As a comedian, his show is based on a lot of audience interaction and he creatively builds his witticisms on the audience’s responses. As a light entertainer, Delamere is among the very best. While he did try to touch upon some topical subjects, he never delved deep enough to make the audience really think about the world outside. You get the feeling that he is at his very best when he has another professional comedian to interact with, just like he has on The Panel, and that a general audience isn’t enough to stretch his comedic abilities.

The show itself lasted just over an hour – an hour in which time seemed to fly. Overall, it was an enjoyable night, definitely worth the price of admission. However, on leaving the auditorium there was a sense that Delamere has a lot more to offer and I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed that I hadn’t the chance to see him at his best.

When all is said and done though, I’d go to see his life show again, but I think that I’d prefer to see The Panel live.

By the way, despite the fact that I work around the corner from the UCH, it was my first time at a gig there. It’s an amazing facility, right on my doorstep, and I will be going back.

Dave Gorman is a great storyteller. And he has a great story to tell. As he says himself, his comedy has a plot, and it’s a plot that you’ll want watch right to the end. From the seemingly most absurd situations to the most touching emotional states, his is a story worth watching. I won’t give away the plot, but I will say this. Get it, watch it, and laugh. You’ll be glad you did!

Limerick Blogger has photos of the Easons Party.

Enjoy or ignore at your will.

Click the image to enlarge.

Throughout my reading, I’ve come across numerous references to Hannibal and how close he came to destroying Rome as a world power in the ancient world, but like most people, what I knew about the man was limited to two things: He brought elephants over the Alps, and he absolutely decimated the Roman Legions at Cannae. (Sidenote: The word “decimation” comes from the Roman practice of killing every tenth man in a legion as a method of discipline – just so you know!)

From what I had read previously, the actions of Hannibal were still terrifying the Romans a couple of hundred years after he died. Given that the Romans were no slouches when it came to subduing numerous tribes and countries, and could be as barbaric as anyone, I just had to find out how someone could instil such fear into the greatest power of the ancient world.

The first thing to note of “Hannibal Pride of Carthage” is that it is a novel. The author, David Anthony Durham, admits in his notes that this is a work of fiction, albeit one that is based on real people and events. Therefore, it should be considered a work of narrative history, however, this gives the author more leeway to create characters with a depth of personality sorely missed from most history books. The authors gift is to draw us a rich and full picture not only of ancient Carthage, but of the Roman people themselves.

As we follow Hannibal from New Carthage in Spain, through his exploits in crossing the Alps, and into Italian territory, each scene is created with such detail and clarity that it is nearly impossible to imagine that the events could have enfolded in any other way. No matter how much you know about the stories of the ancient world, there is a feeling that this is right. That this is how these people would have acted – from the sheer determination of the Carthaginians to shake off Roman domination of the Mediterranean, to the Roman’s sheer stubbornness not to give in, no matter how bleak the situation.

While the main characters take their place on the Italian stage, Carthage itself is not forgotten. With several small plot-lines centered around the Barca family left in Carthage, we are given an insight into the political and social machinations of this ancient city.

Throughout Hannibals journey from Spain to Italy and back to Carthage, each character has his or her own trials and tribulations, and none more so than Hannibal himself. As we follow him on his journey we learn something of the man and his genius for war. The authors vivid descriptions of the various battles conducted by Hannibal, particularly the Battle of Cannae, leave us in no doubt that he did possess an almost unnatural instinct for commanding forces in battle. It is through his genius that we begin to understand the horror that he inflicted on the Roman legions, and why he was still dreaded by the Romans two hundred years after he died.

Ultimately, this is a story of high drama and tragedy. Told from Hannibal’s perspective, you cannot help but be drawn into Carthage’s point of view of their dispute with Rome. Although this story is two thousand years old, the author manages to hold the tension throughout the narrative in a way that no conventional history text could. While “Hannibal Pride of Carthage” may not be 100% accurate, it does keep the reader involved right up until the last page, and for a subject that is usually considered stuffy, that is some accomplishment.

Rating: 9/ 10

Hannibal Pride of Carthage. ISBN 0-553-81491-5

Blurb: “In a time before Caesar, before Augustus or Constantine, before the Gallic Wars or the conquest of Britain, in a time before Rome’s place in the history of the western world was assured, the nascent empire had first to survive a devastating assault by its most formidable foe. Celebrated and feared like few figures from history, his name was Hannibal Barca, and the bitter conflict between his people and the Roman Republic shaped the destiny of nations…”

Hosted by the erudite Stephen Fry and backed up the less erudite, but equally comedic Alan Davies, QI stands out from the usual quiz based comedy shows.

Being a fan of the show, and of Stephen Fry, I was quite looking forward to this book. My first disappointment was, when on opening the book, I discovered that although it is advertised with his name, Stephen Fry provided the foreword only. Although more than competently written by the shows producers, John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, it still lacks the wit and style that only Stephen Fry can provide.

Once I got over my initial disappointment, I was eager to dive in and explore my own ignorance. And I was quite surprised at the depths I plumbed. Over the course of 230 questions and with meticulous research, the authors provide the correct answers to questions I had long ago been taught in school.

For example, if I were to ask “Who was the first President of The United States”, the answer would be? George Washington of course. And that we are told by the authors is incorrect. The actual answer is Peyton Randolph, the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled. It was under Randolph that the Continental Army was created, with George Washington as its Commander-in-Chief. In fact, there would be 13 more Presidents before George Washington.

Each question posed initially seems to offer a straightforward and obvious answer, but if you’ve watched QI on the BBC, you’ll know that the obvious answer is always the wrong one. In most cases the authors try to give a little back story to the question, give the correct answer and go on to explain how the misunderstanding arose.

The Book of General Ignorance continues in this vein throughout, and while some of the answers are not earth shattering, and would be known by a large percentage of the population, there is a wealth of knowledge contained between it’s covers. With never more than a couple of pages devoted to each answer, you won’t get an in-depth study of any particular topic, but you will get enough to whet your appetite.

As the TV show is broadcast on the BBC, and aimed primarily at a UK audience, there are one or two questions that do not seem to offer an obvious answer, but nonetheless, you will be enlightened.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and for anyone interested in their own ignorance, I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Rating: 8/ 10

The Book of General Ignorance. ISBN: 0-571-23368-6

Blurb: “A comprehensive and humiliating catalogue of all the misconceptions, mistakes and misunderstandings in ‘common knowledge’, which will make you wonder why anyone bothers to go to school.”