All posts by midnightmurphy

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Limerick to Dublin to Amsterdam to Dublin to Limerick

Winter wastelands

Dublin, Theatre, Travels to work, Uncategorized

ND-MLT-cover-eventbrite

In eight days I will be paying a visit to my old stomping ground of Amsterdam for a friend’s very important birthday (i.e . the celebration of an age where the second digit is zero). It will only be a flying visit this time as my gluttony for leisure went unchecked this year – I have only twenty six minutes holiday leave remaining, for the rest of 2018. It’s unlikely I’ll see all the people that I would like to, but I will do my damnedest to see a few. It comes at a particularly appropriate time as I am currently wallowing in a pit of glumness, as November draws to a close. Having spoken before about how utterly soul-destroying the final fortnight in November is, I am reminded of the brutal reality as it is being endured. A trip to the Lowlands will be a tonic. The thundering incompetence of Dublin Bus comes into sharp relief each November as I wallow in rainy, dark misery on Parnell Street each morning for the 40D bus – also known as ‘The bus that never arrives’. This morning as I boarded, my nostrils were assaulted by a noxious odour of halitosis. How could anyone not be aware of the brutal reality of their oral stench? My eyes were watering by the time I finally disembarked in the eternally grey industrial wastelands of County Dublin. Continue reading Winter wastelands →

My journey to hell

Uncategorized

boojum

I was working from home today and started to get cabin fever. Instead of sobbing softly over my usual home-made sandwich I decided to splash out for lunch. I glanced quickly over both shoulders as I entered – I didn’t want anyone to see me in the den of iniquity that would be providing my midday sustenance. I was getting a take-out meal at the new Boojum, which recently opened close to my house. Continue reading My journey to hell →

Iceland adventures

Travel, Uncategorized,

reykjavik

I had no expectations of Reykjavik or Iceland. This is not a criticism – far from it. It’s just that I was in possession of very little knowledge about the country – save for its location on a map; a very vague knowledge of its settlement; the fact that it was volcanic; the name of its capital city; and that Bjork hails from this North Atlantic island. When WowAir did a last-minute flash promotion from Dublin to Reykjavik, I booked on a whim. Continue reading Iceland adventures →

Better out than in: Freddie Mercury and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody ‘

Film, Gay, Music, Uncategorized,

monument_discoveries_001

For my edification I went to the cinema last night to see ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in the eerie Odeon cinema at the Point (the cinema operating from the top floor of an abandoned shopping centre. This is the biopic of Farrokh Bulsara – the Parsi boy from Tanzania who moved with his family at the age of seventeen to Britain. He reinvented himself as Freddie Mercury, became the lead singer of Queen and conquered the world of music as one of the most talented and charismatic rock singers of all time. The film opens with Freddie pumping himself up as he readies himself to go onstage for the most iconic live performance of his career – Live Aid in Wembley Stadium in 1986. Continue reading Better out than in: Freddie Mercury and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody ‘ →

Poetry corner: ‘Racing down the sun’

Limerick, Uncategorized

rdta

My train to Dublin was at 4.20pm. I was in town by 2.30. This was not an accident. I was on a mission. My intention was to visit the Limerick City Gallery of Art which is located about a hundred metres from the train station. This beautiful old building dates from 1906 and is located on Pery Square in the city.  The exhibitions change every few months. So each time I am home I make a point to pay it a visit to check out the latest display. Continue reading Poetry corner: ‘Racing down the sun’ →

Concert: Deacon Blue live at the Big Top

Limerick, Music, Uncategorized

db

The Milk Market in Limerick is open for trade every Friday, Saturday and Sunday – selling an assortment of foods and clothing in a semi-sheltered environment. While it is not a fully indoors market like the English Market in Cork, it has for the past decade had a large canopy over it, to protect the traders and the punters from inclement weather. A very pleasant place. Continue reading Concert: Deacon Blue live at the Big Top →

The ‘C-word’

Uncategorized

patriarchy

Very occasionally my employer will organise a talk on a topic that is not work related, but of interest to the staff. Examples include talks for the female employees about how to network, to advance careers in an industry that is largely male dominated, at the more senior level (which I didn’t attend seeing as I am of the male sex). Or about how to create a work life balance (which I didn’t attend as it coincided with the introduction of the working from home policy – on that day I was staring at the canal from my living room window.) I was present for today’s talk, and happy to attend. The title was ‘Let’s talk about cancer’, and featured as its guest speaker, an oncology nurse from a Dublin hospital. Continue reading The ‘C-word’ →

Sunday, bloody Sunday

Dublin, Film, Ireland, James Joyce, Uncategorized

offaly

Thanks to the inclement weather, a walk in the park seemed unwise. A decision had to be made. I was not going to loll about the house like a sack of meal that Sunday afternoon. I put on my stylish anorak and headed outdoors. My first stop was to the coffee-shop near my house, where a caffeine-infused warm beverage (a coffee) was drank). Over the river I trotted. I was walking past Pearse Street Station on Westland Row when the skies opened. Into Saint Andrew’s Church I went for shelter. That’s one of the functions of a church I think. I was reading the history of the church on the plaque on the wall (built in 1832, three years after the Catholic Emancipation Act which legalised catholic churches, it is quite a splendid building in that gaudy catholic style). I was admiring the interior when a Polish priest approached me and told me that the church was closed. I departed. Continue reading Sunday, bloody Sunday →

To the theatre darling: ‘Men at play’

Dublin, Gay, Ireland, Theatre, Uncategorized

Gubbeen

I received a text on Wednesday night from a friend. She recommended that I haul my grizzled old carcass to the Complex on Little Green Street at my earliest convenience, to see Good Dog Theatre’s latest work – a play called ‘Men at play’. She thought I would enjoy it. Seeing as I am a person of easy persuasion (but very high virtue) I decided that Thursday evening would be the occasion I would attend. Continue reading To the theatre darling: ‘Men at play’ →