Person to Person: Play strategist Martin O'Donoghue says he 'has notions'

Tell us about yourself;

Je suis Martin O’Donoghue and I have notions - lots of them, sometimes too many. Some come about, some don’t (thankfully, in hindsight) and some are going to happen this year.

I am a Play Strategist and a Ludic Artist (cue eye rolling - I told ya - notions boy!). Because most people have never heard of these roles/terms - I am free to redefine them every time.

Basically, I get paid to play, to think about playing, to facilitate playful experiences, to train others in the value of play, and to encourage people of all ages to play more often.

Work and play do not have to be mutually exclusive. I feel really blessed and fortunate to be able to do this.

I work part-time for Let’s Play Cork as Head of Play Development and I freelance as an artist and play strategist. If you want to experience what I do, come along to the Tailteann Games in Elizabeth Fort on Saturday (March 15) and partake in the craic. It’s old school Gaelic games - re-imagined!

I also help programme playful events for Cork City Council’s Open Street initiative. It’s designed to help us explore other uses of roads as public spaces and think about how we can travel to Open Street events in ways that are more sustainable. There are some epic plans in development for this summer.

I also get to collaborate with some really creative people through my work with Sounds From A Safe Harbour. My friend, Mary Hickson, invites amazing artists to Cork and we get a week to play together and then share new ideas, new sounds, and new art with the city. It’s inspiring and exhausting and beautiful - thankfully, it only happens every two years!

I think Cork is such a great city to experiment with ideas and really conducive to collaboration. No city is perfect but our scale, humour and openness allows us to try things that larger cities can’t. Could we become Europe’s most playful city?

Where were you born? C4 - Douglas!

Where do you live? Union Hall.

Family? My lovely wife, Rose, and our two fun-filled children, Oisín (8) and Hannah (6 and a half).

Best friend? I’m very lucky to have a good few, so no favouritism here.

Earliest childhood memory? Holding my granda Kerry’s hand as we walk back the old road to visit his friend Hallie, in Dauros, Co Kerry.

Person you most admire?

My parents are pretty special - they are very warm, open-hearted and generous people.

Person who most irritates you? People who have yet to love our environment and treat it with such lack of respect or consideration for all the other species we share it with.

Where was your most memorable holiday? A solo trip across Namibia, such vastness, raw beauty, and humbling tranquility.

Favourite TV programme? Haven’t had a telly for years (it took ages and lots of letters to convince the licence collectors of that strange fact.)

Favourite radio show? A 30-minute dose of Marty In The Morning as we get ready for school, I love catching The Mystery Train and every so often, on a late commute, I love to listen to The Blue Of The night.

Your signature dish if cooking? Sometimes a vegetarian chilli works out magically.

Favourite restaurant? The Dock Wall in Union hall, it’s a wee pebble skim away across the lagoon from my house, its always a treat to eat there.

Last book you read? Just finished Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake - it’s a fungitastic book on the magic of mycelium and how interconnected we all are.

Best book you read? Further lack of commitment to one answer - Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Voneget Jr - that opened up such a new world of literature and perspective. In college, The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins did similar for scientific literature, and more recently, The Creative Act by Rick Rubin has really helped with my emerging arts practice.

Last album/CD/download you bought? Federico Albanese’s latest album Blackbirds And The Sun Of October - it’s beautiful - he is playing live in the Triskel Arts Centre on May 10 - I highly recommend going - he is a musical genius and is rarely in Cork.

Favourite song? Right now, it’s Bloom from that album.

One person you would like to see in concert? There’s a Ukrainian band called Dakhabraka that my friend Clare introduced me to - I am working on bringing them to Ireland - think Kila energy crossed with Ukrainian folk and magic harmonies.

Do you have a pet? Crazy Maisie - a love accident - she is a Schnairedale (pure notions for a mongrel cross between a schnauzer and airedale terrier)

Morning person or night owl? When I’m not in festival mode, morning owl.

Your proudest moment? Feeling the ecstatic joy and love at the end of The Solstice Céilí last on June 21 last year. It was my first large-scale public art performance with over 200 people and we created some rare magic together. Cork Midsummer Festival gave me an opportunity, I took a leap of faith and it was epic.

Spendthrift or saver? I had to google the meaning of spendthrift.

Name one thing you would improve in your area in which you live?

I have a notion to transform the lagoon in Union Hall into a watery arena for boat bumper cars, using round basket-shaped river currachs (aka corricles) as the bumper cars and let people have the craic in these ancient boats. It’s really hard to paddle in a straight line with them but they are very safe, so I reckon it would be as much fun for those using them as for those watching. These boats got our ancestors to this island and I know people who still build them, so it might happen.

What makes you happy? Currachs, amazing live music, spreading infectious fun.

How would you like to be remembered? With a smile.

What else are you up to at the moment? Planning the next Solstice Céilí - with more collaborators, new ecstatic dances, and bronze age infused tunes.

Organised by Cork City Council, the Cork St Patrick’s Festival will take place from Friday, March 14, to Monday, March 17, as Cork goes green and celebrates Ireland’s national festival in style.

Be sure to call into Elizabeth Fort on Saturday, March 15, where a host of family friendly events are taking place as part of the Cork St Patrick’s Festival.

Tailteann Games: Traditional Games with a Twist: 11am to 1pm, Snake Hunt: 12pm to 5pm, Raving to Reels: Trad Music Disco: 2pm to 3.30pm. The Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Monday, March 17 at 1pm.