A BOOK ABOUT ROMANCE OF THE DANCE HALL DAYS
and so real – is mostly empty space, subject to the paradoxical laws of quantum mechanics.
This body of work explores not the opposing – seemingly incompatible – views of science, religion, theology, and spirituality, but the areas where they intersect and overlap.
This exhibition consists of two bodies of work; drawings and watercolours, and encaustic paintings.
The human quest for the truth about the meaning of life is as old as our species. But can there be one absolute truth? Would we recognise it if we found it? Can there be anything truer than our own experience – be it physical or metaphysical – of the universe?
At a time when we are seeing a renewed curiosity and hunger for something more than rational and logical thought, this work does not attempt to arrive at answers to these questions, rather to highlight the importance and enjoyment of the very act of pondering them in the first place. SIX PEOPLE with strong Wicklow connections figure prominently in a new book recalling the halcyon days of the showband era, which was launched this week.
‘From The Candy Store To The Galtymore’ chronicles the late 1950s to the 1970s in rural and urban Ireland through the stories of the young men and women who religiously went to their local Ballroom of Romance each weekend.
The book echoes an era of social and cultural uprising in Ireland as the country began dancing the weekends away to the sounds of showbands in newly-built ballrooms.
It was the time of Larry Cunningham, Joe Dolan, Brendan Bowyer, Dickie Rock and Butch Moore and wherever they played, the crowds followed.
Joe Kearney, who co-edited the book, lives in Enniskerry and highlights the first night himself and a few ‘cool friends’ brought flower-power into the town’s night life.
Gerry Tuohy also lives in North Wicklow and his story about romance at a local dance led him to the conclusion that you should ‘never trust a man on a Honda 50’.
Bray resident Anne Lacey recalls a time when she was hanging out with the rockers while another resident PJ Cunningham writes about the night man landed on the moon and he went to his first dance.
Maeve Edwards is also living in Bray and her story tells of the iconoclastic moment her dream night out wasn’t the Ballroom of Romance experienced she had hoped for.
Greystones resident Frances Browner was brought up in Dublin but spent much of her holidays in the Cloghan-Ferbane area of Offaly where she soon graduated from Ceili to Carnival Girl.
Queen of Country and Irish, Margo O’Donnell, writes a harrowing account of how she met a down-and-out before a show in London and became great friends with him as he battled against drink before his death. It is a story of sadness but full also of pride in how he turned his life around to die a proud man.
Co-editors PJ Cunningham and Dr Joe Kearney trawled the country over the past year to bring Ireland’s showband stories together in one book.
The book, which is dedicated to music man extraordinaire, Ricey Scully, also contains two hilarious stories rolled into one by the former Twiggs and Crackaways member concerning The Singing Nun and U2. In all, there are 70 contributions contained in this social and cultural review of the time.
‘From The Candy Store To The Galtymore is a collection with twists in every turn – stories of romance, of chance meetings and tales that are funny and maybe even mischievous,’ said PJ.
He and Joe co-edited a book on the stories connected to electricity last year, and Joe said that the one they really must do was the dance hall days. ‘As it happened I was on a radio station, Northern Sound, last spring or early summer asking for people to come forward with stories. The singer Margo was on the same day.’ Many others came forward, some writers, others who gave their stories orally. The collection includes many of the tales of ordinary people.
All human life gathered for the weekly dances in what was a cultural shift away from the more formal céilís which held sway up until then,’ said PJ.
‘ The showband dances were modern and slightly more brash occasions than the country had been used to but, if anything, the number of stories of love and loss, rows and ructions, fun and games grew in the new environment. The book looks at this era from left of centre and collects the forgotten, overlooked or rarely-told stories of that time. The sources are mainly ordinary folk with some interesting insights from singers, musicians and band managers as well.’