Latest news with #Wycherley
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Cork Don Wycherley on playing Paddy Armstrong of the Guildford Four
Cork actor Don Wycherley can remember clearly where he was on the day that the Guildford Four were released from prison having been wrongfully convicted in 1975 at London's Old Bailey, of bombings carried out by the IRA. Wycherley, who is touring a one-man show on one of the four, Paddy Armstrong, was in a pub near St Patrick's Teacher Training College in Drumcondra celebrating his graduation from there with friends on October 19, 1989. 'On comes the telly with the news that the Guildford Four were getting out after fifteen years incarceration,' says Wycherley. Little did he know that he would take on the role of Armstrong rather than work full-time as a teacher. The play, Paddy: The Life & Times of Paddy Armstrong, was written by writer and documentary maker Mary-Elaine Tynan, Wycherley, and Fair City writer, Niamh Gleeson. (Tynan co-authored Armstrong's bestselling memoir, Life After Life.) It took a while to convince Wycherley to become involved in the one-man show. 'Mary-Elaine gave me the book to read. It was amazing, a roller coaster of a man's life. I used to see Paddy around Clontarf where he lives with his wife Caroline. [The couple have two children.] I live nearby. Paddy Armstrong of the Guildford Four. "I said that the book is amazing but the biggest problem I'd have doing a one-man show was the question as to why I'd be talking to an audience. I was kicking the can down the road. I thought the first draft of the play was good but it was too much like a summary of the book.' Wycherley was asked if he'd like to meet Armstrong. That sealed the deal regarding his involvement in the play. 'I first met Paddy in 2023. He's a very relaxed, funny, charismatic individual. I started calling to him on Saturday mornings. It wasn't difficult to get the stories out of Paddy. When he went a little dark, his default setting was to be humorous and to kind of evade the difficult questions. "It was his sense of humour that helped inform the play in many ways. "If we had just gone with the tough stuff that happened and the awful way his life went, people would get no relief. I don't think there would be as many people coming to the play. "What people have been saying is that it's an uplifting piece with huge highs and lows. Laughter is very much there. I'm glad we got to the essence of him. He is always looking for the gag. That's how I think he survived his time in prison. "There's only two of the four left, Paddy and Paul Hill. Paddy is certainly not bitter in terms of English people, and the way people reacted to what was being said by the police who concocted the evidence.' Wycherley (57), who is originally from Skibbereen, was first put on the stage by one of the teaching brothers at St Fachtna's De La Salle College. 'It was for a Chah and Miah skit. I remember fizzing up Coke to make it look like Guinness. I was supposed to be having a pint, talking about the topics of the day. I remember the clapping at the end of it and I thought that was interesting.' It was while teaching in another De La Salle school in Finglas that Wycherley was asked by the principal to put on a Christmas show. 'I really enjoyed that. It brought me back to the sense of joy I got from being on stage. I did a course in acting at weekends but I didn't like it because it was killing my social life.' However, when Wycherley saw that the Gaiety School of Acting was offering a full-time one year course in acting, he successfully auditioned for it. 'It was an itch I wanted to scratch. The principal said to me to go for it and that the job would be there if I wanted it after the year.' After starring in a play, Away Alone, at the Peacock Theatre, directed by Fionnuala Flanagan, the then artistic director of the Abbey Theatre, Garry Hynes, offered Wycherley and three other actors full time contracts. The die was cast and Wycherley has had a successful acting career, interspersed with subbing work as a teacher during lean times. "It worked out nicely for me. That said, other actors would be chasing Hollywood. At my age, I'm just chasing a good script,' says this actor, writer and sometime teacher. Paddy: The Life & Times of Paddy Armstrong is at the Everyman on May 30-31. See
Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Times
The best home security: how the elite protect their property
What do you buy the man who has not just one Rolex, Vacheron Constantin or Audemars Piguet, but a whole collection of luxury watches valued at more than £8 million? Easy. You buy him a watch safe. This may sound dull, but when it is made by Luke Wycherley, it is a sophisticated storage unit as intricately designed as the watches themselves. A cabinet-maker by training, Wycherley realised safes did not need to be ugly steel boxes; they could have bespoke handles, intricate etching — perhaps even a family crest — and inside they could be lined in the finest leather. In short, his company, Little Halstock, specialises in 'pimping up your safe', as he calls it. Crucially, the device holding the watches inside the safe gently rotates, replicating the movement of a wrist, to ensure the precious timepieces keep accurate time — even when locked away. Welcome to the world of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) domestic security, where sash windows have motion detectors instead of latches, where the downstairs loo doubles up as a panic room, and where a necklace isn't stored in a sock drawer but in a swanky safe. 'The world I work in is pretty unusual,' Wycherley says. His company, based in Dorset, makes a lot of drinks cabinets and humidors for superyachts but he also specialises in safes for shotguns and jewellery. He shows me pictures of a safe designed for a client that has — once you open the door — butterflies embedded into the birdseye maple marquetry, made from mother of pearl with 24-carat gold outlines. He won't tell me exactly how much it cost, nor the client, beyond that they are 'European', but his prices range from £17,000 to north of £100,000 for something of this size, no bigger than a hotel minibar. Isn't that quite a lot for, well, a safe? 'They're now seen as a kind of modern jewellery box,' he says. 'Some of my clients have rings that are worth £3 or £4 million each. Their collection of jewellery is just incredible.' He has one client who spent £140 million on a property in Europe, so spending a fraction of that to secure some of its contents makes sense. Of course, anyone with serious valuables has a 'decoy safe' as well as their main one. This should contain a wad of cash, maybe a fake Rolex and some paste jewellery, and is usually found in an obvious place, such as a dressing room. 'If somebody is looking to break into your home and steal something, they see that as a first port of call, take what's in it and leave,' Portia Fox, an interior designer, says. Fox specialises in UHNW clients and has found that two trends have taken hold in recent years: rich homeowners tend to be less flashy than the days when Russian oligarchs were snapping up Mayfair penthouses, and they seem keener on security. This manifests in a request for biometric entry systems — which require a fingerprint or facial recognition to enter — not just to the front of the house, but also individual rooms. 'We recently did a London project with biometric panels on a lot of rooms,' Fox says. 'It used to be just maybe on the swimming pool to stop children accessing them for safety reasons. But here they were everywhere.' This was to limit access to 'trusted members of staff, who all have different accessibility, depending on perhaps how long they've worked for the family'. She also works on panic rooms — secure spaces where a family can hide from an intruder and call the police. In most cases, they are an existing room, such as a cloakroom or guest bedroom, that doubles as a safe zone. 'We make sure that the space doesn't feel like a panic room; if you looked at it you would have no idea of its purpose,' she says. Unless, that is, you investigated more carefully, in which case you would notice the heavy door and lock. For the actual security specifications, Fox liaises with a security consultant such as Steve Moore, who runs a company called SMC that counts Mick Jagger among its A-list clients. Apart from the unbreakable door, a panic room needs to have a communication link to the outside world — often using Starlink or another satellite connection, rather than the home's wi-fi. Moore has noticed an increasing paranoia from some clients. 'We've done a couple recently that have independent air and air filtering, water filtration, with back-up energy to run their homes,' he says. The most common method to keep the electrics going is a Tesla Powerwall, a large battery made by the car company that stores solar power. 'Some people are a little bit anxious about societal breakdown,' Moore says. 'We've got a couple of American clients who are pretty wealthy, one of whom is reasonably high profile, and for whatever reason, they have this as a priority.' He doesn't think they've gone loopy having such a high-spec panic room, he adds. 'I think there's something to be said for being able to buy yourself time. Most places in London can be got to by the police within an hour.' • The best smart home security devices to buy now Even those who do not fear riots in the streets or the water being poisoned might worry about the rise in criminals targeting London's super-wealthy. Between 2019 and 2024, 29,000 watches were reported stolen to the Metropolitan Police, with one in five of the thefts involving violence, according to a freedom of information request by the Watch Register database. One option, especially if London is your secondary or tertiary residence, is to live in a portered block with a full-time security person. Fox has just finished doing up a residence in Knightsbridge for a Middle Eastern family where the teenage children had their own flats. 'More and more families want to be able to travel but know that their children, if they're being educated in the UK, have that concierge service,' she says. Those living in detached homes can secure them by getting a security company to lay underground cables around the perimeter of the site. 'If someone crosses those cables, we can detect the volume of water in their body — so I could tell it's not a fox or a squirrel — I can then direct the [CCTV] cameras to that point,' Moore says. 'I can then signal to the householder or the security team and they can lock down or take whatever preventative action they need to.' This, of course, costs money. Moore has just finished working on a new-build six-bedroom home in Hampstead, north London, that cost £40 million. 'Our budget was £2.5 million, of which security was £500,000,' he says. The rest was installing energy systems to power the property, digital walls, wi-fi and audiovisual kit throughout the home and garden, including a cinema room and speakers hidden in trees. • The best additions to step up your home security The greatest cost is rarely the kit but staff. Darren Andrew Smith runs Special Forces Security, based in Chelsea, which supplies wealthy families with what they refer to as close protection — bodyguards. For as much as £50,000 a month, he offers a residential security team (RST) who work in shifts, manning the CCTV and the property's entrance, along with someone to occasionally accompany the client and their expensive watch. 'When they want to go to Annabel's [the nightclub] or the kids want to go out shopping for the day, or the parents want them to take the kids out to the park, that's our bread and butter,' he says. 'Violent robberies are definitely on the increase.' Of course, if you wanted to deter the burglars, the easy solution is to wear an Apple Watch. But then you'd have nothing to put in your special watch safe. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue
Belfast Telegraph
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Actor Don Wycherley: ‘What was my worst job? Working on a site in London in 1984 for a vicious foreman who called me Pat'
The west Cork native is currently starring in a one-man show inspired by the memoir of Paddy Armstrong, one of the Guildford Four – who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned in England for bombings in 1974 committed by the IRA. Wycherley is also a co-writer of the show, called Paddy: The Life and Times of Paddy Armstrong. It will be performed in theatres around NI in September.
The 42
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Munster's URC play-off hopes suffer blow with defeat in Cardiff
Cardiff 26 Munster 21 Nathan Johns reports from Cardiff Arms Park A FIVE-POINT defeat to Cardiff has cost Munster the opportunity to solidify their hopes for the URC knockouts, the province falling in an ill-disciplined display in the Welsh capital. Fineen Wycherley and Jack O'Donoghue saw yellow either side of half-time, and their combined 20 minutes in the bin cost Munster 26 points – a total they could not overhaul. In a first half which saw Munster concede 12 unanswered points with Wycherley in the bin, the province nevertheless took a narrow lead into half-time. Calvin Nash and Mike Haley – making his first start since January – crossed while both sides were at full complement, Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Harri Millard hitting back when Cardiff ran at 14 men. Munster opened the scoring through Nash, albeit only after a forward pass wiped out Johan Mulder's effort on five minutes. Craig Casey spotted his wing in space metres from the line after the forwards had narrowed the Cardiff defence. Munster's Tom Farrell celebrates scoring a try. Mike Jones / INPHO Mike Jones / INPHO / INPHO Wycherley's card following a deliberate knock-on prevented Munster from building on that clinical early attack. Cardiff scored twice in the space of three minutes, Hamer-Webb the first to dot down after Ben Thomas and Callum Sheedy combined nicely. The Cardiff wing was involved in setting up the second, claiming Thomas' kick in behind before offloading to Toby Faletau. The Wales backrow sent Millard over for a breakaway score, though Munster will ask why the ball was allowed to bounce in the backfield. Advertisement Back to 15, Munster struck to retake the lead before the break. Haley crashed over after a maul sucked in enough defenders to allow Crowley to send his backline into space. Munster crossed first after the break, though Cardiff came close when Nash hunted down Josh Adams after an intercept. James Botham's high tackle allowed Crowley to kick into the corner once more, Munster again building an accurate 22 attack to send Farrell over under the sticks. The nine-point lead was trimmed to just two within four minutes. Cardiff kicked a penalty of their own into the 22. Liam Belcher peeled off the back of a maul but was stopped by Jack O'Donoghue's tackle. Illegally so, the backrow starting in an offside position. Gianluca Gnecchi took some time to deliberate, but the penalty try/yellow card combination was always going to be the outcome. Johan Mulder dove over from close range minutes later to ensure that, once again, a yellow card cost Munster a pair of tries. Munster's Mike Haley tackled by Taulupe Faletau. Mike Jones / INPHO Mike Jones / INPHO / INPHO In truth, the final score could have made for worse reading. Sheedy missed a penalty and a drop-goal. Adams was once again caught while trying to run in an intercept. One final attack from Munster came up short, Cardiff pilfering on the deck inside their own half. Munster have two home games remaining, with wins a necessity as they fight for their play-off lives. Cardiff scorers: Tries – Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Harri Millard, Penalty Try, Johan Mulder, Conversions – Callum Sheedy [2/3], Ben Thomas [1/1] Munster scorers: Tries: Calvin Nash, Mike Haley, Tom Farrell Conversions – Jack Crowley [3/3], CARDIFF: Cam Winnett; Josh Adams, Harri Millard, Ben Thomas, Gabe Hamer-Webb; Callum Sheedy, Johan Mulder (Aled Davies, 75); Danny Southworth (Corey Domachowski, 49), Liam Belcher (capt) (Evan Lloyd, 60), Kieron Assiratti (Rhys Litterick, 22-34, HIA, 60); Josh McNally (Thornton, 66), Teddy Williams; James Botham, Thomas Young (Ben Donnell, 49), Taulupe Faletau (Alun Lawrence, 64) . MUNSTER: Mike Haley (Tony Butler, 75); Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell (Sean O'Brien, 60), Thaakir Abrahams; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Michael Milne (Mark Donnelly, 65), Niall Scannell (Diarmuid Barron, 50), John Ryan (Ronan Foxe, 75); Fineen Wycherley (Jean Kleyn, 60), Tadhg Beirne (capt); Jack O'Donoghue, Alex Kendellen (Ruadhan Quinn, 60), Gavin Coombes. Yellow cards: Fineen Wycherley, Jack O'Donoghue. Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR).
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
End of era for local owners says 'let down' Wycherley
Shrewsbury Town owner Roland Wycherley says he feels "deeply let down" by the failed process of selling the Shropshire official confirmation that the almost season-long negotiations with an American prospective buyer had come to an end, Wycherley says there is already interest in relegation-threatened Town, who are bottom of League the long-serving 83-year-old chairman, who previously ran two businesses in the town, has also warned that any other potential new buyers are still unlikely to be local."The era of a local businessman running clubs at this level is coming to an end," said Wycherley in a prepared statement. "The reality is that football has moved on. "Previously my intention has been to find a successor who was a local businessman who had the club's and town's best interests at heart."I twice believed I had found the right local investor, only for both parties to withdraw from the process after agreeing to the asking price."This time, we appointed an intermediary with a track record of success in selling clubs. When we entered into an exclusivity agreement, we were optimistic. This was the first time we had entered into an exclusivity agreement with an overseas investor. "From a Shrewsbury Town perspective, all due diligence was completed before Christmas, ensuring the best possible chance for the new owner to have an impact in the January transfer window. However, as with any sale, completion depends on the buyer's willingness to complete."We understand our prospective owners remain embroiled in a lengthy and complex legal dispute unrelated to football. Their ongoing situation has demanded much of their time and attention, preventing them from dedicating the necessary focus to acquiring the club."Both the board and I feel deeply let down by how events have unfolded over the past few months."We are no longer in an exclusivity period. The search for new investors has already resumed, with fresh expressions of interest received as early as this morning."Despite this setback, I remain fully committed to finding the right successor. As someone born and raised in Shrewsbury, and as a lifelong supporter, I will continue to do everything in my power to act in the best interests."Nobody likes uncertainty and I understand the concern among supporters – something that isn't helped by people who decide to spread rumours and misinformation."
