Culture That Made Me: Benny McCabe on Sir Henry's, Blindboy, and ...

Sir Henry's gig 

I’ll never forget seeing The Golden Horde and the Sultans of Ping at Sir Henry's in 1989 – the rush of sneaking out to Henry’s on a school night, and seeing Simon Carmody, all 6 foot odd of him and he giving it hell. Then you had the Sultans of Ping supporting him. It was absolute bedlam but glorious at the same time. They were great times.

Rum, Sodomy & The Lash

Growing up, the Céilí House on RTÉ radio was the preferred programme on a Sunday night at home. It was a very orthodox trad house. 

It was a bit like having to read Peig Sayers at school – it turned you off the music, but then along came The Pogues’ Rum, Sodomy & The Lash. Not only did it turn me back on to Irish music, but it paved the way for me getting into punk music. My musical journey started there at the age of 14 out of that album, and it went backwards and forwards.

The Gloaming

The Gloaming at The ACE Hotel in Los Angeles – in an old art deco theatre – in 2019. They held the audience rapt. The music carried across the ocean – seeing it in downtown LA as opposed to the back end of Kilfenora. Martin Hayes – that man is a gift from God. What an experience – it was incredible.

The Termite Club 

In the early ’90s, up the back of Nancy Spain’s in Cork, beyond the bar, there was a club night with live gigs. A man called Tom, who came down from Limerick, ran it. It was called “The Termite Club”. It was all indie music, with visuals. I remember one famous gig with the Australian Sex Pistols, an early tribute band. It was before its time. It was the grandfather of Freakscene, the famous, long-running club night in Cork. We loved going up there, listening to the tunes, bliss without the pills. House music was coming in, but this this was holding its own.

Spike Robinson

I remember seeing Spike Robinson playing the saxophone in the Metropole Hotel around 1986, as part of the Cork Jazz Festival. I was about 15 years of age. 

He was in a small room. He was playing the sax, smoking a cigar, and we were all sitting on the ground. It was a formative gig for me.

Rory Gallagher

Seeing Rory Gallagher playing live around 1994 is a special memory. It was a benefit gig for Somalia in the Palace Theatre [now the Everyman]. I couldn't believe it. He just blew the roof off. It was one of his last ever gigs in Cork. Like all Cork people, we were used to seeing him outdoors whether it was Lark by the Lee or down in Macroom. So seeing him in a small theatre was one of the best gigs I ever saw.

U2 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh 

A great outdoors gig that stands out was seeing U2 on the Joshua Tree Tour in Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. It was August 8th, 1987. It was unbelievable. The sun was shining on Leeside. The memories are as fresh today as it was nearly 40 years ago.

The Wisdom of Andrew Carnegie as Told to Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill wrote a seminal book about the time he interviewed the steel baron Andrew Carnegie over a century ago. Napoleon Hill distilled from him the different steps you take to be successful. It’s a self-help motivational book, but it isn't about being successful in money. It's about being successful in mindset. I read that book as a child browsing the bookshelves on Eason’s on Patrick St. My brain nearly exploded with confidence after first reading it.

Passion Play

Cónal Creedon’s Passion Play is a book to be cherished. It accurately portrays the streets we grew up on and the whole psyche of Cork city – the welcome and warmth on one hand and the backstabbing and begrudgery on the other. That’s why celebrities feel comfortable in Cork because half the people won’t talk to them because they don't like them, and the other half have enough cop-on to leave them alone. 

They can walk the streets without being bothered. It's a wonderful book. I’ve gifted it to so many people over the years with the message: “Save yourself a lot of time and read that book first and then come to Cork.” 

Snatch

People think the director Guy Ritchie invented the screenplay and the detail for his movie Snatch. It’s far from fiction. From my own experience, there's more fact in that movie than fiction. It's very close to reality. Brad Pitt went and lived that life. The Jewish diamond merchants, the boxers and the gangsters, these are all real characters that are still out there. It's a barnstormer of a movie.

Orpheus in the Underworld

I saw Orpheus in the Underworld in the Palace Theatre around 2000. It was an unusual stage adaptation of the comic opera. I remember the late, great late Mick Lynch was in it. I knew him from the London punk band Stump back in the day and from seeing him around Cork. He was such an unusual looking man in terms of his height and his looks. He was nearly the show himself. What a versatile talent – a musician, actor, songwriter.

A History of Western Philosophy

Bertrand Russell was a fantastic scholar. He wrote everything you need to know about the Western philosophers in one book, A History of Western Philosophy. I started reading it when I was young fella. It's dog-eared now. Especially when you're a bartender, you need to know your philosophy because you might have some know-it-all at the counter.

The Blindboy Podcast

I’d rather listen to music than podcasts, but The Blindboy Podcast can sometimes be a thing of beauty. The man has got an insight and an intellect that's not normal. He's very important. 

Thank God we have a fellow who on the face it seems to have huge empathy and there's an element of speaking truth to power with him, which is sadly lacking in our mainstream media. I’m a late convert, but I'll be listening to more of them.

Crawford College

Every year, the Crawford College of Art and Design has their graduate exhibitions. You can nearly tell by the graduate showcase who's gonna make it and who isn't. It's always worth going down there – A: for the general buzz; and B: that you'll get an opportunity to pick up ground-floor bargains from emerging artists. It’s a night out not to be missed and it’s great to give encouragement to these guys.