Meet Joe Black

It's been over 20 years since "Meet Joe Black" starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins was released. 

My memory of first watching this film was that I saw it in the Savoy Cinema on O'Connell street, with my twin sister. It was so long that they had an interval, even though films weren't generally shown with an interval as had been done in the past. Come to think of it, intervals really were a great thing. They were sociable, you could chat about the film and see how your companion was enjoying it, or you could visit the bathroom for a comfort break (always a good thing) or you could stock up on some more goodies if you had eaten all your ice cream or popcorn - presumably this was good for business so I wonder why cinema's stopped having intervals.

Anyway, I digress, back to Meet Joe Black which is now on Netflix and we started watching it on Thursday evening but it was so long that we took an interval and started back watching it last night.

It's a funny thing watching a film again with 20 years of life on you!

There were so many details I noticed in this film that I don't think I appreciated when I watched it on the big screen the first time.  Namely, the art, the interior design, the food, the music.....but mainly the art.

So many scenes featured (as well as the talented actors) the most incredible art works ranging from Rothko to Kandinsky to Cezanne and many many more. 

The use of the artwork was very clever, one reason it featured was to indicate what type of man the main protagonist was - i.e. Bill Parrish was a worldly classy man who appreciated the finer things in life but additionally the art work added so much to particular scenes.  For example when Bill is addressing his board there is the most amazing brightly coloured art work behind him while behind the board members there is a drab bland wood panelled wall. Due to the background of art, Bill presents as a dynamic progressive man with vision while his board appear to be dour charmless "suits". It's amazing what art can do!

I really rate "Meet Joe Black", it's an incredible love story and it really has stood the test of time - I hope you get to see it and if you do, look out for the art!!!

The Oratory, Dun Laoghaire

On Saturday I finally got to visit The Oratory in Dun Laoghaire. I had heard lots about it and was spurred on to visit by the launch of a new publication about the Oratory.  "Divine Illuminations" is edited by Marian Therese Keyes, Nigel Curtin and David Gunning of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Libraries. 

Click here to see a video from the 1970's when the Oratory was under threat of being taken down.

Luckily it has been preserved and is available for all to enjoy. It's a very special place and I hope you get to visit. I plan on visiting it again soon as it is the type of place that you will notice different things on every visit.

I have seen it described as entering a 3D Book of Kells and I think that is very apt. The Oratory is covered in celtic art that is very unique.

Here is some of the pictures I took when I visited and they include some of the stained glass windows that were made in the studio of Harry Clarke.

This place is remarkable. It is tiny but packs a punch with the amazing artwork by Sister Concepta Lynch who painted the whole Oratory throughout the 1920's and 1930's.

Click here to read reviews of the Oratory on Tripadvisor 

I found the Oratory to be very unique and something very unexpected in the middle of houses in Dun Laoghaire behind the cinema.  Go seek it out - it's worth seeing!

Sr. Concepta herself seems like an amazing lady. Prior to being a nun she ran the family business which she sold at age 22 and then funded a marble altar with the money - this altar is seemingly now in the Cabra Domincan Convent - which happens to be my alma mater!  I need to investigate this further and see if I can get pictures of the altar which I am thinking might be the altar in our school chapel.

The artwork is hard to describe and really has to be seen - it's whimsical but elegant and the use of colour is breath taking.

All I can say is go visit!!!

Pigsy Show!

I'm looking forward to seeing the next Pigsy event which is on tomorrow!

It's very exciting with all of the tickets for the show getting snapped up in practically a few days. 

The event consists of a screening of the Mike Andrews documentary "Pigsy" followed by a Q&A with Pigsy and Kevin Moore of Legacy Communications.

And of course there will be an exhibition of lots of Pigsy paintings - 19 to be exact!

Here's a little sneak peek at some of the work....

Follow @pigsyinspace on instagram to see all the activity from the evening.

And you can also watch the documentary online here.

Parrotheads in Dublin - Jimmy Buffett in the Olympia

Saturday night in Dublin certainly gave me Key West feels, even though it was bucketing down rain!

My mother had managed to snag a Jimmy Buffett ticket and she went on the hunt for me.  He was playing in the Olympia Theatre which is a really small venue so I really didn't feel hopeful.  During the day I was receiving texts from my mother about tickets she was seeing for sale for €200, €300 and upwards that she was considering buying.  Both of us rang the box office to see if there was any returns but no luck there either.

So at about 6.30pm, I got on my bike in the rain and cycled in to the city to the Olympia with the intention of getting a ticket outside.

So there I landed in my pink Margaritavile shirt and found loads of Parrotheads hanging out having fun in the rain with lots of tropical clothes and accessories on view!

So while waiting for my mother to arrive, I scoped out the ticket situation. There were certainly a few available going for €150 upwards. So while having a think what my options were, I decided to call in to the box office to see if there was any returns.

Well guess what!  There was a returned ticket that I promptly snapped up at cost price of just under €70!!!  Let's just say I was a little bit happy!

And so after a few drinks in Brogans we went in to the venue, Mam to the circle and me to the standing area. 

Well I can't begin to tell you what a great show it was with such a fun atmosphere. I felt truly blessed to hear all my Jimmy Buffett songs live.  He is a superb performer and his band the Coral Reefers aren't too bad either!!

Here's a few pics of the evening:

Munich!

After Turkey & Greece we headed on to Munich for a few days. We arrived in the late afternoon and headed to the S-Bahn station in the airport.  While looking to see what tickets we needed to buy we were befriended by two nice ladies who helped us with our tickets and then brought us all the way to our stop which was their stop too and then walked with us to their bus stop where they pointed out our hotel to us! Lovely friendly ladies who filled us in on all of the great things we should visit on our trip.

So here is what we visited.... 

• Deutches Museum
• Geistig
• Mullersches Volksbad
• Pinakothek der Moderne Art Museum
• Outdoor swimming pool
• Isar River
• Haidhausen
• And lots of Bier Gardens!

Sailing Holiday 2019

We are just back from our Summer holiday and what a holiday it was!!

We were away for over 2 weeks and honestly it felt like we were away for a month.

We started the hol with a 5am flight (3am taxi to Dublin Airport is not fun!!!) to Munich where we connected to Izmir arriving about 6pm and heading to a hotel close by.  

The next morning at 9am we hooked up with the crew and got a taxi to Alacati Port where we picked up our boat which was nicely named "Solution".

We had intended to head off that day but the wind was picking up so we put off departure til the next morning.

Here's the route we took and some of our destinations that we covered over the 10 days sailing 

Port Alacati
Teos, Turkey
Fournoi, Turkey
Patmos, Turkey
Lipsi, Greece
Kalimnos, Greece
Unknown bay, Turkey
Didim, Turkey
Poseidon, Greece
Kusadasi, Turkey

There were so many highlights to this trip that it is hard to say what was best.

A few of the things we really enjoyed were:

• Seeing dolphins in the wild - incredible to have them swim around the boat
• Patmos Sacred Music Festival - hearing a choir from Russia sing Leaonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"
• Visting the Temple of Apollo near Didim
• Waking up in the above pictured bay and diving in to the water upon waking up
• Tasting different food - Smooth Hound Fish was a new one on me!
• Our boat - it was a super 46ft yacht that was beyond roomy for the four of us
• The weather was so good - really warm, bright and sunny during the day and then cool at night
• Visiting all of the different ports and bays - this is one of the great things about sailing - I love waking up in a different place all of the time
• Seeing sea sponges for sail in Lipsi
• Friendly people in both Turkey & Greece
• Visiting the ancient city of Ephesus
• Arrival drinks - cracking open a beer after we had tied up 

It really was a brilliant trip and after the 10 days our holiday wasn't quite over as we then headed on to Munich for a few days!

The Roses are in Bloom!

Well it's that season again when those Roses are in bloom in County Kerry. It's Rose of Tralee time again!

I was having a think today about why I am a fan of the Rose of Tralee and why I always enjoy watching it on television. I think it is probably because it brings me back to my childhood and happy times watching the show as a family.  I actually grew up in a house with no television so it got me thinking as to how or where we watched the Rose of Tralee (or ROT as I endearingly call it #ROT lol) and it started to all come back to me. During the week leading up to the Rose of Tralee, my mother would make arrangements for us to go watch it in either my grandmother's house or sometimes an aunt's house or other times her friend's house. I always loved trekking off to watching it in a house full of adults and children - it was always a great fun social night!

And so as an adult I continue to watch the show.  Doing the modern day equivalent of watching it with others by having what's app conversations while the show is on with friends and of course Cousin Kasey who is fan too.  My twin sister and I always hoped that Cousin Kasey would be the South Africa Rose but it was not to be.....ah well, her being a fan is just as good!

So look at this gem that Cousin Kasey sent me this morning - a Rose of Tralee programme from 1987, found in a curiosity shop by her mother Aunt Mary.  

Off to the left on the cover of the programme, you can see Gay Byrne. He presented the Rose of Tralee for years. Other presenters that I can remember were Derek Davis, Ray Darcy, Marty Whelan, Ryan Tubridy and of course Dáithí O'Sé.  I always like Marty presenting the event but I think that Dáithí is the best.  He likes the Rose of Tralee so much that he even married one! His wife is the 2008 New Jersey Rose Rita Talty.

Ah sure you can't beat a pint of Harp and the way Sally O'Brien might look at you!

Look at this electricity ad!  We had that Vax vacuum cleaner - it could wash carpets as well as vacuum clean.  My mam probably bought it from the ESB shop - you could pay for it installments on your electricity bill!

Times have changed indeed - looks like there was no women bank managers in 1987 in Bank of Ireland!

I had a look on wikipedia and it seems that Larna Canoy from Chicago was the winner of the Rose of Tralee - if anyone knows what she is at these days, please do comment below.

And now on to the 2019 Rose of Tralee, it's the second night of the event and a winner will be crowned shortly.  They are all magnificent women but for me my favourites are the Donegal Rose, Cork Rose, Washington Rose, Chicago Rose and the London Rose.  

Good luck to all the roses!

*I'll edit this blog tomorrow to up date you all when a winner is announced.

Edit - Limerick Rose Dr. Sinead Flanagan is the 2019 Rose of Tralee!