Ah! Spring is in the air. That verdant time when the ice melts (in a good way!), green shoots begin their hesitant journey to the light, and the sun warms us gently. Spring, when our hearts and thoughts turn to — Gabriel Byrne!

He was in Ireland in April. Helping a friend launch a book, supporting a cutting-edge and very cool local library, popping up in selfies (see below) with friends, fans, and colleagues. Was he house-hunting? Or just enjoying a respite from filming? Who can tell? Wherever he is now, we hope he is enjoying some Spring sunshine, too! cool

Gabriel in Ireland

Launching John MacKenna’s New Book: Absent Friend

Kildare Nationalist, Wednesday, April 5:

Actor and writer Gabriel Byrne was in Athy Library on Monday evening (3 April) to launch a new book from Castledermot writer John MacKenna.

Published via The Harvest Press, Absent Friend is a meditation on the thirty-year friendship between John and the Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist Leonard Cohen.

Through their letters, emails and John’s exploration of his favourite Cohen songs, the book builds a picture of a comradeship that culminated in their creating ‘Between Your Love and Mine’, a requiem Mass for theatre, in the months before Leonard’s death in November 2016.

Gabriel is no stranger to Cohen’s work. The Dublin native has been a fan for many years and starred in 2020’s Death of a Ladies’ Man, a comedy-drama inspired by Cohen’s work and set to some of his most beloved music.

In the video (below), Gabriel speaks about his admiration for John’s work, spending time in Ballitore as a child, and more . . .

More Launching

Kildare Nationalist, Thursday, April 6

Published via The Harvest Press – a small independent publishing company John set up with his wife and fellow writer Angela Keogh – the book was launched in Athy Library on Monday 3 April with the help of none other than actor and writer Gabriel Byrne, who is no stranger to Cohen’s work.

The Dublin native has been a fan for many years and starred in 2020’s Death of a Ladies’ Man, a comedy-drama inspired by Cohen’s work and set to some of his most beloved music.

Gabriel, who penned his own memoir titled Walking With Ghosts, explained that he has been a huge admirer of John’s work “for many years” and thinks he’s one of the best writers in Ireland.

“I came to him first of all because I knew that he wrote about this area and I was very familiar with Castledermot and Ballitore and Mullaghmast,” he said. “He spoke to me, his beautiful, simple, elegant prose really spoke to me and I identified with it. And when I came to write myself, that was the kind of writing that I was drawn to.”

Writers Meet Up: Gabriel Byrne and John MacKenna,
with John’s latest book, Absent Friend

Find out more about author John MacKenna at his Wikipedia Page. I look forward to reading his book, Absent Friend, very much!

Friend of the Library

At the Athy Library, a gorgeous state-of-the-art facility located in the former Dominican Church in Athy Town, Gabriel took time out to support libraries, which just makes my retired librarian’s heart sing with joy!

A Very Special #BookfaceFriday,
thanks to Gabriel Byrne and Kildare Library Service on Facebook

Smile!

These Gabriel photographs were shared on Twitter and Instagram during Gabriel’s Ireland visit and they flew right by me! Thanks to the sharp-eyed Violetta, Facebook Administrator Extraordinaire, here they are:

Top Row: Gabriel with Tara Morgan, tour guide, and Natalie Feliciano, of the GoodLife Cookery School

Bottom Row: Gabriel at Athy Library, with Lucina Russell and unknown lucky person,
and with Elizabeth Kearney at MacNamees Tea Room

Blast From The Past

There is always a Gabriel something “out there” that I have never seen. You would think that, by now, I would have EVERY SINGLE PICTURE of Gabriel Byrne ever photographed! But no. There is always something “out there.” Occasionally, these somethings land on my desk or my inbox. Here are three recent examples, all in black and white, which is how we think of the past somehow, isn’t it?

Gabriel Byrne, by Roberto Dutesco, for Sunday Independent Life, 2005
Gabriel Byrne, by Roberto Dutesco, for Sunday Independent Life, 2005
Yes, it is a bit out of focus,
but this is how it appears in the print magazine, so it’s obviously a design choice!
Gabriel attends the premiere of The Commitments at the Savoy Theater
in Dublin, September 1991

Website Updates

Well, it IS Spring after all. At least it is where I am. While madly trying to clean house and pull weeds and keep things in order around my humble abode, I’ve also been updating and otherwise sprucing up several of the Gabriel Pages I maintain here at Byrneholics. So, check them out to see the new information and changes:

The Facts
Biography and Career — scroll down to the end of the page for the new stuff
Interviews (this single page will become multiple pages soon for easier reading!)
Awards and Nominations
Advocacy and Activism
Audiobooks

And I recently published the Walking With Ghosts Mega Stage Page, which centers on the premiere of Gabriel’s play in Dublin. More Mega Pages are on the way. I always say that and it is always true.

So! The next time you are wondering “Where, oh where is Stella and why hasn’t she been around lately?” you can guess what I’m doing! wink

Gallery Updates

Eagle-eyed readers have noticed that I have also been adding some old and new pics to the Gallery over the past several months. The Byrneholics Gallery project is what we refer to in the library world as “infinite,” meaning it will never be finished! That is partly because Gabriel never stops working and going places and being photographed all over the world. And it is partly because there is an archive of images that is IMMENSE and I will never have time to catalogue and upload all those beauties!

Which is just fine. It’s nice to have projects. There are almost 13,000 images in the Gallery now. That should keep most of us happy. I hope. Here are some of the recent additions:

I have more to add, of course, and also some work to do on the main page of the Gallery, which needs refurbishing. So frequent visits will usually be rewarded! <hint, hint>

Provocative? Sultry? Tired? Hot?
Hot.
Gabriel Byrne attends Poetry and the Creative Mind, 2010

A Note about Julian Sands

Julian Sands has appeared in three films with Gabriel, two in the 1980’s and one more recently. In Gothic (1986), he portrayed Percy Bysshe Shelley to Gabriel’s Byron. In Siesta (1987), Julian was the angelic but enigmatic Kit. And in 2013, he popped up in Gabriel’s British thriller, All Things To All Men, as mobster Gabriel’s chauffeur. He is, of course, known for his role as George Emerson in A Room With A View, and he has made tons of films and television series through the years, creating lasting impressions in dramas and especially horror films, to which he seems particularly drawn.

Now, however, Julian Sands is missing. He disappeared in January, when he went hiking on Mount Baldy, in the Los Angeles hills, just before a big snowstorm. An avid hiker and experienced mountain climber, he had climbed that fabled California mountain many times, with friends and also alone.

This time, though, he never came home. So, we hold him in our hearts and hope, as the search for him continues. heart

New/Old Wallpapers

Downloads for your desktop. Or you phone, if you want to squish them. wink

Yes, I renovated this wallpaper, thinking of Julian Sands out there, making his own path. heart
Black and White Gabriel, from The Keep, 1983
I love this Gabriel pic so much. I placed a Winslow Homer seascape behind him
because they are both Mainers, after all.
The Real Byrne, from Irish America, 2000

And with that last idyllic image, I bid you a very promising Spring, if you are celebrating Spring where you are. And remember: Gabriel has new films in the pipeline and plenty of current content for you to enjoy, including his latest book, so stay Byrne-ing and stay tuned for more news as it happens! heart

4 Comments

  1. I’m so sorry to hear about Mr. Sands. Life is so fragile. I was always taught you never go into the wilderness alone. Mother Nature is in charge there not you. I pray for his safe return. ♥️

    • Yes, hiking alone can be dangerous and Nature is not forgiving. I hiked alone a lot out here where I live, but I had my dogs with me and a cell phone. Plus I never hiked in bad weather. And I never had far to go, really, to return to my Jeep and head home. I don’t hike much anymore, so I guess I was lucky.

      Mount Baldy is a real mountain with snow for much of the year. But Julian had climbed in the Himalayas and other challenging places and everyone says he was a very experienced climber, always prepared, always had the right equipment.

      I just hope he is okay. It’s been so long, though . . . <3

  2. Dora Baralia

    Excellent publications, a gift for my birthday. I contracted Amazon so I don’t miss anything from our dear Gabriel, when Zero Zero Zero is released I’m anxious to see it. In our country Autumn is feeling like Spring until today. I wish that Gabriel is really enjoying being in his well-deserved country. Always present in his form, as a person and friend. Thanks to you and Violetta for sending us all this, I feel very close to you and I appreciate all your work. Gabriel always gives his best so that those of us who are so far away can enjoy our Admired Gabriel and such wonderful photos. I’m sorry for what has happened to Julian Sands, great actor. The best for you and Violetta…

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