It was with total shock and sadness to open yesterday’s paper to read of the death of Mark Dougherty. How do you sum up the brilliance of this man of music, a musician a musical director and a gifted composer and friend. His close friend Michael Poynor paid a heartfelt tribute:
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I pen these insufficient words to say goodbye to a man who has been a central part of my creative life for the past twenty six years.”
Together they worked on thirty two productions, he was a central member of the creative and teaching team for the many Youth Theatre musicals toured by UTC throughout Ireland and to the rest of England and Scotland between 1994 and 2000.
“He was a lovely, kind, erudite, cultured, witty gentleman of many talents, not least of which was his culinary expertise and easy hospitality.
Mark was Musical Director for Riverdance for five years from 2000 touring all over Europe and Asia and seeing world premieres in Italy, Spain, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and China, where the show played in The Great Hall of the People in the presence of the Irish President.”
Other original works, BBC commissions, conducted the cast and orchestra of Les Miserables in a series of sell-out concerts across the UK and the Ulster Orchestra in several of his own works including The Belfast Carmen and With One Voice a seventy minute piece which featured a choir of one thousand.
“He worked with a variety of artists including Van Morrison, John Barrowman, Suzi Quatro, Johnny Mathis and Howard Keel, and has conducted and played many musicals including UK tours of West Side Story, 42nd Street and Cabaret, premiered On Eagle’s Wing, an epic tale of the Scots Irish, in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, and more recently (2008), toured America on a fifty city tour with Celtic Thunder, with nightly audiences averaging 7,500. Mark has produced numerous CDs for various artists including Broadway and Beyond for Curb Records, and co produced a record with veteran country music star Don Williams, in Nashville. He scored and produced the cast album of the musical Dancing Shoes (2011), about the footballer George Best. DVD credits include Riverdance – Live in Geneva and On Eagle’s Wing. 2015 saw Mark working on The Chosen Room, a musical about Internet chat rooms and identity theft, with Belfast playwright Marie Jones.
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“Mark, you will be missed by very many people … may many angels sing thee to thy rest, and, no doubt, you’ll conduct them superbly. Michael.”
Mark was always up to something either here or abroad, every pantomime or local musical it was a joy to watch him conduct his band from the keyboard, he was respected and was able to draw out the best in everyone and everything he put his hand to. That was at home. What about away from Northern Ireland. Well, his reputation brought work from all over the world as Michael Poynor said.
My personal memory is sitting in the sun outside a cottage in Donegal when a car stopped at the foot of the hill and two people jumped out and started up the lane waving and calling. It was Mark and Rosie Turner and they were the most welcome visitors you can ever imagine. What fun we had, a whirlwind of delight in the sunshine, turf fire, salmon and wheaten bread and a wee drink to wash it down. Alan and I will never forget that visit in the days when there was nothing to worry about, the weather was always fine and friendship knew no bounds.
Continental holidays are a thing of the past, no more sun screen and sangria, screening has taken on a whole new meaning and it’s serious.
After a very fractured year filled with sadness for families who now have to look to the past for happy memories, for others last Friday was the happiest date on the calendar, different this year but nonetheless a time for children to gasp in wonderment when they saw the lights, the nativity scene and colourful boxes under the Christmas tree. However, in my experience, around about today, presents don’t hold the attention and the little ones get bored, become fractious and hard to handle.
Thanks to a retired primary school teacher in Co. Down I have some answers that will help over the holiday from school and possible long term.
In her note to me, Sandra said she read my article in the Irish News about Ollie and his Superpowers, a puppet that is introduced to children with issues by trained coaches. She wanted to point out such puppets have been living in classrooms for years befriending children – her life-size puppet was called Molly – no booking required, no money to pay just a constant friend in class.
She suggests parents could employ the same technique by getting a big doll who will become a member of the family and will be involved in sensitive discussions. “If a child is worried about something you ask ‘what do you think Molly would say about that?’ and so ideas are exchanged and a solution arrived at. We also had a worry box where a pupil would write down their thoughts, no name attached, and put into the box. When it was taken out everyone including Molly shared in the discussion. Again the question was asked, if this was Molly’s problem what would you say to her?
“The main worry was the house going on fire. This brought up lots of chats on safety with the advice at the end of the day to take control of this worry, go home and talk to their parents about making a plan for an escape route.” Another worry common to the class, what if something happens to a parent or a pet? Again it was a case of allowing the children to voice their concerns but encouraged not to be afraid of going home and talking through with their mum and dad. One little boy said his if his parents separated he’d have to go and live by himself because he wouldn’t know which parent would want him. That’s a big heavy weight to be carrying in a small body.
What a wonderful teacher Sandra was but she saw the politically correct brigade coming over the horizon and was glad of retirement when it arrived.
“If a child had a sore tummy I gave them a glass of warm water with a couple drops of peppermint essence and it worked every time. I kept a little jar of Ponds Cold cream on my disk and if a pupil bumped themselves, unless it was a serious accident, I’d rub a little on and teacher’s magic cream soon made the pain go away. Wouldn’t be allowed today! I looked on my pupils as my own children and if they were distressed I’d give them a cuddle of comfort but, like applying cold cream or a bandage, I always asked parents permission at the beginning of term. Only once did a parent say no, I don’t want you to physically comfort my child but I’m glad to say eventually they changed their minds and said yes, love her like you do the others.”
She emphasised that giving time is of the essence, just taking the child on your knee makes all the difference to their lives and to yours.
SCOTLAND LEADS THE WAY
Well done Scotland’s government for making sanitary products free, the first place in the world to do so, These products will be put in designated places such as community centres, youth clubs, pharmacies and of course schools.
The Red Box Project in Northern Ireland aims to provide free menstrual products for female students through donations. I was staggered to hear that locally one in ten teenage girls has, at some point, been unable to afford sanitary products and have missed school as a result. Thankfully this is being addressed through food banks and with a growing number of donation boxes in schools filled with towels and tampons freely available. ‘Period Poverty’ should not be an issue in this day and age.
IT’S GOOD TO TALK
I congratulate Colin Murry devoting his late night programme to discussing this with his male and female guests on BBC 5 Live and I congratulate Sandra and other primary teachers who have brought this subject into the class room, in Sandra’s case inviting a nurse to talk to P6 and P7 girls about what happens during puberty giving them sensible information,
“The nurse would be sensitive of course but tell the girls what was likely to happen and how it was quite normal and healthy and she’d bring products with her. ‘Nothing to worry about,’ she’d say, ‘Princess Diana has her period and you wouldn’t know.’”
A teacher gets a great insight into a young life, time to spend, building trust, asking questions, listening and loving. All this can be achieved at home by parents and grandparents often through play. If there’s a problem turn it into an investigation, ask what can be done, perhaps uncover a jealousy or when a child stamps their foot and asks ‘why’ don’t say because I say so, ask them why do you think and at the end of the chat, give your reason.
I recall my mum taking my late brother into the sitting room and locking the door. At age ten he’d become moody and causing her distress. Turned out because I was born at home as was my younger brother while he, for medical reasons, was born in hospital, the poor little boy was living with the thought he was wasn’t one of us because he’d been adopted.
TAKE NOTE YOU YOUNG ONES
For me Balkan Sobranie cocktail cigarettes and Babycham! We thought we were very cool! Perhaps we were.
I wish you a very happy, peaceful and safe New Year. Enjoy each other. And by special request, Kay McM – this is for you and all the memories this brings to our generation!
