Obstacle Course Rating - Turf Warrior November 2014

Turf Warrior

Leenane, Connemara, County Galway 01/11/2014

This was our last outing this year, at the start of this month.  We had a smaller group of ten out this time, all of us taking on this event as part of a friend's stag.  

Ratings

Price 4/5

Hard to judge the pricing as this time out we got a package deal for the stag party, including accommodation and the race entry, but the price in September was €55 for a single entry, and they also offered a group rate, although I have no idea how much they knocked off for it.  However, they do not charge anything extra for parking or spectating, which is a big plus.

Timing 3/5

Coming to that time of the year when it's getting a bit cold to be running through the bog, although you are advised to wear a wetsuit, whether you bring your own or rent one from the adventure center is up to you.  The weather was a bit miserable for us, but then again it was great the week before, so it's a lottery, really.

Distance 4/5

10K, a nice handy one, manageable for most people, but long enough for it not to be a walk in the park at the same time.

Course 4/5

An excellent mix of natural terrain and original man made obstacles, among beautiful scenery.  The trail through the bog was brilliant, you could try to be clever and match the person in front of you step for step, and still end up landing in a surprise bog hole that your unsuspecting 'scout' had passed over without incident.  The rope swings were also very good fun, especially when someone else botched it and ended up sprawled in black goopy muck.  There was also a section where you had to wade waste deep through a trench of a thick viscous peat, which was a lot harder going than expected.

They had monkey bars, so I was happy.  Until I got to actually using them.  The bars were created by fixing four ladders over a pit, which you used in the traditional way.  These were quite narrow, which made things tricky but a challenge is always good.  The only problem was that, at least on the ladder that I used, there was a wire across each rung, apparently to protect the wooden steps from wearing down when used for their original purpose.  This wire now only serves to dig quite painfully into the palm of the user's hand when their entire body weight is being suspended by one arm.  The resulting bruises make you feel like the stigmata is coming out through the palms of your hands for the next week or so.  Two weeks on I am still aware of it when I change gears.

The sniper was utterly pointless as he was firing at us through a net which protected us from getting shot in the face, but also meant that all he had to aim at was our legs.  I'd be surprised if he hit anyone.

Dirt Levels 5/5

I think all the events this year have scored full marks on mud, and this one is no different, although I'm fairly sure there were at least three new types of muck I've never seen before.  Really dirty, really fun.

Waiting Time 3/5

There were two or three areas where participants could only pass through one at a time, and, particularly on the rope areas, this happened quite slowly, and so the only thing to do was wait.  And wait.  And then wait a bit more.  It must have taken ten minutes of standing around before we actually got around to making our way along the ropes, which is a long time when you're already wet.  In other areas though things moved along quite well.

Safety 2/5

To be honest, the reason I decided to include a safety section in any of the ratings I have done is directly as a result of this event.  Over the course of the day I saw one guy nearly drown and another come very close to falling headfirst from a high platform.  I had reservations about the swimming area as well.  I'll go into the near drowning incident in full below.

In other events, we have been warned in no uncertain terms before the race starts that if we are unable to swim not to attempt such and such an obstacle, and we are told once again when we reach the obstacle in question.  However, at this event there was a slide that could land you in water that could be chest deep or out of your depth, depending on your velocity by the time you reach the end.  There should have been at least one lifeguard, with a float or a ring buoy on hand in the event that someone should get into difficulty.  As it was there was nothing in place and the closest steward was at the top of a big hill, which is why there was a near drowning.

The second big water obstacle was a jump of about 4-5m or so into the fjord.  One steward met people as they approached and advised them to wear the life jackets provided if they felt they needed them.  We were also told that we could either swim to the slipway a few hundred metres or so away, or if we weren't confident swimmers, we could come in by the rocks and wade to it from there.  There was nobody at the end of the platform telling people when to jump, this was left to common sense and one's own judgement as to whether or not the person in front of you was clear or not.  Bad idea.

Being a confident enough swimmer I opted to go without the life jacket, and swam the distance, stopping half way and coming back to check on the last of our team to make the jump to be sure he got to the edge safely as even with a buoyancy aid he wasn't at all comfortable in the water.  It was as I was bobbing around in the deep water that I made the following observations:

1. There were three stewards on the water keeping an eye on things: one in a RIB flanking the swimmers, moving over and back between the platform and the slip; and two in kayaks weaving in and out between the folks making their way through the water (it was one of these kayakers that came to aid the last member of our group in getting to the shallower water).
2. There were well over twenty people in the water making their way at varying speeds towards their destination, and most of them were trying to get there by swimming.

Really there was no way that three pairs of eyes could satisfactorily observe everyone in the water, (unless of course there was another person on the shore I had not noticed who could radio the guy in the RIB if they spotted someone in trouble).  It would be one thing if everyone had to wear a life vest, but I think the assumption was that everyone was wearing a wetsuit which would provide some extra buoyancy, but quite clearly they weren't.  If someone had got into difficulty and attracted the attention of the stewards it would have been the easiest thing in the world for an over-confident swimmer with no extra flotation to get exhausted and slip under the water unnoticed.

At one other point in the race, I was helping someone up and over an obstacle that was something like a half pipe with a rope to climb up.  Once he made it to the top he stood up and went to come down the other side, but lost his balance and nearly fell headfirst off the side of the platform.  Perhaps there were too many people crowding the area at the time, but it would have been an idea to have a railing or a barrier at the top to avoid an accident as it was a very near thing.

Finally the drop below the monkey bars was bloody long, and we saw one person land on a girl who was passing underneath, which looked quite sore, but could easily have broken her neck.

I love these races, and I am by no means suggesting that they are made so safe that they aren't any fun.  Sprains and broken limbs are injuries that, while unfortunate, could be reasonably expected over the course of any these events - landing wrong after climbing a wall, or running over uneven ground come with their own risks.  But when folks aren't warned about deep water obstacles, there aren't any lifeguards,  a loss of footing can send you falling off a high ledge and only 'common sense' is stopping the person on the platform after you from jumping on your head you're looking at serious inadequacies in safety.

Showers 5/5

Probably the cleanest I've been after one of these events.  There weren't any showers per se, but jumping into the open towards the end got nearly all the dirt from shoes, clothes, body and hair.  The large heated dome facility that they had for changing afterwards was truly a very welcome surprise, although some of our group didn't find it and got changed by the bus.  

Food 3.5/5

Hot soup and tea, very pleasant.

Fun 4/5

We had a great day out.  Nearly half the group had never done one of these before and they really enjoyed it.  Some of the longer stretches through the bog that could be quite monotonous are filled with hilarity as the person running beside you suddenly isn't there anymore and you turn around to find them struggling to climb out of a bog hole.  Some of the longer waits were a bit of a pain as that was when the cold started setting in.  The lackadaisical approach to water safety detracted from the experience for me also.

Overall  3.5
I'd like to point out that the stewards were all tremendously friendly and encouraging both before during and after the event, and the long section that I have included on the safety issues is in no way meant as a criticism of them in any way. I'm purely aiming to highlight the shortcomings of the areas that I felt were unsafe, in the hope that in future events these issues will be resolved, and allowing this to be one of the best events of the year.

What makes it unique?
The lengthy bog stretches, swimming in Ireland's only fjord, the best changing room facilities I've seen at one of these.   The option to rent a wetsuit (if you book it in time) is a great idea as well.

Recommendations
Rent a wetsuit or bring your own, I didn't as they were booked out and I didn't want to damage my one.  As a result I was pretty damn cold at the end.  If you opt to go 'sans-wetsuit' and can't swim play it safe and assume the water at the bottom of the slide is too deep for you.  If you're confident in the water but aren't used to long distances, wear a buoyancy aid for the long swim or stick to the shallows, and get clear from in front of the platform or from under the monkey bars because there could be somebody right behind you.

The Incident
One of the obstacles, a slide I'd estimate to be 50m long, which consisted of a sheet of tough plastic on a slope, which ended in a ledge depositing the slider into a large pool of water. This was attended by one steward, a girl who stood at the top and threw a bucket of water onto the slide before each person went down to send them on their way.  One of our group who wouldn't be a very strong swimmer asked this girl if the water was deep as he couldn't swim, and he was told 'Ah, you'll be fine'.

And thankfully he was.

I was the last of our party to slide down, disappointingly slowly, given the speeds I'd seen others managing on it, and landed in water that was chest-deep.  I climbed out the side and started making my way around the pool, pausing to take a picture of the team making their way along the next obstacle, a series of floating platforms.  It was at this point that someone began shouting for help, but when I turned to look I could see two guys at the bottom of the slide, one of them jumping up and down in the water and making all the noise.  He looked fine, and I couldn't see anything wrong, so assumed they were messing, so I turned back to take another picture, when somebody on the platforms directly across from the 'messers' began pointing and shouting for a marshal.  I turned and ran the 20 metres or so to the scene where I found three guys in the water, one of them being the one who called for help, the others no less than three feet from the edge.  The bigger of the two men was trying to climb on top of the other to keep himself above the water, submerging the smaller man.  It's been a long time since I've done any lifesaving training, but I did remember that the last thing you should do is get in the water, so I lay on the edge and extended my hand to the struggling man.  Unfortunately given the slope of the bank and the muddy conditions I ended up reaching too far and fell in as well.  I put my feet down, found the water to be chest deep, and took a step towards the two men, hoping to reach them and drag them to safety, but I stepped off a ledge and found myself out of my depth as well.  It was as I was backing up to distance myself from them again that the steward from the top of the slide jumped into the water between us, big fluorescent yellow jacket and all, and somehow managed to disentangle the two men, and helped the one in the most difficulty to the edge where I and others helped to get him onto the bank.  As I got out, the visibly shaken gentleman that had called for help in the first place told me that he (the drowning man) had tried to climb on him first.  The chap that had found himself being pushed under the water seemed unfazed by the encounter and stood catching his breath.

Seeing the rescued man sitting by the bank with his head in his hands and being seen to by the steward and the others I went about catching up with the others.

What was wrong with this scenario?
Given the time it took for me to react, I should not have been the first on the scene, but as I was I should have had access to a ring buoy or something to throw to the struggling men.  By the time the steward got to us there were three of us in the deeper water, and she jumped straight in, which, although heroic, possibly wasn't the safest option.  I don't know how well she had assessed the situation on her sprint down the hill, but in the end it worked, so fair play to her.

Thankfully nobody was hurt.

This concludes my rating of our Obstacle Course events for this year.  Watch this space for freediving, Movember and more!

Obstacle Course Rating - Adare to Survive September 2014

Adare to Survive

Adare, County Limerick 28/09/2014

Team Name: Obstacle Illusion

For some of us, this was our second time taking on Adare to Survive, having taken part in last year as well. However, we more than doubled our numbers, as this year we came in force, with a group of twenty-nine, mostly members of the Kildysart Currach Club in County Clare, and a lot of first timers.

Some of team Obstacle Illusion

Ratings

Price 4/5

We paid a group rate of €40 for our group, although we didn't exactly get in early, in fact, we ended up paying the week before.  If we'd been organised we might have got a better deal.  That price includes everything though, with no hidden extras for parking etc.

Timing 4.5/5

Again, this is Ireland, so weather is inconsistent from year to year (we did get rained on quite heavily in the beginning, but not for too long), but this is comfortably placed at the end of the season, just before the temperatures start dropping as we head towards winter, making the difference between a 'pleasant' day out (if you can call dragging yourself under barbed wire pleasant) and a miserable slog.  But then again I think I may be a fair weather obstacle courser!

Distance 5/5

7.5K a nice middle of the road distance, not too intimidating for first timers, but still worth getting out of bed for those who would be comfortable with a 10K.

Course 5/5

The course brings you around Clonshire and the surrounding woodlands.  Nice mix of natural obstacles and man made.  After doing a few obstacle courses you become used to seeing variations of the same things, however there were several obstacles in this that we'd never seen before, which made it very interesting.  The electrical obstacles were very tame this year, not much of a shock off them - although we still didn't linger too long under them.  Perhaps they'd been earthed in places, as we got there pretty late in the day and the ground was fairly torn up.  Plenty of upper body challenges, like ropes to climb and monkey bars, so I was happy!

Dirt Levels 5/5

Once again, another muddy event.  From crawling through mud under barbed wire and electric fences, to sliding down wet clay and jumping into muddy water, there is more than enough muck to keep your washing machine busy. 

Waiting Time 4/5

Very hard to rate this fairly as a group twenty-nine strong is going to cause congestion anyway, especially when you're waiting around for everyone to get through each obstacle.  The course seemed pretty spaced though, and we didn't get stuck behind anyone other than our own team all that much.  The only place where we ended up waiting for a while was at the big water obstacle 'The Adare to Survive Bombs Away'.

Safety 5/5

We were told before we set out that a certain obstacle in particular, 'The Adare to Survive Bombs Away', was a no-go for non-swimmers.  When we arrived at the 15 foot jump from a scaffolding into a large pool of muddy water which we were informed was 16 feet deep - impossible to know for sure, although I certainly didn't hit the bottom - non-swimmers were once again warned off it, and directed around it.  Nevertheless, six ring-buoy-bearing lifeguards lined the sides of the pool, and a steward on each of the three platforms kept things moving at a steady, but manageable pace.  Excessive, perhaps, but not smotheringly so, and there are four wheel drive ambulance/jeep things to get to those hard to reach places on the course.  The gang from the Red Cross who were on hand for the day were also lovely - one of our over-zealous supporters on the sidelines took a tumble while watching the event and was very well looked after in the first aid tent until we were able to pick her up and take her home.  So thanks for that you guys.

Showers 2/5

Fairly sure we saw people washing with some success under the big water containers when we passed by the outdoor showers during the run, but by the time we got to trying to get clean there was only a trickle of freezing water for us.  The technique that worked for me was to clear the worst from hands, face, hair and neck and then covered the rest up with a change of dry clothes  (some may use the word 'genius', but I don't like being labelled...).

Food 3/5

We took a long time getting around, due to the size of our group, so by the time we got there, Cully & Sully were folding up their table, which is sad, because I was really looking forward to that soup. We each received a banana and a bottle of water.

Fun 5/5

Definitely one of my favourite events, the stewards are all cheerful and really sound, and there's a great atmosphere in the 'spectators area', although from what I could see spectators had a free reign to wander around themselves.

Overall 4.5/5

What makes it unique?

Not sure if they will do it every year, but this year at least they ran a competition where entrants designed an obstacle for the event, which they would then include in the course.  A brilliant idea that I hope they'll keep going, as it almost guarantees that at least one obstacle will be completely different to anything you'll see at other events.  Management were also very helpful and very easy to deal with when setting up our team.  They were also very flexible on the cut-off date for registering our group, and when you get there on the day you're well looked after.  At the end of the race you receive your Adare to Survive dog tags, which is a nice change to the usual medal.  In theory you also get a t-shirt, and I think I saw people wandering around with bags of swag (vouchers for businesses in Adare town).  Still waiting on ours though, they're arriving in the post, apparently.

Recommendations
Highly recommended, a great day out.  Maybe bring two towels (old ones, leave your soft white Ralph Lauren ones at home), one for scraping off the excess dirt that you're caked with when the showers don't work for you, and then another for actually drying yourself.

Final Obstacle Course review coming soon, for Killary's Turf Warrior.

Obstacle Course Rating - Hell and Back June 2014

Hell & Back Apollo

Bray, Co. Wicklow 15/06/2014

This event, run by Alive Outside was the biggest we've taken on, both in terms of distance and number of people taking part, and was run over two days.  We ended up going on the Sunday because it suited a lot of us better.  We had a smaller group on this one, only twelve in the end - we originally had more, but some had to drop out due to work commitments, injuries (or just cold feet, hard to tell).

Ratings

Price 3.5/5

This is a big event, heavily publicised, and it is very close to Dublin.  Taking that into account the €42 we paid - once again an early bird group rate (but not the earliest), and thus a good bit cheaper than the full price - wasn't too bad.  However, then you add the €10 per car for the car park and shuttle bus.  It's not too unreasonable, but not super friendly on the pocket either.

Timing 5/5

Bang smack in the middle of summer.  Now, you're not guaranteed fine weather in Ireland at any time of the year, but we had an amazing day of sunshine, comfortably warm, gentle cool breeze.  It was perfect.  Probably the best time of year for one of these events.  Having two days of it makes it handy in that you are less tied down with your dates, and the Saturday books up fast anyway.

Distance 4/5

Difficult to rate this.  I loved the event, and was happy that there was so much of it, but I know some people who were planning for this to be their debut in obstacle courses, but were intimidated by the distance.  Really though, it didn't feel like it was as long as it was, it was well broken up by the various obstacles. 

Course 4.5/5 

Great use of natural terrain and man made obstacles.  Stunning views overlooking county Wicklow from a trail that lead us up and around the face of a mountain.  Plenty of obstacles, especially climbing over things, which are always highlights for me. Sniper Alley was brilliant, but unfortunately by the time we got there several of the snipers had left, so there were only two shooting at us.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad I didn't get hit, but still, would have liked to have been dodging more.  A strange complaint maybe.  The electrical obstacles were fairly powerful (at every event they tell us not to do these if we have pins, and I have 22 in my leg...but I go for it anyway - so never sure if I get hit worse than everyone else).  The stewards at "Shock of Horrors" were dedicated to their work, as one made sure to pat down the earth under the wires so that they weren't earthed, ensuring that we'd receive the full impact of the shock.  The other, a demon lady who stood at the sidelines and cheerfully informed those carefully picking their way through the dangling lines, "If you don't move fast enough, I'm going to shake the shit out of it!" while at the same time doing just that, making the electric wires dance and her unfortunate victims writhe, scream and sprint the hell out of there.  Hilarious to watch. Bloody awful when it's you under there though.

Dirt Levels 5/5

Yes, there is mud and muck in various shades and consistencies, and plenty of it.  Some visuals here will help.

Waiting Time 3/5

Actually the main waiting we did was for the shuttle bus from the car park to the event, but it was for at least forty-five minutes, and as a result we missed our wave and started a good bit later.  Which wasn't a very big deal, we weren't overly concerned, except for the fact that they seemed to be closing up shop in some areas by the time we reached them, as we took our time and helping each other through it, and towards the last few bits I was worried we were going to be shepherded off the course without being allowed to finish.

Safety 4/5

Plenty of stewards and not many areas where you could get into serious trouble, although there was one stretch of fairly deep water that maybe could have done with a steward on hand to make sure nobody went under if they were on their own.  Naturally there are parts where you could do yourself an injury, but that's what a waiver form is for.

Showers 4/5

A full shower block.  Communal showers, but a steady enough stream of water, enough to get rid of the most obvious filth.  The water was cold, but the weather was warm so it hardly mattered.

Food 2.5/5

Not much left by the time we got there.  Got a free carton of coconut water.

Fun 4.5/5
A really good day out, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.  The weather helped of course, but there is also a very good atmosphere, and more or less every other participant has encouragement to offer, a hand to lend or a bewildered shake of the head to exchange as you both look at the next obstacle.  The anxiety caused by coming around a corner to find stewards getting ready to pack up and go home was the only sticking point really.

Overall 4/5

What Makes it Unique?
The scenic views.  Never been to Bray before, and would like to go back and spend a bit of time there again at some stage now that I've seen it.  The fact that they found an agent of Satan himself to stand by the electrical obstacle (big congratulations to that girl, she was brilliant).  The snipers in full camo hiding in the woods at "Sniper Alley".  Damn near impossible to see.  Couldn't hit me though, I'm too fast.  Good quality t-shirt - poor choice of colour - turquoise?  Yuk!

Recommendations
Think you'd be able for a 10K, but not sure about the extra 2?  Don't worry, give yourself plenty of time and you'll make it through.  Do it with some friends, the more the merrier, avail of the group discounts, book early and car pool!

Next up, Adare to Survive!

Obstacle Course Rating - Runamuck March 14

Just back from a terrific weekend in Westport after participating in Killary Adventure Centre's Turf Warrior event.  We did it for a friend's stag and it is the fourth such event that many of us had done this year.

Having done six of them in the last two years, with groups varying in size between 10-30 people depending on how many sucke...um...friends we could convince to come along, I think it would be fair to say that we've gained a pretty good knowledge of what we like and what we don't.  So, seeing as I have been meaning to write a blog post for the last ages, I thought I might try to rate the four we got through this year:

• Runamuck Challenge - March 2014
• Hell and Back - June 2014
• Adare to Survive - September 2014
• Turf Warrior - November 2014

Originally I was planning on writing them all in one post but given that there are quite a lot of elements to take into account (and my tendency to spout on) I'll give them a post each.

Runamuck Challenge Ireland 

Clonkeeran House, Kilshanroe, Co. Kildare - 01/03/2014

We did this with a group of 19, mostly first-timers, with some veterans of other events.  This one was on very early in the year, so things were pretty cold.  Participants have the option of doing 5K, which is one lap of the course, or 10K, which means going around a second time.  Being a fairly large group, we spent a lot of time waiting for each other to complete obstacles before moving on, so a lot of us felt the cold, especially the guys that ran ahead, and thus ended up waiting longer.  Half way around the first circuit I had decided that I probably wasn't going to go around again.  Of course, about a kilometre from the end,  when my sister cheerily asks me if I'm going to do 10K I had to say yes, not wanting to be shown up by my younger sister.  Ah pride. However because there were only seven of us going around a second time at a fairly good trot it wasn't nearly as bad.

Ratings

Price: 5/5

We got an early bird, group rate booking of €16 a head.  You're not going to find a more budget-friendly event.

Timing 4/5

The fact that it's one of the first obstacle courses you can do in the year.  The flip side of that being that you are at the mercy of the elements.  We were lucky to take part on a fine day in a particularly mild winter and it was still cold.  You could easily find yourself attempting this in a hard frost, or in the hail and sleet.  

Distance 4/5

The option of doing either 5k or 10k is great, as you can be borderline hypothermic after the first 5k, or perhaps you only thought you'd manage 5k, but when you get to the end you feel like you could go for another one.  I had heard a rumour that there would be different obstacles for those doing the second lap, which would make it a bit more appealing.  But this wasn't the case.

Technically I suppose there'd be no one to stop you if you decided to go around a third time either, but you may be committed to an asylum.

Course 3/5

Good use of natural obstacles, like streams and such, and agricultural bits, like the enormous stack of hay bales, or silage bales (which were very tough to get over).  I did feel like there could have been less wading, and a bit more clambering, as by the third or fourth water-filled pit we had to drag ourselves through it was getting a bit old.

Dirt levels 5/5

The name says it all, this is MUCKY!  Great if you like getting dirty, being submerged in mud, mud fights with your fellow teammates (or unfortunate innocents who get caught in the crossfire).

Waiting time 4/5

Most of the waiting around that we did was for members of our own group, we didn't often get backed up behind a queue of people waiting to attempt an obstacle, and most of them (the obstacles) could be attempted en masse, with few or none that needed to be taken one at a time, thus avoiding congestion.

Safety 4/5

Plenty of marshals, and no areas that were deep enough to be dangerous for folks who couldn't swim.

Showers 4/5

Not actually showers, but there were three guys with hot power hoses that sprayed people down.  Not immensely effective as you're still pretty muddy afterwards, and you only get about 30 seconds of a hose down, but it is fantastically warm, which is well needed, and quite rare in these events.  And, so long as you're not going on a first date or doing an important interview afterwards, a quick towel down and a jump into some dry clothes will see you on your way without making a mess of the car.

Food 3/5

Standard fare - hot soup, cereal bar and tea/coffee.

Fun 3/5

Everyone enjoyed it, including myself, although in comparison to other events I found the cold and the repetitive nature of some of the obstacles detracted from my enjoyment of it.  All the first timers enjoyed it, although not many of them have come back for a second helping at other events since then.  

Overall 4/5

What makes it unique?

The chill factor and the fact that it's the only one on so early in the season.  You also get a free mug instead of the usual t-shirt that you get for participating in these events (although you can buy one).   It's also the only event I've been to where you are chipped, so you know your time.  Our group wasn't what you'd call competitive, so this didn't matter much to us.

The price, again, is a big draw.  

Recommendations

I would definitely recommend having some sort of wetsuit to keep you warm for this, especially if you're with a large group that will require a bit of waiting around for.  If it was possible to rent wetsuits on site (as you can with Turf Warrior - review coming soon) it would be very handy.  Maybe I'm being a sissy girl.  But I don't care.  I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend this for your first outing, I may have mentioned this already but it is pretty cold, with the potential for misery accompanying it if you're standing around too long.  But if you've done an event before and you know what you're in for, go for it.

We were lucky enough to have the talented Anne De Sophie as our official team photographer for the day, and she put together the following montage, which is worth a look if you're interested in seeing some of the highs and lows of the day.  

I did have my own camera, an Olympus Tough, that I've brought with me for most of these events, but my hands were shaking too much to use it for the most part, so I handed to a friend who was spectating quite early on.

Next Review Hell and Back June 2014

Nighttime Rescue

I have a confession to make, and I hope you won't think less of me once I tell you.  

One of the things I've been fascinated about for a long time is the practice of "dumpster diving", basically rooting around in skips for bits of use or value, or that are vaguely edible.  I understand that (mostly in the States, but also in the UK) there are Freegans, who live solely off what they find in dumpsters in their locality, relying on them for food, clothes, furniture, you name it, basically.

Well, after work this evening as I was walking my sister home (about 1 am), we discovered a huge metal skip that had been placed in the car park outside her apartment and filled with junk.  I didn't even think much about it, until my sister, who I think will probably wish to remain nameless for this one, gasped, pointing at a box of books sticking out of the lower end.  My jaw dropped - who throws out books? 

So I pulled a few out.  

Then, looking higher up the mound of rubbish, and seeing more boxes with books and DVDs in them I clambered up and on top of the heap and had a bit of a rummage.  Sister was mortified, but very nicely stuck around, hissing at me to get down, mind, but not wanting to leave to go inside - I suppose in case I broke my neck getting out of it.  Every time a car passed she hid around the side of the skip, and at one point a few people passed on foot, and she feigned interest in the property listings in the auctioneer's window.  I just stayed still, hoping to remain unnoticed in all the dross.  I think I probably spent about 15 minutes up there, during which time I found a discarded holdall and shoved as many books as I could inside, along with some DVDs, a few of those small records (45s?) and a painting of a sheep.  I was going to leave the sheep, but there was a sticker with €20 handwritten on the frame, so I said I might as well.  The frame was smashed to bits, so I left that. To be honest, not many of the titles appealed to me all that much, there seemed to be a good few about Germany and World War II, but I will go through them again in the morning, and what I don't want I'll drop down to the charity shop.  Honestly, throwing out books!

My swag is currently drying out around the dehumidifier.  I will review the situation in the morning, but overall I'm pretty happy with the night's achievements.

Listowel Writer's Week 2014 (Part 2) Revenant

I had been expecting to work last night, but I got a call in the morning asking if I could fill in for somebody who was sick, so I did and got the evening free.  I have a Couchsurfer staying for the weekend, a regular Writer's Week attendee, and she had booked a ticket to the play in St. John's, so I said I'd head along too.

The play was called Revenant, but this wasn't published in any of the booklets or on any of the listings for St. John's.  Last minute cancellation by the production that was originally supposed to be on, and this one had filled in at the last minute (somewhat ironic as this is more or less exactly how Revenant opens).  The result was an audience of about twenty people, which was a pity.

Before I go on, I should probably make it quite clear that I am not a theatre critic, but I know what I like and I'm well able to give out if something is shite, although I may not have the vocabulary or insight required to pull each part of a play to pieces and examine each bit in detail (although maybe I'm being too generous to theatre critics), but I really, really enjoyed this show.


Simon Toal's solo performance in this play by Stuart Roche was nothing short of outstanding.  He narrates as Carter, a film director whose lead actor lets him down two days before they start filming a zombie movie on an island off the coast of Mayo, but suggests a mysterious replacement, the dark and enigmatic Vardell, who, it turns out, has his own agenda.  I don't want to give away anything about the plot, so that's about all I'll tell you - but you can check out the official blurb in the link here.
I'll be honest, it took me a few minutes to figure out what was going on, and as it was my first time seeing a solo performance, I had to get used to Toal being 'more than one person' as he played out both sides of a conversation.  But he did it utterly convincingly, and by scene two I was immersed in the story, which moves quickly, but coherently, darkly, but with plenty of witty observations and interactions thrown in to lighten it.  I find myself smiling every time I think of his lines as the 'Rich Kid'.  There were stages where I forgot where I was, when I was actually on the island with Carter as he went looking for Vardell; when I started at moments of high suspense; and plenty where I laughed out loud.  

The quote from the Irish Times review, included on the advertising for the show, mentions 'media in-jokes', and there were, and I got a good few of them, but there were probably a few I missed.  I would enjoy it if Daniel Radcliffe were to find himself in the audience, though.

Overall, can't fault it anywhere, I know I probably should, to make for a proper review but like I said, I'm not a critic (though I can be critical) .  I would highly recommend to anyone who is in Dublin this Friday (6th June) to make their way to Draícht in Blanchardstown to check it out.  I think it's also going to be in Galway sometime soon, so you might try that either.

Due to the small audience and the fact that he was a spectacularly nice guy, I had the opportunity to chat with Simon and his wife (or partner - didn't ask), but only after my Couchsurfer had got him to put back on his stage clothes so she could get a few pics of him, which she did, for about 10 minutes, getting him to take up different poses, even though the poor man must have been exhausted.  It had been an energetic, 85 minute performance, for which he spoke almost constantly, he had to have been exhausted, but he played along for as long as it took.  A true gent, and I was happy to have got the opportunity to congratulate him.  I will be eagerly looking out for more from both Stuart Roche and Simon Toal in future.

As an aside, it so happens that I'll be in Dublin myself next Friday evening, but I'll be attending what I've taken telling people (including Mr. Toal) is a stag, but is actually a 'pre-hen'.  A new term that means that I can go out with my soon-to-be-wed friend Elaine and many of the other ladies who will be attending the actual hen, being held the following night in a mystery location, but without the willy straws and what have you.  It's just easier to say it's a stag.  People ask less questions.  It is unfortunate timing though, because otherwise I would be sending them all to Revenant.

Listowel Writer's Week 2014 and other stories

Hello again.

The less said about April's high hopes for a solid month of daily blog entries, the better.  I should probably have set the bar a little bit lower.  Maybe three a week.  I might try that this month.  No promises, let's see what happens.

News-wise, I suppose I probably should let you know that the relationship with Anne-Sophie that I introduced just seven entries ago has, sadly, come to an end.  'Ran out of road', as the man says.  I am confident that we will remain good friends.

One thing I have since discovered about myself that I am quite bad at relaying this information to people who I should probably inform - don't really like talking about my personal life (just rather spew it all onto the internet, I suppose).  'People I should inform' really means the people who know both of us, or who I work with, who during the course of a conversation will ask how she is.  Now, if they phrase it, 'How's herself?'  or similar, this leaves me open to divulge that there is no longer a 'herself', but that Anne-Sophie is fine, which is grand.  What tends to happen, though is that people will ask, 'How's Anne-Sophie?', and so I launch into the answer of the question, 'Happy out now, sure she's found a new job and it's going well,' etc, and the further I get into it the harder it gets to then add the news about the break-up.  Ah well, word will get around soon enough I suppose.

Now, for Writer's Week, which is probably why you're reading this (that being the title).  I have been working in Listowel for years, and have been around for Writer's Week most of them, but when I was living outside of town, coming in to see what was happening on my nights off seemed like too much hassle, when I wasn't really sure if there'd be anything I'd be interested in.  Now that I'm within easy walking distance from all the events, though, I'm sorry I didn't make the effort before. 

Thursday night was the only night that I expected to have off, and I was caught up between doing the Literary Pub Trail at 8 pm, described in the leaflet as a "drama-filled trail of the hosteleries of Listowel", and a play in St. John's at 8:30 pm.  In the end, my friend and I decided that we'd start out on the Pub Trail, which was free, and if it was shite, we'd skip on over to St. John's, as we'd be setting off in the Square anyway. Thankfully the Abbeyfeale Drama Group put on an excellent show for us on our tour of the pubs, and we didn't even think about jumping ship (just as well, as the queue for the play was out the door, so there wasn't much chance of getting seats).  The drama provided were amusing scenes from the plays of John B. Keane, most of which I hadn't seen before, and all of which made me want to see the whole thing when I get the chance. I did notice that in the first pub (Christy's - where we were treated to an early scene from The Field), most of the crowd bought drinks, and had time to get them down, but as we progressed the interval between venues became tighter.  The bar that seemed to do the worst out of this was probably Mike the Pie's, as it was the third bar on the trail, and the penultimate destination.  The scene from Moll that was performed in the Saddle previously had been shorter than the first, I think, so people may have had to knock back their drinks.  That is only a theory I developed to explain why so many of the audience in Mike the Pie's seemed to be without a glass in hand, a phenomenon I hadn't remarked on in the others.  I would assume that Brosnan's did well out of the fact that it was the last venue and thus had a good few people stay on after the scene from Big Maggie.  If I had to chose one of the acts we saw, my favourite would have to have been the scene from The Chastitute, it seems like an hilarious play which I look forward to catching in full at the next possible opportunity.  Thank you, Abbeyfeale Drama Group, for a marvelous evening.

Finished the evening off in John B. Keane's pub (where else would you finish up for Writer's Week) and enjoyed the banter and atmosphere.  I did feel a bit out of place at first, as I didn't have floppy hair, a cravat, a waistcoat or a pocket watch, but I got used to it.

The highlight of the week, for me was last night, which I will proceed to tell you in a separate post.