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
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
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’
Patience is a virtue from which I do not suffer.
I am aware of this personal limitation and I endeavour to overcome it. Nevertheless being in a queue for the checkout at the supermarket drives me positively demented. It’s not that I regard my time as any more precious than anyone else’s (well I do – but only in the sense that my time is the only one I experience). I just hate being delayed. I loathe the sensation of being trapped in a never-ending queue. This feeling of powerlessness may stem from my experiences at the diabetic clinic as a four year old. Trapping a young child in a waiting room for hours on end, could potentially lead to anxiety issues about waiting, later on in life. Continue reading My dizzying rise to the middle
That was an attention grabbing title, I am sure you’ll agree.
It is partly true, it is also partly a personal challenge. Continue reading I have written a book
I am a creature of habit. On December 30th last year I went to see The 4 of Us in Dolans Upstairs. I had an excellent time in spite of (or perhaps because of ?) being on my own. I wrote an account of this gig in my final blog post of 2016 – HERE.
When I saw that the band were playing in the same venue on the exact same date this year, I decided to give it a miss. Much as I enjoy a solo gig, there’s something better about having a buddy with you when at a concert. Continue reading Drag my bad name down
Christmas was gluttonous. Some exercise was needed. What better way to stretch one’s legs, while communing with nature, than a canal walk from the city, to where the canal joins the river, and onward to the University of Limerick, along the banks of the River Shannon. Continue reading Shannon Banks
I used to be a scrubber.
My very first job, as a teenager, was washing dishes in a hotel kitchen. It was not glamourous work. In fact you could describe it with whatever adjective is the opposite of glamourous. Fetid? Sordid? Some word like that. Working in a boiling kitchen, in the height of the summer, with low-paid, stressed out colleagues was character building. Continue reading Hotel memories
After the gruelling toil of single-handedly making a Christmas dinner for eight people (three of whom are vegetarian), I felt like I deserved a break. Honey-glazing an uncooked ham, roasting a turkey, kneading a potato stuffing, boiling vegetables, making gravy, mashing spuds, creating pastry for mince pies can take it out of you. Continue reading Pitch Perfect: The 3 pubs of Limerick
Today is the shortest day of the year. The winter solstice. The day that the pagan Vikings threw their almighty winter bash to lift their depleted spirits, during this grimmest time of the year. The time of year into which the Christians installed Christmas – to replace the winter solstice. After all when you are replacing one set of beliefs for another, you need to make damned sure you keep the fun parts of the old traditions, or your new superstitions won’t be greeted with open arms.
Seeing as the day today is so short I may as well make use of the candlelight to write another year end list. This time for your reading delectation – the list of theatrical extravaganzas I have attended, written or participated in this year. Continue reading Listicles: Theatre Times
midnightmurphy 