The first in a series of monthly newsletter catching up with the latest developments, not just of The Plastic Podcasts, but also of its contributors and friends...

Firstly, for those of you who haven’t seen it, the YouTube version of Plastic, a Tale of the Irish Diaspora can be found at https://youtu.be/wWoYxhmbMcw

That’s where you’ll find yours truly telling his own diaspora story, with contributions (interruptions?) from many of our interviewees. It was performed live on April 15^th, via the inevitable Zoom, but now can be seen in all its glory, complete with live music from Steven Grainger and audience Q&A. Look out for Joe Duley!

In further news, The Plastic Podcasts are going to Liverpool. Liverpool Irish Festival have invited us to be their resident recordists between 21^st and 31^st October. We’ll be at every event, plus holding Duggie Drop-Ins to record more tales of the diaspora, all leading to another live and filmed event. More details to follow, but we’re incredibly grateful to Emma Smith of LIF for this opportunity.

Speaking of festivals, Brighton Fringe is about to begin and all through this month you can see Janet Behan’s latest production Kathleen And Me, a story of the mother of all the Behans as part of The Living Record digital part of the Festival. To quote the play’s press release (we’re all about the cut and paste here at TPP):

Kathleen lived through the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil war. She took an active role in the fight for an Irish Republic, surviving near starvation and grinding poverty and holding her family together through thick and thin. Her ‘golden boy’ Brendan, became famous worldwide for his plays and books only to die tragically young. But, as Kathleen says, “You may as well sing grief as cry it…”

Combining source material with her own memories of her grandmother, Janet Behan with Jessica Higgs have created ‘Kathleen and Me’ — a memoir of this indomitable woman.

Kathleen And Me runs from 28^th May to 27^th June and tickets are available here: https://thelivingrecord.com/events/kathleen-and-me/feed

Speaking of online activity, Mary Tynan’s Xanadu Online Theatre are having a gig in the theatre on 29 May, a double bill of singer-songwriters Suzanne Ledwith and BoyManDead (aka Chris Levens).  Suzanne has just released an EP with Irish folk legend Donal Lunny.  The arts centre recently celebrated its first birthday and isn’t resting on its laurels. Go  to https://notesfromxanadu.org for more details.

Last but by no means least, but still last all the same, Liverpool Irish Centre is returning to live events with a Commitments Night (the second in their Roddy Doyle trilogy) on 28^th May, plus folk from Cathy and Friends on 30^th May, a musical barbecue with The Rebel on 6^th June (Rebel Burgers and Black and Tan Burgers both available) while jazz-rock improv craziness from Beatnik Hurricane takes over the centre on 12^th June, daddio. All of this and more at: https://www.liverpoolirishcentre.org/what-s-on

And that’s it for now. The next Diaspora Digested will be out Thursday 24^th June.

Drop us a line at theplasticpodcasts@gmail.com if you want your own event included or there’s something you can’t wait to share with a bunch of strangers. Deadline Monday 21^st June.

Catch you then!

Doug