El meu diari: Lough Easkey

dijous, 30 d’abril del 2009

Lough Easkey

Lough Easkey és un llac solitari al qual s'hi accedeix a través d'una carretera molt estreta, enmig de valls verdes amb alguna casa aïllada. Deixant enrere el Mass Rock, de sobte un immens paradís de torba condueix fins al llac, on només s'hi troba la presència d'algunes ovelles. Majoritàriament s'hi pesca truita i salmó. Deixant enrere el llac i continuant per la mateixa diminuta carretera, les torberes infinites a la vista van portant cap al mar. Què puc dir d'aquest llac? Que ja forma part de mi: he vingut a pensar, a llegir, a plorar, a parlar...

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L'altre dia vam anar a Dunmoran a tirar fotos, és una platja amb uns penya-segats ideals per captar l'aigua que s'estavella a les roques, amb la Benbulben com a fons. Vam fer unes postes de sol espectaculars, però el més divertit de tot van ser les vaques. Ens van venir a saludar, i es van quedar mirant-nos com si no haguessin vist mai humans... I van deixar-se tirar fotos, tantes com vàrem voler. Ahir les ensenyava a classe, ningú no havia vist mai tanta sociabilitat en aquests rumiants...la gent es petava de riure.

Des del mar vam poder veure lluny la "Spaniard's Rock", a uns 20km al nord de Sligo, una roca en la qual el setembre de 1588 3 galeres de l'Armada Espanyola van naufragar quan arribaven a les costes de Streedagh Strand, degut a una tormenta. El més gran dels tres bucs va quedar encallat en un escull de l'illa de Dernish, ara anomenat la Roca dels Espanyols. Més de 100 cossos van ser portats a terra. Els que van desembarcar van ser morts pels irlandesos o pels anglesos. Al 1988 es va erigir un monument per senyalitzar el lloc, en l'aniversari del 400 anys de la tragèdia.

Ireland's contributions to Rock'n'Roll

Bob Geldof and The Boomtown Rats - Originally formed in Dublin, the Rats are most prominently remembered for the truly darkly comic ode to nihilism "(Tell Me Why) I Don't Like Mondays"; however, their lead singer, Bob Geldof, eclipsed their fame with his starring role in Alan Parker's movie, Pink Floyd: The Wall, and his internationally role as the organizer of Live Aid to combat world hunger.
Horslips - Possibly the first rock band to combine traditional Celtic music with modern rock, Horslips was formed in 1970 and continued to infuse its music with aspects of Irish mythology in concept albums up until the group faded from the scene in 1979.
The Cranberries - Born in the suburbs of Limerick in 1990, The Cranberries (originally called "Cranberry Saw Us") include Dolores O'Riordan, Fergal Lawlor, Noel Hogan and Mike Hogan. The group's music is primarily a fusion of traditional Gaelic folk music with rock'n'roll.
The Pogues - Originally called Pogue Mahone, Gaelic for "Kiss my ass", the band was formed in 1982 when Shane MacGowan (formerly of The Nipple Erectors) fell in with tin whistle player Spider Stacey and Jim Fearnley on guitar to perform their own renditions of some traditional Irish tunes. MacGowan updated their content and sound to later Irish literary renaissance with a smattering of anti-Thatcher politics, and in no time at all they were opening for the Clash.
The Commitments - Spawned from Alan Parker's 1991 film version of Roddy Doyle's eponymous novel about a group of working-class youths who form a band to bring soul music to Dublin, The Commitments performed their own renditions of classic Wilson Pickett, James Brown,Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, and other legends of soul for the film's soundtrack, which immediately became an international bestseller.

Sinead O'Connor - Despite having almost committed commercial career suicide by ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II while appearing on Saturday Night Live, and refusing to allow "The Star Spangled Banner" to be played at the opening of a concert, she has been Ireland's angry young woman of rock'n'roll blessed with the most unlikely voice of an angel. Her renditions of such soulful ballads as "Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" and Rodgers and Hart's "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", as well as her spirited rockin' singles like "The Emperor's New Clothes", prove that it was more than her pretty face and her bald pate that brought her such widespread popularity despite all of the controversy surrounding her.
The Corrs - Born and raised in the Irish town of Dundalk, eleven miles south of the Ulster border, the Corrs is the latest Irish band to achieve international stardom. Composed of three sisters (Andrea, Caroline and Sharon), this band's Irish fusion of the Carpenters, the Pogues, and the Cramberries has already earned them a VH1 special (live in Dublin) as well as several soundtrack. The fact that Andrea Corr has frequently been voted the sexiest woman alive is also worthy of note.
Van Morrison - Born George Ivan Morrison, Van Morrison is a successful singer, songwriter, and saxophonist with a career spanning more than thirty-five years.
U2 - Formed in Dublin in 1977, is without a doubt the most commercially successful rock'n'roll band ever to come out of the Esmerald Isle. Composed of Bono (born Paul Hewson), "The Edge" (born Dave Evans), Adam Clayton,and Larry Mullen, U2's brand of kickass rock'n'roll is freely grown from its member's local roots ("Sunday Bloody Sunday" dealing with the conflict in Northern Ireland), political causes (such as Band Aid), musical inspirations from traditional American rock'n'roll and rhythm'n'blues, and even European techno and dance club sound.

Irish Delicacies

Traditional Irish Breakfast - A "traditional" Irish Breakfast includes the foods listed below, cooked to preference. Though tradition really demands that it all be friend in a pan, health/dietary concerns sometimes dictate otherwise. 2 slices Irish Bacon, 1 Irish sausage (also known as a banger), 1 slice black breakfast pudding, 1 slice white breakfast pudding, 1 tomato ( cored), Pepper to taste It's a definite eye-opening delight, even if it does clog the arteries
Guinness cake - Ingredients: 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/4 cups Guinness (not including excess for the cook to sample) , raisins, currants, orange and lemon peel to taste, 5 cups flour, 3 pinches baking soda, pinch each allspice and nutmeg, 3 eggs. Mix butter, sugar, and Guinness in a pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the fruits and peels and simmer for an additional few minutes. Sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl, add the spices, fruit, Guinness mixture, and the three eggs, then beat until smooth. Pour into a cake pan and bake for two hours at 325 degrees
Nettle soup- Ingredients: 2 1/2 parts nettles, butter to taste, 1/3 part oatmeal, 3 3/4 parts stock, 1 1/4 parts milk Chop the nettle leaves thoroughly, removing the stalks. Mix butter and oatmeal, heat until golden brown. Add stock, bring to a boil, add milk, bring to a boil, add nettles, and simmer for another ten minutes
Boxty potatoes- Grated raw potatoes, cooked mashed potatoes, flour, melted butter, and baking soda make up boxty pancakes. Mix the grated potatoes with the mashed, adding the rest of the ingredients to make a batter. Then fry gently as pancakes and serve with butter
Coddle- Ham sliced thick, pork sausage, sliced potatoes and onions, parsley, salt and pepper to taste, and two pints of boiling water. Boil the meat for five minutes, strain and reserve. Add with vegetables to an ovenproof dish moistening with reserved liquid from the boiling. Bake at 200 degrees for about an hour and you have yourself coddle
Baked ham- Steep ham overnight in cold water seasoned with cloves and pepper, then remove skin and coat with your choice of sweet breading (one good choice: honey and breadcrumbs with a touch of cloves). Bake in moderate oven for forty minutes in three cups of cider, turning ham over midway through to avoid drying out one side
Colcannon- Cabbage, boiled potatoes, two leeks, a cup of milk, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Mash and mix the potatoes and seasonings, then top with milk before adding cabbage. Pile it into a dish, making a well in the center for a dollop of butter
Irish Stew- Combine lamb chops (cut off the bone), potatoes, onions, carrots, dash of chopped parsley, a pint of water, and salt and pepper to taste. Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for two hours
Corned Beef and Cabbage- Combine the piece of corned beef with the cabbage in a single pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for twenty minutes per pound of beef. Enjoy the aroma during cooking
Irish Soda Bread- Whole meal flour, dash of oatmeal, dash of whole wheat, an egg, a spoon of baking soda, three-quarters pint of buttermilk, dash of regular milk, salt, sugar, raisins, and caraway seeds to taste. Mix as bread and bake at 450 degrees. Fine for dessert, breakfast, or just as a snack

Irish Pub Drinks

Irish Coffee- Sweeten hot black coffee sightly with sugar, add a shot of Irish Whiskey, and top with a shot of heavy cream deftly poured so it floats on top
Shandy- One-quarter lemon soda, three quarters lager of ale
Irish Boilermaker- One shot of Irish whiskey in a mug of lager
Irish Whiskey Straight up- Irish Whiskey by the shot
Black Velvet- One-quarter Champagne, three quarters Guinness stout
Hot whiskey punch- Simmer boiled water with lemon, sugar and cinnamon, mixed with room-temperature Irish whiskey
Stout and Black- Guinness sweetened with blackcurrant syrup
Lager and Black- One half lager, one half Guinness stout
Black and Tan- One half ale, one half Guinness stout
And, of course, just plain Guinness stout, a pint glass served at room temperature with just a touch of foamy head

Sites of Beauty and Wonder

Croagh Patrick, in Murrisk, county Mayo, this mountain has been the site of St Patrick pilgrimages
Mitcheltown Caves located in Burncourt, are believed to be the largest system of river-transformed, limestone caverns in all of Irleand
Newgrange Tumulus, located in county Meath, a burial chamber thought to be over a five thousand years old
Dromberg Stone Circle, between Glandore and Rosscarbery, which dates back to the Bronze Age.
Hill of Tara, located in county Meath, stonehenge-like round stone structure was believe to be the former seat of the High Kings and the capital of Celtic Ireland
Giants Causeway, in Bushmills, basalt rock columns from the foot of a cliff and disappear at sea.
Cliffs of Moher, located in county Clare, afford you a view of the Clare coast, the Aran Islands and county Kerry and Connemara
Ring of Kerry starts in Killarney around to Kenmare