“Shed ne’er a clout till the May is out!” my mammy would urgently say to me as a boy if I so much as looked at the zipper of my coat before June. Well it’s June now, you may commence shedding your clouts. Welcome to my May Newsletter!
Weddings & Events
Wedding season really kicked off in May which saw me celebrating nuptials in Donegal, Offaly, Cavan, Sligo, Meath, Kilkenny and Kerry. I absolutely love being on the road at this time of year as Ireland bursts forth in its myriad hues of green. We truly are a land of chlorophyll with notions. I had two Monday weddings in a row which meant I’d no idea what day it was for 2 whole weeks. I also drew caricatures at this year’s Student Enterprise Awards finals in Mullingar and attended a wedding anniversary party in Galway to draw the guests! This was my 3rd year attending the Student Enterprise Awards and it’s always amazing to see such smart committed kids from all backgrounds working together and pitching their business ideas like pros!
Drawing Every Dog
No new dogs this month (aw!) as I ended up with lots of commissions with tight turnarounds but the doggies will return soon I promise! You can see all the dogs drawn so far here. Those commissions are also under wraps for now but will be appearing in a future newsletter!
Cartoons
I had the above cartoon published in the latest issue of The New Cartoonist!
Unfortunately Bertie Ahern (pictured above in this 2007 cartoon from the Connacht Tribune) is like the monster in a horror movie. Just when you think the Final Girl (CMAT) has finished him off (presidential aspirations) up he pops for another slash at the face of decency and fraternity, in this case singling out Muslims and people “coming from the Congo” in a racist doorstep screed as he spat and polished the Overton window: a week later a Congolese man died in hospital after being attacked in broad daylight in Dublin. Reality’s a hack writer at times but some people need cause and effect explained in the simplest terms.
The Eurovision proved once again that no matter how much the arts are disparaged, certain regimes know the value of the arts as a tool of propaganda:
New Music
Shark School Don’t Trust A Man: Galway’s Shark School are one of the most mesmerising live bands out there and I highly recommend catching them if you can, for instance this July at Femme Fest in Galway. New track Don’t Trust a Man dropped in May:
GENER8ION – STORM starring Yung Lean
I’m sure you’ve already seen this but I’m delighted to know that such high art as the choreography in this video is still being made (it literally took me 3 watches to figure out what I was even seeing as uniformed bodies become fractal murmurations), and still speaking to (young) people:
Names that Suit Jobs
Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland.
Basic Income for the Arts
I got my BAI application in after jumping through the hoops some besuited gatekeeper decided I needed to jump through in order to prove I’m an artist even though I’ve worked as an artist for 30 years and have sold literally hundreds of commissioned pieces. The visual arts application side was very messy, with third party organisations being given information on eligibility that the applicant artists weren’t privy to. The purpose of a system is what it does so you really have to wonder about the motivations of creating so much friction (and potentially ineligibilty) for applicant artists. Anyway if I get it expect to see some graphic novels for kids coming.
Meet The Costume Designer Behind An Ideal Husband At The Gate Theatre
Jaw-dropping saturation at the Gate in this interview with costume designer James McGlynn Seaver in The Gloss.
Galway Autism Partnership Funds
Galway’s phenomenal autism service GAP House is in with a chance to access funds but needs public votes.
What to do: complete this short form.
It is hugely important to include GAP’s 8 digit registration number (RCN): 20080129
“One vote per email address so please tell everyone you know to vote for GAP!! It literally takes 3 minutes to complete the form & every vote counts.
The section asking: Write one sentence on why they should receive funding. (50 words or less)* You can copy with the following text or provide your own:
GAP provides opportunities for short term respite, camp, club & social activities for children, teens & adults, therapeutic supports, wellbeing & self-care for carers. Furthermore, they offer opportunities for peer support, community & belonging for autistic people their families & anyone impacted by autism in Galway City & County
This funding would of course mean the world to us here at GAP & would ensure continued provision of activities & supports from GAP.”
Sin É
Thanks for reading, I really feel a newsletter has much more value than dribbling into the never ending stream of social media. I enjoy my brief foray into a wee bit of writing and I hope you’re enjoying reading it! Until next month!
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