How was it for you? Des O'Driscoll selects his 2020 highlights in music, TV and other areas
Des O'Driscoll's highlights of 2020 included The Third Day, Corcadorca's Contact, Girl Band live in Cork, and the podcast Where Is George Gibney.
Girl Band in Cyprus Avenue in March wasn't just a brilliant gig – it was also the final live event I got to see before lockdown.
During an easing of restrictions in September, the Kino had a series of Covid-compliant gigs. I saw Gemma Dunleavy at one of these, and it really did feel like a special occasion. Genuine shivers on the back of the neck, and a note to self that we should never take these occasions for granted again. Unfortunately, seeing some of the other behaviour around the city on our way home, we knew the respite couldn't last.
British jazz is having a moment which draws on the best of the tradition while still taking in other genres. I'd love to have seen the likes of Matthew Halsall, Moses Boyd and Shabaka Hutchings in Cork for the jazz festival.
It was great to see two Cork finally square the circle on some unfinished business. Emperor Of Ice Cream got to release an album that had been in the works since the 1990s, while post-punk band Nun Attax finally got to put the classic 'Knocknaheeny Shuffle' on vinyl.
We're kind of taking it all in our stride now, but back in March, there was a real sense of dread around Covid. I listened to Leo Varadkar's first announcement of lockdown on RTÉ Radio 1, and it felt like one of those momentous wartime broadcasts. John Creedon resumed his show immediately afterwards and in probably the most perfect song selection I've ever heard, went straight into The Gloaming's magnificent 'Samhradh Samhradh'. Hope was restored.
Where Is George Gibney from the Second Captains crew stands tall as a creation that went way beyond the status of entertaining/informative podcast. It was possibly the most important creation of any Irish media in 2020. In telling the story of the disgraced swim coach and tracking him down in America, it again shone a light on a man who left Ireland in 1994 after it was decided his trial wouldn't proceed as too much time had lapsed since the alleged incidents took place. The show also gave voice to those who had suffered at his hands as children – and renewed hope that their abuser would some day face justice. Heartbreaking but brilliant.
Like many other people, Tiger King and Normal People early in the year; also The Third Day. There seemed to be loads of great documentaries around – Attacking the Devil, Hitsville: The Making Of Motown, The Hunger, etc. Of the few new features I saw, Parasite and Wolfwalkers stood out.
Given the circumstances, it was a buzz seeing Corcacorca's Contact on a green in my own parish, as part of the revamped Cork Midsummer Festival, and getting the opportunity to actually talk with people outside my family.
The Zurich Portrait Prize at the Crawford in Cork managed to beat the lockdown, and the youth entries were particularly impressive. With galleries closed, the Ardú street art project also made good use of some of the city's walls.
It's been a tough year for the arts and culture sector, not least for the many people who were already barely keeping their heads above water, working from gig to gig. But some good things did come from those dark days. For one, there's probably a renewed appreciation among the public and politicians of the importance of the sector far beyond the economic metric that's usually so difficult to quantify. Music, films, art, etc, really do provide an essential switch-off that are key to health and happiness.
Also, what previously had been a very disparate sector came together more than ever. Work by the National Council For the Advancement of the Arts and others pressured politicians into allocating significant extra funding to the area. Even when things return to 'normal', those new networks will continue to reap benefits.
The obvious lack of live events; of the celebrity deaths, Bill Withers stands out for me; and the issues around the worrying online debate which had people claiming to promote tolerance and diversity by essentially calling for the burning of books by an author they don't agree with.
