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Irish Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Sisterhood and survival - Kelly Gough takes us backstage on London revival of Run Sister Run
KELLY GOUGH is starring in a revival of Chloë Moss' 2020 play Run Sister Run which opened at the Arcola Theatre this month. Born in Ennis, Co. Clare and now living in London, at 38 years old she has been in the acting business for more than two decades. Moss's play explores the highs and lows of sisterhood through the entwined lives of siblings Connie and Ursula. Gough, who has five sisters of her own, plays Ursula. This week she told The Irish Post what drew her to the show and why she loves it… Kelly Gough stars in Run Sister Run at the Arcola Theatre this month (Pic: Hackney Headshots) What drew you to this revival of Chloë Moss' 2020 play? Truthfully: the story. The script landed in my inbox, I loved the story, and many, many, many people moved heaven and earth to make it happen for me. However much I earn, I have accrued debts I will never be able to repay on this one. How has director Marlie Haco approached this version? Marlie's approach reminds me of work I've seen back home, particularly the work of Sarah Jane Scaife, Pat Kinevane, Bryan Burroughs and David Horan. It is unapologetically theatrical and I love it. Theatre and television are very, very, different mediums and Marlie really leans into that- the confluence of lean, naturalistic dialogue and imaginative theatre feels wildly exciting to me. How would you describe the story? Thought-provoking. What is your character like? The name of the character says it all. Ursula comes from the Latin meaning 'little she-bear'. She is wild, furious, fierce and (somewhat accidentally) hilarious. When she isn't hibernating, Ursula comes at the world roaring - I love the character. What's been most challenging about the role? Everything. I was in the process of completing my PGCE, while working full-time as an English and Drama teacher when I signed on. The final fortnight before half-term was a blitz of marking, handovers, and completing my final essay for university. It's been a massive challenge, one that continues to keep me firmly in what Vygotsky (1978) called the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Learning happens just outside your comfort zone…suffice to say, I'm learning LOADS. Kelly Gough in rehearsals with Jo Herbert and Charlie Beaven (Pic: Toby Mather) The play centres on the complexities of sisterhood. Has it been intense, enjoyable, both? I'm not sure 'intense' is the word I'd use to describe it. É sin ráite, I'm a pretty 'intense' individual myself so it's hard to know for certain. That's the great thing about great writing - it's endlessly open to interpretation. Similarly, I'm not sure 'enjoyable' is the word I'd choose to describe the process of building the show…the word 'muscular' feels more accurate. It's always great to go into a rehearsal room where the director has a clear vision. Nowadays, it's easy for actors to default to telly acting, to neglect the body and the voice- the raw tools of our trade - and Marlie steadfastly refuses to let that happen. It's been a great challenge. It was a huge decision to return to the stage, and I don't regret a single second. That said, I'm looking forward to returning to teaching in September. It's all just another thread in life's great tapestry. Have you channelled any personal experiences with your own sisters for this role? I have five sisters. On the surface (with the notable exception of my twin sister Ciara) we're not especially close. Below the surface, I love them all bone-deeply and I pose a legitimate threat to the health of any individual who dares speak ill of any of them at any time. Inarguably, they are all great teachers for me. Personally, I'm not into 'channelling' personal experience…something about that feels somewhat dangerous to me. The writing is what does the work. I follow it religiously. The show runs at the Arcola Theatre until July 27 (Pic: Toby Mather) Your sister Denise is also an actor, are there benefits of working in the same field or do you draw a line between your work and personal life? I don't know that I draw a line between work life and family life. There's just life. Brutal, beautiful, precious life. The more people you have in your corner-or field the better. Especially when you're wired the way I am. Like Mum, Dad, and all my siblings (Shane, Niall, Zita, Daragh, Angie, Gerard, John, Aideen and especially Ciara), Denise is in my corner. Plus, Shelley and Aunty Denise are in there too. Regardless of my many failings, I have a clergy of Goughs, Hughes, and the late Bishop Willie Walsh looking after me. Undoubtedly, I am very lucky. Did you bond easily with your stage sister, Jo Herbert? Are there any tricks you can use for that? The main 'trick' is casting. Casting is a much-overlooked art form, and our casting director Gabrielle Dawes played a blinder on this one. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Jo's part (Connie), nor could I imagine anyone else playing Adrian (Theo Fraser-Steele) or Jack (Charlie Beavan). It's just as well really…the theatre only has the one dressing room. That's a great trick: shove all the excellent, eccentric actors in together, and see what ensues. What can the audience expect from the show? A great night at the theatre. What are the highlights of this production? The writing, design, music, lighting, direction and performance. Marlie is creating something wildly theatrical, the likes of which I haven't seen since I left Ireland. Even if I wasn't in it, I would want to see it. Will anyone come over from Ireland to see you in the show? Yes. Denise will be converting her London home into a small, highly exclusive hotel which will host various combinations of Goughs, Hughes, and in-laws. I have no doubt her patience will be tested, and it'll be wild craic. I strongly suspect she will host a convey from Clare, a couple from Sligo, at least one woman from Waterford and a very vocal contingent from Dublin. Gan amhras ar bith, all my people are the best. Run Sister Run runs at the Arcola Theatre until July 27. For tickets and listings click here. See More: Arcola Theatre, Chloë Moss, Kelly Gough, Run Sister Run
Irish Post
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Post
New easier British citizenship route for Irish citizens launched
IRISH people living in the UK will soon be able to apply for British citizenship under a new easier, cheaper route, strengthening the unique relationship between the two countries. This is on foot of the Private Members' Bill introduced by Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson MP which gave the Home Office the opportunity to focus on this aspect of immigration law. Migration and Citizenship Minister Seema Malhotra is visiting Belfast today (3 July) to formally welcome the commencement of the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024. The new route, part of the Act, makes it easier for Irish citizens to become British. Applicants will be subject to a more streamlined digital application process and will not be required to demonstrate knowledge of English language or sit the Life in the UK test. The registration fee will be 50% cheaper than for other nationalities, at £723 for adults and £607 for children. Children looked after by the local authority will be processed free of charge, as will those who can credibly demonstrate they can't afford the application fee. Minister Malhotra said: 'The UK and Ireland enjoy a close and continued shared history and geographic links that have fostered deep cultural connections and family ties across generations. 'This new route represents the unique relationship between our two countries and builds upon the Common Travel Area arrangements that have benefited citizens of both nations for decades. "I am pleased the route will enable eligible Irish nationals who have made their home in the UK to fully participate in British society while maintaining their Irish citizenship.' From 22 July 2025, which is when the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024 comes into force, Irish citizens living in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man will be able to apply for British citizenship under this new, easier route. An Irish citizen will be able to register as a British citizen where: — They can show they have been living in the UK for the previous five years — During the five years, they must have not been absent for a total of more than 450 days — During the final year, they must have not been absent for more than 90 days — During the five years, they must have not been in breach of the immigration laws — They are of good character. Minister Malhotra told The Irish Post: 'These changes are about recognising what makes the UK's relationship with Ireland so special. 'From 22 July, as our closest friends and neighbours, eligible Irish people will be able to benefit from a simpler British citizenship registration process and won't be required to take English language or Life in the UK tests. 'This change honours the unique contribution of Irish people to British society, who have helped shape our culture, build our infrastructure and strengthen our communities across every region of the UK for generations. 'It's about giving Irish nationals the chance to officially embrace both identities, and this new pathway cements that special relationship for the future.' A spokesperson from the Home Office said that there has not been a huge demand for this facility – with only around 300 to 400 Irish people a year, from the Irish Republic, applying to become British citizens. Background to the law: The new British citizenship route for Irish citizens resident in the UK has been a long-standing consideration by Parliament and has been raised previously at both the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (who released a report on 30 June 2021 advocating for an easier and cheaper pathway for Irish citizens living in the UK to become British citizens: Citizenship and Passport Processes in Northern Ireland) and in Westminster Hall debates. The Home Office statement says: "The Private Members' Bill introduced by Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson MP gave the Home Office the opportunity to rectify this deficiency in British nationality law." See More: British Citizenship, Gavin Robinson
Irish Post
01-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Post
Young organ donation campaigner honoured at President Higgins' garden party
YOUNG organ donation campaigner Dáithí Mac Gabhann was a guest of the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins at a garden party held at Áras an Uachtaráin over the weekend. The eight-year-old, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, was among the special guests for the Family Day party on June 29. It is thought to be one of the last few garden parties that will be hosted by the President before he completes his term in November. Awaiting a heart transplant since January 2018, Dáithí and his Belfast-based family have successfully campaigned to change the law around organ donation in Northern Ireland to a soft opt-out system. Named in his honour, Dáithí's Law came into effect on June 1, 2023. Their successful Donate4Dáithí campaign was celebrated at the party, where President Higgins paid tribute to Dáithí in his speech. 'It's hard to put into words how proud we are to have been invited to Áras an Uachtaráin,' Dáithí's dad Máirtín Mac Gabhann, who is the spokesperson for the campaign, told The Irish Post. 'To stand there, as a family, representing our campaign, and to hear President Higgins acknowledge Dáithí, the campaign, and the law change in his speech, we were blown away,' he added. 'We've always said this campaign is about community, compassion and change,' he explained. '[This] was a reminder that if any campaign or cause keeps going; that even the smallest of voices can be heard all the way to the highest office in the country.' Each year, President Higgins and wife Sabina have hosted a series of garden parties to celebrate the work of people and organisations who have been active in projects and areas that are central to his presidency. The parties continue a tradition established by past presidents, which welcomes people from all over the island of Ireland to Áras an Uachtaráin, its house and gardens.
Irish Post
01-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
ADOPTING AI: Irish entrepreneurs reveal the benefits of using artificial intelligence
TECHNOLOGICAL tools are transforming the way the world works. Artificial intelligence is now in use across all sectors, from IT to health and retail to transportation, legal and financial services. Whether automating mundane tasks and streamlining operations such as customer service, or for improving health and safety or data processing, the technology, which enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving and decision making, is revolutionising industries across the board. AI is widely regarded at the future and there are plenty of Irish firms who are already committing to the changes or helping to lead the revolution. In Bristol, the Irish founded cybersecurity firm OnSecurity has just launched a new service which uses AI to improve their offering while reducing the cost to clients. Originally the firm, which was founded by Kildare native Conor O'Neill, developed software which allows its users to test and find security issues in their systems that would leave them vulnerable to hackers. Last month they updated their offering to launch the first AI-augmented pentesting service to hit the market – which they say offers the perfect solution for their clients. 'The new service combines the creativity and expertise of human security professionals with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, optimising the entire security testing process from initial reconnaissance to final reporting,' O'Neill, explains. Over in Limerick, tech start-up Zerve has created a platform which allows AI and data developers to work seamlessly together. CEO Phily Hayes, who co-founded the firm in 2021 with Jason Hilary and Greg Michaelson, says the product offers a 'secure, productive environment in which to explore, build, test and deliver data and AI products in record time'. This week, the business leaders took time out to tell The Irish Post more about their business, their industries and the importance of AI… Conor O'Neill, CEO at OnSecurity Conor O'Neill, CEO at OnSecurity Born in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, Mr O'Neill moved to the UK in his 30s. Now aged 43, he commutes from his home in Liverpool to the office in Bristol. When and where was your company founded? We launched in 2018 in Bristol. What inspired you to create the business? OnSecurity was born out of frustration with the inefficiency of the processes surrounding penetration testing - getting quotes, booking a test, receiving the reports, and integrating the results into workflows in a meaningful way was all very manual and had a lot of friction. Pentesting - or penetration testing, sometimes called ethical hacking - is a service where our consultants attempt to hack into the applications or systems of our customers, finding weaknesses so that our customers can fix the issues before they are hacked for real. Tell us about your product/solution? We have created an AI augmented pentesting platform that makes the entire pentesting process, from booking to delivery to remediation, as simple as possible for our customers. OnSecurity's platform makes procurement and management of pentesting and pentesting outcomes easy and pain-free compared to traditional models. Our customers are typically fast-moving tech businesses of various sizes/stages who often require quick, efficient testing and reporting to meet compliance or client requirements. Pentesting is required or strongly recommended in various sectors, including fintech, healthcare, software and technology, telecoms etc. What benefits does it bring to your clients? Quick example - it typically takes up to a month to schedule a pentest with another vendor due to multiple phone calls and slow exchange of information. With our platform, booking a pentest takes about two minutes. Once clients are on the platform, they can schedule, book and manage their test all in one place. We aim to simplify every step of the pentest value chain. We recently launched AI-augmented pentest delivery, which makes actual pentesting significantly more efficient. Human testers can now focus on high impact, high quality work while AI handles low-value, tedious, repetitive tasks and most of the reporting. How do you use AI within your service? We use AI pretty much everywhere now to amplify our offering to clients. By combining human expertise and AI, we are transforming the way security testing is performed and delivered with lower costs without compromising quality. We use AI to generate quotes in real-time, for automating repetitive tasks such as reporting, to improve test coverage by enabling broader and deeper assessments and to improve efficiency, allowing human testers to focus on high-impact analysis. We have also just released an MCP server which talks to our API so that our customers can ask anything they want about their security programme. Operationally, we are rolling out AI more and more across the business, in particular in the sales and software engineering areas, to improve efficiency and throughput with the staff we have. What are the greatest benefits/challenges of AI as a tool for your industry? AI increases efficiency, lowers costs and expands coverage however, it is not a replacement for human expertise. We need to rapidly become operationally AI-native and do more with fewer resources. Everyone on the team must become excellent at using AI to amplify their work, but not rely on it. The way we have integrated AI in our platform creates a number of benefits for clients. It saves security teams time and money, improves resource allocation across teams, handles tedious, low-value tasks such as reporting and frees up human testers to evaluate high impact tasks and findings It also provides detailed contextualised reports with remediation guidance and aids faster, clearer communication. Some challenges the industry might face include the fact that AI lacks creativity and human logic, so cannot replace human expertise (just yet!). There are regulative compliance or ethical frameworks to consider. For a critical service like pentesting - human assurance and accountability will always be required. How challenging has it been to get clients to accept the use of AI services over traditional ones? What I find interesting is that, despite the noise and clamour around AI, our customers generally haven't been asking about it/for it that much just yet. A lot of the pentesting market is regulatory driven and the customers need a given result and aren't too fussed about what the technology that gets them that result is. I expect this to change quite rapidly over the next 18 months or so. What is your business goal for 2025? Continue to innovate in the pentesting space as we have always done. To continue to grow our revenues and customer base and to become excellent at using AI operationally. What's the biggest challenge facing your industry today? Commoditisation, saturation and competition from pure AI pentest vendors are the biggest challenges in the industry right now. How can it be overcome? We must continue to differentiate and innovate as we have always done. Continue to focus on the customer pain points. We are designing our company strategy around Jevon's paradox - whenever something gets cheaper, people buy more of it. As the price of pentesting inevitably reduces, people will buy more pentesting, meaning the management and orchestration of pentesting will become ever more important. We already excel in this area and will continue to focus our product development here. How would you describe your job? Bloody hectic but rewarding. I am extremely proud to be part of the change and look forward to seeing how we progress OnSecurity to continue to simplify pentesting for our clients. What's the best life lesson you have learnt in your career to date? 'It's never as good as you think and it's never as bad as you think!' What's your favourite thing to do when not working? I enjoy playing with my son, running and playing guitar. Phily Hayes, CEO at Zerve Phily Hayes, CEO at Zerve Hailing from New Inn in Tipperary, Mr Hayes now lives in Cahir. The 34-year-old co-founded Zerve in 2021. It is headquartered at the University of Limerick but now has representatives in nine countries across the globe. When and where was your company founded? May 2021, in Tipperary. What inspired you to create the business? The understanding we had that amazingly talented code first data teams weren't having the impact they should have, we set about trying to solve that for them and their organisations. What is your product/solution? Zerve is the operating system for developing and delivering data and AI products. Most tools on the market today solve isolated problems, but Zerve unifies the entire lifecycle—from planning and coding, to provisioning infrastructure, and deploying into production… in a single platform. The multi-agent platform helps humans and AI agents to work side by side and is designed for organisations that are creating AI products built to scale with the ability to deliver value. What problem does it solve and for who? Zerve tackles one of the most persistent challenges in enterprise AI and data science: translating prototypes and isolated experiments into real-world, production-grade products. In many organisations, data and AI projects stall after the proof-of-concept phase—not because of lack of talent or innovation, but because of bottlenecks in infrastructure, cross-team collaboration, and deployment workflows. We empower data scientists, machine learning engineers, and analytics teams to collaboratively build, iterate, and deploy AI and data products without getting sidelined by DevOps or system integration issues. What benefits does it bring to your clients? Zerve accelerates the journey from idea to impact, giving clients a faster time-to-value and enabling them to deliver a higher volume of high-quality data and AI projects. Zerve frees up experienced team members to focus on innovation and problem-solving. This means data teams are faster, more productive, more aligned, and more impactful. Zerve improves customer insights, optimizes operations, and supports new revenue streams. How do you use AI within your product/solution? Zerve is a platform for building AI, however we also use AI deeply within the platform, with breakthrough features like our Agent which works like a full stack Data & AI professional on your time. Unlike traditional AI code assistants that offer narrow, task-specific suggestions, the Zerve Agent operates with a broader, end-to-end understanding of the project lifecycle. It can scope a project, architect a solution, write production-ready code, manage infrastructure provisioning, and troubleshoot issues as they arise - all through natural language interactions and intelligent automation. Whether the goal is to spin up a new data pipeline, deploy a machine learning model, or run diagnostics on a production system, the Agent acts as an expert teammate to enable teams to move faster and reduce errors. Zerve not only supports AI development, it reshapes how organisations build and scale intelligent systems. What are the greatest challenges/benefits of AI as a tool for your industry? The speed of change can be a challenge, but we mainly view it as an opportunity and an exciting time to be working with this sort of technology. How challenging has it been to get clients to accept the use of AI services over traditional ones? We work with expert teams who have been working with AI for years, long before ChatGPT made AI a universal topic of conversation, so our teams do not have this concern. What is your business goal for 2025? Continuing to support some of the most talented teams in world using our solution, like NASA, HPE & Canal+, while also building an even bigger RnD footprint here in Ireland. What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today? The speed of change. How can it be overcome? Remain agile, nimble and open minded to the boundaries of what's possible constantly moving. How would you describe your job? Startup CEO. What's the best life lesson you have learnt in your career to date? Celebrate the wins. What's your favourite thing to do when not working? Hang out at home with my two kids and my wife. See More: AI, OnSecurity, Zerve
Extra.ie
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
'I feel lucky' - Ryan Tubridy opens up on proposal
Well, it's been quite the couple of weeks since I wrote my last London diary. It's probably best to start at the beginning and see where the road takes us! Some time ago, I agreed with my daughters that someday in the future, the three of us would visit Japan. We have been so curious about the country and its customs, art and people that we had built a great urge between us to go and see it for ourselves. Between the jigs and the reels, the timings never worked but that changed a couple of weeks ago when we boarded a plane for Abu Dhabi and then on to Osaka for what turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. I won't go into great detail as it was a wonderfully personal experience but I will tell you that it was like being beamed down from a spaceship onto the set of a Wes Anderson film. Clare Kambamettu and Ryan Tubridy. Pic:It's a uniformly beautiful, clean, mannerly, law-abiding place that can surprise you with every corner turned. An amusing highlight occurred when we were checking into the Hiroshima Hilton and a lovely man approached us with his arm outstretched in welcome. In his mild Cork accent he said that he was wondering how long it would take for a history buff like me to visit the city and hotel! I was flabbergasted as Mark Gardiner introduced himself and told some of his backstory. I said we were visiting the museum and peace park for the day, but maybe he'd join us later for a beer. Mark explained that his Japanese wife had been forced to watch the Toy Show for years, and could she come along to say hello? Obviously I was delighted by all of this so a plan was hatched. The Hiroshima museum and peace park is a place like no other. Over the course of an afternoon we heard, read and saw a very different account of the end of WWII and the repulsive effects of the atomic bomb. The park is all about living history, right down to the bombed-out, domed building that was left standing despite the fact that pretty much everything around it was levelled and destroyed. Easily one of the most fascinating, disturbing and thought-provoking places I've ever visited. Ryan Tubridy and his wife-to-be, Clare. Pic: Ryan Tubridy We took some time out, then met Mark and his wonderful and welcoming wife Kayo, who told us some remarkable stories about her city and indeed about how she met Mark (which is for them to share, not me!). We went on to eat at a local restaurant where the girls encouraged me to try the chopsticks, noodles and dumplings, which I did and I'm a changed man! Post-dinner merriment found us all in the mood to sample the local national sport that is karaoke, which was an awful lot of fun. Between us, we improved the back catalogue of Frank Sinatra, Bonnie Tyler, Bob Dylan, The Pogues and some Japanese icons. It was that kind of evening. Clare Kambamettu and Ryan Tubridy. Pic:for The Irish Post We were so lucky to meet Mark whose mother, Kay, has so much to be proud of – and, along with Kayo, we made some new and unexpected friends. Kudos to young Ronan Miyachi, a friend of my eldest. He is of Irish-Japanese heritage and took us on some magical mystery tours around the backstreets of Tokyo that I will treasure. We bumped into a lovely bunch of people from Glanmire and at the airports, it was great to say hello and step into selfies with Irish people from all over the world who were on the move. Dr Clare Kambamettu and Ryan Tubridy. Pic: RTÉ I'm not sure I'll ever need to go back to Japan (the flights go on forever when you've long legs!) but I wouldn't change a thing – it was unforgettable. And then it was back to Ireland where I just about had time to do a laundry manoeuvre, before heading West for a few days and a life-changing experience as I prepared to ask Clare to marry me. I don't want to give all the details but I do want to share a few moments because some people were enormously helpful along the way. Firstly, I knew I wanted to buy the ring in Clifden where the local jewellery shop has been a beautiful and important family concern for decades, and both myself and Clare love the area. I've also been preaching about shopping local for years so I wasn't going to Tiffany's. I called Jonty Daly in O'Dalaigh's and asked for some guidance and I can tell you, the man's a diamond! The care, attention and thought he put into every detail was above and beyond, right down to him driving out to Renvyle House Hotel to deliver the 'package' to Anne Marie Kelly, the incomparable general manager there. It was all so much fun and it felt distinctly Irish. By the Atlantic shore, I asked the important question and thankfully, the answer was in the affirmative – and so began the most gorgeous weekend. The staff and joyful hotel patrons helped make it all feel special. We called into Jonty the next day to thank him and his staff; there was a little confusion about online stories but that was entirely at my end. Jonty did not let the cat out of the bag, it was an innocent miscommunication and we're all firm friends. In fact, he joined us at The Abbeyglen Castle Hotel that evening where my cousin Brian Hughes and his amazing wife, Michelle, raised a few glasses with another cousin, Rachael Coyle and her brilliant husband, Shane. Another lovely night was had that ended with songs at the piano! After that, it was Scrabble, cycling and sleeping before boarding a plane in Shannon and heading to the skies – a different man with a whole new vista ahead. I felt and feel lucky, happy and ready for another welcome twist in the tale.
