London - Week 1

Pals, I am back in the belly of the beast*.

I am in London for five weeks because of various work events – one of which I will tell you more about next week. I know that’s like someone saying on social media that they have HUGE news but can’t tell you just yet, but it’s HUGE NEWS, you guys. This isn’t huge news, just something I think you might find interesting.

Okay, that was annoying. I apologise. Let’s move on.

London. It’s sort of… great? You’d almost be afraid to say that, lest you be accused of taking the soup. Or, like Paul Mescal, be decried as a traitor to the state if you say you prefer London to Dublin. He’s not even from Dublin? The Union Jack bag was from MARKS & SPENCERS! What was he supposed to do? Carry his prawn poké bowl, mango chunks, and blonde chocolate coated caramelised pecans (yes, that is my order) in his HANDS like an ANIMAL?

Let’s put the colonialism aside for one moment – just kidding, I obviously bring it up as often as I can over here. That and the Famine are my go-to topics of choice, just to really put the fear of god into the sasanachs – and focus on the good things about London. The Tube! I don’t know why the English are always giving out about it, it’s amazing. It’s so efficient! And quick! There’s always another one coming in 2 minutes! These cry-babies would never survive with Bus Éireann. Also, I read in Emma Gannon’s new book (more on that later) that London is “a city with 8.6 million people living alongside 8.3 million trees, green enough to be called a large forest”. Having spent time on Hampstead Heath, Richmond Park, and Battersea Park this week, I can attest to the beauty of its green spaces. And that’s before we get to the arts and culture! Honestly, it might be my favourite thing about the city. There are endless things to do and see (and eat!) and I want to soak up every last bit of it. Here’s the best of this week:

1. 1536

A friend had told me about this play months ago, saying she’d read the script and loved it. There had been a production with the Almeida last year which did well, I gather, and then Margot Robbie got her hands on it (that woman has the best taste) and decided to do a co-production with her own company, Lucky Chap. I took a punt, bought a ticket for £40, and didn’t think any more of it until the reviews came out and they were raves. Phrases like “play of the decade” and “one-in-a-blue-moon theatrical experience” were being thrown around, and ticket prices immediately went through the roof. I tried to keep my expectations low but pals, I have to tell you. The reviews were correct. This is such a special play. It’s about three best friends in, you guessed it, 1536, who are hearing news from London that the Queen, Anne Boleyn, has been thrown in The Tower for suspected treason. The impact this has on their lives and friendship unravels over its tight 2 hour run. It is so funny and clever and tense and moving, and by the time the last line is uttered on stage, I was on my feet, weeping. I love theatre but can admit it’s sometimes hit or miss – when it hits like this, there’s nothing else in the world like it. Pure magic.

2. Books

First up - A Creative Compass by Emma Gannon. This is, in the tradition of The Artist’s Way or Writing Down the Bones, less of a “how to write a novel” manual and more a guide to connect us to our inner creativity. It was such a beautiful read, it is honest and also SO joyful.I found Emma’s commitment to her art and her truth to be genuinely inspiring, and I felt like many people in my life would gain a lot from reading it, not just artists. It’s coming at the end of June but you can pre-order here.

The second book was Love Unlocked by Cecelia Ahern. It’s about a bridge in Dublin covered in padlocks, placed there by lovers to symbolise the strength of their relationship. When Al from the Council orders they all be removed for safety purposes, couples across the world immediately breakup. Melody starts to investigate this phenomenon for her podcast, and it’s then she meets Al. Together, they decide to uncover what’s unravelling so many love stories… This was SUCH a good premise, executed with skill. It was funny and charming and sweet – coming August, you can pre-order here.

BIIRD

On Friday, I had lunch with a lovely author friend, Niamh Hargan. (If you’re a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reids, I think you’ll love Niamh’s work.) She told me she had two tickets for BIIRD, who were playing in Hackney that night. I took them from her gladly and then asked my other friend Salma El-Wardany (subscribe to her brilliant Substack here) if she wanted to come with me. The venue was like a sauna, I’ve never experienced anything like the heat; I had to take a shower when I got home, so drowned was I in sweat. However, the gig was incredible. BIIRD are an eleven piece, all-female super group, playing traditional Irish music and instruments. This is going to sound a bit dramatic but stick with me. I found the whole night profoundly healing? When I was a young woman, this kind of Irishness would have been considered embarrassing. Trad music, Aran knits, claddagh rings; it would have been seen as twee, old fashioned, the preserve of Irish Americans. Now, I can see that embarrassment was a direct result of colonialism; it was no different to how so many native Irish speakers were made to feel ashamed of the language, as if it was ‘backwards’. Standing in that venue in Hackney, of all places, surrounded by young, cool Irish people losing their shit at these incredible musicians in what looked to be Simone Rocha outfits (SO chic!!)… I can’t describe the joy in my heart. Listen here.

Henry Moore at Kew Gardens

The heat wave continued this week, unabated, so on Saturday I schlepped to Kew Gardens. Again – GORGEOUS. If I ever hear someone complain about London again, I shall have to call them a Silly Billy. This summer, they are showcasing what is described as a “once in a lifetime” presentation of Henry Moore’s sculptures, thirty of his works in total. It took me about three hours to see them all (I had a large hat, suncream in my bag, and hopped from one patch of shade to the next, like a vampiric rabbit) but it was worth it. The scale of the sculptures, the simplicity of their shapes yet the complexity of their intention, set against the beauty of the gardens – perfection.

And that’s it for this week. Again, if there’s anything you’ve done/seen/ate in London that I need to check out immediately, please comment below x

*whenever I hear the phrase Belly of the Beast, I always think of this song by Irish-language rapper Torby. My friend Traolach put me onto him. Check it out here