Barrtalk: Superb new film shines more light on enduring genius of Paul McCartney

As someone who considers The Beatles to be the unrivalled greatest band of all time, I’ve obviously always loved the music of Paul McCartney. His genius is one of my non-negotiables.

McCartney’s solo career is easily the strongest of all the ex-members of the Fab Four, albeit he has clearly had decades more to write and create songs than the other two main songwriters.

John Lennon has been dead for 45 years, while George Harrison, the creator of my favourite Beatles song ‘Here Comes the Sun’, passed away back in 2001.

Ringo Starr has released some stellar albums too, but he’s obviously no match for Macca, who somehow remains youthful-looking even though he’s incredibly soon due to turn 84-years-old.

The albums of McCartney’s band, Wings, were often panned upon release in the 1970s, but I consider them to be near-masterpieces now, with many of the songs on a par with those put out by The Beatles in the decade before.

I thoroughly enjoyed the new ‘Paul McCartney: Man on the Run’ documentary, which was just released in the cinema and is already streaming on Amazon Prime, where I watched it the other day.

The film offers an intimate and absorbing look at one of modern music’s most enduring figures as he navigates the uncertain years following the breakup of the only band and way of life he knew.

Rather than retelling the familiar story of global Beatlemania, the documentary narrows its focus to the early 1970s, when McCartney was grappling with lawsuits, public scepticism, and the daunting task of redefining himself outside the shadow of the world’s biggest band.

It’s a whirlwind of madness and global tours, interspersed with idyllic stays at the rural farmhouse in Scotland.

What comes across most is McCartney’s sense of hyperactivity and relentless creativity, tracing the formation of Wings and the gradual rebuilding of his confidence through touring and experimentation.

And the music in ‘Man on the Run’ soars, too, maybe like never before. I’ve always felt McCartney’s music has been underrated, and the film highlights just how good it was – and still is.

I saw McCartney live only once [at Dublin’s RDS circa 2009] and listening to him now continues to be one of the great gifts of being alive.

Who else would have the bravery to put a Scottish bagpipe band on a pop record? All together now: “Mull of Kintyre; Oh, mist rolling in from the sea . . . ”

The messy issue of dog fouling

I see Derry City Council is encouraging responsible dog ownership, by rewarding those who ‘pick up’ after their pets, as part of a new initiative to support the local community in tackling the problem of dog fouling.

Anyone can join the scheme by signing a pledge to clean up after their dogs and to support other dog walkers by carrying extra dog bags to share them if needed. In return, they’ll receive a Green Dog Walker's lead, a key ring, and a small quantity of dog waste bags.

To further focus the minds, Derry Council has reminded dog owners: 'Pick up the Poo or it’s a £100 fine for you', with promises of additional patrols by enforcement officers in hotspot areas.

Judging by the amount of dog fouling still going on here in Inishowen, we could use a similar scheme and a much more stringent system of fines and enforcement proceedings to crack down on the issue.

A walk around Moville, where I live, still brings the perennial risk of stepping on dog dirt, no matter what route you take, but particularly if you happen to stray off the main footpath by a metre or so.

It has become more socially unacceptable to allow your dog to do its business in the middle of the path these days, so many animals are being sneakily steered to do it on either side of the main drag as a result, where kids often come into contact with it.

Dog fouling can carry harmful bacteria and parasites, which present particular dangers to children, older people, and those with weakened immune systems.

The issue is always blamed on a ‘small minority of irresponsible owners’, who never seem to get the message. It’s high time these people are hit with financial penalties and prosecutions here in Inishowen. Currently, there seems to be little to no enforcement or deterrent.

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For example, just 48 dog fouling fines were handed out across the entire country in 2024, with a grand total of zero in Donegal.

Meanwhile, I hear that owning a dog is actually very good for your mental and physical health, leading to increased physical activity, reduced stress, and lower cardiovascular risk.

Studies indicate that dog owners have a 24-31 per cent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease – and, by refusing to stoop down to clean up after your dog, your back will stay in good shape too!

The perfect amount of sleep

And finally this week, scientists reckon they’ve come up with the perfect amount of sleep we should all be getting every night.

Researchers from China examined data on more than 23,000 US adults, including their sleep and their estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR), to examine insulin resistance, which is key in staving off type 2 diabetes.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the magic number when it comes to sleep is seven hours and nineteen minutes. Sleeping less or longer than that can be detrimental to your health, apparently, putting you at higher risk of diabetes and other adverse health conditions.

Seven hours, 19 mins. It seems a bit overly specific. To achieve such a number, you’d have to fall asleep at precisely 11 minutes after midnight and rise again at 7.30am, which all seems like added stress and hard work.

For me, the magic sleep number was always around 12-14 hours a night, achieved when I was in my teenage years and could lie-in past 2pm in the afternoon. Those were the days, my friend.

Now, I’m lucky if I ever get to sleep past half eight!