Letters to the Editor: Dublin’s role in launching a play about apartheid
The play was touring the UK after an initial run in The Royal Court Theatre, London, before being performed in Dublin.
I was working in The Abbey Theatre as press and publicity manager from 1970 to 1974.
In 1972, I was sent over to the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, by then-general manager of the Abbey Theatre, John Slemon, to attend a one-night performance of by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona.
The play was touring the UK after an initial run in The Royal Court Theatre, London, and they wanted to perform the play in Dublin, at the Peacock Theatre (157 seats).
I flew to Birmingham and attended a Sunday night performance in the studio space in The Crucible (60 seats), returned to Dublin on the Monday, and had a meeting with John Slemon and Tomás Mac Anna, artistic director of the Abbey Theatre, and I urged them to transfer the show upstairs to The Abbey Theatre (628 seats).
They agreed to my appeal and, three weeks later on a Sunday night in a packed Abbey Theatre, Athol Fugard’s passionate anti-apartheid play was thunderously received by an Irish audience.
A few months later, when the tour had finished, John Kani was interviewed by and he and John Kani said the best audience they had on the whole tour was that night in the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.
John Slemon subsequently went on to become the general manager of the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, South Africa, and produced an all-African cast performing by Seán O’Casey.
John Kani and Winston Ntshona went on play the two tramps in by Samuel Beckett, which transferred to The Old Vic, London, where I met up with the two great actors once again.
Athol Fugard, without a doubt, exposed apartheid and contributed to its dismantling by his powerful writing.
Some have pointed out similarities between the president of the United States of America and Conor McGregor, former UFC fighter.
After all, both men are given to bouts of self-aggrandisement and both have been found liable for sexual assault in civil courts.
There is a major difference, nonetheless.
Donald Trump won the US presidential election last November.
Conor McGregor has not won anything — not even a court case — for some years now.
Tackling a problem that harms men, women and children ( , March 17) — highlighted the serious and growing problem of gambling addiction in this country.
It also pointed out that children are twice as likely to become problem gamblers in later life if they bet before the age of 18.
In Ireland, it is against the law for anyone under 18 to enter a betting shop, a measure clearly intended to prevent minors from being exposed to gambling.
It would seem that this very sensible approach to child protection does not extend to activities organised by the State itself, however.
Greyhound Racing Ireland, the semi-state body which runs greyhound racing in this country, has no problem allowing children into greyhound tracks.
In fact, they actively target Holy Communion and Confirmation parties, where mums and dads can relax and gamble at the table betting service provided in the restaurant while the kids look on.
The most recent advertising from Greyhound Racing Ireland encourages families to attend the track on this special occasion and says: “The Communion/Confirmation child will dine for free”.
Indeed, while the same minors would be required by law to leave a pub or licensed premises before 9pm, they can stay in a greyhound stadium bar until whatever time the last race finishes — very often well after 9pm.
Interesting, too, that while the newly established Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland will have just three years to become self-financing, Greyhound Racing Ireland is guaranteed an annual handout of about €20m every year under a piece of legislation passed in 2001.
The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland has vowed to invoke harsh penalties and even imprisonment for those involving children in gambling.
“It runs deep” is the catch cry for the greyhound industry.
Sadly, “It starts early” might be more apt for the many who go on to develop serious gambling addictions.
Gambling addiction — also known as pathological gambling, compulsive gambling, or gambling disorder — is an impulse-control disorder.
Sadly, a compulsive gambler can’t control the impulse to gamble, even when it has negative consequences for the addict and their families.
As a clinician, I’ve worked with gamblers who will bet whether they are up or down, broke or flush.
These addicts will keep gambling regardless of the consequences, even when the odds are against them or they can’t afford to lose.
On Monday, the ’s Sean Murray had an interview with Ireland’s new gambling regulator, Anne-Marie Caulfield, in which she says she will vet the executives of top gambling firms as part of the licensing process and there will be very severe penalties for companies that flout the rules.
As the headline puts it, she is tackling a problem that harms men, women, and children.
I welcome and applaud Ms Caulfield’s approach to how she intends to deal with gambling firms that show contempt to the new regulations.
I will conclude by saying that actions will now speak louder than words, especially when it comes to the emotive issue of gambling.
Some 75% of consumers recycle correctly. As it is, there is too much emphasis on how the consumer separates their waste.
The glass milk bottle was easy to manage. It landed on your door in the morning. You used it, washed it, and left it outside the door with the cat at night. Simple.
Now we are asked, with the limited amount of time we have in our packed lives, to wash, dry, and separate every piece of packaging we get in the supermarket.
Does anyone see the madness is this?
We have the bins. We do our best. And that is without having a degree in plastics or packaging.
It’s time to look to manufacturers who produce the wide range of plastic packaging.
Just look at the recent update on the milk carton.
The EU wants the cap to stay attached to the carton using an extra added plastic ring.
Anyone remember when this milk carton came without plastic?
Some of my golfing buddies have remarked that, physically, I behave nowhere near what my chronological age would suggest.
I like to think that it may have something to do with the fact that, over the last couple of years, I have managed to play more golf on weekends than most professionals get to do over their entire careers.
On the other hand, I’m convinced that my wife believes that I combine the mind of a 12-year-old with the body of a 70-year-old pensioner.
Just goes to show that there are unexpectedly beneficial side-effects in trying to tell the truth.
It is reported that our Government is spending millions of euro “battling” in the courts, parents of children requiring assessments.
We elect politicians to represent our interests. Politicians appoint senior civil servants.
Parents requesting constitutional and basic civil rights for children are forced, at great expense, to resort to the courts to have rights afforded.
I say shame on our politicians and senior civil servants.
I ask where is the decency, honesty, and integrity of politicians and senior civil servants?
Ministers, politicians, and senior civil servants need to face their responsibilities to the people of Ireland, and children with special needs in particular.
I suggest this country is sadly lacking in accountability when it comes to the expenditure of taxpayers’ funds.
In my opinion, our political leaders need to implement change in this regard.
