I had a fantastic night at Staccato in Toner’s of Baggot Street in Dublin hosted by David Butler. Staccato is now in its second year and always draws in big names and this time they had the poet Siobhán Campbell and comedian Paul Tylak, (who is probably most famous for his appearances in Father Ted). Also on the bill were Kerrie O’Brien, Liz McSkeane, Niall McArdle and Ruth McKee (music).
It was a really entertaining night and I particularly enjoyed Niall McArdle’s story about a son coming home to his mother’s wake and finding out she had campaigned vigorously for the marriage equality campaign despite almost disowning him a few years previously. Liz McSkeane’s story was another highlight for me about a Catholic girl learning about Protestants. I also enjoyed Paul Tylak’s detective short story, which was very funny. However, that’s not to take away anything from the other readers and everyone performed brilliantly. There was an open-mic at the end of the event and it was amazing to see some well-known names getting up and showing what they could also do.
