Tag: Doran’s

Doran’s Corner and Courthouse Road in February 2024

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Live Aid, The Musical

I hadn’t thought about Live Aid for years until I mentioned it last week in the context of the old Pres. yearbook. And then, just like that, mention of it is everywhere.

Bob Geldof and his wife were among a slew of celebrities at the press night for a new musical based on the story of Live Aid.

Geldof, 72, who was lead singer of the Boomtown Rats, appeared alongside his wife Jeanne Marine at the Old Vic, which is where the production is being staged.  Just For One Day tells the story of the Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia on July 13th, 1985, which were organised by Geldof and fellow musician Midge Ure to raise money for the Ethiopian famine. The plot of the production, which takes its name from a line in David Bowie’s song Heroes, combines a behind-the-scenes look at how Band Aid and Live Aid came together with a love story inspired by real events.  The stage adaption of Just For One Day, written by British author John O’Farrell, premiered on January 26th and will run until March 30th.

It is directed by Luke Sheppard and features music by Bob Dylan, The Who, U2, The Police, The Pretenders, The Cars, Status Quo, Bryan Adams and Diana Ross.

(Source: Facebook)

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Back Then…..

Way back then…

Thanks to Ger Greaney for the memory.

For the young people who never heard of this malarkey, I’ll explain.

It was Valentine’s day 56 years ago. The programme was The Late Late show. Gay Byrne had a married couple from the audience to play a “game” where the husband is asked questions about their honeymoon and then the wife is asked the same questions.

This account is from The Journal…

During the game, played with audience participation, a man was asked what colour nightie his wife wore on their wedding night. He replied that it was ‘transparent’, eliciting huge guffaws from the audience.

When asked the same question, his wife answered that she could not remember and that maybe she had worn none at all, a response which was to cause huge controversy.

Until the arrival of The Late Late Show, matters of such personal intimacy were virtually unheard of as topics of public discourse. Furthermore, the fact that the comment by Mr Fox on his wife’s ‘transparent’ nightie caused no public outrage manifests the gendered nature of Irish culture of the time.

In 1960s Ireland it was not entirely condemnable for a man to make comments, albeit unintentionally, of a sexual nature. Mrs Fox’s comments, however, were deemed unacceptable utterances from a woman, moreover a woman who on first encounter had appeared wholesome and content.

Fast forward to 2024 and we have Love Island.

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A Poem

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An Artefact

At the last meeting of Muskerry Local History Society we were treated to an interesting talk by Liam Hayes on Lighting without Electricity.

Liam took us from the candle, once only a source of light, now a romantic accessory or refuge in a power cut.

Before electricity there were three powers, divine power, horse power and candle power. All of that changed in 1946 when rural electrification came to the countryside. It was 1958 before it came to Clonmult where Liam lived. The ESB brought the power to the gate and the householder had to have it installed in the house at a cost per light switch and per plug socket. Most people took one switch and one socket.

We had tilly lamps for the house and storm lanterns for the yard.

Top right is a carbide lamp from 1900 and bottom right is a bicycle lamp.

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A Fact

The Tailteann Games date back to the Bronze Age. The Tailteann Games were held to honour a goddess from the country’s pagan days. They were named for the Goddess Tailtiu, who was the daughter of the King of Spain who later married the High King of Ireland.

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