Posted by
towniegirl
comments (0)
I don't think I've ever waited so long for the weekend. It hasn't been a bad week, but it's been one that seemed to go on and on, especially because I've been saving so's to go out as much as possible.
I've got tickets to this. Now sold out! I've heard that they're great. I love the bodhran. There's something really primeval about the sound; it gets into your bones and makes you feel wild and excited. I don't know how long people have been playing bodhrans, but there's something very elemental about them and it's easy to imagine wild-eyed celts beating out rhythms through the millenia!
OK, getting carried away!
That was the only paid event I could really afford, but there seem too be lots of free things on too.
Als, I found out that there will be a festival of Russian culture, music etc. on soon, which sounds like fun. There are quite a few Russian-slash-east-european stores around the city, and I have, ahem, sampled their wares. OK, mostly vodka, beer and wine from Georgia. But still. Doing my bit to support gastronomic diversity in this fair city. And then, after that, the Film Festival. Colin Farrell is going to be there!!!
The funny thing is, I've had so many "wait a minute, is that Colin Farrell?" moments since moving to Dublin. But I don't know whether I've ever actually really seen him. That guy is just so Irish looking. A good example of Irish male pulchritude of course (work of the week) but not an unusual one! In fact, my Boyfriend looks a bit similar, but with longer hair. And more handsome.
I've got tickets to this. Now sold out! I've heard that they're great. I love the bodhran. There's something really primeval about the sound; it gets into your bones and makes you feel wild and excited. I don't know how long people have been playing bodhrans, but there's something very elemental about them and it's easy to imagine wild-eyed celts beating out rhythms through the millenia!
OK, getting carried away!
That was the only paid event I could really afford, but there seem too be lots of free things on too.
Als, I found out that there will be a festival of Russian culture, music etc. on soon, which sounds like fun. There are quite a few Russian-slash-east-european stores around the city, and I have, ahem, sampled their wares. OK, mostly vodka, beer and wine from Georgia. But still. Doing my bit to support gastronomic diversity in this fair city. And then, after that, the Film Festival. Colin Farrell is going to be there!!!
The funny thing is, I've had so many "wait a minute, is that Colin Farrell?" moments since moving to Dublin. But I don't know whether I've ever actually really seen him. That guy is just so Irish looking. A good example of Irish male pulchritude of course (work of the week) but not an unusual one! In fact, my Boyfriend looks a bit similar, but with longer hair. And more handsome.
Posted by
towniegirl
comments (2)
I'm getting really very psyched about the upcoming traditional music festival in Temple Bar this weekend. My friend Saoirse was laughing at me about it. Everyone's a critic. But really. Dubliners don't realise how lucky they are. It's January. It would be so easy to just sit back and wait until Spring but no: a festival featuring lots of OUTDOORS events as well as indoors ones. There's a parade. My Boyfriend is taking his little daughter along. Apparently her Mom has said "no girlfriends allowed" so I won't be meeting him until later, when she's gona back home. But I will still see the parade. And I'll go listen to all the jigs and reels. I really wish I was more musical. This girl seriously can't carry a tune. I've been saving really hard so's to have enough money to got out all weekend long: so much so that I can now conclude I've put away more than enough and can actually afford to go out for breakfast, which I'm gonna do now. I've been in college for an hour and a half and it's chilly so a big cooked breakfast is what I have in mind. I've texted my buddy and she's going to meet me at Cornucopia, which is one of my new favourites on the grounds that as it's all super-healthy and vegetarian, I can basically eat as much as I like and it doesn't count. Right? Agreed?
Still waiting to hear from Uncle Joey. He told me he had "big news" but has remained ominously silent ever since. I'm guessing he's gotten back with his wife. Let's hope so.
Still waiting to hear from Uncle Joey. He told me he had "big news" but has remained ominously silent ever since. I'm guessing he's gotten back with his wife. Let's hope so.
Posted by
towniegirl
comments (2)
On Mondays, I usually write about the weekend just gone. But this week, it's really all about next weekend.
Next weekend sees Dublin's Traditional Music Festival. Something I love here is that traditional music is cool, and people see no disconnect at all between loving traditional music and also loving goth, or metal, or electronic, or...whatever. In fact, a lot of musicians seem to play in different genres. The result is that trad is young. As in, there are older players, of course, but it's not like it's FOR older players coz you can be 18 or 23 and tattooed and pierced and whatever and still whip our your bodhran or your fiddle and get down to it. It also means that while some of the traditional music is centuries old, it's also new; they are still making new stuff all the time. I love it. The music is great where I'm from too but, honestly, I don't think the Irish realise how lucky they are to live in a country where the traditional music just goes right on evolving alongside the culture and where it wouldn't strike anyone as weird to see a Doom Patrol CD on the shelf beside "20 Best Irish Reels" or something.
Anyway, because I want to go to town in the Trad Fest, I kept a low profile this weekend and spent as little money as possible. Plus, my Boyfriend's Dad is going to be playing with his band somewhere next weekend (not sure if it's part of the Trad Festival or an unrelated trad gig) and I think that we might finally meet. I'm hoping it'll go better than with his Mom.
So this weekend, all I did was have a Nice Meal In (OK, fish and chips from Beshoffs, not my usual home-made soup) with my Boyfriend on Friday and a movie Saturday. Up in the Air at Cineworld. Nice, but melancholy. Made a note to myself to be sure to settle down with someone by the time I'm 33 at the oldest. Would not like to be old and alone like George Clooney's character. Doesn't look pretty.
Got the strangest note from Uncle Joey. He's back home now. He said he had a great time and "Dublin and Ireland gave me a lot to think about." With all the drinking that went on, I don't know how thinking got much of a look-in!
Next weekend sees Dublin's Traditional Music Festival. Something I love here is that traditional music is cool, and people see no disconnect at all between loving traditional music and also loving goth, or metal, or electronic, or...whatever. In fact, a lot of musicians seem to play in different genres. The result is that trad is young. As in, there are older players, of course, but it's not like it's FOR older players coz you can be 18 or 23 and tattooed and pierced and whatever and still whip our your bodhran or your fiddle and get down to it. It also means that while some of the traditional music is centuries old, it's also new; they are still making new stuff all the time. I love it. The music is great where I'm from too but, honestly, I don't think the Irish realise how lucky they are to live in a country where the traditional music just goes right on evolving alongside the culture and where it wouldn't strike anyone as weird to see a Doom Patrol CD on the shelf beside "20 Best Irish Reels" or something.
Anyway, because I want to go to town in the Trad Fest, I kept a low profile this weekend and spent as little money as possible. Plus, my Boyfriend's Dad is going to be playing with his band somewhere next weekend (not sure if it's part of the Trad Festival or an unrelated trad gig) and I think that we might finally meet. I'm hoping it'll go better than with his Mom.
So this weekend, all I did was have a Nice Meal In (OK, fish and chips from Beshoffs, not my usual home-made soup) with my Boyfriend on Friday and a movie Saturday. Up in the Air at Cineworld. Nice, but melancholy. Made a note to myself to be sure to settle down with someone by the time I'm 33 at the oldest. Would not like to be old and alone like George Clooney's character. Doesn't look pretty.
Got the strangest note from Uncle Joey. He's back home now. He said he had a great time and "Dublin and Ireland gave me a lot to think about." With all the drinking that went on, I don't know how thinking got much of a look-in!
