Putain 7 ans deja....

Il y a sept ans ( le 5 février 2005 ) je posais mes valises en Irlande. Apres un long voyage en voiture de deux jours, incluant un ferry et un tunnel en train:

En fouillant j'ai éssayé de retrouver quelques photos du voyage et bizarrement je n'en ai pas pris tant que cela...

• Départ de Grenoble, France

Un dernier coup d'oeil a la vue que j'avais depuis mon studio:

• Sur le chemin, un passage par mon village natal : Hauterive, Allier, France
• Coquelles - Eurotunnel
• Folkestone, England
• Pembroke, Wales pour prendre le Ferry, un voyage de nuit très calme.

• Pour finalement arriver en Irlande: Roslare, Ireland
• Je me souviens avoir conduit pour aller directement sur la cote ouest, Limerick, Ireland
  Et voila ma fidèle voiture sur le sol irlandais... Elle y restera d'ailleurs... sans doute dans une casse ...

Je me souviens être arrive un weekend et donc m’être précipité pour visiter la cote et les plages , je crois que c'est une plage du Burren ou du Connemara....

Bref c’était il y a sept ans déjà, je passais cette première nuit a Limerick dans un bed and breakfast prés de mon futur lieu de travail ( le lendemain ), je ne savais pas a ce moment la que je ne resterais que six mois dans ce premier job, que ce serais les 6 derniers mois ou je ferais du Layout Analogique.  Je ne savais pas qu'il me faudrait un an avant de me remettre a plonger un peu, et un de plus avant de joindre un club et de m'y remettre sérieusement. Je ne savais pas qu'un espagnol allais me faire découvrir un pub nomme le Costello et que 3 mois plus tard il allais mourir. D'un autre cote je ne suis pas sur d'avoir appris beaucoup plus que cela en sept, d'avoir progresse...
Surtout je ne savais pas que sept ans plus tard, je serais toujours en Irlande !



Le trajet sur Google Map...

View Travel to Ireland in a larger map

Stuff Irish Girls said to me...

Following that hilarious video about Shite Irish Girl Say:



Just a compilation of the one I heard, or they said to me:

The weird questions:

•  "Auvergne, it's near Paris ?"   actually works for any French place, the further form Paris the better.
•  "Are you sure you're single ?"  what i am suppose to answer to that ? .. err actually no ?
•  "Are you married ?"
• "Are you polish ?"
• "I am fierce independent, are you sure you want to ?"

The tentative french talk:

• "Je m'appelle xxxx" with an Irish accent
• "Je veux une baguette !"
• "J'aime le vin !"

 Strange logic:

• "I am not that kind of girl, i don't bring boys - like that - in my bedroom !"
  off course this is said in her bedroom...
• "You're so French, you're using a napkin..." .... well it was in a  abrakebabra

The almost good :

• "You wear me out"
• "You're wearing me out"
• "First time with a french, I highly recommend it"
• "I think there is a connection" ... well never answer that actually you don't agree....

The not so good:

• "There is no sparkle !"
• "Sorry for the mixed signal, i am not ready to date yet !"

Limerick Music Scene

I have spend my first thursdays evening of 2012 in the quite decent Limerick pub called: Bourkes ( website: http://bourkesbar.com ), enjoying some delightful and various musical acts. From electronic DJ Toby Kaar, to pop band "yeh deadlies", every night have been a joyful discovery.

Limerick is full of nice pubs where you can listen music, live bands and discover artists. The main venue for artist would be The Dolans ( http://dolanspub.com/ )  with the big warehouse but also a more intimate venue upstairs.Upstairs in the intimate atmosphere I have discovered Vertigo Smyth, James Vincent Mcmorrow, Maria Doyle Kennedy amongst other... while in the big concert room I have enjoyed The Answer, Lisa Hannigan, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Mick Flannery...



There is also a concert hall in the University ( http://www.uch.ie/ ) , and The Daghda Space - sadly now defunct - use to be another alternative venue.

But beside the musical venues, the pub are showing great activities: Cobblestone Joe and Nancy Blake have regular live band on wednesday and sunday nights. The Curragower pub and Foleys allows you to listen to some blue grass.

Interesting DJ's can be heard in Mickey Martins, but also in my favorite funky bar: The Wicked Chicken.
The Wicked Chicken also entertain some concert downstairs or in combination with Baker Place.
In my head I am still bopping to some 50s song, thanks to show hosted by DJ Andy Smith.



And lastly Bourkes have started a series of great quality musical acts.




Limerick has a very much alive music scene, with passionate listeners and sound enthusiasts.
An interesting blog delivering gig reports: Indie Limerick ( http://indielimerick.blogspot.com )

Read here last thursday gig report:
http://indielimerick.blogspot.com/2012/01/certain-three-tour-2012-bourkes-bar.html


As a conclusion lets' finish with the lost brothers as seen on Other Voices:

2011 - A summary, top events...

Top things which happen in 2011:

• A lost

Me in green ... helping somehow my grand father :)

• Diving trip to Inishboffin

Inishboffin

Post dive relaxing guinness....

• Seeing Jethro Tull in concert (Dublin, March 2011)

• The Waterford Tall Ship festival

Masts .....

• A dolans concert: The Answer

The singer of The Answer.

• Discovering Hook Head on a dive trip

xhh

• Going back surfing

Ready to go in the water in Spanish Point

• Working trip to Arizona, and making the 12 pubs of christmas over there.

No Pic available, thank god.

• Seeing my firt octopus in Irish water ( down in Kerry ).

Octopus (photo: B.Donnelly)

• A trip to Dublin to see the Guinness museum and the French rugby team in Landsdowne Road.

Inside the Guinness Storehouse

And all the friends talks and activities...

Top  Movies seen in 2011. Poor year for cinema attendance at least for me.

• Black Swan (D.Arronofsky)
• Tangled (Disney)
• True Grit (Cohen)
• Exit through the gift shop (Bansky)
• Super 8 (JJ Abrahams)
• Crazy Heart  (Scott Cooper) 

Reeling the years 2011

Another spin of reeling the years.

The idea is very simple and based on a simple question: Where was I 5 years ago, 10, 15 ...etc ?
Previous post were: 2010, 2009 and 2008.

So let's go back in time by 5 years leap....


2006: Limerick, Ireland
My second year in Ireland, which saw my first dives in Ireland

Probably the year, I have visited the most Ireland, thanks to those guys: les boulets

2001: Grenoble, France
My first work ( permanent contract ) in France, Grenoble ( actually Meylan to be more precise ), as an engineer. And discover the nice bar in Grenoble:The Loco Mosquito
Also the year I graduated Clermont-Ferrand university.

1996: Clermont Ferrand, France
Still in CPGE at Lycee Blaise Pascal


1991: Hauterive, France
Starting in French High School

1986: Hauterive, France


1981: Hauterive, France
I think this is the year I started going to school, or was it the following.....

1976: Hauterive, France
That christmas I am barely 9 year month old, and I have many dogs to take care of me ( in the photo below i think it was atos )

Playlist

Not being very active on the blog scene at the moment, so here's my current playlist:

Hauterive

My village .... Hauterive
The Main street, it has not changed that much actually

Hauterive - Main square

And the famous mineral source, actually one of the 4-5 mineral water sources which surges the Village, most of them are exploited by St Yorre nowadays:

mineral water Ad 

 

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

Evening surfing

Evening surfing ( after work ) are the dream in Summer in Ireland... lovely time down there.



Left work at 5pm, headed straight to Lahinch with my surfboard, and straight into the water. I am managing very slow improvement in my surfing abilities, anyway that was an excellent way to spend the evening. :D

A tour of guinness

I went last saturday to Dublin to see a game of Rugby, and use the occasion to paya vist to the Guinness storehouse.

The tour is actually quite great, showing the whole brewing process of the stout, the old machinery, and the history of the brand, from his founder to the latest advertising campaigns.

Clear Water


Copper and barrels




Some advertising:


You end the tour with a delightful pint of guinness, at the top of the building, which overlooks all Dublin.


Then after the tour, we headed to the Aviva stadium, to see a good french performance ( not a fantastic one though but enough to secure a victory, before the world cup ).


And off course we ended the night in a pub ;)

Back in the surf....

Getting wet

Great weekend, half productive ( another series of boat repair for the diving club ), half sporty/active ( surf but mostly body-boarding in Spanish Point, Sunday with PJ ), and all that fun and entertaining, with the mandatory passage to the Wicked and Costello on Saturday night....
All good. :D



PJ trying to ride a wave:

PJ riding it

Additional blog

I've decided to start a new blog, which will concentrate my various movie experience ( and only the stuff related to movies ). I'll continue that one, on a more personal note.

The blog is : http://tofcinema.tumblr.com/

33 Years ago

Helping my grand father

pp_cg_travail, a photo by TOF2006 on Flickr.

Building the chicken house with my grandad. :(

Waterford Tall Ship 2011

I went Friday 1st of July to Waterford see the tall ship, and took some pictures, little did I know...

Tall Ship

hot air ballon, in Waterford sky

Russian Crew member

Russian crew

Masts

Night View

Brilliant occasion ( http://www.waterfordtallshipsrace.ie/ )

Here's a slideshow of the pictures I take:

Blue Monday

Monday sky was blue and sunny, so instead of heading back to the city and my flat, I took the opposite direction, straight to the west clare beach.

Ended up doing a short snorkel, the water temperature was actually better than the fresh wind.... defintely should have organized that damn barbecue.

me...

White Strand, Co Clare

Underwater Ireland over the years

Inishbofin Diving Week

I just got back from Inishbofin (Connemara) Saturday, after a great week of dives, great weather, good food ( thanks to the great cooks in the group), clear waters, a bit of mad trad session, and fantastic buddies. All organized by the Aughinish Diving Club.
What else could you ask for ?

Our base-camp, with the boat club:

Boat ready for departure

One of my underwater buddy, a keen photographer, probably looking for seal or dogfish:

Underwater

Decompression Time in the local pub:

above water

Dawn colors:

Sunset

Underwater shot:

Anemones

Dead man fingers

The Harbour, on the day we left.... :(



The ferry who brought us back:

Our ride back to land :(

More information on Inishbofin:
http://www.inishbofin.com/

Hermit Crab in White Strand

IMG_1205
Originally uploaded by TOF2006

Another weekend, only with one small shallow dive, hence the hermit crab in the picture.
A part that, this was also a busy weekend in limerick with the riverfest and the Munster game.

First octopussy

Last monday, I saw my first Octopus in Irish Water. Actually we saw two, in was at 27 meter deep near Scariff island in county Kerry. One of my buddy, Brian was lucky enough to capture it on photo before his battery died. See below Brian picture.

Eledone Cirrhosa

octopussy
Originally uploaded by upskill2008

Via Flickr:
Brian snapped this little guy just before he squirted ink and I ran out of batteries. Diving off Scariff Island, Derrynane.

Cinema de quartier

This last few months, I've rekindled my love for the cinema bis, by organizing viewing of some forgotten gems.
Last week, the theme of the night was Japanese Gore, starting with the cult "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" from Shinya Tsukamoto. To be honest I could not quite remember the movie, and though I understand its innovation, I was more impressed by Tsukamoto later work.

We quickly follow by the bizarre and perverse movie from 2008: "Tokyo Gore Police", quite extreme and at the same time very juvenile.


So far we had quite few nights around those alternative cinema, see below the list of movie we entertained:

• Captain Orgazmo
• Tromeo et Juliette
• Surfer Nazis must die
• The chinese Feast
• Zu, the warriors of the magic mountain
• Once upon a time in China
• Machete
• Clercks
• Robotrix
• Plan 9 from outer space
• Troops
• Godzilla vs. Megalon
• The God of cookery
• Monster X vs the G8