Just perfect for the damp drizzely day that’s in it. There’s nothing like listening to Niamh playing this while the rain patters down on the hills & fields at home in Clare as the fire crackles and hisses beside us. Beautiful.
All posts by Steph
What’s going on?
Chris just took this photo somewhere near Liffey St in Dublin. Seems there’s some hullabaloo stopping the Luas from running in the area. I love the photo – it’s got so many random people and things in it & it therefore leaves itself open to captioning.
So what’s it gona be? Or what in flippin’ flip is going on?
Edit – comments thus far from various Twitterers:
“Caption: Scenes from the first day of the Knackeraguan War”
“Strange angle of the image makes it look like she is hooking up the fuelpipe to top up your man in the wheelchair…”
“That’s almost a “where’s wally?” scene – great shot! :-)”
Tag – I’m 8it
So Lottie tagged me yesterday & sadly, I have a soft spot for these things – hopefully it’s a passing phase like those evil cup-a-soups.
Eight things I like
- A good coffee at a steady pace in the morning enjoyed
- Lying in bed on a wet night with the window open listening to rain pattering outside
- When a plan comes together
- Having an iPhone that works
- Pizza, red wine & feet up on Friday nights
- Days & nights when the time just doesn’t matter
- Singing
- The company of good people
Eight things I did yesterday
- Noted I really need to drink more water
- Took the 39 bus for the first time
- Revisited code I wrote nearly 2 years ago & realised I’ve learned a LOT since then
- Saw & heard the BYU Singers & fell more in love with singing
- Dreamed about running away with BYU Singers (both conciously & in sleep)
- Vowed to learn how to dance a set this year
- Received a shiny new replacement iPhone from Apple
- Had a filthy burger for dinner
Eight things I wish I could do
- Give my dad a holiday
- Give Nana 2 new hips
- Wake up tomorrow cured of IBS
- Be more sociable
- Have more patience
- Make it so Ireland gets a minimum of 1 month of sunny weather each summer
- Teleport
- Sing with the rocking Gardiner Street Gospel Choir
Eight things I don’t like
- Hypocrisy
- Greed
- Bullshit
- Bitching
- Laziness
- Hair anywhere near my food
- Cigarettes & smokers
- The smell of petrol
I hereby tag Mr. Rick O’Shea.
Tuesday Tune: The Masons’ Apron from An Fleadh Nua 2008
The annual Fleadh Nua kicks off in my beloved Co. Clare this Sunday for a week of fantastic music, song, dance & fun so I decided to go trad for the Tuesday Tune today. This is the awesomely talented Darra Mulhearn from Ennis and the video is via Comhaltas, who have embraced YouTube with a great selection of videos from fleadhs and festivals all over the country.
Growing up in any part of Clare means you’re never far away from the trad stuff, be it music, singing or dancing. My grandfather was a button accordion player until arthritis made it impossible. It didn’t however have the same effect on his set dancing & he kept that up until close to his passing 3 years ago. He’s probably turning in his grave at the thought of none of his grandchildren being able to dance a step of a set! It’s something I’ve always wanted to learn. Myself and my siblings have brought it up in conversation from time to time at home & we always put the blame on our parents for never teaching us but considering we’re all scattered across the country now we should be sorting this one out for ourselves.
So there’s my next little project – I’m going to learn how to dance a set & hopefully I’ll get to dance one with my dad before the year is out 
Now where will I find lessons in Dublin…?
Free BBQ tonight & Saturday’s tea day
Free BBQ tonight
So it’s the perfect (or closest to perfect evening you’ll get for May) evening for a BBQ and as luck would have it there’s a lovely free one happening this evening in Dublin. Here’s the story (robbed from Darragh’s post):
“Jane Russell from Jane Russell’s Original Irish Handmade Sausages is kicking off the summer in style with a bit of food, chat, drink and of course some sausage samples from 7.30pm in the roof garden of the Odessa Club.”
For those unsure of where the Odessa Club is or how to find it, here’s a wee map. Be seeing you there later!
Saturday’s Tea Day for Alzheimers
I spent Saturday in Dundalk at my dear friend AnneMarie’s place where she held her 5th annual tea day to raise funds for local Alzheimers carers and patients. We had people coming and going from 11am till 10pm, the tea flowed, gorgeous home baking delights kept us buzzing & the chat was fantastic. Aside from the fund-raising benefits, it was a wonderful social occasion and gave people a chance to catch up and spend some time with each other. The day raised a tasty €1300 with another few quid to come in from folks who couldn’t make it on the day. I’m dead proud of her & can’t wait to do it all again next year!