Danes show little bit of thought can build lasting legacy

It’s over a fortnight now since actor Gabriel Byrne denounced The Gathering as a ‘scam’ on national radio.

As a performance, it was every bit as notable as his portrayal of the Irish gangster Tom Reagan in Miller’s Crossing or the criminal ringleader Dean Keaton in The Usual Suspects and, like all great performances, it has lingered in the mind long after its deliverance.

Byrne was right to bark but he missed the most salient point. If The Gathering isn’t a shakedown of Irish Americans then what exactly is it?