Arts

Paradoxically, when I arrived home in Canada for the winter holidays, I began to miss Ireland again. Seeing family and friends is always great, but the possibilities of holidays spent across the English Channel and exploring the rest of Europe for cheap prices is a reality that’s hard to pass up.

The minute-long summaries of national events initially rose to prominence in the early ‘90s and have become a familiar part of Canadian public broadcast, often airing on the CBC and CPAC, and being shown in public schools around the country.

For a small scale production put on by a campus club, the musical was beyond impressive, and took advantage of its talented cast members by giving them well deserved solos. It was no wonder every scene was met with applause.

The exhibit focused primarily on the impact that industry and human development have had on the environment, and by extension our perception of the world. But it also had an element of optimism, championing the idea that the arts and sciences can work together to confront global issues.

The show seeks to explore the harm that industrialisation has caused to the planet, but also bring an element of hope by drawing attention to some of the sustainability research done by the U of O’s department of chemistry and biological engineering.

Hynes writes unflinching portrayals of the down-and-out, often inspired by his own rough situations. The protagonist of We’ll All Be Burnt, for example, is a combination of an inmate Hynes taught in a prison school, and a freak event where a man tried to break into his house and fight him.

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