NorthDownMuse

IIGCC

Today was a nutty day. It was the deadline for applying for two jobs I’m interested in with the Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change. I don’t want to work in London but the jobs are interesting and I haven’t found any better options here. The bank

Auld Lammas Fair

Today was a bank holiday so David was off. Rather than me attacking my list of things to do, as I had planned, David & I headed for Ballycastle to check out the Auld Lammas Fair, which is nearly 400 years old--the oldest in Ireland. It was once a place

It was a wild and windy day...

We were meant to hike in the Mournes today, however a very bleak forecast--50 mph winds--put paid to that. Instead, I had a lazy reading day. I finished the Colm Toibin book called New Ways to Kill Your Mother. It was quite a joy to read an accomplished writer writing

Reservoir slog

For some time, I’ve wanted to do an open swim at a reservoir that hosts swims on Saturday mornings. Today was the day. I came very close to chickening out (the weather has turned chillier here). But off I went. Imagine five buoys arranged in a rhomboidish shape. You

Good Vibrations

Tonight I felt a bit schizo as I went to two musical performances, one a celebration of punk rock, the other the Ulster Orchestra performing two works by Clara Schumann. There was first a book then a movie and now a play called Good Vibrations, by Terry Hooley. Terry helped

The Pope and paedophiles

The pope seems like a good man, humble, compassionate, honest, brave. He’s been vocal on climate change, so kudos there. But his visit to Ireland doesn’t seem well thought out. People here are raw after one atrocity after another has come to light. The Catholic Church reigned supreme

Wine & cheese & desperate poverty

Tonight I went to a reception for Oxfam donors. I was a big Oxfam supporter in the U.S., when I had a big salary. Here, I’m not a regular contributor to anything, just the occasional donation to a refugee support group. But David contributes to Oxfam and, as

Hillary

Today I treated myself to a massage. I have no specific aches or pains--just the creakiness of getting older. What a luxury! The sports massage person I visit lives in Bangor, so I took the opportunity to call in to see Hillary, former owner of my house. The poor thing

Monday morning quarterbacking

It’s Monday so I will indulge a what-if scenario. I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t left Ireland when I was 18. The plays of Friel and Synge, the poetry of Heaney and Yeats--all very much of the places where they spent their formative years. When

To the Cliffs!

This morning we drove from Glenties to Killybegs, on the coast, then north to the cliffs at Slieve League, the highest cliffs in Europe. These were taken on the walk to the cliffs. And here are said cliffs: I have a similar photo to this taken in 1980. I should

FrielFest

Today we drove to Donegal to see a Brian Friel play, Faith Healer. We arrived in Glenties with a few hours to spare so we toured one of these museums that look like they haven’t been touched since the 1950s. I asked the woman at the front desk what

Capacity benefit

Highlight of 16th: this is the second time I’ve played golf where I’ve kept score for all nine holes. The scorecard isn’t pretty--but not as bleak as last year's would have been had I had the stomach to record my scores. Which I didn’t.

Avoidance strategies

Facebook, email, blog, house chores, golf--all enemies of doing things like looking for a job, writing a freelance article, networking. When you’ve been off the professional treadmill for a while, it’s hard to figure out how to get back on. Much easier to play golf and read articles

East meets West

My final two East Belfast Arts events were a bus tour today that took in East Belfast and West Belfast, and a series of readings and musical performances tonight about music that related to the Troubles. The bus tour was narrated by an actor and a comedian. The actor I

Ards and Arts

The day started with me cycling to Daft Eddies on the Ards peninsula, then driving the car with bike home, allowing David to cycle home. He had inner tube issues this morning, so I headed out alone while he got sorted then drove to Daft Eddies. I pushed hard for

Festi-Full

I will go to five events that are part of the East Belfast Arts Festival. I sat and read through the 52-page program and earmarked lots of pages and then started ordering tickets, learning which had already sold out. I did not look through the 120-page guide for the Bangor

You Bet

I’ve been avoiding writing this post for a long time because ignorance is bliss. A while ago I wrote about how horse racing is very popular here. I saw two jockeys training horses on a beach in Rathmullan--the horses were white with lather and panting as the jockeys whipped

Everything’s up to date

... in Kansas City. Do I know that saying because I lived in Kansas City? Or is it well known? Who knows. What does it even mean? That the innovations of the avant garde East Coast have made their way to the provinces? Anyway, I’m bringing the blog up to

St. Hubert

Today’s date is Tuesday but I’m reflecting back to Sunday. David needed me to take one of his paintings to the Royal Ulster Academy of Art offices. He’s trying to get one of his paintings from France into the October RUA show. I took a cab into

Educated

David stayed in Wexford through last night, so I didn’t have a car for four days. That’s part of why I’ve been less willing to go to evening dances. Logistics are a bit harder. Cabs are an option but they are expensive. I took a cab to

Philomena 2.0

I haven’t done much since I’ve been back from Wexford so my posts are going to continue looking backward. The day after I got back home, I went into town to meet my former co-worker and friend Lisa Curran. She travels the world with two companions, her childhood

Abundant Love Shared

Today I’m recalling the train journey on Wednesday. The train from Wexford to Dublin ran along the River Slaney for a while, very picturesque. My photos through the window don’t do it justice. More barley fields. I was taking a photo of one and a ruin showed up:

The Madness of the Method

Before I left Wexford, I ran around taking photos of interesting stuff. Like this story of a crazy American zealot who came to save the good people of Ireland. Sadly, there are a lot of American evangelical types continuing to come over here and stir up trouble--as if we need

Wandering Wexford

Yesterday, before I left Wexford, I went around taking a few more photos. Like I need more photos. This is a ruin of St. Patrick’s Church, which dates to medieval times. It is very near the centre of Wexford town. Here’s some more background: The cemetery includes "

By Hook or by Crook

From Wiki: "It is claimed that the phrase is derived from a vow by Oliver Cromwell to take Waterford by Hook (on the Wexford side of Waterford Estuary) or by Crook (a village on the Waterford side).” I took this photo as I left the lighthouse as I am