Tag / US Embassy

by shannonchance

Of Politics, Tragedy and Tractors

A fascinating discussion at the Embassy tonight.

A fascinating discussion at the Embassy tonight.

An action-packed evening here in Dublin.  After a fascinating discussion from an editor of Politico, I dashed across town in time to snag a seat at the Gate Theater for the play My Cousin Rachel.

It’s a stirring tale of that reminds us of the tragedy of assuming the worst in others when they’ve given no real reason for skepticism. It’s so beautifully written that you struggle along with the protagonist until the very end.

Fortunately for me, it’s easy to find one unclaimed seat even in a full theater house. On Monday nights at the Gate, all seats are bargain priced at €25.  More than I usually pay for a seat in Dublin, but an opportunity to visit another famous play house and experience theatrical delight. Oh, and tragedy. Plenty of tragedy.

The highlight of my evening was meeting the folks from London who sat next to me–Diane and Lawrence Hanlon. Their family is Irish, dropped the O’ in front of Hanlon at some point, and must be related to Tom Mulligan. And thus me!  🙂

Gotta love the three degrees of separation in the isles!

Please take a moment to admire Lawrence’s beautiful tractor tie, which evidentially references Hertfordshire, an agricultural county, in some way.  What it references for me is Dave’s dad, the late Gordon Chance, tractor mechanic extraordinary, who loved tractor memorabilia and travelled the world with his photographer son.  Good memories.

A tragic play, showing at Dublin's Gate theater.

A tragic play, showing at Dublin’s Gate theater.

My theater mates, Diane and Lawrence Hanlon.

My theater mates, Diane and Lawrence Hanlon. What a fabulous tie!!!!

Scene design for the second half.

Scene design for the second half.

 

by shannonchance

Becoming

The crowd mulling over meanings posited by the curator of Alice’s retrospective exhibition, titled Becoming.

The Irish artist Alice Maher was once a Fulbright to California. She has accomplished enough over the years to be featured in the “Prominent Alumni Lecture Series” event held last week.

The event (coordinated by the Ireland United States Alumni Association and hosted by the US Embassy in Dublin) highlighted Alice’s exhibition, Becoming.

The exhibit is currently on display at the Irish Museum of Modern Art on Earlsfort Terrace. (If you want to visit it, please note that it is not located at the Royal Hospital site–which is closed for renovation.  Alice’s work is across town in the rear of the National Concert Hall.)

During last week’s event, the curator of the exhibition walked guests around the museum. He shared his thoughts about Alice’s work and explained how the various pieces were selected and displayed.

I particularly enjoyed hearing Alice talk about the context of her work. I also enjoyed meeting the museum’s Head of Education and Community Programmes (Helen O’Donoghue) and catching up with the staff of Fulbright Ireland (Colleen and Joanne) and the current Fulbright scholars who attended (Bob Trumble and his wife Ann, Scott McDonald, and Matthew Baker).

Since the actual home of the Irish Museum of Modern Art is under renovation, the exhibit is housed in the former classroom area behind the National Concert Hall.

This is a close up view of an installation Alice created to highlight decades of graffiti on the old University College Dublin (UCD) desks.