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Frank McGuinness: ‘I fell in love with Elizabeth Bennet and Huck Finn – they are brilliant, defiant and good for the exercise of body and mind'

Frank McGuinness: ‘I fell in love with Elizabeth Bennet and Huck Finn – they are brilliant, defiant and good for the exercise of body and mind'

Frank McGuinness was born in Co Donegal in 1953 and now lives in Dublin. He has written 16 plays including Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, Carthaginians and Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, and 20 adaptations of European classics. His version of Ibsen's A Doll's House won a Tony award.
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A fictional UK train route that featured in a TV show could soon become real
A fictional UK train route that featured in a TV show could soon become real

The Irish Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

A fictional UK train route that featured in a TV show could soon become real

Plus, three scenic train journeys you can take in the UK TRACK ON A fictional UK train route that featured in a TV show could soon become real BACK in the 1970s and 80, a TV series called 'End of Part One' featured a tube station that existed in Lewisham, alongside tube stops in Ladywell, Catford and one called the 'Edge of the World.' There has never been a tube station in Lewisham - the train station only serves the DLR and National Rail, but fiction could soon become reality with Bakerloo Line extension plans stretching to the London borough. 3 The proposed extension of the Bakerloo line would go to Lewisham Credit: TFL Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards - enter to win here Advertisement An extension of London's Bakerloo Line has been considered since 2014, but a lack of government funding has prevented it from taking place. But now th extension could actually happen thanks to a newly submitted planning permission, alongside several other new tube stations in South London. Burgess Park and Old Kent Road would be built from scratch, and New Cross Gate and Lewisham - which both currently don't have a Underground station - would each have one added. Read more on travel tips HOLS HACK My little-known tricks for cheap tickets that top UK attractions DON'T advertise While the project has not fully been given the go ahead, the route has been planned, and it was safeguarded by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in February. Advertisement According to Time Out, if the extension went ahead, it would allow 27 trains to run per hour on the line, which would mean a train every two minutes. The project is costly and a lack of funding is preventing it from getting under way, but TfL and the Mayor of London are in discussions about how to fund it. According to TfL, the plans include extending the Bakerloo Line from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham and building a new Bakerloo line ticket hall at Elephant & Castle. The route would then run from Elephant & Castle along the Old Kent Road and at New Cross Gate. Advertisement If the plans were approved, TfL has projected that work could begin in 2030 and be complete by 2040. European sleeper train with private cabins 3 This would mean building an underground station in Lewisham Credit: Alamy The Baker Street and Waterloo Railway originally opened in 1906 but was quickly renamed after a journalist nicknamed it the Bakerloo Line and the name stuck. There have already been a number of extensions to the line over the decades, including at Elephant & Castle, Queen's Park and Watford Junction. Today, the line is often known for its 1972 Mark Two tube trains that feature brown and grey retro interiors. Advertisement If the extension was built, then it could connect Lewisham to central London in 15 minutes. Three scenic train journeys you can take in the UK Cornish Coast - One trip that rail enthusiasts seem to love is along a stretch of the Cornish coast and takes just 10 minutes to complete. The route from St Erth to St Ives only stops at Carbis Bay en route to its final destination, but the views out the window for the whole journey are pretty spectacular. Another highlight of the journey is that St Ives station is situated right next to Porthminster beach, meaning the sand and sea can be accessed almost immediately. Meanwhile, the station is less than a ten minute walk into town, where the harbour, shops, galleries and pubs can be explored. Durham to Edinburgh - Another train route that people in the UK love is the East Coast train line between Durham and Edinburgh, with coastal views and city landscapes among the sights that can be seen out the window. Newcastle, Berwick, Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral are all among the highlights on that route. Scotland's West Highland Line - While Scotland is home to plenty of famous landmarks and top attractions, it also has one of the most breathtaking train routes in the world. Scotland's West Highland Line has previously been dubbed the best rail journey in the world by Wanderlust - and it's easy to see why. The journey from Glasgow to Fort William is one of my favourite train routes - and I've interrailed through mainland Europe. With mountain landscapes, serene lochs, wistful moors, and wildlife all visible through the train window, it's certainly a route all holidaymakers should consider doing at least once. Next month, there is also the chance to hop onboard a London Underground vintage train on a secret railway line that isn't on tube maps. Plus, this is the incredible train journey that'll 'ruin every other railway trip you take'.

UK rapper's song slammed for blaming gardai and migrants for ‘trouble and violence'
UK rapper's song slammed for blaming gardai and migrants for ‘trouble and violence'

Sunday World

timea day ago

  • Sunday World

UK rapper's song slammed for blaming gardai and migrants for ‘trouble and violence'

'Like all genres of music rap can be used to benefit social conscience or it can be used to attack it, and we would see this as an attack' One of the scenes featured in the video One of the scenes shot at Johnnie Foxes in Dublin A song released by an infamous UK gangster turned rapper calling for Ireland's freedom from 'guards and migrants' has been slammed by an anti-racist group. Jordan McCann who wrote a hit song while on parole from prison has racked up millions of views on social media and says he is making six-figures from his new career. While previous songs have been about the danger and lure of the gangster lifestyle his latest offering suggests Ireland is troubled by violence due to migrants. Also featuring on the song 'Free Ireland' which this week already had nearly 500,000 views on YouTube, is Dublin singer Conor McLoughlin. One of the lines in the song reads: 'Free, free, free Ireland from all the trouble and the violence. Free, free, free Ireland from all guards and the migrants.' The video for the song that was posted on YouTube starts with a man in Dublin shouting at a line of gardai in riot gear: 'The batterings will continue until the plantation is complete.' The idea that people in European countries are being replaced and their countries 'planted' is an international far-right conspiracy theory. The introduction also features clip from the November riots in Dublin in the wake of a young child and others being stabbed in Parnell Square. Convicted crminal turned rapper Jordan McCann (black hat) in Dublin News in 90 Seconds - August 16th The video was filmed in several well-known tourist site in Dublin including Merchant's Arch, the GPO, O'Connell Street, the city quays as well as in Jobstown and at Johnnie Fox's pub in the Dublin Mountains. McCann also alludes to his Irish roots in the track and how his 'grandfather left on a boat for England' and 'Irish to the core, so it's Guinness that I'm drinking.' Other lyrics are less sympathetic to immigrants: 'Heroes got blasted and died for these bastards so open the floodgates, swear that is backwards.' Gardai are seen intervening as McCann filmed on O'Connell Street last month where a crowd gathered around him. The video also features Conor McLoughlin The music video finishes with a photograph of Michael Collins and a quote from the revolutionary leader on Irish nationality. Damian Farrell of Dublin Communities Against Racism (DCAR) said that while he was not aware of McCann's video specifically, he believes they are not representative of the majority of people. 'Generally speaking, rap artists like this have a media platform and inherit a space where the person who is the loudest is heard the most. 'They are able to broadcast and amplify what is after all just their opinion. 'So, a lot of the work we do is in dispelling the narrative that these videos are the only message out there. They're not. McCann and McLoughlin in the video 'It is the hidden voices that Dublin Communities Against Racism represent that we are trying to encourage. 'We work with a wide range of ethnic minorities in doing more to make those voices heard without putting themselves in physical danger. 'People like rap music', Mr Farrell added, 'and like all genres of music it can be used to benefit social conscience or it can be used to attack it, and we would see this as an attack. 'And the exploitation of fake sense of nationalism that is promoted through the anti-immigration campaign and elected representatives who should know better creates a society that is of no use to anyone. One of the scenes shot at Johnnie Foxes in Dublin 'The people who are involved in these kinds of videos are not being empowered, they are being used and exploited in a way that, ironically, is the same as they use immigrants to blame for all the ills in our society that we are endeavouring to combat.' The music clip also features Conor McLoughlin who last year won the approval of five judges during an episode of The Voice on ITV. He appeared at the blind auditions and won the attention from each of the celebrity judges with his rendition of Ed Sheeran's 'I See Fire'. Tom Jones, Leann Rimes, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones hit their button to turn their chairs around. He previously took part in BBC's Let It Shine in 2017. While in west Dublin Jordan McCann stopped to pose for pics with Lee McDonnell a notorious violent criminal. McDonnell has 133 previous convictions, including for robbery, aggravated burglary and escaping from lawful custody. He was part of a group of young west Dublin criminals who were causing havoc in their late teens and early 20s who had been mentored by older criminals with links to veteran gangster Derek 'Dee Dee' O'Driscoll. McDonnell previously hit the headlines going on the run for five weeks after escaping from a prison van in Inchicore after prison officers stopped at a chipper. Compared to O'Loughlin McCann's route to showbiz has been a lot tougher who has said interviews that he grew up in jail. In 2016 he was among 13 people subject to court orders sought by police in Manchester and Salford to stop a gang feud after a series of shootings. One of the scenes featured in the video He belonged to a well-known criminal family in Salford, Greater Manchester, and has been convicted of violent crime, armed robbery, gang affiliations and drug dealing. He was in prison when his breakthrough moment came as his Lifestyle track was released and proved to be a big success. In an interview with the Manchester Evening News in 2023 he said he realised he had to turn away from crime after being sentenced to six and a half years aged 19. 'I was just thinking, 'I'm not coming home now for years, I'm living around all these same people, I lived by this f***ing code, I've been the [most loyal] guy, I've been the realest guy' and it does get you nowhere. 'I just realised, 'bang' this life is the fakest life in the world'.' 'After growing up in prison and seeing so many scenarios and people I've looked up to and seeing some of the moves that they pull themselves, I realised it's inevitable in this life bad things are gonna come.' 'Nothing good's gonna come, when money gets involved, when girls get involved people are gonna f*** people over.'

Legendary Irish band rumoured to take to stage alongside Oasis tonight during sold-out Croke Park gig
Legendary Irish band rumoured to take to stage alongside Oasis tonight during sold-out Croke Park gig

The Irish Sun

timea day ago

  • The Irish Sun

Legendary Irish band rumoured to take to stage alongside Oasis tonight during sold-out Croke Park gig

A LEGENDARY Irish folk band are rumoured to be appearing alongside Oasis on the Croke Park stage this evening. While Noel and Liam Gallagher prepare for their epic Irish comeback tonight at GAA HQ, rumours have been swirling that they might have a special guest... or guests. 3 Preparations to get Croke Park gig ready have been underway for days Credit: COLLECT 3 Rumours have been spreading about special guests who could join the brothers on stage Credit: Getty Images - Getty The two sold-out nights at Croke Park mark 16 years since the pair last played on Irish soil together in 2009. And with the European leg of their reunion tour becoming a smash hit, and them set to take on America later in the month, anticipation for how they will end this leg of the tour has been palpable. One Irish folk band, once admired by the pair have hinted they could be joining the Manchester boys on stage tonight at Croke Park. Legendary Irish folk band The Wolfe Tones could be joining the pair at GAA HQ later today. Brothers Noel and Liam were big fans of The Wolfe Tones growing up, crediting the rebel songs they sang as giving their own music an edge. The expectation for the special guests was a rumour started by Liam himself, when he was asked late last year if he would like The Wolfe Tones to open for Oasis in Croke Park. To which he replied: 'I'm up for it let's do it.' And although they aren't officially listed on the band's stage times or as an opening act, fans were still holding out hope they could appear during Oasis' set. Yesterday, just after Noel was spotted out and about around Maynooth ahead of their gigs tonight, The Wolfe Tones reignited speculation they could join them on stage. They took to X, writing: "Well lad, hope you're excited for Croker this weekend. Any idea what time our sound check is at? Welcome to the Emerald Isle." Oasis lights up Dublin sky The tweet sent fans of both bands into a frenzy as they shared their excitement at the idea of the lads joining Oasis on stage. Paul said: "Two of the best bands on the planet." Karen commented: "Hope you'll be there lads." Donna wrote: "Please please say this is really happening." Another fan insisted: "Make it happen!" This would mark the band coming out of retirement, as they embarked on a farewell tour last year, which culminated with two massive gigs in Thomond Park in Limerick. Speaking with The Sun, Brian Warfield revealed that he was up for the appearance and said that 'this is incredible news.' 'Tell Liam we'll be there. All we're waiting for now is the official invitation.'

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