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Actress Helen Behan: I call Stephen Graham my ‘brother'

Actress Helen Behan: I call Stephen Graham my ‘brother'

Times09-05-2025

When Helen Behan and Brendan Gleeson were jointly given honorary fellowships by the nursing faculty of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in February, she had a confession to make to the older actor. Behan, who started acting after a chance encounter in a pub in Co Meath, could not shrug off her feeling of impostor syndrome. 'I wandered in off the street into acting,' she told him. 'I have this guilt because other people train really hard and maybe don't get the opportunities I did.' Gleeson was having none of it. 'You have to park that feeling,' he replied. 'Accept it and get on with life.'
Behan was being honoured for her services as a nurse while Gleeson was being recognised for

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Rathfriland literary festival celebrates Brontës' County Down link
Rathfriland literary festival celebrates Brontës' County Down link

BBC News

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  • BBC News

Rathfriland literary festival celebrates Brontës' County Down link

The first literary festival to take place in Rathfriland will this weekend celebrate the Brontë family's connection to the Literary Festival will feature authors, poets and music in celebration of the area's contributions to the arts, both past and famous sisters' father was a clergyman in nearby Drumballyroney before moving to Ada Elliot told BBC News NI he had been "perhaps been overlooked" in the telling of the Brontë family story. 'Rathfriland is a spectacular area' Patrick Brontë was born Patrick Brunty in County Down in March 1777 - St Patrick's Day - explaining his first name - and changed his surname when he moved to England. Three of his children - Charlotte, Emily and Anne - became authors, with Charlotte writing Jane Eyre and Emily writing Wuthering Heights - both gothic romances set in the north of England, with strong psychological components. Anne Brontë wrote The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which explores themes of social duty and the place of women in the Victorian world."Although the girls are not part of Rathfriland he (Patrick) has a long history here," festival organiser Ada Elliott told BBC Radio Ulster's Your Place and Mine programme."Rathfriland is a spectacular area. We're very proud of it and that's why we want to celebrate it." Historians through the years have speculated on whether Patrick Brontë's Irish roots might have influenced his daughter's writing, and even whether they might have had Irish Down celebrates those links. A signposted Brontë interpretive trail runs for 10 miles from an interpretive centre around Rathfriland and its surrounds, allowing visitors to drive through the area and imagine how the windswept Mournes might have influenced the father of girls whose writing was mystical, passionate and local historian Uel Wright believes more could be done."If you come here you cannot fail to see Brontë signs everywhere," he told BBC News NI. "Roads, homeland, library, nursery, steakhouse - all Brontë." Despite the wave of enthusiasm that led to those celebrations in the 1990s, the stone cottage where Patrick Brontë was born lies in ruins. Mr Wright hopes public money can be used to restore it and celebrate the link."My theory is that unless there's another generation of interest and enthusiasm to keep the Irish Brontë heritage alive, we're going to lose something very important." Mr Wright's great-great-uncle William Wright wrote a book on the Brontës in Wright believes those stories were based in oral history, in which his ancestor had a great interest, and he will examine them at a talk on Sunday in the schoolhouse where Patrick Brontë taught. "The whole Irish part of the story has gone out of fashion but with the upsurge of interest in oral history let's say - this is what we have in Ireland," he says."Let's celebrate it."Later on Sunday author Martina Devlin, who has written a novel based on Charlotte Brontë's honeymoon in County Offaly, will speak in the original church where he preached before leaving Ireland in 1802. The Rath Literary Festival started on Friday and runs until Sunday. It has been organised by the Rathfriland Women's Institute, Rathfriland Regeneration and Hilltown Community Association and will feature music and a one-woman show imagining the sisters in the modern day, by Pauline will read poems inspired by 19th Century women caught up in the criminal justice and mental health systems, and a walking tour will tell the stories of famous Rathfriland residents down the years. The festival was the brainchild of Margot Groves, who said: "We are delighted to be bringing such a wealth of talent to Rathfriland. There is something for everyone to enjoy no matter which genre they prefer." And did the Brontë sisters have Irish accents?"It wouldn't be surprising," says Uel Wright."Patrick never made great pretensions with his accent."I don't suppose we'll ever really know but it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility."

Father Ted and trans rights critic Graham Linehan pleads not guilty to harassing and smashing phone belonging to a transgender woman
Father Ted and trans rights critic Graham Linehan pleads not guilty to harassing and smashing phone belonging to a transgender woman

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time7 hours ago

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Father Ted and trans rights critic Graham Linehan pleads not guilty to harassing and smashing phone belonging to a transgender woman

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The Corrs at St Anne's Park: Everything you need to know
The Corrs at St Anne's Park: Everything you need to know

BreakingNews.ie

time11 hours ago

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The Corrs at St Anne's Park: Everything you need to know

The Corrs, consisting of siblings Andrea, Sharon, Caroline and Jim, are bringing a show acclaimed for power and emotion, to Dublin's St Anne's Park on Sunday. The siblings have sold over 40 million records to date, with their classic hits that have made fans of even Taylor Swift and Emma Watson. Advertisement Their massive commercial success made pop stars of The Corrs but first and foremost they are musicians, with the spectacular hit-packed concerts showcasing a band at the top of their game. So, if you are headed to St Anne's Park to see The Corrs live this weekend, keep reading to find out everything you need to know. When and where is it on? The Corrs play at St Anne's Park, Clontarf, Dublin on Sunday, June 8th 2025, with doors opening at 5pm. When we get the official stage times, we will update this article with them. Are there tickets left? Some tickets are still available on for the Sunday concert, so if you want to go, it is still possible! Concertgoers are advised to buy tickets from accredited sources only. Advertisement Who are the support acts? Both shows will feature special guest Imelda May and additional support from Natalie Imbruglia. When should I arrive? Allow at least an extra two hours travel time to and from the venue. That means, allow two hours on top of the time Google Maps is telling you it will take. When you get to either of the two entrances, you will have to walk an extra roughly 1.3km from the park entrance to the ticket scan/entry. There are two entrances: The green entrance is on Sybil Hill onto the main avenue, and the blue entrance is on All Saints Road via Tennis Court entry. Advertisement There is no entry or exit on Mount Prospect Avenue. St Anne's Park is a residential area – organisers have appealed to all concertgoers to respect the local community by not littering, engaging in antisocial behaviour or parking illegally. How do I get there and home again? Plan and book your travel arrangements in advance, allowing at least an extra two hours travel time to and from the venue. As traffic delays are inevitable, fans are encouraged by promoters to walk, cycle, use public transport and private coach services. By DART: The nearest DART station is Harmonstown Dart Station and they will run services to and from the concerts each day. By car: There is no public parking at the event, and car parks in St Anne's are not open to the public during events, so promoters have asked fans to use public transport and not to park illegaly or in residential areas as clamping will be in operation. By bus: You can get Dublin Bus No 6, H1, H2, and H3 to the venue from Abbey Street Lower. Marathon Coaches are also running return buses to and from the City Centre to St Anne's Park for the concert. Buses leave from Northwall Quay Bus Stop 7623 at 3pm, 4pm and 5pm on the day of the concert and drop off at St Paul's School, Clontarf. Return buses will be leaving the coach park at 11pm sharp. Advertisement What are they expected to play? Obviously, we never know what a band are going to play until the night itself, but here is a taster of what fans can expect, based on the setlist for their March concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London: Only When I Sleep Give Me a Reason Lough Erin Shore Advertisement Forgiven, Not Forgotten Summer Sunshine What Can I Do White Light Little Wing (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover) Joy of Life (cover) Ellis Island My Lagan Love (cover) Radio Queen of Hollywood Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover) I Never Loved You Anyway So Young Runaway Encore: Breathless Toss the Feathers (cover) What's the story with security? Under-16s attending the concert must be accompanied at all times by an adult over 25. Unaccompanied under-16s will be refused entry without a refund. 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Smartphones and small digital cameras are permitted, but cameras with long or detachable lenses or recording equipment are not. GoPros and iPads are also prohibited. What's the weather giving? At the time of writing, it's giving temperatures between 9 and 14 degrees on Sunday but no rain and just some sun, but partly cloudy. That is subject to change though. St Anne's Park is a standing-only venue, and all gigs take place outdoors on grass, so regardless of the forecast, dress accordingly for Irish weather – think wellies, boots or runners, layers, raincoats/ponchos and suncream. But remember, no umbrellas.

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