Coming Out of the Curve - Review

21st Jan 2015

Donal Óg’s much anticipated programme about being from Cork aired on Monday night under the auspices of a show about being gay in Ireland. Naturally, we paid plenty of attention to its supposed main topic but like most Corkonians, deep down, we were really just interested in how many times Cork was mentioned. And how.
 

Donal goes to Moscow

Cork people are always on high alert when one of our own appear on TV. Sometimes it’s just a simple ‘I hope this wan doesn’t embarrass us now’ because there’s a balance to be struck – we want as many Cork people on the box as possible but only if they’re going to give a good impression of us. It might surprise outsiders but it’s possible to be ‘too Cork’ on TV in the eyes of Corkonians. If a Cork person gets too excited, has an exaggerated accent, is too boisterous or cocky then his or her ‘faults’ will raise eyes back home – the ultimate sin among Cork people is trying to be somebody you’re not.

This is why Donal Óg’s programme went down a storm on Leeside - he’s a proud Corkman with a proper Cork accent who, for starters, doesn’t make an eegit of himself. Once a Rebel has satisfied the home crowd on that front then we’re happy that we don’t have to watch from behind the couch and you’re probably going to be a hero by the end of it for representing the county well on screen.
 

Cusack rightly looks away with embarrassment when the Russian lad does "air quotes" before Donal lays it on heavy about Cork being the cultural capital.

Rather than the usual Monday night RTE1 slot where somebody is desperately trying to become something they want to be – less fat, less shambolic at cooking, less unfit or less insane whilst trying to design a house in the presence of an annoying celebrity architect - Donal Óg’s programme was mainly about him telling us who he was and in our eyes that’s a true Corkman - out and proud. And , almost as a footnote, also gay.

Right from the off the Cloyne net minder travelled to Russia to speak to a Moscow based gay-rights activist who had been thinking about moving to Russia’s second city St. Petersburg. Cusack immediately moves to bring up Cork – creating a comparison between their respective countries’ grimy respective capitals and their more beautiful and culturally superior second cities.
 

Cork people talking to other Cork people in Cork! Valerie and Donal Óg having the bantz down the Mardyke.

Within seconds of the programme getting into full swing Cusack had already put Cork on the agenda and at this point most Cork GAA fans, like ourselves, ran upstairs, put on their Cork jersey, grabbed a slightly damp Cork flag from under the stairs and started chanting ‘Rebels! Rebels!’ at the TV – feverishly looking forward to the next clip from the 2004 All-Ireland final or when Cork appeared on the screen again in some form.

After visiting America’s most liberal and culturally interesting city San Francisco (naturally twinned with Cork of course) the three times All-Ireland hurling medallist had a chat with David Roche of the Cork Gay Project  and at this stage you know the programme’s main topic was just an excuse to put Cork on telly.  
 

Club hurler Chris McCarthy, 17 with Donal Óg and Valerie Mulcahy

In days gone by organisations like this would have been lumped with Fiji and Fermanagh, to use that famous phrase, “neither a hurling stronghold” but Comrade Cusack’s programme made it clear that this perception needs to be handed into the lads at the Kinsale Road landfill and buried where it will eventually turn into an obnoxious gas to keep troublemakers from Frankfield indoors. Then more delights as Cork ladies football star Valerie Mulcahy turns up.

The few minutes we got with this fantastic and, brave young nine-time All-Ireland winner were inspirational for all Corkonians regardless of their age, gender or sexuality and the fitting scene at the end of the show walking hand in hand with her girlfriend was accompanied by a beautiful chorus of strings to gently press that lump in your throat.

It won’t have gone unnoticed that the Mardyke on ‘the banks of our own lovely lee’ was chosen for this sunny ground breaking scene. How could anything but the last line of the second verse of Cork’s national anthem come to mind: The maid with her lover the wild daisies pressed, On the Banks of My Own Lovely Lee.

Maybe it was a sign of the times or just Cork’s open mindedness but on our discussion forum the debate about Ógie’s programme morphed into separate discussions about the quality of the music in the show (it was produced for RTÉ by Colm O’Callaghan from Blackpool who used to make late night music show ‘No Disco’) alongside some Northside versus Southside ball-hopping and suggestions that Northsiders were the real minority being discriminated against.

You'd want to have a heart of stone not to be moved by two lovers cuddling in the sun on the Banks of your own lovely lee...

Valerie Mulcahy said that ‘society likes to put people into boxes according to their gender’ and we need to remind ourselves not to make assumptions about any Corkonians’ sexuality regardless of how they look or what sports they play or don’t play. We should be striving to make this county a place where we put people into one of two boxes: either you’re from Cork or you’re not.

With the likes of brave Rebels like Donal, Valerie and young hurler Chris McCarthy, the future for Cork leading the way as Ireland’s most open-minded county is safe. It should be where all minorities feel welcome and equal living under the flag of the People’s Republic of Cork. Even Northsiders! Hupoudat.

Here's the programme if you missed it (until the link expires in mid-Feb 2015)
http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/10366322/