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Hello, and welcome to July’s "Irish SF News". First, an amendment
to my last newsletter: I was incorrect in saying the Maria
Doyle Kennedy was in Star Wars. I was thinking of Bronagh
Gallagher, it seems, who was also in "The Commitments",
along with MDK. MDK is still one of the voice talents on ‘Crazy
Dog Live!’, though. At least that bit was correct…
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I heard Graham Norton on
the radio saying recently that ‘Wanderly Wagon’ was
his favourite children’s TV programme, so maybe I’ll send
him this bit. ‘Wanderly Wagon’ was at one stage the most popular
children’s show on RTÉ, and ran from 1968 to 1982.
I’m not
going to try to explain what it was about, because if you’ve
seen it you know, and if you haven’t, then it is beyond my
meagre skills as a writer to try to make sense of it. Think
Dr Who with a fat man instead of The Doctor, a grandmother
instead of the companion, a horsedrawn wagon instead of the
TARDIS, and absolutely no budget whatsoever, and you’re still
miles out.
On Saturday the 10th of August, the original wagon from the
TV series is on show from 12 noon for a few hours at the National
Museum of Decorative Arts & History, which is at Collins’
Barracks, Dublin 7. Virtually everyone I mention this to goes
‘ooh aah!’, so if enough of you write back about this, we’ll
organise the first ‘Irish SF News’ away-day excursion. Let
me know. If you think *that’s* exciting, a few weeks later
they’re showing Michael Collins’ hurley. Heady stuff, indeed.
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‘Star Trek’ fans will know Andrew Robinson
as Elim Garak, the Cardassian Tailor/Spy in ‘Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine’. Non ‘Star Trek’ fans may have seen Andrew as
Larry Cotton in Clive Barker’s cult horror ‘Hellraiser,’ or
in his most famous movie role as the Scorpio Killer in Clint
Eastwood’s ‘Dirty Harry.’
Andrew will be appearing in Belfast
on Saturday 27th July at the Holiday Inn Express. This event
will include an autograph session, a guest talk by Andrew
where you will have the chance to ask him any questions you
might have about his life or his work, and a big prize raffle
draw sponsored by Curry’s. Tickets are STG£15 on the door,
which is about E23. This is being organised by Uncharted
Territories Events, from whose literature I’ve pirated
most of this text! More information from their website.
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The people who organised the Andrew Robinson event
are also running the first Northern Ireland ‘Buffy’ Convention
on Saturday 28 September, featuring Buffy’s arch nemesis’,
Danny Strong, Adam Busch and Tom Lenk,
better known as Jonathan, Warren and Andrew. The event will
be held at the Park Avenue Hotel, Belfast from 9AM until midnight.
Tickets for this event are STG£30 for an adult, increasing
to STG£35 on the day, and STG£20 for under 12s, increasing
to STG£25. More information from http://utevents.co.uk/
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The Irish Ghost Festival Week is running at
various venues in Cork, largely in Cork City, from Tuesday
29th October to Sunday 3rd November 2002, which the keen-eyed
will see spans the festival of Halloween. This includes plays,
exhibitions, and all sorts of one-off events. Within all this
is the core event, which has the truly wonderful title of
'The Second All-Ireland Scientific, Therapeutic and Educational
Ghost Festival', which kicks off in Cork City Gaol on
Friday 29th of October. I have no information on prices at
the moment. For more information, contact Catherine Courtney
at irishghostfestival@yahoo.com.
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The August meeting of SciFiClub, which
meets on the first Tuesday of the month in Bowe’s Pub in Fleet
Street, is on the subject of Witchcraft. The speaker will
be Silja Muller, the High Priestess of the Coven
of the Silver Wheel of the Stars, and arguably the most
public face of Irish paganism. If you want to know what the
truth is behind the image portrayed in ‘Buffy the Vampire
Slayer’ and ‘Harry Potter’, you should go along. There’s no
charge, as they run a raffle to generate funds. Regulars bring
things they don’t want, and hope to win something they do.
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I bought a tube of Pritt Stick
the other day, and found the following written on the backing
card: “Pritt products conform to ‘International Space Station
Standards,’ and have been awarded the seal of ‘Space Proof
Quality’.” So, for those of you planning on building something
spaceworthy in your spare time, now you know what to use to
hold it all together.
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- Several times over the summer, the railings of St Stephens’
Green in Dublin are given over to the People’s Art
exhibition. This is open to all, apparently, so there’s
no quality control of any description. Despite this, there’s
a lot of good stuff on display, and considering that it’s
a mile around the outside of the Green, the exercise is
good for you, too. Two more shows this year, which are 15-18
August, and 20-22 September.
- I got a postcard from Dave Lally, who was recently
in Prague for Eurocon 2002, where there were about a thousand
Czech and Slovak fans, and about twenty westerners. Dave
is an indefatigable fan, and, as a native Dubliner, does
his best to represent Octocon wherever he goes. He has also
run the video room at Octocon since its inception. To know
him is to love him.
- I hear it rumoured that Ruairi Robinson, who made
the recently Oscar nominated 50% Grey, has been commissioned
by the people at 2000AD to do an animated version of Rogue
Trooper.
- I made some inquiries about the various rumours I’d heard
about cons in Cork and elsewhere, but so far I’ve received
no replies. This would not be the first time, or last, that
something like this has come to naught, but I’ll see if
I can pin anyone down on it.
- I see that the Octocon website is running a poll
on where people get their SF news. Perhaps you would all
like to go vote for this one?? If so, you can find it at
http://www.octocon.com/2002/
It’s not that I’m trying to rig the vote, like…
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Last month I asked, “What, precisely, do John F Kennedy, Aldous Huxley,
and C S Lewis have in common?”. I got four correct answers back (from
about eighty mails I sent out), and the winner is…Ian Sheppard, who sent
in the following answer: “..they all died on the same day as part
of a conspiracy involving the Mafia, aliens, right wing Cubans, shadowy
elements supported by the military-industrial complex, Oliver Stone, Oliver
Hardy, two members of the Corrs and you.” This is effectively
correct, as they all died on the 22nd of November 1963.
For this month’s quiz, what show were the following
lyrics written for? “Beyond the rim
of the star light, my love is wandering star flight, I know he'll find
in star clustered reaches, love strange, love a star captain teaches…”
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I wish to send my congratulations to Anne Marie
Nugent and her husband Nigel Quinlan on the birth
of their son Edward on Thursday the 11th of July. I’m hoping
to get a chance to see all of them at Collins’ Barracks, if
they can make it.
Next month, I’ll finally get to writing something about Horrorthon,
and Witchfest UK, and may even get to say something
about the Transylvanian Tavern, where I had lunch recently.
I’m also looking for any information on events anywhere around
Ireland, and particularly on what’s happening in Northern
Ireland. If you know, let me know, and I’ll let them know.
Pádraig Ó Méalóid
Irish SF News
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