I’m recycling this picture from last year mainly because it’s one of my favourite photos of Armagh and also because it’s probably the only snow we’re going to see in Armagh this Christmas and that’s fine with me because Christmas and New Years means many of us are on the roads travelling to visit loved ones and the snow makes all that difficult and dangerous. As much as I do love snow, I have an additional reason for wanting mild weather over the next few weeks – our next Flash Fiction event has drawn writers not just from as far away as Tyrone and Newry, but Flash Fiction Armagh goes international in 2019 with 3 brilliant writers coming all the way from Paris, France especially to read at Flash Fiction Saturday Night at the Museum!
We are excited to announce our line up for this event taking place in the Armagh County Museum on Saturday, 5th January 2019 at 7 pm. It’s a truly international crew this time with writers laying claim to a total of (at least) 6 nationalities and 2 continents! Flash Fiction Armagh presents:
Omaya Nasser End of the Line
Mark Brownlee Armagh
Kieran McGurk Blobby
Seán Farry Cás na dteifeach – Tá dhá thaobh ar an bhád and Feidhmiú an Ranga
Sue Divin Says Himself
Elaine Toal Revisiting
Karen Mooney A More Sustainable Future
Malachi Kelly Mother Son and Ghost
Trish Bennet Kilty Relics
Jay Faulkner Always and Forever
P.V. Wolseley L’ Origine du Monde Speaks and La Grande Odalisque
Nina Francus To Wander, lost
Anne Mc Master Gardeners World
Réamonn Ó Ciaráin Bás Chúchulainn
I hear it all around me. There's a fizzle in the air, people calling greetings, reunion hugs, first meeting handshakes and mutual shoulder clapping for those readers expressing how nervous they are. A new to Flash Fiction Armagh person arrives in and I send her in the direction of the bunch mostly made up mostly from Women Aloud NI members who have all coalesced around one table. "Just tell them you're here by yourself and they'll welcome you," I say, but to be fair, such is our audience that you could sit down at any table and you'd be knee deep in conversation in two seconds flat.
I see her safely absorbed into the craic before she even makes it to the table I'd pointed out. I give folk little more time to be social. The bistro staff are working flat-out to get everyone organised but luckily no-one is stamping feet and singing, "Why are we waiting?" We're in a happy place.
I breathe a sigh of relief that we've filled the room and only need a couple of extra chairs brought in - a perfect crowd for a perfect night.
Watching the room fill up before the event.
One final check that there are no late lingerers still downstairs, then I give Réamonn Ó Ciarán the thumbs up and we're off. The stories wow us - each and every one. But don't take my word for it, watch for yourselves. Each one speaks for itself...
Christopher Moore's story Solitude is superbly written and keeps us hooked right to the end.
First time Flash Fictioner, Rachel Toner takes the floor and wows the audience with Inferno.
No-one can believe this is Patricia Hanlon's first time reading her work, when she enthrals us with her extract from Kirty's Vow, leaving us all asking, "Where/when can we buy this book."
Terry Hickland entertains us from his beautifully written forthcoming novel, The Piano Boat.
We share in Maureen Boyle's heartache as she read her short story Box Room, and admire the sweater the story references her knitting.
From deepest darkest Tyrone, Kieran Mc Gurk reads Zaragoza and the room hanging on his every word and accents (some of which I reckon are not from Tyrone!)
I bring us into the intermission with A Thick Foundation.
After the break Réaltán Ní Leannáin expertly brings us through her excerpt from her novel set in Malta and written in Irish, Cití na gCártaí, cleverly bridging the language barrier so everyone can enjoy both the story and the language it is written in.
Cathy Carson makes us all sit up and take notice with her amazing performance of Wake Up Call from memory - a new and higher setting of the bar in Flash Fiction Armagh!
Mahogany is Peter Hollywood's thrilling story about a knife fight and keeps us all on the edge of our seats.
Gaynor Kane gives us a wry smile as she recounts a strange decision by the Highway Patrol in Oregan in Jonah and the Whale.
A stunning theatrical performance by Rose Tumilty of Hunter's Moon O'er Airgialla steps us back in history and lore.
Eddie Mc Clenaghan's fresh take on a teched-up Santa brings the smiles to our faces with The Night Before Christmas Was Cool.
Christmas Disaster by Doreen Mc Bride has us all laughing, ending the evening on a high was is still being discussed "up the town" on Saturday when I bump into audience members at the Georgian Festival.
It's fair to say that the Flash Fiction events are going from strength to strength and that's due to the fabulous teamwork of the writers who submit such excellent work, the audience who support them and the wonderful venues we've been lucky enough to have host us. If watching these videos has given you some inspiration, submission's are open until 5th December 2018 for the Flash Fiction Saturday Night in the Museum taking place on 5th January 2019 in Armagh County Museum. So get those stories in asap! Byddi Lee
I seriously cannot believe my good fortune - there's just so much going on in the literary scene in Armagh that I find myself swinging from one event to the next!
Last Friday night, I was proud to be included in a contingent from Women Aloud NI who were invited as special guests to the always wonderful Open Mic Night in the Abbey Lane Theatre. I'm a huge fan of this establishment and always have a grand old evening there but it was with a double pride that I presented it to my sistas from Women Aloud NI and vice versa. Each group wowed the other and rightly so. The readings were deep, rich, lewd and entertaining in equal measure and doubled down by the musical acts and poetry from regulars, it added up to a brilliant night. It filled me up with that "ah, my wee Armagh" glow that warms my heart so often these days.
The John O Connor Festival begins on the 1st November and I'm excited about volunteering, attending and reading at the festival.
And last but certainly by no means least, Flash Fiction in Georgian Armagh is pleased to announce it's line up for the event taking place on 22nd November 2018 at 7pm upstairs in Mulberry Bistro during Armagh's amazing Georgian Festival. And what a lineup!
In no particular order, congratulations to,
Kerry Buchanan
Only a Clockwok Heart
Réaltán Ní Leannáin
Excerpt from Cití na gCártaí to be published in 2019 with Cois Life Press
People seemed to arrive more on time than usual, possibly the lure of warm mulled cider on a wet evening, or more likely - as was our case- afraid of getting lost in the wilderness of the Armagh Orchards.
The Barn was welcoming with its rustic decor and its aroma of cider and spices filling the air. Before too long the place filled up. I was heartened to see people who had been before greeting other regulars. Setting out on this project back at the beginning of the year, our goal had been to create community amongst writers and readers and I could see that unfolding effortlessly before me.
We started with Elaine Toal and her heartwarming story called Hurricane Glamping.
The title drew a wry chuckle from the audience considering Storm Ali had battered us all the previous day. We didn't need to stretch our imaginations too far back to feel the gusts of wind that Elaine described so eloquently. A minor technical hitch with the sound about a third of the way through Elaine's reading meant that parts of it were difficult to hear. She battled on professionally to the end, trying to ignore it when the misbehaving mics crackled and fizzed. (The joys of new venues and new equipment!) We got the tech sorted and were able to continue, but I was happy when at the break a member of the audience suggested we ask her to read again. They had liked what they had heard and wanted the full story, others agreed and I was struck by the generosity of our audience. It was also a huge compliment to Elaine who, unencumbered by mics throwing hissy-fits, rocked the story the second time around.
Next up was Jay Faulkner, bringing the audience to the brink of tears with his emotive story And Then She Danced.
Jay always delivers and the crowd was dead silent as he read.
Somewhere outside a baby lamb bleated. I'm not sure yet if the sound came out on the recording but it was surreal - I wondered if I was imagining it, or if it was someone's ringtone, but later others confirmed they too had heard a lamb. It all added to being in a barn, in an Orchard, in Armagh, telling stories. I had one of those moments? How did I get to be here doing this? And grateful for every second of it, for every person in that barn, readers (listeners) and writers, for one was nothing without the other. My biology head kicked in and labelled it - Symbiosis.
Sue Divin lightened the mood with her lovely and lively rendition of Twist or Pull, a story aptly set in an orchard in Armagh about two young boys stealing apples.
The percussion of rain on the tin roof above us added to our sense of being right there in the orchard with them. The twist, as promised in the title was beautifully executed by this excellent wordsmith.
Jude Alexander had us all enthralled with her story Realization.
Her observation skills and attention to detail reminded me that that is what makes good writing, great.
If one can be a better writer by osmosis (or listening to good writing) then I was in the right place!
Réamonn Ó Ciaráin's story Glacadh arm agus an chéad mharú magically transported us, not only to the era of Cúchulainn but in the lyrical Irish language to a story about our Ulster Hero in an anger frenzy being calmed down by way of distraction by the women of Armagh stripping naked - I just hoped they weren't having the weather we'd been having.
Yet again, it was great to hear people's positive reactions to hearing the reading in Irish.
I continue to be inspired to learn more Irish.
During the intermission Philip and Helen Troughton, acclaimed artisan cider makers treated us to a taste of their apple juices and ciders. Delish! But don't take my word for it - keep an eye out for their cider range in Tescos, Marks & Spencers and Kellys in Armagh. Go on, treat yourself.
Our first reader scheduled after the break created a spellbinding atmosphere with her reading that even silenced the lamb.
A true literary genius, Cathy Carson held our hearts in her hands as she read Ready, leaving hardly a dry eye in the house.
Hot on her heels, Paul Anthony pulled us into the world of a person obsessed with counting with his clever use of language in The Dead Counter.
The twist at the end collected a unified gasp from the audience and the lamb resumed operations!
The rain continued to 'fall like pebbles' on the roof - to paraphrase John O Connor's words - as Eddie McClenaghan took to the apple-barrel-podium.
He expertly wove a tale in his story, A Smile that carried the audience all the way through a fantastical twist that left us reeling. A new talent we hope to see more of.
Kieran Mc Gurk evoked emotion and wry smiles with his story Lonely Hearts.
He deftly captured our emotions and served them up to us with added spice and a twist of humour.
To round up the evening fellow Women Aloud NI member, Doreen Mc Bride read My Dolls Funeral, leaving us all with a good laugh.
When I complimented her on her humour, she looked me straight in the eye and declared that it wasn't funny at all. She had buried her doll! I've heard Doreen read at Women Aloud NI events, and the lady always leaves me smiling.
Our next Flash Fiction event takes place during the Georgian Festival in Armagh. Submissions are open for Flash Fiction in Georgian Armagh until 22nd October. Please do not submit if you are not available to read at the event. For dates of our other Flash Fiction events until March 2019 click here.
We'd like to thank the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council for their support and for including us in their festivals. I've seen the work and commitment that goes into making these festivals so sucessful. They should be really proud of what they have achieved here.
It led me to preface my talk with the ad-lib, 'This time three years ago, when I heard through social media that this literary festival was first taking place in Armagh I was really excited - except for one thing. I was living in San Jose, California.'
In a weird parallel-universe-type symmetry, at that time, back in 2016, I was meeting up with Catherine Barry the founder and organiser of the Los Gatos Irish Arts and Writers Festival just up the road from where I lived in California. They were preparing for their first festival to take place at the beginning of October.
As it turned out, I missed both those festivals that year because we moved to Paris.
And so fast-forward to 2018, I was thrilled to be included in a line-up of very distinguished, talented and renowned people involved with the local writing scene in the North of Ireland. This was the artist running order...
Joris Minne
Lord Mayor of ABC - Julie Flaherty
Damian Smyth ACNI
Mark Adair BBCNI
Nuala McKeever
Anthony Quinn
Nisha Tandon – Arts Ekta
David Park
Christine Morrow
Brenda Winter Palmer
Tony Villiers
Kate O Hanlon - John O’Connor Creative writing group
David Braziel
Byddi Lee
Cathy McCullough
I was second last up, so I battled down the oul' nerves as best I could as I enjoyed the other speakers, in between bouts of crippling self-doubt (How the heck was I going to match up with these guys?) and quietly fangirling because I was sitting beside Nuala McKeever ( Belfast's 'Queen of Comedy' from Give My Head Peace.)
And then, there I was standing at the podium realising that in three years I had gone from wishing I could go to this festival to speaking at its programme launch with all "them uns what were famous, like!"
Thankfully, I'd everything I'd wanted to say written down in from of me. Anne Mc Master, a good friend I'd met through Women Aloud NI had helped me prepare my spiel and all I had to do now was deliver it. I suffer from performance amnesia. When I do a reading or engage in any public speaking, I can't remember much of it afterwards, but I must have done okay because when I sat down, Nuala McKeever leaned in and said, "I'm doing a workshop in Dublin tomorrow. Can I quote your words?"
I was flabbergasted and nodded vigorously.
She offered to take a photo of the piece of paper that was by now somewhat bend out of shape from my sweaty hands clutching it for the past hour and a half.
"No need. Sure, have the whole thing," I said, shoving it towards her, limp creases and all.
She read aloud the line she'd liked and thanked me, little knowing how much she'd made my day.
Here's the full piece for your own perusal - I wonder can you guess the bit Nuala liked...
Armagh is a special place, not only to those who live here but to visitors who come to enjoy this beautiful ancient city with its friendly people. It’s not until you leave Armagh that you realise how truly special it is. I think about John O Connor on his travels in hot dusty Australia and wonder, was he homesick for Armagh, did he crave the tang of a Bramley apple and the spice of our humour?
As I read “Come Day Go Day ” sitting in the heat of a Californian drought, O Connor’s words brought old Armagh to me. I heard the noise of water tumbling on the umbrella when he wrote, “... the rain drummed against it like a flurry of pebbles.” I took delight in his description of how “The afternoon sunshine fell upon the clean dry road...”
At the time, I was already mentally packing up my life abroad – the tug of home, held at bay for a good half dozen years, had finally gained traction. But what would happen to my writing? When I’d last lived here, I’d been a biology teacher – now I was returning as a writer – sure, it was like I was a totally different person.
I’d only been settled back in Armagh for a month when I attended my first John O Connor Writing School Literary festival last year. This cultural feast served portions of literature, platters of poetry and servings of song – all seasoned with plenty of craic!
Writers need community. You sit in a room all day by yourself, even worse – you hang out in your own head for hours at a time. The John O Connor festival is a place to meet and connect with other writers, to practice your craft and to share ideas and resources. That’s where I first heard about ‘Women Aloud NI’ whose aim is to raise the profile of women writing the North. I joined and as a result, have had many opportunities to showcase my writing.
After the 2017 festival, I wanted to keep that sense of belonging, of community amongst writers alive and promote Armagh as a place where writing happens. That’s why I started the Facebook Page and group – Armagh Writers – a group for writers who are from or who live in Armagh.
I also volunteered on the John O Connor Writing School board and have been in the role of secretary since January.
To draw writers to and to provide a platform for writers in Armagh, another Armagh writer, Réamonn Ó Ciaráin and I started Flash Fiction Armagh. We’ve been included in the Food and Cider Festival at the end of this month as Flash Fiction in the Orchard and are collaborating as part of The John O’Connor Lyrical Literary Lunchtime on Sunday 4th November.
Festivals like this one enable our communities to thrive, whether that be the writing community or the wider community. Everyone needs the arts. Humanity needs language, in all its forms, to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings to each other so we may recognize ourselves in others, rejoice in our similarities and learn from our differences. And this is where the John O Connor Writing School Literary Festival plays a pivotal role in our city – for it represents the things that make Armagh great – namely, culture, creativity and community.
Be sure to book your tickets ASAP to avoid disappointment. It's a brilliant weekend. For a reminder of how last years festival went click here.
An outstanding response to our call for submissions gave us some difficulty making our final selection. We are delighted to present the following writers at Flash Fiction in the Orchard, as part of the Armagh Food and Cider Festival, on the 20th September 2018 at 7pm.
In no particular order, congratulations to:
Elaine Toal, Hurricane Glamping
Jay Faulkner, And Then She Danced Sue Divin, Twist or Pull Jude Alexzander, The Realisation
Sharon Dempsey, The Watcher
Réamonn Ó Ciaráin, Glacadh arm & an chéad mharú Cathy Carson,Ready Paul Anthony, The Dead Counter Eddie McClenaghan, A Smile Louise G Cole, Unscripted Kieran Mc Gurk, Lonely Hearts Doreen McBride, My dolls funeral
So please come to the Armagh Cider Company’s beautifully restored barn where we’ll be having the event. Booking is essential, and tickets are available here. I have enjoyed reading all the submissions, and consider it a privilege to have writers send me their work. The standard has been consistently high and if a story is not selected it is no reflection on the writer’s talents. To all writers – including myself – I say keep writing, keep submitting and keep going – and thank you for your tenacity because without writers picking themselves up and burrowing through despite the rejection letters, we’d all miss out on great literature, books and stories.
My brain whirls with such a kaleidoscope of thoughts and ideas that I hardly know where to begin. The theme of the John Hewitt International Summer School this year is “Facing change: shifting borders and allegiances.”
As I sit in the sun outside the Market Place theatre and look across the street, I’m transported back in time to see two little girls, my sister and I, swinging and tumbling on the bars between on the concrete bollards that spanned the black expanse of tarmac that once covered Market Street. This was our playground. I was an expert at hanging upside down by my knees like a little bat.
I share my flashback with my summer school friends by telling them I used to live there, point out which was our house, which one was my grandfather's tailor shop and most importantly which one was the sweetie shop. Someone says that it must have been lovely to live there, but I point out that it was 1970’s Armagh and the place did not look like it does now. Facing change in this way is a welcome thing. So much is better but as the talks and panel discussions highlight, we still have a way to go and the path can be rocky – especially apparent after the panel discussion “What went wrong?” on the very first day with Gregory Campbell, Brid Rodgers, Colm Gildernew and Trevor Ringland.
I hadn’t expected the political discussions. I try to keep local politics out of my writing. In fact, I try to keep all politics out of my writing, but that panel discussion left me feeling like all the emotional sand I’d used to cover my political opinions had stirred up and was now swirling around, muddying the waters. I’d wanted to shout at the panel, “Listen to each other.” Have we ever just asked simple questions like, “What do you want?” “What do you need?” Have we ever given simple answers? Can we simply be fair? Kind?
There were some beautifully uplifting moments too. It was a delight to listen to Liz Nugent and Claire Allan in conversation. These women were so supportive and generous to each other. It enforces what I always say about writers – we are never in completion with each other. A book can be read far faster than it can be written. If a reader loves two writers who have similar style/genres/subject matter then they will read both. Because of this week, I need to buy another bookcase! Also great to see Dave Torrens from No Alibis selling books in Armagh – perhaps he’ll consider a pop-up bookstore here in the run-up to Christmas?
My favourite speaker was Eli Davies. Her exploration of how literature portrays the role of women during the conflict here was inspiring. I fear the creative light-bulb moments she ignited… do I really want to ever write about those times from my own perspective…maybe sometime. The following day Monica McWilliams blew on those creative sparks, with her talk about Women Waging Peace as she infused me with hope for a better future.
If you ever get a chance to see Mikel Murfi’s The Man in the Woman’s Shoes and the sequel I Hear You and Rejoice don’t hesitate to go. Sometimes a piece of writing is just so brilliant it grabs a hold of you and just won’t let go. Even days later, there are moments when I laugh out loud or tear up simply thinking about these performances. Murfi savages the audience's emotions, mercilessly swinging us between gales of laughter to floods of tears. What is it about the human condition that we actually enjoy having our emotions thus pummeled?
Between the panel discussions and classes, over coffee or wandering around the city, new friendships were forged, old friendships strengthened, ideas shared, concepts explored. Thank you to the organizers of the John Hewitt Summer School for creating a diverse and stimulating programme that enables people to get together, to share and unite. This was the overall best part of the summer school experience – the way the attendees came together in a solid body, a meeting of minds, hearts and muses. The camaraderie was palpable, the laughter infectious and the tears too – especially for those of us who attended the Mikel Murfi performances.
I would also like to thank the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for sponsoring my bursary to attend the John Hewitt Summer School.
Thanks also to the wonderful women in Women Aloud NI who were a joy to be with all week long. Despite the things that make us different, it is the things we have in common that matter. Accepting our diversity makes us stronger and more adaptable, more able to face change, more happy to accept change. I loved having you here – please come back soon. Click here to read what my friend Angeline King thought of Armagh - you might be surprised, or you may know better and might not be at all surprised...
For a local like me, it was wonderful to see people come and enjoy Armagh. It is a special place, has been for thousands of years, all the way back to times of Navan Fort. There’s magic here, and I feel that magic touched us all last week, helping us to listen to one another, share with each other, giving us the tools to face change together because together is the only way humans will surmount the changes facing us in the near and distant future.
When I returned to Armagh in September 2018, I really wanted to learn about screenwriting. My dream is to see March To November as a six-part BBC drama. I've had a little bit of interest from screenwriters to do a movie but nothing came from that and so I thought I'd learn the craft myself.
Screenwriting NI is a Facebook group which encourages community among screenwriters They are a warm and welcoming bunch, and extremely patient with new screenwriters like me. At one of their meetings, I met the talented Marion McDowell. She generously agreed to swap critiquing scripts with me - extremely generous, considering my lack of experience compared to hers. But I felt I could at least contribute with plot structure and story since that would be similar in many ways to writing fiction.
Her script was called 'Dark & Stormy' and I offered some suggestions. She entered the script into a couple of competitions and was shorted-listed and won awards! When she asked me if I'd like to be involved with the shooting of the film, I said yes immediately.
So I had committed before I realized that we were shooting a film that would need to be filmed late at night, in the rain!
There wasn't a drop of rain for the first shoot back in April but the crew had a rain rig. I was tasked with working the clapperboard and was happy to do it. It was quite an education. One scene can take hours. The minutest details can cause havoc. The shoot ended at 3.30am. The road back to Armagh was eerily empty of traffic. But it had been a great evening of cooperation, camaraderie and making new friends.
Life gets in the way and the date for the second shoot was pushed out and out until eventually, we were all available on Sunday morning. That is Sunday morning at 6.30am. Quelle horror! That means me leaving Armagh at 5.30am.
I dreaded the early rise from the moment the date had been set but in all honesty, it was a teeth-grittingly gorgeous morning. A golden fireball of sun gave movie-magic lighting to the empty roads and rolling fields rippling with long green grass, as I made my way to the big smoke. When I got there I had my choice of parking spots in just off Great Victoria Street! I chose one near one of those self-cleaning public toilets I'd seen across Europe but have never had the courage nor necessity to use. But as it so happened I reckoned today was going to be the day I would avail of their services since I badly needed to go and there were no cafes open yet.
The rest of the crew and cast were arriving and I thought I better get the public toilet experience over with so I could get to work. But the toilet wasn't accepting my coins. I wasn't too heartbroken - It smelt rank and I was standing outside in the fresh air. But I was going to have to get inventive. Someone suggested I try the bus station behind the Europa so I headed that way to find the gates there closed. However, the Europa Hotel was open and the security guard on the door was distracted chatting to someone who seemed to have a tonne of luggage. I slipped in through the revolving doors and tried to walk as though a) I knew where I was going and b)as if I had every right to be there. I headed for the grand staircase - following the sign for the restrooms - got about four steps up when I heard a polite but firm "Are you okay there?"
I couldn't tell if the man was front desk or security but either way, I'd have to explain myself. Oh, the shame of getting thrown out of the Europa and me not even drunk!
Should I pretend to be a guest?
Nah - better to be honest...
"Sorry, but is there any chance I could use your toilets," I asked.
"Sure, they're just 'round here." He pointed to the cafe and added, "Can I get you a coffee while you're here?"
Seriously! Instead of kicking me out, he offered me a coffee!
"No thanks, it's just that we're shooting a film up the street and there's nowhere open," I explained unnecessarily because a) it didn't matter what I was doing he was letting me use the loo and if I'm honest I was just showing off because I loved saying that bit about "shoot a film" and b) it was 6.30 on a Sunday Morning in Belfast - of course, nothing else was open and he would know that!
"No problem, luv," he said (Belfast men and women call everybody love - it's not him being sexist) "Sure you know where we are if you have to come back."
As I had the most luxurious pee, (for free) all I could think about was how lucky I'd been to avoid the smelly mysterious public toilets that never seemed to work but smelled like they were used all the time!
When I got back to the rest of the crew, Marion was laughing in that I-can't-believe-this-is-happening way. The building we wanted to use for filming now had a crane in front of it and a team of window cleaners were getting set to work. Marion decided that the footpath in front of the Millenium Building would work just as well - actually better since the trees across the road had leafed out since she'd first scouted the location and the shot from Fratelli's of the original choice of building would be awkward. Serendipity at work!
The team got set up and started shooting. The actors are so game. Poor Shannen Lofthouse, playing the lead role, had to lie on Great Victoria Street for a good half hour. It was now past 7am and Belfast was waking up, or at least the tourists were judging by the wheelie cases trundling past giving us curious looks. By the way that's not the security guard from the Europa... that's our actor PJ Davey who was scary to watch in front of the camera (on purpose, of course) and a really nice guy behind the scenes.
At least it was a nice day to be lying about the streets of Belfast but that posed another problem for us. The script called for it to be dark and stormy but it was gloriously sunny and dry! Yes, we had a rain-rig but we weren't sure how that would go down what with there being a hosepipe bad in effect. Just our luck...
But the scriptwriter is God of their world- at least within the body of the script. When one of the actors Griffin Madill suggested a switch out of the words "dark and stormy" with the words "bright and sunny" in one of the lines, Marion ran with it realizing it actually made the script even better - you'll have to watch the film to understand! But serendipity strikes again.
Then when we were in the swing of things, with Griffin Madill aka The Slasher, giving us his chilling stare, a team of road workers struck up their tarmac cutting saw right beside us. Not quite the "slashing" we were pitching for. I went and had a wee chat with them to see how long they planned on making hat God-awful noise. I reckoned they might well tell me where to go but no... they were simply lovely. Promised they'd have finished this piece of noisy cutting in 5 minutes and then quiet for a while. When they planned to resume cutting it would be in bursts of 5 minutes and they'd send someone up to warn us. I thanked them and told them no need to send anyone since we'd hear for ourselves but sure enough one of them came up to tell us they were starting the drill. I was sweet of them, but I suspected they were happy for a wee nosy too - I would be - which was why I was there!
Behind the scenes time works in a weird way - sometimes it's a mad scramble to get things done and then there's loads of waiting around time. Our cast & crew camped out at the bus stop for a while - grateful of somewhere to sit down.
The camera and sound crew work seem to have a big workload - to my inexperienced eyes.
But there's always time for a bit of craic with the cast. Shannen's knee looks so sore but that's all down to our excellent makeup department!
The second half of our shoot took place in Fratelli's, and oh boy, was that a luxury!
Frederika Machala
The cast for the next set of scenes arrived and we were working roughly to schedule which was a miracle considering the window cleaners and the saw guys, not to mention the fact we'd had to work around using the rain rig.
We had a coffee station and even fancier toilets than the Europa - I know go on a lot about loos but these things are important to me.
Ray, the restaurant manager was welcoming and helpful. We took over the upstairs and filmed a scene with three obnoxious men ogling a young waitress. That was their characters. Behind the scenes, all the actors of both genders were simply lovely - a pleasure to work with! The actors at the table below are Tim Ferguson with his back to us, Nigel Boone drinking his pretend whiskey (cold tea) and Corey Millar.
Things went pretty smoothly. We even had time for a bit of messing about with the gender roles between setting up shots. The original line had Nigel's character leaching over the waitress (played by Frederika) and saying "Can't beat the twenty-year-olds."
Frederika turns it all around.
The camera-woman (me) wasn't too bad for this, but I'd sack the sound person (also me!)
For me, this has been a fascinating process. I'm in awe of movies now, and the patience that actors must have (our actors are so tolerant and wait for long periods of time between shots in sometimes uncomfortable conditions.) I'm grateful to be a part of this project and am looking forward to seeing the final product.
The upstairs room in Mulberry Bistro filled quickly and when every seat was taken, people had to line up around the wall, lean against the bar and crowd the door. The following photo doesn't tell the full story as it was taken about ten minutes before we started when the room was still relatively half empty!
We doubled our audience since the first event and we were thrilled to bits. Nearly everyone who came the last time came back and many brought their friends. There was an air of excited expectation. With the rising hubbub, I worried that Réamonn Ó Ciaráin, whose turn it was to be MC for the evening, would have trouble getting things started but in a flash, he had the crowd tamed and ready to listen to the fantastic readers we had lined up.
First up, Maureen Boyle read an extract of her poem Incunabula from her recently published book, The Work of a Winter.
Karen Mooney was back again with a lovely poem about her brother road-racing. You could sense the audience share Karen's emotion as she worried about her brothers' safety in her poem, I Didn’t Feel the Wasp Sting.
Another returnee, Christopher Moore gave us a skilful and delightful peek into the mind of a poetic genius with his piece Yeats.
All the way from Gweedore, County Donegal, Máire Dinny Wren read Scáile Dheirdre, the lilt and rhythm of the Irish language brought me back to my Gaeltacht days as a teen. I wish I'd keep practising the language - perhaps it's not too late.
After the break, Jude Alexzander toyed with our emotions in a brilliantly crafted story called Hope.
Elaine Toal, a new local talent kept us on the edge of our seats with, Revisiting. A lovely reading and I'm hoping to see more from Elaine.
All the way from Hungary, Csilla Toldy told the heartbreaking story, The Joke.
Malachi Kelly's story reminded us how far we have come in his heart-stopping reading of One More.
And finally, we had Peter Hollywood's beautifully crafted and emotive After the conflict with it's honest and wry commentary about where we live today.
From the above video footage, I think you'll agree that each and every reader had the audience enthralled. You could hear a pin drop in a room packed to the gills, where every table held cups and saucers, or glasses or plates and cutlery and yet silence fell and held its ground for each reading. It was simply a special evening and a great gathering of readers and listeners.
This time there's a small cover charge that includes snacks and cider tasting and tickets are available here.
Submissions are now open for this event until 20th August 2018. Please email your 200 – 750-word submission within the body of your email (no attachments please) to byddi@hotmail.com.
If it's anything like that first two events, it promises to be a great night out.
My heart is full and sure how could it not be? A warm summer's day in Ireland is a magical place.
The sunsets these past few days are like nothing I've ever experienced anywhere in the world. With the long evenings - sunset at 9.45pm - the sun takes a long amble to the horizon in tones of pink gold. Everyone is in great form and each greeting includes, "Lovely day, isn't it?" And a lovely day (or few days) it has been.
The fields are bursting full of flowers...
...and cute baby animals.
And there's the mysterious headless horse of Ballymacnab!
Okay, maybe this is a better angle of him, grazing contentedly under the full moon.
Yes, my heart is full of the joy of being home in Ireland on a warm summer day.
On one such warm evening this week, we took a walk up around Seagahan Dam, a reservoir a few miles south of Armagh City that features in my new book.
A new walkway allows a circuit of the dam. It's so peaceful, as night drops down, and the fishermen try to catch that last elusive big-guy lurking in the shallows. His advice to us - buy a rod! I must say I'm tempted...
Not only did we have a spectacular sunset but also a stunning moonrise.
And there was me travelling around the world, crying for the moon when all along it was here in our very own Armagh drinking water. Does moonshine come out of the taps here? I'd say there's the evidence for it!
