mise

Finish

2010-10-31T11:18:00.002Z

Finished. I started blogging over 4 years ago. That site closed then I started here. But I guess in the end I am talking to myself. Not good so I will stop.

Changes

2010-08-17T23:34:00.001+01:00

Many things change, some more quickly than others. Four years ago the banks were filling everyone’s' letterboxes with application forms for loans. All one had to do was sign a form and you could get 10,000 Euros or more with no more questions asked. Now you have to apply, not to the local branch, but to the head office, and they require details of your employment from your boss, how long you have lived at your current address, all you 'outgoings' and everything filled out in duplicate, even for a very small loan. Very much a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
These days I am reminded of things past. I remember my Dad telling me stories about missionaries coming to our local church. I even remember a few myself. It was always a big event. For the week or so of the visit there would be lots of religious services and people would come from neighbouring parishes also. The church would be packed with many people having to stay outside. The missionaries would be seen as mini celebrities, and people would view them with the same awe as the local bishop.
At one of these events a missionary priest went to chat with some local young men who were standing at the church. He went to one and said "Well young man, are you married?". Not sure how to reply to the question, he answered "No Father, but the dinger is! ". The dinger was the nickname of a local man.
On another occasion during a very wet day, people coming to Mass had clay on their boots and the back of the church was very dirty after Mass. At the next Mass the missionary priest declared that all the locals were animals due to the state of the floor after the previous Mass. The next day as this priest was making his way to the church, a local man went down on his hands and knees and pretended to be eating the grass. I don't know if the priest got the message but it provided some light relief for the locals who observed it.
I am not sure if this sort of humour travels well but being able to laugh instead of getting angry or upset has seen many an Irish person through some very difficult times.

Spring smell

2010-04-11T22:52:00.002+01:00

Spring is here. It has a certain smell. I got it Saturday evening as I was opening a gate. It is a smell similar to rotting vegetation but more sharp, even crisp. It happens every spring and when the days start getting warmer and the nights less cold, it results in this signature smell. It is a sign that life goes on and no matter what happens in our personal lives or even the world economy, nature moves on anew each year. I knew someone who understood nature more than anyone. At times it seemed to me that he could read the minds of animals. He understood it's rawness and it's gentleness. It is a shame that so many people have lost that link with nature. So many will not see the growth of Spring that brings food to the shops. People who have never seen a real cow or sheep and will sink their teeth into a burger unaware of what it actually is. Nature is not just a nice weekend in the countryside. We are all part of nature and it is un-natural if we cut ourselves off from it. Anyway, good night and maybe you might try smelling nature sometime :)

The meaning of life

2010-03-09T20:57:00.001Z

On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your
house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a
life span of twenty years.." The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking.
How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?" So God
agreed......

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do
tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."
The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to
perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?" And God agreed......

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with
the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to
support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty
years." The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty
years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?" And God agreed
again......

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and
enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years." But the human said,
"Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave
back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes
eighty, okay?" "Okay," said God. "You asked for it."

So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy
ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family.
For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And
for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone. Life has
now been explained to you..

Amour

2010-03-03T09:28:00.000Z

When I started putting my thoughts and feelings online I was slow and reluctant to say very much. Then I went through a phase of putting every emotion and thought down. Now it looks like I have gone back to making rare entries. One subject I pondered a lot about is love. There are so many different kinds of love but each boils down to one fact; we all need to have a bond with another human being. We need to know that we are not alone in the world. The easiest thing about love is giving someone else advice about it, the hardest thing is taking that advice. I sometimes think “ is love really worth it?”. Is all the pain and heartbreak worth the all too brief moments of joy? When your mind fills up with questions, doubts and worries, is it all really worth it?
The purest form of love in my opinion is the unconditional love that mostly exists between a mother and her child. Unconditional love is more rare than Hollywood would have us believe. For the majority love is conditional on the response of the other person. We feel “let-down” or even “betrayed” if we see our emotional investment being ignored or not properly acknowledged. Love can spark off many negative emotions and can even eventually lead to feelings of hate. We can feel guilty if we are unable to return the love that another person gives us.
With all the “love” dates happening on the calendar now I guess my mind has focused more on this.
Anyway, time to give my brain a rest again :)

Remember

2009-12-14T23:59:00.000Z

Happy Birthday Daddy.

Full Moon

2009-12-02T19:33:00.002Z

Tonight there is a full moon and for once it is visible from Dublin.It is a long tome since it was used as a calender :)
Life is not fair. You only have to see how the France vs Ireland match was dealt woth by FIFA to see that.The small guy always gets the short end of the stick. Recently someone remarked to me about how much was wasted in effort, time and money on useless exercises. He was referring to politicians who wasted the resources of a country for their own egotistical reasons. It is only as we grow older that we recognise such futility.
Anyway back to the moon. The full moon was, and still is, used as an excuse for having a ceremony. In Asia it is seen as a chance to party, in the west it tends to have more forbiding nouances.
Right now for me it is a marker. The next full moon is on New Years Eve. It will mark the end of a six month wait. At the end of it I hope to have some answers. I don't know if I want to hear the answers but I don't think I can handle the long waits.
Oiche mhaith a chairde.

Smelling the roses

2009-10-05T20:02:00.002+01:00

I took the all too rare chance of going for a long walk this evening. It was a beautiful end to the day. The recent dry weather resulted in the cut grass and the light dusting of leaves on the footpaths having a light , dry, almost roasted aroma. The crisp leaves crinkled as they were getting crushed underfoot. The sky was almost clear of clouds. A red hue glowed from underneath the clouds as they reflected the setting sun. It is a sight that never ceases to impress me in it’s majesty. In the east the day old full moon rose silently. It’s bland white contrasting with the intensity of the dying star in the west. Most people walked with their heads bent, looking at the ground, listening to headphones or concentrating on getting the most out of their exercise. There is sadness to this autumn beauty. It will end with the dark cold days of winter. A poem comes to mind. It was written by a prisoner on the night before his execution. Full, and perhaps too full, of melancholy. but then how will we react when faced with our mortality? LOL? I don’t think so.
The poet spent a lot of his time on the west coast of Ireland. Connacht is the name of a province in the west of Ireland.
Anyway here is the poem;

The Wayfarer

The beauty of the world hath made me sad,
This beauty that will pass;
Sometimes my heart hath shaken with great joy
To see a leaping squirrel in a tree
Or a red lady-bird upon a stalk,
Or little rabbits in a field at evening,
Lit by a slanting sun,
Or some green hill where shadows drifted by
Some quiet hill where mountainy man hath sown
And soon would reap; near to the gate of Heaven;
Or children with bare feet upon the sands
Of some ebbed sea, or playing on the streets
Of little towns in Connacht,
Things young and happy.
And then my heart hath told me:
These will pass,
Will pass and change, will die and be no more,
Things bright and green, things young and happy;
And I have gone upon my way
Sorrowful.

Totus tuus

2009-09-30T08:45:00.001+01:00

On this day 30 years ago I got on a minibus along with about 12 other “young” people and travelled through the night to Ballybrit just outside Galway. We did not sleep on the journey as we were too excited about the event. On arrival we made our way through the 300,000 or so other people to the racecourse. It is impossible to paint a word picture to fully describe the scene. It was still dark and the lighting along the way was very dim. Some groups had guitars and were singing as they walked. We arrived at a area that was fenced off into a seeming endless number of corrals. On finding ours we sat down on the wet grass and tried to get a little rest. I woke up to a gray misty dawn. A well known bishop and a priest were on the stage trying to get people awake. Looking around I finally realized the size of the crowd. I will never see as many people in one place again. From horizon to horizon it was just people. It seemed that every teenager in Ireland was here, along with all the twenty somethings. As we waited being entertained by a bishop, who had fathered a child with an American divorcee and a priest who had a son with his housekeeper (unknown to us then), the fog slowly lifted. The drone of a helicopter became slowly audible and then it appeared through the mist. A white figure could be seen waving from the cockpit. The roar from the crowd drowned out all other noise, it later turned into singing.
The red helicopter circled before landing. The Pope had arrived.
Over the 2 and a half day period of his visit, Pope John-Pau II was seen by about 2.5 million people out of a population of about 3.5 million.
It was a turning point both for Ireland and the Catholic Church here. After his visit there was an upsurge in religious devotion. However 10 years later the revelations which would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church began to appear. Child sexual abuse, financial irregularities and political deals became the normal news for the Church. If there is such a thing as “peak oil” then perhaps this was peak faith.
Anyway, for me, these 3 days were an amazing adventure. I had witnessed something that never happened before and would never happen again. Everyone seemed to know what they had to do and did it.

De profundus

2009-09-16T19:51:00.001+01:00

It is never easy to listen. To hear, to understand and to empathise all take time and effort. We are so busy with our own personal worlds that to reach out and touch someone else’s’ take a huge leap of love that for many it is a leap too far. We may know people who can do it but even if we are surrounded by friends, there is no certainty there will be one among them who can make this connection. I knew a man who could do just that. He was strong but understood weakness, he was determined but understood uncertainty and he was practical but knew love. I saw first hand how he saved people from themselves. People who had given up on their lives were given another chance through his ability to listen.
He is no longer here.
The Summer has given way to the chill evening wind of Autumn. The trees have chosen a warm red brown coat before the final Winter sleep. Branches are heavy with fruit, some good and some bad. The heavy musty smell of decaying leaves is on its way. All goes back to the good earth. Dust to dust.

A man for all seasons

2009-09-08T11:37:00.002+01:00

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilís.

Perseid shower

2009-08-12T19:38:00.002+01:00

I got my hopes up today that the forecast for "clear spells" would mean a view of the Perseid shower tonight. The forecast was wrong and it is just another cloudy evening here. On the positive side it is not raining!! It is a very long time ago since my cousins decided to camp out one night in August to see this event. Even at a young age I was interested in seeing the meteors, but not crazy enough to camp out,lol. My best sighting was by accident one night. I was, along with my father and brother, looking for some lost cattle. We found them and brought them back to their field. I was closing a gate when I saw a large fireball streak across the star lit sky. What amazed me most was the silence. It vanished like a quenced candle. A few years ago one actually landed a few miles from home. A lot of people searched for any remains and some were found. Such is the interest that a small rock of this material can be quite valuable.If I ever win the lottery one of my dreams is to have a good telescope and maybe even a small observatory. Anytime I have been abroad I try to identify the consellations in a "new" sky. I think everyone should take time to see the night sky. It was a familar sight to our ancestors for hundreds of thousands of years and we too should enjoy it's beauty.

A rare bird

2009-07-16T22:34:00.001+01:00

Occasionally in life we get to experience something we previously only dreamed about. In the past few years providence has smiled on me in this regard. The latest event was last night at 23:30.
At 23:00 the space shuttle Endeavour took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA. A few minutes later it jettisoned the two solid rocket boosters which landed by parachute in the Atlantic to be picked up by the US navy. About 20 minutes later it dropped off the huge external fuel tank. At this stage it was in orbit and the fuel tank burned up in the atmosphere. I went outside around 23:15. I was not expecting to see anything as the weather is very bad with lots of clouds. However, as if by magic or some other power, the skies cleared just enough to see some of the brighter stars. I waited. Then like a bright diamond in the sky, it appeared. The shuttle was like a very bright star as it reflected the rays of the sun on the dark Earth below. It is a sight I have seen before a number of times. What I saw next though was truly fantastic. The external tank now separated from the shuttle was moving just behind it in the sky. The tank had a rusty brown hue. Not as bright as its companion but still very visible. It was as if the shuttle had a lantern hanging from it as it made its celestial voyage. It is a sight I thought I would never see but, thanks to the many postponements of the launch due to weather issues, now I have realised a dream. At a time when I don’t feel so great , it was like a light shining in my darkness

Rememberence

2009-05-25T19:20:00.001+01:00

Anyone looking at news from Ireland over the past few weeks will have seen the release of a major report into the abuse of children in various institutions and schools in Ireland from about the 1930’s to the 1980’s. During that time children were put into “care” as they were deemed to be in danger. The danger varied from the parents’ poverty, having an unmarried /widowed parent or living in an “immoral” home. Some children were sent to industrial schools for stealing or missing school. Violence and brutality were common tools used to control the inmates. Shocking in itself this was not the worse aspect of the treatment dished out in these, for all practical purposes, prisons. Sexual abuse and rape also became part of daily life for many children. Boys who were removed from society for fear of their moral lives were instead forced to suffer the worse evil that men in long black gowns had the capacity to imagine. Instead of being made to face this evil most of these people were moved on and the events hushed up. It was easier for those in authority to ignore it than admit to the atrocities that were being committed.
Some of these men were members of the Christian Brothers. One in particular became more infamous than most. He was asked to leave the Brothers when he first started abusing young boys. He moved from one school to another across Ireland. Each time he would start abusing a child, he would be moved on and given an excellent reference. As soon as a parent complained about his inappropriate behaviour, he moved on. When I started secondary school, he was teaching there. He had been there for a few years. I was lucky because he was only there for my first year. I remember him as a violent man who lost his temper and hit out with his fist for little or no reason. At a time when few parents had cars, he was always available to give lifts for after school activities like GAA, drama, debates etc. He was well dressed, well groomed and “smelled” clean. A lot of kids going to school would not have a very high standard of hygiene and so his clean smell was noticeable. He left after my first year. We did not know why but were more than happy that this tyrant was gone. I recently discovered that he left due to a parent complaining about his behaviour towards a child. I also discovered that he got a glowing reference from the school head. His violent and bullying behaviour was not lost on some of the older boys in the school. They copied his example and practiced it on the younger boys. Over the years it got less endemic but it left scars that for some would never heal.
All nations have something in their history that is shameful. Perhaps this is ours. What can be learned? Maybe it is that when something is wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the duty to do so. Everyone, teachers, religious, police, judiciary, politicians and even organisations whose role was to protect children, played a part in this. Healing can only begin when all accept their role and ask forgiveness.

Wish

2009-05-11T15:05:00.001+01:00

We'll do it all, everything, on our own
We don't need anything or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world

I don't quite know how to say how I feel
Those three words are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
I need your grace
to remind me
to find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes
They're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
I just know that these things
Will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world

Sometimes i hear lyrics that match my feelings. This is one of those moments.

Initial report on Barcelona

2009-05-05T19:41:00.005+01:00

I recently returned from a 10 day vacation in Barcelona. It was my first time in Spain. Like all Irish people the first thing I noticed was the heat. The temperature was in the low twenties and very pleasant for me. Barcelona is a city of open spaces, unusual architecture, beautiful fountains and Irish pubs! It seems nowhere escapes the march of the Irish pub :)
One negative aspect of my visit was a certain Kilimanjaro restaurant in Placa de Catalunya. It is in a major transport and tourist hub of the city. In it I found the rudest waiter I ever met, some of the worst food I ever tasted and a hefty bill at the end of it.
My favourite excursion was to Montjuic via the cable-car from Torre Jaume 1. The view was fantastic and Montjuic is also near the Olympic stadium.
Barcelona must the capital of Museums because there is one for almost everything. From chocolate to wax and from ethnology to ceramics, it would be almost impossible not to find one that would be of interest. The Zoo in Barcelona is one of the best I’ve seen and the dolphin show is amazing. Speaking of which, the aquarium is excellent also. It was the first time I saw the most unusual angel fish which looks more like a swimming head than a complete fish. The public transport system is excellent and simple, even I could figure it out :D
In many ways Barcelona could be described as Gaudi’s city. His style is stamped on the city through such buildings as the Sagrada Familia Church, Casa Batllo and Parc Guell.
Not all the architecture in Barcelona appealed to me. The Arc de Triomf for example just looks bad. The one in Bucharest is much nicer, even with the scaffolding!
A word of warning. If you are a shopaholic do not visit El Corte Ingles at the top of Placa de Catalunya. It is a multi-story temple to shopping. There is a saying that if you can’t find something in El Corte Ingles then it does not exist. I won’t name names here but I know some people who could spend a lifetime in this shop ;)
More later...

Deanta na firinne

2009-05-04T23:21:00.004+01:00

It has been a while since I posted. It is a bit late for me and I will start working in a new place tomorrow. I will say more about recent events in a later post. For the moment I will just say that I was in Barcelona for 10 days. It is a nice city, though not as nice as some of the advertising claims. It was not as I expected, but then life never has been. Anyway time for some shut-eye. Nite.

P45

2009-04-02T18:16:00.000+01:00

I got my P45 today. It is similar to the “pink slip” in the USA. It is the document that an Irish employer gives to an employee who leaves the company. Recently it has become a familiar document for tens of thousands of Irish workers. Luckily, for me, I am leaving for another job. After 10 years and 7 months, today’s silence was a surprise to me. I was amazed by the way people I worked for, effectively ignored this major event in my work career. In spite of the many times I burned the midnight oil to ensure targets and goals were met, today it seems to have not mattered. My work colleagues talked about it of course. I am lucky to have worked with such nice people. At the end of the day it is the people we work with than those we work for are the most important. Tomorrow I start in my new job. No rest for the wicked!!!!!

Mother's day

2009-03-25T19:41:00.002Z

Last Sunday was Mother's day. During the afternoon I was in the local hospital visiting a relative. She was in a ward with three other patients. One was a girl in her late teens. She was paralysed, unable to speak and unable to feed herself. Her mother was there with her. She was feeding her with a plastic spoon. Mother's Day is not about cards or gifts or being guilty about not treating the person who gave us life with the respect she deserves. It is about acknowledging our mothers and appreciating them, not just for one day but always.

Surprise

2009-03-12T20:57:00.002Z

I guess I will never learn! I know I should not post without thinking about what I am trying to say but sometimes the thoughts just want to jump out on the page. I will begin by saying what I know about love could be written on the back of a postage stamp and still leave room for the combined works of Shakespeare. A great and wonderful aspect of love is the feeling it brings when one is with a loved one. I won't wate time trying to describe it. If you have felt it you know what I mean. The flip side is the emptyness of separation . The empty void is filled with concern, worry and even doubt. The days of being apart feel like weeks or months. As each day passes time seems to move in a slow almost still manner. Dreams turn to nightmares and the yearning for contact becomes overpowering.
Anyway time I went to bed. Good night.

“All goodness is prerequisite on a full belly; no man knows what hunger will make him do”

2009-02-23T22:37:00.001Z

I went into the city centre this evening on a shopping trip, but as Bono would say “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. I took the opportunity to check out the Transylvanian Restaurant in Henrietta Street. It was closed. They must have found out I was coming, lol. Not surprising really as all my Romanian contacts were also silent today. Maybe it is a holiday I don’t know about. Having resigned myself to no mamaliga, ciorba, or even sarmale, I ambled down Capel Street, passed myriads of Asian themed restaurants and one Turkish one, finally arriving at Ristorante Romano. I rang the bell and went in.
The Restorante Romano is not a great place to eat. It has nostalgic value as it is the first restaurant I ever went to. Compared to the prices in other restaurants in Dublin, it has bargin basement value. The food , however, is more Sloppy Joe than Cordon Bleu. The bill came to 25 Euro for soup, salmon with vegetables, and (just to keep the healthy aspect at bay) a banana split, all washed down with orange juice.
I had not been here for over 5 years. The first time I went was about 22 years ago. Back then it had an all Irish staff, then it changed to Italian workers and now it is Philippine waiters who welcome diners. Its main attraction is the relaxing quietness, mostly due to the lack of customers. When the restaurant was first opened, bicycle racing such as the Tour de France was very popular, and the walls are generously decorated with photographs of the Irish heroes of that era along with their Italian counterparts. We could do with some heroes now, all I see on the TV news are villains in fancy suits.
Good night and thanks for taking time to read this.

A Friend

2009-02-19T23:14:00.003Z

A Friend
is someone that everyone needs,
A Friend
is someone you tell everything.
A Friend
is someone who always listens.
A Friend
is someone you never lie to.
A Friend
is someone who is always there.
A Friend,
is someone who tells you what you need to be told.
A Friend,
never lets you down.

Dacă tăceai filosof rămâneai

2009-02-16T20:24:00.002Z

It pretty much sums up a lot about me. The times I should stay silent I usually speak. I have to admit i find it a bit weird here. I thought I would be posting much more but things get in the way and I find that weeks pass by and I have not posted. It is very depressing everywhere at the moment. Every country is lamenting the economic disaster. The politicians are blamed for not seeing it coming and doing something about it. The bankers are blamed for being greedy. Millions are losing their jobs and factories are vanishing faster than snuf at a wake.At the end of it all we are still the same people. And the only people to get us through this is ourselves. I have a fear. I fear that some people will look for scapegoats, look for someone to "blame". That is always the easy option because if we really want to see who carries the greatest responsability , we need only look in the mirror.

Good people and beautiful country

2009-02-03T22:08:00.002Z

I will go back there and see it again. It is beautiful;

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=mYuZVyYyksw

Some videos of Retezat National Park;

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=mYuZVyYyksw

Three years ago I was looking forward to a trip to Romania, little realising that I was embarking on a journey that would eventually lead to a profound change in my life.
Noapte buna.

Back

2009-01-05T22:33:00.002Z

Sorry for not posting for the past month or so. I was very busy coming up to Christmas and New Year. Happy New Year to everyone!!!!
It was a very different Christmas and New Year for me. I was very happy. One measure of how happy I was is the fact that when the reason for my happiness was no longer with me, I felt so empty. The proximity of one human being determines, more than anything else, how I feel. The problem is that we are mostly over 2,500kms from each other, and in the words of a good friend of mine, it sucks. But, short of winning the lottery, I can't see how we can get get closer.
It is very cold here tonight, down to -6 degrees. After years of mild winters it looks like we are finally getting a "normal" one. Over the weekend I saw a flock of about a dozen blackbirds feeding on the slowly rotting windfall apples in the small orchard at the rear of my parents house. It was interesting to see a trush in among them. It bullied his/her way around the blackbirds. A robin flew into the house and I had to open the front door to encourage it to fly out.
Anyway back to my normal life . My heart is in the care of someone 2,500kms away, but I know we will be together again. Good night evryone and stay safe.

Why worry

2008-11-30T23:38:00.002Z

http://www.imeem.com/bennyv/music/H5G9Zyke/dire_straits_why_worry/

Baby I see this world has made you sad
Some people can be bad
The things they do, the things they say
But baby I'll wipe away those bitter tears
I'll chase away those restless fears
That turn your blue skies into grey

Why worry, there should be laughter after the pain
There should be sunshine after rain
These things have always been the same
So why worry now

Baby when I get down I turn to you
And you make sense of what I do
I know it isn't hard to say
But baby just when this world seems mean and cold
Our love comes shining red and gold
And all the rest is by the way

Why worry, there should be laughter after pain
There should be sunshine after rain
These things have always been the same
So why worry now

Polyglot

2008-11-23T23:03:00.002Z

O singura limba nu ajunge niciodata.
L'amour comprend toutes les langues .
Ta me i-ngra leat.
Te amo.

Eist

2008-11-22T23:53:00.000Z

Maybe I am getting old but I find people tend to listen less now . It amazes me how many people think that hearing and listening are the same. It is very easy to hear, you just have to remain silent. In order to listen you must concentrate on what someone is saying and try to understand what they mean. I have fallen into the trap of thinking I was listening but in reality I was just hearing. It is quite a shock to realise that. It is also a shock to realise that people I thought were listening, were just hearing. Lets all try to listen more.

Genesis

2008-11-10T18:36:00.002Z

There is a series on TV about the American space program. It covers the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. I was lucky enough to see the pictures of the first man stepping on the moon in 1969. I was only 7 but I was amazed by the images. It was then the first stirrings of interest in astonomy, astro-physics and airplanes came into my head. I wanted to know more about the events I was seeing. I wanted to know what was out there and why I was here. I wanted to know how we were able to get to the moon and what the moon was made of(It was not cheese by the way :P ) My interests never amounted to more than a hobby. I had neither the intelligence or the money to pursue my interests in a professional arena. I find the big bang theory, the "missing" dark matter in the universe and black holes fascinating topics. I have witnessed a partial solar ecipse here in Ireland. I was in Bucharest when another partial eclipse occured on 1st August this year but I discovered that even a solar eclipse can itself be eclipsed by something much more important, Love.
Have a safe night everyone.

Remember

2008-11-04T19:44:00.002Z

This is a sad time of year for me. Sad because I lost someone close to me in this month. Sad also because it is a month that reminds me that no one can really share our sorrow. We must carry our pain alone and come to terms with it alone. Sorry about the depressing post.
Some good news. Today is election day in the USA. At last we will not have to suffer the wall to wall coverage of American politics for another 4 Years. Yipeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Celtic New Year

2008-10-30T17:38:00.002Z

Happy Celtic New Year everyone!!!!
As you know the Celts originated around central/eastern europe and spread westward as far as Ireland. Finally they survived in only Ireland, Scotland and isolated areas of France and Spain. Their new year season was called Samhan. Later in Christian times it became known as Halloween, the eve of All-Hallows (All-Saints) The Irish and Scotish emigrants brought over the festival with them to America and it grew from that. It is the night that the spirits of the dead were allowed to walk again with the living. They visited the houses and families they had left behind. Food and drink were often left out for them.
Hope the new year is a good one for you!
Slan

The pale moon

2008-10-16T19:31:00.002+01:00

An almost full moon is shining through my bedroom window as I write . At this time of year the rising full moon coincides with my return to Dublin on a Sunday evening. The brownish red orb hangs over the orange glow of the capital city. When I first made this journey the orange glow was much smaller. Now it creats an artificial horizon which dims all but the brightest of stars. Bad news for the astronomer.
It is easy to be nostalgic. Easy to wish for certain memories and to banish others. All life grows and all life dies. Death is as much part of life as birth. We just have to make the most of it.
Good night and if you are near someone you love, give them a hug and let them know.

A wish

2008-10-13T17:57:00.002+01:00

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

A song sung best, in my opinion,by Bob Dylan. You are probably not old enough to know him. Have a safe night everyone.

Cycles

2008-10-11T23:19:00.001+01:00

Each season has its own scent. Now the scent of autumn permeates the air. The damp musty decaying smell of leaves on the wet ground combines with the morning mist rising from the river valley. The earth is covered in a cold blanket as the richness of summer growth slowly gives way to the dark death of winter. It is part of the cycle of life. Without it there would be no rebirth in spring. Nature’s miracle is taken for granted by many, but it is a miracle to which even humanity must bow.

Week End

2008-10-05T20:51:00.002+01:00

I was driving back to Dublin this evening and three songs were played on the radio one after the other. They pretty much summed up how I felt.

http://www.clevver.com/music/video/14976/snow-patrol-chasing-cars.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pVihntUEVw

http://www.last.fm/music/Eagles/+videos/+1-LijYqUCvGW4

The end of an eventful and at times emotional weekend. As they say "tomorrow is another day". Have a safe night everyone.

Mom

2008-10-04T22:34:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow is my mother’s birthday. We are all going for a meal (lunch) to a local hotel restaurant. It’s been a long time since everyone was together. A special day for a special person.

The end of my day

2008-10-03T23:37:00.001+01:00

I won’t bore you with my thoughts this evening but here is something that came into my mind as I drove home.
“A drift of fine mist settles on the cattle feeding in the ditches and leaves a sheen on the grass.
Drooping by the driveway the bedraggled crows are flapping home through skies of lead and in the far away a rumble of thunder threatens”
Today I can identify with those crows.
Hello 47.

Changes

2008-10-03T08:09:00.001+01:00

As I get older I find that life holds more surprises than I imagined, some good, others not.
Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!

Pan's labyrinth

2008-09-28T23:07:00.002+01:00

Just saw a film called Pan's Labyrinth. See it if you get a chance. It is the best film I have seen.

Star stuff

2008-09-27T23:37:00.000+01:00

After weeks of almost constant cloud cover and seemingly incessant rain we finally got a week of sunshine. We have not had such weather since the start of June. It is amazing how different everywhere looks in the sunshine. The autumn colours are here now. The summer blanket of green is replaced by the patchwork quilt of browns, reds, yellows and oranges. Clear days also mean clear nights. At last I can see Cassiopeia, Ursa Major (and Minor), Cygnus and even Orion. The Milky Way spreads itself like a celestial belt across the night sky. I have always found something deeply relaxing about the night sky. Everything appears ordered and pristine. It is aloof from the petty bickering on this tiny ball of rock. Humanity exists because of the stars. The elements of our bodies, the building blocks that make us what we are, are formed by the nuclear reactions within stars. We are the self conscious eyes of the universe. Perhaps the only ones or, more likely, just one of many species that look up at the night sky and wonder.

Up the Cats!!!

2008-09-07T23:40:00.000+01:00

Today Kilkenny won the All-Ireland senor hurling final. It was our 31st title making Kilkenny the most successful hurling county in Ireland. We also won the last two finals making this one the third in a row. What does it mean to me? I can’t answer that question because it is not something that can be rationalised, measured or defined. It is , like all the important moments in our lives, a feeling that must be experienced to be understood. It is not the World Cup, or the Olympics, or the Superbowl, or the World Series. It is much more important. At least for me and not only.

Events

2008-08-29T09:02:00.002+01:00

There is only one sport that I really like. The big day for that is Sunday week. Kilkenny are playing Waterford in the All -Ireland final. I am not going to bore you with details but for me all other sports pale in the face of an All-Ireland hurling final.Hopefully I will be able to get a ticket next week and go with the "usual" crowd. I apologise for not being more regular here. Life is getting more busy for me and I don't have the time to write here. I am not even sure how many people read this.Thank you for taking the time to check my blog and let me know what you think or if you would like me to talk about anything in particular. Have a good weekend.

New

2008-08-11T22:24:00.002+01:00

Life changes. It can be good or bad and all the shades in between. Right now , for me, it is better than I dreamed possible. I am happier than at any time in my life. It is not because of anything I have done. It is because of someone special in my life, someone truly wonderful.

Visit

2008-07-29T21:18:00.002+01:00

On Thursday I will be going to Bucharest. I will be meeting a very important person for the first time. I am really looking forward to it. Talk later.

Last day

2008-07-14T23:12:00.001+01:00

Thursday the 19th of June was the last day of the trip. Gabi and Cosmin had packed their luggage the previous night and since we had a few hours until the flight, we decided to visit the city centre for some final shopping and maybe see Trinity College. Time again proved to be our enemy and after a small foray into the shops of Grafton street we went back to the car and set out for the airport. We made good time on the road and arrived at the airport a little over two hours before the flight was due to take off. After being effectively robbed by Aer Lingus in excess baggage charges we headed for the departure area. Here I bade farewell to my friends. It was hard to believe we had spent two weeks together, time had moved so fast and there was so much more we had wanted to see. I watched Gabi and Cosmin go towards the security check and turned away to go back to the car.As I walked I thought about the last fortnight, the good and not so good. The best part for me was seeing Gabi again and meeting Cosmin, the worst part was not getting to see my nephew on his birthday. The best places were Dunquin and Doolin, the worst was Newgrange. I will miss the breakfasts, miss getting Cosmin’s fried tomato slices and giving Gabi my bacon(rasher). I will miss the company of friends.

Comments

2008-07-13T20:42:00.001+01:00

If anyone has a problem posting comments, you can email me at gerard_keane at yahoo dot com and i will post it here for you.

Almost last day

2008-07-13T20:40:00.001+01:00

Wednesday started off a beautiful sunny morning. We had decided to go to see Ireland’s Eye, a small island near Dublin bay. As I drove through Phoenix Park I spotted my sister and niece escorting a group of school children to the zoo. She got quite a surprise when she saw us! When we arrived at Howth harbour I tried to contact the ferry company. I got no reply. As we waited at the harbour I found out from some people there that the ferry only operated at weekends, so no Ireland’s Eye for us. We walked around a part of Howth head until some rain started , at which stage we went back to the car. Newgrange was our next stop. Despite heavy rain, closed roads and poor signage, we eventually arrived there. We could not enter though as tickets were only issued at a different place and a bus took people from there to the Newgrange site. By this time we were just fed up and went back to Dublin. I never drove through as heavy rain as that which feel on the road back to Dublin. We went to the city centre and Cosmin and Gabi went hunting …………………books! It was almost like looking at kids in a sweet shop, lol. We had dinner in a nice “Irish” restaurant in the Temple Bar area. On the way back to the car park I got soaked and , though I did not realise it at the time, I picked up a cold infection. I dropped the book addicts back at the hotel and went home to do some laundry

Eye on the sky

2008-07-10T17:35:00.001+01:00

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread upon my dreams.

These are the words of a poem called “He wishes for the cloths of heaven” by an Irish poet W B Yeats. They are written high on the walls of the main room in the Historic Science Centre at Birr castle. I had to study that poem in school. It was only later in life I understood what it means.
The centre and the demense are fascinating places, at least for me. It was the site of the world’s largest telescope in the mid 1800’s. As I looked at the huge structure that supported the telescope and at the technology that was used, I could not help but think of what was happening at that time. Inside the walls of this grand estate no money was spared in developing the latest technology in photography, optics and precision engineering in order to build this instrument while outside the walls a million people died from starvation and millions more were forced to leave their native land to survive.
Here is a link to the Birr castle website http://www.birrcastle.com/#

We moved on to Roscea and then set out for Dublin. My friends taking the opportunity to get some sleep on the way. On arrival in Dublin more shopping was done before dinner at The Vineyard in Blanchardstown. I dropped off my friends at the Castleknock hotel and drove back to my house

Goodbye to the west

2008-07-09T17:32:00.002+01:00

Today we headed inland. I was sorry to say goodbye to the west coast. I had hoped to see more of it but time again prevented me from getting beyond Galway. We crossed the Shannon at Shannonbridge and arrived in Clonmacnoise. If I thought the tourists yesterday were bad they were nothing to what I saw today. A "lady" had decided to walk her two dogs through the Conmacnoise site. As all dogs do they defecated and urinated, only this time it was on the graves of saints and schoolars. I later wrote to the office of Public works about it. It was simply not right and we should respect such sites not just for the money they bring in but more what they really are- monuments to the faith and civilization of our ancestors. Here again I saw the differences in people as an Italian man chided his son for not having respect when the kid jumped over a grave.
We later discovered a back way into the site as we looked for a way into Mongan bog.
The bog was more interesting than I expected. It consisted of two parts. One part is preserved the other is being harvested. I spoke with one of the train drivers whose train takes away the peat after it is cut and dried . The peat is used as garden compost or a a fuel for heating houses or powering electricity stations. It will very soon be a thing of the past as more bogs are being preserved and so peat ot turf as we call it will be left in the bogs, and rightly so. We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Birr and spent the night in the Ring farmhouse just outside the town.

Galway

2008-07-09T17:01:00.002+01:00

The next day we went into Galway city. We strolled around the city centre and went out to the Spanish arch. One amazing thing we witnessed was a street artist creating art with cans of spray paint and pages from magazines. At first it did not look like he was going to produce anything interesting, he almost looked unsure of what he was doing. In the end however he produced a fantastic painting. He was clearly highly talented and I hope he gets well rewarded for his work. We only stayed a short time in the city before moving on in search of good places to find waders. My guests suggested we go back early to the B&B as they felt I needed a more relaxing day to recover from the previous exertions. However for me it would have been "un pacat de moarte". It was a beautiful day, we were in a beautiful place and it would be simply wrong to spend our time indoors. So we went for a Burren "encore" We went to the dolmen at Poulnabron. One problem with tourists is that a small number do not respect the places they visit. A group had decided to ignore the signs asking people not to climb on the dolmen. When an American tourist pointed this out to them, they got off but not until they let themselves down even more by swearing at him.
We had dinner at Logues Lodge restaurant in Ballyvaughan. It is a nice place to eat and typical of an Irish pub/restaurant. The drive back to Galway was really pretty, the low setting sun highlighting the landscape that stretched before us. In the evening I managed to see a recording of the Kilkenny/Offaly hurling match. It was an easy victory for Kilkenny but still it was good to see.

Doolin to Oranmore

2008-07-08T18:10:00.005+01:00

I have to say the B&B in Doolin was the best of the trip. Our host was the most genuinely friendly and helpfull that we met. The previous lodgers had declined the Irish breakfast but not us :). I think we should have started an Irish Breakfast fan club,lol. The B&B is called Bay View on the Cliffs of Moher road. The host is Mrs Bridie Browne and her number is 353657074325. There is no website address . It is the only placed I stayed, apart from Coan of course, that I would want to stay again. It is open from May 1 to September 30.

It is a good thing the B&B was so good because this day was the longest and most tiring of the trip.

We started with a boat trip out to Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands. It was a beautiful day and the island was equally beautiful. We had less than 3 hours there, hardly enough to explore it. As we waited for the boat to bring us back to the mainland, some local teenagers gave a display of Irish dancing. Also an auction was held, in Irish. The auction was to sell bags of turf to help finance a traditional dancing group. We went on the optional trip by boat to the base of the Cliffs of Moher. It was interesting to see the cliffs from beneath but the boat ride was too rough and on balance not worth it.

The Burren is an unique habitat and the more Cosmin saw of it, the more he wanted to see,lol. We stopped for dinner in Gort.It was almost 11pm when we finally got to Oranmore and our lodgings for the night. I was exhausted .

Tralee to Doolin

2008-07-08T17:43:00.002+01:00

After a good Irish breakfast we set out for the ferry crossing at Tarbert. A route I took last August but I still managed to make a wrong turning,lol. We arrived at the Cliffs of Moher and spent some time walking along the Cliff top. I suppose I should be more impressed by such a spectacular place but I found the large number of tourists and the commercialisation just too much. I wanted to walk along the cliff top path just to get away from all the bustle. Thousands of sea birds flew back and forth from the cliffs as they searched for food to bring back to their nests on the rocks. Doolin is famous for it's tradional music and the pubs in the village have regular music sessions. Our accomodation for the night was a mile or two outside the village, which was the only fault I found with it. In the evening I walked out from the B&B to the roadside. It was a beautiful evening. The sun was setting behind a small cloud, a few rays finding holes through the nebula giving a red glow to the horizon. There was hardly a breeze. In the distance I could hear the faint sound of a dog barking mingled with the equally faint sound of traditional music. This was the Ireland I wanted to see. Not the Ireland of Dublin with it's mile after mile of car crowded roads, it's ceaseless din of noise, everyone in a rush and going nowhere. I woke early the next morning to catch the sunrise. The window of my bedroom got both the setting and rising sun, at least in June :)

Blaskets

2008-07-07T17:32:00.003+01:00

Camera shy bird!

Today we set out for Dingle. We had booked a trip to the Blasket Islands. Dingle has become more famous in recent years as the home of a dolphin. The locals call him Fungi. He is one of a number of solitary dolphins around the coasts of Europe and other parts of the world. No one really knows why these normally very social creatures should abandon their kind and live so close to people. Not all of them are safe to come in contact with but Fungi has so far been nothing but playful with people. Sure enough as the boat made it way out through Dingle bay, Fungi gave chase. First along beside the boat , then behind it. Cosmin had moved around the boat to get better photos of the many sea birds who passed back and forth. Gaby and I stayed at the back. I guess Fungi spotted us because he kept to our side of the boat, lol. He left us after a few minutes and I later saw him putting on a show for one of the many boats that go out to the middle of the bay just to see him. He has done more for tourism in Kerry and Ireland than most of the overpaid tourism executives. As we approached An Balscaod Mor(Great Blasket Island) we could see the ruins of the old village and a couple of new houses. The boat moved along in front of An Traigh Bhan (the white beach) and as it did we could make out the fins of basking sharks. We drifted over closer and we could see the large brown shapes of these creatures as they moved slowly in the water. A small group of seals popped their heads over the water to have a look at the humans in the boat and we also saw a young seal in a cave, lying on a rock, it's white fur making it stand out against the dark backround of the cave. We passed An Ceann dubh(The black headland) at the other end of An Blascaod Mor and on to Inis na Bro (Island of the Quernstone) where we saw the spectacular Cathederal Rocks, a series of narrow jagged high rocks . We were at the most westerly point of the most westerly island of the the most westerly country of western Europe. As the locals say" the next parish is America". On the journey back to Dingle Cosmin continued his seemingly eternal quest for photos of seabirds. On arrival we began the coastal drive to Dunquin. This has some very spectacular coastal views and I could have spent days in this area. However our destination tonight was Tralee. We stayed in Brook Manor Lodge. On her last visit in August ,Gaby described her room here as "the princess room" so I made sure she had the same room this time also, and this time she had a prince.

Killarney Day 2

2008-07-07T17:08:00.002+01:00

The next day we took a shortened version of the Ring of Kerry route. After Kenmare we turned at Sneem to take the mountain road to the Gap of Dunloe. On the way we passed close to Lough Brin. Unfortunately we did not have time to see it, so I can not confirm if the monster exists or not. Here is a link if you want to know more about the creature http://www.mysteryanimalsofireland.com/LKerry.htm
In spite of it's hundreds of thousands of yearly visitors the Gap of Dunloe still retains its rugged beauty. Even the town of Killarney has managed to avoid too much of the "plastic Paddy" disease. One unforseen incident did occur during our stay here. On our visit to the Torc waterfall a real leprechaun was seen. However I believe most people thought he was just some guy dressed up in a leprechaun suit. That is the great thing about such myths,even if he had a pot of gold coins and started counting them, everyone would still think it was someone playing a joke,lol. We spent the night in Killarney again.

Sos beag

2008-06-26T17:55:00.002+01:00

I am taking a little break in my trip report. When I return from a trip I am always keen to tell everyone about what happened. Even when I see people's eyes glaze over I still go on about it, lol. I like travelling, I like seeing new places, I like meeting new people, I like tasting new food but I also know it can be very boring to listen to such things. Good night dear reader.

Memories

2008-06-24T20:00:00.005+01:00

Words of advice

Exploring

Ballycotton

Ballycotton fishing port is like most small Irish fishing ports. The fish quota has been filled and the boats are floating idle in the harbour. The famous Ballycotton lifeboat, distinct in it’s red livery, bobbing up and down in the midst of the other boats. The masts now just providing perches for the sea birds. Our next stop was Barry’s Court Castle for a brief stop before the main attraction of the day, Fota Island. Fota Island is an island!!!!! It is also a sort of open zoo where many animals are allowed to mingle with each other and with visitors. It is in many ways an example of how a zoo should be. I would have liked to have stayed longer but there was a long drive ahead. We moved on to Cork city. It is many years since I was in Cork. To say that the place has changed would be an understatement. When I knew it first it was felt like a town, now it is a city. Even the pretty little village of Ballincollig is bypassed. We drove on towards Killarney, my two companions taking the opportunity to get some sleep on the way. We passed by the Paps and arrived in the effective tourist headquaters of Ireland, Killarney. The Torc waterfall and the Upper Lake were visited in the evening. For a while it looked like the boatman would not be there to take us around the lake, but he turned up eventually. He told us the legends about the lake and surrounding area. The journey out was tranquil but on the way back the wind picked up and conversation was impossible. We got off the boat at Five Mile Bridge. After dinner Cosmin and Gabriela retired for the night. I went for a walk back into Killarney. I saw the hotel my parents stayed in on their honeymoon almost 50 years ago. I will tell you a story about that. My parents were married in the month of January. When they arrived at the hotel there were not many guests nor were there many staff working there. Bathrooms adjoining bedrooms were a thing of the future, at least for this hotel. A basin, a jug of water and a chamber pot provided all the required conveniences. Unfortunately my parents room had not been fully cleaned after the last guest . The chamber pot required to be emptied. In the evening my parents came down stairs for tea. My Dad told a waitress that the previous guest in his room had left something behind. The waitress went to check the room expecting to find shoes, clothes or maybe a wallet.. For the duration of my parents stay anytime my parents met this waitress, she could hardly keep from laughing. That is about it for this evening. Good night dear reader.

Sunny South east

2008-06-23T18:18:00.004+01:00

New frontier

Christianity arrives in Ireland

Examining specimens

One of the places we visited on the Wexford coast was Lady Island. It is a popular pilgrimage site from August to September. It was considered a sacred place long before Christianity arrived on these shores. It is also a good area for bird watching. We also went to a Heritage Park where we saw the types of dwellings used in Ireland from the earliest known to about 800 years ago.
There is something refreshing about the sea air. I am not sure if it is the ozone or the salt but it seems so fresh and invigorating. It was also very curious to see the effect of waves compressing air on the rocky seashore at Hook Head. As the waves rushed in to fill the rocky crevices, the air was forced out in a spray of foam, water and air. On the more sandy shores Gabriela and Cosmin were fascinated by the variety of sea shells on the beach. We went on a short ferry ride,very short, from Arthurstown to Passage East. I did not even have time to get out of the car when we arrived at the other shore!!! We managed to take in most of the coast road to Ballycotton. We stopped for dinner in Youghal. I was exhausted when we arrived at the B&B in Ballycotton. The B&B was probably the worst we stayed in during the trip but I was happy to get to bed.

Trip continued

2008-06-22T22:00:00.003+01:00

View from Glenmaonass waterfall

View in the Wicklow mountains

We moved on to Glendalough (in English, the valley of the two lakes). It is the site of an old monastery founded by St Kevin in about the 5th century. Here is a link if you are interested in more information.
http://www.glendalough.connect.ie/pages/monastic/monastic.html
Even with lots of people around it still has an air of serenity about it. It is easy to see why St Kevin choose it. It now also forms part of Wicklow National Park. We were “attacked” by swarms of midges, small biting flies, which seemed particularly keen on sampling us!!!!. After a brief stop we continued on to Kilkenny via Leighlinbridge. The route we took was the same road my grandfather took over a hundred years ago from his home in Coan to where he worked as a carpenter in Wicklow county. Of course he did not walk it every day but every month or so he walked home and back. We stopped at a garden centre in Leighlinbridge to get some flowers for my mother and Gabriela helped me with the selection. She also bought some seeds of Irish flowers. Next stop was Kilkenny city. I had hoped to see my nephew as it was his second birthday but his Dad said he was too exhausted after a morning birthday party so we visited Kilkenny castle. It is one of the best preserved castles in Ireland but I have to admit it was only my second visit there and I have never seen the inside of it. We had dinner in Kilkenny city and went up into the hills to Coan where we would spend the night at my parents house.
My mother and father were at the door to welcome us as we arrived. The yellow roses were in bloom in the garden. They are the first of the roses to flower and I think they look more beautiful just before the flower opens as they have very pretty red streaks on the outside of the petals. I made tea as is traditional in Irish houses when visitors call. It also gave me an excuse to have some Jaffa cakes but don’t tell anyone :) . Later we went for a short walk. I intended to show Cosmin and Gabriela the river and waterfall at the back of the house but the fading light and challenging terrain conspired against it.
The next morning I made an Irish breakfast a la Gerry. Mom and Dad said goodbye and wished us well on our journey. The next destination was Rosslare on the County Wexford coast

Irish exploration

2008-06-19T16:06:00.008+01:00

Glenmaonass waterfall

Jeanie Johnston

For the past two weeks my friend Gabriela, her boyfriend Cosmin and I have been travelling around Ireland. It was Gabriela’s second visit and Cosmin’s first. They arrived in the early hours of Friday morning June 6.We went for a drive through the Phoenix Park around 1am to see the Fallow deer. At night they venture out on the main road through the Park and graze the grass along the side The first day was not too busy as both Cosmin and Gabriela had to recover from the flight and the very poor customer service from Aer Lingus. We started in Dublin where we visited the Phoenix Park and the zoo. Afterwards we spent some time along the River Liffey from the city centre out along the quays.Both Gabriela and Cosmin are photographers so they were keen to get photos of Ireland . Cosmin is also a Biologist and knows much more about Irish flora and fauna than I ever will. We saw a sailing ship called the Jeanie Johnston coming into dock along the quay side. It was great to see a ship I had heard so much about.

Here is a link to the website about her http://www.jeaniejohnston.ie/history.html
On Saturday we set out for the Wicklow mountains. It should be noted here that Irish mountains only go to a maximum height of about 1000 metres!! On the way Gabriela spotted a wild deer but it got camera shy when Cosmin got out to take a photo and went back into the forest. We stopped at Loch Bray Upper. It was a perfect day for a walk in the mountains and I was a little surprised that so few people were around. Cosmin got a bit too close to a Furze bush and got first hand knowledge on how sharp the needle-like leaves are. We drove on past the Sally Gap and stopped again at the Glenmaonass river waterfall. It is not a steep waterfall more like a rapids but still a beautiful sight.

Pause

2008-06-06T23:21:00.002+01:00

Ok this is my third attempt at writing this. I love my father. He is the kindest, most gentle, most loving person anyone could wish for. He spent most of his life working not for himself but for his family. I hope he will be around for many years to come.
Good night dear reader.

Equus caballus

2008-06-03T21:42:00.002+01:00

In our village my father was the second last farmer to use a horse for everyday farmwork. I did some work with the mare or pony as we called her. She was the most gentle pony anyone ever worked. She lost an eye as a foal, due to a kick from another horse. When my Dad bought her she was skin and bone but she soon put on some weight. Some of our neighbours still had horse ploughs etc and borrowed her from time to time. One neighbour got his daughter to collect the pony as she was walking home from school. She loved riding the pony home. I remember Dad saying how happy the girl looked when on returning the pony, he told the girl to keep her for another few days as he did not need her yet. It seems like all my cousins have been photographed on the pony’s back at one time or another.
My Uncle also had a mare. It was huge. I remember Dad lifting me up on her back. I must have been about 4 or 5 at the time. I could only sit on her back, it was too wide for me to hang my legs down each side. I was not scared because Dad kept a grip of my leg as I sat on what seemed like a living mountain.
I never used a saddle until last year. I was in Romania in July and got the chance to ride a horse there, thanks to my friend Gabi. I was keeping the horse back as she was trying to walk too close to the one in front. The guy in charge kept telling me to let the horse do what it wanted to do. He joked about having a race. It was obvious that I had not been on a horse for a very long time but I loved it.
We kept the pony long after she was unable to do any work. She finished her days in the company of an equally aged donkey. For me she was more than just another farm animal, but she was not a pet. She worked for her living and helped us earn ours.
Good night dear reader. Sleep well.

More School

2008-05-29T20:29:00.002+01:00

We had two rooms at the school for classes. Even though we had four classes in each room the teachers treated them as two classes. The Master would give one group some excercise to complete and teach the other group. When anyone was finished the exercise, they were invited to "sit in" on the other group. When I was in the younger group I loved to sit in on the older class. The Master would sit on a desk at the front so he could hear us and we could hear him without having to speak very loudly. We would have considered the Master the smartest man in the village but he made no secret of the fact that a neighbour of his was much smarter than him. The only reason the neighbour was not as educated was because his family could not afford it. This neighbour, and his wife, wrote poems about local events. Usually about important hurling matches but not only.
We had a herd of dairy cows, about 8 usually, sometimes 12. Mom and Dad milked them by hand. We kids used to bring the buckets of milk across the yard and pour it into churns. The churns were kept in a half barrel of cold water. The water came from a plastic pipe which in turn was supplied from a well on a hill in the field beside the house. We don't use the well anymore but it had the sweetest water I ever tasted. Dad would bring the churns down the lane to the road where a neighbour with a tractor and trailer would collect them . The neighbour would help Dad lift the 15 gallon (almost 70 litres) churns into the trailer. Dad has a story about lifting them by himself into a horses cart once! The usual neighbour was not going to the creamery in the village one morning. Another neighbour was passing with his horse and cart and churn. Dad asked him if he could put his churn in the cart. The neighbour make no comment, so Dad lifted the churn and put it in. The neighbour still made no remark but Dad went with him to the creamery.
I remember the sound of milk against the galvanised buckets as Mom and Dad milked the cows. I remember rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I emptied the buckets early on Summer mornings. I remember looking at the mice running along the top of the wall in the cow shed silhouetted against the rays of the rising sun. That world only exists now in my memory.

School

2008-05-27T22:12:00.000+01:00

My first taste of school was at the local village primary school. For the first four years I was taught by a kind lady who was very close to retiring. She was more a mother to her students than a teacher. She always made sure we were warm and if it was raining when we arrived to school, she took our coats and hung them to dry in front of the coal stove in the room. It was a two teacher, two room school. We learned to write with pencils and ink. The ink was in “ink wells” on the desks. We drank as much ink as we used I think,lol. She was a very religious woman and each morning we all knelt down to say prayers before starting class. It was in those years I brought my first “girl-friend” home. We have a farm and Daddy kept some pigs. One of the sows had a litter of piglets and I was allowed to stay with him as each little pig was born. On the way home from school the next day I asked a classmate if she would like to see something really great. She walked up the lane to my house and I took her over to the shed where the pigs were. I showed her the sow and little pigs. She did not share my enthusiasm, to put it mildly!
The last four years in primary school I spent under the tutelage of the “master”. He was very different from my first teacher. He gave us a good a foundation as he could in Maths and English. I remember he smoked cigars which came in a little metal box. As a prize he would give us the empty boxes. We were very proud to get those “trophies”. At the age of twelve I finished my education in the village school. The master shook our hands as we left the classroom for the last time and wished us all well .
I may post some more stories from the village school before I go on to my secondary school experiences . Bye for now.

Back again

2008-05-21T22:41:00.002+01:00

I have been remiss in blogging here.
In my life there are many "firsts" I remember with fondness. The first "classical" music I remember was Le Bolero by Ravel. I remember hearing it, on the radio as we had no record player, as my Mother worked in the kitchen. I must have been just 3 or 4 at the time. I knew the music long before I knew what it was called. I find it a very uplifting composition.
The first joke I remember was one Daddy told. I think I was about 8 or 9 years old. We had a power (electricity) fail. Daddy was getting a tilly lamp set up. We all sat around fascinated by this "magic" lamp. Daddy started to tell us a sort of ghost story. This is it. An elderly lady was being tormented by a couple of teenage boys. They would go to her house at night and rattle windows and doors. They pretended to be ghosts. She believed the house was haunted. She went to her local priest. He listened to her story and figured out that someone was playing tricks on her. He also had a good idea who was responsible. Deciding to speak with the boys parents the next day, he also decided not to tell the lady about it. Instead he gave her a large container of Holy Water, about a gallon, and told her to sprinkle some of it where she heard the noises and say "Satan I renounce you!" The lady still a bit nervous went back home with the Holy Water.
Later during the night, she again heard the windows rattling. She got a bit excited and encouraged by the possession of the Holy Water, opened the front door, ran over to the window and exclaimed "Keep back snotty nose or I will drown you!!!"
We fell around laughing.
Time I went to bed. Good night and sweet dreams.

Petal fall

2008-05-15T18:02:00.001+01:00

I have always considered this time of year both beautiful and sad. The early flowers on the cherry and blackthorn trees are shedding their petals. They are falling like confetti on sidewalks, hedges, fields and gardens. I think there is something magical ,almost spiritual ,about it .
Their short couple of weeks of glory is over. Now lots of other trees and shrubs are flowering. The cherry and blackthorn disappear in the green background.
As I listen to the constant murmur of traffic on the M50 my mind is elsewhere. I am in the countryside, looking at the fresh green of the grass and trees; hearing a distant cuckoo, seeing magpies squabbling, and scenting the aroma of the furze bushes. Simple things, some might say even common things but still beautiful. Anyway, tomorrow I get to go home for the weekend and hopefully get to enjoy the beauty.
Thank you for spending time here.

Analysis

2008-05-12T20:30:00.003+01:00

It is difficult to describe one but I will try by using the words other people have used about me, and the definition of the words
Nice: adjective meaning pleasant, commendable, kind or friendly.
Nice is the most common word used by people to describe me. Sometimes it is used because people can’t think of a more precise word. Other times it is followed by an inevitable….but…. It is a word used by people in work and socially. I am not sure I deserve the accolade. I just think I am being normal.
Naïve: adjective meaning having or expressing innocence and credulity.
The second most common word used. It is funny that one person who used it about me, laughed when I claimed to be an innocent Irishman!!!,lol. I believe that the vast majority of people we meet in our lives are good, honest, and decent, and that is how I treat the people I meet.
Silly: adjective meaning lacking in good sense or absurd.
Again I am sometimes guilty of this charge. We should all be guilty from time to time or life would be very boring. I love being able to be silly, I love the joy that comes from it and I love the freedom to experience it.
Smart: adjective meaning astute, clever or bright.
Ok I will wait a moment for the inevitable laughter to die down……………................................................................
And the giggles…………………………………………..
Yes, believe it or not, it is used quite a bit about me. Again I am not sure if I deserve it. There are many times I wished I was a lot smarter.
Quiet: adjective meaning the state of being silent.
I don’t talk a lot. Sometimes that annoys people and other times people prefer it; a good note on which to end this self-analysis.
By the way I am expecting comments on this!!!!

Sunny Days

2008-05-08T18:01:00.000+01:00

The past few days have been fantastic. The weather could not have been better. I am hoping it can be repeated next month when I will be on vacation. The Phoenix Park is looking it's best now and the lines of flowering Horse Chestnut trees are magnificent. It was a bit chaotic there yesterday evening. Lots of traffic and a new Taoiseach (Prime Minister) getting his seal of office , along with his new ministers. For those who do not know, the President of Ireland lives in a house in the Park and she gives the various seals of office to the new government ministers.
Life is full of surprises, some good and others not so good. I think we need to keep hoping no matter what dark clouds might lie ahead. Life never remains the same and it is very easy to fall into the trap of wishing for past experiences or moments to be relived. The past is over, the future is unknown, all we can do is live in the present and make the most of it.
Goodnight dear reader.

Friend

2008-04-30T23:03:00.000+01:00

http://solosong.net/friend.html
One of the most abiding memories I have of my secondary school days is when I was in 5th year. Our class went on a weekend retreat. On the bus home someone played this song on a tape recorder. We held hands and sung along with it.

First

2008-04-11T10:40:00.000+01:00

My first post here. Not sure how this will pan out but let's see. Who knows it may even be interesting :)