As a teenager I adored U2 (and I still do), so it was extra special to see that Bono got a copy of Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About yesterday from Stephen, when they were filming the annual Christmas Busk to raise funds for the Simon Community (who work tirelessly to aid those who are homeless).
If you told the teenage me, that my hero Bono would have my words in his hands, I would scarcely have believed you. But art moves in mysterious ways. Very proud today.
This limited edition 10th anniversary publication of Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About is now available in the shop on this site. You can visit the SHOP menu above or click here to go directly to it. It contains new forewords by myself, Colm & Stephen, several never-before-seen photos, as well as new contemporary essays by Director Sarah Brennan and Gemma Tipton (The Irish Times) that reflect on its impact and enduring legacy. Each book is a work of art in and of itself, with a cover printed on 270gsm paper (the colour is called Citrine), with unique imperfections and magical flourishes that make each book completely unique. I would be grateful if you let any fans of poetry or literature know. Now taking orders and we will ship them in time for Christmas.
Myself and Colm were on the flagship arts show Arena, on our national broadcaster RTE Radio 1, to talk about the 10th anniversary edition of the book, as well as the new audio recording of the play. It was a great chat with host Sean Rocks, who is a long time fan of the play. You can listen back to our section of the radio show right here
The 10th anniversary limited edition Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About book is on sale right now. You can find it on the shelf in Books Upstairs (Dublin’s oldest independent bookshop) as well as their online store – www.booksupstairs.ie .
The cover was hand-set on a letterpress printing press, on high quality paper, which gives it a really unique look and feel. Inside the pages we have lots of gold too, with new forewords, archival photos, and essays from our Director, Sarah Brennan, as well as Irish Times journalist Gemma Tipton.
We are super proud to have marked the anniversary of our little show (with a long name), and this book is a beautiful document to have of this moment in time. Please support independent artists and pick up a copy today!
Last night’s 10th anniversary event for Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About was a really special occasion. It was wonderful to share the stage with Colm Keegan Poet and Writer and Stephen James Smith once again, and reflect on the art we made, as well as the friendship we have forged. All because of poetry. Thanks to everyone who came, and thanks for all of the well wishes from those who couldn’t be there. Art is truly the great connector in this universe.
Even though a storm is literally raging outside the window, and a pandemic continues to keep its grip on the country, our show will be going ahead tonight, and we will be adhering strictly to COVID guidelines. The Axis Ballymun staff will be very thoughtful and mindful of everyone’s experience, and it promises to be a truly special night. It is so rare that we get to reflect publicly on a piece of art or creativity a decade later like this, and we can’t wait to do some readings from the show, premiere our new audio production of the play, as well as launch the 10th anniversary limited edition book. It has all the elements for being a rare night. I look forward to seeing many of you there and sharing in this milestone. Most of all I’m looking forward to being onstage with Stephen and Colm again, and having a few laughs as we meander down memory lane. Admission is FREE, but you must book tickets – there are still a handful left here
The 10th anniversary limited edition publication of Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About is finally here. So excited to share it with you all. It will be on sale tonight at the event (tickets here). And we will soon announce details of how to buy it online (stay tuned!). It is a beautiful hand-set cover on high quality paper, with wonderful content bursting inside the covers, with new forewords from all three of us, a handful of never-before-seen photos, as well as brand new essays by our Director Sarah Brennan and Irish Times journalist Gemma Tipton. And the play itself is laid out in all it’s glory too of course. It’s a wonderful document of a spoken word play that set waves through the scene in Ireland, and had a profound impact on us all both professionally and personally. What a joy it is to bring a decade of art to life in this way. I’m a truly proud creative storyteller today!
10 years ago I wrote and performed a spoken word play called Three Men Talking About Things They Kinda Know About in the Dublin Fringe Festival with Colm Keegan and Stephen James Smith. The mighty Sarah Brennan directed the show, and it went on to be nominated for the Little Gem Fringe Festival award. And it then took us on a journey to Project Arts Centre, and to multiple wonderful venues in Ireland, and across the waves for sold-out engagements in London, Bristol and Paris. It was a truly magical time for me as a writer and creative, and I have written about it at length on here before if you’d like to learn more about the journey of the show.
And now a decade later, we have decided to celebrate the anniversary in some way. The show had ripples across the spoken word scene in Ireland, as well as having a significant impact on our lives. So, we are marking the occasion with an evening of conversation in Axis Ballymun on Dec 8th with Niamh Ní Chonchubhair. Additionally, we want to mark the anniversary in some tangible way by launching a beautiful new audio recording of the play (with a glorious soundscape composed by Gareth Quinn Redmond) , and a limited edition 10th anniversary publication of the script – featuring essays from journalist Gemma Tipton and our director Sarah Brennan, as well as brand new forewords by all Three Men, and a host of archival photos from several different performances. Admission is free but you’ll have to book tickets here. We would love to see some of your friendly faces (wearing masks) at the event – it promises to be really special.
For over a decade I hosted and curated a live monthly variety show called The Brown Bread Mixtape, and it took place upstairs in the legendary Stag’s Head pub here in Dublin. Those eclectic, electric nights in that old Victorian room were some of the most fun and creatively exciting times I’ve had.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I recently stumbled across a digital treasure trove of recordings from the shows and I put together a handful of mixtapes from the shows that captures some of the best moments. This volume is centred around spoken word poetry, which is a deep passion and love of mine, and the mixtape features some of the finest practitioners of the art form on this little island of Ireland from the past decade. Storytellers, lyricists, polemicists and rhymers, whose wonderful words will wash over you. The featured poets are John Cummins, Erin Fornoff, Colm Keegan, Raven (RIP), Catherina Behan and Stephen James Smith
For over a decade I hosted and curated a live monthly variety show called The Brown Bread Mixtape, and it took place upstairs in the legendary Stag’s Head pub here in Dublin. Those eclectic, electric nights in that old Victorian room were some of the most fun and creatively exciting times I’ve had.
The night always had a theme, and then I invited independent musicians and spoken word artists & poets to perform, with their sets loosely based around that theme. And I would always write a handful of radio-style comedy sketches that I performed with my dear friends (and infinitely better actors) Gus, Eva and Sean (aka The Brownbread Players). The atmosphere was always buzzing in that packed room, and the audience was a huge part of that consistently magical experience.
Recently I stumbled across a digital treasure trove of recordings from the shows and put the word out to see if there was any interest in hearing them. I was delighted to see that the answer was a resounding “Hell yeah”, so I have put together the first of a handful of mixtapes from the shows that captures some of the finest musical performances on the rarest nights.
