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Barrytown Meets MusicTown, Vicar St, Dublin review - 'a wonderfully weird evening'

Love Hate actor Aidan Gillen and the author behind it all Roddy Doyle backstage at the interval at Barrytown Meets Musictown at Vicar street; a celebration the renowned Barrytown trilogy

Eamon Sweeney Twitter Email

April 13 2015 10:30 AM

Over twenty years after being adapted into some of the best loved and well known Irish films of all time, Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy is receiving its official coronation as April’s One City, One Book choice.

This very special and unprecedented concert marks the occasion by gathering singers and performers from the acting and musical worlds.

Many of the participants have a direct connection to Doyle, such as the Oscar winning songwriter Glen Hansard, who played Outspan in The Commitments.

But as Colm Meaney mischievously notes, “Sure wasn’t everyone in The Commitments? About as many Dubliners claim to have been in The Commitments as the GPO in 1916.”

Sheffield’s Richard Hawley reveals he hasn't played a live show in over two years, but has made an exception to be here to honour the writer.

Imelda May, Damien Dempsey and Glen Hansard thrill a full house with a rousing rendition of 'The 'Auld Triangle', while actors Peter Coonan, Tina Kellegher and Neilí Conroy bring Doyle's words to life.

Aidan Gillen steals the spoken word show with a hilarious reading of an extract from The Van. Gillen also reveals one of his first paid gigs as an actor was to record the audio book of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha.

Richard Hawley opens his set with a great response to a heckle. An audience members tells the suited and booted singer he is gorgeous. “I see Mensa are having their Christmas party early this year,” Hawley dead-pans.

'Tonight the Streets Are Ours' is dedicated to Hawley’s late friend Tony Fenton.

Meanwhile, Glen Hansard premiers a new song for his late father Jimmy entitled ‘Didn’t He Ramble’.

An all-star rendition of ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ concludes a highly entertaining and extremely electric evening.

“Young Hearts, f*** off, but in a nice way,” a delighted Doyle quips, as the curtain closes on a wonderfully weird evening.

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Barrytown Meets MusicTown, Vicar St, Dublin review - 'a wonderfully weird evening'

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