Bringing the boat to Kilkee

Another gorgeous weekend, with clear blue sky in Limerick.
A very early start on saturday, in order to bring the Aughinish Diving Club boat to Kilkee, using the Tarbert Ferry.
So by 9:30 AM the boat was on Kilkee slip, ready to launch.

Anuka on Kilkee slip before launch

 We had a lovely dive in Diamond Rocks, just outside the bay. The sea was calm initially, but the weather started to pick up. Underwater there was quite a bit of movement, surprising since we were around slack water, loads of life down there, with fishes and a couple of small lobsters.

George's Head ... calm sea

 After the dive we decided, to recover the boat. Back in Limerick, I ended the day with a lovely walk up to Barringtons Pier.

Limerick viewed from Barrington Pier

  

Sunday morning, I was back in Kilkee for another dive, shore-based this time, absolutely lovely. We enter the water through the Pollock holes, and headed to Doctor's Rocks though a gap in the rocks.
We were welcome in the first meters by a conger eel swimming peacefully through the seaweed.
In the first minutes of the dive, we stumble upon a sleepy dog fish. After another snorkel in Newfie, I headed back to Limerick.
Ended up the day by a walk up to the living bridge in UL, with some French and Italian company.

The Living Bridge - UL

Born on the walk way.

Amongst the graffiti near the Locke, I found the thought of the day ...

Love is ....

First snorkel of the year 2012

In the usual cold Dromore Lake, last Sunday....

Concert - The Answer in Dolans

Brilliant concert last night in Dolans, featuring the Northern Ireland band: The Answer.

The two support band were let's say entertaining, the first one though not bad, reminded me of spinal stap through their outfit ( head bandana, cut jean, leather trouser, goth style singer.... ), the second paid a lot less attention to its outfit, but as soon as the guitar started, they meant business, the energic singer performed the perfect warm-up to the leading act.

The first I saw The Answer , was at The Who concert in Cork, about 2-3 years ago, at the time I was really impressed by their style and their energy.

:D :D :D

Mick Flannery - Concert

Last friday i went to Mick Flannery concert in Dolans, brilliant act.



The Cork man himself


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And just for the pleasure, i am adding one of his song accompanied by Lisa Hannigan:

What's at the end of the alley

Walking in the city street, you may face some amazing discoveries, in a very small street, in a cul de sac in the heart of the city, here's one:


More on my other blog: Limerick Daily Pic: At The End of the Alley

Feud

In those doom and gloom times, while Limerick was preparing itself for the replay of the big game, there is one word I wished would not appear: feud.
Last Sunday an innocent man died in a usually quiet area of Limerick, not very far from where I used to live. After a 6 months break, a 14th life has been claimed by the feud between rivals drug gangs of the city. This time, the victim is not even remotely related to the gang activities, but it was also the case for the burn children. Seems Saint Liam is replacing the saint patron of the city.
Limerick has a drug problem, actually Ireland too ( Cork and Dublin are no better ), with a very exposed coast ( 8 vessels to protect a 1,970.5 miles coast ), which means it's a gateway for drug coming from seas (this month another yacht full of drugs has been catch on the cork coast of Ireland ), and a sadly growing population of consumers.

The Limerick Blogger has more on this issue, with reactions of people of Limerick.

Note: There will be a march organized in Limerick: start at Perry Square, at 2pm on Saturday the 15th of November.

Addendum: The Limerick blogger community has been quite active, over the event.

Bock the robber

lo que dice candela (spanish blog)

ASM - Munster [1]

So "les Jaunes et Bleus" ( the yellow and blue ) came to Thomond Park ( still under renovation ) to face mighty Munster in the Heineken Cup.

Great game, even if i would i have prefer to see Clermont fist team, with the like of Mignoni, Bonnaire, Rougerie...

The atmosphere was great ( as usual in Thomond Park ), with people singing The Fields of Athenry
:

Lyrics

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young girl calling
"Michael, they have taken you away
For you stole Trevelyan's corn
So the young might see the morn'
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay"

Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young man calling
"Nothing matters, Mary, when you're free
Against the famine and the Crown
I rebelled, they cut me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity"

Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry

By a lonely harbour wall, she watched the last star falling
As the prison ship sailed out against the sky
For she'll live in hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry

Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry

or the Munster's song, Stand Up and Fight:

STAN' UP AN' FIGHT (TOREADOR SONG)

Thanks a lot! I'm sure glad to be,
To be where I c'n see
So many friends o' mine.
How've I been doin'? How've I been doin'?
If you really wanta know de truth,
I'm doin' fine!
Seventeen decisions in a row,
An' only five on points; de res' was all K.O.
Jackson an' Johnson, Murphy an' Bronson,
One by one dey come,
An' one by one to dreamland dey go.
How's it done? You ask me, how's it done?
I got a trainer man who taught me all I know.
Sure feels good to have him in my corner,
Hear his voice a-whisp'rin' low:
"Big boy, remember, you mus' remember...

Stan' up an' fight until you hear de bell,
Stan' toe to toe, trade blow fer blow,
Keep punchin' till you make yer punches tell,
Show dat crowd watcher know!
Until you hear dat bell, dat final bell,
Stan' up an' fight like hell!"

When you fight out in de open air,
In a patch o' light de ring looks small an' white.
Out in de blackness, out in de blackness,
You c'n feel a hun'erd thousan' eyes
Fillin' de night.
Cigarettes are blinkin' in de dark,
An' makin' polka dots aroun' de baseball park,
People are quiet den dere's a riot!
Someone t'rows a punch
An' plants it right smack on de mark...
Someone’s hurt, you kinda think it's you.
You hang across de ropes
Da's all you want to do.
Den you look aroun' an' see your trainer's eyes,
Beggin' you to see it through,
Dey say, "Remember, big Boy, remember

Stan' up an' fight until you hear de bell,
Stan' toe to toe, trade blow fer blow,
Keep punchin' till you make yer punches tell,
Show dat crowd watcher know!
Until you hear dat bell, dat final bell,
Stan, up an' fight like hell!"

Few french supporters have come for this occasion and we had a great week-end, touring few pubs (Clohessys, Nancy Blake, Flannerys in Catherine Street and Durty Nellys )

More with some pics, next post.

Hell's Grannies

This is a frightened city. Over these houses, over these streets hangs a pall of fear. Fear of a new kind of violence which is terrorizing the city. Yes, gangs of old ladies attacking defenseless fit young men.

Monty Python's Flying Circus TV Show - Episode 8

Another shooting in St Mary's park yesterday, and this time a 25 year old man died .... after the last weeks, which saw almost an average of four shooting every weekend, sometimes in front of the Garda, i don't think anybody will be surprised in Limerick... unfortunately this has to happened...
But here's the kicker, last night an elderly couple (70 and 80) has been arrested for their involvement in the murder investigation....

[EDIT] The ederly couple has been released this wednesday morning without charge....

Limerick

EOS 400D ... my new toy

Limerick view from the quay.

Wall in da house.

Ring of Kerry ...cloudy

On the road to valentia (island)


Valentia Island



View on the Skellig Islands from Valentia Island

Where is the little green man ?

Reading the newspaper

Have you seen, the little green men, musing along the wall of the Limerick Art Gallery ?

Sitting on a wall

Anyway, there is this october, a very funny interactive video exhibition in the Limerick Art Gallery (look in Arts Events in the website of the Limerick City County Council).
It's near People's park i Limerick, and the exhibition is based on camera recording the spectator and projecting it with some delays and others effects... very fun.
It's called "Here There Now Then" by Dennis Connolly and Anne Cleary.

One particulary interesting installation, display the recording of your move in front of the screen delayed and incrustated with past recordings...

Readings: I've just finished "Time out of joint" a novel by Ph.K.Dick, disturbingly very similar to the plot of "The Truman Show" movie. Seem I found the little green men in Limerick (a reader of the book should understand). It's been a long time since last time, I've read any Dick novels, my taste has been revigorated by the viewing of a "Scanner Darkly" brillant adaptation of Dick universe. I was a bit anxious and curious about the permanent photoshop effct on the movie, but it works admirably well.

Quotations

• "My major preoccupation is the question, 'What is reality?'" - Philip Kindred Dick


• Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. - Philip Kindred Dick


• The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words. - Philip Kindred Dick


• Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane. - Philip Kindred Dick

Back to...

Parents gone, I am back to my old routine...including pub ... does not really mean I've stopped going during their stay, as it's a bit of a nonsense to visit Ireland without spending some time to the pub... (should I've said in the pub ?... only French can understand that question if they think haircut ...).

And it's also back to school, not that I am concerned, except for the heavy traffic in Limerick.

Few notes, after reading a dutch story in the New York Times [In the Netherlands, Life Runs on 2 Wheels (Sometimes 3)], I've been more and more interested in the past week into: Recumbent bicycle (horizontal bicycle), and Velomobile.
And very interesting story, about how in 1934, the UCI ruled that these kind of vehicule were not bicycle and therefore forbidden in any cycle competition.
The amazing fact is the world speed record is: 130.36 km/h , set by Sam Whittingham of Canada on a recumbent bicycle (in 2006, officialised by International Human Powered Vehicle Association ) , and the hour record (same guy) with this bike is: 85.4 km.
In order to compare, the records recognized by UCI (upright bicycle) are: speed = 82.53 km/h (1986), and hour record = 49.700 km.
It's more likely, that without this decision of the UCI, the recumbent bicycle would have been widespread... and you can even seen them on water.

I especially like the trikes by Greenspeed. And I should really start using my bike again for my journeys to work.

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Others news, Limerick has a new low has shown in the RTE program PRIME TIME [you can watch the program on the web].
I've read what happen in a article called Petrol Bomb Outrage, the Limerick Post : 2 children (4 and 6) have been severly burned during the arson attack of youngs against Garda police car in the Moyross area... Very sad and frigthening story.
An horrific recent petrol bombing of a car with two young children inside, violence flared on the 8th & 9th of September when Gardai were ambushed by a group of at least 30 youths in the Delmege Park/Pineview gardens area. Petrol bombs had been prepared in advance of the Gardai arriving and 2 squad cars were damaged.

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If after watching Prime Time, you still want to come live in Ireland, here two very useful sites:

• Maison des Francais a l'Etranger (mfe), the forums are full of informations.
• http://assistanatenirlande.hautetfort.com/[French]

And fortunatley there is also nice pubs in Limerick.

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And in the rest of the world:

• Sarko has a new friend W (NYTimes, Blog Big Picture [Fr])
• Jospin reviens (Arte Radio [Fr])
• the number of muslims immigrating in the USA is rising (NY Times), after 9/11, I quote the article: "In 2005, more people from Muslim countries became legal permanent United States residents — nearly 96,000 — than in any year in the previous two decades."
• the website FaceBook touch the limit of the personal data sharing and blogging (NYTimes article, BBC article). The latest functionality of this personal webpage website, (you can read the apologizes of FaceBook on his blog), was feeding and redistributing to your contact community any change on webpage/blog/list of friend ... etc ... resulting in user complaint about respect of privacy.
• Some sympathetic feminist blogs: Bad Feminist, Pseudo-Adrienne, F-Words....
• And in the Irish news, a survey found that 1 in 8 women mistakenly believe it's not possible to get pregnant the first time they have sex. The TNS MRBI survey also found that 6%of women wrongly assume the pill offers some protection against sexually transmitted diseases.

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