A Historic Screening at Belfast City Hall 8th August

At times like these men were wishing they were all kinds of insects - The MAC Belfast

The starting point for Graham Gingles WW1 commemorative project was the simple act of the MAC gifting a decorative brass box to the artist, the same brass box sent by Princess Mary to members of the British, Colonial and Indian Armed Forces at Christmas in 1914.

Graham has dramatically scaled up his intimate and enigmatic wall-hanging sculptures, usually enclosed in meticulously crafted wood and glass boxes, in order to occupy the entirety of the Sunken Gallery at the MAC, where the walls of the gallery become the form of enclosure. The work deals with themes of memory and loss and is both theatrical and sculptural, presenting the viewer with a totally immersive experience. Dark and compelling, this piece invites the viewer to come close and examine the intricacies of the various compartments and corridors within this room.

The title of the work is taken from the War Diaries of Robert McGookin from Larne, Northern Ireland who spoke of the men’s wish whilst under shell fire to become like insects like a worm burrowing into the trenches.

For more information on this commission, and other related projects in the UK, please see 14-18 NOW.

The exhibition runs at the MAC Belfast until 17 August 2014

How Many Miles to Babylon? at the Lyric Theatre: REVIEW

*Being married to a technician may have affected my opinion when writing this review.

When the Director Philip Wilson came out on stage before the show to say that the mechanics were playing up, my heart sank.  Pointing out possible issues and highlighting the technical hitches unfairly distracts the audience away from the story.  From the onset all I could concentrate on was watching the Revolve, counting the number of times the Stage Manager had to push it manually, and feel sorry for the actors.  At times they were out of the light, distracted by the set and having to insert pauses while waiting for the Revolve to put them in the correct place.

While technical problems happen, and reliance on equipment is certainly a difficulty in theatre production, I felt that it was all a little selfish on the part of the Creative Team. The Revolve of the stage, even if it had worked seamlessly, added nothing to the overall atmosphere of the production and seemed to me to be an unfair burden to have placed on both the actors and crew.

Despite being distracted however, How Many Miles to Babylon? is a wise tale, one of friendship, bravery and strength of character.  Alec Moore (Anthony Delaney), a boy of the Big House in Wicklow is brought up by parents who have lots of money and not much love.  The first half of the play concentrates on the home life of Alec, his overbearing mother played by a convincing Catherine Cusack and indifferent father (Michael James Ford).  The lighting is cold and ghostly, accenting the formality of Alec's life in the Big House.

His illicit forays out to meet his only friend, the village boy Jerry Crowe, played by the ever watchable Ryan McParland, are filled with simplicity and laughter. They have in common their love of horses and the swans of the Big House. Their differences are noted; Jerry does not ride like a gentleman, he hasn't read the classics, he has difficulty with his homework. But none of these matter. Jerry is warm and funny, and despite not knowing the 'proper' way to do things, he is surrounded by a loving family and friends, and a knowledge of politics and current affairs.

Alec is pushed to enlist by his mother because it is his duty. When he says he doesn't want to and doesn't understand what the war is about she calls him a coward.  Jerry enlists in order to get some cash, another pay-check will make his family life much easier. It is when the boys decide to enlist that their differences are acknowledged. Jerry knows that Alec will become an Officer and will be expected to lead men like Jerry.

The second half of the play takes place in the trenches.  While the use of the Revolve makes more sense in this half, it still does not add enough to the play to merit reliance on it.  I was disappointed by the set which looked cheap and thought that smoke and lighting could have been used to much better effect. The fact that the boys were at the Front, while obvious in the script, was not mirrored by the atmosphere created.

We see Alec struggle with his Officer rank and with his inability to publicly continue his friendship with Jerry. Whether talking to Major Glendinning or fellow Officer Bennett, Jerry is always at the forefront of his mind. Their meetings are punctuated with laughter and whiskey, horse riding and genuine affection for each other.

The differences in their upbringing are clear from the letters each of them receive from home and their reactions to them. While Jerry sets off on a labour of love for his mother, Alec sets off on a labour of love for Jerry and as the story plays out, we are reminded that this is not a complex story of war, but a simple one of courage and friendship.

How Many Miles to Babylon? at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast runs until 24 May.  For more information and tickets click here

Image credits: Steffan Hill

 

Coming Up: How Many Miles to Babylon? at the Lyric Belfast

The First World War Centenary is commemorated in dramatic fashion at the Lyric Theatre with a stirring adaptation of Jennifer Johnston’s novel How Many Miles to Babylon? this Spring.

Rehearsals are well underway with an impressive line-up of Irish and English actors bringing the Londonderry author’s “brilliant masterpiece” to the stage for the first time in Northern Ireland.

Anthony Delaney (Alec) and Ryan McParland (Jerry) in rehearsals

How Many Miles to Babylon? tells the heart-rending story of two young Irish boys from very different backgrounds who end up fighting in Flanders. Alec and Jerry are divided by class but united in friendship. One is the only child of Anglo-Irish landowners; the other is from a large family of Irish workers. Brought together by a shared love of horses, the pair enjoy an idyllic childhood on the same estate in County Wicklow.

As war breaks out at the end of 1914, both enlist in the army - and find themselves standing together, yet divided once more by rank. In the fields of Flanders, they must not only endure the horrors of the battlefield, but also face an ordeal that will test their friendship and their loyalty to breaking point.  The dramatic tale has been adapted by Irish actor and current Artistic Director of the PICT theatre in Pittsburgh, Alan Stanford.

How Many Miles to  Babylon full cast

Philip Wilson directs an impressive cast with Good Vibrations star Ryan McParland taking on the role of the charismatic Jerry and Anthony Delaney (Liola, The Kingdom) as Alec. Lyric audiences may also remember Ryan from Tim Loane’s The Civilisation Game in 2012 as well as the BBC series, 6 Degrees set in Belfast.

Catherine Cusack, part of the Irish acting dynasty of Cusacks, plays the cold mother, Alicia Moore opposite Michael James Ford (Becoming Jane; Michael Collins) as her husband. The rest of the cast are Richard Teverson (Brideshead Revisited; Downton Abbey) as Major Glendinning, Jeremy Lloyd (The Iron Lady) as Bennett and Charlie De Bromhead (How to Lose Friends and Alienate People).

Director Philip Wilson

“I came across Jennifer Johnston’s novel some years back, when I was researching another First World War story, and her delicate yet heartbreaking account of how young Irish men faced the unimaginable in the trenches has stayed with me ever since,” said the director, Philip Wilson.

“So I leapt at the chance to stage Alan Stanford’s poignant and richly evocative adaptation of this classic novel. Alec and Jerry’s friendship – which transcends education, class and religion – is a wonderfully compelling one, and the journey they go on together is truly remarkable.”

How Many Miles to Babylon? runs on the Danske Bank Stage, Lyric Theatre from Wed 30 April to Sat 24 May (Previews Sun 27 April 2.30pm; Tues 29 April 1pm & 7.45pm)

For more information and booking, please click here.

Image credits: Brian Morrison

On the Brink 1914-16: Politics of Conflict

On the Brink - Lecture by Prof. Richard Grayson at the Braid

In recent weeks, an interim programme for On the Brink 1914-16: Politics of Conflict was delivered in venues in Larne, Ballymena and Coleraine. Mid-Antrim Museum Service with Causeway Museum Service delivered this programme using feedback obtained from twenty five local community groups residing across the eight participating local authorities of Ballymena, Ballymoney, Carrickfergus, Coleraine, Larne, Limavady, Moyle and Newtownabbey.  The core programme for the On the Brink 1914-16 project will commence in April with anticipated funding from Heritage Lottery Fund.  

Drawing on community feedback, the Interim programme was aimed at building contextual knowledge of this 1914-16 period in the community as well as offering research skill development opportunities. 

On February 6th in Drumalis, Larne, speakers including Dr. Fearghal McGarry and Philip Orr gave talks on inclusive remembrance of this period. Dr. Chris Manson gave an illustrated talk on the post-war contexts in which War Memorials were planned, erected and unveiled across the island of Ireland. Exploration of the latter is an important focus for the core On the Brink 1914-16 project because it aims to deliver a Volunteer Tour Guide Initiative known as ‘Remembering 1914-16’ which will reveal local histories of WWI using sites such as War Memorials. Event speakers at Drumalis then participated in a panel discussion chaired by Johnston McMaster, former Director of the Education for Reconciliation programme at the Irish School of Ecumenics.

On February 12^th and 13^th, Professor Richard Grayson, Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, London delivered sessions at both Mid-Antrim Museum at The Braid, Ballymena and Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart. These were practical sessions which introduced participants to a five step WWI military history research methodology which Grayson has also shared with the Community Relations Council.To demonstrate these steps, Grayson drew case studies from his book Belfast Boys: How Unionists and Nationalists Fought and Died Together in the First World War as well as from his own family’s service in WWI.

On the back of Grayson’s sessions, six workshops funded by the Community Relations Council will now be rolled out enabling participants to implement this five step research methodology. These sessions will provide guidance and hands on experience in using research sources including the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, local newspapers and on-line War Diaries. 

“Many people from all backgrounds had ancestors who fought in the First World World, some of whom unfortunately never made it back home. The Community Relations Council is delighted that people will be able to explore the meaning of the First World War in their own areas. By understanding further how the War affected their families and their areas we hope it might help people think about what future they want for themselves and their children to make sure conflict like this or more locally does not happen again." 

Peter Osborne, Chair of the Community Relations Council

These CRC funded WWI research skills workshops are limited to 10 places and will run on the following dates from 7pm to 9pm:

Cullybackey Community Development House, March 3th

Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart March 4th

Dunanney Centre, Rathcoole (Newtownabbey) March 5th

Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart March 11th

Ceres House, Ballykelly (Limavady) March 12th

Willowbank Business Park, Larne March 13th

For further information on securing a workshop place, please contact Mid-Antrim Museum Service on maria.cagney@ballymena.gov.uk or Causeway Museum Service on john.hamilton@colerainebc.gov.uk

Lives of the First World War

My project Castleton Lanterns will be setting up a community for the Castleton Lanterns men on the Lives of the First World War project site.

(image © IWM Q 000743)

The Lives of the First World War project will hold the stories of over 8 million men and women who served in uniform and worked on the home front across Britain and the Commonwealth.

It will bring together fascinating records from museums, libraries, archives and family collections across the world, so that everyone can help to discover, remember and share the life stories of those who were involved.

The IWM's innovative and interactive digital platform to mark the Centenary of the First World War will be officially launching in February 2014.

(image © IWM Q 001580)

The project needs your help to explore the documents, to link them together to help preserve the incredible life stories for future generations.

Over the course of the centenary, Lives of the First World War will become a dynamic, permanent digital memorial - a significant digital legacy for future generations.

We'll be sharing information on the Castleton Lanterns men who we have identified such as Thomas Robinson (Right), Samuel McCall (Left) and James McCann.

We'll also be sharing the photos of men we need help to identify, along with information of those on the Roll of Honour for Castleton Church in the hope that you will be able to help identify them. 

Click here to sign up to their mailing list to make sure you get the news first about how and when you can get involved.

In the meantime, please have a look through the images of our Castleton Lanterns men and see if you can identify any of the faces, or provide any information.  You can also look through the images on our Flickr channel or on Tumblr, follow me on Twitter or like the Castleton Lanterns page on Facebook.