Kieron is project manager at Tread the Boards, whose short film 1797 – Searching for Henry Joy McCracken is on YouTube
Up and at it – what is your new morning routine? How has it changed?
I used to start the day writing, but now I start by learning Irish and Spanish on an app called Duolingo – Hola a todos! Dia duit!
What might you eat in a typical working day for...Breakfast?
Toasted crusty bread with butter and a coffee.
Lunch?
Chilli con carne cooked by my partner, Cristina, who is an excellent cook.
Evening meal?
Salad and steak that I cook for us both in the hot air fryer.
Have you been able to work from home – if so, how have you found it?
Yes, it’s been relaxing writing in the house with the light streaming in the window. I usually sit at the kitchen table writing on my laptop. I keep meaning to clear the spare room and create an office for myself but, to date, I haven’t got around to it.
Best/easiest lockdown meal?
Blended milkshake with strawberries and bananas.
Weekend treat?
A cheeky Chinese ordered on the Eat Out app, accompanied by a bottle of red wine which we sip over ever so politely as we discuss world politics, economics and reincarnation... I’m hoping to come back as a crocodile so that I can survive the next ice age after we humans have obliterated the world.
How have you kept physically and mentally fit during lockdown?
I’ve always been into fitness – I played Gaelic football for Lámh Dhearg and captained Celtic Boys in soccer in my younger years. I was also on the Antrim U-21 side that won the Ulster Championship back in 1989 – Cork beat us in the All Ireland semi-final. However, now that I’m 50, running up and down a pitch is no longer viable, so I do press-ups and lift weights instead to stay fit. In terms of mental health, writing stimulates my mind. During lockdown I wrote a Digital TV programme called The Theatrical History Tour of Belfast for the Arts Council which we’re currently filming.
What has been your daily outdoor exercise?
A brisk walk. I especially love walking the Maritime Mile – the greatest walk in Belfast.
How do you relax?
I love writing poetry and short stories, so I lose myself in those. I also built a gazebo during lockdown and bought a Lay-Z-spa, so I run out and jump into that every now and again in my red Speedos – I’m a huge Baywatch fan. Sometimes I even run out in slow motion.
Teetotal or tipple?
Tipple! My daughters buy me a bottle of whisky every Christmas, so I have a snifter of that every now and again.
What book are you currently reading?
That Glimpse Of Truth, which is a compilation of the 100 best short stories, selected by David Miller.
Best Netflix?
Ozark – a gangster drama about money laundering. I also love Breaking Bad and its spin-off, Better Call Saul.
Most surprising thing you've learned about yourself?
That my joinery skills still exist and that I was able to build a gazebo. I did the Joinery YTP scheme as a teenager and since then I’ve always loved working with wood.
On a scale of one to 10, where have you been in relation to cabin fever and where are you now?
During the first lockdown, I never got cabin fever as the weather was so good and I was always outside – building the gazebo. This lockdown is different, though, with darker nights and colder weather, so, this time round, it’s a seven.
What are the three things you missed most during the beginning of lockdown?
Definitely the theatre, also comedy night and travelling. Cristina and I have travelled to lots of great cities around the world but there’s still a hell of a lot more to see.
Where will you go and what will you do when restrictions are fully lifted?
Cristina is Spanish and grew up in the Basque Country, so I want to go there and eat one of their huge steaks and some pintxos (snacks).
Biggest gripe?
I don’t like negativity around me, so when people start moaning or groaning, I usually head for the door. Positivity, especially in this Covid environment, is a necessity for getting through life.
Have your priorities in life or perspectives changed?
Yes, definitely. I now appreciate nurses and health care workers a lot more, plus it’s made me realise how much I took for granted previously. What I wouldn’t give just to hug and kiss my 73-year-old mother, Patricia. That’ll be my top priority when this is all over.
Any new skills or hobbies?
I’m the project manager for Tread the Boards which is a drama group based in Belfast. Usually, we stage plays during Féile an Phobail, but as this wasn’t possible during lockdown, we instead learnt how to shoot short films, use a green screen and edit movies – so now we have the bug!
What would you like to see change for good when this is all over?
I wrote a poem called True Heroes in tribute to doctors and nurses so when this is all over I want everyone to remember those who fought on the front line – those unselfish, self-sacrificing, generous-natured people that protected us.
Has coronavirus changed your attitude towards your own mortality?
No, I’ve always accepted that we die, but I’m a firm believer in living each day to the full, which is why ‘Carpe diem’ – Seize the Day – is my favourite phrase. In 2017 I wrote a play called Robin Williams: The Laughter and the Tears, starring the fabulous John Travers and it toured all the regional theatres, ending its run at the Waterfront Hall. One of the last lines John delivered was ‘Carpe diem’ – and that is what we should all be doing right now.
Kieron Magee's book Lockdown Short Stories and Poems, sponsored by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, is available to buy on Amazon. Four of the five Theatrical Tour of Belfast sketches by Tread the Boards (on Henry Joy McCracken, James Dobbin and the Titanic, James Connolly and Mary Galway and the Battle of the Somme) can be accessed on YouTube. The final short film on infamous Belfast highwayman Naoise O'Haughan will be available by mid-February.
