Artistic response?

[Justin Casey]

Enron (http://dublintheatrefestival.com/programme/display.asp?Eventid=447) was recently on at the Gaiety. What are the chances that we'll ever see a similar show called Anglo? Maybe an all-singing, all-dancing riposte to Flatley's odious, self-congratulatory Celtic Tiger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om5g_Ztf73I)? A finale re-working Jailhouse Rock to send the audience home sweating?

The response to recent events from the artistic community has been particularly muted. Where is Aosdána in all of this? (I call 'em Amadána. Yeah, I know.) The last we heard from that august body was when one of its members was accused of all sorts of scandalous behaviour in Kathmandu (http://www.independent.ie/national-news/boys-were-damaged-by-sex-trysts-with-poet-1286378.html). Doesn't Aosdána have a poem or a song or a picture or anything that reflects the current state of affairs? Hasn't it got some Gandalf-like figure to utter its collective wisdom and inspire us to reclaim our country? Probably not. In a move worthy of Joseph Goebbels, the great and the good of the artistic community have been co-opted into the Civil Service via Aosdána. Visual artists are probably most worried about the tumbling value of their work with the glut in the market caused by the sale of banks' collections. As for the rest... Well, their cushy number must be due some cuts. Maybe we'll hear from them then.

Apart from the occasional piece of street art, I've seen little from any of Ireland's much-hyped artists that reflects anything of this episode in Ireland's history. The last thing that struck a chord with me was from Captain Moonlight - Kilkenny's very own Chuck D. A bit old now, but his song Dirty ***** (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0fELECYzVg) still raises a smile. Who could resist a chorus with the line "Fianna Fáil, they're all dirty *****". (I understand that it's Captain Con's ring-tone.) Has anyone else seen or heard anything that would amount to an artistic response, or is all resistance virtual?

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

The last time there was anything subversive in Irish culture it was Peter O'Toole at RTE's ill-fated version of the Royal Variety Show. After a showband where the cameramen stayed in long shot on a singer wearing khaki trousers with a khaki coloured bass-drum behind him that made him look like he'd had an unfortunate accident on came Peter O'Toole to regale the cream of Irish society with a reading from Jonathan Swift's 'Modest Proposal'.

There was an audible gasp from the bow-tied and ballgowned Irish aristocracy when it became apparent they thought Peter O'Toole was seriously advocating eating the children of the poor to keep the numbers down. And then these educated geniuses who clearly new nothing at all of Jonathan Swift or his satire started to slow-handclap O'Toole.

He went on. And on. And on. And eventually RTE went suddenly to a commercial break. The next morning there was fierce givings out in the papers about the terrible things O'Toole had read out.

That was the day I realised that the great and the good in Dublin were as thick and uneducated and as unread as a gate post in Connemara.

Great man Peter O'Toole. Showed the Dublin gliterrati up for what they were.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

I wouldn't wait too long for the Aosdana, Garda. It was set up by Haughey back in the 80's and is meant to be a list of the great and good and I believe there is a fund involved as well although I don't know whether the government contribute taxpayers money to it.

Its mostly a place where the great and good from the artistic scene go to argue whether feminism is given an honourable place enough in Irish cultural life. Well I'm fairly sure thats the view of a certain poetess anyway.

If they were quiet over the Boyne Valley cultural heritage issue and silent when there was a proposal to move the Abbey theatre to make way for yet another much needed retail outlet in Dublin I wouldn't hold my breath for subversion from the direction of Haughey's salon.

[PaddyJoe]

The last time there was anything subversive in Irish culture it was Peter O'Toole at RTE's ill-fated version of the Royal Variety Show. After a showband where the cameramen stayed in long shot on a singer wearing khaki trousers with a khaki coloured bass-drum behind him that made him look like he'd had an unfortunate accident on came Peter O'Toole to regale the cream of Irish society with a reading from Jonathan Swift's 'Modest Proposal'.

There was an audible gasp from the bow-tied and ballgowned Irish aristocracy when it became apparent they thought Peter O'Toole was seriously advocating eating the children of the poor to keep the numbers down. And then these educated geniuses who clearly new nothing at all of Jonathan Swift or his satire started to slow-handclap O'Toole.

He went on. And on. And on. And eventually RTE went suddenly to a commercial break. The next morning there was fierce givings out in the papers about the terrible things O'Toole had read out.

That was the day I realised that the great and the good in Dublin were as thick and uneducated and as unread as a gate post in Connemara.

Great man Peter O'Toole. Showed the Dublin gliterrati up for what they were.

That story rings a vague mental bell. I think he was doing a one man performance as Swift in the Gaiety at the time.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Yep. That would have been it. The whole event was funny because it showed that the great and the good had no idea that Swift's essay was satire. Admittedly I think O'Toole had one or two pints on board and showman that he was he decided to simply keep going- I suspect because he realised that the audience of the great and good didn't have a clue what they were hearing;)

Brilliant entertainment all round which is why the whole thing had to be stopped.