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.

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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.

SIM AGM 2011 Lecture :: Shawn Farquhar

It was announced by the SIM committee at The June SIM meeting earlier tonight that their AGM Lecture next October will be FISM World Champion Shawn Farquhar.  

Shawn is the current FISM Grand Prix World Champion of Close-Up and his Bread & Butter Lecture is widely acclaimed.  According to his designated lecture website, "First and foremost you will learn your money has been well spent!  The lecture is presented as a professional performance.  It’s fast paced, entertaining and the magic taught is clear, concise, amazing and most importantly within the grasp of everyone who attends.  The magic is amazing, amazingly easy!"

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!

It all goes down after The SIM AGM on Tuesday 4th October in Cassidy's Hotel, Dublin.  Put this date in your diary now.  Definitely one not to be missed!

SIM Meeting Tuesday 7th June

The SIM hold there last meeting of the current season this Tuesday coming.  It all starts at 8pm in Cassidy's Hotel at the top of O'Connell St.  Recent meetings have been very well received and if they are anything to go by this one promises t be a cracker.  Amongst other things planned for the night include presentations by Carl Moylan, John Brady Snr, Tony Sadar and Neville Wiltshire.  They will present short segments on the golden age of Irish variety where it was not unusual for acts to be working seven nights a week.  A fascinating look in to a world where there were venues for a cabaret magician to ply his trade.  See you all there.

The Video :: John Bowden, Honorary Life Patron of The SIM

Here it is.  The video you have all been waiting for.  On Saturday 30th April 2011 at The Shenanigans Banquet John Bowden, along with Séamus Hanratty and Pat Fallon, was made Honorary Life Patron of The SIM.  As part of the fun of the weekend David Williamson recounted a story of a prank that ought to go down in the annals of Irish magic.  A prank that, unknown to some was actually captured on security camera as it happened.

Special mention to Nevin Cody for the idea, Ciaran McCormack for putting it all together, Eamon Murphy for camera work and to Paul Wilson for directing the shoot.  Cast include Brendan as himself, Nevin as himself, Natalie as Pat Fallon, Brian Daly as John Bowden and David Williamson as himself.  

Confused?  Click play below and get ready to laugh out loud or download the video here.

Reminder :: Bill Abbott lecture next Friday

Bill Abbott will lecture at the Mystic Circle of Magicians on Friday 8th April.  In an unprecedented move (as far as your editor is aware) this lecture is a joint venture between The Mystic's and The SIM.  In essence The SIM are part paying the night and in return their members will be admitted free.  For bone-fide magicians who are not members of either The SIM or The Mystics the charge will be €10.

Bill Abbott is without doubt one of the leading stand-up magicians working today.  His passion for magic, mentalism & music coupled with university degrees in both psychology and sociology have made Bill one of the most sought after and interactive performers in the world.

He has released numerous effects that have made their way in to the sets of many of the top working pro's in our industry such as The Thing, Smart Ass and Chico the Mind-reading Chimp.  To find out what all the fuss is about make sure you put this exciting lecture in your diary.

It all takes place on Friday 8th April at 8pm in The North Star Hotel, Amiens St, Dublin 1.  Free for members of The SIM and The Mystics.  All other bone-fide magicians €10

Quentin on the Bill Abbott Lecture

Quentin Reynolds attended the Bill Abbott lecture in Manchester last night and sent along the following note.

Caught Bill Abbott's lecture in Manchester last night. Obviously a busy working professional, Bill's lecture covers a number of routines from his working repertoire. While mostly stand-up material there is also some close-up.

 

Considering that most lecturers today cover solely close-up, it is refreshing to see someone perform and explain real world stand-up material.

 

Even if you don't use any tricks from the lecture you will benefit by paying close attention to Bill discussing how and why his routines are structured the way they are, especially his opener which he uses to set up a standing ovation in his real world performances.

Bill Abbott will lecture on Friday 8th April at 8pm in The North Star Hotel, Amiens St, Dublin 1.  Free for members of The SIM and The Mystics.  All other bone-fide magicians €10