Dan McGinn

“What about Mrs Thatcher?” These were the words uttered by Charles McHallen’s Fr Alec Reid in the final episode of ‘Charlie’ tonight when Aiden Gillen’s Taoiseach signalled he was willing to open up dialogue with the Republican Movement. However it was also the question that bedevilled ‘Charlie’ throughout its three episode run on RTE1. Haughey’s prickly relationship with the British Prime Minister was one of the most striking elements of his years as Taoiseach. And yet, rather than confronting this …

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People in Northern Ireland like to blow their trumpet about our mischievous black sense of humour. But what do you do if that trumpet sounds suspiciously like a kazoo? That was the question some people must have been asking after the opening episode of BBC Northern Ireland’s sitcom ‘Number Twos’ from the Hole in the Wall Gang team of Tim McGarry, Michael McDowell and Damon Quinn. What’s it like? Well, the clue’s in the title. ‘Number Twos’ began with images …

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Tonight the second in a three part mini series on RTE about former Taoiseach Charles Haughey hit the screens. Local film critic, Dan McGinn, reviews part two. Seconds out, round two. The second episode of RTE1’s much hyped mini series ‘Charlie’ did away with last week’s pompous Oliver Stone contextual preamble. However it remained a deeply flawed and underwhelming affair. Aidan Gillen’s note perfect impersonation of Haughey still had a great deal of swagger about it but his performance could …

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