Entertainment
The Missing offers gripping drama on every level
TV Watch with Dave O’Connell
The best of drama makes you enter their world – but the world of Tony and Emily Hughes is one you’d take hell ahead of. They’re the parents in The Missing, the new eight-part BBC 1 drama on Tuesday nights that, on the surface, chronicles a family’s trauma after their young and only son is snatched while the three of them were on holiday in France.
But testimony to its powerful writing and direction, it is also the story of a marriage – and more precisely, a husband – unraveling with loss, guilt and anger closing in, all in equal measure.
Tony Hughes is played by James Nesbitt, and he is truly outstanding in a role that could easily have descended into the mawkish in lesser hands.
The Hughes are on holiday in France (although this is actually filmed in Brussels and around Belgium) with their five year old, Olly, when their car breaks down and they have to spend the night in a little village called Chalons du Bois while their car gets fixed.
All of this occurs during the 2006 World Cup and to keep young Olly entertained during the delay, his dad brings him swimming at a nearby hotel and leisure complex.
And afterwards, as France are winning the World Cup Final against Brazil on the telly, they go to the packed bar for a lemonade – only for Olly to disappear in the blink of an eye.
The dawning realisation of what has happened is the most powerful moment of the opening episode, as Tony dashes around like a headless chicken, shouting, screaming, moaning and almost drowning in his own grief.
It’s a feeling we’ve all had – if only for a minute – when one of the kids wanders off in town or in the shop….only this time Olly isn’t coming back.
And so begins the Hughes’ descent into hell on earth – eight years on, you can see the full effect of the damage with the family in pieces and Tony, the once-normal, happy-go-lucky dad now a shattered wreck who cannot let go of the past.
It’s because, of course, he feels responsible for Oliver’s disappearance and becomes completely consumed with locating his son.
Emily (Frances O’Connor) seems at first to have moved on with her life – ending up with Mark, the British liaison office who was dealing with the family in France and then ends up with the wife.
But Tony’s insistence that he has a new lead shows Emily how tenuous this new existence really is, and she too finds herself pulled back into the nightmare.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.
Folk duo Niall Teague and Pádraic Joyce are launching their new album What Will We Be, a blend of folk, Americana and acoustic music, this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in An Taibhdhearc.
The success of their well-received 2020 release Taobh le Taobh, as well as recent successes at the Pan Celtic and Oireachtas Song Contests, spurred the duo on to record this new album which represents many years of collaboration and musical development.
It features Niall and Pádraic on vocals, harmonies, and acoustic guitars, Maidhc Ó hÉanaigh on double bass and Neil Fitzgibbon on fiddle. The catchy title track, What Will We Be, features contributions from percussionist Jim Higgins (The Stunning, Christy Moore, Paul Brady) and haunting, driving melodies on vocals, guitar, and fiddle.
Themes of love and hope are woven through Come Away with Me which features interplay between piano and fiddle as well as rich vocal harmonies.
People, places, and broken dreams are celebrated and lamented on Martin and Tom, Guitar Gold, Memories of You and Achill Island. The influence of David Henry Thoreau’s novel Walden features on the tracks Simple and Wise and Walden, with the beauty of nature, escape and simple pleasures at their core.
The album moves from minimalistic folk ballads such as Galway Ghost to swirling, string-laden arrangements on the song Neptune, both of which are influenced by maritime tales from Galway. Much of the work on this album was supported by the Arts Council, including work with musical arranger Eoin Corcoran and the string ensemble Treo.
The album will be launched this Friday, May 19, at 8pm in an Taibhdhearc. Tickets €22, plus booking fee at Eventbrite.ie.
Dunmore is the place to be this weekend for lovers of traditional music, as the Galway County Fleadh will take place there from this Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 23.
It is 10 years since Dunmore last hosted a fleadh and the local Comhaltas branch, which has re-formed since Covid, is looking forward to facilitating this gathering of music, song, dance and craic.
The official Opening Concert will take place in Dunmore Town Hall this Friday at 8pm with the acclaimed Mulcahy family from Limerick. Mick, Louise and Michelle are well known throughout the country, thanks to their live performances, television appearances and numerous CDs. They were the winners of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Grúpa Ceoil Award for 2023. Tickets for their concert can be purchased on the door and a great night of music is promised.
Two days of competitions will kick off this Saturday at the town’s Community School, with more than 1,500 competitors taking part. Participants will be hoping to qualify for the Connacht Fleadh 2023, which will be held in Ballina, County Mayo, from June 23 to July 2.
Competitions for those aged Under 10, Under 12 and Under 15 will be held in a large variety of instruments on Saturday, as well as in singing and Comhrá Gaeilge. Sunday’s competitions will be for the Under 18 and Over 18 ages groups, as well as in dancing.
On both days a large entry is expected for Grúpaí Cheoil and Céilí Band competitions across all age groups.
Seventeen Comhaltas branches from across Galway will have participants in this weekend’s competitions, which will result in a large number of visitors to the Dunmore area.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the competitions, which offer a great opportunity to hear and see the talent on display. There will be sessions in local pubs over the weekend as well and everybody is welcome to attend these.
For more information on the County Fleadh, go to www.galwaycomhaltas.ie.
Music for Galway’s concert with renowned Swiss pianist Cédric Pescia which had been due to take place on April 27 but which had to be deferred, will now take place next Tuesday, May 23, at 8pm, in the Emily Anderson Concert Hall at the University of Galway.
This concert of German classics with Bach at its core, will brings the Bach element of Music for Galway’s 41st season to an end.
This world-class pianist who won the famous Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, has a repertoire that spans many eras from baroque to contemporary and he is widely known for his elaborate programmes. Cédric Pescia describes music as ‘language and movement at the same time’.
Audiences will have a chance to experience his soft, clear touch as he performs a programme for solo piano that will include classics such as Schumann’s popular Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), a suite of nine short pieces, and the penultimate of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, No. 31. These pieces will be interspersed with French Suites by Bach.
■ Ticket for Cédric Pescia’s concert are available at www.musicforgalway.ie, or by phone 091 705962 and on the door on the night. They cost €20/€18. The price for fulltime students of all ages is €6 while MfG Friends can avail of the friends’ rate of €16.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
