Barry McGovern is a giant of Irish theatre; a former member of the RTÉ Players and the Abbey Theatre company, over a stellar career spanning five decades he's performed in theatres across the globe, acted in movies alongside the likes of Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Dustin Hoffman, played Eamon de Valera at least twice (in Caught In A Free State and The Treaty) and is acknowledged as one of the great interpreters of the works of Samuel Beckett, notably via his one-man show I'll Go On.
Ahead of his appearance alongside Úna Crawford O'Brien in Deirdre Kinahan's play Halcyon Days at Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire on Tuesday 15 March, we asked Barry for his choice cultural picks...
FILM
I'm not sure what the last film I saw was, what with the pandemic and the lockdown. I am looking forward to seeing the new version of West Side Story when I get a chance. I love the musical and the 1961 film.
MUSIC
I had the great pleasure of narrating some of Beethoven's letters two years ago during the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of his birth in concerts with the Degani Trio. I got to know the piano trios well, which was a great joy for me as I really knew only two of them.
BOOK
I'm afraid it has to be Joyce's Ulysses, which has long been my favourite book. It has everything -- different styles for each of the eighteen episodes; revolutionary writing; Dublin (my native city) through and through, though at the same time universal; and, above all, humour. It is one of the funniest books I know.
PLAY
I'm looking forward to seeing Beckett's Endgame at the Gate. It's my favourite play and having both played in it and seen it many times I always find something new in each production.
TV
I'm a big sports fan and love programmes like Match of the Day on Saturday and Sunday nights. As a big rugby fan I love the matches on TG4 -- good for my Irish, too. Although I used to go to most rugby internationals, I now find I enjoy them more on TV as I don't have people who have little or no interest in the game walking in front of me with trays of pints. Oh, for the old Lansdowne Road!
GIG
I'm looking forward to getting back to the Friday night symphony concerts in the National Concert Hall.
Watch: The National Symphony Orchestra celebrate John Williams at 90
ART
I recently enjoyed the Jack B. Yeats exhibition at the National Gallery and the Proust exhibition in Paris where I also visited the Louvre for the first time. Now I know why -- you'd need a year!
RADIO
I always try to listen to Record Review on BBC Radio 3 on a Saturday morning and John Bowman's archive programme on Sunday morning. Having spent over two years in the RTÉ Players when young, I love radio and am a regular listener.
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TECH
I'm not on any social media and don't do Apps or websites. Life's too short.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
Me?
Barry McGovern stars alongside Úna Crawford O'Brien in Deirdre Kinahan’s Halcyon Days at Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire on Tuesday 15 March, as part of a nationwide tour - find out more here.
