Letters

Abrasive Tones

Trumpeting a version of Irish history

Sat Feb 25 2023 - 00:07

A chara, – Has The Irish Times, at the end of February, stolen a march on April Fool’s Day?

The thought of your religious affairs correspondent, Patsy McGarry, finding himself at a Wolfe Tones concert in The Olympia theatre, bobbing like an incongruous buoy amid a swell of sea green Celtic jerseys was unintentionally hilarious (“‘Up the ‘Ra’ rings out at Wolfe Tones gig trumpeting a version of Irish history”, Music, February 23rd).

Is a new experiment in arts reviewing being embarked on by the paper where the mismatch of the reviewer with the art form becomes the focus of attention?

How soon can we expect Michael Dervan to forgo the symphonies and sonatas and the plush upholstery of National Concert Hall to brave the mosh pits of Fibber Magees? Might Breda O’Brien venture to the dark side and someday review a doom metal gig?

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One wonders though, was such a lengthy review of a concert, that focused primarily Brian Warfield’s between-song banter, little more than a highly transparent swipe at a political constituency that is anathema to so many of your paper’s columnists? The last line of Patsy McGarry’s review, “two generations have had a great night, with a version of Irish history passed to the younger one”, says a lot more about politics than it does about music.

In the meantime, I look forward to Michael McDowell reviewing the hip hop acts at this year’s Longitude Festival.

Patsy McGarry has set the bar very high. – Is mise,

BILLY Ó HANLUAIN,

Kimmage,

Dublin 12.

Sir, – I see from Patsy McGarry’s review of the Wolfe Tones concert that the band are once again being credited as the source of the football chant “Ooh Aah Paul McGrath”.

The actual provenance of the chant is from the Gap Band’s song from the 1970s Oops Up Side Your Head. – Yours, etc,

RORY J WHELAN,

Drogheda,

Co Meath.