
Head’s a bit worse for wear today. Yesterday was the wedding reception of Charlie and Sandra. Charlie writes Double Vision every week in the Connacht Tribune. The reception was in Massimos and Mattie Hynes, Harriet Leander and a troupe of French people did an amazing job turning it into… well, a brilliant wedding reception venue! The whole place was trimmed with greenery and flowers, it was hard to believe I was still in Massimos, and it was packed to the gills with friends and family.

Me and Mattie.

Me and Martin Rowson
Charlie’s best man was political cartoonist Martin Rowson of the parish of The Guardian and other esteemed publications. We’d a great chat about scandal, satire and upsetting people: my theory is if people are getting upset by your work you’re doing something right, and Martin has a good deal of experience in that department! The photo is the obligatory take-it-yourself upnose Bebo standard, sorry Martin, nice to meet you
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As a present I did a signing board for the guys, it went down a treat, got great compliments for it and a few people accused Martin of doing it, which I take as a compliment.

An amazing night, all the best for the future Charlie and Sandra. Now I just need to pop these veins back into my temples…

On the way to Dundalk on Saturday (I went via Ardee) I spotted a sign for Derry- 163km. I suggested to the New Muse (who’s been accompanying me to one or two gigs) that it would be quicker to go to Donegal after the wedding than drive back to Galway, and we could make a night of it (Carndonagh is the craic central of Inishowen). I rang The Voice to see if we could stay with her and The Drums, but they were en route to Sligo for an Inishowen Gospel Choir gig in the Clarence Hotel.
The New Muse and I had a quick bite (of food!) in Dundalk and hit the road for Sligo. We took the scenic route from Castleblaney to Clones and then on to Enniskillen, Manorhamilton and finally Sligo. We saw donkeys and ruins and pockets of an Ireland thought long dead: dwellings resting at crossroads with sunken glass in deep windows and walls made of ivy.
We arrived in Sligo in plenty of time for the gig. I got shot in a drive-by waterpistolling as we walked to the venue, I started to give chase and I was catching up when I realised I’d survive as they missed all my vital organs and it probably wasn’t worth it. (Video and pics below the fold).
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Charlie’s dad passed away this morning.

I was explaining to my dad how Google worked tonight, so by way of illustration I googled his name and got this page from MovilleInishowen.com. My dad had quite a reputation as a footballer in his youth playing for Moville Celtic (that’s him, 2nd from left in the front row), but was one of a number of local players that retired early due to family commitments (in his case getting married). In 1975 they got together to form the Moville Rejects and entered the Eamonn Gillen Memorial Cup. You can read the full story here.
In 2004 the team had a reunion. Apparently “Hubert Cavanagh team centre-forward in ‘75 was a huge success as MC on the night”. That made me laugh. Football may have skipped this generation but a big part of my live caricatures is as raconteur with my sitters and the audience, so that seems to have caught!
This is the team as they appeared in ‘04. Note my dad still has all his own hair. That, also, has skipped a generation. And well done on the Smithwicks Cup Dad!
