Richard McDougall Lecture :: SIM Meeting 5th June

The SIM's next meeting (and last before the two month summer recess) will take place in Cassidys Hotel on Tuesday 5th June.  Meeting proper starts at 8pm.  Room will be open from 7:30 for Bring and Buy. 

Bring and Buy
Members have previously suggested that they would like to have a Bring & Buy session at the beginning of meetings.  So here is our first one.

You are invited to bring a handful of items which you can sell from your chair or bag.  The idea is for this to be informal.  We don't want people coming along with rakes of stuff and turning it into a mini auction.  It is as it "says on the tin".  This is something teh commitee of The SIM hope may become a regular occurrence.

Emerald Magic Dealer Dem
Pat Fallon recently re-branded his dealing business as Emerald Magic and has some new original effects on the market.  Pat will present mini Dealer Dem and will have effects, cards, rope etc for sale.  So make sure you don't spend all your money at the Bring & Buy.

Richard McDougall Lecture
Richard McDougall has been a professional magician for over twenty years, having trained in mime and physical theatre. He is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star, and has won awards at FISM and the Desert Seminar, and was a former winner of the World Open for Close Up Magic. He has been lucky enough to perform his close up and stage magic in 40 countries, and at a number of events hosted by HM The Queen, as well as for HRH The Prince of Wales at his 50th birthday. 

As well as giving lectures to magicians on the subject of performance, Richard  also presents keynote speeches and training for the business community in presentation skills, and in particular on the subject of body language.   Last year he lectured to wide acclaim at The Essential Magic Conference.  Expect a fun, informative and thought provoking evening.

The evening is free to fully paid up members of The SIM.  For non-member bone-fide magicians admission is €15.

Tony Thursby Honoured Patron of The SIM

At last Tuesday evening's SIM May Meeting Tony Thursby was awarded as Honorary Life Patron of The SIM.  Tony receives this accolade as recognition for his outstanding contribution to The SIM and Irish Magic.  We managed to grab some video and pics which you can view below.  The presentation video you see in the video below was compiled by Ruaíri O'Connor with many of the photos supplied by Nevill Wiltshire.  Congratulations Tony, thoroughly well deserved.

SIM Auction Raises Funds for Magic UnCorked

The SIM hosted there auction last night.  Money exchanged was definitely down from previous years, though through generosity of their members The SIM managed to raise €200 for their friends in Magic UnCorked.  SIM President Nevin Cody sent us the following note -

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended our auction last night. As every year there was a fantastic turn out and lots of items and money changed hands. We had lots of sellers and I want to say thank you to all of you for bringing a long so many wonderful items for us to auction off.

After the introduction and success of the SIM table last year we decided to continue this year and thank you everyone for the donations of items. Again the funds will be used for an Irish magic convention so will pass onto the UnCorked team and the SIM will round it up to the nearest hundred.

I hope to see as many of you as possible in Cork its only once a year we get to have our own convention and it's also the Southern Brotherhoods first so let's give them as much support as we can. It's a fantastic line up and will be great fun too and a great chance to meet magicians from all over Ireland.

Nevin 

There was a huge amount of items to fit in and at times the Auction can seem like a tedious affair.  Here is an idea to consider for next year -

Auctioneers only sell 2 or 3 items from each seller.  This should take no longer then 40 minutes.  Then the night opens up in to a car boot sale.  Thoughts?  leave 'em in the comments or head over to The SIM Facebook Page 

SIM Auction Next Tuesday

The SIM Auction will take place next Tuesday evening at Cassidy's Hotel.  The Auction will start at 8pm sharp, with viewing from 7:30.  The SIM ask those of you who will be selling stuff to be set up for 7:30pm.  There is no admission charge for anyone attending and wishing to bid.  The SIM will take 10% from sellers.

Editor Note : As I am one of the Auctioneers I am going to write the following in the first person as it is easier that way!

In a bid to make the night snappier we are limiting the amount we will auction to 20 items per seller, to be taken 10 at a time.  So for instance if we have our sellers as Mr's A B C D and E - Items 1-10 from Mr A will be first to be auctioned followed by items 1-10 from Mr B etc.  Once all of the lotts have been run through once we go back to Mr A and start the cycle again from items 11 through 20.  This is the to ensure every seller get the chance to have his items up "while there is money in the room".  Note for sellers - This means you should order your items in the preference you would like them sold.  

If you are considering selling items on the night please download the official 'auction form' by clicking on the image of it on the right.  Please fill out the form and number your actual items with stickers or such like so as they correspond to your list.  You will need two copies of your list.  One for the book keepers and one for your own records.

If you are one of those who typically bring many items you can still do so and sell these privately after the official auction.  This bring & buy aspect is something the SIM hope to initiate at regular meeting going forward.

Club Table

Last year The SIM asked you to donate some items to a Club Table.  the proceeds of this was exclusively used for the hosting of Shenanigans.  This year the committee are asking you to the same.  That is, donate a decent quality item or two to our Club Table.  The SIM are delighted to announce that any monies raised from this lott will be gifted to our friends in The Southern Brotherhood of Magicians as a contribution towards this years Irish Convention, Magic UnCorked.

See you all there for a fun filled night.

David Regal Lecture in Pictures

Your humble editor is literally in the door from the David Regal lecture.  What a great night.  Fifty or so magicians from all over the country bore witness to a remarkable lecture jam packed full of usable, workable and commercial material delivered by a man who was warm, humble and thoroughly entertaining.  Please have a browse of our slideshow below or click through to the Gallery proper here.  Don't forget to leave a comment by clicking on the link below the post.

David Regal Lecture :: Next Tuesday 13th at the SIM

Star Lecturer David Regal will be lectureing at the SIM this coming Tuesday.  David is indeed a star within our industry.  He has authored many books including the much lauded Approaching Magic, released some of the industries favourite effects such as Special Delivery and8 Ball and starred in his own DVD set from L&L Publishing.  David also a past winner of "Lecturer of the Year" from The Academy of Magical Arts.

David's lecture is free to any fully paid up member of the SIM.  Bone fide non member magicians are very welcome.  Admission for non-members is €15.  It all goes down at 8pm on Tuesday 13th March at Cassidy's Hotel, Dublin 1.

A night not to be missed.  See what we mean by watching below.

SIM move meeting for David Regal Lecture on 13th March

The forthcoming SIM meeting scheduled for Tueday 6th March has been moved to the following Tuesday.  it will now take place at 8pm in Cassidy's Hotel on 13th March.  Why the move?

Star Lecturer David Regal will be joining us.  David is indeed a star within our industry.  He has authored many books including the much lauded Approaching Magic, released some of the industries favourite effects such as Special Delivery and 8 Ball and starred in his own DVD set from L&L Publishing.  David also a past winner of "Lecturer of the Year" from The Academy of Magical Arts.

David's lecture is free to any fully paid up member of the SIM.  Bone fide non member magicians are very welcome.  Admission for non-members is €15.

A night not to be missed.  See what we mean by watching below.

Paul Daniels on Mooney

Paul Daniels and the lovely Debbie Magee were guests of Derek Mooney on his RTÉ Radio 1 show yesrterday afternoon.  Having wowed a full house at the SIM the preceding night Paul and Debbie were in great spirits chatting with Derek.  Paul and Debbie handled the tougher questions with ease and in the end this was a wonderful interview which allowed the two guests the space to answer and in turn provided meat on the bones for the listener.

After the radio show Paul and Debbie attended the opening night of The Gaiety Panto and were papped on the way in.  Stories have appeared in The Irish Independent and on Showbiz.ie.  The title copy of the Showbiz.ie story is totally misleading and is in fact, downright lazy jounalism.  As afterwards Paul told me it was one of the best panto's he has ever seen, heaping particular praise on the children in the cast.  High praise indeed from someone so respected and it was nice to hear that us Irish are just as bit as good at panto as they are across the pond.

For all the pics form teh night at the SIM please visit our Gallery page. And you can listen to The Mooney Show below.

HTML 5 PLAYER ::

Last Night at the SIM

Unfortunately I was unable to attend last nights meeting at The SIM where members were treated to a night with Barry Sinclair.  Barry had gone to great lenghts to make the night special for those there.  He performed with a full PA and stageing and I have been told the man himself looked a million dollars. He regailed the audience with stories and words of wisdom drawn from his vast experience and performed some of his favourite effects.  The SIM wish to thank Barry, Imelda and his roadie for the effort they made in putting this night together.

If any of you who attended have any pictures of the night please forward them to me by email.

Reminder :: Barry Sinclair at SIm next Tuesday

Don't forget that Barry Sinclair, seen left with President MaryMcAleese and husband Martin, will be the feature performer at the SIM's next meeting on Tuesday 1st November.  Barry is presently a successful hypnotist running a busy clinic while not performing his hilarious stage show.  Barry talents have brought him everywhere, from the White House in Washington to Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas to the Caribbean, to Japan, to Australia and the West End in London. He has shared the limelight with such luminaries as Michael Jackson, Bette Midler, Madonna, Muhammed Ali, Luther Van Dross, Tony Bennett and StephenSpielberg.

Barry will perform, teach, take questions and more.  He is a wonderful raconteur.  Not to be missed.  It all happens from 8pm onwards at Cassidy's Hotel, Dublin on Tuesday 1st November.

Barry Sinclair at the SIM next month

Barry Sinclair, seen left with President Mary McAleese and husband Martin, will be the feature performer at the SIM's next meeting on Tuesday 1st November.  Barry is presently a successful hypnotist running a busy clinic while not performing his hilarious stage show.  Barry talents have brought him everywhere, from the White House in Washington to Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas to the Caribbean, to Japan, to Australia and the West End in London. He has shared the limelight with such luminaries as Michael Jackson, Bette Midler, Madonna, Muhammed Ali, Luther Van Dross, Tony Bennett and Stephen Spielberg.

Barry will perform, teach, take questions and more.  He is a wonderful raconteur.  Not to be missed.  It all happens from 8pm onwards at Cassidy's Hotel, Dublin on Tuesday 1st November.

Shawn Farquhar Lecture and SIM AGM

 

Farquhar was the special guest lecturer at this years AGM for the SIM.  Fresh from his Belfast date the night before Shawn 'knocked him dead' with his commercial and high impact magic.  Shawn's material is for the most part within the technical reach of almost all.  This coupled with his energetic and confident personality really made for one heck of a night.  I was about to single out some of the highlights but to be honest the whole evening was top drawer, start to finish.  If pushed I would have to say his Cups & Balls (though not explained) was a coup de grace.  His work on the deck switch was pure brilliance and his signed T & R photo is, to paraphrase Max Maven, terrifyingly beautiful.  If you missed the night and would like a taste of Shawn's magic visit his website and you can have a look in his magic shop here.

If you are reading this on the morning we published it you will be able to catch Shawn on The Mooney Show on RTÉ Radio 1 this afternoon.  Listen online here.  If you missed it we will eneavour to grab and embed it at a later date.

***

Preceding the lecture the SIM held their AGM.  The general consensus was that the SIM is going from strength to strength.  A strong year of in house meetings coupled with the hugely successful Shenanigans convention saw the council, for the large part, stay on en masse.  The SIM council for the 2011-2012 season is President Nevin Cody, Secretary Brendan Byrne, Treasurer Joe Fortune and Council members Steve Thompson, Ciarán McCormac and Aonghus McAnally.

Shawn Farquhar Lectures :: Belfast 3rd October & Dublin 4th October

Shawn Farquhar will present his highly acclaimed Bread and Butter Lecture for the USM in Belfast on 3rd September.  The lecture will be in the Platform, Holywood, Co Down commencing at 7.30 for 8.00 p.m.  The lecture is free to all USM members in good standing. For non-members and those not in good standing, there will be a charge of £10.

The following night Shawn takes his experience to the SIM for their AGM lecture.  It will take place immediately following the AGM and is free to all paid up members (subs are due on the night) who have attended the AGM.  Bone fide non member magicians or those who have not paid the sub will be charged €15.

We caught up with Shawn on Skype to chat about his upcoming trip to Ireland last week.  Watch below and scroll further down for the lowdowwn on the lecture.

The lecture will include

MatriXpress
Don’t blink or you will miss this lightning fast matrix!

MagiCd
Magic for the digital age ...

Blown Away
A card effect with a commercial twist.

The Ultimate Invisible Deck
A deck of cards turns to glass ...

Torn 2 Pieces
The torn and almost restored photograph

Signed Card in Wallet
It doesn’t get and easier than this ...

Photo Finish
A poker chip moves so fast it gets trapped in a photo

Deck Switch
Completely invisible deck switch!

SIM new season starts next Tuesday

The SIM hold the first meeting of their new season this coming Tuesday 6th September.  The meeting proper starts at 8pm in Cassidy's Hotel at the top of O'Connell street though many will be hanging around before hand.  The meeting will continue the SIM's recent trend of multiple activities and presenters over the course fo the night and promises to be another great night.  Subs are also due for the forthcoming year.

SIM June Meeting in Pictures

The SIM held their last meeting before the summer break last night and a huge crowd turned up for yet another great night.  The night started off with a "Show & Tell"session where a number of members illustrated books, tricks & props and told why they were worth a look.  Following this was a stroll down memory lane.   This section hosted by Neville Wiltshire saw John Brady Snr (with input from sons Paul and John Jnr) Carl Moylan, Tony Sadar and Tony Thursby regale us with stories from the variety circuit of the 70's.

After the break we were treated to a very informative talk from Michael Lahiffe on his drunk act.  Particular mention is due to a great little bottle production that Magic Hans put out some time back.  Michael was followed by visiting American magician Irv Hipschman.  Originally from New Jersey, Irv currently resides in Palo Alta just south of San Fran.  Irv performed a lovely hand-off mental effect.

The night was rounded off with three performances from Brian Daly, Con Ward and Ruairí O'Connor who were then offered feedback on their performances.  I couldn't stick around for the feedback part but from what I have heard  Brian Daly's talk on music in your show is something that could in itself be a full night at a future meeting.

Great stuff everyone and particular mention must go to Steven Thompson who has spearheaded the recent movement in SIM meetings.  One that has not gone unnoticed.  Our visiting American visitor Irv mentioned it was one of the best and most energetic meetings he had ever been at in his life.  Kind words indeed.  Kudos everyone.

The nights pictures are available in our gallery here.