Category: Before & After

BEFORE “His face, like, blew up!” That’s what I hear at the intersection of the restaurant and the staircase that leads to the bathroom. I pause for a minute, to consider how it would feel to have a face that “like, blew up.” I’m caught in my contemplation, “You alright?” says a vaguely concerned looking…

BEFORE  There’s just enough time to meet Sinead, before the show starts. Sinead and Nina are in the Film Society together. I’m not taking any notes. I’ll take the chance. I’m breaking my own rule, not anyone else’s. I’ll let it slide. I wonder if I’ll remember any of this conversation when I write? (I…

BEFORE A ponytail, beard, and Aussie hat greet me in the morning frenzy at Pálás. He knows that I already have tickets. He appears to be tilting his head away from the top-secret earpiece in his right ear as he says, “I saw you yesterday.” I’m pleased, maybe one day I’ll be a volunteer with…

BEFORE I was sitting in the café at Town Hall Theatre until I got hungry. That Dawes song, with the lyrics that I wrote down, was a weight: When I was younger, I was serious, now everything’s a joke, But my friends detect a sadness, at the end of every laugh   It’s raining, for…

Before I’m a little bit drunk; Whiplash IPA works fast on an empty stomach. The back of the bar at Pálás isn’t really the back of the bar. The mirror is clean, the candles unlit and un-melted. Journey is playing, “Do they have more than one song?” To my right there’s a crumpled bag of…

I like being the visitor. Away from the home crowd, I’m testing out new labels, sinking into new identities.

Before The sausage looks like bacon, but it’s fresher than the pepperoni. I carry my slice along the Galway cobblestone and nibble while I walk. Plate in hand, I negotiate the crowds of people. Patio-bound patrons lounge, gazing around edges of pint glasses, and taking comfort in the esteem of people-watching. We are the great…

I arrive in Eyre Square, I’m thinking about high school, about my version of football fields, tents, and frightened hands. Do I want more of them? Will they be different now? I’ve had better moments, I think.

If you’re a loyal reader, you’ll notice that my format has changed for this post. I’ve decided that a freer-flowing post, devoid of too many categories, is a better format. To be honest, the categories were starting to feel a little bit contrived and I was faced with the reality that I couldn’t publish immediately…

As I wrote about earlier, I’ve given myself a writing assignment for the next four days. I’ll be writing a medium-length post after each film that I see at the Galway Film Fleadh. I’ve decided to call this series of blogs, Before & After. I’ll tell you what I’m experiencing, feeling, and thinking before and…