daonna a chothaíonn an t-anam. 'Tráth den saol bhí na gigeanna ar an rud is tábhachtaí, ach tá sé sin difriúil anois freisin. Tá mé níos ciúine. Tá suim agam i ngach rud. Tá mé beo. Tá suim agam sa chomhrá seo, tá suim agam i ngach rud.'
Is léir dom ón bhfreagra seo go bhfuil suaimhneas as an nua aimsithe ag David. Tá solas agus sólás le brath uaidh, agus ón gceol nua atá le teacht. Aistear a bhí ann, is léir, ach is cosúil gur ar bhóthar a leasa atá sé anois. 'Thosaigh mé ag ól nuair a bhí mé 13 bliana d'aois. Ag amanna éagsúla bhí mo shaol lán leis an eachtraíocht. Ar feadh cúpla bliain bhí mé sa dorchadas. Agus bhí mé i gcónaí ag obair - fós ag cur amhrán amach - ach bhí mé plódaithe le heagla agus le gortú. Tá sé difriúil inniu, agus mar gheall air sin, mothaím . . . loosey goosey!'
Seanscéal nó teacht in inmhe i saol an ealaíontóra atá ann ar bhealach. An tuiscint nó ciall a thagann le haois, nach gá fulaingt don cheird. 'Cheap mé go raibh ort a bheith trom agus dáiríre le bheith i d'ealaíontóir 'ceart', ach is a mhalairt atá fíor, sin atá foghlamtha agam!'
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The Irish Sun
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Inside Alan Connolly's life beyond GAA from girlfriend to famous family after ace fires Cork into All-Ireland final
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Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Aistear an ealaíontóra
Foclóir: ildathach – multi-coloured; bástchóta - waistcoat; flúirse – plenty; mothúchán – feeling; glór inmheánach – internal voice; sólás – solace; suaimhneas – calm. Is ait liom leagan beag picteilíneach den amhránaí David Keenan a fheiceáil idir cnaipí an fhísghlaoigh. Tá rud éicint faoin amhránaí atá as alt leis an teicneolaíocht seo. Ach is léir go bhfuil sé ar a chompord ina chistin gheal ildathach agus bástchóta cniotáilte air. 'Táim sách insular,' a deir sé agus muid ag labhairt ar ghréasán ceoil na hÉireann. 'Táim i mo chónaí i gCill Cheannaigh, like! Ach táim an-bhródúil as an sruth Éireannach a ritheann tríd mo scríbhneoireacht.' Scríbhneoir a bhfuil flúirse ar a pheann is ea é. Tá trí albam, chomh maith le dornán singlí, leabhar filíochta, agus clár faisnéise taifeadta aige ó bhí 2020 ann. Chuir sé iontas orm, mar sin, gur bhraith sé go raibh srian air go dtí seo. 'Bhí mé dúnta síos ar bhealach. Ach tá fuinneamh nua san albam nua. Tá draíocht ag baint leis - draíocht sa gceol, mistéir sa gceol – tá sé difriúil an uair seo. Níl an brú céanna ann, an bhfuil a fhios agat?' Ní rún é gur iomaí brú a bhíonn ar ealaíontóirí an lae inniu – costas maireachtála, athruithe teicneolaíochta agus cumarsáide, gnéithe dá saol nach soláthraíonn struchtúr laethúil ná buanseasmhacht - ach is léir go raibh brú inmheánach ag luí air freisin. 'Bhí mé i m'fhear óg nuair a tháinig an chéad albam amach. Ní raibh a fhios agam conas a bheith socair ag an am sin. Bhí mé plúchta ag an mothúchán sin – that you might miss the boat! – go gcaithfidh tú gach rud a chur amach láithreach. 'Tá contúirt ann nuair a dhéanann tú gach rud i d'aonar – ag tour-áil, margaíocht, taifeadadh, gan bhainisteoir, gan léiritheoir – contúirt go mbeidh tú dóite amach. B'shin an riocht ina raibh mé.' I ndiaidh trí albam a thaifeadadh laistigh de thrí bliana, seo an tréimhse ab fhaide ar chaith sé gan ceann a thabhairt ar an saol, ó eisíodh Crude in 2022. 'I mo thuairim táim anseo chun ceol a dhéanamh, scríbhneoireacht a dhéanamh, ach thosaigh mé an t-albam seo trí bliana ó shin - trí bliana ag fás! Tá an chothromaíocht tábhachtach. Is duine mé a bhíonn obsessive, mar sin caithfidh mé a bheith cúramach . . .' Ní albam amháin atá idir lámha aige, ach clár faisnéise freisin. Leanann Focla ar Chanbhás tréimhse 500 lá dá shaol. Filleann an scannán ar a bhaile dúchais i nDún Dealgán, le stair agus miotaseolaíocht na háite a fhiosrú, chomh maith lena stair agus próiseas cruthaitheach féin. 'Mar a deirim sa scannán, bhí mé ag éalú ó mo chuid mothúchán, le deoch, le ceol, ó mhothúcháin a bhí ann ó bhí mé i mo pháiste. Bhí gach rud bunoscionn, fuair cara a bhí sa mbanna liom bás. Nuair a bhíonn na ceolchoirmeacha críochnaithe agus tú ar ais i seomra i d'aonar - tá sé contúirteach.' Ruaigeann sé leochaileacht an nóiméid seo le racht gáirí – 'tá sé ar fad ar an albam nua!' a deir sé, lámha san aer – 'ach no, tá an t-ádh orm na rudaí seo a chur síos ar albam.' Is léir go raibh tionchar ag próiseas taifeadta an scannáin ar a mheon maidir leis an albam úr seo a scríobh. 'Bhí sé crua in áiteanna, mar gheall ar an macántacht a bhí ann, bhí sé deacair ach bhí an t-ádh orm é a dhéanamh. Mothaím níos éadroime ina dhiaidh.' Ní foláir go bhfuil sé dian ar cheoltóir a ghlór a chailleadh, glór inmheánach go fiú. Céard a bhíonn ag teastáil leis an nglór sin a chothú an athuair? 'An leigheas atá sa gceol, agus na sound heads in aice liom. Caint faoin ngortú agus dorchadas. Bhí mé in ann é a chur in amhráin roimhe seo ach ní raibh mé in ann caint mar atáim anois. Bhí náire ann. Mar a deirim bhí sé crua, bhí sé deacair, ar feadh cúpla bliain, ach tá mé fós beo. Tá banna ceoil nua den scoth agam, tá an scannán ar siúl i mBéal Feirste an mhí seo, tá an t-ádh orm, big time.' Tá rómánsaíocht ag baint le stíl Keenan, a thagann leis an rómánsaíocht chultúrtha atá le feiceáil go forleathan le tamall anuas. Lasann rud éicint ann nuair a ardaím an cheist: 'tá teoiric agam faoi seo!' Leagtar cupán caife leis an splanc seo, ach leanann sé á míniú agus an bord á ghlanadh. 'Tá sé cosúil, má bhrathnaíonn tú siar, leis an réabhlóid tionsclaíochta sna 1800idí. Le AI anois, tá imní ar dhaoine. Tá muid ag dul ar ais mar sin ar 'the rise of the occult', ar seances agus ar an miotaseolaíocht, athbheochan na Gaeilge, agus an béaloideas.' Tá ceist na hinteachta saorga á hardú arís agus arís eile i gcomhráite faoin ealaín, ar ndóigh. Tá éiginnteacht maidir lena buntáistí agus go deimhin a baol cultúrtha. Ní mór an meas atá ag David ar an intleacht shaorga: 'caimiléireacht atá ann! Caith aon rud isteach i ChatGPT agus tá scéal agat. Tá muid ceangailte le traidisiúin: na baird, scéalaíocht, seanchas, mar sin AI? No. I'm not having it! Níl aon anam sa bpróiseas sin. Níl aon streachailt ann.' Luann sé go bhfuil aontais bunaithe ag aisteoirí agus scríbhneoirí, agus gur chóir do cheoltóirí amhlaidh a dhéanamh. 'Caithfidh muid rud éigin a dhéanamh anois, beidh sé ar fud na háite i gceann cúpla bliain.' Spás nach féidir leis an intleacht shaorga a líonadh is dócha ná ceolchoirmeacha, ach fiú sna spásanna sin is é an comhluadar, agus comhráite daonna a chothaíonn an t-anam. 'Tráth den saol bhí na gigeanna ar an rud is tábhachtaí, ach tá sé sin difriúil anois freisin. Tá mé níos ciúine. Tá suim agam i ngach rud. Tá mé beo. Tá suim agam sa chomhrá seo, tá suim agam i ngach rud.' Is léir dom ón bhfreagra seo go bhfuil suaimhneas as an nua aimsithe ag David. Tá solas agus sólás le brath uaidh, agus ón gceol nua atá le teacht. Aistear a bhí ann, is léir, ach is cosúil gur ar bhóthar a leasa atá sé anois. 'Thosaigh mé ag ól nuair a bhí mé 13 bliana d'aois. Ag amanna éagsúla bhí mo shaol lán leis an eachtraíocht. Ar feadh cúpla bliain bhí mé sa dorchadas. Agus bhí mé i gcónaí ag obair - fós ag cur amhrán amach - ach bhí mé plódaithe le heagla agus le gortú. Tá sé difriúil inniu, agus mar gheall air sin, mothaím . . . loosey goosey!' Seanscéal nó teacht in inmhe i saol an ealaíontóra atá ann ar bhealach. An tuiscint nó ciall a thagann le haois, nach gá fulaingt don cheird. 'Cheap mé go raibh ort a bheith trom agus dáiríre le bheith i d'ealaíontóir 'ceart', ach is a mhalairt atá fíor, sin atá foghlamtha agam!'
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Against every prediction, Roy Keane has made a career out of talking, and Cork is embracing it
About a year ago the Stick to Football podcast decided that each member of the team should be the subject of a long interview about their life and career. When it came to Roy Keane's turn, Ian Wright opened the conversation with a question that he thought was a soft ball. 'So, Roy, Dublin , when you land back to Dublin, I know you …,' said Wright, before Keane jumped down his throat, studs first. 'To Dublin! What's in Dublin?' said Keane, taking a tone of high dudgeon. 'To Cork ,' his voice drifting towards a native shriek. 'I'm from Cork.' READ MORE Jamie Carragher picked up the thread with another question that started in the wrong place but hurriedly moved on. He wondered if Keane was badgered more by the public in Dublin than he would be at home. 'No, no, no,' he said. 'In Cork, I'd have the most people coming up to me. They know me really well and there are no boundaries. Cork would be the hardest place for me to duck and dive.' Throughout his life in the public eye he has never exhibited any desire to land in Cork and skulk from public view, like a diva. In recent years sightings of Keane have been commonplace, captured on the spot by the Boswells of the digital age. Keane was in Turners Cross to watch Cork City a couple of weeks ago and the image flew around social media quicker than his tongue-lashings from the telly. When he turns up in Páirc Uí Chaoimh for a Cork GAA match, it is never a secret either. Keane has given up going incognito in a baseball cap. It is interesting, though, how this relationship with home has evolved over time. On Monday night, in a giant big top near the marina in Cork, Keane begins a run of three sold-out evenings of conversation with Roddy Doyle , the celebrated novelist and ghostwriter of Keane's second autobiography. Roy Keane at a Cork v Dublin game in Croke Park in 2022. Photograph: Evan Treacy/Inpho In showbiz fashion, one night was put to the market, last November, and in the rush for tickets two more dates were added within days. At that time of the year, you can imagine Santa Claus' eyes lighting up. Three sold out nights amounts to about 24,000 punters. Onstage conversations with interesting people, in front of a live audience, are a satellite of the podcast universe, where Keane is now a star. Against every prediction, including Keane's, he has made a career in the media. In the book he wrote with Doyle, there is a chapter on Keane's nascent career in TV, as it was at the time, more than a decade ago. The overriding tone of the chapter was that it wasn't for him. 'The problem for me was that the TV work felt like a failure. Because I had failed at management at Ipswich ,' he wrote on page 261. Two pages later he writes about pulling out of ITV's coverage of the 2014 World Cup. 'I know that punditry is a huge part of the football life, but I didn't want to do it any more,' he wrote. 'I just felt it was sucking my spirit.' As his prospects in management continued to lose altitude, though, punditry became his fall back. He developed a sharp line in unpretentious analysis and curmudgeonly put-downs. And, in middle age, he cultivated a way of talking about himself that was attractive. He told stories against himself. He was self-deprecating and funny. In Cork, like in many other places in Ireland, talking about yourself is a high-wire act. You might get away with it for one sup of a pint, but don't chance if for a second sup. And yet, for the next three nights, Cork people who have read Keane's two books, and consumed hundreds of hours of podcast output, have paid €83.55, including booking fees, to listen to Keane talking about himself. Earlier in his life, all of this would have been unimaginable. In the early years of his fame and fortune, when Keane was still a man about town, he socialised in Cork whenever the opportunity arose. That wasn't always simple. Over time, how Keane was perceived around Cork inched closer to a consensus In his first autobiography he talks about bits and pieces of begrudgery around the place. Comments spat from the side of someone's mouth for cheap laughs. Small town stuff, outside a chipper, after hours. On the night of David O'Leary's testimonial match against Hungary, in May 1993, he flew from Dublin to Cork for a night out and was refused entry to a nightclub on Hanover Street by a power-drunk bouncer. Dave Hannigan, who was standing in the queue, wrote about the incident years later. 'Everybody in Cork would come to have their own Keane story about an incident inside or outside a nightclub or a pub,' wrote Hannigan. 'Some of them would even be true. On this particular night there was no gauche attempt [by Keane] to flaunt his new position. He just stood there for a moment, maybe hoping for a change of mind from the man in black with the earpiece, and then walked away.' There was one unsavoury incident where a woman, who grew up on the same Mayfield estate as Keane, claimed that she had been slandered by him on a night out and looked for £15,000 in damages. The court ruled in Keane's favour and, four years later, she withdrew her appeal. All that stuff is long ago now. Over time, how he was perceived around Cork inched closer to a consensus, or as close as you can conceive to a consensus about somebody whose life and times bristled with divineness. The stories that you would hear around the place now are about acts of generosity to charities or sports clubs – private donations that wouldn't be declared or acknowledged. Word would just get out. [ Roy Keane is a cranky middle-aged man selling things cranky middle-aged men like to cranky middle-aged men Opens in new window ] A couple of months ago, the family of an ailing man attempted to make contact with Keane through a local radio station, hoping that he would record a personal message for their father. Instead, Keane arrived into the Mercy Hospital and visited the man in person. That wasn't an isolated act of kindness. Keane will be embraced by Cork this evening, and for the next two nights. He mightn't say it, and he mightn't show it, but he'll get a kick out of that.
