She wasn’t a friend of mine. I didn’t know her. Dolores dying makes me incredibly sad though. Continue reading Dolores O’Riordan – the voice of Limerick
All posts by midnightmurphy
A table for one
Being single is usually a pleasant position to be in. Particularly if you have an active social life, and the odd hobby here and there. You march to the beat of your own drum. If you feel like festering on the sofa in your pyjamas on a Saturday afternoon, there is no-one who will tell you to pull yourself together. The TV channel is always on your preferred station. If you have a decent circle of friends then you won’t be wanting for company if you fancy an evening at the theatre, or cinema or pub. Continue reading A table for one
Pomeranian Poland
I arose early. I was a man on a mission. I was going to the seaside today. Continue reading Pomeranian Poland
Solidarność (Solidarity)
So at midday my dental adventure finished. I was a free man.
What to do?
Gdansk is a very appealing city visually – at least in the old town where I am residing. It resembles Amsterdam in fact, with the narrow buildings and streets, very reminiscent of the canal streets of the Dutch capital. Perhaps this is because of the German influence (Gdansk was a large German speaking enclave, called Danzig until the War).
It’s Baltic here however – the sea is only a few miles away – so I wanted to stay indoors.
Seeing as this city is the birthplace of post-communist Polish democracy, I decided that a visit to the Solidarity (Solidarność) Museum was a wise idea. Continue reading Solidarność (Solidarity)
The pain in Poland
I have a new tooth. Quite the journey it was today to obtain this molar too. Continue reading The pain in Poland
Good evening Dublin, this is Gdansk calling. Here is the vote of the dental jury.
I have just arrived in my apartment in the old centre of Gdansk. My hosts are an elderly couple who live in the apartment next door, and they run my flat as a holiday home. Very pleasant it is too. Continue reading Good evening Dublin, this is Gdansk calling. Here is the vote of the dental jury.
Poland: Go East. Life is peaceful there
This may be the last blog for a while. At the crack of dawn tomorrow I will be taking to the skies, to the distant land of Poland. For a dental holiday. Gdansk is my destination. Frugality is my motive. Upon discovering that the treatment that my Irish dentist recommended for me was going to cost €2,300, I almost swooned. That would be an extravagant spend. When speaking to a Polish colleague, he asked why I didn’t travel east to get the work done, for a fraction of the cost.
Apparently Budapest is the go-to destination for Irish dental tourism. However being an unfocused person, I was more concerned about finding a pleasant location to do it. Budapest may be one of my favourite cities in the world. However, thus far in my life, I have been there four times. There is a multitude of cities that I have yet to visit.
Poland is a country that I had heretofore only visited once. Poland was my choice. Continue reading Poland: Go East. Life is peaceful there
The French dinner: Limerick style
I was back in Limerick for an anniversary Mass this weekend. After the Saturday evening church service (the first I have attended since the previous anniversary mass on this same date last year) we headed into town. Continue reading The French dinner: Limerick style
The castle
I am in Limerick again this weekend. This is the third consecutive weekend I have spent here. Granted the first two coincided with Christmas but that’s irrelevant. It means that I have had a growing urge to explore the region. Continue reading The castle
1950s cinema: ‘Summertime’
The dank, miserable evenings of the first week of January are perfect for summer holiday films. Watching golden, glorious sunshine is no match for the real thing – that is certainly true. But it reminds you that we are in the countdown to spring already. Even though it is only a fortnight since the shortest day of the year, almost imperceptibly, the daylight hours are stretching. Hope is on the horizon.
A 1950s summer romance film set in Italy, is a treat for the eyes. Continue reading 1950s cinema: ‘Summertime’
midnightmurphy 