(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Meghan Markle?

Lots of indignation (real or otherwise), on Twitter and in the comments section of some news sites in the last week or so, about the news that a theatre in Greystones, Co. Wicklow is hosting a Royal Wedding party on May 19th. For €15, 'guests' will be able to watch the happy couple's big moment on a 'life-size' screen while enjoying a continental breakfast, washed down with a glass of Bucks Fizz and followed by a slice of wedding cake. 

I get it – being Irish, we're supposed to hate the Royal Family and everything it stands for. "The most protestant thing to ever happen in Ireland", claimed one contributor on broadsheet, setting the tone for the host of derisory comments that followed. Ignoring the fact that the briefest of glances at a history book would throw up a few better suggestions for the most Protestant thing that ever happened in Ireland, there are a few observations to make here.

First of all, as we've seen many times over the last several decades, we're more than a little bit fascinated by the Royal Family in this country. We might not admit it but we are. The papers are full of them, they're all over magazine covers and The Crown's been hugely popular with Irish Netflix subscribers too. And, with the exception of a few minor protests around town, we didn't exactly turn our backs on the Queen when she visited back in 2013. I also recall that when Prince William got married back in 2011, we didn't quite shut up shop at work but we came pretty close for the duration of the build-up. Again, nobody was singing it from the rooftops but there we were, enjoying it for what it was - a bit of a distraction and a bit of a laugh. Once the ceremony started, it was back to work but the build-up was a thing of great fascination to many of my colleagues. And of some fascination to myself, if I'm honest.

Of course, away from the whole 'hating the Brits' thing, the argument seems to boil down to silly people (women, presumably) throwing their money away to watch something that's being broadcast on TV anyway. 'Why would you pay money to watch something on a theatre that you can do at home for free', is the bones of the argument. The redundancy of that question really shouldn't need to be pointed out but here goes. Walk by any pub on a Saturday or Sunday evening – or Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening if it's a European week or an occasional Friday evening if it's the FA Cup - and you'll see people sitting there watching English football. Oh - not forgetting Monday Night Football too. So essentially, every night of the week. And obviously, there's nothing wrong with that. Similarly, I was in a hotel last Saturday afternoon where everyone was gathered in the bar to watch the Grand National at Aintree. That's fine too, of course. And then there's the recent trend of pubs broadcasting TV shows like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad on a big screen. Granted it's rarer than football but it's still a thing that people pay to do that they can do at home if they want. But 15 quid for a bit of breakfast, a glass of fizz and a slice of cake while taking in the fashion and frocks of a much-talked-about wedding is, it seems, a bridge too far. 

My point is this: who is anyone to comment on where people get their entertainment? Last week I went to Vicar Street to watch a bunch of people sit on chairs talking about an episode of a TV show that came off the air in 12 years ago. My ticket cost €35, nobody gave me a glass or a slice of anything and I loved every minute of it. As did the people in the sold-out audience I sat among. Five years ago, paying to watch live podcasts being recorded didn't exist as a thing to do. Now there's one in town every couple of weeks. And nobody bats an eye. So, if a load of people want to go to a theatre on a Saturday morning to enjoy themselves, I say let them at it. It's all just showbiz anyway, let's not pretend it's anything else.

Saying all that, this is kinda just asking for trouble!