NCAA Dublin 2023 - Irish Calling

Late August will see The Aviva stadium in Dublin become the epicentre of the college football world, as a sell out crowd welcomes the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their opening match of the NCAA football season against the Navy Midshipmen.  The 2023 season opener will be the eighth instalment of the college football classic in Dublin and the third match up of these two football heavyweights in Ireland.

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic has become an integral part of the global expansion of American Football outside the USA.  The match on 26th August will see over 40,000 International fans making their way to the Irish capital.  Such was the demand to attend the showpiece event tickets had to be balloted through a lottery, leaving thousands of fans disappointed.

The desire for live, competitive American football fixtures in Europe has saw the popularity of the sport expand considerably over the last 15 years.  Dublin has joined London and Munich in opening its doors to receive the bright lights of Americas Game this side of the Atlantic ocean.

Notre Dame v Navy represents one of the classic rivalries at college football level, the annual contest dates back to 1927 with the long standing tradition that was only briefly interrupted during the Covid season in 2020. The rivalry is built more on a competitive mutual respect, rather than the fierce hostility associated with the likes of Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes.  Although The Fighting Irish have held the upper hand in terms of results with a 43 year winning streak which stretched back to 1963.   The Midshipmen have enjoyed more success recently since their dramatic win in 2007, adding back to back wins in 2009-2010, followed by another victory in 2016.

Both teams have a strong tradition in preparing college athletes for the transition to graduate life, pro-football and the NFL.  Hall of fame Quarterback Roger Staubach won 2 Superbowls with Dallas after being drafted from Navy, while the San Francisco 49rs were led to a Superbowl winning dynasty courtesy of former fighting Irish QB Joe Montana.  The success stories are not consigned to history, more recently David Givens, Justin Tuck and Joe Cardona have all secured Superbowl rings this century after being drafted from their respective alma mater.

So, what can fans lucky enough to be in Dublin expect?   Well, pretty much everything and anything from Pep Rallies to tailgating and marching bands, although free Alcohol and food at the match again this year might be a dream too far.   For the fans making the pilgrimage from the US to the fair city of Dublin there is obviously the opportunity to connect with their ancestral roots, as well as taking in the world renowned Guinness storehouse or the Teeling Whiskey distillery tour.

Dublin also offers an up close tour of the 1916 Rebellion and subsequent war for independence from the GPO in O’Connell street to the emotional tours of Glasnevin cemetery or Kilmainham Gaol. After the match and many tours you will also have the incredible pubs and traditional Irish music to sign off the day in style.

Living with Atrial Fibrillation and the term Heart Failure

 It has been 12 months since I was diagnosed with Atrial fibrillation.   In March 2022, my annual heart check with the Scottish Adult Congenital Cardiac Services (SACCS) team at the Golden Jubilee hospital had been pulled forward a few weeks after I had noticed a significant drop in my exercise tolerance.  My appointment was the same as any other visit to my heart clinic, unfortunately the outcome of the tests would result in a notable alteration in my cardiac treatment and condition.

I was born in 1978 with tetralogy of fallots, which is a combination of four congenital heart defects. The condition causes a reduction in oxygen in the blood, and left untreated can be fatal. I’ve had a number of life changing and life saving operations over the last 40 odd years, and the specialists guiding me through my care have always provided remarkable support for  my family and I.

After the Covid restrictions started to lift in early 2022, I found if difficult to get back to any kind of routine. I had gained weight, but the prospect of returning to normal activities again pushed me to try to increase my exercise output.  I started cycling on my exercise bike and lost a few pounds, only to regain the weight a few days later – this became a frustrating pattern.   On a day out with my wife, we walked along Buchanan Street in Glasgow city centre.   The stroll turned into a bit of a marathon for me.    I had to stop repeatedly in order to get my breath back and cope with exhaustion. When we returned home my ankles and legs were remarkably swollen and puffy.

The next day I made the trip to the Tony Macaroni stadium in Livingston with my children as part of our obsession with following Celtic wherever we can. The day stands out for two reasons, firstly we got to see Celtic defeat Livingston at “ the spaghettihad" for the first time together,,and secondly I started to feel very strong arrhythmias throughout the match.   The sensations were frightening and left me feeling ill.  That evening, my sleep pattern was a mess, waking up every hour or so gasping for breath – something definitely wasn't right.

At my hospital appointment, I was given an MOT of my heart functions through an ECG and Echocardiography scan, and when I spoke with my heart specialist and explained my recent struggles she was able to confirm that my heart was in Atrial fibrillation.   I was admitted to the hospital directly after my appointment and given a strong dose of diuretics intravenously to help flush the excess fluids from my body.  I was added to the schedule for a cardioversion procedure the next day so that the specialists could get my heart back to a regular less dangerous rhythm.  

I was discharged from the hospital the day after my cardioversion, as my heart had thankfully returned to a more stable rate.  After discussing the details of my hospital admission with the SACCS team I was still afraid of the term Heart Failure and what it would mean for me and my family going forward.   I tried to adopt a more Mediterranean diet, but it is not always easy to maintain focus – even when you know it’s for the best.

A year later the specialists in charge if my care continue to support me and provide guidance on so  many different factors affecting my condition. In late 2022 I started to experience further arrhythmias and once again reached out to my clinical support team, this prompted a whole raft of changes to my medication which I try to understand as best as I can, sharing the background of these with my family.   I am currently on a waiting list for an ablation procedure, which again should improve the symptoms I experience as part of my Atrial Fibrillation condition.

I am more active thanks to the care of the SACCS team, doctors, nurses and specialists.   I am able to enjoy going for a walk again, albeit not as brisk or as long as I did previously , but with the continued support from the hospital, family and friends I know that each step is a step in the right direction in living with Atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

Our Fathers Fought Franco - Book Launch

Saturday 4th February 2023

Townhead Village Hall, Glasgow.

Saturday saw the Glasgow book launch of a new addition to the growing library of publications written about the Spanish Civil War. Published by Luath Press Ltd and edited by Willy Maley  “Our Fathers Fought Franco"  is a collection of stories of 4 volunteers (James Maley, Donald Renton, Geordie Watters and Archiebald Campbell  McAskill Williams) who travelled to Spain to join the International Brigades and defend the newly elected Spanish government.

By the time Delores Ibárruri addressed the International Brigades in her famous farewell speech in Barcelona 1938, the 50-60 thousand strong brigaders who had arrived in Spain over the previous 2 years full of hope and a sense of freedom had been reduced to around 13000 volunteers.  The Inter-Continental band of comrades had been on the front line of the fierce and brutal battles for control of Spain, many volunteers paid the ultimate price and remain entwined in the roots of that fledgling democracy.  Others were captured, tortured and paraded as trophies by the military dictatorship that would continue to cast a shadow over Spain long after the final bullets of the war had been fired.

Almost nine decades have passed since the global call to arms that saw socialists, communists, anarchists and Anti-Fascists unite behind the Popular Front government in Spain when a military coup threatened the democratic changing of the guard at the Spanish seat of power and undermining any possible reforms promised by the new rainbow coalition.

With democracy in jeopardy , the eyes of the political world looked on.  Meanwhile, in Britain a strong working class movement was mobilising in opposition to the ruling class that had sat at the head of the table of British society for generations.  For the activists who had helped organise and unite workforces, rent strikes and hunger marches, the growing tensions in Spain was an opportunity to take direct action and support their fellow workers.

“They went because their open eyes could see no other way" is one of the inscriptions on the International Brigades memorial in London.  Many thousands of those volunteers of the International Brigades were men and women who left everything behind in their homeland to support the newly elected Popular Front government.   For those who did return home, the scrutiny and suspicion from intelligence agencies made it impossible for some to re-join society.

As part of the launch the authors offered  an insight into their inspiration in creating this book as well as sharing stories of their parents and grandparents involvement in political movements before and after the Civil war in Spain, including confrontations with Oswald Mosley and Lord Haw-Haw.  To hear these accounts retold with such passion provided a poignant, emotional but equally uplifting experience for those fortunate to be in the hall.

Paul and Chris of Glasgow social folk-rockers The Wakes delivered the soundtrack to the session with rousing renditions of Christy Moores Viva la Quinta Brigada,  These Hands (written by the Wakes for Glasgow brigader James Maley) and wrapped up the event with socialist anthem The Internationale.

Delores Ibárruri, or La Passionara has a permanent link to Glasgow with her statue standing triumphantly on the banks of the river Clyde.  So, its probably best to wrap this up with her closing words to the crowds who turned out to bid farewell to the volunteers

“Long live the heroes of the International Brigades!”

Royalties from the book are being donated to the IBMT, who help keep the memories and spirit of those who fought Fascism in Spain.

The book is written by Lisa Croft, Willy Maley, Jennie Renton and Tam Watters.  More information on the International brigades memorial trust can be found at IBMT  and the book can be ordered Here

Skylights

What You Are - Debut Album

with a UK tour coming up, I though I'd share this again, with some updated live dates.

Very few things unite fans of different football teams, even more so when those teams are city rivals or the adversaries are both challenging for honours.   That's just part of football and why it  will always make it very special.  On the occasions when some common ground can be found, it will normally be part of the culture and trends that have illuminated the terraces for generations.   From the football fans of the 1960s singing songs from the steps of the vast sweeping terraces, to the modern day Ultras, updating lyrics from chart songs for fan favourites while lighting up the stands with pyro’, noise and colour.   The link between football and music has always been, and that will never change.

As the football season comes to an end, there is a seamless migration from the stadiums to festival fields and concert venues across the country.  The rivalry is paused while the musicians weave their magic on stage and unite a fanatical culture under the strobe lights.  This is where bands like Skylights come in, the diehard Leeds United fans have all the swagger that goes with the casual football culture, and they have the songs to back it up with a heady mix of indie rock anthems bound together with guitar riffs and air punching choruses.

Skylights inaugural album What You Are,  landed on all the usual platforms in May this year through Manchester based 42’s Records and has been climbing up the charts, riding high in the UK top 40 as well as sitting at number 11 in the Vinyl charts.  One listen and it’s easy to see why there is so much love out there for this ten track work of art. The four lads hailing from York have launched an absolutely storming debut release filled with a raw and crisp sound that simply consumes you from the opening chords.

The boisterous intensity delivered through Outlaw, Nothing Left to Say and What You Are combines  seamlessly with stripped back acoustic tracks on the album.  Julia Violinista  adds a touch of magic on violin through her unique Indie/Classical sound for Darkness Falls and Driving Me Away, showing the bands range and maturity.

YRA is the longest song on the album and is an instant classic, you just know this track will take the roof off any venue, it has all the strut and swagger of the very best of Indie music, I'd go as far to say Columbia-esque from Oasis Debut album Definitely Maybe.

Take Me Somewhere produces that unmistakable bass led punk melody, again displaying the versatility of the sound the band produce.

The record is laced with influential sounds throughout, with a nod to bands like Shed Seven, The Cult, Jesus Jones and Primal Scream, but the band stamp their own mark all over the album and keep the sound fresh all the way through.  With Rob Scarisbrick on vocals, Turnbull Smith on guitar, Jonny Scarisbrick on bass and Myles Soley on Drums, the group are ready to expand on their passionate support in the Yorkshire heartlands and introduce themselves to a wider audience.

With the hard work done in the studio it promises to be a busy 2023 for the quartet as they hit the road over with live shows up and down the UK, culminating in a supporting spot for Cast & Shed7 in Leeds in the summer

Upcoming gigs

Thursday 2nd Feb - King Tuts, Glasgow 

Friday 3rd Feb - Lemon Tree, Aberdeen 

Friday 3rd March - Empire, Middlesbrough 

Saturday 15th July - Millennium Square, Leeds along with Cast & Shed 7 (Sounds of the City)

Saturday 30th September - Beckett S.U, Leeds

Twitter - @SkylightsYRA

1916 Rebellion Walking Tour - Dublin

The impact of The Easter Rising in April 1916 would eventually transform Ireland, the UK and British Empire forever.  The General Post Office in Dublin still holds the scars of the brutal bombardment from British forces who lay siege to the focal point of the uprising in Irelands capital.  As a visitor to Dublin a number of times over the last 25 years, the GPO is always on my list of places to stop off and visit.

With a little more time on my hands for a recent visit to the fair city, I was able to immerse myself in more of the stories from the Easter Rising as well as the turbulent history that brought Ireland to that pivotal moment over 100 years ago.  I booked on to the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour after I caught the details of the tour through social media.

So, on a beautifully warm Saturday morning my oldest brother and I zigzagged through the streets of Dublin heading from Dublin Castle, through Trinity college across the Liffey and on to the Post Office on O'Connell Street.   The stroll across the city was a perfect pace for the busy streets of the capital, especially on a Saturday when the NCAA College Football match was in town from the USA.

The tour starts at the International Bar on Wicklow Street, not far from the shopping precinct of Grafton Street.   The guide Liam welcomed the 25+ people on the tour sharing a hand out detailing the main players in the rebellion and the important organisations and factors that led to the event.  If you’ve built up a thirst getting to the meeting point there is plenty of time to grab a pint of Guinness (or another refreshment), as the guide sets the scene for the events of Easter week 1916.

Our guide Liam was passionate as he recited the details of the people and places who would shape Irelands future.   The downstairs bar is gallery dedicated to the  men and women of the rebellion as well as the aftermath of the bombing assault in and around O’Connell Street.  After the introduction was finished, we made our way around some of the important sites of the uprising, getting to know more about the social and political factors as well as the impact of the organised trade unions on the city at this time.

Advertised as the 1916 Rebellion tour, it explain so much more about Irish history than the events of that fateful week.  From the seeds of the French revolution and the Society of the United Irishmen to the Home Rule quest, 1916, Bloody Sunday and civil war.

The tour was an engaging and enlightening way to see and hear some of the hidden stories of a critical moment in history that has shaped Ireland and beyond.

Website - 1916 Walking tour website

Twitter -  Twitter 1916WalkingTour

Porno - Edinburgh Fringe

 Saturday, 13th August.  Pleasance Beyond

It certainly doesn’t feel like 26 years ago that Trainspotting was released in cinemas, the cult classic penned by Edinburgh native Irvine Welsh in 1993 introduced the world to the murky hidden squalor  of the Scottish capital and specifically a group of friends, addicts, schemers and psychos.  The friends and their antics were immortalised on the big screen thanks to the collaboration of author Welsh, screenwriter John Hodge and Director Danny Boyle.  The novel and subsequent movie release were a worldwide global hit leaving the characters firmly etched in the memory forever.

When my wife and I took our seats at the Pleasance Beyond theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe for the stage adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Porno the follow up to Trainspotting, it felt like we were on our way to a school reunion where you just weren't sure how anyone had got on since you last saw them.  We needn't have worried.  From the moment the lights went down and the characters made their introduction, it was like they had never been away – yeah they might be a wee bit older (aren’t we all), but maybe not much wiser.

The story picks up 15 years after Renton had robbed the group of friends, fled the scene and left  Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie to pick up the crumbs of their own lives.  A lot can happen in 15 years – a guilty conscious can catch up with you, a vengeful rage can fester or old habits can re-emerge.

The casting has been superb, Chris Gavin is the embodiment of Begbie, emerging from the shadows after a long stint behind bars.  The psycho of the group is alive and well, not changed a bit after his jail time and is ready to set about anyone who even looks at him now that he's back on the street.    Simon Weir is the epitome of SickBoy only a wee bit older now, much more sleazier and still happy to score a line up his nose and find ways of lining his pockets.

Scott Kyle is captivating as he reeled us in to the scheming ways of Renton; returned to Leith after his escape to Amsterdam.   Kevin Murphy gave a perfect performance in the role of Spud, always trying to help everyone else, it was easy to fall in love with the character all over again.

The playwright behind the production David Carswell has captured the storytelling flawlessly for this absolutely fantastic bit of theatre.  The prospect of an extended version of this play is something we can all hope for soon.  In the meantime make sure you do your best to get along and see this perfectly crude, vulgar, funny and profane work of art.

In The Name of The Son - The Gerry Conlon Story

Saturday, 13th August.  Edinburgh Fringe

I finally took the plunge and decided to head east on the train to get a flavour of The World Biggest Arts festival. The Edinburgh Festival is now celebrating its 75th year, so it really needs no introduction from me – the platform it provides for up and coming, random, well established and controversial entertainers, actors and comedians is a multi-million pound industry that depending on who you speak to doesn't always seem to find it’s way back into the pockets of the performers.

With Scotland in the midst of yet another heatwave ( we really shouldn't complain) the capital was at its sparkling best as hundreds of thousands festival goers zigzagged across the world famous streets to take in the atmosphere as well as a trying to find a few hidden gems performing in the many quirky venues dotted throughout the city.  Thankfully my wife & I had made plans earlier in the week and had a couple of shows booked.   First up was In the Name of the Son – the Gerry Conlon Story

The one man stage show was a real masterclass in performing arts from Downpatrick born actor Shaun Blaney.  Fresh from a recent run at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, Shaun delivered a breath-taking non-stop masterpiece for the senses.  With only a short table and stool for company on stage Blaney had the audience transfixed from beginning to end. His portrayal of the troubled and turbulent life of Gerry Conlon was a gripping rollercoaster of a ride.

Starting in the Lower-Falls road in Belfast, Shaun painted the very vivid scene of a young Conlon caught up the midst of the troubles on the streets of Belfast before being forced to move to London where he would be framed and centre stage in one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in UK history.  Arrested, brutally tortured – physically and mentally, forced to confess to the Guilford pub bombings, Conlon was convicted along with Paul Hill, Paddy Armstrong and Carole Richardson and sentenced to life imprisonment. The plot by the British establishment also pushed for the trial of the Maguire Seven, which saw Conlon wrongly sent to prison with his father Patrick Guiseppe Conlon.

The story continues with Shaun Blaney visiting the moment the “Guilford four" had their sentences quashed in 1989 by the UK court of appeals, the moment of triumph Conlon family had been working hard for over the previous 14 years.  The true cost of spending 14 years in prison is then played out as Blaney depicts the incredible highs and desperate lows of a man known the world over, but who had never truly dealt with his brutal incarceration.

From The Oscars to scraping together food from the bins on the streets of London, Blaney painstakingly conveys the spirit of a man broken by drug addiction, loss and grief, while enlightening us with the redemption of Conlon in his later life as he returned to his family and reunited with Paul Hill to work tirelessly with the miscarriages of justice organisation.

This is a must see production, Shaun Blaney delivers an energetic, powerful all consuming performance that will have you completely mesmerised.