Headford News and Community Spotlight - A Troubadour in Headford

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT 

A Troubadour? In Headford?

So you're probably thinking, what the heck is a troubadour?

Technically, troubadours were medieval poets who performed songs and poems principally in southern France from the 11th to 13th centuries. Sometimes they wandered around and sang or recited poetry. Frequently, they sang about love and were paid with a meal and a bed for the night.

That’s sort of what Miquel Barcelo, Headford’s self-proclaimed ‘troubadour,’ does. He sings, plays instruments, and tells a story here and there. Actually, he has a lot of stories to tell.

It all started in Majorca, where Miquel grew up, then on to Paris, where he fell in love (as you do), and then to multiple other places—Spain, Italy, Texas—before he finally settled in Headford.

While in Paris, he studied at the Jacques Le Coq Theatre School, where he met his wife, Judith. ‘I liked Irish music, and she does Irish dance, and . . . ’ his hands go up as if their union was an inevitable love story. Now his wife teaches theatre at Claran National School three times a week, and Miquel wanders around and performs, at schools, at meetings . . . even in barber shops.

On a warm Friday in early June, he’s entertaining the Sean Cáirde crowd with stories and songs from his native land, told with a strong Castilian accent. ‘My father told me, never trust the sea when it is calm. . . But, if you are in a storm, never look back.’ His words obviously transcend any language or accent barrier because the responses he gets are soft sounds of agreement and white-headed nods of approval.

Miquel explains his theory that stories are slow, necessarily spoken, but ‘words are not the main element. I’m always trying to cross cultures.’

And he’s right about words not being so important. Back in the 1960s, psychology researchers Mehrabian and Wiener decreed that 55% of communication is body language. Words themselves are responsible for only 7% of how we communicate with each other.

So, even though Miquel’s performances mix languages, they incorporate everyone around him. He says he gets inspiration from his audience or uses their suggestions. ‘I never tell a story the same way. Anything can happen in the middle.’

Obviously, this twenty-first century troubadour is a bit different from his medieval counterpart, but Miquel feels he is carrying on an ancient tradition. Thanks to a County Council grant, Miquel is able to perform all over the Headford area. ‘Through stories and music, I’ll find a dialogue with the community I’m living in.’

While he admits his work can be unexpected, sometimes not one hundred percent politically correct, and sometimes very direct, he says this is the nature of what he does. His goal is to surprise people with entertainment. And that’s exactly what he did last Saturday. To celebrate the Summer Solstice, Miquel, along with fellow musicians Tony O’Reilly and Felip Carbonell, walked around Headford, peppering the town with music and song, first in the Barber Shop . . .

then in the butcher's, the pharmacy . . .

. . . at cafes . . . 

serenading shoppers at Joyce's . . .

. . . and up and down the street. 

Miquel says his performances are meant to ‘make a break in people’s lives. When I’m gone you can go back to your routine. Or maybe not. Maybe you’ll think . . .’

Everywhere they went last Saturday, these musicians shared joyous music and song, and they were paid with enthusiastic welcomes, smiles and cups of coffee. Many people recorded the performances with their phones. Children danced and passers by stopped and stared. Even dogs seemed entranced. 

As Headford’s travelling entertainer, Miquel has words of advice for all of us. Words that seem apt, not just for audience members, but for life in general. ‘A lot of times, Irish audiences hear something different and they get tense. There’s a delay while people think things through before they let themselves react. But the kids, they know how to have fun.’ He speaks passionately, gesticulating to make his point. ‘Just . . . let yourself go and enjoy!’

Headford News and Community Spotlight - Something to be Proud of

HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE!

Solstice celebrations begin in Headford this Saturday at noon. Various artists are performing around the town. Come be entertained and enjoy the longest day of the year.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

The Language of Flowers was a sort of Victorian era primer that contained the symbolism of various flowers as reported throughout history in poetry, ancient mythology and even medicine. The book became quite popular and inspired a whole science known as floriography.

According to The Language of Flowers, the Sunflower is the symbol of pride. It’s appropriate, then, that the Headford café that’s been open longer than any other is still going strong under the proud yellow symbol for which it is named.

When Fiona Burke and Alex Taylor opened the Sunflower Café back in 2005, there was no other café in Headford. As Fiona tells it, she and Alex, who trained as a chef in South Africa, first discussed their business idea ‘over a glass of wine.’ But what really made the concept for the Sunflower blossom in Fiona’s head was the fact that her mom was too embarrassed to be seen having lunch in a pub.

‘We were so nervous,’ Fiona says of opening the café. ‘Everybody said it wouldn’t work.’ But then, most everyone has experienced that kind of reaction to a new idea.

‘Ah, sure, it’ll never work.’ ‘You’ll be killing yourself for nothing.’ ‘Why would you want to do something like that?’  People who are too afraid to try things themselves frequently want to dishearten the courageous. That’s where Fiona and Alex can offer inspiration.

Fiona Burke, Proprietor

‘It was a big gamble. We had to borrow money,’ Fiona says. ‘But we knew we’d kick ourselves if someone else opened a café and we didn’t. We’d say, “That was our idea!”’

So they took the plunge and now, nine years later, the Sunflower Café is still going strong. That’s a pretty amazing accomplishment, especially when you consider that during those nine years, our domestic economy shifted into reverse. According to a publication with the unfortunate name of InsolvencyJournal.ie, five companies go out of business each day.

Fiona’s success story is a local one. She grew up in Headford and graduated from Presentation, then later moved to Tuam and worked in an accounts office. Now, she says, she works a lot harder now—it seems like 24/7 sometimes—but she wouldn’t give it up. ‘Even when I’m in bed at night, sometimes I’m thinking, did I order enough food for tomorrow?’ She loves the fact that some of her customers call the Sunflower, ‘the Rover’s Return without the alcohol.’ The café has that neighbourhood feel, with everyone chatting, sometimes across tables. Frequently, elderly people will come in alone and end up meeting other folks there. ‘Someone will always chat with them,’ Fiona says.

Working long hours and catering on weekends means that Fiona doesn’t socialise much, ‘but I do socialise here,’ she says about the café. ‘I enjoy the buzz.’ Fiona praises her ‘brilliant staff’ and says they are part of the reason the place has such loyal customers. But, if there’s anything Fiona would change, it’s the fact that some people just can't seem to smile. ‘How can you say hello without smiling?’ she asks. ‘There’s always somebody worse off than you.’

If there's anything to be proud of, it's the loyalty she's engendered in the community. Fiona beams when she says, ‘We’re doing First Communion cakes now for the same kids we did Christening cakes for.'

One of the definitions of pride is: a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements. That’s definitely something the ladies of the Sunflower have earned.

Headford News and Community Spotlight - Real Cowboys

A CLEAN CLOSET IS A JOY! 

Solas Family Resource Centre would like to put out a request for donations of previously-owned clothing, sheets, blankets and towels. These items go to help fund our many programmes such as Meals on Wheels (see last week's post) and discount counseling, among others. So, if your closets or drawers won't close, maybe put a few of those extra items (please, no duvets or pillows) in a bag and bring them to Solas. You'll be helping your community, as well as yourself.


COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Real Cowboys

Have you ever noticed how some people really enjoy complaining? If it’s not the weather, it’s crooked bankers they’re whinging about, or farmers who get too many breaks. Perhaps what makes all these complaints even more annoying is the element of truth in all of them. For instance, it is true that farmers get more subsidies than, say, an office worker or a car salesman. That could be due, at least in some slight part, to the fact that the average Irish farmer, unlike the average farmer in other developed countries, is a small farmer. In order for this country to avoid the huge, industrialised farms that are prevalent in other countries, the small farmer cannot be ignored. Not unless we want to martyr ourselves to extensive groundwater contamination and drug-resistant illnesses due to overuse of antibiotics in livestock production. Those are just two of the many horrors of ‘factory farms,’ or ‘concentrated animal feeding operations.'

One of the existing alternatives in many areas, including Headford, is the Rural Social Scheme. It’s participants—those guys in yellow florescent vests you see mowing the grass at the cemetery or raking leaves at the school—are cowboys. No, not that kind of cowboy. They aren’t selling banjaxed cars or boxes of dried-up biros. They’re guys (and sometimes ladies) with cows. Their work weeks alternate so they do a total of twenty-six weeks a year for the Headford community, and twenty-six weeks on their farms (which usually include bovine inhabitants). So, yeah. Cowboys.

The Rural Social Scheme (RSS), is aimed at low-income farmers and fishermen/women who are getting a social welfare payment. In return for this support, people participating in the RSS provide services that benefit their local communities. Like cutting the grass and making the place look good.

In addition to upkeep of public areas, the RSS posse offer a ‘Care and Repair’ service through Solas. For the elderly or those with a disability, they often do repair work like fixing locks, clearing gutters or even hanging pictures. ‘We help those people do things they can’t do for themselves,’ their supervisor, Martin Donnellan, says.

Martin Donnellan, RSS Supervisor

Equally important is the social aspect of the scheme. ‘You don’t meet people on the farm like you used to,’ one man says. ‘And the cost of farming has gone very high.’ So, the RSS offers a bit of security. No matter how bad the farming income gets, the participants in this scheme know they’ll still have something coming in. And it suits them. With a farm to run, fulltime work would be out of the question. This scheme allows people to keep their farms alive and still be active in their community.

There are a total of ten RSS participants in the Headford area. In case you're wondering, here they are: 

On any given day, you might see Seamus and Padraig helping to clean up Presentation. 

Ask them to show you the showers they built for the gym. 

Or you could meet Mary and John delivering Meals on Wheels.

Oliver and Vinnie say they like the fact that this work takes them to ‘a different place every day.’

After nine years of supervising, Martin has gotten good at this. ‘If I sense a bit of conflict, I move people around.’ He says that with the ease of someone who hasn’t had to put up with a lot of skirmishes. That’s probably because most of the work is outside, in the fresh air, and these guys are in their element. On any given day, they might do ‘anything from hanging a picture to digging a grave,’ Martin says.

‘It keeps ya outta harm,’ Padraig says. ‘And we do things other people wouldn’t do.’

Next time you pass the Claran church, you might notice Mike mowing the lawn, surrounded by the beautiful green-smell of fresh mown grass. He’ll probably be smiling when you see him, because this is a man who obviously enjoys his work. ‘I’ve got my own routine to do and I know how to do it. It’s a handy number for the likes of me at sixty years of age.’

So, maybe it's time to redefine the word 'Cowboy.' They might be lads and ladies whose work--fixing rock walls, saving businesses money by doing maintenance, clearing gutters, delivering meals and digging graves--seems humble. But, then again, they might just 'save the day.'