#Galway is great because it kind of reminds me of home in all the best ways without making me homesick

[noctilionoidea]

it was so hard being in Galway during the international arts festival and having to watch how much I’m spending. Theres so much awesome work all over but I’ve “already made extravagant purchases on this vacation” and am “going off to college really soon so I need to save money”. Bleh

Still obviously I wasn’t getting anything unless I really wanted it I’m not a fool

[evannalily]

Gold Frame Earrings from Newlook

Good Afternoon everyone and a very Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a wonderful night full of fun, joy and surrounded by family and friends to ring in the new year! I myself was laid up in bed with the flu for most of it so mine could have been that little bit better but otherwise I was just thankful to actually be out of bed and able to eat on actual new years night so it could have also have been worse but Im on the mend now! Todays post is the first post of 2019 and one I haven’t done in a while which is on one of my own looks that I had for a night out in December and if I’m being really honest that night was the first in a long time that I actually 100% happy with how I looked on a night out and felt really confident in myself which I think is a feeling I will be bringing with me in 2019!

My 2018 ended with a good few memories as I had a pretty sociable December . Including myself and Éimear going to the INEC in Killarney to go see Hozier and Gavin James who were unreal! For anyone who doesn’t know who Hozier is he’s an Irish singer/songwriter from Wicklow and I would definitely recommend going to see him because he is just amazing live! I always love going to see singers live and have them sound the exact same as they do in audio instead of them sounding a bit different because the voices are enhanced on the audio to sound better. Definitely check out his music because he is genuinely just so good! Gavin James is also an Irish singer from Galway who is also really good to go and see!

Myself and Éimear also went on our glam girls night out where we also met up with Himself and a couple of his work buddies and it was this night that I am honestly so happy with my look.

Look of The Night

  https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/clothing/tops/black-one-hundred-percent-slogan-t-shirt-/p/616789201

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/clothing/skirts/black-cotton-mix-mini-tube-skirt-/p/506885901?comp=Search

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/accessories/jewellery/gold-textured-rectangle-earrings-/p/614185393?comp=Browse

https://www.prettylittlething.com/black-pu-pointed-ankle-sock-boots.html

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/accessories/belts/black-leather-look-circle-buckle-hip-belt/p/591190501?comp=Browse

The look its self was pretty simple and was my classic all black colour scheme (another thing I’m going to start changing in 2019) and was just perfect. I love when you just throw something on last minute and it ends up being you’re favourite look of all time. The t-shirt is pretty basic and you can find slogan t-shirts in virtually any high street store at the moment as they are really trendy still and it was also long enough on me that I kind of created another layer under the skirt which is always handy just incase like me you have a little fear of things being a bit transparent. The skirt is actually another one that I had at home but I have included a link to a similar one here for you but its just a basic black tube skirt as I like my skirts to be a bit higher around the waist as I just feel they suit me better. You can’t see the boots in this photo but I do have a picture of them up on my Instagram and they are literally the exact type I was searching for for ages! I have another suede high stiletto pair that I have had for years and they are starting to get on a bit now and have seen a fair share of nights out so it was time to start getting their replacement ready and these are amazing. They literally tick every box height (which is scary high to look at but I love the height without a platform sole) , style, colour, comfort and of course are pointed toe. The earrings are again really trendy at the minute and are relatively easy to find but it does depend on the size you like. Usually these square frames are on the larger side but these ones are actually a mini version available from Newlook as well as the bigger size too. They are lightweight as well which is always a bonus as heavy earrings are a curse on your ears after a while. I just finished this look with a plain black leather jacket (more black I know) and thats it. A simple look for nights out without the fuss.

  2018 : A Year In Pictures

As we are now in the new year 2019 I have decided to share some of my photos month by month from last year 2018 on some of my highlights from the year gone by. I definitely had a year filled with ups and downs, changes and trips but these photos are a reflection of all the good times from last year and if you can I would make an album on your phone or in a scrap book that you can look back on in years to come so that you can remind yourself when you’re feeling a bit low or in a sticky situation that life hasn’t been all bad and that you have had some great times in your life even if it is something as simple as just watching movies with friends. Heres a breakdown of my 2018!

February – Éimear and I travelled up to Dublin to go see Dermot Kennedy in the Olympia Theatre and I will honestly never forget it. It was the best concert I have ever been to because his music is so emotional, touching, beautiful and mesmerising. We are going to see him this year as well which I cannot wait to do again!

April – Himself and I went on our kind of annual holiday to Portugal to Albufiera where we have been before but this time we did do a few new things one of which I have definitely never done before and that was a Fish Pedicure. If you don’t know what that is its basically these tiny little fish that eat away at dead skin cells so you soak your feet in the water with them and they basically just clean your dead skin cells away. Don’t worry they are tiny fish so you don’t actually feel anything except maybe a slight tickle which is more of a funny sensation than scary (unless your Kim Kardashian West in that clip where she completely freaks out at the tickle feeling of a fish pedicure).

June – Himself and I went over to England for just under two weeks to mind my aunties house for her and as he had never been to London before I was excited to show him all the touristy things like Buckingham Palace, The London Eye and the Natural History Museum. We did one thing I had never done before (that I can recall anyway as I may have gone as a very small child) and that was go to the London Aquarium. It was really cool in there and they do have really interesting things to see so I would recommend going there if you are in London! On our way to the Natural History Museum we did see a few lamborghinis being driven around for demonstrations too which he was only delighted to see.

September – In September Himself and I attended a wedding in Tralee which was a civil ceremony as they didn’t want a church wedding and it was honestly one of the nicest wedding I have been to. As much as I respect peoples religious choices of a church wedding it was just really nice to not have the same prayers and routines and to see them have their children involved, have their own readings and quotes spoken and it was just a really nice romantic wedding. I did however end up spending two days getting broken glass out of my hands from an unfortunate table breakage but we won’t talk too much about that!

December – The whole month of December was one of my highlights to be honest. I started with our annual staff party which was really fun as we went for dinner and then just made a night out of it. Next up was my birthday which I didn’t actually do anything for it but Himself did have roses delivered to me at work for it which was a nice surprise even though I had a feeling he was going to do that as he was being a bit sneaky in town the day before and he did the same for my 21st birthday a couple years ago but it was still a lovely surprise! After that came came the Hozier show which was amazing as he just has such a great voice and is amazing to see live. Then literally two days after that myself and Éimear went out for our glam girls night and met up with himself and couple of his friends as they were on a staff night out too. Then obviously there was Christmas which was our usual family tradition of dinner with my grandparents, lots of food and a movie. Then a few days after Christmas myself and Éimear headed out to the INEC again to go see Gavin James perform and literally about two days after this I ended up in bed ill for nearly two days and was only just up an about on new years eve and able to eat so I literally have not one photo from the night but I did discover my 88 year old granddad is a fan of George Ezra’s Shotgun and my nan is in love with Michael Bublé

February – Dermot Kennedy Olympia Theatre Dublin

March – Myself and Eimear on St. Patricks Night

March – Snowy house bound days with Cookie

April – Albufeira, Portugal with himself

April – Albufeira, Portugal with himself

May – Finally bought a new car

June – England with Himself

June – England with Himself

August – Got my first set of the prettiest Ombre gels at NailsbyErika

August – Was reunited with an old school friend at a wedding

September – At wedding with himself

October – Halloween Costume Party in The Grand with Gillian

December – Christmas Staff Party

December – Himself had flowers delivered to me at work for my birthday

December – Hozier with Eimear

December – Hozier with Eimear

December – Out on the town with Eimear

December – Holly waiting for her gifts from Santa on Christmas morning

Decemeber – Gavin James with Eimear

Well thats my 2018 summed up so lets see what 2019 brings! Speak to you soon!

Ever yours

Lily

xx

December Roundup : Last Look At 2018 Good Afternoon everyone and a very Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a wonderful night full of fun, joy and surrounded by family and friends to ring in the new year!

[lostinreality014]

Here’s my thoughts on each track from Divide. 

Eraser: The produced version is fucking amazing and I actually like it better than the live version he posted a few days ago. And that’s weird cause I usually like is raps better live. But fucking hell the produced album track is BRILLIANT

Castle on the Hill: This one has been out for a while and I just enjoy it all around. I love the story behind it and I love the music arrangement for it. And his acoustic performances have been amazing. This is gonna be a popular one at concerts. And let’s not get me started on the falsetto in his voice.

Dive: Holy fucking hell. This is like the sexier more mature version of Thinking Out Loud. Jesus Christ. It has a very Slow Dancing In a Burning Room vibe. And his voice... fuck me up his voice. I started laughing/crying in the chorus because what the fuck?! Oh and HOLY FUCK THE GUITAR SOLO IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. IT’S TOTALLY JOHN MAYER SHREDDING AND I’M FUCKING DEAD. Also... this song is going to sound incredible on vinyl. 

Shape of You: This one has also been out for a while. But none the less, I love, love, LOVE this one. Such a tune. Great beat. Love how he’s talking about a beautiful woman is without being degrading and using vulgar language. I really don’t know how else I can describe this song other than I love everything about it.

Perfect: Welp... Ed was right. He said this was better than Thinking Out Loud and I have to agree. Don’t get me wrong, TOL is one of my favorite songs of his. But this one... this one is just... it’s literally Perfect - pun intended. It’s so sweet and heartfelt. And you can feel the love in every word and in his voice. I’m crying.

Galway Girl: I love everything about this. This is such a feel good song. I love the Irish feel and influences. I’m cheesin so hard right now. Talking about meeting on Grafton street makes me miss walking down Grafton Street and watching all the street performers and talking to complete strangers about anything and everything. This is gonna sound bad ass live.

Happier: I’m sorry... did he growl in the beginning of this? Because I’m asdl;kfjasd;lfj. Also his falsetto in this is unreal. And the emotion. I’m crying again. Jesus Christ this album has me all up in my feels right now.

New Man: I feel like this is classic Ed Sheeran in terms of style. I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s just to me... classic Ed. Kinda reminds me of a slower version of You Need Me in a way. 

Hearts Don’t Break Around Here: “She is the lighthouse in the night that will safely guide me home” Fuck me up with that line. Bye. I can’t even. This has shades of Tenerife Sea in it in terms of the guitar and I love it. This is such a sweet, loving, and tender song. If this makes the tour set list, I’m very likely to cry hearing it live. Just like I did when I heard Tenerife Sea

What Do I Know?: If he’s actually harmonizing with himself in this track and I’m gonna launch myself into the sun. Jesus Christ. I mean... I know he can I’ve seen him do it live with his loop station, but this is just on a whole new level. Love the guitar in this track too. 

How Would You Feel (Paean): Okay well... this one basically punched me in the feels the first time I heard it/saw the video he released. And that hasn’t changed. This is just a sweet, caring, loving song and it makes me happy. It also makes me cry. Maybe one day I’ll find this kind of love. Oh, and I love how simplistic this is musically. Just the guitar and the piano. Supermarket Flowers: Oh my god. I’m ugly sobbing. This is so beautifully written and composed. And brilliantly performed. This song hits so close to home right now that I can’t say anything more right now. If he performs this on tour we’re all gonna be drowning in an ocean of our own tears. This track on vinyl is going to fucking slay me. Barcelona: This track makes me want to choreograph some kind of ballroom dance to it. Damn shame I don’t know how to do any style of ballroom dance much less choreograph it. But damn if this track doesn’t make you want to get up and dance. Although I’d much rather be dancing to this track down the streets of Spain. His voice is unreal in this track as well. Wow.

Bibia Be Ye Ye: I feel like I should be on vacation in some tropical island paradise. Or like I should be going on a road trip with my best friend or the boyfriend I don’t have and we’re documenting everything on film and camera. This just sounds like an adventure song and now I want to travel dammit. 

Nancy Mulligan: I love this song so fucking much. It’s so cute and it’s gonna be awesome live. I love the how the Irish influences have come back for this track. But it also has a Spanish flare to it and I love it. It just meshes so well all around. How can you not get up and dance to this song? If this song doesn’t make you smile then I don’t know what to tell you. Save Myself: First of all... this track deserves to be more than a bonus track. Second of all, this song is the equivalent of the tear jerker ballad in the second act of a musical. You know.. the ballad where the main character(s) have some big revelation about themselves and/or their relationship. It actually reminds me of two moments in Once. The first is where it’s just Guy and Girl and they’re out on a hill that’s overlooking the city, and Guy sings Sleeping. And the second is after they’ve finished recording When Your Mind’s Made Up and Girl sings The Hill. I can’t really explain it, but that’s what this track reminds me of. And yeah... DEFINITELY deserves to be more than a bonus track.

***** If you read through all my rambling non-sense about Divide, kudos to you. You deserve a cookie, or three or four. I told you it would be a rambling, bumbling, incoherent mess. As Ed has said, this album is special and it’s definitely some of his best work. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go eat my feelings by binge eating a box of frozen thin mints.

[celtfather]

Raggle Taggle Gypsy #427

The raggle taggle gypsies take over the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

Hot Griselda, A Campo Traviesa, Mitchell and Vincent, Lilt, Brother Sea, Crepuscule, Seldom Sober, Claire Roche, Steve and Ruth Smith, Kellswater Bridge, Dylan Walshe, BassPipes, Captain John Stout

I hope you enjoyed this week's show. If you did, please share the show with ONE friend.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is dedicated to growing our community and helping the incredible artists who so generously share their music. If you find music you love, buy their albums, shirts, and songbooks, follow them on Spotify, see their shows, and drop them an email to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast.

Remember also to Subscribe to the Celtic Music Magazine. Every week, I'll send you a few cool bits of Celtic music news. It's a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Plus, you'll get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free, just for signing up today. Thank you again for being a Celt of Kindness.

VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 With the new year comes a new votes in the Celtic Top 20. This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. Just list the show number, and the name of as many bands in the episode as you like. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2019 episode.  Vote Now!

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

00:04 - "Zabumba Sunshine - Sparta Schaffen" by Hot Griselda from Sunbox

04:43 - WELCOME

05:25 - "O'Neill's March/La Bamba" by A Campo Traviesa from Dreaming with the Rain

10:14 - "As I Roved Out" by Mitchell and Vincent from The Preservation of Fire

14:10 - "The Jiggery Pokerwork/The Return Home" by Lilt from X

17:05 - "Triskele" by Brother Sea from Brother Sea EP

20:35 - CELTIC FEEDBACK

24:17 - "Hap and Rowe" by Crepuscule from Hap and Rowe

27:18 - "Raggle Taggle Gypsy/King of the Fairies" by Seldom Sober from Six Months in Confession

31:26 - "Essence" by Claire Roche from From Then Until the Here and Now

38:32 - CELTIC PODCAST NEWS

39:57 - "Dancin' Cross the Strings" by Steve and Ruth Smith from Dancin' Cross the Strings

42:22 - "April Morning" by Kellswater Bridge from The Proof Is in the Pudding

47:08 - "At Sea" by Dylan Walshe from All Manner of Ways

50:07 - "B53" by BassPipes from Single

53:05 - CLOSING VOCAL

54:54 - "Carrickfergus" by Captain John Stout from Love Abides

1:01:52 - The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather. To subscribe, go to Apple Podcasts or to our website where you can become a Patron of the Podcast for as little as $1 per episode. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

  CELTIC PODCAST NEWS

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. My name is Marc Gunn. I am a Celtic musician and podcaster. This show is dedicated to the indie Celtic musicians. I want to ask you to support these artists. Share the show with your friends. And find more episodes at celticmusicpodcast.com. You can also support this podcast on Patreon.

Get our free Celtic music app right here.

TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through it's culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos. Join the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! Because of Your kind and generous support, this show comes out every week and has done so since 2014. You can pledge a dollar or more per episode and cap how much you want to spend each month over on Patreon.

Your generosity funds the creation, promotion and production of the show. It allows us to attract new listeners and to help our community grow. Plus, you get to hear episodes before regular listeners. When we hit a milestone, you get an extra-long episode. We are super close to getting a two-hour instrumental special.

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  I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? You can send a written comment along with a picture of what you're doing while listening. Email a voicemail message to celticpodcast@gmail.com

Kenneth Scruggs II emailed: "Hey Mark I've been a long time listener of the show and I really love what you're doing I remember the show back when you had your celtic cat special. Seeing as how this time of year is horse racing season leading up to the derby in May I was wondering if you could consider doing a celtic horse special. There are a lot of great celtic songs featuring horses. Some of my favorites were Galway Farmer by The Trinity River Whalers and Darcy's Donkey by Gaelic Storm. Keep up the great job and as always, slancha."

Jason Nevins emailed: "Love the Pod, Love the Diversity. Hi Marc, The Irish and Celtic Music Podcast has always reminded me of how, when I was a kid, I used to listen to Celtic music with my mom on weekends. When I left for college and started living on my own, I found the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, only a few months after you first launched it. Your show helped me stay in touch with my roots as I went through college in Wisconsin, grad school in New Mexico, got married, and had two beautiful children. My daughter is four now and we listen to the podcast every Sunday morning while I make crepes for the whole family. I like to think that she'll grow up and remember weekends with dad and Celtic music the way that I remember weekends with my mom.

I was surprised this past weekend to hear that you received negative feedback about the Diversity in Celtic Music episode. However, I was elated to hear your impassioned defense of women, people of color, transgender folks, and all other marginalized groups - many of whom are part of the Celtic music community. As soon as my wife and I heard that, we wanted to show our support for you and your podcast by supporting you on patreon.

Thank you for all of your hard work and thank you for speaking out against intolerance, hate, and bigotry."

Check out this episode!

[hemcountry]

DENVER DAYS & COUNTRY NIGHTS - On The Road With Mike Denver

Hello Everybody! 

You’re probably a little bit surprised to be seeing me here today! But hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other here over the coming weeks and months. Before going any further, though, let me welcome you all to what I suppose we’ll call the first edition of ‘Denver Days & Country Nights‘, a little glimpse into what life on the road is like for me.

‘Denver Day & Country Nights‘ will be a brand new way for me to keep in touch with all of my fans out there and to try and let everybody know what’s happening in my world from week to week. It’s been such a brilliant 2016 for myself and the band so far, with our latest album, ‘Cut Loose‘, becoming our very first number 1 collection, as well as claiming the Album of the Year prize at the first RTE Irish Country Music Awards back in April. And of course, I was delighted and humbled to be voted Entertainer of the Year at the same show. 

With so many great things like that happening, and of course all of the summer festivals where we’ve enjoyed meeting you all up and down the country over the last few months, and our usual dancing and concert dates as well, it’s probably been busier than it’s ever been here in the Mike Denver camp. And that’s one of the reasons I’m delighted to be teaming up with HEM Country to help keep everyone up to date with what’s happening in my world through Denver Days & Country Nights!

PLOUGH ON!

Me and Sile Seoige getting the party started at the the Aldi Marquee at the National Ploughing Championships 2015. © Irish Farmers Journal

I’m well known as the ‘Galway Boy‘ and there’s no doubt that I’m very proud of my home county, and of Portumna, where I come from. And that means I’m also a country boy, in more ways than just my music! And that’s something else I’ll always be proud of, too. So the phrase ‘plough on’ is one I grew up around and like so many country folk, it’s as much a part of our everyday language as it is a job to be done! The National Ploughing Championship are coming up again soon and this year this magnificent event is being held down in Tullamore. I’m lucky enough to be part of the musical side of things for this year’s entertainment so when it comes to getting feet up on the dancefloor and getting the tunes going, my instruction to the boys in the band will be simple, “Right lads, let’s plough on!” 

* Mike will be performing at the National Ploughing Championships at Screggan, Tullamore, Offaly on September 20th, 21st, and 22nd.

MAKING LOOKING GOOD LOOK EASY

Me at the ‘Show’ with Guy Clothing. © Guy Clothing

When I’m not on stage I’m just like most lads out there. Put me in a pair of jeans and trainers and I’m happy as larry most of the time. If I could get away with it, I’d nearly hop up behind the mic that way, too! But there’s a few people who’d never let me away with that kind of carry on, like my wife Liz and my manager Willie, to name but two! And they’re right, of course. A huge part of this business is about looking the part as well as sounding like you can carry a tune! I’ve recently teamed up with Anthony and Kara Kearns and their team at Guy Clothing down in Tullamore (county Offaly, Ireland) and believe me, these ‘guys’ make looking good look easy! Every time I’ve been in so far it’s been an absolute pleasure and I’m delighted to be one of Guy Clothing’s brand ambassadors. Liz and Willie are delighted too, because it’s one less worry for them! 

TIME TO DANCE, DANCE, DANCE…!

MIKE DENVER’S DANCING WEEKEND

One of the best parts of what I do for a living is meeting my fans, and one of the best parts of that is how often I’m reminded that I have men and women and children from all ages and walks of life who come along to my shows. Now some of those fans like nothing more than the comfort and pleasure of sitting and listening to our songs, while others couldn’t sit still if you tied them to a chair! We’ve always tried to remember both types of fans, and that’s why we go on tour with our concerts and our dance shows. And for the dancers we have a massive treat in store come October. The Mike Denver Dancing Weekend will take place in the Armagh City Hotel beginning on Friday, October 14th. So if you feel like cutting loose with us to all the hits from ‘Cut Loose’ and more, give the folk at the Armagh City a ring on 048 – 375 18888 and make it a date! A real legend of Irish music, and a man I’ve always had the height of respect and admiration for, the great Ray Lynam, will be joining me with his famous Hillbillies band on the Friday night. And on the Saturday you can enjoy The Honky Tonk Angels and the fabulous Conquerors before we hit the stage ourselves. It’s not called a dancing weekend for nothing! 

STORY BEHIND THE SONGS

If we had no songs, nothing else would be possible. As they say in Nashville, ‘It all begins with the song.’ I’ve been lucky enough to sing and record so many wonderful and beautiful songs during the course of my career, and one thing I’d like to do here each week is to share a little of the history of some of those songs. As I said earlier, I’m well known as the ‘Galway Boy‘, so just to keep things balanced, I think the only song to start this section with is ‘The Galway Girl.’ 

Most people in Ireland probably think of this as being a Mundy and Sharon Shannon song, and true enough, the duo recorded a superb version in 2008. In fact, I think it may have been the most downloaded song of that year in Ireland. But ‘The Galway Girl‘ was actually written by the brilliant American singer/songwriter, Steve Earle. The story goes that Earle, who actually lived in Galway for a time, was out for a walk one day when he passed a beautiful blue-eyed and black-haired girl who made such an impression on him in that fleeting moment, that the seed for ‘The Galway Girl‘ was sown. And doesn’t it just go to show you, too, that great songwriters are blessed with an almost magical ability to create something so special out of a moment that many people wouldn’t even have noticed. And if we had no songs…..!

You can listen to my version of ‘The Galway Girl‘ on my album, ‘The Essential Galway Boy Collection.’ 

Thanks for reading, folks, come back next week for another installment of Denver Days & Country Nights.

DENVER DAYS & COUNTRY NIGHTS – On The Road With Mike Denver was originally published on HEM COUNTRY

[travellingthoughts]

Monday 15th of May 2017

**started writing this one week ago (23nd of May rn) and never finished it. Going to continue where I left off** ***its now the 9th of June FFS Len*** **** I do this every fkn time**** So I'm currently on a train to Stansted Airport in London. I have a flight today to Edinburgh which I'm so excited for. I'll be seeing my cousins for the first time in 12 years, and will be staying with them for my entire stay in Scotland. London has truly been amazing. I've had two of my fave pals here who have kept me busy and feeling elated; Brittany and James. Brittany has been with me since pretty much the start of Daniel and I. She has been with my through the ups and downs, as I have been with her. However we always manage to laugh a lot through the shit times and have a blast. Back at home and especially after Daniel and I broke up we were hanging out every second day, going for walks and coffees and just chilling at out houses and everything in between. Then she left me to travel overseas 😰...and then I left to come over also 😊 Anyway, we did what we would normally do at home in London, and it was fucking awesome! I really enjoy her company, and her ray-of-sunshine personality she has ❤ James and I did what we normally did too; drink alcohol haha. Just kidding, James is kick ass to talk to and he is definitely one of my closest guy friends without it being weird. He introduced me to his mates from London and they were a laugh and a half... but mostly James though lol because he is a fkn pisser 😂 We had so many times together where we just got fucked and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was amazing to have two of my best friends only 30 minutes away. It feels like a lifetime ago when I could do this. It really mellowed the lonely feeling which was awesome. London had it all. The night life, the food and the sites hit the spot! Everyday was an adventure and I literally had everything at my fingertips. It reminded me a lot of Melbourne. Just a lot bigger and a little older. But the people were so nice and helpful. It was also really easy to get around which made life so much less stressful. It was expensive, but easy so whatever. Everything was kind of overpriced but I think I did well with my money seeing as though I was there for a solid 11 days. Weather also wasn't too bad, or well not as bad as I expected. Hahah I pictured consistent rain but it was anything but. Just a drizzle here and there! Nothing like Krakow 🙄 Some of the places I visited were Camden town markets, Westminster abbey, Big Ben, Tower of London, Shoreditch, Clapham common, portobello road markets, Brixton, Brighton and Harry Potter world at Warner Brothers Studio! Would highly suggest all of these places to anyone who wants to go to London. Overall feeling about London: amazing. This brings me to the real date right now (THE DATE LEN SHOULD HAVE POSTED THIS BUT SHES FKN LAZY SO 2 WEEKS HAVE PAST- read the **** above): Tuesday the 23rd of May. I'm on a flight to Dublin as I write this (I feel like I'm always in transit when I finally have the time to write... and I always am haha). Edinburgh exceeded my expectations in regards to the landscape. I always thought of Scotland as being underrated but I truly got to see how underrated it really is. Edinburgh is gorgeous. I was living in the centre the part called New Town. There is New Town and Old Town which separates the city centre... how well thought out and innovative haha. Must of taken them ages to name 😂 The city is very hilly, like it was a work-out getting around (aint complaining). Although pushing 30kg luggage up a killer hill today had me swearing and sweating. One thing I found interesting was the fact that all of the monuments and old buildings are pretty much black. They look burnt and I don't know why... definitely need to research that. I spent my days walking up the famous Princess street and Royal Mile. I visited Carlton Hill which gave me spectacular views of all of Edinburgh (where my last post was written). I did some Harry Potter scavenging around the city and went to the Elephant House Cafe where JK Rowling first thought of Harry Potter. Went to the graveyard (Greyfriars kirkyard) where she got the names for some of the characters and I found Tom Riddles grave. It was pretty spooky but I found something calming about this cemetery. There was so much greenery and people about it didn't feel eery. Saw the university which inspired the design of Hogwarts, and it honestly looked pretty spot on. I was a bit of a Harry Potter geek in both London and Edinburgh and I fkn loved it 🙊 I also went to a Mary King's Close tour which showed me the now underground alleyways of Edinburgh. The city was built on these after the plague, so they were once open to the sky. I heard true stories of important people who lived there and what impact the plague had on the population. Pretty crazy to think that people's insides were shutting down and eating them alive. Very eye opening as I tend to complain about having a cold or my period. Completely insignificant when you put it into perspective. Most of my time was spent with my cousins though. It was really important to me that I was with them every moment I could be. I haven't seen them in ages and I wanted to make the most of every moment. Most night were spent making delicious dinners (they're Masterchefs legit) and drinking wine. We watched the Olympiakos basketball team win the semi final and then lose the grand final, over Souvlaki and Pizza. We talked and talked for hours every night about a whole lot of things, and these are the moments I will treasure forever. They were so loving towards me and made their home feel like mine. They took me to St Andrews on Saturday, where we got ice cream and coffee and walked around. It was stunning! There was so much history behind every building. Especially those that have literally fallen apart or are in pieces. We walked the coast where the "beaches" were (they weren't beaches they were just water hitting massive rocks... no sand or fun in the sun that's for sure) and ended up roaming the University where Prince William studied/met Kate Middleton. It was huge and looked fkn expensive. Deakin definitely doesn't look like that #HECS #yolo 😂 That brings me to my next destination....Dublin! Ireland is my favourite country ever. I would happily live here. The people are the loveliest kind there is, they know how to have a good laugh, they're big drinkers (my style), the landscape is beautiful, there is so much to do always and weather is average but no one gets crabby about it. I have had some of the most eventful nights of my trip in Dublin, and they have happened on the nights where I said I was going to have a "quiet one". If there is one thing I've learned on this trip it's that when you expect something to be great, whether it be a country or a night out, you are more then likely going to be disappointed. Don't expect anything and you'll always be pleasantly surprised! In Dublin I went to Kilkenny (which is like a small medieval town with castles and shit), Glendalough (which has awesome hiking tracks leading to lakes but that's literally it), The Wicklow mountains (which was way too foggy for the tour to stop and get off 😪), The cliffs of Moher (which I believe I ate about 1000 bugs for lunch as they were fkn everywhere but the cliffs are pretty), Galway City (which is a cute but relatively large town), Burren (which is literally hundreds of square meters filled with limestone created from acid rain! It's fkn sick), Giants Causeway (which has like rocks that are huge hexagonal prisms and really pretty views when you hike to the top), Belfast (in Northern Ireland where I did a 'black taxi' tour where you learn about the political unrest that has happened in Ireland and is life changing) AND MY FAVOURITE SITE OF ALL WHICH MANY OF YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN ON MY INSTAGRAM Carrick a Rede rope bridge which is stunning! All in all, I did a lot in Ireland during the day and partied way too hard at night but I loved every single second. My number one memory of Ireland will definitely be when I met up with a primary school friend, Harry Shivmangal, who I have literally not seen in 9 years because he ditched me and left Australia to live in Ireland 😂 We talked and talked for hours about absolutely everything, it was incredible. He has grown up so much but is still exactly how I remember him. Is that weird? Hahah and then on Sunday I went to his house for dinner with his family and they were the absolute best! We had a kick ass meal, plenty of laughs, wine galore, tried to give kisses to the fam dog Lexi but she only wanted me for my food scraps #user, looked back at old photos of me and Haz, and laughed some more 😂 It was such a good night I honestly didn't want to leave! I FUCKING LOVE YOU IRELAND 🇮🇪 Signing off #bouttime, Lenny 🇮🇪❤

[hisvault]

For my tenth anniversary the wife and I decided to go to Ireland.  This pleased me beyond belief.  I have been to some great places but for what ever reason never thought that I would find myself in Ireland.  Yet here we go.  We got some pretty good deals so far, the flight was booked round trip through Aer Lingus, and we got a small studio apartment using Home Away.  All in all we have only spent 2800 bucks so far and we took care of the two biggest items.  Are expectations are high, but our itinerary is low.  We are going to relax and take it all in.  The main goal is to go and enjoy the people, the pubs, and mainly the scenery.  We are only a few days away from setting off onto our journey, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Day #1 Pre Trip (Friday)

The pre-trip excitement and jitters have begun, more so for the wife then me.  She has made many statements that don’t seem all that logical or maybe I just don’t get it.  All of a sudden there is zero time, even though we leave on Sunday, and everything needs to be cleaned as if the damn Pope is coming over.  The biggest thing is that she wants to clean weird shit all of a sudden like “Do you think we should mop the ceiling”, or “Eww, HONEY WE SHOULD PROBABLY DUST THE INSIDE OF THE FRIDGE BEFORE WE LEAVE”, WTF.  I try to remind her that there will be no one here for a week, and trust me the cat doesn’t give a shit what the house looks like.  The other things that need to be accomplished fall in very different categories such as needing to get haircuts, shaving all of my body hair off, getting her toe nails done, shopping for more clothes, checking the weather in Ireland every 15 minutes, searching our closet for 30-60 minutes as if new clothes will magically appear each time we re-enter this den of outdated cloth.  While I begin to pack I will be reminded over and over again that I shouldn’t take that and pack this, and constantly asked will this fit in your bag.  Oh the joys of travel.

9:00 AM

Showers are complete, the wife and my oldest are headed to the mall soon to purchase a shit ton of items that will only be worn once.  They will eat a crazy good lunch, and I am sure that when she gets home she will only pack half the things she bought.  Me I am off to find barber to cut my hair, not just any barber though it has to be one the can cut my hair so it doesn’t burn my wife’s eyes when she gazes at me.  This has been an ongoing battle.  I usually don’t get to caught up in it, I pick the first place I see and get it cut.  I remind you that I have been overseas a lot and have had some wild people cut my hair.  My favorite was a gay Filipino with long nails that would sing Christina Aguilera’s “DIRTY” while cutting my hair, and this took place in Riyadh Saudi Arabia.  Yes a gay Filipino hair stylist in the middle of Saudi Arabia.  Dude was good though.

11:35 AM

Back from my hair cut.  The girls are still shopping.  I take this valuable time to wonder around the house and just think about all the things I should be doing.

12:55 PM

Fuck I got shit to do!

1:00 PM

Cold Beer?

1:05 PM

Well I guess I better Mop.

8:25 PM

The puppy has gotten a bath at PETCO, more laundry is in, and I believe the wife is a bottle deep on some white wine.  Me, well I have had a couple more summer ales.  Time to relax and enjoy the night.  I think I have been asked to vacuum the lawn tomorrow.

Day #2 Pre-Trip (Saturday)

8:30 AM

The wife is up and ready to leave so that she can get her hair done.  Most mornings it takes what feels like 47 and half hours for her to get ready in the morning.  Since she is trying a new hair dresser it took 20 minutes to get ready.  Where is this motivation every other day.  I have been told that her hair will take up to 3 hours.  Holy shit, 3 hours!  That’s insane.  For what ever reason the woman that is normally  the most impatience person I know, all of a sudden has the patience of  a Buddhist Monk.  Crazy,  is 0930 to early for a drink?

9:33 AM

So I didn’t grab a drink, but I did start the laundry.  I am beginning to feel like she has a master plan where I do all the cleaning while she runs around.

10:38 AM

I cut the grass one last time for this week.  Started some more laundry and now have become anxious about my pancreas.  Three weeks ago I had Pancreatitis which was by far the most painful thing I have ever felt.  It was like a tiny dwarf made of razor blades was doing laps in my stomach and back.  So fast forward I had three beers yesterday and now I think I have awaken the beast again.  Probably all in my head.

1:56 PM

I went and tried to pick up my dry cleaning and it wasn’t ready.  I hate when that happens.  I am going to start prepping a beef brisket for tomorrow, I just want it to marinate over night.  Going to jump up early to cook it.  The family requested it, and I shall deliver.  Although I wont be able to enjoy it to much because of the law fat anti pancreatitis diet I am on.  FUCK YOU PANCREAS.

5:00 PM

Bags are pretty much packed. The wife’s hair looks great, yet she still hasn’t noticed mine at all.  Off to pick up my dry cleaning again, it better be done.

5:15 PM

God dammit the place is closed.

6:00 PM

I am sitting on my couch my stomach continue to act funny, what the hell.

7:18 PM

We have successfully died Easter eggs.  This was the cleanest it has ever been, no dye anywhere.

Day #3 (Sunday Easter and the Day we travel)

3:00 AM

I wake to smoke the brisket, nothing like getting the smoker ready at 3am.  That smell is good at all hours of the day.  The best part was is that it was quiet, almost tranquil and bliss.  This is because everyone else was still asleep.

7:00 AM

My peace is broken by children searching for the for Easter baskets.  They look like junkies who were just given clues to where drugs may be stored.

8:30 AM

Final touch up cleaning and then it’s off to the outlaws, I mean in-laws. No really they are the greatest people ever.

12:30 PM

Kids are dropped off, we give a quick hello and goodbye all in one breath and it’s off to Ireland.

1:45 PM

We still had to drop the dog off.  At this point I am beginning to fade, 3am was a bit early.  Time to suck it up and head to the airport.

2:50 PM

Chickies and Petes for a beer and some grub, the pre flight meal.  This isn’t the Easter meal I was looking for but who cares I am heading to Ireland.  Side note I haven’t pooped in two days.  I know that this isn’t relevant but it’s frustrating and I had to get it out.

4:10 PM

Frontier Airlines just held a jelly bean contest, you know the one where you have to guess the amount of Jelly Beans in the jar.  Kinda weird, at least they didn’t beat anyone up, or hold a fight club for seat upgrades.

DUBLIN DAY 1 – Hell yeah.

7:15 AM Dublin is 5 hours ahead Thee Time Traveler is in the FUTURE.

I awake from my slumber, we are landing soon and I am juiced.  The wife not so much, she didn’t sleep well on the plane.

9:30 AM

Gary our driver has picked us at the airport, friendly gentleman and gives us a brief on the way over for some things to do today.  He pulls up in front of a boarded up  home and says “alright we are here”, Funny Gary, we    are actually staying a next door.  The place is small but comfy, and has everything we need for the week.  We just can’t seem to figure out the stupid outlet deal, so many prongs.

10:00 AM

We walk down to the grocery store and pick up eggs, tea, Doritos, and water.  You know the basics.

Times will be omitted from this point forward  (They begin to get a bit blurry)

We left the apartment to begin touring Dublin.  The weather was damp, which I am guessing this is what most days are like.  If you could imagine it’s kind of like a damp basement all over the place, a little wet, little cold, and pretty grey.  You wouldn’t be able to tell this from the people though because it’s like the sun is always shinning for them.

Our first stop would be a local pub called Kavanagh’s Pub just down the street from us.  The Bartender was an awesome women named Rose who was well traveled and offered a wealth of information for places for us to go and see.  The rest of the pub was filled with older men wearing scally caps or duckbill, drinking Guinness and reading the paper.  For the first pub to pick it was exactly what we thought it would be like.  Rose knew each person that came through the door.  We sat and chatted for a bit said our goodbyes for the day and off we went to see what Dublin had in store for us.

Dublin was still celebrating Easter and the Easter Rising Rebellion of 1916.  Most shops were closed along the way but there were festivities going on throughout the city.    The first one we went to was a place suggested by Gary the Driver and Rose the barkeep called Smithfield Square.  The square was blocked off for various tents to do things, food trucks abound, and a concert stage on the far end.  We walked around checked out a few things and decided to grab a bite to eat.   Dublin is very westernized so it has a familiar feel when it comes to the eateries, the place we chose was called  Oscars Cafe and Bar. The wife got a veggie burger with chips (French fries), I got a normal burger and chips, both were delicious.  She drank a glass of wine and I drank a Galway Hooker.  This was not a real Hooker it’s the name of the beer, stay with me people.  We finished up and off we went to see more of Dublin.

Ken a local at Kavanagh’s suggested St. Stephens Green, much like Smithfield Square there would be festivities, family oriented activities and a concert.   The park was amazing and packed full of families enjoying the day.  We walked around the park for a bit until the wife got home sick seeing all of the families with their kids.  I have to admit I felt it a bit as well.   So the only way to solve this problem is to head of to another Pub.

When we were searching for St. Stephens green we passed a few pubs along the way, yet ne stuck out to us and that was Brazen Head Pub.  This is the Oldest Pub in Ireland, opening in 1198.  Unreal I know, it’s almost hard to wrap your head around how old some of the things are here, manly because the U.S only became independent in 1776.  The Pub was hundreds of years older then that.  We found to stools at the bar pulled up and ordered two Jameson and Ginger Ales.  Looking around the history of the bars patrons were all over the walls.  Dollars bills from all over the world were taped and tacked to the walls along with patches from first responders, military, and law enforcement groups from all over the world.  The bartender, whose name was Gary, offered up some great advice on more places to go and see.  He laid out a tour that would show us the history of the 1916 Easter rebellion.

We finished our drinks grab the map provided by Gary and took off towards wear we were staying.  At this point of the day we had walked a few miles already and were beginning to tire out.  We got back to one of the main streets near our studio apartment and stopped in at a pub called L. Mulligans Grocer L. Mulligan Grocer.  This would be the final pub of the night, but maybe one of the best.  We sat at the bar and struck up a  conversation with Harry the English bartender.  Nikki would nickname him Harry the Prince.  It was at this point when we were trying to finish our drinks we realized how tired we were getting, I could have fallen asleep right at the bar, so we finished up and headed back towards the apartment, not before we stopped and picked up a bottle of Captain Morgan and some diet Cokes.  Gotta have a night cap right.

We stumbled into the room tired and slightly drunk and tried to map out the next day while having another drink.  Neither one of us at this point could understand the other one so we decided to call it night.  It was only 6pm at this point.  Hey don’t judge us, we were jet lagged and drunk, and tired from walking around the city.  We laid down and fell asleep before our heads hit the pillows.

2 HOURS LATER we sprung from our sleep, I don’t know who woke first but we were up thinking that we had slept through the night.  NOPE, we couldn’t have been more wrong it was only 8pm.  We only discovered this after stumbling around the room in search of our phones to check the date and time.  It looked like the scene from Stepbrothers when they were sleep walking around the house.  Nikki yells to me that it’s still the same day and only 8pm.  I don’t believe her at this point and continue to look at my phone with one eye open and look of WTF on my face.  After checking the time 38 different ways, we went back to bed.  Hopefully tomorrow will be go just as good.

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Day 2 DUBLIN – What did we get ourselves into

We laid in bed until about 9 am.  I decided to get up have some tea, and write down some notes from the previous day.  As I am sitting there smiling and reflecting on the previous day, could smell a slight hint of pee.  Sorry for adding this but I found it funny.  In my drunken state the night before I had attempted to use the bathroom, I guess I didn’t get him all the way out before I started and got a little on the front.  Men you know this has happened at some point in your adult lives, women I don’t know what to say I am disgusting.

After making the wife some eggs and tea we decided to start our day off the same way we did the previous day and that was by going to Kavanagh’s and seeing Rose to have a pint.  The wife has adopted Rose as our Irish mother by this point.  She seemed almost to excited to see us and gave a plate a various chesses and some chutney to spread on them along with some soda bread.  If you don’t know what chutney is look it up, go by some, and enjoy, your welcome.  We finished our drinks, through down some cheese and headed off to the Jameson Tour in Smithfield Square.

I have been to Kentucky and done the bourbon trail tours, which are excellent tours.  Now the Jameson tour isn’t anything like the Makers Mark tour, but more like the Evan Williams tour on bourbon row in downtown Kentucky.  I don’t want to diminish the Jameson tour though, because it was excellent.  Our tour guide for the day was Lawrence a Californian relocated to Dublin.  They give you a wonderful brief on the history of John Jameson, and how much the distiller meant to Dublin.  At the end of the tour you get to conduct a tasting, equally excellent.  The facility is amazing and the tour is just long enough.  Once the tour was complete we sat at their bar and had a couple of drinks.  Jameson is no longer distilled at that location, but you still get a wonderful experience.

We left Jameson and headed towards St. Michans Church where we wanted to go and see the crypts below the church.  The have a short St. Michans tour were they take you below to see ancient bodies that have been amazingly preserved over time.  the crypt’s temperature never changes, and the limestone rocks, and methane coming from the gerund keep the bodies in amazing shape.  The oldest one we saw was nearly 800 years old.   Crazy right. Pictures couldn’t really be taken down there because it was considered a sacred place, and the tombs that were still technically in use no light could be shown in the room.  This added to the eerie fill that the crypt held.  I did manage to touch and old skull sitting on the floor.  Nikki made me use hand sanitizer almost immediately after I told her.  The history above and below the grounds of Dublin are fascinating.

After we were down playing with the dead we headed off to a pub.  I mean come on guys we are in Dublin, I believe it is illegal if you don’t drink while you are here.  The Pub we went to was called O’Sheas Merchant.  We sat down and talked to a lovely lady named Caroline.   She looked to young to be a grandmother but went on to tell us about her son in Australia, and the 2 year old grandson that she missed dearly.  We talked about this while we had drinks and ordered lunch.  Nikki went with the fish and chips (as a reminder those are French fries), I ordered a sandwhich called the Dubliner, it was a smaller panini with beef, and cheese, also it came with a side salad and chips.  Both meals were delicious, especially the fish, awesome grub and an awesome pub.  We finished up there and decided that we would go see Christ Church Cathedral.

I highly Suggest the tour of Christ Church Cathedral.  When you enter this place you are immediately shot back into time.   The church was founded in 1030, yeah 1030 not like that morning but the year.  Pay for the tour also, you could conduct a self tour but you won’t be able to go to the bell house and ring the bells.  This place gets older and older.  The tour guide gives you some amazing history, and tour of the church, the bell house, and the crypt.  The crypt isn’t as creepy as the one at St. Michans but has some amazing artifacts.  The weirdest of which was the cat and the rat mummy’s that had gotten stuck in an organ which were found in the 1850’s. You will need to be mindful of the stair case that leads to the bell tower and the doors as well.  The seem to have been built for children, if you are a man of average height it’s going to be a tight fit.  Once the tour ended we were off to go pub hopping.  MMMM Drinky Time.

We decided at this point that it was time to do some pub hopping around Dublin and the first pace we went to was called Peadar Kearneys Pub, named after the man who wrote the national anthem for Ireland, so we were told, I will have to fact check that one.  I googled it, it’s him.  We ordered a coupe drinks and began talking a man we named drunk Sean.  He talked about a couple of other pubs that he knew where we could hear some Diddly Day Music.  We kept talking and when he found out we were from Delaware he screamed the “THE FIRST STATE” and he said to quote him on it, so there Drunk Sean your quoted.  We left Kearney’s and found a bar called The Auld Dubliner, which was a great little bar with a guy playing some music.  Awesome little place, and the beer was flowing.  We had one a piece and left to find anther pub.  The next stop was going to the trendy Temple Bar.  It was packed, a great atmosphere but almost overwhelming with the amount of people in there.  Plus not as sociable as the smaller off street pubs, but we still sat and had some beers, and Nikki was onto Captain and Cokes by this point.  After drinking there we left and found a place that Drunk Sean suggested called The Old Storehouse.  This place was great, and also had live music.  The solo artist was playing some classic irish tunes, and the place was very much alive.  We sat at the bar and almost immediately struck up a conversation with a unique older fella.  I heard him say his name was Tim, Nikki thinks it was Ken, so he is now TIMKEN.  TIMKEN was an older fella with Phil Donahue hair, no top teeth except for the right K9, a sport jacket, and bow tie.  He had a heavy accent, and proclaimed to know Drunk Sean.  This was not a shock.  Nikki kept leaning back more and more as he spoke, I would later find out that his breath had some history also, it was bad.  So after finishing our drinks and ending our conversation with TIMEKEN we headed off again to find another pub.  It really isn’t hard to find them here they are everywhere, you can’t drink at all of them.  NO WAY NOT NEVER.  The next place was called Bad Bobs, which like The Temple Bar was packed full of patrons.  We found a spot in the back of the bar sat down and orderd drinks.  Nikki struck up conversation with Peter, Johnny, and Rob, three bartenders working that night.  What we did find was that the drink prices in this part of town began to get higher as the night went on.  This will be a little confusing, but TEMPLE BAR is an area as well as a bar also.  So in the TEMPLE BAR area the bars attract a lot more tourists and the prices seem to flow as fast as the beer.  We finished our drinks there and headed of to some local pubs near the apartment.

Along the way Nikki decided that Facebook live was going to be her new addiction, but she isn’t that great at it.  For anyone that saw it, I am sure it was hilarious, after re watching it I laughed probably as much as you all did.  This continued on even when we reached L. Mullgans, we sat down and talked to Prince Harry, Gary, and Steven.  Yes there are a lot of Gary’s in Dublin, this was the third one we met at this point.  It was getting late and we traveled a ton again today, so if was off to one more pub and then back to the apartment. We hit Tommy O’Gara’s but didn’t stay long.  We knew we were well on our way to time traveling so it was time to roll.

We stopped in at Tesco’s, the local supermarket, grabbed a pizza, Captain Morgan, and some other junk for the room.  When we got back I made drinks and a pizza.  We ate it like caveman and threw Doritos down our necks like someone was trying to steal them.  I then began to Time Travel so telling you anything else would be just made up stuff at this point.  Day 2 in Dublin, awesome.

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DAY 3 in Dubiln – The Chance Meeting

WTF is that noise!!!!! Oh it’s my goddamn alarm on my phone going off like a bomb in my head.  I jump up and turn it off with my eyes closed.  What I would have seen if my eyes were open was the full glass of Captain and Coke that I was about to spill completely into Nikki’s purse.  Yup one swift hand movement and this drunk Ninja just emptied that glass of amazing into her purse.  She jumped out of bed like the damn thing was on fire and emptied the contents in like two movements.  I stood there dumbfounded by my actions.  We cleaned it out, set it out to dry, and back to bed to we went.

We would late wake and begin our day.  We figured out a strategy for the things we wanted to see and off we went.  We stopped at Cowtown Cafe to get a little breakfast to fuel up for the long walk ahead.  We walked for what felt like ever trying to find The Kilmainham Gaol, which is an old prison and suggested by many as one of the best tourist attractions around.  We finally arrived after walking about and hour only to discover that the next tour wasn’t going to be for another five hours.  So we bought tickets for the next day and off we went.

Across the street was the Modern Art Museum that cut through the area we were in and expedited our walk.  The grounds of the Modern Art Museum are an amazing sight to see and offer some tranquility in the city.  This was a nice and peacful walk, the kind you don’t say much and just hold hands and enjoy.  It was nice to share this moment with the love of my life.  We just walked quietly taking in the sights, and enjoying each others company.  We never made it inside the Museum, only because we aren’t big art fans, but also because we were headed to the Guinness Storehouse.

We arrived at the Guinness Storehouse to take the tour, learn about the history and brewing process for Guinness.  This, much like the tour of Jameson,  was awesome and you get a free pint of Beer.  We decided to get our beers at the Gravity bar at the top of the Guinness Storehouse.  One of the best views, if not the best view, in all of Dublin.  The bar offers a 360 Degree view of the city which you can see for miles, and it’s nice to just take it all in.  Plus we were tired as hell from all the walking over the last three days, so it was nice to sit a moment and enjoy the views.

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Once we finished our pints we muscled up and headed to the Dublin Castle.  This is located in the City and is almost hidden, you turn down street just up from Peadar Kearney’s and there it is.  We went in and did the self tour where you get to see the state rooms, maybe next time we will do the full tour, but we were getting tired and hungry so we wanted to start heading back towards the apartment in Stoneybatter.  The full tour would have taken more than and hour and we didn’t want to spend that time, so we started moving again.

We casually moved through the city up and down different streets working our way back to home base.  We had passed through Jameson and into Smithfield Square tired and only thinking of grabbing something to eat and relaxing.  We got almost to the end of the square when a gentleman passed in front of me that looked all to familiar.  I have told my wife many times over that timing is a funny thing, and in this case ten seconds later or earlier and I would have missed this chance meeting.  So this man walks passed me and I don’t see his face at first but the back of his head, and his gate is a bit different.  I knew almost right away what I was looking at, my wife on the other hand had no idea and may have thought that I was having stroke, nope I was looking at the Champ and my chance meeting was about to occur.  I tell the wife “hey thats the champ Conor McGregor“, in her really cute voice she sates ‘who”, I said the champ the biggest fighter in the world right now, at which she says ‘OK”.  So like a hippo chasing a cheetah, I follow after the man and sure enough it’s the man himself.  He looked like he didn’t want to take the photo at first but was gracious enough to do so, and I appreciated that.  He turned smiled and took the photo.  We didn’t think or even count on seeing the man but there he was, and the chance meeting happened.  My wife took the photo blasted it to social media, of course after googling who he was, and I guess that makes if official since it’s now on Facebook.

Well back on the path to food, we landed ourselves at L. Mulligans again to grab a bite to eat and enjoy another drink.  We were almost walking hunched over at this point with our backs, knees, and feet hurting from all the miles we have been logging walking around town.  It was nice to get out of the misty rain that had been falling for most of the day and relax for a few moments.  We order Scotch Eggs, and Bison burgers.  Awesome, and I highly suggest them, not because I have taken a liking to L. Mulligans but because they were really good.  We drank a couple of Jameson and Gingers and headed out, last stop was going to be the grocery store for some more Captain Morgan so we could go to the room relax, and have a nightcap.  I let the wife read this story so far and got the thumbs up for some minor editing but many for her approval, as my chief editor I need to run things past here just to make sure I haven’t said to much or to  little.  Well time to enjoy some alone time.  See you tomorrow.

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Day 4 in Dublin – The Last Dance

Our First stop for the day was to be the Kilmainham Gaol, a hostirical prison that held many of the more famous political prisoners during the Easter Rising Rebellion, The War of Independence, and the Civil war for Ireland.  If you want a get a quick lesson in Irish history this is the tour to take.  Plus the jail has a few creepy aspects to it.  We walked back through the Modern Art Museum one more time, there is an amazing Garden on the grounds that is absolutely elegant to walk through.  If you have the chance I highly recommend seeing the parks and gardens throughout the city.  Phoenix Park is massive but beautiful, St. Stephens Green as well, and the gardens at the Art Museum are all well worth the time.  Your eyes will thank you.

The rest of the day was filled with walking around Dublin doing a little shopping and just taking in the sights one last time.  Along our way back we stopped at Jameson for one last Jameson and Ginger, and a little shopping.  We continued to walk back until we hit L. Mulligans to fill up another glass or two.  We left Mulligans headed to the grocer and grabbed some wine and pizza so that we could head back to the apartment and start packing.  So there we were eating Tangy Cheese Doritios, waiting on a shitty 4 cheese pizza, and drinking some wine.  It was a great moment though we got to sit, drink, and reminisce about the week we just had.  There is nothing better than reflecting on the time you just had and knowing that you had it with not just your wife but your best friend.  We had a blast and will truley miss Ireland.  It will surely always bring a smile to our faces.

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Day 5 Dublin – Departure day

Up bright an early so that we could clean all twenty square feet of the apartment we were in.  We also had to pack, which took all of ten minutes.  It is amazing how slow time seems to move when it’s finally time to go home.  Gary the driver was waiting out front patiently for us.  The drive was quick yet quiet as passed through the streets of Dublin.   I won’t bore you with us sitting at the airport playing on our phones waiting for our flight.  Just know that if you ever want to take a vacation over the pound I would suggest starting with Ireland.  No shit right, but honestly the beer is great and the people are even better.

See you in the Future – Thee Time Traveler

Links below are some of the services that we used and recommend.

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus Airline – The plane was excellent and the service on the plane was great.  Prices were very competitive, and best of all it was a comfortable flight.

Home Away – Greats vacations Places

We found our place on Home Away, we love this site.

Glencourt Apartments

The apartment that we stayed in was great.  If you are looking for a similar experience talk to Liam Travers.  dublinvacations@gmail.com

I can’t say enough about Liam and the resources that he provided.  The room had everything we needed, and the suggestions he left us were spot on.

For a list of the bars that we went to check out my story on DOW ( The Ireland Edition) coming this week on Hisvault.com

Ireland “Home of Great Beer and Even Better People” For my tenth anniversary the wife and I decided to go to Ireland.  This pleased me beyond belief. 

[kenzieinfirenze]

"Some journeys in life can only be traveled alone": Ireland

I think traveling alone to a foreign country is something everyone should do, even if only for a few days. This weekend I had the best weekend of the semester so far, and it's because I traveled to Dublin for 4 days completely on my own. If you had asked me 3 months ago if I would ever travel alone, I would have laughed. My friends in NY always joke around about how I seem to hate being alone. Although I'd say I'm more outgoing than not, I can get really shy in certain circumstances. I'm a people person, in that I enjoy being around people, but I have this other side of me that thoroughly enjoys being alone with my thoughts. It didn't even feel like the same semester, being with completely different people and all. I got to Dublin on Thursday afternoon (4/6/17), and started off my trip with a little exploration of downtown, including Grafton Street. I then did a 2 hour walking tour, like I have been doing in each place I visit. The tour brought us to Dublin castle, the Temple Bar district, and Trinity College. After the tour, I walked around a little more, and found a Topshop, which was cool because we don't have them in Italy. I picked up a salad at the grocery store next to my hostel for dinner, and decided I was going to do the pub crawl that many people do from hostels around the city. This was the point where I was starting to feel like maybe being by myself wasn't going to be as fun as I thought. However, I saw 2 clearly American girls eating a snack in the common area of the hostel. I walked up to them and literally asked "hey, are those free snacks, where did you get those!?" because food is a great conversation starter, right? I ended up talking to them for a little bit and went on the pub crawl with them. Savannah and Lana, if you read this, thank you for being so kind and genuinely really cool people. I hope I see you again one day. At the pub crawl, we met an Australian guy named James and a guy from Baltimore named Chris. They were really nice guys, and although Chris went back to the US the next day, we got to know James pretty well. The pub crawl was fun, and I loved getting to see the various places people go out in Dublin. The night life was overall so much more than I was expecting, and I'm grateful I made friends because I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it otherwise. There is live music everywhere at all times, and damn the Irish know how to have a good time. The next morning, I woke up pretty early and had breakfast by myself at a place called Hatch & Sons, which the hostel recommended for a traditional Irish breakfast. I had poached eggs with sausage and bread, and just read my book with a cup of coffee. Again, I was starting to feel a little lonely, but I was happy I got a message from Savannah and Lana that they wanted to join me for the Guinness Brewery later. James and Chris also came. Before that, I walked about an hour to get to Kilmainham Gaol, which is an old (opened in 1796) very famous prison in Dublin. I am so happy I had the opportunity to go there. I've never done something like that, and the history there is amazing. What it's most known for is that it housed and is the place of execution of 4 of the famous leaders of the 1916 Rebellion in Ireland. I saw the older part of the prison, as well as the newer, Victorian section. In the older part, during the potato famine, many people were getting thrown in prison for stealing food, or because they purposely got arrested so they could be fed. The conditions were cold, dark, and many women and children had to sleep in the halls on the floor. I also got to see the yard where many executions took place. Creepy. After that, I walked around Trinity College again, and it really is so pretty. I wouldn't mind being a student there. Apparently it's very similar to Oxford architecturally. I walked over to the Guinness Storehouse for my tour at 4, and met up with my new friends. I was much more impressed with this factory than I was with Heineken in Amsterdam. It was very large, and you could tell a lot of money was put into it. It basically just explains to you the history, how the beer is made, there is a tasting room, and then you get to learn how to pour your own beer before enjoying it on their rooftop "Gravity" bar that overlooks Dublin. It was fun just hanging out up there for a little bit. We were all pretty hungry after that, and we went somewhere to have fish and chips, which was delicious. This is where the story of this weekend gets good-we went to the Old Storehouse bar in the Temple Bar district, and saw these 3 people playing live music that were probably around our age. They were phenomenal, and we ended up seeing them again the next 2 nights. These men that must have been in their 40s or 50s were laughing at us because they could tell we liked the guys playing the music. They kept saying "talk to them after the show," "which one do you like I'll help you out"...it was hilarious. I honestly probably wouldn't have said anything to the band, but the old guys told them we wanted to talk to them but were too shy! Not true at all, but it was still funny. They ended up asking us to stay and have a drink with them. They said normally they just go home after gigs, so we were flattered. We ended up hanging out with them for over an hour, and they were so nice. Zak and Neil were my new Irish friends, which is even more cool than making American friends. They are some of the most talented people I've ever met, and I won't tell their whole life stories here, but I got to know them really well. Zak asked me to meet up with him the next night, too! I went back to my hostel to go to bed because I had to be on a bus at 7am for a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. I did this trip by myself, and really really enjoyed it. On the way to the Cliffs, we stopped at a rest stop that was called Barack Obama Plaza, with photos of him everywhere, which I thought was hilarious. Apparently a couple years ago, Obama visited this random, tiny town in Ireland, and so they named this plaza after him. We continued on to the Cliffs, and I cannot even explain the beauty of them. It was a much different view of the Atlantic Ocean than I'm used to! Everyone told me that the weather can be really bad at the Cliffs, and sometimes you can't even see them through the fog. However, I got the PERFECT weather, and I was so grateful. I walked along the edge of the Cliffs, and there are signs everywhere saying danger, and even a plaque for the people that have died there. I didn't get too close to the edge, but it was very thrilling nonetheless. We had a couple hours there, and then we got back on the bus to drive toward Galway. The bus took a scenic route along the "wild Atlantic coast," which was really beautiful. We got out at one point on these huge slabs of limestone that were very interesting. Geologists all over the world come to this area to study it. We got back on the bus after a short time, and continued our way to Galway. Galway was lovely. I wish I could've spent more time there, but since the airport is in Dublin, it was easier to stay there the whole time, as it was a short time, and just do a day trip to Galway. The tour guide for the day trip gave a quick tour, before I spent a couple hours wandering. One of the things I found interesting was there is a church in Galway that Christopher Columbus is known to have visited, and legend has it that a man called St. Brandon the Navigator had already discovered America, and Columbus must have been talking to locals in Galway, and that's how he knew where America was. Hmmm. I got noodles from a to go place and brought them to sit on the grass in an area called Claddagh, which is where the river runs into the ocean, and also where the Claddagh ring gets its name. Since it was such a beautiful day, there were tons of people enjoying the weather and the pretty scenery of colored houses that reminded me a little of Copenhagen. I walked through the streets a little after that, and got my little a Claddagh ring. Fun fact: the McMahons originated from Galway, so when I blast Ed Sheeran's Galway Girl, I'm not lying :) Since my time in Galway was so short, I only had time to watch a few street performances on my walk back to the bus. We then had about a 3 hour drive back to Dublin. I spent more time on a bus on Saturday than not on the bus, but it was still very worth it. When I got back, I quickly freshened up and met up with my new Irish friend Zak at a bar between his gigs. He had to play again from 12-2am, at this really popular bar called The Quays (Temple Bar district), and so I decided to go and watch, just me. I met some American girls who were nice. I had so much fun just drinking some Guinness and enjoying the music (which again, they are SO good), and essentially being a groupie at this point. When Zak and Neil were done, we went to another bar to hangout, but everything was starting to close soon after that. Since they are known by most bars around Dublin, we were able to stay at a bar and casually hangout even after it closed! I got home extremely late Saturday night, but I had such a blast in Dublin. It really is cool getting to know people from another country, especially your own age. I slept in on Sunday, sat in this cute coffee shop, and just did a lot of walking around. I saw St. Patrick's cathedral from the outside, and then walked to Savannah and Lana's Airbnb on the other side of the river. They did the hostel a couple nights, and the Airbnb a couple nights. We went out to dinner at a place with live music (of course), and then went to The Temple Bar for more live music! We had a couple drinks there before we went to see our Irish friends one last time (I told you-groupies). I feel like I've known all these people for so long at this point, when it's really just been a few days. The guys gave us CDs for free, which was so nice, and I can't wait to listen to it in my car all summer. The best part of this trip was I had no plans other than just to go. I had no idea who I would meet or what I would do for the most part. Ireland, I know I will be back one day. I really do feel like I left a piece of my heart there, and now have memories that will last forever. It's felt genuinely sad leaving this morning. Travel as much as you can. Meet as many people as you can. You'll be surprised at how kind people are, and how easy it is to find yourself in an unfamiliar place.

[michaelgeorgehanlon]

divide: an album review.

haven’t used this in like four years but i really felt the need to share my thoughts on ed sheeran’s new record because it’s fucking amazing. so here’s my track by track review of divide.

eraser - such a banger of an album opener. i feel like his first two albums lacked a strong opening track (as in something somewhat explosive and not as mellow; with no disrespect to the a team or one). reminds me a lot of runaway on his previous album.

castle on the hill - i’ve honestly been listening to this song almost nonstop for two months since it was released as one of the first two singles. it’s just so great. so much happiness and nostalgia and i’m pretty sure i’m not the only one who sings this at the top of my lungs while driving. and “had my first kiss on a friday night, i don’t reckon i did it right” is such a great line.

dive - i’m such a sucker for songs in 6/8 time. also i’m sure the lyrics are relatable for a lot of us. really hits home pretty hard. not to mention the guitar solo is super bitchin.

shape of you - another banger and it obviously had to be a single. it’s crazy how it sounds so different from his other stuff but still feels super ed sheeran-like.

perfect - definitely my favorite track on the album. his simpy, cute songs are seriously my favorites. this song is literally amazing. the strings gives me so many chills and feels. like i’m actually kind of bitter that i’m too old to slow dance to this at my high school prom but too young to make this my wedding song HAHA. i have a hunch it’ll be the third or fourth single and a massive radio hit. it’s loaded with so many tweetable lines and adorable potential instagram captions for couples. “now i know i have met an angel in person” is seriously the sweetest fucking line of all time.

galway girl - the fiddle is so bad ass on this song. anyone else feel like going to a pub and drinking a pint or two of guinness with me while listening to this?

happier - it was about time for a super slow acoustic song and another relatable as hell track for all of us.

new man - UGH i love everything about the direction he went for in this song lyrically, describing how much of a clown this “new man” is. “tribal tattoos and he don’t know what it means” is so great. i hate him too, ed. this would also make a great single somewhere down the line.

hearts don’t break around here - i can totally hear this song in a romantic comedy. so great.

what do i know? - sounds a lot like love yourself by justin bieber but i’ll look past that. really catchy though.

how would you feel (paen) - easily one of my top five favorite songs on the album. and god bless john mayer’s guitar solo. it fits the mood of the song so well. HONESTLY ED SHEERAN MAKES ME FEEL GUILTY FOR NOT BEING IN LOVE AS IF BEING SINGLE IS A BAD THING.

supermarket flowers - probably one of his best songs ever but to avoid crying every single time unfortunately i’m going to listen to this as little as possible. too many feels, man.

bonus tracks:

barcelona - this one just makes me want to keep dancing until my kneecaps shatter or something. and hearing an englishman sing in spanish a little is the fucking best. my favorite line is definitely “i want you baby, solamente.” man i need to get myself a latina.

bibia be ye ye - [continues to dance until my entire body goes numb]

nancy mulligan - [drinks more guinness]

save myself - to be honest this is probably my least favorite song on the album but it’s still pretty damn good so that sums up how amazing the whole thing is, right?

so yeah, there you have it. i’m almost certainly going to only listen to divide for the next several days/weeks.

and now let’s all continue to wait (im)patiently for him to announce his goddamn US tour dates already.

[celtfather]

Celtic Invasion Vacations #419

Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. Not only do we see amazing things, we also experience some incredible music.

Fidil, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, Gerry O'Beirne & Rosie Shipley, Gerry O'Beirne, Tania Opland, Mike Freeman, Claire Roche, Kilted Kings, Marc Gunn, Gwilym Morus, Mwnci Nel, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Dom Duff, Jimi McRae and Sam Okoo

I hope you enjoyed this week's show. If you did, please share the show with ONE friend.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is dedicated to growing our community and helping the incredible artists who so generously share their music. If you find music you love, buy their albums, shirts, and songbooks, follow them on Spotify, see their shows, and drop them an email to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast.

Remember also to Subscribe to the Celtic Music Magazine. Every week, I'll send you a few cool bits of Celtic music news. It's a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Plus, you'll get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free, just for signing up today. Thank you again for being a Celt of Kindness.

VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20 With the new year comes a new votes in the Celtic Top 20. This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. Just list the show number, and the name of as many bands in the episode as you like. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2019 episode.  Vote Now!

THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

00:06 - "Dinkie's: Reels" by Fidil from Fidil 3

03:48 - WELCOME

04:45 - Celtic Invasion of Donegal podcast episodes:

Video: Dancing in Donegal

What Is Dulse? Patrick Maloney Answers in Slieve League Interview

Giant's Causeway Legend & Fact on a Celtic Invasion Vacation

Breakfast with The Celtfather in Ireland

Exploring the Titanic

A Glimpse Inside a Donegal Vacation

Small Tour Groups Experience Adventures Better

Celtic music and interview from Tour Donegal in #214 of this podcast.

5:20 - Celtic Invasion of Wales podcast episodes:

Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer Rock CIV Wales

2 Sci Fi Drinking Songs In Wales

06:32 - "Recessional - Speed the Plough/Erithway Green" by Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer from Paper of Pins

12:26 - "Gallows Tree" by Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer from Twelve Months & A Day

16:51 - Celtic Invasion of Dingle podcast episodes:

Coming soon!

18:40 - "O'Carolan's Concerto" by Gerry O'Beirne & Rosie Shipley from Yesterday I Saw the Earth Beautiful

20:56 - "The Last King of Feothanach" by Gerry O'Beirne from Swimming with Horses

24:29 - BECOME A PATRON OF THE PODCAST

25:11 - Celtic Invasion of Galway podcast episodes:

Where to Shop in Galway, Celtic Music News, Dance of the Midges

26:26 - "Merry Blacksmith/Heatehry Cruach/Paddy O'Brien's" by Tania Opland & Mike Freeman from Cut to Rhythms

29:54 - "Success to the Farmer" by Tania Opland from Bonnie Rantin' Lassie

31:32 - Brobdingnagian Bards 2008 Tour of Ireland podcast episodes:

Bliss in Gougane Barra, Ireland

Don't Quit Your Day Job, Bards Ireland Trip Wrap Up

Seeing the Cliffs of Moher for the First Time

Wandering Dublin with Blarney in Ireland

32:12 - "The Robin's Jaunt Set" by Claire Roche from The Lilt of the Banshee

35:58 - "Dedication" by Claire Roche from From Then Until the Here and Now

40:43 - CELTIC FEEDBACK

42:41 - Celtic Invasion of Donegal

Videos: Travel Ireland

43:44 - "Cloghden More" by Kilted Kings from Name On My Soul

47:20 - "Sail the Sky" by Marc Gunn from As Long As I'm Flyin'

50:18 - FairPlé aims to achieve gender balance in the production, performance, promotion, and development of Irish traditional and folk music. They advocate for equal opportunity and balanced representation for all.

51:17 - Celtic Invasion of Dingle

Photo of our Irish session

52:07 - “Polcaí / Polkas: Neily Cleere's, The Hayden Fancy, Walsh's” by Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh (Murr-en Nick OWL-ee) from Foxglove & Fuschia

55:04 - Bríd Óg Ní Mháille” by Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh from Foxglove & Fuschia

59:55 - Celtic Invasion of Wales podcast episodes:

Final Days In Wales, Dublin Lessons

Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer Are AWESOME!!!

Mead, Mud, and Morte (Explicit) in Wales

Gwilym Morus Interview and Song

Penderyn Welsh Whisky At Watermill Cottage

Arrived In Manchester

More from Wales in show #183 Music of Wales

1:00:53 - "Cold City" by Gwilym Morus from Life Performance

1:04:16 - "Colli Arni" by Mwnci Nel from Gimig

1:07:52 - Celtic Invasion of Brittany podcast episodes: [FIND LINKS for live performance / video]

Music of Brittany with Dom Duff

Videos: Travel Brittany

Video: Dom Duff

1:09:04 - "Buan Yann Buan" by Dom Duff from Babel Pow Wow

1:12:38 - "Brezhoneg 'Raok" by Dom Duff from Roc'h

1:16:52 - SUBSCRIBE / SHARE / SUPPORT VOCAL

1:17:28 - Celtic Invasion of Oban, Scotland

Videos: Travel Scotland

1:18:34 - "Cullen Bay/Scottish Soldier" by Jimi McRae and Sam Okoo from Scottish Pipes and African Drums

1:22:27 - CLOSING VOCAL / Celtic Invasion of the Veneto, Italy

1:23:44 - "Songs from the Western Seaboard" by Jimi McRae from Last King of Pictland

1:29:10 - The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather. To subscribe, go to Apple Podcasts or to our website where you can become a Patron of the Podcast for as little as $1 per episode. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/ .

CELTIC PODCAST NEWS

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. My name is Marc Gunn. I am a Celtic musician and podcaster. This show is dedicated to the indie Celtic musicians. I want to ask you to support these artists. Share the show with your friends. And find more episodes at celticmusicpodcast.com. You can also support this podcast on Patreon.

TRAVEL WITH CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through it's culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos. Join the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/

THANK YOU PATRONS OF THE PODCAST! There are many ways to support the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. You can make a donation through our website. You can buy a bumper sticker to show your support. You can buy an Irish & Celtic Music Podcast t-shirt or get the Sainted Song Henger Collection to tell the world you support Celtic culture through music. The best way is to become a Patron of the Podcast.

This show exists because of the kind patronage of people like you. You can make a pledge of a dollar or more per episode and cap how much you want to spend each month. Your generosity funds the creation, promotion and production of the show. It allows us to attract new listeners and to help our community grow. And you also get episodes before regular listeners.

You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast at http://patreon.com/celticpodcast.

I want to thank our newest patrons: Brian M, Jennifer, Robyn, Joyce, Rebecca H, BassPipes, Murray F.

I WANT YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? You can send a written comment along with a picture of what you're doing while listening. Email a voicemail message to celticpodcast@gmail.com

Natalie Huber-Rodriguez emailed: "Hello! I just wanted to reach out and say how much I love your Podcast. I'm a folklorist and ethnomusicologist who specializes in Irish and Celtic folk music. After returning from living in Ireland a little while ago, I've found myself really missing the trad performances of Irish pub culture and thus, it's really been wonderful to have your Podcast to listen to as a reminder of my home away from home.

Part of my career has been seeking out some of the best traditional Irish and Celtic music performers in the DC metropolitan and greater mid-Atlantic, where I currently live and work, and your Podcast has been great in discovering new and exciting artists from all over. I'm currently working working on a compilation of some of the best and most popular Irish Rebel and IRA songs as part of the upcoming anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising and the significance that such songs still hold for the people of Ireland and their descendants abroad today. Should you ever need any assistance with anything on your Podcast or would like some additional resources, I'd be more than happy to oblige! Keep up the great work! :) Slainte!"

Ali Sherief emailed a photo: "Hi Marc my name is Ali I’m a freshman I enjoy your podcast. I’m also a member of the cat lovers podcast and a fan of your Irish drinking songs for cat lovers album and I love listening to Celtic music. It helps me through the near death fight between me and cars while riding the bike and good day from California!"

  Check out this episode!