AIB Street Performers World Championships

The AIB STREET PERFORMERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS was a great event in DUBLIN this weekend. The festival was mostly centred around MERRION SQUARE with more evening performances in the garden of DUBLIN CASLTE and CHESTER BEATTY LIBRARY.

A lot of credit goes to the gang who set-up the festival only two years ago, it's completely FREE (thanks to some sponsorship from AIB bank) and, of course, in the great tradition of street-art, the performers rely solely on the audience coughing-up.

We moseyed along to the Catle to catch the SPACE COWBOY - native of the funky BRYON BAY in OZ and reigning world champion for the last two years running. For his evening performance he varied the act ..this time instead of uni-cycling and sword-swallowing he did a live mind-reading act. A description is pointless but, trust me, it was mind-blowing and definitely not rigged.

During his daytime show at the Square he'd suggested the audience bring cutlery along to the evening gig where he made YURI GELLER looks like an amateur. He held a fork lightly between two fingers and as he gently flicked them, in front of our eyes, the prongs began bending until they were mangled and twisted around each other as if they were molten. Then he let members of the audience give it a go and, in their own cupped-hands, spoons began arching, as the Cowboy waved his hands above and below theirs. Mind-blowing!

SENMARU, the Japanese juggler (that description does him no justice) was, in his own words, 'AaaaMAaaaZING' too and, although they weren't on the top of our 'must-see' list, the ENGLISH GENTS were a big surprise. They scooped the 1st prize and although he deserved to saunter off with it for the 3rd year in a row, I don't think the Space Cowboy will be too phased - he already has no problem packing-out the SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE!