Welcome to July's Irish SF News. (Part I)

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…

Here Comes The Wagon.....

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.

Andrew Robinson in Belfast

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 €23. This is being organised by Uncharted Territories Events, from whose literature I’ve pirated most of this text! More information from their website.

Crimelords of Sunnydale

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 utevents.co.uk

Irish Ghost Festival

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 at yahoo.com, remembering of course to substitute the @ symbol for "at" in the above address.

Wicca is not what you make chairs from

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.

Blue Peter Guide to Spaceship Repair

I bought a tube of Pritt Stick the other day, and found the following written on the backing card:

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.

In Brief

• 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 www.octocon.com/2002/. It’s not that I’m trying to rig the vote, like…

Irish SF News Quiz!

Last month I asked,

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:

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?

Email your answers to irishsfnews at yahoo.co.uk

And finally

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.

Regards,
Pàdraig Ó Méalóid