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A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.

Lyrics: American musician and Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan, originally written as a poem, in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 22nd – November 20th, 1962, which saw confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. This confrontation quickly escalated into an international crisis, when American deployments of missiles in Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of similar ballistic missiles in Cuba.
The song is characterized by symbolist imagery, which communicates suffering, pollution, and warfare, latter once again being threatened within our time living on this earth.

Vocals: American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist Joan Chandos Baez.

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.

Oh, where have you been, my blue eyed son?
Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?
I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains.
I’ve walked and I’ve crawled on six crooked highways.
I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests.
I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans.
I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,
And it’s hard, and it’s hard, it’s hard, and it’s hard,
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you see, my blue eyed son?
Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it.
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it.
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin’.
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a bleedin’.
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken.
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,
And it’s hard, and it’s hard, it’s hard, it’s hard,
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
And what did you hear, my blue eyed son?
And what did you hear, my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder, is it roared out a warnin’.
I heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world.
I heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a blazin’.
I heard ten thousand whisperin’ and nobody listenin’.
I heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin’.
I heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter.
I heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,
And it’s hard, and it’s hard, it’s hard, it’s hard,
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
And who did you meet, my blue eyed son?
Oh, who did you meet, my darling young one?
I met a young child beside a dead pony.
I met a white man who walked a black dog.
I met a young woman whose body was burning.
I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow.
I met one man who was wounded in love.
I met another man who was wounded with hatred,
And it’s hard, it’s hard, it’s hard, it’s hard,
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.
Oh, what’ll you do now, my blue eyed son?
Oh, what’ll you do now, my darling young one?
Well, I’m a goin’ back out ‘fore the rain starts a fallin’.
Well, I’ll walk to the depths of the deepest black,
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty.
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters.
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison.
Where the executioner’s face is always well hidden.
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten.
Where black is the color, and none is the number.
And I’ll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it,
And reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it,
And I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’.
But I’ll know my song well before I start singin’,
And it’s hard, it’s hard, it’s hard, it’s hard,
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

END

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Thurles, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 17th 2023.

Possibly, the largest turnout ever of spectators who came to view this year’s Thurles St. Patrick’s Days Parade; latter held yesterday, March 17th, 2023.

Ireland is renowned for its enduring tradition, its culture and heritage, which traverses across all borders, inviting those across the world to come together annually on Friday, March 17th and collectively share, participate, celebrate, laugh and where possible perform.

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‘Made In Dagenham’ – All Set For Stage In Premier Hall, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Cast of Thurles Musical Society 2023

Thurles Musical Society (TMS) is all set to stage the hit show ‘Made in Dagenham’, which opens in the Premier Hall, Thurles on Tuesday evening next, March 28th, and runs until Saturday April 1st.

Three years after it had been originally billed, this brilliant show, (latter centred around a strike in the Ford factory in Dagenham in Essex, London, dramatizing the Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968, and aimed at obtaining equal pay for women), is all set for the stage, with Director Oliver Hurley having collaborated with Musical Director Mary Rose McNally and Dance Captain Siobhan King, to bring this stunning piece of theatre to life.

TMS had originally planned to stage this show in 2020, but Covid 19 put paid to their plans. Thankfully the majority of the cast and chorus has returned for this run, with a number of notable additions as well. In fact, almost a cast of sixty will don costume for the show, bookings for which can be made through Gr8events.ie or at Bookworm, Thurles from Thursday March 23rd – Saturday 25th, between 11:00am-2:00pm.

There is huge interest in this production locally and it is anticipated that many regular show goers will travel from distance to enjoy what is still, a relatively new show. Patrons are encouraged to book tickets early, so as to secure the seat you wish to have.

Among the main role players are Fiona Delaney (Rita), John Hayes (Eddie)(John is also joined on stage by his children Éanna and Fiadh)Brendan Bailey (Harold Wilson), Linda Ryan (Barbara Castle), Barry Derby (Monty), Frank Tuohy (Tooley), Peter Donnelly (Barry), Therese Murphy (Sandra), Mary Callanan (Beryl), Denise King (Claire), Siobhan King (Cass), Nina Scott (Connie), John Butler (Mr Hopkins), Cole Flanagan (Cortina Man) and Deirdre Hayes (Lisa). There are also roles for Geraint Fyler, Peter Stockborough, Finbarr Shelly and Gerard O’Hagan – it is indeed a big cast.

The set and stage are in the final throes of preparation by Anthony Kirby (Stage Manager), Rita Dempsey (Stage Director) and their teams, while the orchestra members under the guidance of Mary Rose McNally are also fine tuning their work.

In total, there will be well over 100 people involved in this production– a real community event and Thurles Musical Society is most appreciative of all the support received so far. Anyone wishing to submit subscriptions or patronage would be very welcome to do so – simply place your sub into an envelope and address to Thurles Musical Society, Hickey’s Pharmacy, Liberty Square, Thurles.

So make sure to get along to the Premier Hall next week and witness a great piece of local theatre right on your doorstep.

[Prepared to be entertained, but please note the show does contain some strong language.]

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I’ve Gotta Be Me

“I’ve Gotta Be Me” was once a popular song that first appeared in the Broadway musical “Golden Rainbow”, which opened in New York City at the Shubert Theatre on February 4th, 1968.
The song, which spent seven weeks at No1 on the ‘Easy Listening Chart’, and which is rarely played on radio today, has been used in the past in two advertising commercials to promote soft drinks, namely ‘Diet Coke‘ and ‘Dr Pepper‘ and also the compact crossover, Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), the ‘Mitsubishi Outlander‘.

“I’ve Gotta Be Me”

Singer: American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director, Sammy Davis Jr. [1925 – 1990]
Lyrics: American songwriter, playwright, screenwriter, and novelist, Walter Marks.

Whether I’m right or whether I’m wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I gotta be me, I’ve gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am

I want to live, not merely survive
And I can’t give up this dream
Of life that keeps me alive
I gotta be me, I gotta be me
The dream that I see makes me what I am

That far away prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won’t settle down, won’t settle for less
As long as there’s a chance that I can have it all

I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I’ve gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I’ve gotta be me.

I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I just gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I gotta be me.

END

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Death Announced Of Chaim Topol.

Israeli actor, singer, and illustrator, Chaim Topol (also spelled Haym Topol), sadly passed away yesterday, March 8th, 2023, aged 87 years.

Mononymously known to most people as Topol, he is possibly best known for his portrayal of the character ‘Tevye’, in the musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’.

He was a founder of ‘Variety Israel’, latter an organization serving children with special needs, and ‘Jordan River Village’, a year-round camp for Arab and Jewish children with life-threatening illnesses.

In 1956 he married Ms Galia Finkelstein, with the couple having three children; one son and two daughters.

Topol’s first film appearance was in the 1961 film ‘I Like Mike’, followed by the 1963 Israeli film ‘El Dorado’. His breakthrough role came as the lead character in the 1964 film ‘Sallah Shabati’.
In 1966, Topol made his English-language film debut as ‘Abou Ibn Kaqden’ in ‘Cast a Giant Shadow’.

His numerous TV appearances included ‘War and Remembrance’; ‘Queenie’; ‘The Winds of War’; ‘The House on Garibaldi Street’, and ‘The Going Up of David Lev’.

His Awards included; Kinor David Prize, (latter an Israeli cultural award), in 1964; Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer—Male, in 1964; Golden Globe for Best Actor, in 1971 and Israel Prize, in 2015, latter an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state’s highest cultural honour.

In ár gcroíthe go deo.

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