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The Commitments (novel)
''The Commitments'' (1987) (originally to be called ''The Partitions'') is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle. The first episode in ''The Barrytown Trilogy'', it is about a group of unemployed young people in the north side of Dublin, Ireland, who start a soul band. Background Doyle wrote the novel while working as a teacher in Kilbarrack, Dublin. Although it is his publishing debut it was not the first novel he wrote, and he had written for the stage, his play Brownbread being produced by Passion Machine, a theatre company with a special interest in working-class Dublin stories, in 1987. It was directed by Paul Mercier. Encouraged by positive feedback for the script of ''Brownbread'' in Dublin and following numerous rejections he self-published ''The Commitments'', creating the King Farouk press (King Farouk is Dublin rhyming slang for a book, book being pronounced "buke" in Dublin) with Passion Machine producer John Sutton. Following a successful local run of 2,000 books whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roddy Doyle
Roderick Doyle (born 8 May 1958) is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. He is the author of eleven novels for adults, eight books for children, seven plays and screenplays, and dozens of short stories. Several of his books have been made into films, beginning with ''The Commitments (film), The Commitments'' in 1991. Doyle's work is set primarily in Ireland, especially working-class Dublin, and is notable for its heavy use of dialogue written in slang and Irish English dialect. Doyle was awarded the Booker Prize in 1993 for his novel ''Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha''. Personal life Doyle was born in Dublin, Ireland, and grew up in Kilbarrack, in a middle-class family. His mother, Ita (née Bolger) was a first cousin of the short story writer Maeve Brennan. In addition to teaching, Doyle, along with Seán Love, established a creative writing centre, "Fighting Words", which opened in Dublin in January 2009. It was inspired by a visit to his friend Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
African Americans
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. African Americans constitute the second largest ethno-racial group in the U.S. after White Americans. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States. In 2023, an estimated 48.3 million people self-identified as Black, making up 14.4% of the country’s population. This marks a 33% increase since 2000, when there were 36.2 million Black people living in the U.S. African-American history began in the 16th century, with Africans being sold to European slave traders and transported across the Atlantic to the Western Hemisphere. They were sold as slaves to European colonists and put to work on plantations, particularly in the southern colonies. A few were able to achieve freedom th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Commitments (film)
''The Commitments'' is a 1991 musical film, musical comedy-drama film based on the The Commitments (novel), 1987 novel by Roddy Doyle. It was directed by Alan Parker from a screenplay written by Doyle, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Set in the Northside (Dublin), Northside of Dublin, the film tells the story of Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins), a young music fanatic who assembles a group of working-class youths to form a soul music, soul band named "The Commitments". The film is the first in a series known as ''The Barrytown Trilogy'', followed by ''The Snapper (film), The Snapper'' (1993) and ''The Van (1996 film), The Van'' (1996). Producers Lynda Myles (British producer), Lynda Myles and Roger Randall-Cutler acquired the film rights to the novel in 1988, and commissioned Doyle, a first-time screenwriter, to write an adaptation. Doyle spent one year working on the script before Myles brought in veteran screenwriters Clement and La Frenais to help complete it. Upon reading th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Stars From The Commitments
The Stars From The Commitments is a nine-piece Dublin based soul band, featuring original cast members and musicians from the BAFTA Winner, Golden Globe & Oscar nominated Sir Alan Parker film '' The Commitments'' and multimillion selling sound track. History of the band The band was formed shortly after the release of the film, which itself was based on the Roddy Doyle novel of the same name. Since 1993 The Stars From The Commitments have toured extensively across Canada, USA, South America, Europe, Scandinavia, Africa, Asia and Australia. Original Cast members: guitarist Kenneth McCluskey Aka Derek ''"The Meat Man"'' Scully, Piano Player Michael Aherne Aka ''"Steven The Soul Surgeon"'' Clifford, Ronan Dooney, Trumpet. The following members: Plus Sean Curtis (lead vocals), Andreas Nolan (bass), Sandra Hyland and Antoinette Dunleavy (lead & backing vocals), Abraham Hampton (keyboards & Organ), Carl Cliffton (Drums) and Serge Stavila – Saxophone, joined later. Their open air con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature. ''Kirkus Reviews'', published on the first and 15th of each month, previews books before their publication. ''Kirkus'' reviews over 10,000 titles per year. History Virginia Kirkus was hired by Harper & Brothers to establish a children's book department in 1926. In 1932, the department was eliminated as an economic measure. However, within a year, Louise Raymond, the secretary Kirkus hired, had the department running again. Kirkus, however, had left and soon established her own book review service. Initially, she arranged to get galley proofs of "20 or so" books in advance of their publication; almost 80 years later, the service was receiving hundreds of books weekly and reviewing about 100. Ini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leaving Certificate (Ireland)
The Leaving Certificate Examination (), commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert or (informally) the Leaving (), is the final exam of the Irish secondary school system and the university matriculation examination in Ireland. It takes a minimum of two years' preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior Cycle examination. These years are referred to collectively as "The Senior Cycle". Most students taking the examination are aged 16–19; in excess of eighty percent of this group undertake the exam. The Examination is overseen by the State Examinations Commission. The Leaving Certificate Examinations are taken annually by approximately 60,000 students. In 2018, the Department of Education alongside the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment confirmed that the senior cycle is under review with Politics and Society, Physical Education, and Computer Science the first of the new subjects to be part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inter Cert
The Junior Cycle () is the first stage of the education programme for post-primary education within the Republic of Ireland. It is overseen by the Department of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), and its terminal examination, the Junior Certificate, by the State Examinations Commission. New specifications and curriculum reforms saw the Junior Cycle replaced the original Junior Certificate programme (as first introduced in 1992). The revised curriculum was introduced on a gradual phased basis from 2014, and the process was completed in 2022. A ''Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement'' is issued to students who have successfully achieved a minimum standard in their Junior Cycle assessments and examinations. A "recognised pupil" who commences the Junior Cycle must reach at least 12 years of age on 1 January of the school year of admission and must have completed primary education; the examination is normally taken after three years' study in a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apartheid
Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an authoritarian political culture based on ''baasskap'' ( 'boss-ship' or 'boss-hood'), which ensured that South Africa was dominated politically, socially, and economically by the nation's minority White South Africans, white population. Under this minoritarianism, minoritarian system, white citizens held the highest status, followed by Indian South Africans, Indians, Coloureds and Ethnic groups in South Africa#Black South Africans, black Africans, in that order. The economic legacy and social effects of apartheid continue to the present day, particularly Inequality in post-apartheid South Africa, inequality. Broadly speaking, apartheid was delineated into ''petty apartheid'', which entailed the segregation of public facilities and social ev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dunnes Stores Strike
On 19 July 1984, Mary Manning, a shop worker in the Henry Street, Dublin outlet of Dunnes Stores, refused to handle the sale of grapefruit from South Africa. Her union, IDATU, had issued directions to its members not to handle South African produce in protest of South African apartheid policies. When Manning and shop steward Karen Gearon continued to refuse to handle South African produce, they were suspended and ten IDATU members working in the store went on strike. The additional striking workers were: * Liz Deasy * Michelle Gavin * Vonnie Munroe * Alma Russell * Tommy Davis * Sandra Griffin * Theresa Mooney * Cathryn O'Reilly * Brendan Barron While the strike lasted the strikers got only £21 a week strike pay. At first, the strikers received support from few individuals and groups, such as Nimrod Sejake, but they were encouraged when Archbishop Desmond Tutu met with the strikers on his way to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and invited them to visit South Africa. Eight of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Cure At Troy
''The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles' Philoctetes'' is a verse adaptation by Seamus Heaney of Sophocles' play '' Philoctetes''. It was first published in 1991. The story comes from one of the myths relating to the Trojan War. It is dedicated in memory of poet and translator Robert Fitzgerald. Characters *Odysseus *Neoptolemus * Philoctetes * Chorus *Chorus Leader *Sentry *Merchant ''(in disguise)'' *Hercules ''(in person of chorus leader)'' Premise The story takes place in the closing days of the Trojan War. Before the play begins, the Greek archer Philoctetes has been abandoned on the island of Lemnos by his fellows because of a foul-smelling wound on his foot, and his agonised cries. The play opens with verses from the Chorus and the arrival of Odysseus and Neoptolemus to the shore of Lemnos. Their mission is to devise a plan to obtain the mighty bow of Philoctetes, without which, it has been foretold, they cannot win the Trojan War. Themes At the beginning of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Justin Heaney (13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish Irish poetry, poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among his best-known works is ''Death of a Naturalist'' (1966), his first major published volume. American poet Robert Lowell described him as "the most important Irish poet since W. B. Yeats, Yeats", and many others, including the academic John Sutherland (author), John Sutherland, have said that he was "the greatest poet of our age". Robert Pinsky has stated that "with his wonderful gift of eye and ear Heaney has the gift of the story-teller." Upon his death in 2013, ''The Independent'' described him as "probably the best-known poet in the world". Heaney was born in the townland of Tamniaran between Castledawson and Toomebridge, Northern Ireland. His family moved to nearby Bellaghy when he was a boy. He became a lecturer at St. Joseph's College in Belfast in the early 1960s, after attending Queen's University B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dancing At Lughnasa
''Dancing at Lughnasa'' is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in County Donegal, Ireland in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans, the narrator. He recounts the summer in his aunts' cottage when he was seven years old. Background This play is loosely based on the lives of Friel's mother and aunts who lived in Glenties, a small town in the south-west of County Donegal. Set in the summer of 1936, the play depicts the late summer days when love briefly seems possible for five of the Mundy sisters (Maggie, Chris, Agnes, Rose, and Kate) and the family welcomes home the frail elder brother, Jack, who has returned from a life as a missionary in Africa. However, as the summer ends, the family foresees the sadness and economic privations under which they will suffer as all hopes fade. The play takes place in early August, around the festival of Lughnasadh, the Celtic harvest festival. The pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
