THURSDAY 15 JUNE 1995

XPRESS XTRAVAGANZA
TUESDAY night's Fashion XPress Show at the Riverside Centre proved a resounding success. More...
Neil Jordan speaks on Freedom of Speech before a special showing of The Crying Game at the Adelphi at 8.30 tonight.

CONFESSIONS OF A KERRYMAN

THE CONTINUING SAGA OF CON HOULIHAN'S LIFE IN PRINT

THE STORY so far: Con Houlihan, having achieved local fame as fisherman and turf-cutter and rugby player, unwittingly found himself involved in the surly craft of journalism; we last met him as he worked in The Kerryman where he became notorious for his condemnation of "freedom fighters" who didn't subscribe to the concept of free speech. Them were the days: I covered all kinds of events, including race meetings and fleadhs and markets and plays and even the famous fair of Cahirmee, not to mention politics and philosophy and the continuing evolution of the Four-Hand Reel. Nevertheless, the real world went on: the farmers complained about the price of milk and beef: the bookmakers lamented after every big race; the rooks at eventide flew home to their lofty bedsits; the publicans told an unbelieving world about their mounting losses and put up the price of the pint - m other words, life was normal.The days in The Kerryman were good and the nights were even better. Work on a provincial paper is a bit of a lark; the first three days of the week are spent studying the racing sheets and in other nefarious activities; about ten o'clock on Wednesday - in the morning, that is - all purgatory breaks loose. By about four o'clock on the following day the paper is "in bed"; in simple language, this means that the printing presses are rolling. Believe me, it is a lovely sound, to my ears as moving as The New World Symphony. And shortly after five o' clock you could find all the editorial staff in Laide's pub next door or in O'Connell's across the street. There was no class distinction; even the copy boys condescended to drink with the bosses. It isn't a bad habit: the week's grievances are aired; acts of contrition are unloosed; snarls and drinks are traded; promises of amendment are unveiled; Dublin papers, please copy. Provincial papers have a charm that never ceases to enthrall me; the advertisements in the "For Sale" columns are especially intriguing. You will see "A quantity of turnips for sale - or will exchange for hard black turf." And contemplate this: "A six year-old horse for sale - guaranteed fair and free." Those last few words mean that the animal is good-tempered and has no bad habits. My mother, God rest her, always read my pieces but not until she had studied the advertisements for hens and ducks and turkeys and geese; the peasants values are eternal. And I loved too the local "Notes" sent in from such out posts as Waterville and Cahirciveen and Ballyferriter, not to mention Castleisland and Knocknagoshel and Lyrecrompane. Some of the items were - and still are - collectors' treasures; a little anthology of them would make a nice book. I will tell you a few of my favourites. We will kick off with a specimen that you may find almost impossible to believe. "As Dan O'Connor of Headley's Bridge was eating his dinner last Thursday, he heard a commotion in the yard; he dashed out and saw a hawk making off with a young turkey. "He dashed back into the house and got his shotgun and fired one barrel; the hawk fell down dead - the young turkey landed safely and at the moment of writing is alive and well." And contemplate this: "While Tommy Joe O'Sullivan was ploughing in his outside farm in Mount Collins, he unearthed a huge boulder. A local scholar is convinced it belongs to the Stone Age."

And look at this: "At Abbeydorney Sports last Sunday a local boy, Muarice O' Connell, ran the mile in 4.08; this was an amazing time for a 16-year-old." It certainly was - and so l was despatched to measure the track; I regret to say that it was considerably short. Of course, we didn't publish the correction. I must now make a humiliating confession; there could be a scarcity of space in The Kerry man building in the old days in Russell Street in the market area of Tralee - now read on... And sometimes I had per force to write my mortal words in The Brogue Inn, then the epicentre of our capital town; I had my table in front of a blazing fire of logs, winter or summer - when we had summer. At an appointed time a runner would come from The Kerryman - and usually he was so breathless that liquid sustenance was essential. Such runners were a throw back to more colourful days; they were known as printers' devils. In the Evening Press I had a similar arrangement with our famous copy boy, Jimmy Rush, folk hero and the Bryan Rob son of Edenmore Celtic. And many a morning about half-past nine he came breath less with my proofs to Regan's or Kennedy's or The White Horse. Them were the days... Is it possible that Jimmy Rush was the last of the printers' devils? Read all about it in our next thrilling instalment. Order your copy now.

INGERSOLL FAVOURS A 'VIABLE PRESS'

by Colm Keena

The best outcome for ousted IPN partner, Ralph Ingersoll, from the current company crisis, would be a viable Irish Press Newspapers, a close associate of the former newspaper owner said yesterday.

A former Ingersoll director with Irish Press Newspapers in Dublin to hear the Supreme Court's ruling on legal costs from the court battle between Ingersoll and his former partners, spoke with The XPress as he was showing the Burgh Quay premises to a colleague

He explained that Ingersoll had asked him to fly to Dublin "to keep an eye" on yesterday's court ruling. £1m of the £4m owed by IPN to Ingersoll is secured against the Burgh Quay premises.

"Our interest lies in protecting our investment, and that's probably best done by IPN being viable," the former director said. "That's the most likely way we could get our unsecured money back. Whether IPN can be made viable or not is a good question."

The executive, who was speaking before the Supreme Court deferred its ruling for one week, did not want to be named. He said it was a "mystery" to him what agenda was being pursued by IPN Chairman, Eamon de Valera.

"We were not surprised by the Supreme Court ruling [on May 25th, that IPN was not entitled to almost £9m damages from Ingersoll]. We thought justice was done, if belatedly."

Ingersoll, he said, hoped to get money he was owed from IPN.

In 1989, Eamon de Valera signed a 50-50 partnership deal with Ingersoll, in a deal which was to arrest the decline of the Irish Press group. The partnership ended with a long and costly fight in the Supreme Court.

• The Supreme Court decision on who pays the £2m legal costs from the lengthy Ingersoll-Irish Press plc court battle, was put back for one week by the court yesterday.

X-APPEAL ON THE CATWALK

MODEL BEHAVIOUR: The XPress gets taken for a walk on the ramp during Tuesday night's fashion spectacular in the Riverside Centre.
Picture: Ray Cullen

FASHION XPRESS - the clothing industry's tribute to Irish Press journalists - was spectacular success. More than 400 people attended the gala fashion show at the Riverside Centre on Sir John Rogerson's Quay on Tuesday night and were given an exclusive preview of Irish inter national designer John Rocha's autumn/winter collection . The evening kicked off with a Jameson whiskey cocktail party followed by the show, with FM104 radio star Claire McKeown as MC and a wine reception. It was topped off with a Smirnoff black vodka party at the Chocolate Bar in Harcourt Street. The other collections shown were from leading Irish designers Richard Lewis, Paul Costelloe, President Robinson's favourite, Louise Kennedy, and Riverdance costume designer, Jen Kelly. Kathleen O'Callaghan, Fashion Editor of the Irish Independent, and Robert O'Byrne, columnist with the Irish Times, both braved the catwalk in a public show of solidarity with their locked-out friends from the Press. Eddie Shanahan of The Agency and the country's leading models, including Marie Staunton and Laura Bermingham, generously offered their services for the event and said that it was their opportunity to return the support they had received from the Irish Press Journalists over the years.

FISTS OF FURY...

Films by Cathy Dillon

'Once Were Warriors' , (Screen, D'Olier Street) is a moving, often brutal portrayal of domestic violence, set among the disenfranchised Maori people in New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. Rena Owen gives a terrific performance as Beth, whose husband Jake (Temuera Morrison) settles any dispute with his fists. The poverty and violence have taken their toll on their children - their oldest son has joined a delinquent gang and the younger is taken into care. But it is the fate of their sensitive 13-year-old daughter which proves to be the catalyst in Beth's life. The film, like the novel by Alan Duff on which it is based, caused some controversy in New Zealand because of its graphic portrayal of Maori machismo - Jakes bar-room buddies are leather-clad, pumped up and tatooed and prove their masculinity by smashing bottles and bones but the film argues strongly that this aggression is, partially at least, a result of the Maoris' alienatation from their own ancient warrior culture. Though it has occasional moments of melodrama and the character of Jake sometimes threatens to slide into cariacature, overall this is a powerful and affecting film. Director Lee Taamahori skillfully captures the merciless urban wasteland that is the family's neighbourhood and draws breathtakingly good perfor mances from the entire cast. Not easy viewing but recommended nonetheless. Bad Boys (Savoy, UCls Tallaght and Coolock, Omniplex, Santry and selected cinemas nationwide) is a crash-bang thud action comedy from producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer who, in the '80s, brought you the likes of Beverly Hills Cop and Flashdance. It combines elements of the former with shades of the Leathal Weapon series. Cop duo Martin Laurence and Will Smith (both of whom are TV stars in the US) attempt to track down $100m worth of stolen heroin, a task which necessitates them swapping identities in order to placate their only witness, the babelicious Tea Leoni. Glossy, noisy, violent and fast, this is unlikely to sweep the boards at next year's Oscars but action fans should have few complaints.

NOTE TO OUR READERS...

The XPress newspapers carry a nominal cover price of 1p, but we appreciate all donations to our newspaper fund. To help co-ordinate our fund raising activities, a bank account has been set up in aid of the NUI members who are currently locked out of the Irish Press offices. Please forward all donations to: