Published: Wednesday, 7th July, 2010 4:45pm

Campbell proves more a pussycat than tiger

by Ken Davis

Alastair Campbell with Minister Noel Dempsey at Knightsbrook Hotel.
Pic by==: 97

Alastair Campbell, often portrayed as the bad boy of English politics, turned out to be a pussycat when he appeared at the Trim Swift Festival - albeit a very interesting and entertaining one.

He tamely refused nobody when they posed beside him in a snap for the family album. He purred when people crowded around him after dinner in Knightsbrook Hotel, and he charmed all with his caustic remarks on politics, journalism and life in general.

The only time his claws were really bared was when he railed against how the media had become lazy and cynical. He believes this has had a knock-on effect on the general population which now has no trust in politics or institutions, and he implored people to challenge the media and to question their approach.

The former journalist was able to put a satisfied QED to his case when he recounted how, that same morning before he even arrived in Trim, a radio station in Dublin had asked him if he had seen any stags while he was in Meath (and, yes, he was totally aware of the Ward Union story). When he countered that he hadn't been to that county yet and, therefore, couldn't answer the question, it was explained to him that the interview was being pre-recorded and would not be broadcast until three days later so it would be helpful if he gave an answer. He did - declaring that he saw 17 stags, including one in his bedroom!

Campbell was interviewed by Irish Times columnist John Waters in a public question-and-answer session after dinner and he loosened up as the evening progressed, regaling the 100-plus guests in the audience with hilarious stories of his life and times as a spin doctor. He launched (again!) his book, 'Prelude to Power', the first in a set of four of his diaries, at the Trim event.

Campbell was by far the leading celebrity of the evening, which was entertainingly compered by Senator David Norris and also featured 13 leading figures from media, politics and academia. PR guru Terry Prone almost stole the show with her stories of prepping politicians for appearances on TV.

The festival, which opened on Thursday evening with a reception in the magnificent new OPW headquarters at Jonathan Swift Street, was an eclectic mix of attractions, from the academic lectures on Jonathan Swift and his times in a day-long seminar to the hurly-burly of the Battle of the Boots with sporting pundits George Hook and Colm O'Rourke in the open air of the castle car park during the family fun day.

The festival was launched on Thursday evening by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey. The main speaker of the evening was Professor Andrew Carpenter of UCD, whose enchanting talk on Swift and the Ireland of Swift's day was a masterclass in how to make history and literature interesting. Trim Castle Singers, under Jane Lynch, performed a breathtaking mix of music and harmony in the keep of Trim Castle for a number of specially invited guests beforehand.

The two top impressionist acts in the country, Nob Nation's Oliver Callan and Bull Island's Alan Shortt, appeared on the same bill on Saturday night in Knightsbrook Hotel for a comedy evening that had the audience rolling in the aisles. Also featuring were newcomer, Cork comic Colm O'Regan, and Ray Reilly, a Longford man now living at Trimblestown, Trim, who showed what a bright future he has as a standup comic.

On Sunday morning, the Big End Breakfast, organised by Martin Tighe's Trim 2025 in conjunction with the festival, was held in the former Bennini's restaurant in the castle car park. A group of writers from the Cavan/Meath LitLab writers group read their own material on the theme of Journeys. A troupe of actors from Trim Drama Group and Oulala Productions performed some comic routines, directed by Delphine Coudrey, based on the big end/small end controversy in 'Gulliver's Travels' as to which end of a boiled egg is the proper one to open when eating it.

The Battle of the Books on Sunday in the Trim Castle Hotel was won by the Meath Writers' Circle, captained by Tommy Murray, who defeated the holders, the Boyne Writers' Group, captained by Michael Farry, by 92.5 to 89.5 (a margin of only three points) in this satirical writing contest.

A special Church Service was held in St Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday morning by Rev Robert MacCarthy, Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.

The festival finished with a guided walk through Swift's Trim, conducted by Richard Haworth of Laracor and featuring a visit to St Mary's Abbey and some rehearsed readings by Trim Drama Group from 'Gulliver's Travels', as well as a delightful talk in St Patrick's Cathedral, Trim, by internationally successful author Pat Dunne, a native of Trim, as Jonathan Swift.

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