Week 29 - Go see a band or artist that I've never seen before (catchy title!)

I've been lucky to get to some really good gigs the past 12 or 18 months. There were the usual festivally big band type gigs but there were a few smaller ones that particularly blew me away.

Swords

I'd never been to Dingle before heading to Other Voices last December but apart from it being a beautiful part of the world with incredible pubs, it also plays host to some of the best up and coming musical talent from Ireland and further afield!

Swords are a 3-piece from Dublin produced an incredibly energetic set in John Bennie's Pub. Their mix of keyboards, synths, samples, drum and brilliant bass lines, along with Diane Anglim's superb vocals really set the place alight.

Well worth checking out their latest album 'Tidal Waves' which came out in July of 2016.

http://www.swordsband.com

R.S.A.G. (Rarely Seen Above Ground)

Canalphonic is a really great little festival in Rathmines area of Dublin that has really gone from strength to strength the past few years. With some really interesting venues like a barber shop and an art gallery, they bring really good music into some really good spaces.

My highlight of last year's Canalphonic was RSAG, a one man hurricane of musical madness called Jeremy Hickey who played outdoors in a tiny little yard at the side of Lock 6 Café on the Grand Canal. The small crowd lapped up every drum beat and really got into the set every bit as much as the Kilkenny man himself who truly looked like he was enjoying every second! One of those great gigs the leaves you buzzing for hours after.

http://www.rarelyseenaboveground.com

Ailbhe Reddy

This one was a little different in nature to the RSAG gig! Thirty Four is a great little coffee shop in Portobello in Dublin that is also home to Home Beat Events. They do a series of little gigs in November and December called '34 Saturdays' where great local musical talent come in and do an unplugged set for a small crowd of coffee (and music!) lovers.

Ailbhe Reddy is one of the people I saw there at the 34 Saturday sessions and I was really impressed. She did an acoustic set with 2 backing vocalists but it was the quality and humour in her writing that really stole the show for me. We saw her again at Other Voices in Dingle Courthouse and she had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand so she's definitely someone to look out for.

Week 28 - Have a pint on Clare Island

First of all I need to make an admission... when I wrote this card I thought Clare Island was actually Inishbofin. So not only did I get the island wrong but I got the entire county wrong too! I also did this last April and never blogged about it so here is the proof!

I'm not exactly sure what put this particular task into my head but I guess it was one of those excuses to get out and go somewhere I'd never been and it's pretty much on my doorstep in the West. As my lovely sister Aisling was home from across the water, we decided to make it a family outing and all head out to the island.

The ferry was packed as we had, in our wisdom, decided to pick the same weekend as the Clare Island Adventure Race! Thankfully the weather was spectacular as our typically Irish 'summer in April' appeared once again.

Listen up fact fans... the castle-like tower that greets you at the pier on Clare Island was built by the O'Malley family in the 16th century. When a ship from the Spanish Armada fleet was wrecked on the island, the O'Malley's could have invited them all in for tea and biscuits but instead they killed them all. The most famous resident in the tower was Gráinne O'Malley, the infamous bad-ass pirate queen, hence the tower became know as Grainuaile's Castle.

The rest of the island is spectacular and I'd highly recommend walking to the Lighthouse on the north of the island which was, as it happens, struck by lightning in 1834. It was decommissioned in 1965 but today you can actually stay there and there few other B&B views as spectacular.

So... to this pint. I am delighted to confirm that Sailor's Bar does a mean pint of Guinness! It was the reason we came out in the first place but in truth it was the kick in the ass we needed to go and explore one of the most spectacular parts of this country of ours.

Week 27 - Walk the dogs in Madra

This one was a lonnnnnng time in the making. I'd spoken to the amazing photographer/designer/blogger and pure sound Galway head Saibh Egan about going out and walking the dogs in Madra (I'll explain) for an eternity. Eventually we did it and I ticked off another of my 52 cards, albeit around 73 years late.

Madra are an amazing non-profit organisation and group of people that try and find deserving and welcoming homes for dogs that were abandoned, neglected or even abused. Some have even been left tied to Madra's gate on Christmas Day as little furry 'unwanted presents' are left wondering what the hell they did wrong. As a dog owner (and a human being) this is a disgrace.

All dogs that arrive at the shelter in Camus, Connemara, are assessed and treated by a vet. They are vaccinated, wormed, flea treated, neutered and micro-chipped. All of the dogs at Madra are also temperament tested.

As well as chilling in their insulated kennels, each dog is brought out for a walk on a lead 4 times a day. It was to help with the walking that Saibh and I made our way out into the beautiful wilds of Connemara. The wind and rain tried its best to put us off (and nearly did at one point!) but we battled on and made it to Camus. Although Saibh has worked with Madra for years, I'd never been. The setup out there is incredible. Each and every dog has their own kennel space or at the very most is sharing with another other dog of a similar personality.

We each walked a number of dogs of various sizes including Odie, the happiest, smiliest Labrador in the universe! (Reminded me of that dog from Up! a lot.)

"Squirrel!!!..."

It confirmed to me that I love big dogs and not the yappy little terrier type mutts! As an owner of two big, mad and powerful Labradors, I've alway had a thing for larger dogs. Dogs don't belong in handbags, they belong at the end of a lead pulling your arm off!!

Madra are always interested in having people out to visit and help them walk the dogs. Even more so,  they're looking for people to adopt a dog and give them a new loving home. Whether you want to help out by walking some pooches or are interested in getting a dog, then contact Madra on 086 814 9026 or email madradogrescue@gmail.com

As you can see from the photos we had a blast walking dogs of all sizes in the wind and the rain. It's important that these beautiful, friendly, loving dogs get their walks but it's more important that they get a home.

If you want to donate to Madra and help them with their mission, log on to www.madra.ie and click on the donate button.

Week 26 - Cook a new dish

I'd already cooked some new things this year but always forgot to document the process. The original idea for this post was to cook a recipe from the cookbook written by the guys from the Happy Pear restaurant in Greystones. They're conducting a bit of a healthy vegetarian food crusade at the moment and are pretty much the flavours (they're twins!) of the month of the Irish foodie scene.

I couldn't get all the ingredients for the beetroot burgers with homemade carrot hummus (fancy I know!) so instead went for something a little simpler to fulfil the brief... also using beetroot as its major ingredient.

My sister does a mean Beetroot Risotto with goats cheese recipe that also involves making a parmesan cheese crisp (first time I did that too!) so I made that instead!

I also eventually got around to making those beetroot burgers from the Happy Bear book and bloody hell were they delicious!

So here's the proof!...

Beetroot burgers with homemade carrot hummus and roasted sweet potato fries! Tasty!

Week 25 - Use public transport for a week

I have to admit that I do love driving (hence the tour of the 32 counties!) and I don't get many weeks where I don't need to drive for one reason or another. The lovely Alan Doheny and Joanne O'Toole have always taken great pleasure in taking the p**s that I wouldn't know how to get a bus if my life depended on it! Well... I've only gone and done it! Not only that but I took a train, a tram, a tube and a taxi. Oh and a plane or 2!

I’m gonna keep this short as it may well be the most boring blog post subject ever chosen. The week started with a train journey to Dublin and I think I’m still recovering from the price of it. We’re still not at the level of train prices in the UK but holy sh*t Irish Rail ain’t cheap! I then got the lovely Luas into Dublin town. The following day involved a quick spin on the DART and another day out on the LUAS. Living the high life I was! Later in the week I got the AirCoach to Dublin Airport to get a flight to London to see my sister Aisling. A couple of trains, buses, tubes and another flight later and I was back on the AirCoach into Dublin. That’s a week of public transport done and dusted. Trains, planes and bus-shaped automobiles.

Now wasn’t that fun!! :-)

Week 24 - Visit the Zoo

I had planned on going to the Zoo in London when I was there a number of weeks ago but a couple of things happened... It was raining the day I was initially gonna go, I found out that going is bloody expensive and thirdly I realised that I wasn't overly bothered about going!

It was on one of my cards however, so it had to be done... ish! I embarked on a stroll around London that took me waaaaaay further than I'd planned! As a result I decided to stroll through Regent's Park which is home to the ZSL London Zoo. It is, in fact, the oldest scientific zoo on the world and was opened way back in 1828.

The zoo is actually on both sides of the road as you walk by and it's pretty handy the way you can see loads of stuff from the road as you walk by. Unfortunately the rain meant that pretty much all of the animals had more sense than me and were taking shelter indoors! At least I got to see a giraffe or two!

Week 23 - Make my mother's chocolate cake

It's become a sort of tradition that my mam makes a chocolate cake for me every year for my birthday in December. This cake is a work of baked beauty and its pièce de résistance has always been the Cadbury's chocolate icing. I've made it once before but it was a hybrid version that was broken out for the purposes of a Great British Bake-off competition forefeit!

This time around it was going to be as per the original (and best!) recipe. I have witnesses to both the making and consumption of said cake and as far as I know, nobody has presented with any life-threatening side effects! In my humble opinion is was bloody brilliant! Oh and a big thanks to my Aunt Brenda for providing Santa for the top of it!

Week 22 - Go fishing

Many moons ago my sister and I bought a fishing rod for our dad. It was one of these, "ah sure he'll definitely use it" kind of presents. I think if I brought it back to the shop today then I'd get a full refund 'as new'.

The last time I was fishing was under a bridge in Ballinasloe about 5 years ago. We didn't catch anything that day and I didn't catch anything on Barna pier this time either!

So... the only way I was going to catch anything was trying a different approach. This of course involved going to London and challenging a 4 year old child (the deadly little dude my sister babysits) to a game of magnetic fishing! With our powers combined, we even managed to pick up 4 cardboard fish at once, which I'm proud so say is most likely a world record!

Week 21 - Put together a package and give it to a homeless person.

As part of the 52 cards, my mum suggested that I put together a package of stuff for a homeless person. I'd neglected the cards for a good while for one reason or another but a chance meeting with someone at a blogging event in Galway put them back on the agenda. I'm still not sure how it came up in conversation but she mentioned that she'd been in Dublin a few weeks beforehand and took a notion whilst waiting for a bus to sit down and chat to a homeless man sitting on O'Connell Bridge.

His name was Gerard from Meath and he'd been sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin for over a year. Initially reluctant to even make eye contact, he slowly opened up to her. His story was one of personal and family tragedy but he seemed to be a decent, smart young man. As soon as I'd heard about Gerard I was determined to put together the package and try to find him. I didn't know him from the next person but from what I'd heard, he seemed to be as worthy a recipient as any.

I initially thought of doing something like a lunchbox of stuff but quickly figured that that wouldn't really be of much use so I changed tack and set about putting together something a little more useful; socks, gloves, hats, thermal underwear, some toiletries and a jacket which I got free from a really generous guy in a shop in a shopping arcade off Henry St. (name escapes me!).

I hadn't got a clue how I'd get in touch with Gerard so after keeping an eye out on the streets (and O'Connnell Bridge) for a couple of days I figured there must be a better way. I called into the Dublin Simon Community accommodation in Harcourt St. who gave me a number for the Central Placement Service (CPS). I gave them a call and put me in touch with the Focus Ireland Outreach Team who do incredible work every night in walking the streets giving out food, sleeping bags, medical attention and if possible shelter to those in need. They knew of Gerard but he hadn't checked in with their services for at least a month.

I decided to leave the package with them in case he came back and if he didn't come back within a month to give it to someone they feel is most in need. The people working with the likes of Focus Ireland and The Simon Community are incredible. They walk the streets every night with little or no thanks looking after some of our society's most vulnerable members.

Coming up to Christmas, even with all the lights, noise and hustle and bustle, it's impossible to ignore the fact that hundreds of people sleep rough under the stars of our cities and towns every night. Some of these people are the victims of circumstances of their own making. Many are simply unlucky and stuck in a vicious spiral that they can't get out of.

Regardless of how they got there, the reality is there are far too many people on our streets. One is too many. Rough sleeping has increased seven fold in Cork in the last 3 years alone. I understand my ramblings may be simplistic and probably misguided but I don't care... For years our government have thrown OUR money at banks and bankers who have been allowed make f**k up after f**k up with complete impunity yet there isn't enough money to address the homeless crisis.

A rant from an individual isn't going to help anything but it does make my blood boil and I for one would much prefer my tax money to go towards putting a roof over someone like Gerard's head than keeping a very expensive roof over the heads of those who least deserve them.

Week 20 - Donate 3 hours of my time to help out a Facebook Friend

This post is going to be short and sweet so excuse the stream of consciousness to follow!!

The 4 of Spades meant that I had to donate 3 hours of my time to help out a Facebook friend. If I'm honest the idea was to do something really helpful like help someone move house, or some manly DIY like painting or unsuccessfully putting together IKEA bookshelves! Due to time and perhaps a touch of laziness, I decided to turn this particular task into a busman's holiday.

It just happened that the same day I pulled this card I'd started work on designing a logo for a new catering business called Select Event Catering that Darren Nally, one of my best mates, was setting up. It wasn't until I'd put up the request on Facebook for ways to spend the 3 hours that Darren suggested that I was already doing that for him! Fair point I thought... so the logo became the subject of my altruism! 3 hours quickly passed, as did 4 or 5 and now he has a logo, business cards, website holding page and shiny new signage for when he launches the new venture at the end of November in Birmingham (Engerland, not Alabama!).

Darren seems to be pretty chuffed with the stuff. Far more importantly he's agreed to supply me with a lifetime's worth of gourmet burgers and crepes!!

Job done. Now to eat the spoils!

Week 19 - Listen to all 12 (actually 13!) major studio albums released by The Beatles

As a massive fan of The Beatles, this challenge was something I was looking forward to more than some of the others! All I needed was an excuse to listen to them all one after another and my 32 County Road Trip conveniently needed a first rate soundtrack! I came across some things on the way around too that made me think The Beatles were meant to come along for the spin!

I only had a rough plan drawn up for the trip so I thought it would be remiss of me to start with anything other than Magical Mystery Tour!

I've gone through various periods of listening to the 4 Liverpool lads including a complete overdose in Leaving Cert year (I'm looking at you Johnny Morris) when we probably should have been spending more quality time with textbooks!

I think my dad was the reason I first got into The Beatles. He had a load of Beatles records in his collection and I really got hooked when the complete Beatles back catalogue arrived in the house in the form of a pretty great birthday present! They might have been his albums but I was the one who was intent on wearing them out!

Instead of reviewing all the albums I'm just gonna put together a top 5 of both albums and songs. Everyone has their own personal favourites and reasoning behind them so these are mine!...

Songs

1. A Day The Life (Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club)
There's something about this song that gets me every time. It's a song of epic proportions with drama at every turn. Not only No.1 on my Beatles list but No.1 on my all time list. It's a bit of a patchwork quilt of styles but stitched together perfectly! The way the 2 chords of piano comes in at the very end and puts a full stop on the entire Sgt. Peppers album is absolutely sublime.

2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The White Album)
What an intro. Four minutes and forty six seconds of brilliance. Written by George Harrison too with a solo from Eric Clapton thrown in for good measure!

3. Helter Skelter (The White Album)
I may have to come clean and say that Bono and U2 are partly reponsible for this one. I heard U2's version of this somehow before I heard The Beatles original. U2's version is great but McCartney's attempt to create the rawest, edgiest and dirtiest Beatles sound to that point really works.

4. Come Together (Abbey Road)
This was actually the last song all four of the Beatles recorded together in the same room and each of them provide pieces of individual brilliance that make it the perfect opening track for Abbey Road, one of my very favourite Beatles albums.

5. Tomorrow Never Knows (Revolver)
This song was so far ahead of its time. LSD played a major part in creating something that, for me, is today as fresh and imaginative as it was when it arrived on Revolver nearly 50 years ago in 1966.


The above is my own take on what is an almost impossible exercise! I know I mentioned that I'd put together a list of albums too but I think I've done pretty well to narrow down the songs to just 5 so leave that one with me!

K.

Week 18 - Visit all 32 Counties in a week

First of all, I’d like to say that I’ve fallen in love with Ireland all over again this past week. I’m one of those people often guilty of overlooking our very own patch of paradise when looking for places to spend a few days. Like so many things, we think the grass is always greener… I can, however, confirm we have some of the greenest grass anywhere on this earth!

It was only a convenient break between projects that made me decide just 2 weeks ago to embark on a spin around the country and the ticking of a box I was worried wouldn’t get ticked! The challenge of visiting every county on the island in a week was the brainchild of my lovely sister Aisling (thanks sis) and at the time I thought it was a brilliant idea! As the year crept and the evenings shortened I wasn’t so sure and was worried that I wouldn’t get to doing it at all. I was already (and still am!) waaay behind in my quest to do 52 things in 52 weeks.

6 days, 32 counties and 2345km have taught me a lot about our lovely land as well as a lot of about myself… not to mention a detailed knowledge of diesel prices in every corner of the country!

Some people were surprised that I was doing the trip solo. I’m not weird or anything (those that disagree form an orderly queue here) but I’m someone who’s very happy in my own company when I need to be. I know people who can’t be alone in a room with themselves for more than 30 seconds before they go mad. The jeep was my own personal think thank at a time when I needed to do some thinking  about my next steps and work some stuff out. Doing the trip solo meant I could go where I wanted, when I wanted, catch up with who I wanted and stop to take photos of whatever I wanted, however ridiculous! There was also the small matter of getting through 13 Beatles albums along the way. For what it matters, I reckon they were a waaaay better band after they discovered LSD!

The criteria of the challenge was simple… visit all 32 counties in one week. I needed photographic proof so I decided the ‘Welcome to..’ roadsigns were as good as anything! Trouble is, some countries are more welcoming than others it seems (I’m looking at you Co. Clare) so I had to improvise a couple.

I'm not going to bore people with a detailed account of where I've been. There are way to many highlights and places worth mentioning for that. A few places in particular however, really blew me away. I was looking forward to exploring Donegal and it didn’t disappoint. It has everything, including the most northerly point in the country! The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge in Antrim is a must, as is Harry’s shack on Portstewart beach (Breakfast bap alone is worth the drive!). Speaking of drives… the journey down through Co. Wicklow and Blessington Lake is brilliant and the road from Bantry in Cork to Killarney (taking in part of the Ring of Kerry) is one of the most spectacular I’ve ever driven.

It really has been a fantastic experience driving through this country that I’m now even prouder than ever to call home. It helped that, unusually for Ireland, it barely rained during the entire 6 days. This island has some of the most spectacular scenery and friendliest people in the world and for those lucky to live here, none of it is more than 3 or 4 hours away. If this all sounds like the spiel from a Failte Ireland brochure then I unashamedly put my hand up. I’ve been to so many new places the past week, met some incredible characters and learned a lot about both myself and the country I call home.

It’s a special place our lovely island… a paradise on our doorstep. All we have to do now is explore it!