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.
Tag Archives: music
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…?
Brigham Young University Singers in Dublin tomorrow
I had the pleasure of hearing a few performances from Brigham Young University Singers over the course of last weekend down in Cork at the choral festival. One piece that they decided to treat the crowd to at the closing gala concert has stuck with me since – Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, which they give an insight into in the video above. It’s an amazing piece I had never heard before and I think I can speak for many people there when I say it made hairs stand on end.
I’m delighted that they’re taking a tour around Ireland and the UK at the moment, including a concert on Tuesday night in Draiocht Theatre, Blanchardstown, in aid of the Irish Autism Alliance. The theatre’s website appears to be down at the moment but you can probably book over the phone at 01 885 2622. Really looking forward to this, hopefully see you there!
Tweetup, photowalk, Culch.ie, iPhone, Cork, renting & blight
Yeah, lot of small random things I need to throw out into the blogosphere.
First off, happy birthday to the little sister Niamh who enters the last year of her teens today. Bless.
So yesterday Rick kindly inducted me into the wonderful fold of contributors on Culch.ie – I really enjoy reading it with the variety of subjects and voices that all come to mix there, here’s hoping I can bring something worthwhile to the place.
Stu sees the ‘Pea rapist’ in the latest Bulmers product push that’s happening at http://www.embracethepear.com. Incidentally, www.embracethepair.com is still available for purchase. Just sayin’.
I finally called up Apple Care yesterday afternoon to sort out the long-dragging dodgy iPhone situation. I was delighted by their politeness & pro-active vibes, right down to the “oh no, I’m so sorry to hear it’s not working for you – that’s really awful”. Genuine or not (hard to tell with the lovely American tones!) a box arrived this morning from Apple with all the lovely packaging you’d expect from Apple and an express UPS bag for me to send off my iPhone to the iPhone doctor. Now here’s hoping it’s fixable coz I am totally lost without it.
I’m going to attempt organising a Tweet-up of sorts in and around or for the Siege of Ennis world record attempt next Sunday May 17th – those of you on the western seaboard, your help & presence is required! If anyone from anywhere else wants to head down, I can investigate digs either chez moi or in me lovely Ballyvaughan. Best email me in this case.
There’s a photowalk happening on Sunday in Drogheda. Shane Murphy has the skinny. Not looking like I’ll make the photowalk sadly but I’m certainly hoping to make the afters. Details later when I have em from the ‘organisers’.
Scoozi’s in Cork is still one of my favourite places on earth to eat – I was once again blown away by the service in there last weekend, never mind the delicious food on offer. Well done guys, you’ve got an often overlooked yet essential element of catering down to an art.
There’s 2 lovely apartments up for rent in the little complex where I live in Glasnevin, you could do a lot worse than rent one of these places. Number one and number two (sexier) on daft.ie, who seem to be allowing users to list their ‘broadband options’ on ads now.
Finally, if you’re going along to the Open Cinema event in Meeting House Square tomorrow evening courtesy of Mini, be prepared for possible nasty wet weather. And if you have potatoes, well I hope you’re spraying them for blight
The Producers
I went in with no expectations and not at all familiar with the musical but what a fabulous surprise. It’s light, full of laughs & catchy tunes which will leave you humming all the way home – slightly problematic when it’s “Springtime for Hitler in Germany….” The two lead performances were excellent. Max Bialystock (played by Garry Mountaine) is a Broadway producer who teams up with accountant and wannabe producer Leo Bloom (played by Michael Evans) to stage the worst possible musical ever in a bid to make a fortune. ‘Springtime for Hitler’ is the chosen work for their project and when they enlist the services of the flamboyant floptastic director Roger Debris they end up with more sparkles & swastickas than you can shake a stick at.
The show runs until this Satuday May 9th, great laughs guaranteed in Dublin’s best theatre. I took a few sneaky pics last night before I was told ‘put that thing away’ – hopefully will give you a taste of the production!