Articles tagged ‘Miscellanea’
On being Irish
By Seán | July 30th, 2007 |
2 Comments »
I was reading a newspaper article in the Westmeath Independent the other week that stated, “More than one in seven of Athlone population is now non-Irish.”
In the article it delineated the major groups of foreign nationals and stated that there were 91 “Americans” (although I’m sure the paper meant “United States citizens” and didn’t mean [...]
Riverdance, anyone?
By Seán | July 28th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
Did you know I have never posted anything about Riverdance?
Did you know that the two stars of Riverdance (Michael Flatley and Jean Butler) were born and raised in the United States?
Round Ireland with a Fridge - Tony Hawks
By Seán | July 28th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
It’s hard not to applaud the idea behind this book. It’s also not hard, halfway through it, to get a little annoyed by the narration.
This book is actually British non-fiction describing the autobiographical journey of Tony Hawks as he attempts to fulfill a drunken bet he made with his friends to hitchhike around Ireland with [...]
Irish work party
By Seán | July 28th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
So last Christmas I described the anatomy of an Irish christmas party. I recently experienced another type of party: the Irish going-away work do.
Posing there in Sean’s beer garden under the old sign are myself, Guy Noir and the editor.
The evening started out innocently enough at Kin Khao Thai where we partook in some [...]
Rain, Rain go away . . .
By Seán | July 27th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
In Ireland there is always an awful lot of talk about the weather. It’s the natural perogative. After all, there is an Irish saying,
“If you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes.”
Aside from being generally wetter than other places, the Irish climate’s consistency consists of its inconsistency. However, as you may have [...]
R.E.M. in the midlands?
By Seán | July 26th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
Do you recall back last October when rumours that Michael Jackson was in Ireland to do some recording with Black-Eyed Peas Will. I. Am. were floating about (rumours later confirmed)? Well, now it would seem that R.E.M. are in the neighbourhood, visiting Grouse Lodge, the same studio that Jackson and Mr. Am were in (did [...]
New Adult Shop in Athlone
By Seán | July 24th, 2007 | 3 Comments »
It’s not something the Irish have traditionally been known for. Even today, it’s fairly rare to find an “adult shop” in an Irish town. Off the cuff I’d venture to say Athlone may be the only midlands town with a dedicated “adult” shop.
When the first one opened up a couple of years ago there were [...]
Sesame Street as Gaeilge!
By Seán | July 24th, 2007 | 1 Comment »
So we have been watching an awful lot of Sesame Street here in our house. Sesame Street or, “EH-MO!” as the munchkin refers to it.
Imagine my excitement when I saw that Ireland’s Irish television network is going to produce a version of the show here in Ireland as gaeilge and are currently holding auditions for [...]
Irish Pot Heads
By Seán | July 21st, 2007 | Add a Comment »
Yes, the rest of the world is doing it and Ireland is no exception. Last night at midnight the local corporate bookshop held a Harry Potter release giving away free t-shirts, books and, most importantly, copies of the final installment of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series at half price.
At 5pm there was a queue forming [...]
Murphy’s and Oysters
By Seán | July 18th, 2007 | Add a Comment »
I really don’t know where the tradition got started, but for some reason there is an association between Irish stout and oysters.
Stateside I have seen a few of these stout and oyster festivals, usually sponsored by the Diageo boys and their Guinness brand. But hey, why not another Irish stout, one more southerly in inclination, [...]
