Meeting  with Prince Charles at Embassy of Ireland in 2010. We spoke briefly about sharing Irish arts  in Britain .

When I founded Triskellion Irish Theatre and Concert Productions in 1994 I used the mission statement of ‘Ireland and its diaspora’, it was incorporated into our logo with the harp of Ireland being pages of a script and the TTC forming the strings in the Irish harp.

Gerry

10 minutes with Gerry Molumby Irish Post April 2017

10 mins with Gerry Molumby The Irish Post April 2017

Gerry Molumby – BIOGRAPHY

Irish Theatre and Concert Director /Promoter/Compere

Actor

Photographer

Irish Reporter

Irish Community Activist

Gerry Molumby has worked for Irish welfare in Britain, founded Triskellion Irish Theatre Company, directed plays and captured some, 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 recently retired but my career was working with and for older people in health and social care.

Incorporating his artistic and compassion skills was ideal for Gerry’s role in being part of making these health awareness films for patients with a learning disability .

My HealthVision is a series of short films about healthcare. The films have all been made with and for people with learning disabilities.

“Gerry was pivotal in setting up this service for our carers throughout Rushcliffe, Nottingham city and County ” Janet Leigh (Senior Service Manager The Carers Federation)

Opening of fully restored Cricklewood Homeless Concern (now Ashford Place )  premises at 60 Ashford Rd on February 11th 1991 . The blessing was carried out by Cardinal Hume, also present was Dick Spring TD and Ken Livingstone MP. Gerry  was chair of CHC for ten years from its inception in 1983.

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!).Now called Ashford Place 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.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 1994, Gerry founded Triskellion Irish Theatre and Concert Productions in London, first play produced was ‘Philadelphia Here I Come by Brian Friel. Since then they have presented numerous play by JB Keane, O’Casey, John Millington Synge  and Irish Cabaret and Concerts, contributing acts to many of the Irish Festivals throughout the UK , especially Crawley. 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.  At the onset  the company was involved in the the production of a play  from beginning to end. ” I have acted and 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 and Ultan Cowley’s Tribute to the men who built Britain.

Shows touring the UK and Northern Ireland 2017/18

Shows touring the UK and Northern Ireland 2016/17

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. Gerry led the steering group with set 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 Irish in Britain ( formally The Federation of Irish Societies ) on cultural, welfare and census programmes and can be credited for many of their quantitive outcomes.

Gerry was MC and fellow  producer of Nottingham’s St Patrick’s Festival for 12 consecutive years . Pictures Riverdance and local dancers at  St. Patrick’s Day 2011.

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.

Reflections on Dublin . 

Photographer 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.

The Irish American Post. 2016