Irish Culture and the Way It Might Not Look At You (032, July 2012)

Banter‘s annual odyssey to Donegal for the Earagail Arts Festival lead us to the late, great painter Derek Hill’s kitchen (complete with a Picasso on the wall) at the Glebe House and Gallery in Churchill just outside Letterkenny for the Glebe Cultural Summit.

Our contribution to the Summit was Irish Culture and The Way It Might Not Look at You. This saw film-maker Lenny Abrahamson, performer Little John Nee, Dublin Fringe director Róise Goan and writer and broadcaster Sinead Gleeson taking part in a lengthy, intriguing, entertaining and provocative look at how Irish culture, from books to films to theatre, has dealt with – or has not dealt with – the issues and stories of the Irish boom and bust. Thanks to Derek O’Connor, Paul Brown and all at the Earagail Arts Festival for their help with this one.

Derek Hill’s kitchen. Photo by Ianthe Ruthven