Page 49 - Patrick Kavanagh News Today

More than 300,000 people tuned in online this year to watch performances from the Abbey Theatre, a record-breaking engagement figure for the theatre.

Almost half (46pc) of the audience came from overseas after all productions were cancelled on March 11. On average, 122,820 people attend a show annually - this year, the figure fell to just 18,728. However, the audience took to virtual means to view some of their favourite productions and 324,490 tuned in to watch shows online over the course of the year. 46pc of people tuned in from overseas, with a third watching from the UK and 6.3pc from the United States. Viewers from Canada, Australia, G...

For someone making Christmas addresses for decades, the Queen of England’s contribution to the lexicon of commonly used phrases has been minimal. But she introduced the term “annus horribilis” when once declaring “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure”. Should she repeat the phrase during this year’s Christmas speech, drinkers in wet pubs probably won’t exclaim: “She took the words out of my mouth.” But only because wet pubs aren’t open and we...

A long, long time ago, back when the Dubs lost as many games as they won, a large sign always stood out amidst the Hill 16 sea of blue. “Kerry for the Holidays, Dublin for Sam,” it proclaimed, in a back-handed compliment to the scenic attractions found in the county of their greatest rivals. That sign came to mind last week when a court case based around mistaken geography unfolded at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Gardaí had followed and stopped a car in which a number of men were found to ...

Books, Netflix, and National Theatre live were three of the pillars supporting my sanity this year. As it draws to a close, we must remember that there was lots of good stuff in 2020 and much of it came from the arts. Whether it was a new novel from Maggie OFarrell or William Boyd, Gillian Anderson (as powerful in Streetcar as she was in The Crown), or The Queens Gambit, they brought comfort and joy. Our erudite quiz setter Alison Walsh has looked back at the strange year that was 2020 and dev...

The revival of Our New Girl by Nancy Harris at the Gate was a welcome slice of the urban contemporary. First produced at the Bush in 2012, this psychological drama in which the idea that a woman can have it all gets a spectacular kicking. Directed by Annabelle Comyn, the show had a strong thriller-ish edge, with genuine uncertainty about how the story would twist. The dominant uncertainty was offstage however, and having opened in March, it halted its run early as the country went into its fir...

Updated / Saturday, 19 Dec 2020 12:46 We need your consent to load this Vimeo contentWe use Vimeo to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences Acclaimed actor Aaron Monaghan reads Patrick Kavanaghs much-loved poem Advent with music by Irish composer Linda Buckley.  RTÉ in association with the Creative Ireland Programme is calling on Ireland to Shine Your li...

December and Christmases in our Childhood JOHN CORBETT presents a selection of memories of life in the Irish countryside during the month of December   Advent, as most of you know, is the four week period leading up to Christmas. In the early part of the century, it resembled Lent because people fasted and denied themselves luxuries when it arrived. References to this can be found in Patrick Kavanagh’s poem entitled Advent in the following lines: Where dry black bread and the sugar...

Laois poet, Arthur Broomfield launches new book Reporter: What do poets do in the lockdown? Write poetry of course, or that’s what renowned Ballyfin poet, Dr Arthur Broomfield has been doing. His latest work, Ireland Calling [Revival Press, Limerick] is a new departure for the best-selling author. It digs deep into the Irish ballad tradition of telling yarns and bringing characters to life through language that sparkles with vitality. “This book truly is poetry for the people,” says Dr C...

  To see it written about now, you might almost think it was a political screed, but in fact it was what its author called more of "a little elegy, a love song to my native land", plainly but gorgeously written. There was "Kate, the obedient one, the incurable romantic, and Baba, her alter ego, determined to smash the conventions and defy the strictures of church, priests, nuns and parenthood," she later wrote. "I was, in a sense, both of those girls, though I kept the rebellious s...