Irish legends, vampires and Google doodles!

We wouldn't be Evergreen Umbrella if we were not ready to celebrate the 165th birthday of a famous Irish writer, now would we?! Google seems to feel the same way, with the introduction today of a new doodle dedicated to the legendary Bram Stoker. 

Mr. Stoker (1847-1912) is more in vogue than ever, given the proliferation of the vampire genre that has been a massive success for a variety of writers and filmmakers. Many are still surprised to hear that the author of "Dracula" was in fact an Irishman, and not himself a native of dark and gothic Transylvania!  In fact he never did visit that part of the world and had to use his imagination, research and more traveled colleagues to gain the insight needed to create the atmosphere and background in the story. 

Stoker was a contemporary of another Irish legend called Oscar Wilde and in fact snatched Wilde's childhood sweetheart, Florence, out from under his nose. They were married later and remained so until Stoker's death in 1912. Wilde had a less, shall we say, converntional life after he departed Ireland for England following those times!

Although he is primarily known for his work on the dark side, it is much less well known that his main other genre when not focused on creatures of the night, was, wait for it, Victorian romance! During his life, he was primarily occupied by being a theatre critic, which led him to become the assistant to the actor Henry Irving, who owned the Lyceum on The Strand in London, where Stoker became the stage manager and did so for a full 27 years.

It's highly titillating to me that I saw the last live music show at the famous Lyceum around 1986 when it closed its doors, and if I recall correctly it was either The Smiths or The Sisters of Mercy who were playing. Quite a leap from Bram Stoker! The Lyceum was a gorgeous old place, and was I think the first theatre in London to have gaslights which along with the ornate styling of the place made it a very unique place to see contemporary music. But it's also true that the gothic look and sound of The Sisters of Mercy and Andrew Eldritch's booming bass voice were totally in line with the ghost of Bram Stoker standing side stage in the wings. 

But Bram Stoker will forever be remembered for Dracula, which was the piece of work that today has captivated millions and which continues to inspire a whole new generation of adolescent (and their parents!) vampire romance lovers. Stoker was cremated and after his only son's (Irving Noel) death in 1961, the ashes of the two men were combined and are currently protected and displayed at the Golders Green Crematorium in London. 

Happy 165th to yet another Irish legend! The only thing that worries me is that perhaps to become a real writing legend myself, I am going to have to wait until I die, before one of Kevin Mc's books is seen to be a work of art or genius, or preferably both! Holy moly, I better get back to the drawing board, and fast! ;)
Kevin Mc