Morah, proud Queen of the Castle
BUMPED into Morah Ryan the other day in Clontarf. Like fellow northside beauty Yvonne Connolly, Gerry Ryan’s widow defies age.
The glamorous Ms Ryan told me that she had no immediate plans to go anywhere and as such was happy to stay put “for now” at home in Clontarf.
This was because, she explained, that she and her brood had spent a highly enjoyable break recently at Dromoland Castle in County Clare.
“It was heaven. We have been every New Year since Lottie was a baby. It is a second home for us.” The Gate Theatre, of course, has been a second home for the last 30-something years for the almost as svelte-as-Morah, Mr Michael Colgan. Last Wednesday night he greeted the great and the good (and me) at the top of the Gate stairs for the second last time. The occasion? The opening night of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. An emotional Mr Colgan told me that Brel was among those favourites he needed to get in before his departure on April Fools’ Day — “if you’re writing this put the apostrophe after the S,” Colgan said somewhat quizzically. In truth, I am used at this stage to Colgan’s somewhat quizzical, if entertaining, remarks.
And now to his last offering which will be a salute to his heroes Beckett, Friel and Pinter. Expect the Gate’s grand guru to be joined by long-time friends Fiennes, Gambon etc. His parting words to me were nothing if not truly sad: “Johnny Hurt said he’d come for it, what a pity...”
Alas, John Hurt is not alive and well and living in Norfolk any more.