#Irish Bodhran Drum .

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

Could you recommend some good resources on accurate depiction of parchment in the medieval period? I feel like most people interested in medieval studies have a basic understanding of what it is and how it’s made, but you seem more well-versed than most on its tactile properties and regular use cases. Where can others acquire this knowledge?

most of what i've learned about manuscripts and book history has been either during my degrees or from work (i have worked in various libraries including with special collections, although mostly with early printed books and later paper manuscripts in that capacity). and in terms of what it's like to interact with, i have learned this mostly from interacting with it, but if you don't have a library or museum near you that will enable you to do this, it's a bit harder. this makes it hard to give recommendations although there are lots of very good books out there about books and manuscript history

(there's one i read early on in my journeys with palaeography etc that went into loads of detail about different writing surfaces including wood and wax tablets and so on, but i cannot remember the title and past me did NOT write it down which was really unhelpful. if i remember it i'll post about it)

there are also a ton of online resources about manuscripts though. lots of museums have online guides to manuscript production, parchment, writing through history. there's lots of codicology stuff out there. so it's not like you have to learn it in a formal environment -- that's just where i learned it and therefore mostly from lectures rather than shareable resources

but to understand parchment specifically i think understanding the process of making it is a crucial step to understanding why it is the way it is (and why it's not paper). here's a couple of youtube videos that give an overview

this is a more detailed video about a project that got people to make parchment themselves which is just kinda interesting (haven't watched it all the way through but am watching parts):

once you understand how parchment is made and the resources that go into it, i think it's easier to understand why it probably wouldn't be used for ephemera and scraps, and that helps you think about situations where people might use something else -- e.g. a wax tablet to take hasty notes, send messages that don't need to be permanent, send messages that are emphatically not permanent (your recipient can melt it and hide the note), etc -- as well as beginning to rethink the modern world's reliance on the written word in general and consider how oral messages and other non-written communication might have been used

as for the tactile side of things, as i said in a previous post, if you can't touch book parchment, go find your local irish musicians and see if the bodhrán player will let you handle their drum (or good quality orchestral timpani will do too! but with a bigger drum it's harder to feel both sides of the skin). drumskins made of goatskin are very similar on a tactile level to parchment, just a little thicker and not processed to quite the same level as a writing surface. it helps you stop thinking of them as super fragile once you realise people are whacking them with a stick regularly, and you can learn about the difference between the hair side and the flesh side of the skin and stuff and see the way the hair leaves traces in the skin and so on. this helps with the tactile understanding

(the cheaper the bodhran, the rougher the reverse side will be even if the front is still nice and smooth, which also makes you realise the difference between high quality books where you can barely tell which side of the page is the hair side, and low quality ones where they're not fully treated, there's still hair, whatever)

i talked to a conservator lately who told me the way he got into book conservation was via musical instrument repair -- they are more similar than you would think -- and i know trad musicians scattered far and wide enough to be reasonably confident that even if you're in an area with no touchable medieval manuscripts, you can probably at some point find a drummer who will let you play with their bodhrán in exchange for a pint or something, lol

but in the mean time there's lots of cool videos about there about parchment making which i do think is a crucial step to understanding it as a writing surface! and i will see if i can remember the names of any of the books i've read...

[byryles]

Back again with more of my yaelokre oc ehehehe :3c

Also i can’t believe I forgot to mention this, but he plays the bodhran (an Irish drum), and I made him suuper Irish-coded cause my family’s Irish and. Yk. It’s neat to see my roots represented in a way that isn’t copaganda (looking at you, Blue Bloods)

Anyway, Finn is my child and I love him dearly.

8/22/24

[favemusiclessons]

HOW TO PLAY BODHRÁN - Lesson 1

The Bodhrán is the heartbeat of Irish music and one of the most eclectic, accessible and fun percussion instruments to learn! In this video we will explore all the skills you need to learn how to play the #bodhran including: 1. Positioning the drum ( 1:07) 2. The playing hand (4:06) 3. Holding the tipper and playing stroke (6:42) 4. Keeping time and building speed (11:14)

[ronmanmob]

Continued from (x) with @tarnishedhalo​

The prompt and question earned Ron one of those exceedingly rare full and unguarded smiles that both emphasized that Beth wasn't the only one of the Rileys who was fangy, and that brought to life his own deep dimples. The way he turns his head causes the bar lamps to cast him in golden light, tarnishing his dark hair with its natural blonde highlights. The tip of his tongue rolls against the back of his teeth.

"Yeah, okay, Rawnie," the New York Irish drawl of his friend's name is nothing he can help, but it's still a intimate step-up from the the whole 'Kray' part. As if he's never known anyone to have a given name. Of course Riley keeps a list in his head of qualities both good and bad. Each of them slivers beneath the usually pristine veneer he wears though his hair's getting a touch long, and he's not been too careful with the razor.

"The pro is...I know like hundreds of different love songs, any genre or era you like, an' not just American ones." He spreads his hands on the table-top, gives them a flex. "Acoustic, electric...can play any guitar.  Can play the piano, drums ~including the bodhran. Violin. Harmonica. And everyone loves a music man, right? Plus I'm hell in the kitchen, and I'm house-broken." He doesn't elaborate on what that last means but delivers it with a chuckle.

"The Con? I'm old-fashioned. I don't really do one night stands, and I'm very careful who I let in my inner circle. Introducing someone into the family can be hard, what with my sister, and because it takes me a while to get used to someone new. Especially after havin' danced with the Devil and the mess she made when we divorced. Also...I'm told I'm bossy as fuck, take with a grain of salt or three." There's a split second where he's unguarded and there's something fairly young and vulnerable resting against the back of his eyes that shades the rest of his mien. It gets shrugged off with a lift of his whiskey, and a snake-like strike at the next card in the pile. "Hypothetically speaking, if you could ask your future self one question, what would it be, and why?"

Ever the attentive listener, Ron followed the eddies and swells of his pal’s answer with obvious interest - flicker-smiles and little half nods in all the right spots through the narrative. He’d heard enough about the man’s dance with what he called the Devil not to need to ask and ruin the mood. Note of her earned a scowl’s implication, but it died away before it or she could sour the mood. The rest - the pros and the con - were all sunshine and even numbers and known of by the publican too. He and Riley went back a little ways now. He’d met the music man and the master chef, and the bossy fucker too, by ‘n by. And for all there were times they’d butt heads, he did like him. 

Ron watched Riley’s hands as he reached for the next card; sipped his drink - G&T with ice and cucumber - as the question on it was put to him. A grinning response came instantly-

“This week’s lot’ry numbahs, aye?”

-and was spoke through as snigger as Ron leaned in a companionable couple of inches, as if he was sharing a sneaky little secret between just them two. That snigger kicked up for a couple’a beats, then eased away as Ron waved the comment off with his free hand. He had no real use for those numbers now, much as the penniless lad he still was at his core would’ve done things unspeakable once upon a time for a sudden lift out of poverty for himself and his family. Now-Ron though, present day Ron-- His wants and needs meandered down different paths and so, because of this, did his curiosities.

“--I fink” he said, the relative slowness of how he shared what he went on to indicative of the depth at which he felt it within himself. “Onest ‘n true ‘n not jokin’ no more...I’d ask if I was ‘appy...Money, yeah?...It don’t bring yah ‘appiness. It...smooves th’way t’makin’ a life tha’ll make yah ‘appy, bu’ it don’t bring it in i’self.” A slight, consideratory pause came on. It bought on a moment’s silence that ended with a fractional nod, Ron’s commentary picking up from where it’d broken off more seamlessly than it often did. “I know tha’ now, where I didn’t b’fore...So I’d wanna know if I made it in a way tha’ mattahs, as well as in a way tha’ don’t mattah so much, grand scheme.” 

A sip from his G&T was the period on that thought, Mr Flippant Sniggers coming right on back to the fore as glass met table and Ron went for the next card on the pile between ‘em.

“Right-” A glance at the card over his glasses so he could dictate its query. “-Name one’a your ‘eroes ‘n tell us why they’re one.”

[tarnishedhalo]

"Go'orn then lad" Ron snickered, toasting this latest offering from the table-top get to know your pals better game Pat had left out round Ron's. It's not like he and Riley needed Ice Breakers - that was the name of the game. But it was a hell of a laugh seeing what the cards put them up to next. "Giv us a pro 'n a con'a datin' yah. Extra points if I agree wiv th'pro."

Guilty of a Good Time || Accepting

The prompt and question earned Ron one of those exceedingly rare full and unguarded smiles that both emphasized that Beth wasn't the only one of the Rileys who was fangy, and that brought to life his own deep dimples. The way he turns his head causes the bar lamps to cast him in golden light, tarnishing his dark hair with its natural blonde highlights. The tip of his tongue rolls against the back of his teeth.

"Yeah, okay, Rawnie," the New York Irish drawl of his friend's name is nothing he can help, but it's still a intimate step-up from the the whole 'Kray' part. As if he's never known anyone to have a given name. Of course Riley keeps a list in his head of qualities both good and bad. Each of them slivers beneath the usually pristine veneer he wears though his hair's getting a touch long, and he's not been too careful with the razor.

"The pro is...I know like hundreds of different love songs, any genre or era you like, an' not just American ones." He spreads his hands on the table-top, gives them a flex. "Acoustic, electric...can play any guitar. Can play the piano, drums ~including the bodhran. Violin. Harmonica. And everyone loves a music man, right? Plus I'm hell in the kitchen, and I'm house-broken." He doesn't elaborate on what that last means but delivers it with a chuckle.

"The Con? I'm old-fashioned. I don't really do one night stands, and I'm very careful who I let in my inner circle. Introducing someone into the family can be hard, what with my sister, and because it takes me a while to get used to someone new. Especially after havin' danced with the Devil and the mess she made when we divorced. Also...I'm told I'm bossy as fuck, take with a grain of salt or three." There's a split second where he's unguarded and there's something fairly young and vulnerable resting against the back of his eyes that shades the rest of his mien. It gets shrugged off with a lift of his whiskey, and a snake-like strike at the next card in the pile. "Hypothetically speaking, if you could ask your future self one question, what would it be, and why?"

[newmusicradionetwork]

Nick Ryan Returns to Music with Release of “Unplugged” Album

After a two-year hiatus, Nick Ryan returns to the music scene with the release of his long awaited “Unplugged” album from the vault! Track Listing: 1. Music Lover (Unplugged) 2. King of Excuses (Unplugged) 3. You Are Not My Friend (Unplugged) 4. Jealous Sea (Unplugged) 5. Murder Business (Unplugged) 6. Politics & Mind Games (Unplugged) 7. Bow Down (Unplugged) 8. Good People Are Hard to Find (Unplugged) 9. Trouble In Here (Unplugged) Recorded live in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was produced by Mike Corcoran at 615 Recording Studio as part of his livestream to help artists during the pandemic. Nick enlisted a band of Berklee College of Music alumni known as the Invisible Heroes, whom he worked with on his 2019 version of “Murder Business.” The live performance is fully stripped down with acoustic guitars, piano and a drum kit. “I wanted to recreate the MTV Unplugged experience with this record,” Nick shares. “I absolutely loved the Unplugged albums and performances of the Corrs, Alanis Morissette, Mariah Carey, and Eric Clapton – to name a few. I think these versions sound better than the originals. I’m excited for my fans to hear them!” Released on December 1, 2023, “Unplugged” is one of two projects Nick will be releasing to tide fans over until the release of his third album. About Nick Ryan: Nick is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist mostly self-taught, playing drums, percussion, rhythm guitar, and the Irish bodhran and tin whistle. He grew up taking piano and percussion lessons and played percussion in his high school concert band, while taking guitar and voice during his late teens and twenties. He graduated with degrees in Recording Arts and Entertainment Business from Full Sail University. He was a member of GRAMMY U during college and transitioned to a Voting Member of the Recording Academy in 2016. He resides in the suburbs of the Washington, DC area and travels to Nashville and Los Angeles often. For more information, visit www.nickryanofficial.com and follow Nick on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Patreon. Read the full article

[celtic-cd-releases]

https://oliviabradleymusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/OliviaBradleyMusic

https://oliviabradleymusic.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/album/0n5H7PE4akTefCYoj4XN5q

[bike42]

Friday September 1st

We slept from 8pm last night until about 6am this morning. I got up and did some yoga and showered before breakfast. The hotel breakfast reminded me of the hotel breakfast in Santorini - they bring a basket of pastries (including my favorite chocolate croissants), give you a choice of starter (fruit, yogurt and granola, or porridge) then a choice of 4 different egg entrees. We both had yogurt and the “Irish Breakfast” today which is two eggs, thick bacon, sausage, two different blood sausages (no, thank you), potatoes, and grilled tomato and mushrooms. We ate too much, but it was all good.

We went back to our room and slept for another two hours, then hustled to meet our tour guide for the Book of Kells and Dublin Castle tour. I’d booked this through Viatar which I’d used before - worked out well. Mostly other Americans on our tour, some from a cruise ship - stopped in Dublin for just a few hours?

Our tour guide, Antonio, was fantastic. He told us all about Trinity College, the Book of Kells, and the long library. Guides aren’t really allowed to “guide” inside, so he prepped us on what we’d be seeing and met us in the library afterwards. I’m still having a hard time wrapping my mind around a book as ancient as that - what went into it to make it, all the symbology, and the fact that it’s just that old!

After that, we walked together through the streets - such dangerous crossings, past the Molly Malone statue (Antonio was impressed that I knew of the Dubliners) to Dublin Castle, which didn’t appear to be much. We went around the side to the garden and Antonio gave us a few more facts and suggestions for other things to see and do.

We had 4pm tickets for the Guinness experience, so we popped into a coffee shop for a coffee and sandwich, and walked about 1km more to Guinness, passing many beautiful old churches and cathedrals. We were early, but we got in anyway and started our tour. We’d learned some things from Antonio earlier, and that helped Jeff win an extra glass of beer (what color is Guinness? Red). We also learned about the criteria for a perfect Guinness pour, and how to find a pub that’s been certified by Guinness (identified by a special red sign). Criteria are: 45 degree tilt, fill 3/4 full and let surge settle for 60 seconds. Should not exceed 119.5 seconds total. 12 mm foam top.

The whole tour exceeded my expectations. Guinness has long been one of my favorite beers, but the experience was well laid out from the process of how the beer is made, to the history of making the barrels, their advertising history, etc. There was a man playing a Bodhran (Celtic drum) with a bunch of extra drums. I jumped in and tried to learn and play along - tough on the wrist, but fun to try.

We’d bought the ticket for the “Stoutie” experience, which is having your face magically “printed” into the foam head. Fun, but I “drank” my head before I got a very good photo! We ended our tour on the seventh floor “Gravity Bar” with another pint each. Luckily, I had some almonds in my bag so we could mute our buzz just a bit. Quick stop at the gift shop and we were on our way.

We received a text from Connie and Jeff who will be joining us on the M&M tour in a few days, so we made a plan to meet them at Stag’s Head Pub (walked by it this afternoon and Antonio said is was good). Friday night and things were picking up, so we were lucky to snag the last table for 4! It was good to meet them ahead of time, make it easier to sort out who is who when we meet the whole group in a few days!

We left there about 8pm, and walked through the Friday night crowd back to our hotel. Exhausted after our first full day, and still a bit jet lagged.

Saturday September 2nd

If I hadn’t set an alarm this morning, we would have slept through breakfast! We went down and ate a little less this morning, then back to our room. Jeff went back to sleep again, I researched options for today and tomorrow, then did a yoga session and got ready for the day.

We headed out about 11:30am and found a warm sunny day - so far we haven’t used an umbrella since getting on the plane in Amsterdam! We walked to the river, and verified our coach (bus) pickup spot for Monday morning. We noticed commotion across the river and learned there was a “Liffey Swim��� race going on. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay to watch the swimmers arrive as we had tickets to the “Jeanie Johnston” tour and it was about to start!

I bought 1pm tickets for the Emigrant Museum, and they gave us a noon add on tour of a replica of a 1847 three masted sailing ship - living history museum on 19th century emigration. The Original ship would have been used for trading between Ireland and North America (emigrants to NA, timber back to Europe).

We had the most fantastic guide, telling us the most horrific story of the Potato Famine and “coffin ships.” I’d read enough historical fiction of emigrants crossing from Europe / UK in the 1800’s to know the voyage was gruesome and dangerous. But hearing about it while standing in a replica ship really made it come to life.

Between 1848 and 1855, the Jennie Johnston made 16 voyages to NA, average length of the journey was 47 days. The ship was licensed to carry 40

people, including crew, but the most passengers ever carried was 254! They claim she had a perfect safety record and no passenger or crew member ever died onboard, in contrast to many others known as “coffin ships.” The original ship sunk in 1858 after becoming waterlogged hauling a load of timber - but the crew was rescued by another ship.

Our guide told us the difference was the Donovan family who owned the ship.

It was referred to as a “miracle ship,” but they had better sanitation and provided food and clean water to the passengers. They also had a physician on board - he screened passengers before boarding, insisted on toilet buckets to be emptied and washed out frequently, blankets to be aired on deck everyday, and passengers were allowed on deck for 30 minutes each day. All that was unusual for those days apparently.

The cost to passengers for passage to North America was 3 pounds (2400 Euros in those days). Most couldn’t pay that as they were already poor when the Potato Blight ruined the potato crop in Ireland. Families would often send one person to get settled, who would send money for others to follow (if they were still alive and if they were healthy enough to travel). She told us of one woman who gave birth to a son onboard, they later settled in St Paul and there is a photo of him in a bar that he owned there when he was a grown man.

Our guide knew a lot, and was delicately choosing her words. She pointed out that the blight impacted potatoes all over the world, but economically, Ireland was the only place that was devastated by it. We stayed and talked with her more after the tour, with our naive questions of why didn’t they plant other crops? What we didn’t understand is that Ireland was under UK rule then and many other crops were grown, but they were all “property” of the crown and exported to England. She said different parts of Ireland were impacted differently - her family was from north of Dublin with little impact, but the west coast where we’re headed was most devastated.

It is estimated that 1.2 million people died and another 1.5 million left Ireland (population number have yet to recover) between 1845 and 1852. There is no word for “Great Famine” in Irish - their word “Gorta Mor,” means the Great Hunger.

The famine was a defining moment in the history of Ireland. The British government provided little aid and made statements that the famine was due to lacking moral character of the Irish. A vicious cycle of mass evictions led to people living in ditches and hedges. One politician had been quoted as saying “let them eat grass.” Soup kitchens were set up for about six months, but then withdrawn to “avoid dependency.” It’s not hard to see how this triggered the eventual fight for independence from the UK.

We left the ship and headed to the Irish Emigration Museum - very well done, illustrating contributions Irish descendants have had around the world in politics, the arts and history in general.

We grabbed a quick sandwich and began the 30 minute walk to the Jameson Distillery for our 3:30pm reservation. The streets were crowded with people, buses, cars and bikes so it made walking a little more difficult!

We enjoyed the Jameson tour, but they don’t actually make it at that site any longer, so it was more of a talk and tasting. We also did a “Cask draw” from a first use bourbon barrel, added 18 years (2005). It was made from a single pot still - no corn or maize, and was quite good malted barley. In the gift shop, we bought a bottle of Jameson Crested, aged in a sherry barrel from Spain - quite yummy and I thought it’d be fun to share on the M&M tour. Sine metu = without fear (Jameson motto).

We were sitting in the converted warehouse having a Jameson and ginger beer cocktail, when I realized that Guinness and Jameson apparently operated right through the time of the Great Hunger / Famine. Hmmmm? Wonder how that worked?

We’d received a text from Steve, another M&M participant that arrived in Dublin just today. He suggested a pub near his hotel so we walked back across the river and met him there, and Jeff & Connie met us as well. I had a gin & tonic (talking to a couple from Cornwall made me thirsty for gin) and a massive yummy hunk of battered fish, and some so-so “chips.” The bar was really hopping - several different music acts while we were there, made me anxious to get the musical portion of this trip going. We walked back to our hotel along the end of the Temple Bar area, know for its partying - really starting to pick up at 8pm on a Saturday night. We walked along Gaston Street with the high end shops and bought gelato along the way. People watching would be awesome tonight, but we’re exhausted and ready for sleep!

I learned Jimmy Buffett died yesterday. Makes me sad as his music had been such a big part of my life, especially in the days when I needed some “escapism” from my reality. I know that like John Prine, John Denver, Tom Petty and so many others, his music will live on. It was fun to get messages from Regina and Becky and think about what fun we had at those Alpine Valley concerts - one year we made a huge fin out of cardboard and ducktaped it to the ski rack on top of my old Saab.

Sunday September 3, 2023

We’ve fallen into a good morning routine of yoga/stretching, shower, and a hearty Irish breakfast. We had a later breakfast this morning, no need to rush into our day. I awoke with a craving for green vegetables, so I started perusing the menus of needby restaurants for tonight … ready for a break from pub food!

We went to the 11am tour at the “Little Museum of Dublin,” which was just down the street. It is an eclectic mix of stuff in an old Georgian style townhome across from St Stevens Green, a large park across the street. One of the interesting artifacts they had was a key to the park, as the park had been locked and only the wealthy neighbors had keys! Most of the staff were likely actors in training and they told amusing stories and anecdotes along with their version of the history of Ireland. We most liked the room dedicated to U2, since we’re not going to make it over to the Rock n Roll museum.

We strolled through the park - very alive with families being a warm beautiful Sunday afternoon! From there we walked down Grafton Street, window shopping and listening to buskers. It was even more crowded that it had been last night. We were on a mission to find “super glue” to repair Jeff’s shoe. We struck out a the pharmacies, then on Google I found “Mary’s Bar and Hardware,” a cute little place with a friendly bartender who suggested we try Dunnes, where we found several different types. Back to the room for some R&R before heading out again. A couple days of this sidewalk / museum strolling pace and I’m ready to get out to the countryside and do some hiking with a fast pace and normal stride!

We had a few more museums we wanted to see, but we were pretty tired, so we bought tickets to the Hop On - Hop Off bus and rode around the city being entertained by our driver Alan. It’s always a different perspective from the top of the bus, and it was a great day to be out on the top deck.

We met our travel partner, Steve, at an Italian restaurant close to our hotel for dinner. We shared a bottle of “Super Tuscan” wine and I had my fill of good vegetables - a nice break from pub food. Early night - tomorrow we travel 3-hours by bus to meet the rest of the group in Bunratty!

[ghosts-for-friends]

c'mon then, I brought my bodhran -- its an Irish drum, and one of my favorites

*comes up to you at a musicians gathering of some sort, a casual community thing* Hey! Um, you're a musician too, right?

@ghosts-for-friends

*turns around* yeah, i am!

[muzikhausberlin-blog]

16"x5" Premium Muzikhausberlin Bodhran Black Deep Tune

Muzikhausberlin proudly presents the best of Bodhrans in many different categories. Our instruments are manufactured with the best materials available at very good prices keeping player's need in mind.

Read More:-

[mideastpk-blog]

29 String Sequre Back Harp New-Cam Levers Beec Wood

Secure harp 29 Nylon Strings in Beech Wood Flatback features 24 DuPont hard nylon strings, a range from B3 to G6, 29 sharpening levers. It’s a Beech Wood frame and a high-quality Finish spruce wood soundboard for exceptional sound and strength. Nice harp, with new style sharpening levers. This is a beautiful natural looking simply finished harp with clean lines. The Natural wood grain and colouring is unique to each harp.

Read More:

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

Heyo was scrolling through your blog and was wondering what bodhrans are?

it's a type of Irish drum – fairly large, flat, you prop it on your knee and play it with a beater (there are many kinds, as we saw). usually made of goatskin on a wooden frame

i am not a particularly good bodhrán player but i enjoy acquiring instruments as though this might somehow make me a) better at them and b) more likely to play them

[charitymusician-blog]

Do you want to enjoy your events? But how? Music increase the enjoyment of your events without music events are just like a body without soul.here are the top Irish Musical instrument which can help you in entertainment.

[tiktokia]

When you come from work and find a present waiting for you on your chair. Thank you for my pretty new drum @wraithpool ☺️❤️ #drum #drummer #irish #ireland #bodhran #drumming #sound #tribe #thankyou #presents #yay #happytribeleader

[trishcausey]

Another night of awesome Irish music is about to happen at #GriffinsOfKinsale in South Pasadena. I’ll be on the Irish drum called the bodhran. Also, I had the Lamb Stew. Finally! Yummmmmm… (at Griffins of Kinsale)

[attillathemum]

(via tumblr)