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RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Stitches in the air: celebrating Dubin's history through lace
Sínann Fetherston sits down with visual artist and lace maker Fiona Harrington to learn about the history of needlelace in Ireland, and how she is using it to celebrate Dublin's tangled past. A traditional craft passed down through generations, the Italians refer to handmade needlelace as "punto in aria" ("stitches in the air") because of how the fine-threaded stitches are suspended between grounding threads. Held together through tension and delicate dexterity alone, this hard-earned skill was once a lifeline for women in Ireland following the devastation of the famine in the late 19th century. With schools set up by philanthropists and religious orders, women were trained in the profitable skill, eventually making it the second-largest industry in the country. Known as a 'Golden Fabric', the vast majority of pieces were sold internationally, frequently bought by artistocrats and royalty. In fact, in 1911, Britain's Queen Mary had a handmade piece commissioned using Youghal Lace, one of the specific varieties hailing from Ireland. Coming in at four yards by two yards, and using a shockingly fine linen thread, the veil took six months of 60 women working day and night. Today, if one person were to undertake the task under a more humane eight-hour workday, it is estimated that it would take them 35 years to make. Despite the incredible beauty of the pieces, following World War I and the invention of machine-made lace, the art form quickly died out, with just a few people in Ireland today retaining the skill. Visual artist and lacemaker Fiona Harrington is one such person. I had the opportunity to watch Harrington at work through Culture Club, a series of hosted talks, tours and activities that introduce and encourage people to connect with cultural spaces of the city, organised by Dublin City Council's Culture Company. As the current Artist in Residence at 14 Henrietta Street, a museum holding 300 years of Dublin city life, Harrington is currently exploring the unique quirks of both the building and its past tenants through the practice of lacemaking. Drawing inspiration from the patterns of the old walls and the historical objects with memorable names (she paid homage to the "guzunder", a bedpan called so because it "guzunder the bed"), she is yet to confirm what the end result will look like. "I began by exploring the collections, wandering around the house, photographing everything, and kind of starting to piece together my own stories," she told RTÉ Lifestyle. "I also did tons of tours with the guides, and the guides are so important here in Henrietta Street because, not only do they have the history of the house, but they also have their own personal stories." Harrington responded to the stories by creating both needlelace portraits with hidden details and colourful bobbin lace pieces mirroring the building. The Child of Prague, for example, features wallpaper patterns from bedrooms and fanlights above doors, while her bobbin lace pieces capture the various shapes found through layers of chipped paint on the old walls. "Another piece is dedicated to the memory of Peter Brannigan, who is an ex-resident of Henrietta Street but was also a dear friend of the museum," she explains. "I was really fortunate to have met him a few months ago; he only passed away two or three weeks ago, so I'm making a piece in memory of him." To see Harrington's work and to learn more about the history of life in Dublin city centre, you can book in for a tour at 14 Henrietta Street.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'80s pop icon looks unrecognisable as he's pictured leaving a Hollywood hotel
A much-loved British pop star looked unrecognisable as he was pictured in Los Angeles on Monday. The flamboyant 64-year-old shot to stardom more than 40 years ago with the chart-topping single Do You Want To Hurt Me in 1982. Within a year he had become a household name, with the UK gripped by his group's latest single Karma Chameleon, which soared to Number 1 and remains a well-known hit all these years later. And he forged a successful solo career after the leaving the band later that decade, making a name for himself as a DJ, producer, fashion designer and writer, with three autobiographies about his life released. But can you guess who the star pictured in the California sunshine is? That's right, it's none other than It's A Miracle hitmaker Boy George! Sporting a fresh-faced look, the '80s icon appeared almost unrecognisable as he stepped out of a hotel in West Hollywood alongside a friend. Covering much of his face with a purple and orange hat and some coordinated sunglasses, George carried a blazer with him while donning a predominantly black outfit. More in-keeping with his usual extravagant dress-sense were his shoes, with the star slipping into a pair of eye-catching red trainers for the outing. While he may look somewhat different to his days as a rocker in the '80s, George, real name George O'Dowd, and Culture Club are still active and touring all these years later. After a brief stint as a solo artist in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the group reformed in 1998 to release the compilation album Greatest Moments. But George's successful career certainly hasn't been all plain-sailing, with the singer involved in a number of controversies in the mid-2000s and 2010s. After being sentenced to community service when police found cocaine in his apartment in 2003, George was imprisoned half a decade later after being convicted of falsely imprisoning a male escort. It came as a huge blow for the Brit, who had recently made a return to the limelight with the single Yes We Can, which was inspired by the presidency of Barack Obama. George opened up about the ordeal only last week in an interview with The Times, admitting he hopes to change people's opinions of him 'eventually'. 'It didn't need to happen,' he told the publication. 'But I can't change it and I'm not defined by my mistakes. I've transcended my own ideas of who I am. 'Now I'm on a mission to transcend the ideas people have of me. I think it will happen... eventually.' Just a matter of weeks ago George hit the headlines once again after taking a swipe at JK Rowling over a trans row. The Harry Potter author, who has been unapologetically vocal about her views regarding gender in recent years, had taken to X to celebrate a landmark Supreme Court ruling that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex. In response, George branded Rowling a 'rich, bored bully' before appearing on Lorraine late last month where he again spoke about the ordeal. During the chat Lorraine told him: 'You've always stood up for people who sometimes don't have a voice for themselves... People in the trans community, it's been very rough for them and you've said "No it's not fair".' The singer explained: 'It's real life stuff, not two celebrities bickering on the internet. Speaking about their arguments, Boy George said: 'I think it's hilarious that you're having a row with someone that I've never met. I probably never will meet. 'I feel like in the movies she creates this beautiful magic world, in real life she's a muggle. It's very disappointing it's not true.' George, who is openly homosexual, has regularly defended trans rights over the years.
Perth Now
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Boy George joins forces with Worricka for new single Mesmerised
Boy George has collaborated with Worricka on the new single Mesmerised. The Culture Club frontman has teamed up with the singer-songwriter for the new electronic track that features vocals from George. He said: "I love Worricka's jazzy tones and we have worked on a few things together. "I don't know why we have never written together, but we should. "He sounds great doing reggae and he brings a familiar flavour with his voice but he still sounds like himself. "I hear a bit of Jessye Norman and that's serious praise." Worricka added of the new track – which will be released on July 24: "It's about the first moments of infatuation when you meet someone on the dance floor in a club. "We shared the stage for the first time many years ago at The Jazz Cafe in London when George asked me to join him to open a charity show. "Now we share the stage once again with Mesmerised." George, 64, recently released his latest solo album SE18 but took aim at the streaming models that are so prevalent in modern music. The Do You Really Want to Hurt Me singer told Radio Times: "To be honest, streaming's a waste of time. "My most streamed track last year was The Crying Game (a cover of Dave Berry's 1964 hit). I didn't even write it – nothing to do with me! People are allowed to like what they like, but please..." The singer – whose real name is George O'Dowd – highlighted the contrast between streaming and physical media, as his new album has been successful despite little promotion. He said: "I just had my first Top 40 album, which is hilarious, you know, because I haven't really promoted it. It's vinyl-only, so you can only get it at this place called electricStage. It's a new print-to-order vinyl service. "Usually you have to wait like six months for vinyl. So it has revolutionised how you buy vinyl records." SE18 is named after the London postcode where George lived as a teenager and he set out his "old school" approach for the album previously. He told UK TV show This Morning: "This is not going to be streamed, it's CD and vinyl only, I'm taking it right back. "My audience doesn't seem to care about streaming. They like the product, the lyrics."
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boy George doesn't think queer identity politics have 'helped anyone': 'You're starting from the wrong perspective'
Boy George is opening up about his complicated feelings on queer activism. The Culture Club frontman, who is gay, has addressed why he doesn't support modern LGBTQ+ identity politics. "I don't think it's helped anyone," George told U.K. outlet The Times in a new interview, emphasizing that queer people aren't a monolith. "We're not a thing. It's like, 'This is what Black people are, this is what Jewish people are, this is what trans people are.' No!" He went on to defend his views on the matter. "Everybody is diverse because nobody is like anybody else, so you're starting from the wrong perspective," George said. "Nobody gets to choose what color eyes they have, how big their penis is, how fat their arse is." Earlier in the interview, the "Karma Chameleon" singer discussed online transphobia and how the digital world differs from reality. "Trans people are the new people to hate, but I always say: How many trans people have you met today?" George said. "There's the world on the internet, which is hideous and full of anger. Then there's the real world, which is entirely different, so in reality people have nothing to be nervous about." George faced accusations of transphobia in 2020 after tweeting, "Leave your pronouns at the door!" However, the musician has repeatedly defended the trans community in his social media feud with J.K. Rowling this year, calling the Harry Potter author "a rich, bored bully" for her transphobic views and saying she gets "fun from other people's pain." In his conversation with The Times, the musician said he believes his personal life is just a minuscule drop in the vast social-media bucket — and that sexual orientation shouldn't matter so much to people anyway. "If I'm really lucky my own sexuality takes up about three hours a month. We've all got cats to feed, families to visit, jobs to do," George said. "I said in an interview when I was 17, 'Being gay is like eating a bag of crisps. It's so not important.' I still think that now. What do you care about someone's sexuality unless you're going to have sex with them?" George also discussed how he channeled his views on queer identity into his 2002 musical, Taboo, which tells the story of his friend Leigh Bowery, legendary queer performance artist who founded London's Taboo club. "What I want to explore in the show is the odd relationship between Leigh and his wife, Nicola Bowery," the musician said of the play, for which he wrote the lyrics and played Leigh on stage. "Long before nonbinary, here's a gay guy who married a straight woman, and there was real tenderness and love between them. Yes, part of the reason he married Nicola was to piss everyone off, but I do think he really loved her."George, who is trying to revive Taboo, added that Bowery wouldn't want to box himself into pre-existing notions of queer identity or expression. "Someone said the other day, 'Leigh Bowery was the blueprint for gay identity,'" he recalled to The Times. "He would have hated that. Hated it!" Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boy George puzzled by interest in his sexuality
Boy George doesn't understand why people are so interested in his sexuality. The Culture Club frontman's sexuality was the subject of much curiosity when he first found fame during the 1980s but he is baffled as to why others are so fixated on it. In an interview with The Times newspaper, George said: "If I'm really lucky my own sexuality takes up about three hours a month. We've all got cats to feed, families to visit, jobs to do. "I said in an interview when I was 17, 'Being gay is like eating a bag of crisps. It's so not important.' I still think that now. What do you care about someone's sexuality unless you're going to have sex with them?" The Karma Chameleon hitmaker doesn't believe that LGBTQ+ identity politics are particularly helpful. George, 64, - who revealed he was gay in his 1995 autobiography Take It Like a Man - explained: "I don't think it's helped anyone. We're not a thing. It's like, 'This is what black people are, this is what Jewish people are, this is what trans people are.' "No! Everybody is diverse because nobody is like anybody else, so you're starting from the wrong perspective. Nobody gets to choose what colour eyes they have, how big their penis is, how fat their a*** is." The singer, whose real name is George O'Dowd, had a turbulent relationship with former Culture Club drummer Jon Moss - who sued the band for loss of earnings in a case that was settled out of court in 2023 for a reported £1.75 million - during the 1980s and has revealed that he has penned a song called Dirty Little Limited Company about his ex-lover on his latest album. George said: "I say in the song, 'How come you don't fight for your rock 'n' roll?' Jon wants to fight for his royalties, but not the thing that gave him those royalties. "Jon only wants to do it on his terms. I'm a Gemini. I trust everyone and think everyone understands me. When I started the band I split everything four ways, but I don't believe I was treated with the respect I gave to everyone else, especially Jon." George revealed that he doesn't hold any ill will towards Jon despite the acrimonious history between the pair. He said: "I don't feel anything bad about Jon. That might annoy him even more, actually."
