NEWSFOUR OCTOBER 2006
T HE
PAGE 19
HORROR OF IT ALL !
By Brian Rutherford
S HIPWRIGHT QUIZ FOR C ONQUER C ANCER
As Halloween approaches Brian gives us his favourites.
F
rom Clive Barker to Dracula, from James Herbert to Frankenstein, the list is endless as we, the devoted followers of horror, read and get our fill of the darker side. What makes us read such chilling tales? Is it night time and its shadowy silhouettes or are we just children who grew up in a few shadowy rooms? I know my parents grew up in rooms with nothing more than a religious picture in the corner with the bleeding heart of Christ or Mary the virgin mother looking down. These rooms were grim definitely. I myself have walked on many a dark night and felt the chill of the wind and seen shadows play on the imagination. The mountains where I grew up are steeped in stories of a horrific kind that have never seen print. I started reading horror books while on holiday in Waterford at about 13 years of age. The book entitled ʻBatsʼ was by James Herbert and the more I got into it the more I gazed out the window at night time
when I should have been asleep. Bats seem also to have spawned the great ʻDraculaʼ, a book written by our own Bram Stoker. I wonder was this story based on any real-life character from Mr Stokerʼs times. Also readily available is the great ʻFrankensteinʼ, written by Mary Shelley, wife of the great poet Percy Shelley, who tragically died at age 30. Edgar Allen Poe is another gothic/ horror writer with such classics as ʻThe Black Catʼ which inspired a film starring the kings of horror Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. To see this film is to step back in time to a black and white era when tension made the film. Other favourites of the horror era are ʻNosferatuʼ the great monster with two fanged front teeth which also reminds me of ʻSalems Lotʼ by
S PENCER D OCK
T
By Fergal Murphy
he first new railway station in Dublin city centre since Tara Street station in 1890 is under construction at the moment. What is the purpose of this, I hear you ask. Surely we have enough darts, trains, trams and buses clogging up the streets of our fair city! Well, the Spencer Dock railway station is being built as an inter-connector system. In other words, the missing link in the existing rail network to end the remoteness of Heuston and eliminate the bottleneck between Connolly and Tara Street stations that prevents additional commuter services being added. It is also proposed to relieve Connolly Station which at the moment is at or above capacity. It is also proposed that the project will bring in an extra 20,000 passengers into the capital, whether thatʼs a good or bad thing Iʼll let you decide! In 2008 the Navan line to Dublin will be reopened which would remove more than 4,000 cars per hour from the N3 during peak times and means weʼll have more farmers in the city centre! The good news for motorists, though, is that this station is proposed to remove 10,000 cars a day from our roads when it opens in 2007. Weʼll see!
Stephen King when the same monster was used– a very frightening beast he is too. Nowadays, horror films are two to a penny and Hollywood seems to think that the more evil and bloody, the better the film. I have to disagree with this. The last Horror book I read was ʻCreedʼ by James Herbert and I can only say that at my age itʼs a comical journey from cover to cover. I have read all of Clive Barkerʼs books, so if you want a short journey to the other side of reality I can recommend them. From ʻCabalʼ to ʻHellraiserʼ they always work their magic. Now the witching hour is here, this Halloween be sure to read a good horror book or even see a film and marvel at the characters of the dark side.
RAILWAY STATION
T
By Christy Hogan
here was a terrific turnout on Tuesday 5th September at the Shipwright in Ringsend. The event, a quiz night, was held to raise funds for Conquer Cancer. It was part of a number of events organised by a hardworking group of local people. They had come together under the umbrella ʻRelay for Lifeʼ which had its origins in the United States some years ago. At a meeting in the CYMS hall in August the group began their preparations. They were told that Ireland was the 10th country in Europe to join ʻRelay for Lifeʼ. They were informed of the unfortunate well-known fact that cancer knows no boundaries. Race or creed, male or female, young or old, cancer is not choosey. Yet the meeting was upbeat, and Relay for Life was a ʻcelebrationʼ of life in all its beauty and richness. One lady displayed a quilt beautifully made and containing names of loved ones who had sadly passed on due to cancer. Making these quilts was a means of raising funds for the group. Quiz nights was suggested as another form of revenue. However ʻRelay for Lifeʼ, as the name suggests, would culminate in a relay to be held in the docklands area on October 7th. The meeting was informed that cancer survivors will perform a ʻvictory lapʼ to celebrate overcoming cancer, but there is no ʻfinish lineʼ until we find a cure. The quiz night at the Shipwright was billed to commence at 8 oʼclock. However, it finally got under way at 9.15 pm. Entry per table of four €40. Former FF councillor for the Pembroke ward, Chris Andrews was there and Dublin City Council Labour leader Councillor Kevin Humphries was also present. Local priest Father Fergal was a team member and there was lots of banter when the quizmaster asked “how many sons had Adam and Eve got?” I think there was a high failure rate for this question as most people didnʼt know about Seth, the youngest chisler. There was more laughter and banter at the question, “which is higher: a deacon or a priest?” “Iʼm not telling you,” said Father Fergal, giving as good a ribbing as he was getting. As well as the quiz, a raffle was also held and there were lots of prizes donated by magnanimous people. At the end of the night the winners had 62 points. Our table of myself and three girls I teamed up with for the night (thanks girls) had 56 points, and no passes. It was a great night for the organisers and participants and ultimately for Conquer Cancer. So lets say it once more, ʻRelay for Lifeʼ is a celebration of life in all its beauty and richness.
MESSIAH BY CANDLE LIGHT TO HELP ENABLE RELAND FOR THE SECOND YEAR The Culwick Choral Society and Enable Ireland are continuing their partnership once again for The Messiah performances on Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th of December 2006 at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Tickets for Messiah by Candlelight are available at Enable Ireland, telephone 01-2615917 and at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Shop, Price €28.00.