The Commitments officially reformed last night. Some might see it as life-changing reunion, something of an homage to Ireland emerging from an all-consuming recession. I see it as a case study on the aging process.

1991 was a looong time ago. I remember going to see the film in the Forum in Glasthule with my mum. I went to see a lot of films with my mum, on account of me having absolutely no mates in my early teens. One time we went to see Wayne's World (her idea, would you believe) and I clocked a gaggle of mouths from school down the front. Once the film was over, I couldn't get her out of the cinema quick enough. Now, I'd literally give anything to have another cinema jaunt with her, but sure 99% of us are ungrateful, foresight deprived numbskulls when we're 13.

Apologies, digression comes with the territory when you're faced with a cast of mushes you've not clapped eyes on in twenty years. OK, there are the exceptions - likeAngeline Ball, Bronagh Gallagherand, of course, Outspan. They're three faces who've managed to keep themselves in the public concisouness to varying degree, and they look well for it. Especially the bords.

The rest of them, not so much. Firstly, Johnny Murphy (Joey 'The Lips' Fagan) and Maria Doyle Kennedy (Nataile Murphy) aren't in the equation for whatever reasons. Doyle Kennedy is pobably acting up a storm in a corset, as for Johnny Murphy, well there's not a lot of information for him past 1997 on the hinternet. I know our Dara saw him play a gig in The Village last year. And I've since been informed he's be pounding the boards in various plays

Right, who are left with? Well, the film's lead for starters, Robert Arkins (Jimmy Rabbitte). He was the dude who kept banging on about "soul", despite displaying none himself. He decided he wanted to form a band even though he couldn't play an instrument, and he had a herd of hot sisters, one of which was portrayed by a hairbrush being supported by a Andrea Corr. He's not aged too badly. He's hanging on to his hair and what not. Although the WENN photographer probably thought otherwise as he asked him to swap seats with Glen Hansard halfway during the shoot. He doesn't look thrilled.

We have Andrew Strong. No change there, really, he always looked like he was kneeing 40 in the lower back. He's just the same except for no hair. In fact, he looks younger. He carved a decent career for himself after Alan Parker's film was released, and reportedly "moved briefly to Denmark and, after touring the world with Prince, Elton John and the Rolling Stones, signed a multi-album deal with EMI. His first three albums went platinum, and in 2005 he released a greatest hits album with Sony-BMG." And he got into some other things we won't go into.

Felim Gormley(Dean Fay, one of the brass section) has managed to hang on to that peninsula of hair for the last twenty years, so fair play to him. Although it's a wee bit flatter nowadays. He also went on to tour with the likes of "Prince, Billy Joel, Ronnie Wood, James Brown, Elton John and Rod Stewart."

Two castmembers most would stroll past in the street, those being Michael Aherne (Steven Clifford) and Kenneth McCluskey (Derek Skully... funnily enough they play the keyboard and bass respectively), have pretty much kept themselves to themselves. McCluskey hasn't moved on (in appearance and in life) as he's been touring with, well, The Commitments - "the band he formed withDick Massey (who played drummer Billy Mooney in the film)." Aherne, meanwhile, landed himself a job in The Dublin Transport Office. That's what working in an office does you to.

And, finally, there's Dave Finnegan, AKA Mickah 'Don't F*ck With Me' Wallace. According to a Tribune article published in 2006, he was "one of the few members of the cast who didn't perform on the soundtrack, he never received royalties for the platinum-selling album. A year after the release of the film, Finnegan landed a small part in Into The West, and created a number of soul outfits, including Finnegan's Wake and Stacks Of Soul. He then joined the Commitments with McCluskey and Massey, touring with them for six years until tension with Massey resulted in an acrimonious split. Finnegan admits that his alcoholism had a part to play in this turn of events". It had nothing to do with both of them choosing to hammer things for a living. Seemingly he went on to tour with his own outfit - uniquely entitled Dave Finnegan's Commitments.

Yeah, so that's that then. The (original) Commitments are touring themselves around the country next year. For further information, check out Jenny's Music News.