Keola Donaghy: Ireland or Bust

From the Irish Times - Kilian Doyle takes a wry look at how St Patrick would fare if he were to return to Ireland today.

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 01:15:12 GMT

"It's a quiet January afternoon in O'Hooligan's Irish pub in Heaven. There's a rambunctious character sitting at a table surrounded by cronies doling out free pints to him. He's singing and yelling and generally holding court. Quietly, a small, wizened old geezer wearing a leather biker jacket and a faded Iggy Pop T-shirt walks into the pub and ambles over to the table. The place falls silent. 'Patrick?' 'Oh, flip.' (He's been waiting for this. Fixes best smile and turns around, expecting the worst.) 'Yes, God?'" Click on the link above for the rest of the adventure.

The Brave New World.

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 04:33:03 GMT

David McWilliams predicts that by 2031, Ireland is likely to have a significant black urban underclass, paying rent to a Chinese landlord class, a good chance that there will be a second-generation Polish Taoiseach, that Irish academia will feature a disproportionate number of Indians, yet the Irish language will be stronger than at any point since before the Famine.

Does the Celtic heart still beat?

Mon, 09 Jan 2006 05:49:58 GMT

Good question. Mahalo to my Celtic cousin Scott for the pointer.

Words new ammunition up the North. (From the Irish Independent - subscription required)

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 22:53:40 GMT

It seems that the Wikipedia history of podcasting debate is not the only Wikipedia battleground. Unionists/Loyalists and Republican's are busy changing each other's entries regarding Northern Ireland/The Six Counties.

More jobs to go in Donegal.

Wed, 31 Aug 2005 04:21:03 GMT

It seems that nearly every or two week I come across an article that announces the loss of jobs in the second most beautiful place I've ever visited. A plant closing will mean 67 people will lose their jobs, after 560 people were notified last week that they would be losing their jobs in Donegal with the closure of Hospira. I was thrilled to see that RTE has RSS feeds now. It will undoubtably become my primary source of Ireland news. Now if only Radio na Gaeltachta started podcasting

Poor state of Irish music.

Mon, 29 Aug 2005 05:29:30 GMT

A letter to the editor of the Irish Independent (subscription required) laments the sorry state of Irish music, and a "widely-held 'it's Irish so it must be good' mindset." Ouch! And this writer says that they should make gardai learn Irish, a point of contention in many areas. Finally, a writer supports the idea that promotion of Irish is a duty of the State.

This day three years ago today we were wandering the streets of Dublin.

Mon, 20 Jun 2005 19:11:46 GMT

Sob.

Memories of Ireland and Donegal.

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 06:12:38 GMT

I tend to get a bit nostalgic this time of year as the anniversary of our trip to Ireland approaches. I would love to be able to return to Gleann Cholm Cille and Oideas Gael every year. <Sob>

Ethnomusic Ph.d at Queen's University Belfast?

Fri, 19 Nov 2004 03:00:35 GMT

I got a very nice reply to my email inquiry to the anthropology department at Queen's University Belfast. They have a Ph.d. program in ethnomusicology, and while their normal program (1 year at QUB, 1 year field research, 1 year of writing at QUB) wouldn't work for me, there is a possiblity of making alternative arrangements. I'm hoping to meet with some of their faculty at the International Council For Traditional Music conference in Sheffield next summer, and, if the opportunity presents itself, to visit the campus on that trip. Stay tuned. If anyone reading this has any thoughts on QUB or the ethnomusicology program there please let me know.

Musicians As Terrorists?

Sun, 24 Oct 2004 17:47:23 GMT

A few weeks ago a plane carrying British/Muslim singer Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) was diverted, and he was refused entry into the U.S. Yesterday, Irish singer Christy Moore was detained by British authorities and questioned regarding, among other things, the lyrics in some of this songs. No explanation was given to him as to why he was detained. What next, interrogation of Hawaiian performers whose songs advocate Hawaiian sovereignty? Frightening.

Irish plead for EU gift of the gab.

Thu, 22 Jul 2004 04:59:12 GMT

It looks like Ireland is indeed going to push to have Irish added to the growing list of recognized languages in the EU. It was quite classy for Bertie to not have pushed for it while Ireland held the EU presidency. It does sound as though Ulster MEP Jim Allister could use a hand removing the broomstick from his arse.

I received a disappointing reply from University College Cork regarding my Ph.d. inquiry.

Thu, 01 Jul 2004 17:43:18 GMT

While it seems that pursing a Ph.d. there is possible, they would want me to relocate to Cork for a minimum of two years, not just one. I understand the reasoning, but just don't think it would be feasible financially, and not sure how the family would handle it, either. It was a nice dream while it lasted.

I got a very postive reply to my inquiry to the University of Sheffield in England.

Sat, 26 Jun 2004 20:20:18 GMT

It sounds as though my desire to spend a year abroad and then making subsequent visits to their campus aligns well with their Joint Location Program. Also, one of their lecturers has taught at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. I've also sent an inquiry to the University of Oxford. Of course, my first choice remains the music program at University College Cork, but they have still not replied to my inquiry. It's not going to be feasible for me to enter any program until fall of 2005, but I'd like to identify and apply to programs by the fall so that I can begin seeking out funding sources and making plans.

Slugger points to a very compelling argument against making Irish and official EU language.

Fri, 25 Jun 2004 18:12:43 GMT

There do seem to be few valid reasons to do it, other than they can and it would make people feel good.

I've sent out a number of inquiries regarding Ph.d. programs in Ethnomusicology.

Fri, 25 Jun 2004 03:22:14 GMT

In Ireland the most promising locations seems to be University College Cork, and I've also emailed the music departments at "Cambridge" and University of Sheffield. Hopefully there will be a response soon. Are there any other potential ethnomusicology programs in Ireland or Great Britain worth investigating? I've been told that Belfast has a good program, but the political and social problems there make it less appealing. I'm also not that keen on being in a major city like Dublin or Belfast. Cork seems to be the most appealing, but I'll entertain other suggestions. University of Sheffield's program is also appealing in that they do have a program in place that allows students to complete the degree without being there for the duration of the research and dissertation writing.

Two years ago today my wife and I arrived in Dublin for a month stay in Ireland.

Sun, 20 Jun 2004 06:00:25 GMT

I documented the trip, in Hawaiian, to fulfill a requirement of the MA program I graduated program from last December. We have fond memories and met some great people there. I'm still hoping that something will come through for us to return. No reply from anyone at UC-Cork yet, but we're hopeful.

No place for guitars and bodhran in Irish traditional music.

Fri, 11 Jun 2004 21:17:08 GMT

"Mayo Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann secretary, Seamus Duffy, who hosts his own music show on Mid-West Radio, described guitars and bodhrans as instruments of 'low musical quality that are destroying the integrity of pure traditional music.'" Hmm. Reminds me of a joke I was told in Ireland: "What's the best way to play a bodhran?" Answer: "With a knife." Ouch!

The search for a Ph.d. moves back toward the Emerald Isle.

Fri, 11 Jun 2004 00:47:33 GMT

I've been spending a lot of web time recently investigating various Ph.d. programs, admittedly without a firm idea of a research topic. Our campus, the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, does not offer any Ph.d. programs. UH-Manoa does, but to be perfectly honest I'd rather relocate out of the state than move to O'ahu in order to pursue a Ph.d. One of my problems is that I have too many areas of interest, but fewer in which I have both interest and formal education. After meeting with a lot of people, the concensus is that I probably will not be able to go straight into a Ph.d. program in linguistics without a considerable amount of additional classtime. Unfortunately my knowledge of linguistics is limited to the Hawaiian language. Second language acquisition is another area of interest, but despite my extensive real world experience (having designed and taught several online, college-level Hawaiian language classes), I lack the formal education in the field. I had tried to contact the National University of Ireland, Galway regaring my interest in their programs, I was never able to get firm answers on pursuing a Ph.d. there. They have very highly regarded Celtic Studies and Irish language programs which seem very similar in nature to our own for Hawaiian. The lack of response was very disappointing. Now I've set my sights on University College Cork. They have a Ph.d. program in ethnomusicology, which seems to dovetail nicely with the path I took for my MA thesis. Cork is a larger city than Galway, but still is better than living in Dublin or Belfast for us Hawai'i-raised country folk. Anyone out there have any first-hand knowledge of Cork or UCC? I've snail-mailed and emailed people their expressing my interested and am awaiting a reply.

I've been enjoing a bit of 'Guinness Therapy' recently.

Sun, 16 May 2004 07:40:11 GMT

Who cares that they can't claim any health benefits, a pint a night has been keep my spirit up for the past week. Guinness claims that in blind taste tests subjects could not tell the difference between Guinness brewed in Ireland and aboad. Still doesn't taste the same to me. Maybe it's the lack of the proper ambience. Reminds me of a joke I heard in Ireland: An Australian, American, German and Irishman all pull up chairs at a pub. The Australian orders a Foster's and declares it the finest on the planet. The American orders a Budweiser and declares it the king. The German orders a Heineken and claims it to be without peer. When the Irishmann orders a glass of milk, the bartender asks why. The Irishman replies "If these fellows aren't going to drink beer, neither am I."

Bank may act as euro rise puts jobs at risk.

Tue, 13 Jan 2004 06:29:43 GMT

When my wife and I visited Ireland two summers ago, the exchange rate for the Euro was about $0.87. We paid about $0.95 per Euro at banks across the country, discovering the hard way that the official exchange rate and the actual exchange rates are quite a bit different. Now the exchange rate is about $1.30 per Euro, making Irish products, and Irish trips, much more expensive for Americans. I hope that it does come down again and make a return visit more feasible. At the current rate, forget about it.

There has been a lot of discussion regarding the smoking ban in Ireland, and its affect on the tourism industry.

Mon, 12 Jan 2004 05:19:27 GMT

My wife and I did not have a single drink in any pub in Dublin's famed Temple Bar district, simply because we could not find one that had breathable air. We didn't fare much better in Glenn Colm Cille, though we lasted about a half a few nights at Biddy's (pic at right). Unfortunately the stench of cigarette smoke on our clothes lingered for the walk back the our rooms. As enjoyable as our trip was, it would have been infinitely more enjoyable had we been able to find a smoke-free pub.

Building A Better Ireland.

Sun, 11 Jan 2004 05:10:51 GMT

Bernie Goldbach points to what sounds like a disturbing set of papers on the social fabric of Ireland. I wonder how many descendents of the Irish diaspora, such as myself, hold an overly romantic and idyllic image of Ireland, in much the same way many people also view Hawai'i. While my wife and I were in Ireland during the summer of 2002, I let myself dream about what it would be like to move to Ireland, maybe retire there. The dreams were short-lived, for sure, but not because of stories like these.

Irish drink culture faces clampdown.

Sun, 04 Jan 2004 22:58:42 GMT

It's interesting that a drink that used to proclaim that it's "good for you" might have a health warning slapped on it.

Guinness offers stout defence for recall of thousands of kegs!

Thu, 09 Oct 2003 06:44:40 GMT

Saints preserve us! 178,000 kegs of potentially below-standard Guinness nearly make it to Europe and the US. I haven't had a decent pint since we left Ireland last summer. I tried a pint of stout at a pub in Honolulu (Kelly O'Neill's), but it definely wasn't the same. Even in Ireland, it seemed the further we got from Dublin, the less I enjoyed it.

Sun, 21 Jul 2002 01:49:34 GMT

My wife and been back from Ireland for two weeks now, and things are slowly returning to normal. I've cleaned up my weblog from the trip (sorry, it's in Hawaiian only), and there are pictures from the trip available in the navigation column below the calendar. They're marked "Ki'i," and are followed by the name of the area where we took them, either Dublin, Glen Colm Cille, or Sligo. I'm writing an article for our university newspaper on the trip, and will post it here when it's completed. I will now try to resume normally blogging activities, whatever that means. Mahalo to Lawrence Lee for helping me fix the problems I had while blogging from Ireland.