Dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Maccarthy in Dublin in the autumn of 2023.
Written by: Elijah M. Reny.ren)-Initiator of the Lark Project, photographer, ** person, former deputy director of the Executive Department of the All Ireland Students and Scholars Association, and currently the secretary of the ** department of the Exeter Students and Scholars Association.
On an autumn afternoon, the cool breeze is steep, and the shallow autumn mood covers Dublin, Ireland. People on the street changed into thick clothes, and the smell of the setting sun was faintly in the air. I put my hands in my pockets and exhaled a white mist from my mouth, looking forward to the people I was going to meet next.
Pictured: The author of this article is Ren Yihao.
Have you ever had dinner with a celebrity you respect? Especially when I received an invitation from the other party in person, it was like a dream. Time to go back to a few days ago, a ** pulled me back to the real world from the busyness of the internship that was about to end. On the other end was Ms. Chen Qiumei, an Irish overseas Chinese leader, who learned about my love for photography and her research in photography in a previous event, and deigned to invite me to dinner and talk casually.
Pictured: Chen Qiumei, Jimmy MacCarthy and his wife.
Ms. Chen Qiumei is the founding president of the European Association for Chinese Cultural and Art Exchange and Cooperation and the Sino-foreign International Family Association, the director and chief reporter of the Ireland branch of China International News Magazine, the senior representative of the International Integrity and Brand IIAB Ireland, and the wife of the legendary Irish family Jimmy Maccarthy. As the deputy head of the Executive Department of the All Ireland Students' and Scholars' Association at the time, I also founded the Skylark Project, an informal arts organization. At that time, I was ecstatic, because I had already heard about the achievements of Chen Qiumei and his wife in the field of art, as well as their feats in the field of charity and cultural communication. I didn't expect that one day I would be able to get their favor and be invited. This trip will be very meaningful, and as an artist, I will definitely benefit from this conversation. Like the eve of a child's outing, I didn't fall asleep until late that night.
Camden Street, one of Dublin's busiest neighbourhoods, has a restaurant that I love. Beside the crackling and burning firewood in the huge fireplace, I sat opposite Mr. and Mrs. Chen Qiumei with two of my peers. We met here, ordered my favorite meal on the menu, and were having a good time.
Ms. Chen Qiumei tells us how she decided to start her dream art and charity project in a foreign country with limited resources. As an overseas Chinese whom I admire the most, Ms. Chen Qiumei gave up the fruits of her hard work five years ago and devoted her resources to cultural exchange and philanthropy. This courage cannot be achieved by a person without a strong will and a gentle heart, and in the course of chatting, I also really felt the extraordinary personal charm of Ms. Chen Qiumei and her care for every unknown but self-motivated person. Ms Chan also told me interesting anecdotes about her life in Ireland over the years. Whether it was how to defeat the unreasonable tenants in the courtroom, or the sweet life with my husband in the early years, I learned more and more about the rich life of this couple. "Never hesitate, soft and rigid, she really deserves to be a powerful strong woman! My peers next to me couldn't help but sigh.
Ms. Chen Qiumei can do this, and it is indispensable for Mr. Jimmy Maccarthy to accompany her for many years. When Ms. Chen Qiumei made that sharp choice, Mr. Jimmy Maccarthy chose to give her full support without hesitation, and he continued to give Ms. Chen Qiumei strength in the process of running around. Mr. Jimmy Maccarthy was a very gentle, yet manly man. We talked a lot, from creation to traditional Chinese cuisine. Mr. Jimmy Maccarthy said that he loves the variety of Chinese cuisine, the influence of the regional culture, and the care with which it is prepared. We all felt his sincerity, and his eloquence unconsciously made the interlocutor feel that time had slowed down, and only the flames of the fireplace burning behind him told the passage of time.
During the chat, I kept hiding the excitement in my heart. Because as a person who loves **, I've heard about Mr. Jimmy Maccarthy for a long time. The classics he created are still lingering today. Among them, my favorites are "The Bright Blue Rose" and "Ride On". In my mind, compared to Mr. Jimmy MacCarthy, Bob Dylan can only be at the back.
Even when the wine glass was dry and the plate was exhausted, we did not leave for a long time, until the sunset blowing in the distant mountains gradually faded and we said goodbye. I used film to shoot a commemorative ** before I left, hoping that this encounter will remain in my memories forever, and that I will learn from Chen Qiumei and Jimmy Maccarthy and his wife to become a force to make the world a better place.