Hi Blog

sorry I've been avoiding you. Life gets in the way. lots of Suba Suba gigs. Life Festival, house hunting and job hunting have taken up all my time for the last two weeks. expect a proper update later this week.
Peace and love.

Lough Arrow's Side

I got this ballad from the singing of Tommy Kerins, a Sligo native who resides in Australia. He performed it at the Paddy Killoran Festival in Ballymote a few years ago, where it was filmed, and this is my transcription. The lyrics may not be totally accurate, but it's a good song.

Well God be with the good old days, when youthful I did roam,
Down by Lough Arrow's lovely banks beside my native home.
With mountain vales and fields so green and moorlands broad and wide,
and lovely woods that can be seen down by Lough Arrows side

The graceful scenes of Curlew Hills and Hollybrook I see.
And further on, and brighter still lies beautiful Lough Key.
Where often in the days gone by we sat there side by side
or boated on your waters bright down by Lough Arrows side.

How nice a run-down schoolhouse stands along the public road
with fertile fields on either hand quite near to my abode.
where often in my youthful days i stayed at evening tide
from comrades grand I had to leave down by Lough Arrows side

I had to leave my native home and cross the raging sea
and settle in columbias land, my future home to be,
where pretty girls so fair and bright, so modest and blue-eyed
Are exiles on Columbia's shore far from Lough Arrows side

its now i think of the Highwood boys and the girls round Killadoon
Killashee and lakeview too, and likewise Ballindoon
and when at night the moon shone bright we'd dance at the corners wide
and sing and boast and drink a toast down back Lough Arrow's side

how often in my dreams ive seen the master teach at school
or watch the mistress cross the bridge each evening as a rule
Or watch bright Arrows waters flow as they did at eveningtide
when I was but a schoolboy lived down by Lough Arrows side

alas those days are past and gone, we neer shall see them more
when carefree lads we sported on the Heapstown hills galore
when as from home we had to go and cross the raging sea
and bid farewell to all we loved and to lough Arrows side

Needless Wordology

Right so today my blog is going to be a bit off the cuff, a little extraneous, maybe even superfluous to requirements. I am going to start by expounding upon the theory (that I am making up as I go along) that people who are intelligent, educated, or simply read a lot (none of which implies the other is present) have a particular tendency to use large words in various places in their daily discourse, in order to flaunt their assumed superiority in these matters over their erstwhile companions. Of course this habit is, to some extent, endearing in those who can pull it off well; but in the majority of people it makes them seem pretentious (an adjective I tend to overuse), obnoxious, or even obstreperous. The usage of such florid verbosity does not add, nor take away from their personality (or lack thereof) but simply confuses the hell out of the person listening. That is, unless the other person is also a wordmonger. The suffix '-monger' does not always denote a negative trade, but in this instance, I would lump a 'wordmonger' in with the likes of 'Warmonger' and 'Fleshmonger' in the negative camp. I would not use the term 'wordsmith' which implies a certain mastery of craft (I would not use it to describe myself, certainly.) Words are powerful. Words have life. They are not simple objects to be flung around in pursuit of superiority. At some points in everyone's life, a short period of time should be taken to reflect in silence. Allow your words to rest. Nobody has an infinite amount. We have as many as we need. For some that may be thousands, in the case of politicians, lawyers and other types who use the power of words and their inherent malleability on a daily basis to earn their salaries. Others may have no words at all. Lost child soldiers in Central Africa; illiterate farmers; mountain tribes in Nepal; and even the dispossessed in our own society, the homeless, the unfortunate, the sick, the elderly. These people have no words to describe what they suffer. Maybe it should be up to those of us who have the words to take a rest from using them for our own gain, and to use them to promote awareness. Some of the organisations which I want to use my words to promote include:
Simon Community of Ireland:
and especially Galway Simon:
Invisible Children:
and finally VCD Nepal:

Thank you. peace and love. not just from me, or for me. but from everyone, to everyone.
Dermo

This is a verse or two which I scribbled at 5am

Don't you try to bring me down
like sumo wrestlers do
I've got an evil masterplan
That's of no concern to you
a door closes in the dead of night
as I trip into the mist
so don't attempt to foil my plans
your presence may not be missed
so sleep you not oh foolish one
for your mindplay seems absurd
keep good watch on every move
for on deaf ears falls no word..

I think I might have to write some more for this, but it came out of nowhere and very likely that's where it'll go back to. still at least here is something for the archives.

Not To Worry

All in life is chance, as they say. It's probably true. Clichés do have that working in their favour.
Since my last update, I have become a little more adept at decision making, and moulding those chances to my own advantage. I finally took the plunge, rented a car, and drove it round on American roads. after a shaky start, I'm beginning to feel comfortable with it all. Now all I need to do is to figure out fun places to go in it. that shouldn't be a problem...
Also, for those who have never read my blog before, this is going to be a short post, I am currently not thinking so many jumbled thoughts as usual. I have been reading up on 17th/19th c. history and that is something which interests me. In other news, I am on a short trip to see that special someone, so I'm endeavouring not to spend all my time living vicariously through the internet.
Wishing you all Peace, Love and a Worry-free wallet.
Dermo

Eat Well, Live Well.

So I promised to start blogging more. I've been in California for the last two days, and the life and climate of this country give rise to many, many different topics to blog about. Maybe this is why many Californians are bloggers. who knows?!
To begin with, I must praise the climate. Warmth and daylight make people happier, and there does seem to be a certain sense of 'sunniness' from the people here. Even if they are serving you coffee in Starbuck's. It is a pleasant place to wander around. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure it has its downside and seedy underbelly too. I have been lucky to see nice parts of it. Okay, enough gushing about the good things.
I promised someone I'd blog about cattle. Yesterday, as we drove north towards San Jose, we were passing by miles upon miles of rolling green pasture. To the west, the mountains rose up about 3/4 miles away. The shade of green was so healthy-looking, I was disappointed to see it so empty. In Ireland that amount of grassy hillside would sustain more cattle or sheep than currently make up the livestock population. Why are there no sheep on the hills? It may just be a symptom of homesickness, wanting to see green hills with the little white dots all over, sheep climbing up to pastures that cows probably couldn't get to. Either way, I wondered where the cows were. I'd seen the TV ads for California dairy products, where the tag-line says "California cows are Happy Cows." Well, I discovered shortly afterwards, and these cows did not look like they were happy. For about 2 miles along the highway, and about a mile deep, what could only be described as a multitude of cattle were pent up in a corral, nose to tail, and barely enough room to even swing a tail, at that. I wondered at the mindset that thinks this is good farming practice, and wondered even more at the quality of the beef or dairy produced. Even this is probably considered 'humane' or 'organic' farming. I do not claim to know anything about farming practice, but I do know that in the modern world, it is all about profit. Quality in food, just like standards in hospitals or durability in products, has been sacrificed in the name of the almighty dollar. I always attempt to eat organic foods, wherever possible, but in the present climate, it is often hard to find food that is organic or homegrown which does not cost a week's wages.
Today's dinner was beef or fish, neither of which was labelled as to origin. I tried both, and found the beef hard and stringy, and the fish soft and tasteless.
I have, in the past week or so, been seriously considering vegetarianism. I think that it would be very difficult for me to give up bacon and ham, and more especially fish. Most other meat I could very well live without. I plan to start my new diet as soon as this crazy touring schedule ends. I think semi-vegetarian is as good a plan as any.
On a completely different note, I saw a band called The Steelwells perform in Visalia and am their new biggest fan. I had a chat with the drummer after the gig and he was a sound guy. In fact they all seem like sound guys. I reckon their music will do well over in Ireland. I'm going to be bigging them up for the next while. check them out: http://thesteelwells.blogspot.com/ http://www.myspace.com/thesteelwells or on Twitter @thesteelwells
And finally, on a note that ties together California, music, and living well, I must just add that I have been back listening to Jackson Browne quite a lot recently. His melodies and lyrics just move me. Sublime.
Peace, Love and Gut Health to you all.
Dermo

Mad as March Hair

So today, I got a haircut for the first time since about June 2010. The length of my hair was not the problem, but the sheer weight and thickness of it was weighing down on my spirit, mind and body. I was hoping to somehow thin it out without losing TOO much of the length. So today I took the plunge. normally I'm quite wary of barber shops, basically because I've had so many bad haircuts, many of which result in me going back to almost a military-style short cut. Surprisingly, this did not happen. The venue is a small town in rural Pennsylvania, built almost entirely on hills. after googling the place, I found a barber right down the street. I walked in, unsure of what to expect. it immediately felt like I was in a 1950s style movie barber shop. old-fashioned and friendly and what is more, they actually gave me what I asked for. And more: a hot towel, straight razor shave and beard shaping. I feel better groomed and less scruffy than I have for a very long time.
Other than that, I finally finished the 'Lost City' which was actually not that bad, except it ended up being an anticlimax. my next book to start, which will probably be tomorrow, is Ernest Hemingway's 'For Whom The Bell Tolls.' I am looking forward to it, I haven't read a novel in quite some time.
Today was quite pleasant, I spent the afternoon listening to music which I haven't heard in a while, some of the staples being Tom Petty, Neil Young, and some of the more obscure Tom Waits tracks.
a minor note this week is the occurrence of a small festival called St. Patrick's Day. It is generally celebrated in the USA the weekend beforehand, and last Saturday saw us playing two shows back to back in Roanoke, Virginia, before heading bar-wards to engage in some debauchery. the day itself will be a quiet one for us, as we are playing in a casino in the afternoon, and are spending the evening and the majority of the night on the bus from upstate New York to Charlotte, North Carolina. Touring can take its toll on one, physically and mentally. At this point many of us are feeling the strain, so not partying too much is probably a good thing..
Having said that, I am currently exhausted, and am going to go grab a quick nap before show time.
I love my work.
Peace, Love and naps.
Dermo

Brain Vomit

So today I have decided to do many things that I normally would put off doing, seeing as I got up early and am not hungover. (Somehow I think those two things might be relative..) Anyhow, the point is that I am not good at multitasking, or ordering my priorities. So I went to the pool. then I ate a sandwich. then I took some photographs of the snow. now I am finally getting down to business. Writing. while eating a sandwich. And putting fresh strings on my mandolin, while listening to bluegrass. This is how I tend to be productive; putting aside a small amount of time to do all the important things I need/want to do, so I can later justify not doing anything. Luckily eating all those sandwiches means I can put off having dinner until I finish.
So today's entry is not really about any one thing, seeing as I have a lot of thoughts going on at the moment. The band is playing a 3-day run of shows in a fairly prestigious (i.e. expensive) ski resort up near the Canadian border. Skiing has always seemed a rather pointless exercise to me. Those who know me will know that I usually find most exercise pointless, and of course I hate the cold. So the idea of paying ten thousand dollars to spend a weekend going up a mountain on a chairlift and then sliding back down seems silly. But it is these people who are paying my wages. And we get to use the hotel's facilities (gym, hot tub and pool) which is okay by me.
I do not like the cold. Did I mention this?
I'm reading a book called 'The Lost City of Z'. It is about a real-life character, an Amazon explorer in the early twentieth century. It's not often I don't want to finish a book, but this chap was an extremely disagreeable person, and even reading about him makes me hate him. And who wants to read a book that makes them angry. It would be the literary equivalent of me voluntarily watching a Julia Roberts film. Nobody needs unnecessary anger in their life. having said that, I'll probably finish the book..
Also, if anybody wants to buy me a Fender Telecaster, feel free. I really want one, but budget cuts must be made... :(
Furthermore, I have never driven a car in the US. It can't be that hard, right? They let 14 year olds do it..
Okay, now I need to finally post this, and go set up for tonight's show. This life doesn't come easy...
Peace and Love (and Sandwiches :D)
Dermo

Millennium - Tom Holland

(Abacus, 2009)
It's been probably ten years since I wrote a book review, so I've decided to start attempting to do so. This first effort is on the latest offering from popular historian Tom Holland, a wide-ranging overview of what is commonly known as the 'Dark Ages'.
'Millennium' attempts to illustrate the emergence of unified, Christian, kingdoms in the time period surrounding the first Millennium AD. The general tone of the book lends itself to narrative, as Holland portrays each historical figure, be they king, Pope or emperor, as a character in the overall scheme of things, and how each character shaped the future of the world as they knew it. The major overarching theme of the book focuses on the doom and gloom felt by European Christians in the lead-up to the first Millennium, when many people started looking at the world around them, and seeing signs of decay, violence and death, feared the Day of Judgement was at hand. The conviction of this that many people felt was set in stone by the Church, and each particular failure of Armageddon to arrive was followed by disappointment, then excuses, and finally a new 'Day of Judgement' would be seized upon. I personally enjoyed the way Holland closes the book with a sort of closure upon this theme. He has, early in the text, set the dates which he will deal with between AD 900 and AD 1100. In the final chapter, he deals with the immediate lead-up to the First Crusade, yet does not go into detail on the Crusade itself. Instead he merely states, in a succint summary, that "Antichrist did not appear."
At first I found this to be an anticlimax, after the rather rushed final chapter (in which he deals with about 20 years of pan-European history in 80 pages), but upon reflection, realized that this one short line summed up the entire book. Despite detailing the evolution of the Holy Roman Empire, France, England, Scandinavia and Kievan Rus in the course of the book, the major theme of the book is closed with that final line, and the reader can move on, because the author had given them enough information to understand much more about these 'Dark Ages'.
This review is only partial, but Mr. Holland has also added a detailed timeline, notes section, and index, which provide a LOT of further in-depth reading. I enjoyed the book very much. I suppose that's probably the best review I could have written at all...

Oh Lordy

well there are mutants and zombies. I would personally prefer to be a mutant, as long as it wasn't one of those crazy mutations like the guy from the Fantastic Four. an extra finger or toe wouldn't be so bad. pointless, perhaps, but could possibly make life easier. in other news, I really like living on a bus. sometimes. even though it makes 'normal' life seem like something alien, I've gotten quite fond of my bunk rocking me to sleep at night. I finished reading my latest book recently, and will probably dedicate a blog to that in the next few days. In other news, my sunburnt elbows have finally gone back to normal after Puerto Rico, and I have had a very positive week. I'm not sure why that is, but I have an idea. Anyway, my bandmates have described me as a 'new Dermo' and the whole positive mental attitude is as infectious on the bus as harp player no. 1's sore throat. So we're all feeling a bit under the weather, but also are all in a really good mood (mostly) which is a total sea-change from some of the previous tours we have done together. as they say, the band that coughs together... umm I don't know where that was going, but you get my drift. Lucky for us then, since we are playing gigs almost 5 nights a week from now until April! Overall, this whole touring thing has its ups and downs, but currently spirits are up. This pleases me.
until next time: peace and love.
Dermo.

Here's to new friends.. and ships.

I'm on my second-last day in Puerto Rico, a fun little island, and what can I say? I'm going to be cheesy but honest and say that, like most journeys I've made, it has been the people here who have made my stay so good. my travelling companion is a diminutive blonde firecracker, whose utter disparity with my own personality has made for constant entertainment on both of our parts, and we have Definitely learned a lot about each other. from day one, moving into the newly-opened San Juan International Hostel we met open, entertaining, contrasting and fascinating people. their website is http://sjihostel.wordpress.com/ and if you follow me on Twitter, their tag is @SJiHostel. I'm hereby recommending all weary travellers to book in advance for this hidden gem. having not booked in advance, we have stayed at various places, but ended up coming back, almost every evening, whether it be for poker, rum, or just good old-fashioned witty banter. As a nerd of all things historical, I made a point of taking some time to myself to ogle over the extensive fortifications in the old town. The weather- and salt-stained masonry of the Spanish colonial period, intermingled with more recent US militaristic concrete creates a shocking contrast, but a fitting example of what makes this the 'Gateway to the Caribbean'. as you enter the old town proper, down by Plaza Colón, the sprawling fortress of San Cristobal looms large to seaward, while the plaza itself is a nice place to chill and people-watch, especially on those days when the local rum has left a void between the ears. the 'Gateway' tag is especially deserved when you realize the amount of cruise ships which dock here, almost every day. there have been at least four different floating cities docked there in the last week. Crazy, right? Well, maybe not. I like the idea of a cruise, probably more than I might enjoy the actual journey. Being aboard ship makes me feel great. As soon as i feel the craft pitching and tossing on the waves beneath my feet I get a sense of excitement, of discovery, even, that flying in an aeroplane can just not compare. But the sheer size of these ships makes me wonder if anything but a storm-tossed sea would create that same feeling, and maybe I would not achieve that sense of adventure that makes me love being on the sea. I think the only way is to attempt it. And when I do, I shall be certain to record the experience right here. In a side note, while on the island here, we took a ferry to the smaller island of Vieques, off the eastern coast. It reminded me very much of the ferry to the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway. That, I suppose, is where I get my romantic notion of seafaring from. Another companion, early in our trip, was a medical officer on board a sailing vessel, and confirmed to me that my notion of sailing is quite probably a serious misconception.
On a totally unrelated topic, we also visited Arecibo Observatory, which is where they filmed the closing sequence of the James Bond movie 'Goldeneye' which was one of the first James Bond movies I think I had ever seen, and still remains a firm favourite. I know what you're thinking: "doesn't he know that Arecibo observatory has the largest reflecting telescope in the world, and is also home to the SETI foundation.. ?" well, I do know that, but as I'm an avid consumer of popular movie culture, the James Bond reference is what I first picked up on. And do you know what? I was very surprised that more people didn't get it straight away, some people I mentioned it to HAD NEVER SEEN THE MOVIE!!!! crazy? damn straight.
peace and love brothers and sisters
Dermo

Caffeination

not all coffee is good. by no means. In fact I have drank a large amount of bad coffee recently. Normally, at home in Ireland I don't tend to drink coffee at all, but on the road in the US, coffee is more readily available than tea, and since I still need my caffeine fix, will suffice to fill a gap. Anyhow, whether or not I'm drinking good coffee, I still think that it doesn't have the same psychological effect that tea can have, especially on myself, a veteran tea drinker. I apologise to those who expect something a little deeper from my blog. I'm just a little bit homesick, and would love a nice cup of Lyon's right now. preferably with some nice biscuits. I personally like Chocolate Polos, but really, I have no major preference. except for Fig Rolls. I really don't like Fig Rolls. speaking of which, I ate my first actual fig at Christmas, thanks to the wide-ranging tastes of Sister the Elder. I actually quite liked it. I have not expanded my palate much recently, so the addition of a new fruit/vegetable is, I suppose, an event to be remembered. Here's to the humble fig! I also like dates. The sticky fruit kind. I'm not very experienced with the other kind. Although the kind that you find in a history book I am familiar with. Anyhow, that's the extent of my thoughts on stuff right now.
Peace and Prosperity.
Dermo

Colourful Times

This blog is going to be about the things I have been getting up to recently. for anyone who follows my Twitter, you will probably know I've been on tour in the USA. we're about 10 days in, so sufficient time has passed to accumulate a few anecdotes. As I write this I'm in a dressing room at a venue in the Colorado Rockies, a ski resort somewhere not too far from Denver. the show tonight was pretty heady, mainly due to the elevation, which left everyone slightly fuzzy-headed and played havoc with the instruments. the drive to get here was pretty scenic though, here's a video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKN1SPI0Yjc

We started the tour back on the 12th in Memphis, then Texarkana, Florida, Texas, California, Las Vegas and finally here in Colorado, heading for sunnier climes tomorrow, Rapid City, South Dakota; where if I can get a few of the other crew members to come along, we plan to go see Mt. Rushmore (if indeed we can see it at all, with the snow...) so anyway, I won't be writing too much stuff about it, but dancer Charlene has a blog which she updates assiduously, so feel free to check that out: http://www.charlenesblogonline.com/www.charlenesblogonline.com/Blog/Blog.html

They fed us really nice food here today; the lunch being your usual catered flatmeat, but with actual nice bread and plenty yogurt, oatmeals, cereal and what not. dinner was monkfish, cooked with olives, peppers and caramelized onion. mmm...

and lastly, I have found a very interesting website which has kept me entertained while not doing all the other fun things I do, like changing strings and soundchecking...
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/articles/maps/maps_of_the_ancient_world.htm

okay so, I'm off to catch up on some beers.
peace and love. D

bands and stuff.

I promised my friend Kim I'd give the band she manages a plug, here it is: they are called 27B and are based in Dublin/Cavan and are quite entertaining on stage. I suppose I should give ye the link: http://www.myspace.com/27bmusic so go check it out! I'm actually quite taken with some of the tracks. as I do not normally go out to see/hear bands I am usually a bit of a fanboy when I discover a new band that I actually like. Sligo's own 'Oddsocks Revival' were one of those bands that I discovered quite by accident, and they are just a really ass-kicking rock band. check 'em out: http://twitter.com/#!/oddsocksrevival or http://www.oddsocksrevival.com/
well anyway, that's today's blog on music, expect more updates on various things like what I happen to be reading about, or what's happening on tour, or what I think I'll have for dinner (breakfast today was courtesy of Subway, and I feel rather sick...)

Mionrudaí (Little Things)

Mionrudaí Maidine
An mbíonn tú fuar ar maidin?
Nó an mbíonn teocht i mbun do chois?
An bhfeiceann tú an tús la nua,
Nó an bhfuil d’aisling fós i do shúil?
Cén taobh leapa a éirionn tú as?
An mbíonn doras do sheomra iomlán faoi ghlas?
An mbíonn gloine uisce i ngar do ghreim?
Nó amach don chistin leat, an tart i bhfeidhm.
An ghlanann tú d’fhiacla roimh cupán tae,
An lasann tú toitín ag tús an lae?
An mbíonn drogall ort fágáil an tí?
Do cheann fós trom ón iomarca dí.
Nó an mbíonn spleodar ‘gus sonas i ngach coiscéim,
Gach gluaiseacht choirp idir rith ‘s léim?
An dtógann tú rothar, nó bus, nó carr?
An bhfuil d’achar chuig obair i gcéin nó i ngar?
Ba mhaith liom féin na rudaí seo
(‘S na céadta eile) a fháil amach

apart from all that, I'm excited at going back on tour, since Galway in January is a quiet and empty sort of place, the infernal cold only adding to the general air of lethargy hanging about the place.
in other news, I finally finished reading Papillon, and having tried other brands of incense, have come to the realization that Nag Champa is still the best. I have to get to India some day soon.
I bought a new hat today, it's a Stetson-style copy, very comfortable and it looks quite natural on my head.
also, the new socks i got for Christmas have begun to prove their worth, being not only warm, but ridiculously comfy.
I know it's a truism, and very cliché, but what the heck, I'll say it: It's the little things that make life worth living.