Welcome to Jonathan Lynn's Website
THE BLATHERING! Would you believe it after all these years of procrastination, a 70min DVD called The Blathering is now available! "Yeh can die now Fluther" as O'Casey says!
Thanks to Holmes Hooke, son Jason Lynn and James Taylor, I shot a recent gig at Hugh's Room here in Toronto and my kitchen table is now littered with the reality of a DVD!
So the plan is to box 'em and store them in my basement for the rest of my life - unless, of course, you should want a copy. Shoot me an email and I'll deliver.
See you in the movies!
Toronto Irish Players' theatre season is over and we attended the annual Thea Awards night on April 4th with hopes of success for both productions: The Warrior Bard last October and, recently concluded, A Skull in Connemara. 'Skull' got five nominations but, lo and behold, I was the proud and only winner acknowledged with an adjudicator's award as 'Outstanding Playwright' in the drama category for 'The Warrior Bard'. Now, not only can I boast that I was the first TIP member to win a Thea way back in 1980 but, until next year, can add that I am also the last member to win! By the way, should you want a DVD of The Warrior Bard you could shoot me an email and I'll take care of you.
Trust you fondly remember Kieran Wade who played with TIP Splinter for years here in Toronto and wrote and recorded songs such as The Shores of Newfoundland, One Way Ticket and The Fields of Saskatchewan etc. Kieran is happily settled back in his native Dublin and 5 of his songs have recently been recorded by Sean Keane on a collection called The Scattering. Sean is a mighty sean-nos singer like his sister Dolores Keane and the CD and DVD is available at www.seankeane.com. We are all so proud of Kieran and the acknowledgement of his great song-writing. Kieran has recently put some old video clips of TIP Splinter up on Youtube. Check us out when we were young and dangerous at http://www.youtube.com/user/kjmwade.
On a sad note, Seamus Creagh passed away recently at the age of 63. He will always be treasured and remembered for the sweetness of his slow airs on the fiddle, his Sliabh Luachra tunes, his droll songs and that unforgettable album of the 70's with Jackie Daly. I met him and enjoyed his music when he was married to my old friend Deirdre O'Donovan (sister of fiddler Bobby O'Donovan now in Florida). Deirdre and Bobby and I made music together back in Cork in the late 60s and are still great friends.
What a gathering of musicians and friends of fiddler Kim Vincent there was recently at Dora Keoghs. I counted 29 great musicians cranking it out in celebration of Kim and wishing him well as he battles bone cancer. Kim is part of the TIP Splinter alumni from the early days and the band was well represented that night with Eamonn and Madeleine O'Loghlin, Jim McGee, David Papazian, Pat Simmonds, Kelly Hood and Brian Taheny. Playing has been a struggle for Kim recently but he was in fine form that night and it was a delight to hear him play with his many friends. We all wish him well.
Newly arrived mandolin/tenor banjo player Phil McMahon from Dublin/Kilfenora had to be impressed with the quality and the quantity of the great musicians that we enjoy here in Toronto. I counted 6 Uilleann Pipers there that night including one who had been raising eyebrows with his snare drum until he set it aside and piped with the best of them! You can freely enjoy this music every Thursday night at 9pm and Sundays starting at 5pm at Dora Keoghs on The Danforth. Pat Simmonds also has a great session going every Monday night at MacCarthys on Gerrard Street and, if it's songs you fancy, Muldoon and friends are in great voice upstairs every Tuesday night at Whelan's Gate at Bloor and Keele. Now that I have donned my Muldoon hat: we got some recent flattering press courtesy of The Toronto Star. Check it out at
http://www.thestar.com/article/603372
