London Irish player Tomás O'Leary talks Rugby, Culture and all things Irish!

The ICC had the pleasure of catching up with London Irish player Tomás O'Leary this week!




London Irish player Tomás O'Leary

I understand you come from quite the sporty background in Ireland. Your dad played hurling for Cork and you yourself hurled too I believe?  

Yes my Dad hurled with Cork in the 1970s and 80s. He was part of the 3 in a row from 76-78 & won another All- Ireland in centenary year 1984. My Aunt Mary was an accomplished camogie player. Both my Dad & Mary won All-Stars during their careers. Hurling was & still is my passion. Growing up in a household steeped in GAA, my sole desire as a kid was to play hurling with Cork. I didn't quite achieve this but I did manage to captain the Cork minors to an All-Ireland in 2001. Still time for me to play senior though! Hope Jimmy Barry Murphy sees this!!


Do you still get the chance to practice your hurling?

Since I gave up at age 19 to pursue a career in rugby I haven't had much opportunity to practice. My training schedule is too hectic. I look forward to getting back onto a GAA pitch once I retire from professional rugby.



How is training going with London Irish?

Great. It's an exciting time in the history of London Irish. We are under new ownership & have recently moved into a state of the art training facility at Hazelwood. All our owners have strong Irish links and are keen to strenghten our role within Irish heritage & culture in London. On the pitch we have assembled a strong, tight knit squad and look forward to future success.


London Irish have kindly chosen The Irish Cultural Centre as one of their supported charities this season; how important is Irish culture to you?

Culture defines people. Culture illustrates who you are & where you have come from. As a nation us Irish are fiercely proud of our unique & diverse culture. We are renowned for our Music, Sport, Literature, Drama, Art. Our unique attitude towards life, our inquisitive nature & our love of 'the craic' has spread Irish influence all over the world. Irish emigrants look to our culture & traditions to keep us connected to our homeland.
The things I miss from home are inherently Irish.......family, friends, hurling, the Cork accent, having 6 cups of tea a day, my Mums cooking. You can't take everything abroad with you but you take as much as we can. I still have my Cork accent like. Our people's love for our identity is why our culture is so strong.



How important to you is a sense of 'Irishness'? Of keeping Irishness and Irish culture alive abroad?   

'Irishness' is undeniable. It is unique. Our traditions & customs, our culture will never cease to exist. Where there is Irish people or people of Irish heritage then there is 'Irishness'. Our people will keep Irish culture alive wherever they may be.



Do you get to go back to Ireland often?

Whenever I can depending on my training schedule & matches. Love getting back to Cork catching up with family & friends.



Have the Irish lads at the club introduced Irish culture to the other players who are not from an Irish background ? Do you organise ceilis or trad sessions for them?!  

We have showed them how to play hurling, taught them some Irish slang, the odd cuplá focal, introduced them to a few Irish artists. No ceilis. Would like to see a few of our Tongan & Samon players dancing though. Maybe something for the future!


Have you learned about other cultures and traditions from players at London Irish?   

 Absolutely. Throughout my career I have played with a multitude of nationalities. English, Scottish, Welsh, Samoan, Aussie, Tongan, Kiwi, South African, French, Canadian. Each culture brings its own customs & nuances but when in a rugby environment any barriers are quickly broken down.
Every culture is unique. We all have idiosyncrasies. 

The lads at London Irish get to grips with some musical education!

Recently the ICC filmed a video with some of the players from London Irish having a music lesson with Brendan Mulkere, the Head of our Music Academy; How was that experience? The lads seemed to enjoy it?! Did you ever play a musical instrument when you were growing up...or will you now?!   

 We had great fun with Brendan. I played tin whistle when I was younger. I'm gonna brush up on it now. A bit of work to do though before I'm ready to join in a Trad session.


The ICC will be fundraising by doing bucket collections at the Madejski Stadium for your match against Gloucester on Sunday 30^th November; how do you think London Irish will fare against them?

If our fans donate a load of money to the ICC then I am extremely confident we will win. If not I fear for the result. Get out your airgead & support the ICC!



Tomás combining his training and music practice!

Thank you for chatting with us Tomas! We'll be cheering you on at our fundraising day at London Irish vs. Gloucester on 30th November!

Interview by Helen Bermingham for The Irish Cultural Centre

www.london-irish.com

Dervish in conversation - What to expect at Bush Hall this Sept!

We’re gearing up for Dervish’s Bush Hall intimate gig at the end of this month, and we wanted to catch up with the guys and see how they’re getting on! Our general manager Kelly O'Connor had the honour of doing just that this week with Cathy Jordan and Brian McDonagh. 

For Bush Hall tickets click here

Photo courtesy of BBC Radio 2 Folk Show: Cathy Jordan 

ICC: We tuned in to hear you on BBC Radio2 for Mark Radcliffe’s Folk Show this week and absolutely loved your session. You started off with a fast paced collection of reels, signalled with a bodhran count in, almost like a call to battle. One of the show’s callers said it kept him going on the treadmill! Do you usually kick things off with a fast paced track to get everyone moving from the start, or do you sometimes try to ease the audience in?

CJ: Not always, we usually try to tease the audience by starting with something more pensive and wind up the show to a frenzy. The Show is usually a journey through all the the different moods shades and emotions present in  music.  On the Mark Radcliffe show we had only three pieces to play so we decided to start with an explosion to get people’s attention and then the next piece was much slower to give contrast.

Dervish behind the scenes in Birmingham's mac

ICC: We’d love to have heard more of you guys. Did you feel you had more to talk about? For instance we wanted to hear more about Trad for Trocaire.

CJ: It was an honour to be asked to be part of the show, but as with all shows, time is limited so you try as much in as is possible, unfortunately you don’t always get the chance to talk about everything you might like to, but thats the way it goes.

ICC: Cathy, you gave an intro to one of your songs, telling of the tale of love lost and won. Do you find performing songs that tell these kinds of stories has a cathartic effect on you as you deal with life’s ups and downs?

CJ: I love singing the songs of our ancestors they travel down through the generations and I feel a connection with the past and with the people who sang them down the ages. There so much we can learn from them and the life’s and struggles of all those people.  Also one is reminded that when it comes to some of the subjects of love, loss and longing, nothing really has changed to the present day.

Brian McDonagh album cover for The Thrush in the Storm, and a glimpse in his studio

ICC: Brian, can you tell us a little about the cover for the new album?

BMD: Well, I’m not really an illustrator, I just paint for my own satisfaction and most of my work wouldn’t really be suitable for a cd cover. But when we were preparing the material for the CD I was struck by the name of one of the tunes and it sent me on a path towards an image that I felt might work as a cover. I felt that the Thrush singing its heart out in the midst of a storm was a good metaphor for Ireland and its recent travails. Once I had the basic concept in my mind it was really just a case of getting the feeling right.

ICC: Brian, on your website (http://www.mcsligo.com/) you have photos of your studio, which looks like its somewhere you spend a lot of time. Do you find it hard to leave the studio, and your own space when you go on tour?

BMD: I spend as much time as I can there, but I am fantastic at coming up with excuses not to go there. I find painting very difficult and quite terrifying! I’m always surprised when I manage to create something worth looking at. Touring is a very different experience and it’s interesting how the two aspects of my life fit together. I always use any free time we have while on tour to visit galleries and learn from other artists.

ICC: After 25 years, has being on tour together gotten easier?

Photo courtesy of Joanne Davidson: 

Dervish played Glastonbury's Avalonia Stage this year

CJ: Absolutely, the older you get the more you get to appreciate how lucky we are to be able to travel the world and have wonderful experiences through the music which has been handed down to us by our ancestors. We get to play and nurture it while we’re here but it will, I have no doubt be around for many generations to come.

ICC: You played Glastonbury’s Avalon Stage this year. Did you stay for the whole weekend? We heard some of you ‘embraced’ the mud! Did you get to enjoy any of the other acts?

CJ: Yes got to see Dolly Parton, who I’ve been a fan of for years. She is an absolute inspiration at nearly 70 years of age and still as amazing as ever. Also saw Gold Frapp, Metalica, Massive Attack, Clannad, The Henry Girls and of course my personal favorite Suzanne Vega.

ICC: The gig you’re playing at Bush Hall is a fundraiser for the ICC. Do you have any thoughts about the ICC’s new venue, and what they’re trying to achieve with this modern performance space for Irish Arts in London?

CJ: I think its brilliant that {there will soon be} a new venue for the ICC in London, this is very positive for all the Irish in London to keep in touch with all things Irish while abroad. It’s important from a community point of view as well as been educational.

I wish it all the very best and can’t wait to play there. 

Dervish will play Bush Music Hall, West London on Sunday 28th September, 2014

ICC: You’re off to the States in the New Year and playing the Community Arts Centre in Williamsport on St. Patrick’s Day. Do you find you get an even more Irish welcome when you play abroad on the big day?

CJ: There’s so may Irish all over the world now, that it doesn’t really matter where you are in the world, everyone wants to be Irish, even if they’ve never been there. The USA is incredible on St Patricks Day, its like green Christmas and everybody embraces it.

ICC: And finally, can you tell us what to expect at Bush Hall on the 28th?

CJ: Well we’re really looking forward to playing in the the Bush hall and seeing all our old friends, and we promise a great night of great tunes, songs and banter, and after 25 years on the road we’ve finally mastered the craft!!

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, best of luck with the upcoming dates and we'll see you on the 28th! 

For more info about Dervish visit their website 

For tickets for Dervish's upcoming intimate gig in London, the last chance to see them before their tour of the USA, click here

Mary Coughlin enchants Bush Hall audience!

Last Tuesday, 19^th November, the legendary Mary Coughlin performed for a rapt audience at Bush Hall.  Jamie Lawson was her support act; a singer songwriter whose song ‘Wasn’t Expecting That’ became a YouTube sensation and a number one in the download chart. He proudly told the audience that it is now a song that people fall in love to, it was even sung by Mary at her daughters wedding.  He gave a captivating performance and set the night off to a great start. 

Jamie Lawson on stage at Bush Hall

Mary took to the stage with a jazz trio behind her and it didn’t take long for Bush Hall to fall completely under her spell.  Performing songs from throughout her career and interspersing these with amusing anecdotes she had the audience in the palm of her hand.  When asking for song suggestions the room was filled with shouts from keen fans hoping to hear their favourite.  The line up consisted of piano, double bass, saxophone and clarinet as well as two backing singers who joined Mary on stage for several songs.  Mary also invited Jamie back on stage to perform a duet with her, one of the many beautiful moments of the night.  Highlights of the night included 'I Want To Be Seduced' and an equistitly tender version of Joy Divisions 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'. 

© Andy Lawson

As Marys performance neared its end shouts of ‘more, more’ echoed around the room and she delivered, performing a couple of encore songs.  Mary Coughlin received a well-earned standing ovation, with the whole of Bush Hall on their feet.  

Written by Lily Middleton