Friday, September 21, 2007

Ok now...
Some of you have been asking me to provide you with a sample of some of the wonderful traditional Irish music I have been telling you all about throughout these past posts. Well, here you have it.
It's a video from the YouTube site that features one of the best of the Irish musical groups ever to pick up an instrument. They called themselves "The Wolfe Tones". Named (I suspect!) after that great Irish patriot himself, Emmett Wolfetone.
This is a great sample of the music that we here in Ireland are so proud of.
The song they are singing is a traditional song in the "Irish", as we say. Lovely song, lovingly sung by a bunch of talanted gents as well! Also...there are some wonderful scenes of the local countryside in this video as well.

Hope you enjoy it! Tell me what you think! OK..just press the play button below there on the screen:


Now, before you go asking me....NO, that wasn't your's truly driving the horse cart!! Ha Ha!
As always!
Slainte!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007



God bless anyone who speaks out for an end to war! Period. Nothing else needs to be said now, does it?
I have been reading too much about the wars that are waging all around our world and I'm feeling pretty sad about it all. Iraq, Syria, Iran, etc. There are so many armies (and individual militias) armed to the teeth and commiting murder around the world that I sometimes wonder where Almighty God is in all of this mess?
I apologise for being a bit down in this post BUT death and maiming are subjects I feel are too important to ignore and way too important to not speak out against.
Ahha but what can I do? What can anyone do?
Just last week I was reading a story about the late Mother Theresa. It seems that some private letters she had written down through the years to her "confessor" were recently made public. (Imagine that, will you?)
The gist of her communications to her confessor was that she oft times wondered where Almighty God was in this cruel cruel world?
Mother Theresa! That saint of the streets of India had doubts about the presence of God herself!
God love her...and I'm sure He did...she had doubts just like you and I do. Now...isn't that grand? I'm not being facitious when I say that. Isn't it a wonderful thing to know that a saint like Theresa herself had her feet planted in the same soil of doubt and disbelief as the rest of us? It is. It truly is. I'll tell you another thing as well. That "disbelief" of Mother Theresa was one of the greatest gifts that God could have given to either her or to us.
Now I'll be telling you why that is (so pay close attention!)
They say that God helps those who help themselves. They also say that FAITH is not based on that which we can know for sure but RATHER that which we HOPE for, based upon some type of inner feeling, or some type of inner "light", if you like.
God help me I hope the good Sisters who taught me my catechism in school don't read these scribblings!!
But I think that God gave us a good woman in Mother Theresa and he also gave us a gift of using her "doubts" and "disbeliefs" in order to make her life and her FAITH so much more believable.
When I was in school the good Sisters taught us all about the saints and their holy lives. The only problem was that these sainted men and women seemed to "saintly" to me. In other words, (and God forgive me if this is heresy), the lives and deeds of the saints weren't possible for me to imitate because they were (seemingly) of another "world". They lived lives where God was whispering in their ears and talking to them one to one like you or I might talk to a neighbor over a pint down at the boozer. No. I didn't have God's ear and never would. Ahha but now I hear that Mother Theresa was more like me (and the lads I know)! She prayed to God every day BUT admitted to her confessor that she wasn't certain if God ever heard her prayers at all. She also wondered (in her letters) whether or not God even existed? Heres the thing now...she continued to do her sainted work DESPITE her "doubts". God bless her! She was real just like you and I. She followed that "little light" inside her and made the decision to do the right things in this world in spite of her doubts and her (at times) disbelief! God bless her and God bless all of you who also have doubts and disbeliefs and who continue to do the work of God here on earth.
And pray for me.
All right now...enough said on that.
Slainte!

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Well,I'm here once again to share some of my wit and wisdom with you!
But first let me take a minute or two to say "Thanks" to everyone of you who was kind enough to vote in my recent poll. (You know the one I mean where I asked whether or not I should continue "blogging".)
The results are as follows: The drum roll if you please...! The AYES have it! Thirteen of you fine souls took time to cast your ballots and not all of you were my relatives and that's for certain, so no worries there as they say!
OK..oh also I want to be sure to say "Thank You" also to those fine folks who have taken the time to leave comments on this blog as well. Nice of you all to do that and I'm more than happy to make all of your acquaintance!
OK...now off to it before I forget what I was going to say!!
As many of you may or may not know I am a fan of great writing (such as my own!) as well as of fine photography. I've found a site here on the Internet that combines the best of both. It's called The Beauty of Ireland and if you just click on that name you'll be magically transported to that fine site just as quick as you please! I hope you like it...I know you will!!

Some of you like a fine joke so before I forget here's one for you now:
An Irishman from the country was invited to take a helicopter ride by his cousin who was a pilot in the Air Force.
Well, after he got in the helicopter and they were way up in the sky he said to his cousin, the pilot: "Ah, it's awful cold in here!"
He then said: "Oh, no wonder...someone turned on that big fan up on top there. I'll just reach up there and turn it off"! :)

Did you here about the old rebel who decided to go to confession?
He said to the Priest: "Bless me Father for I have sinned."
The Priest said: "Now then my son...tell me your sins."
The old rebel said: "Ah Father I feel awful sorry...I've blown up 25 miles of British railroad track!"
The Priest said: "Oh now, indeed that's awful...for your penance go back and do the stations." :)

Here's one for my American relatives:
Did you know that your man Lincoln was Jewish?
Sure he was! It says in every history book that John Wilkes Booth shot him in the temple!

Here's one more for you, (and I hope my wife isn't reading this one!)
As some of you might remember a few years back the British Isles had a "mad cow" disease scare.
Well, during that time a man decided to take his wife out to the local restaurant for a fine meal.
When they sat down to eat the man's wife kept saying to her husband: "I don't know what to order...I don't know what to order!"
Well, when the waiter came over to take their orders the man said: "Just give me a big steak."
The waiter said to him: "But what about the mad cow?"
The man answered: Oh just bring her anything at all...she'll never make up her mind on what to eat!"

All right now...that's enough of them for now!
I hope you got a big laugh though!! I do indeed. You look like you need one!
HaHa!

Well...I'm off tonight to hear some fine music and to "pull the cork" as my hard working daddo used to say.
So...until I talk to you again...as always,
Slainte!

Sunday, September 02, 2007


Well good day to all of you once again! I'm sitting here looking out my parlour window and the sun is actually shinning and there isn't a hint of rain anywhere in sight. A miracle I might add given the soggy month of August we just have been enjoying!
Well, you're in for a change and, I might add, for a treat today!
Today I thought that I might share with you all a bit of news about one of my favorite subjects: traditional music!
As some of you might know there is an annual traditional Irish cultural festival held every year. This year it was held in Tullamore, Offaly during the week of the 19th thru the 26th of August.
In Irish the name of this week long festival is called Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann.
Now, in the Irish that translates (roughly) as a "Festival of the music of Ireland"
If you ever have a chance I would highly recommend to all of you that you attend this festival at some time in the future. The finest of traditional musicians from all around the world perform during the week the festival is held and your ears will be in for a treat.
I heard that it has been held annually for the past 56 years but I wouldn't swear to that. I do know that it has been going on for quite a few years now and that it attracts music lovers (like me) from far and wide!
Here is the official web site however where you can read all about this year's event and get a better idea of what this festival is all about:
http://www.fleadh2007.com
What is so amazing to me is that at this year's festival a record was set! I just read that 2,700 musicians performed together in Tullamore. Now I don't know about you BUT to me, this is what I would call a record!
The only question that I would have is "Was anyone out of tune?" :)
Now...on another note...pardon the pun as they say...Ive tried to upload a short video of my own son Conor who, as some of you may know is a championship Irish step dancer. Now...I don't want to brag but I wouldn't be lying if I told you that although he gets his musical talent from him mother he does get his good looks from me!
Enjoy the video and until we meet again,
Slainte!