Gerry Molumby

Gerry Molumby - BIOGRAPHY Irish Theatre and Concert Director /Promoter/Compeer Actor Photographer Irish Journalist Irish Community Activist Gerry Molumby has worked for Irish welfare in Britain, founded Triskellion Irish Theatre Company, directed plays and captured, or he would prefer 'borrowed', stunning photographs from all over Europe. The Irish-born multi-talent hails from Thurles Co. Tipperary. However in 1980, Gerry relocated to Britain and brought his altruistic attitude with him. "[I have] been involved in the welfare and cultural scene of the Irish in Britain for over 30 years" he stated. After his relocation, Gerry held a position at the National Health Service in his new home country, at the world's largest publicly funded health service. At the NHS, "I am still mainly working with and for older people," remarked Gerry. During this time, Gerry and some co-workers took the public's welfare into their own hands and established Cricklewood Homeless Concern day centre in London (1983 and gave the group its name!). This multifaceted centre still provides assistance and advice to the homeless or those others inadequately accommodated. The centre offers a range of services, from the simplest advice on day-to-day living to an alcohol recovery project, to community cohesion. http://www.chc.org.uk/ Among his projects, Gerry also writes for several Irish and British publications, including The Irish American Post and is hard at working helping preserve and expand the Irish culture in Britain. In 1996, Gerry founded Triskellion Irish Theatre and Concert Productions in London. Now in a partnership with London-based friend Patrick O'Connell, the company aims to preserve and enliven Irish drama, comedy, and music in Britain. Triskellion has performed numerous classic Irish plays, such as The Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge and John B. Keane’s Big Maggie (Keane). At the outset of the company, the production of a play was an involved process from beginning to end. "We cast, directed, made the sets and produced the play from page to stage," recalled Gerry, who concentrated on directing productions as Triskellion got off the ground. More recently, he has taken on promoting plays and concerts already in production. "Our main focus now is to act as facilitators for producing Irish plays by touring companies from Ireland and Britain, he asserted. Since the company's conception, Gerry has led all the concert productions. The acts are perfectly fit for cabarets, Irish centres and festivals. Showcasing some of the best Irish entertainment from Britain’s Irish community, the concerts employ musicians, dancers, actors and comedians to create a dazzling show. The show is based on the model of Sunday Night at the London Palladium and called ‘Celtic Strands’. Together with Patrick they have raised thousands of pounds for charities like CAFOD – Irish Homeless – Church Restoration – British Adoption Agency and St. Luke’s Hospice etc "Basically we bring together a variety of Irish artists, mainly from the Irish in Britain and put on a great show," according to Gerry. The concerts are not alien to celebrity acts either. Irish luminaries such as Niall Toibin, Philomena Begley, Finbar Furey, Seán Cannon from 'The Dubliners’, the current premier folk band Na Fianna, have all swayed, sung and serenaded with Triskellion. They are currently touring their "The Rare Oul' Times," a two-act Irish play on the lives of Brendan Behan and Patrick Kavanagh (by Ken Mc Elroy) featuring Seán Cannon. Since moving to Nottinghamshire in 1999 with his wife Fiona and son Cormac Gerry immediately became involved as on of the founding members of Nottingham’s St.Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival and produced the open air concert entertainment for 12 years. - www.stpatricksdayparadenottingham.co.uk. Gerry was influential is setting up the Golden Shamrock Club for older people which is now self managed and running smoothly. Throughout all his time in the UK Gerry has .supported the various campaigns of the Federation of Irish Societies on cultural, welfare and census programmes and can be credited for many of their quantitive outcomes. Current Irish interest campaigns for Gerry is – he is leading in Britain on votes for the Irish Abroad (Irish Constitutional Convention ) The busy entertainer still finds time for a more personal art. "I have always been a keen photographer and recently I noted the number I had taken over the years and were 'saved and backed up', but felt I wanted to share," he explained. Gerry has photographed all over Europe, though his recently released collection is mostly a product of his Native Island and new home in Nottinghamshire. The 'snap shot' of his collection features the opulent greens, steely-gray skies and misted rainbows that one would expect in photography of Ireland. However, the photographic crop also yields abstraction and struggle with the likes of the distorted Ha'penny Bridge reflected in the flow of the River Liffey and a weathered Irish farmer. The majority of photos in the collection are cheery, colourful images appropriate for display. Catalogue can be viewed on the Triskellion website. Article recently appeared in The Irish American Post.www.triskellion.org.uk