Archives for October 2005
Oíche Shamhna
#2 – Jack O’Lanterns: My childhood impression of a North American Halloween was largely formed by seeing E.T. in the cinema, in 1982. The costumes were lavish, the ‘Trick or Treating’ was extensive, and (most importantly) there were pumpkin Jack… continue reading »
‘Pooky’ Night
As Halloween / Oíche Shamhna is almost upon us, a post or three on the subject of associated customs seems appropriate. So, without further ado… #1 – Halloween Games: Though “bobbing for apples” is a pursuit commonly associated with the… continue reading »
Feeding Radiation
Though I have a television (the object) I never watch TV (the medium). In other words, though the box sits (as is customary) in the corner of our sitting room, it is not hooked up to anything other than a… continue reading »
No Direction Home
Watched all 3-plus hours of Martin Scorcese’s marvellous new Bob Dylan documentary, No Direction Home, on DVD last night. The highlights were many, but the sequences that remain the most unforgettably pathetic involve the reaction of the absurdly precious, ‘pure’… continue reading »
Brigid, Bríd, and the Holy Well
The curious intersections between the Christian and the Pagan in Ireland have always interested me, and (perhaps) they have particular resonance as we approach the strange hybrid / bastardised ‘festival’ called Halloween (or Oíche Samhna if you prefer). A delightful… continue reading »
Big Grey Man
Continuing the cryptozoological theme established by the post of September 2nd, I present another interesting oddity mentioned in Graham McEwan’s Mystery Animals of Britain and Ireland. This one takes us over to Scotland’s Cairngorms, and specifically the mountain of Ben… continue reading »
Where the charter’d Thames does flow…
Just to alert those regulars (all three of ‘em) who read this here blog: I’m off to “London, England” (as our American friends might call it) for the weekend to see my beautiful nephew, niece, sister, and ruggedly handsome brother-in-law.… continue reading »
A chuisle mo chroí…
2 posts in a row on the topic of poetry isn’t exactly guaranteed to get “bums on seats”, but I thought I should make mention of Cuisle 2005, the Limerick City International Poetry Festival, which runs from the 18th-22nd of… continue reading »
