THE power of arts to offer a traumatised society a couple of hours to ponder on a perspective of the conflict that they might not have had the head space to consider before has once again played out on the stage of the Lyric. 
 
Beano Niblock’s The Man Who Swallowed a Dictionary – produced by Green Shoots – has brought the man to life, moustache and all. The opening night's audience was an eclectic bunch who found more humour than they expected. Ervine's early years got us up to speed via his origins in East Belfast and his journey into the UVF and prison. Actor Paul Garrett  expertly plays all characters, from Gusty Spence to Tony Blair to  Billy Hutchinson, and even Ervine's wife Jeanette. There were some early difficulties with lines and lighting, but I'm sure these have been ironed out by now.
 
All perspectives in the conflict being given the theatre treatment can help us all come to terms with our past and help change attitudes. The difficulty is in getting support to do so. Green Shoots taking up the play to get it into production was the missing link to when Beano tried it on his own.

All perspectives in the conflict being given the theatre treatment can help us all come to terms with our past and help change attitudes. The difficulty is in getting support to do so. Green Shoots taking up the play to get it into production was the missing link to when Beano tried it on his own.
 
I was sitting beside two young guys in shorts and t-shirts on the opening night and they told me it was only the second time they had been to the theatre. When I asked them what part of the peace process they remember, they’d only ever experienced ceasefire times. But they thought it was dangerous  not to know more about our recent history and took the play as a way of educating themselves about their own community. 
 
Women’s Coalition members were out in force at the opening night in recognition of how David Ervine stood up for them in the corridors during the peace talks. There were a few tears spilled by the audience, including my own, and the play comes highly recommended. The Man Who Swallowed a Dictionary is now on tour.
 
The Dunfanaghy Blues and Jazz Festival was back in full swing, extending the visitor numbers to Donegal. Promising a line-up of over 60 acts over the four days, it even managed to sneak in a few trad sessions for those who felt the Blues got too much. The tag line was ‘We’ll see you on the dance floor’ and on the first night people were slow to make their move but by the second night the village was an intergenerational hive of music and dance. While there definitely  seemed to be more blues than jazz around the festival, it gave audiences an opportunity to experience many acts in a short space of time in the pubs and hotels of the village with the added advantage of being able to watch the rugby and football on  TV at the same time. Who says music and sport don’t mix?

Dunfanaghy Blues and Jazz Festival plans to return next year in the first weekend of September 2024. 
 
For fans of the Duncairn's Super Sundays the free admission events fill the arts centre from 10.30am to 2pm with an opportunity to linger and the cafe is open. The autumn/winter dates are October 1 and 9 and December 3.