Illuminati

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013; with a personal Genealogical Research Extension, in and around Ballina, up in County Mayo, July 25-29)

In preparing for another Full Moon NPy Workshop in San Francisco, I was working on a "Flashlights for Light-Painting' handout, and thought I might do the same for our Ireland travellers. Over time, I have changed my view re: the tools I use, their size, and output, for this important aspect of NPy. This is due, in part to the new LED technology - now almost omnipresent - in the marketplace (even our revered MagLite now offers Focusing LED, 2-3-4 'D' Cell models!).

As you are probably planning to 'pack light' for the trip, consider this size comparison which might help you make your decision on what flashllight to bring along on the trip. Brands to look for include Surefire, Coast, And Streamlight. I am looking at a 500 Lumens Fury Flashlght by Surefire! It's about the same size as the Surefire in the picture above - will let you know how that works out!

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Translations

A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013; with a personal Genealogical Research Extension, in and around Ballina, County Mayo, July 25-29)

A brilliant 3-act play by Irish playwright Brian Friel - first performed in Derry in 1980 (with Liam Neeson as character Doalty). Should be required reading for Americans travelling to Eire for the first time - or second, or third . . .

From Act Two
Late August 1833, an exchange between Lieutenant Yolland and Owen (son of the local schoolmaster), working to translate local placenames into English for purposes of the survey map:
Yolland 
Go back up to where the new school is being built and just say the names again for me, would you?
Owen 
That's a good idea. Poolkerry. Bally Beg -
Yolland 
No, no; as they still are - in your own language.
Owen 
Poll na gCaorach,
      Yolland repeats the names silently after him.
Baile Beag, Ceann Balor, Lis Maol, Machaire Buidhe, Baile na gCall, Carrair na Ri, Mullach Dearg -
Yolland 
Do you think I Could live here?
Owen 
What are you talking about?
Yolland 
Settle down here - live here.
Owen 
Come on, George.
Yolland 
I mean it.
Owen 
Live on what? Potatoes? Buttermilk?
Yolland  
It's really heavenly.
Owen  
For God's sake! The first hot summer in fifty years and you think it's Eden. Don't be such a bloody romantic. You wouldn't survive a mild winter here.
Yolland 
Do you think not? Maybe you're right.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

On the shores of . . .

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013; with a personal Genealogical Research Extension, in and around Ballina, July 25-29)
 
Some of the locations used for the "In a Lifetime" video look like they could have been on the shores of Doo Lough (see below) - but in fact, the video was shot in Clannad's hometown of Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland.

Can't find translation of Irish lyrics at beginning of song - think I might have seen them somewhere - but it's been a while (1985).

("Torn asunder . . .")

Doo Lough

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013)

Here is an image done down on Doo Lough in Connemara from my FIRST journey to the West of Ireland - thirty years ago! Expect those boats  - or ones very similar to them - to be docked here when we visit in July.

Read about a tragedy that occurred above the shores of Doo Lough during the Great Famine.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Facebooking Ireland

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013)

Just in case you're on Facebook, you might have a look at some of the items I've been linking to, many of which deal with life (and Photography) in Ireland. Not to mention genealogy, history, The Gathering, Brehon Law, and Irish constitutional rights! Here's the link - http://www.facebook.com/tim.baskerville

 From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Trove of Irish Historical Artifacts

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013)
 
Thru the New York Times, this St. Patrick's Day, came news from Ballina (up in Mayo) of an astounding collection of Irish history.
 
Jackie Clarke (1927-2000) could be dismissed (and probably was) by some, as a bit of a "packrat" - but this much is clear now: This is an amazing collection of Irish documents and artifacts; some dating back to the 1700s, others reflecting the everyday life of the Irish in this remote part of Ireland, in the 20th Century.

Included are some of the icons of Irish Republicanism and the fight for Independence, such as one of the few remaining original copies of the Easter 1916 Proclamation  (Irish: Forógra na Poblachta), or the 'cockade' worn by Wolfe Tone in 1798 (Year of the French).

_______________

 "To understand Jackie Clarke you must first understand County Mayo, in the west of Ireland. It is a landscape both inviting and forbidding, one of serene greens and rocky grays, megalithic tombs and medieval abbeys, famine roads, mystical mountains and the violent sea — all combining to assert the lingering presence of what has come before.

 'You’re so close to the past all the time,' Ms. McCoole said."

(From the NY Times article by Dan Barry)

_______________

The Jackie Clarke Collection opens in April, housed in a landmark 1882 bank building on Pearse Street in Jackie's beloved Ballina.

We hope to book an "historical extension" to our trip to Ireland in July to see the Collection - sounds fascinating, and Ballina is where my roots are in Ireland!

Read the full story, and be sure to view the video about the life of Jackie Clarke.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne 

Easter Monday 1916

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013)

"Easter 1916" - by the poet W.B. Yeats. And, more about the Easter Rising (Irish: Éirí Amach na Cásca) here.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

"Your papers, please . . ."

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013)

For the tour to Ireland in July, if you've not renewed your U.S. Passport, you should be thinking about that at this time. I renewed mine about a month ago and was quoted 4-6 weeks turn-around (it came in about 3 weeks!). If you are a first time applicant for a  U.S. Passport - you can probably add a little more time to the above.

For U.S. Mexican and Canadian Citizens, only a Passport is required for entry into Ireland (no Travel Visa).

Check out the State Department website for all the details.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

The Light - and Spirit - of Ireland

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013)

 

Great news - our trek to Ireland IS ON !! - for July 15-25, 2013! Of course, we still have a few spots available - so, book early and book often (makes a perfect 'bucket list' gift)! Be sure to check back in to  "The Nocturnes in Ireland - 2013" Blog for periodic missives about the trip, along with specific travel hints, inspiring images, musical treats, readings, and reflections on the West of Ireland - all suitable for Nocturnes travelling with us in July - or not (the "armchair travelers" amongst you)!

Check out the itinerary and other details of the trip here.

 

 

Recently, I picked up a CD (to further get in the mood . . .) called "The Spirit of Ireland." Normally, I don't care that much for compilations of music by different artists around a theme, or composer (Barber's Adagio notwithstanding); but this eclectic collection caught my eye with its broad range of artists, artistic syles, and Irish source material. From the standards ("Danny Boy" performed by the Jazz pianist Bill Evans in 1962) to the harmonic stylings of The Pogues ('Wild Cats of Kilkenny'), even including St. Glen Hansard with the Frames ("Rise").

Worth the price of admission - "The Foggy Dew" featuring Sinead O’Connor with The Chieftains - a tune which was showcased prominently in the movie "Michael Collins."

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

George Berkeley

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013)

 

"The eye, by long use comes to see even in the darkest cavern: and there is no subject so obscure but we may discern some glimpse of truth by long poring on it."

- George Berkeley (Irish philosopher, 1685-1753)

George Berkeley, also known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne), was an Anglo-Irish philosopher, physicist, mathematician, whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism" (later referred to as "subjective idealism" by others). This theory denies the existence of material substance and instead contends that familiar objects like tables and chairs are only ideas in the minds of perceivers, and as a result cannot exist without being perceived. Thus, as Berkeley famously put it, for physical objects "esse est percipi" ("to be is to be perceived"). Berkeley is also known for his critique of abstraction, an important premise in his argument for immaterialism.

The university town of Berkeley in California is named in his honour.

Image and links to lots more info here.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

The San Patricios

(A series of posts leading up to/including The Nocturnes Photo Tour in the West of Ireland, July 15-25, 2013)

On this St. Patrick's Day, some little-known facts about the San Patricios during the Mexican-American War, in an article by Andy Porros.

Also a link to the brilliant album by the Chieftains, produce by Paddy Moloney and Ry Cooder.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne