More songs in Gaelic from Scotland and Ireland

Enjoy!

Irish Folk – revisited by rté

I must admit: I am addicted to Irish Folk. For weeks around the year I have to renounce on this kind of music, often appreciated live in Dingle. Nevertheless, I approve of musicians who try to play Folk Music slightly adopted to the 21th century.  Thanks to rté and TG4 there is a collection of music that meets these qualities – and to reduce my grief ;-). Enjoy.

Rocky Road to Dublin / Lankum

Foggy Dew / Daoirí Farrell

The Parting Glass / Freddie White

Green Fields of France / Niall Hanna and Niamh Farrell

The Town I Loved so Well / The Henry Girls

A Rainy Night in Soho / Steo Wall

Eleanór na Rún / Linda Nic Leóid & Niamh Farrell

A sanctuary for Irish literature – and a gorgeous place to eat

Glendalough is famous for the remains of its mediaval monastery from the 6th century – a time when people in the later Germany lived a very restrained and more or less primitive life. But other things in Glendalough are worth registering as well.

If you are hungry I recommend The Wicklow Heather Lodge. You get there really fine and tasty food, a gentle and attentive host* and – as a intellectual dessert – The writer’s room. There you find first editions of Beckett, Joyce and many others like Patrick Kavanagh the man who wrote Raglan Road and many poems and a lot of prose as well. For us it was a overwhelming atmosphere – a place where we want to be again.

If you want to eat there making reservations is a must. Enjoy the lovely food and the very special place.

*If you are lucky she will explain the treasures of her restaurant.

Brandon Peak

Last time we only made it near the very top of Brandon Peak. The strategy to avoid the edge of the mountain proved to be wrong and we came near a very steep and rocky slope at the south-western part of this mountain near Gearhane An Géaran. Quite scary.

This time I went alone from Connor pass via Beenanabrack and Ballysitteragh and passed the saddle in northern direction. From there I climbed up to Gearhane An Géaran over a meadow and reached a gate at the top. From there 200 meters of a scary path (at least for me) on the very edge had to be passed before I reached less dangerous parts of the mountain. A great view towards Castle Gregory and the eastern mountains of Dingle peninsula were the reward.

Stumbling towards exit…

Even arrangements with Boris Johnson and Rees-Mogg didn’t give Theresa May the boost desparately needed to bring her Brexit plan through parliament. What comes seems more like substituting the will of parliament by a random choice generator. There is a concerning lack of any player to gather people around one solution that would represent the majority of the British people. This is true for the Tories and for Labour. If both parties break up UKIP and other brain-damaged groups will have a greater impact on politics.

UK, when did you lose your common sense you once were famous for?

Licence to mutilate oneself…?


Strange enough that 36 days before 29th of March no strategy, no plan B, C, D, E or F nor anything reasonable seem to exist in the UK. The only news is that 9 members from Labour and three members from the Torries have defected from there old parties.

Another thing are the consequences for employment: Airbus, Ford, Honda and even Dyson have just announced oder already taken severe consequences for the months to come. That means many jobs will be lost.

For me as a German it is sometimes entertaining to see sessions in the British parliament and enjoy the vivid atmosphere. That is often missing in the German Bundestag and since Mr. Lammert has retired we have no-one to compare to Mr. Bercow. But there is one advantage for Germany compared to the UK: There is a greater tradition to compromise, especially concerning big issues. I hope British parliament will find a compromise before 29th of March, but – I must admit – sometimes I think They have to learn it the hard way. Wait and see…

Mayday, mayday, but no May day…

Nearly everyone wonders why Theresa May is doing this real odd job: She hadn’t invoked this unbelievable mess around Brexit, but is now repeating again and again the “strong and stable” or the “we will deliver” mantra of a Brexit to come. Is she that naive to hope that in the very last minute a deus ex machina will offer a solution with a back-stop acceptable to everyone? Or that sufficient members of her Torry party enforced by a few Labour members will back the treaty she gained from EU in parliament?

To me it looks like a most likely head-on collision that may impact European politics for the next twenty years.

Does India give up modern spirit?

A nation of 1,3 billion people is definitely a major player. Therefore news from the 106th Indian Science Congress were adopted with much frowning. As Indian prime minister claimed that many centuries ago hindu scientists invented stem cell research. Another claim concerned 24 different types of aeroplanes that – as Nageshwar Rao, vice chancellor of Andhra University, said – were owned by Indian demon Ravana in former ages.

As we learned by Donald Trump, Nigel Farrage and the likes, now accompanied by Narendra Modi, you only have to have a patient and obedient audience to claim any crap you want. Cheers!