They tell you that Dublin is a dangerous city; rough and full of crime, like New York City used to be before Giuliani turned it into the Disneyland of your twenties. Listen, people say. You’re not to go wandering about the seedier parts of town, where the knackers in their track suits are running about. […]
Ireland
The Party Train to Galway
Two champagne corks pop and, behind me, several men discuss doing Jägermeister shots. They want to do them right here and right now, on the train. I’ve apparently boarded the Party Car to Galway, but I don’t mind. It’s a good day; good to be among other happy people for the next couple of hours. […]
Living in a Ghost Town?
There is an end-of-term assignment I have to do, and I don’t want to do it. Nothing against the assignment: it’s a fine assignment from a fine lecturer; we’ve had heaps and heaps of time to do it; gathering the research has been enjoyable; it’s a topic near to my heart… and yet? I still […]
The Poet
It’s Trinity Ball Night. That means Trinners students get to dust the cinders off their jeans and hop into a pumpkin for a memory-making night of music, drink, and elegant dress fun. Walking through College Green this evening, weaving through the six pack-clutching, tuxedo-clad Trinity Ball attendees, I stopped short when I saw this: If […]
The Curse of Molly Malone
Classes finished last week, much to everyone’s chagrin. We’ve been paired with our portfolio advisors and still have 10,000 words to submit for two classes, but all anyone can talk about is What’s Next After the M.Phil? Good question. For most of us, it’s back to work. Some are heading back to school for MFAs. […]
Signs of Irish Spring
Rain, rain, rain, and now this: Apple blossoms on campus, daffodils in the park. Can’t stop myself from buying even more greenery from the flower stands on Camden Street; more daffodils and even small potted blooms in yellow, white, and fuchsia to line my windowsill. And carrots. And yams. And then the freshly-mended coat comes […]
- Food Culture
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Cupcakes: Delicious, Ubiquitous, and Politically Correct
At farmers’ markets, cafes, Bewley’s, and bake shops; Ireland’s got the fever. They call them “cupcakes” here nowadays – not “fairy cakes,” like they used to. But, gracious, you wouldn’t catch someone using that dreadful archaic term nowadays; not since the Great Fairy Uprising of 2004. In the spring of that year, centuries of Irish-Fairy […]
Laundry Day
Laundry Day in New York City: the big schlep. Apartments don’t come with washing machines in the City, so laundry must be hauled — to the basement if you’re lucky, a neighborhood laundromat if you’re not. Here’s hoping a machine is free. Measure, pour, pay. Count ceiling tiles, thumb a book, head to the corner […]
Side Streets of Dublin
Now, look; I enjoy Dublin’s iconic images just as much as anyone. [slideshow] Gorgeous. Lovely. But for me, it’s all about the side streets. Peek inside; try to uncover the secrets. This post has been brought to you by Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday
It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
My butcher is Mr. Whelan; he sells me fat orange slabs of salmon and slices of red steak that I sear blue. My optometrist is Dr. Brennan; he says I don’t look 20 if I’m a day and has his secretary searching high and low for child-size sunglasses suitable for a 3o year-old kid. My […]