St Brendan International Conference, Friday May 17^th-Saturday May 18^th.

                Last weekend Tralee played host to an academic conference on the legend of Kerry’s patron saint. The Latin account of St Brendan’s travels, Navigatio Sancti Brendani, was a medieval bestseller, and it inspired a wide range of vernacular versions in whole of languages which included Irish, French and Dutch. The conference contributors sought to discuss the importance of the cult of Saint Brendan in European culture. The symposium came about through the cooperation of a number of different bodies which included the Gathering, Kerry County Council, Tralee Urban District Council, University College Cork and the Kerry Historical and Archaeological Society. The Kerry Council Tourist Officer, John Griffin provided the main impetus for organising the conference, and he was aided by Canon Tom Loony of the Historical and Archaeological Society and Dr John Sheehan from the School of Archaeology at UCC.

                The conference opened on Friday at the Siamsa Tíre Theatre with an opening speech by the Deputy Mayor of Tralee, Cllr Norma Folay. The keynote speech was given by Prof Joseph Nagey, a folklorist from the Department of English at the University of California, Los Angeles.  He spoke about the interesting parallels between the Latin Navagito and the famous classical epics, the Odyssey and the Aeneid.  

                Day two began at 9.30 in the Brandon Hotel Conference Centre. The first talk was a lecture by the UCC archaeologist Dr Tomás Ó Carragáin. The lecture was entitled The Saints of Corcu Duibne: archaeology, history and landscapes. In this lecture Ó Carrágain demonstrated the close relationship between certain noble families and particular saints’cults. For example the princes of Corcu Duibne seemed to have had a preference for St Maolcethair over that of St Brendan who was more associated with the rival tribe to the north. The close associations between tribes and saint’s cult can be seen at the church of Kilmalkedar which was located near Corcu Duibne’s northern border. The church was an impressive feat of architecture and can be interpreted as show of power by the Corcu Duibne. What makes the political aspect more salient is the belief that the church was designed by the same English architect who designed Cormac’s Chapel on the Rock of Cashel. It was in the interest of the McCarthy, the sept who built the Rock of Cashel and who were the overlord’s of the Corcu Duibne, to reinforce their supplicants territorial integrity as the tribes to Corcu Duibne’s north were commonly in league with rivals of the McCarthy’s.

                The second lecture by Prof Ó Rian, emeritus Professor of Old and Middle Irish, was called Kingdom Saints: Non-Kingdom churches. This lecture also focused on the complex relationship between saint’s cults and dynastic power. Ó Rian described how some Gaelic princes tried to change the geographic and genealogical origins of various saints in order to create an association between themselves and the saints. Princes tried to built such associations in order to win certain rights to popular cultic churches and in turn increase their prestige and poor. According to Ó Rian an attempt was once made by a powerful Connaught family to co-opt the origins of St Brendan.

                The third lecture focused on the importance of the Brendan cult in Europe. This talk was presented by Prof Jean-Michel Picard from the School of Languages and Literature at UCD. In this informative and interesting lecture Prof Picard discussed how St Brendan was particularly popular in Brittany where he was depicted as the mentor of one of Brittany’s favourite saints, St Malo, and as such he enjoyed a prominent place in Breton literature. As the patron saint of navigators the Brendan cult was strong in many coastal regions across the Continental.

                Prof Donnchadh Ó Corráin an emeritus Professor of Medieval History at UCC gave a lecture that many of the descriptions in the Navigatio could be interpreted a ‘scientific’ descriptions of various never before recorded natural phenomena such as icebergs and the island of Iceland.

                After a lunch the conference was treated to a fascinating lecture by Dr John Sheenan on The Navigatio in the context of the Faroe Islands. Here Dr Sheenan talked about the theory that an Irish monastic sight was located on one of the Faroe Islands prior to the Viking discovery and colonization. He highlighted the passages from the Navigatio and other Irish manuscripts which seem to be suggest that Irish monks knew of islands to the north of the Orkneys. He also suggested that the possible Irish etymology of the island Mykines might suggest a pre-Norse colonization. Mykines is possibly derived from the Irish muc-inis which means ‘pig island’. In Ireland such a name is usually associated with church sites and the remains of a medieval church are on the island but it is yet to be excavated in proper detail. He also discussed the possible Irish origin of a number of stone crosses found on the island.This was a thought provoked discussion and it would be interesting to see how the Faroe Islands debate is resolved.

                One of my favourite talks of the event was Dr Diarmuid Scully’s lecture Islands and Oceans: Contexts for the Brendan Voyage and Hereford Landscape in St Brendan voyage. In this presentation Dr Scully from the UCC School of History tried to place the Navagatio in  the theological context of the middle ages. During this period many believed that the Second Coming was near and it would come about once the Gospel reached the edges of the earth. In this context Brendan’s trip West could be seen as part of this mission to spread Christianity to the ends of the world. Another important context which Dr Scully highlighted was the medieval belief that the closer one comes to the edge of the world the more exotic and fantastical nature becomes. To reinforce this point he described in great detail the monsters located on the edges of the Hereford Map and Ebstorf Map. When this context is understood is becomes clear why the author of the Navagito choose to populate Brendan’s voyage with so many strange and wonderful creatures.

                The final lecture was given by Dr Jonathon Wooding from the School of Theology, Religious Studies and Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, Lampeter. Dr Wooding discussed how the Navagatio could be seen as metaphor for the monastic life. The seven years which St Brendan spend sailing in a circle could be seen as analogous to the monastic life which is ordered by the liturgical year and by the Divine Office.

                The conference was topped off with a conference overview delivered by Prof Nagy and a short speech by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan. In summary the Saint Brendan International Conference proved to be a great of success: each conference speaker brought an interesting and informative perspective to the St Brendan myth and I think everyone left much more appreciative of the artistry and complexity of  the Navagito.

                  

Ironman 3: “I have to save the President and my girlfriend! And the prom is tomorrow!”

                I will admit that I approached this movie with low expectations. The movie’s television advert had a distinctly “America Fuck, Yeah!” tone to it: War Machine’s armour was literally painted as an American flag and the villain of the piece, the Mandarin, was depicted as an Islamic terrorist. However the movie despite having a number of flaws actually exceeded my expectations and it proved to be a very enjoyable experience.

                The latest installment in the Iron Man franchise sees America in a state of shock as it weathers bomb attacks from an enigmatic villain known as the Mandarin.  What makes these attacks so disturbing is that they produce no clues with regards to the Mandarin’s location or who his conspirators are: no evidence of bomb material survives the explosions and security cameras fail to reveal any bombers. When Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr) old bodyguard is caught on one of the explosions, Stark swears revenge and challenges the Mandarin on live TV to come after him. What follows is an entertaining and exciting movie which sees Iron Man fight powerful enemies in his quest to find the Mandarin and this quest eventually leads to the door of a scientist who Stark had slighted in 1999 (Guy Pearce). As I stated above, I was apprehensive that Iron Man would strike a jingoistic tone and for the first half of the movie that seemed to be the case however an unexpected twist in the tale helps to upturn these assumptions. This twist is the main reason why I enjoyed the movie and I think it makes up for the quiet weak plotting which is otherwise present throughout the movie. A friend after the film smartly summarized the formulaic nature of the plot with the sentence: “I have to save the President and my girlfriend! And the prom is tomorrow!” The plot is formulaic but I wouldn’t hold that as a major criticism and I think it delivers the excitement one would expect from a blockbuster.  Furthermore the special effects are very well done and the humour is strong throughout the film.

At times the plot felt badly paced: some set pieces are needlessly put into the story. For example in the movie Stark suffers from periodic panic attacks after his experience in the alien dimension in the Avengers. While this humanizes Stark it is not clear how it contributes to plot. Likewise the last ten minutes clumsily introduces a new plot point which seems forced and unnecessary, and worse still,  I could see this piece playing a significant (and boring) part in the next Avenger’s movie.

Roger Downey Jr’s performance as Tony Stark/Ironman was sharp and he was well severed by the script’s smart gags. Likewise Ben Kingsley’s acting was similarly on the button and he showed his range by effortless switching from sinister villain to ridiculous clown.  While Tony Stark was a well written character the other members of the cast were one dimensional and unsympathetic. The fact that the villains’ motivations were not clearly outlined handicaps the plot. Likewise many characters struck me as unnecessary and their absence might have made the plot tighter.

In summary Ironman 3 is an exciting action-adventure romp which while suffering from some major plot weakness is overall an enjoyable movie.

Neptune, god of the sea, claims west cost of Kerry.

The sea god Neptune last night laid claim to the west coast of Kerry in a daring coup which left the Irish Government reeling and thousands dead. Using his new weapon of ‘global warming’ Neptune submerged most of the west coast. Sources close to the merciless sea king claim that Neptune decided to attack the seaside county after his last application for one-off planning permission was rejected for the sixth time. This is the second fiasco to engulf Simon Coveney’s department (the first being the horse meat scandal) and rumours abound in Fine Gael that his hitherto unchallenged role as heir apparent is now in doubt.  A delegation from the Department of Foreign Affairs, led by an Tanáiste, has been send to the Iveragh Peninsula to treat with the Father of Monsters. According to sources the negotiations have been ineffective, ‘all he is doing is shouting “Its Labour’s way or Neptune’s way” in a vain attempt to turn back the waves; it’s embarrassing.’ For further analysis please turn to page fifteen where John Waters argues that the loss of Kerry is a reflection of our loss of meaning as a country. 

The Importance of Being Earnest

The London Classic Theatre staged a performance of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest in Siamsa Tíre from Valentine’s Day to the 16^th of February.   The play follows two gentlemen, John Worthing (Paul Sandys) and Algernon Moncriff (Harry Livingstone), who have both created fictional personae in order to deceive their friends and families.  When Algernon is faced with family engagements he does not wish to attend he claims that his invalid friend, Mr Bunbury, has taken a bad turn and that he must go to Bunbury’s country home to care for him. John’s deception is of a different nature, he lives in Hertfordshire with his eighteen year old ward, Cecily (Felicity Houlbrooke), and in order to be a good influence he tries to maintain a serious demeanour. However he also has a libertine streak and he regularly leaves for London with the excuse that his fictional brother, Ernest, has landed himself in trouble and John must go to the city to help him. When he arrives at London John lives under the name of Ernest and is therefore free to live out his whims.  At the beginning of the play John has resolved to kill off Ernest but his plan is immediately complicated when the lady he  has been courting in London, Mrs Fairfax (Helen Keeley),  declares that she loves him because of his name (which she believes to be 'Ernest'). Here Ernest who was initially a boon to John has become a burden and unbeknownst to John the devious Algernon has arrived at John’s country home claiming to be Ernest and he is intent on causing trouble. 

Structurally the play is not original; it is a comedy which derives much of its humour from the confusion which arises from mistaken identities, however what separates The Importance of Being Earnest from other plays of this type is Wilde’s witty and outrageous use of language. I felt that the first the half of the production was a bit flat comedywise: I chuckled a lot but I do not think I laughed out loud. However the second half of the play more than made up for the disappointment of the first and I found myself laughing throughout.  I think the relative weakness of the first half  was down to the fact that  much time was expended consisted in down the foundation for the plot and the subsequent hilarity of the second half.

The quality of the cast was strong, However I felt that Laosisha O’Callaghan’s (who played the part of Miss Prism) Irish accent was jarring when put next the clipped aristocratic accents of the rest of the cast. Harry Livingstone’s Algernon Moncriff was a particular highlight in that he proved to be both charismatic and hilariously mischievous.

The set design was distinguished by its minimalism which helped to bring attention to Wilde’s masterful use of language. An interesting aspect of the set design was that every character had a unique chair whose style reflected the character’s personality. The one part of the set that I found off putting was the huge back drop of three gigantic pink roses which contradicted the set designer’s minimalist aims and which in my view did  not display any real metaphorical significance which could have been used to justify such a huge (and presumably expensive) set piece.

Despite a uneven start I felt that the London Classic Theatre’s production was a highly entertaining show which was sharply and skilfully executed by an accomplished cast and compliment by a smart minimalist set design.

3 out of five stars.

Les Misérables

                I was meaning to watch Les Misérables for quite some time but up until Monday events got in my way.  Les Misérable or  ‘Les Mis’ as it is known to its fans is a Hollywood adaption of the famous musical which itself was based on Victor Hugo’s epic nineteenth century novel. While I had heard good things about the movie I was initially apprehensive. This worry seemed to be confirmed in the opening scene which show a huge CGI ship been dragged into dock by chained prisoners. I felt that this set piece was overblown and the scene was further marred by Russell Crowe’s poor vocal performance in the role of the prision guard/ policeman Javert . Thus in the first scene I was simultaneously overwhelmed (by the CGI trickery) and underwhelmed (by Russell Crowes squawk).  However after this rocky start the film improves markedly. Starting in 1815 (the year of the Bourbon Restoration) the film follows several different story threads which all converge during the republican rebellion of June 1832.

The major plot thread focuses on Jean Valjean (played by Hugh Jackman) a man who spent nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread to save his starving family. In the beginning of the movie he is released on indefinite parole but his papers, which label him as a ‘dangerous man’, ensure he is unable to gain employment or shelter. Eventually he is taken in by a bishop, whose kindness Valjean repays by stealing his silverware. He is quickly caught by the authorities who return him to the bishop however the cleric confirms Valjean’s alibi that the he gave Valjean the silverware as a gift. Once the authorities leave the bishop tells Valjean that he lied for him so that he could sell the silverware and become an honest and godly man. Inspired by this act of kindness Valjean tears his papers and vows to start his life anew.  Eight years later Valjean , living under the alias of Monsieur Madelleine, is a successful factory owner and a pillar of society but the appearance of Javet on the scene threatens his new life and Valjean is faced with a moral dilemma when an innocent man is mistaken for himself and is facing life imprisonment for Valjean’s crimes. Simultaneously we see the tragic fall of Fontanne who after being fired by one of Valjean’s foremen when it is revealed that she is using her wages to support her illegitimate daughter, Cosette, who is living with a family of unscrupulous innkeepers. Unable to make money Fontaine sells her hair, her teeth and eventually her body in order to pay for her daughters care. Eventually her path intertwines with that of Valjean who feels a responsibility for her fall and vows to become Cosette’s guardian.

The opening scenes of the movie depicts an unjust world in which the poor suffer at the hands of inhumane laws and are ignored by the rich. This foreground helps put the June Rebellion in context but this attempt at radical change is ineffective against the power of the army. In the end it seems to be examples of Valjean and Javert which seems to illuminate the path out of penury however both these examples are troublesome. Javert escapes his poverty by becoming a policeman and by adopting a strict moral code in which the law is unimpeachable, however while Javert’s dutifulness has its own dignity it is also problematic because he upholds a system which is fundamentally unjust. Valjean after meeting the bishop also becomes a man with a rigorous sense of morality but his code seems to be guided by a sense of natural justice rather than strict adherence to the law: he will follow the law when it is just, but he will break it when it is not. This moral system allows him to improve both spiritually and materially however his ability to transcend his station is essentially due to his lucky encounter with the bishop and thus goodness and honesty alone cannot guarantee one’s advancement out of poverty. We see Valjean’s success but we also see the counter example of Fantine who dies in poverty despite her inherent goodness.

 Both Valjean and Javert are shown to be pious men and I think they represent  two different approaches to morality: Javert’s morality is rigid and legalistic while Valjean seems to adhere more to the spirit of the law than to the letter. While Valjean’s system is the superior one  it also more difficult because unlike Javert's morality it is not based on black-and-white distinctions and therefore it is more difficult to discern what is morally right. 

Despite its length (158 minutes) the film proceeds at a quick place which adds a sense of exuberance to the proceedings. The film is quite melodramatic especially the ending which is highly sentimental but I don’t think the film ever falls into mawkishness. On the whole despite speed bumps in the beginning Les Misérables  a highly entertaining and engaging piece of cinema.

Vathek

 As I felt a bit under the weather (man flu) I decided to open up a copy of William Beckford’s Vathek which I had bought a few months previously. Beckford who was an independent man of means (his father had made a fortune in the slave trade) wrote this gothic novel in 1782. Set in the Middle East the novel tells the story of the Caliph Vathek who despite having every luxury at hand is unsatisfied with his lot and makes a deal with a demon who offers him ancient treasures and esoteric knowledge.

                The novel represents a fusion of the emerging gothic genre and the late eighteenth century obsession with all things oriental.  I had mixed feelings about the novel at times I felt it was a bit slow and plodding while at others it was captivating and in parts it was downright terrifying. At first I was unsure on whether merging the gothic story with the oriental tale was a good idea: when I thought of the gothic my mind instantly turned to images of medieval castles and European landscapes. However, as I read through Vathek I being to appreciate why the Middle East would be a good setting for a gothic novel. To the eighteenth century reader descriptions of Mesopotamian courts would be as foreign descriptions of alien civilisations in modern sci-fi novels. Indeed even today the Middle East is viewed as a foreign and dangerous place. This sense of ‘otherness’ summoned up by the Middle Eastern setting adds strongly to the sense of the uncanny.

                The tale bears a stark resemblance to the Faustus myths. Like the German doctor the Caliph’s tragic flaw is his vanity and his thirst for esoteric lore and riches. However in many ways this is a much darker tale than the Faustus stories. Valthek’s pact with his ‘Mephistopheles’  is a much more grisly affair for it includes human sacrifice on a huge scale. Indeed it is these dark episodes that supply much of terror. Another notably scary section is the descriptions of halls of Hell, this section is full of a dark suffocating sense of dread which reaches a horrible conclusion when we discover the fate of Hell’s denizens. The tale is highly pessimistic about the human condition: tragic loss, exile or perdition seems to be the fate of the novel’s protagonists.

                Some aspects of the novel might cause modern readers to recoil. The novel’s treatment of Muslim as unthinking serfs to their caliph and the general ridicule in which their holy men are held might not site well to modern tastes. The description of Valthek’s black servants might induce some cringes and the description of the fifty most handsome young boys in the Caliphate to my ear hint strongly at Beckford’s darker predilections.

                Initially Vathek could be a struggle but as the novel advanced I found it to be highly captivating especially in the final scenes which build to an ominous crescendo. All in all I think Vathek is well worth a read.

2012Wipe 

               

                By this point Charlie Brooker’s yearly review show has become a bit of an annual tradition.  The program, this year called 2112Wipe, is the latest instalment of Brooker’s popular Screenwipe series. Beginning in 2006 Brooker reviewed TV programs and explained the inner workings of the television business in a sardonic and pessimistic style which was as hilarious as it was cutting. From 2009 Screenwipe was reduced from a six episode series to an end-of-year review show.  In many ways these review shows were just as good as the regular series however Brooker’s latest installation falls short of its predecessors’ high standards.

                While there are some generally funny parts in the show (the title sequence is particularly brilliant) I cannot shrug the feeling that this is not Brooker’s finest performance. His sarcastic snarks are not as sharp as there were and his Shitverts section just seems like a rehash of his Biggest Cocks in Advertising routine.  The show is also hamstrung by its format where Brooker lists off the major television events of the year month-by-month. Originally a Screenwipe episode worked around a theme which allowed Brooker to go into depth on his subjects and build some narrative coherence and this allowed the jokes to build up on top of each other. This thematic unity also allowed Brooker to describe the inner workings of television production which added depth to the program: it was educational as well as funny.  However in 2012Wipe the focus was on the major television item of each month and this causes the show to be disjointed and gives it a somewhat rushed feel as Brooker tries to get through twelve months of television in one hour.  The section of the Olympics I felt was a particularly bad lull in the episode because the Games’ success left so little for Brooker to be sarcastic about.  These format restrictions existed in the previous three yearly reviews but that did not prevent them from being very funny which leads one to suspect that this year’s comedy material was below par.  

                In general 2012Wipe was not a bad program however it pales in comparisons to Brooker’s previous outings and I hold out hope that 2013Wipe will see a return to form.