tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77215302406730098202024-03-13T12:05:52.563+00:00VAGABOND LANGUAGE / arts, culture & vintage clothing blog from the west of Irelanda girl living in the west of ireland, in search of culture. bookish and curious. yearns to meet kindred spirits.Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-40640245946954185962014-04-21T10:52:00.001+01:002019-12-24T06:43:53.541+00:00The Times They Are a-Changin'<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/13944637271_c2598cbd0e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7010/13944637271_c2598cbd0e.jpg" /></a></div><i>A portrait taken of me by photographer Kate Nolan in April 2014. See the other photos in her project <a href="http://catchingfishes.wordpress.com/">here</a>.</i><br />
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Blogging will recommence at some point.<br />
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In the meantime, find me on <a href="http://instagram.com/illbeyourmirror">instagram</a>.<br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-81556803546599636322014-01-14T00:04:00.000+00:002014-01-14T00:32:18.743+00:00Laughter in the Dark (1969) // Anna Karina meets Nabokov <center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11116944084/" title="Laughter in the Dark, 1969 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/11116944084_82797f01f1.jpg" width="500" height="397" alt="Laughter in the Dark, 1969"></a><br />
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<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5522/11936868783_583272fe86_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5522/11936868783_583272fe86_z.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>'Edward's blind! Whee...eee!'</i><br />
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Nabokov's book was published in Paris, in 1933 in his native Russian under the title of <i>Kamera Obskura</i>. The author's own English version, under the title of <i>Laughter in the Dark</i> was published in the USA in 1938, and published in the UK in 1961. <br />
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The film, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064576/board/nest/79158076?ref_=tt_bd_1">now lost</a>, was directed by Tony Richardson, then the David Bailey of the silver screen, who made his mark with gritty British dramas such as <i>A Taste of Honey</i> (1961) and <i>The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner</i> (1962). It appears that the dramatic action is taken from 1930s Berlin to the 1960s (present day, when it was released in 1969). This suspenseful story of an unexpected menage á trois, concludes with devastating consequences.<br />
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/11936591425_6259f444e0.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/11936591425_6259f444e0.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>Anna Karina on the set of 'Laughter in the Dark' (1969)</i><br />
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Anna Karina plays the lead <i>fille fatale</i> role of the precocious teenager Margot. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1940, Anna Karina was the original indie IT girl, beginning her career in Paris at 18, as a model for Chanel and Pierre Cardin, before her foray into film with some bit parts, until she met and later married the French new wave director Jean-Luc Godard, and the rest is cinema history.<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3790/10763489855_9cfd2490c1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3790/10763489855_9cfd2490c1.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>'A vulgar little Berlin girl'</i><br />
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The mystery of the film's disappearance has intrigued me for a couple of years, and fascinated by the plot, I had intended to read the book ever since. Last autumn, I came across a 1960s Penguin copy of the Nabokov novel in a charity shop and finally got around to reading Nabokov's incredibly visual story. The use of images from the film enhances its mystique for me, we'll never see this drama unfold onscreen. I've included excerpts below, with official stills from the film, in an attempt to piece together what the screen version may have been like.<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/11937166375_3d37e1ddb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/11937166375_3d37e1ddb2.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>1969 Penguin cover</i><br />
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<a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2867/11937195255_8e2346005b.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2867/11937195255_8e2346005b.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>2001 Penguin Classics cover, using what appears to be a scene from the 1969 film, as seen below</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11116942604/" title="Laughter in the Dark, 1969 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7394/11116942604_f339ee974e.jpg" width="500" height="403" alt="Laughter in the Dark, 1969"></a><br />
"Hardly had he entered the velvety darkness when the oval beam of an electric torch glided towards him (as usually happens) and no less swiftly and smoothly led him down the dark and gently sloping gangway. Just the light fell on the ticket in his hand, Albinus saw the girl's inclined face and then, as he walked behind her, he dimly distinguished her very slight figure and the even swiftness of her dispassionate movements." (Nabokov, 13)<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3702/10763497045_b152863910.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3702/10763497045_b152863910.jpg" /></a><br />
"And she liked Miller enormously. There was something so satisfying about the grip of his hands, the touch of his thick lips. He did not speak to her much, but her often held her on his knees and laughed quietly as he mused over something unknown." (23)<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/11116879135_164b8b4cee.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/11116879135_164b8b4cee.jpg" /></a><br />
"He kept discovering new charms in her – roaching little things which in any other girl would have seemed to him coarse and vulgar. The childish lines of her body, her shamlessness and the gradual dimming of her eyes (as if they were being slowly extinguished like the lights in a theatre) roused him to such frenzy that he lost the last vestige of that diffidence which his prim and delicate wide had demanded of his embraces."<br />
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/10763585146_223fd57403.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/10763585146_223fd57403.jpg" /></a><br />
"Something was destroyed for ever; no matter how convincingly Margot tried to prove that she had been faithful to him, everything would henceforth be tainted with a poisonous flavour of doubt." (147)<br />
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/10763592444_29297b5f52.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/10763592444_29297b5f52.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/11117063293_94fbb12766.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/11117063293_94fbb12766.jpg" /></a><br />
"Margot slowly drew herself up higher and higher, like a snake when it uncoils ... 'I can't go on being only your mistress,' she said, pressing her cheek against his tie, 'I can't. Do something about it. Say to yourself tomorrow: I'll do it for my baby! There are lawyers. It can all be arranged.'" (126)<br />
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<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/10763785583_c98d811cb3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/10763785583_c98d811cb3.jpg" /></a><br />
"She amused herself in the way Rex had recommended: lying comfortably in a bright chaos of cushions, she consulted the telephone book and rang up unknown individuals, shops and business firms. She ordered prams, and lilies, and radio sets to be sent to addresses selected at random; she made fools of worthy citizens and advised their wives to be less credulous … she received wonderful declarations of love and still more wonderful curses." (108)<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3734/10763565596_80fe8fdc51.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3734/10763565596_80fe8fdc51.jpg" /></a><br />
"He [Rex] took life lightly, and the only human feeling that he ever experienced was his keen liking for Margot, which he endeavoured to explain to himself by her physical characteristics, by something in the odour of her skin, the epithelium of her lips, the temperature of her body. But this was not quite the true explanation. Their mutual passion was based on a profound affinity of souls, though Margot was a vulgar little Berlin girl and he – a cosmopolitan artist." (118)<br />
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<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5526/10763858003_577af9d268.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5526/10763858003_577af9d268.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/11117064783_13093973f3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/11117064783_13093973f3.jpg" /></a><br />
"There were stormy scenes at home, sobs, moans, hysterics. She flung herself on the sofa, the bed, the floor. Her eyes sparkled brilliantly and wrathfully; one of her stockings had slipped down. The world was swamped in tears." (124)<br />
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<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/10763578425_be28ae8555.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/10763578425_be28ae8555.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/10763660366_259b783c61.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/10763660366_259b783c61.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3696/10763510405_f8843b5585.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3696/10763510405_f8843b5585.jpg" /></a><br />
"Now Albunius saw her figure framed in the gay pattern of the beach; a pattern he hardly saw, so entirely was his gaze concentrated on Margot. Slim, sunburned, with her dark head of hair and one arm with the gleam of a bracelet still outstretched after her throw, she seemed to him an exquisitely coloured vignette heading the first chapter of his new life." (73)<br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3741/10763494285_217d656987.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3741/10763494285_217d656987.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3723/11116943824_c284afa13e.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3723/11116943824_c284afa13e.jpg" /></a><br />
"Albinus’s speciality had been his passion for art; his most brilliant discovery had been Margot. But now, all that was left of her was a voice, a rustle, and a perfume; it was as though she had returned to the darkness of the little cinema from which he had once withdrawn her." (165)<br />
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<b>View the rest of the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/sets/72157639739904466/">images here</a>.</b><br />
<br />
<u>Read more:</u><br />
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9039245/Nicol-Williamson.html">Nicol Williamson obituary</a><br />
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9039167/Excalibur-star-Nicol-Williamson-has-just-six-mourners-at-his-funeral.html">Excalibur star Nicol Williamson has just six mourners at his funeral</a><br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-12302932352773569582014-01-04T13:31:00.000+00:002014-01-04T13:31:35.972+00:00What do vegetarians eat at Christmas? // A Vegetarian Christmas Menu (Pt. 2)<center>In my previous post, I shared the recipe for a mushroom wellington, which what the main of my Veggie Xmas menu, you can find the recipe for that and a roasted tomato soup by reading<b><a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2013/12/what-do-vegetarians-eat-at-christmas.html">Part One here</a></b>.<br />
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<b>Vegetarian Christmas Menu</b><br />
<u>Starter</u>: <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2013/12/what-do-vegetarians-eat-at-christmas.html">Roasted tomato soup (vegan)</a><br />
<u>Main</u>: <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2013/12/what-do-vegetarians-eat-at-christmas.html">Mushroom Wellington (vegetarian/vegan)</a><br />
<u>Dessert</u>: Orange Spice Cake (vegetarian)<br />
<u>Sides</u>: Butternut gratin (vegetarian), roast potatoes and root vegetables, sweet potato and ginger mash (vegan)<br />
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<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11592601983/player/f4cf778881" height="500" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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<b>Butternut Squash Gratin <br />
</b>(from <b><a href="http://www.bookshop.kennys.ie/book/IE/9780007259717/Home_Cooking">Rachel Allen: Home Cooking</a></b>)<br />
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1 large butternut squash (500g needed)<br />
Salt and freshly ground black pepper<br />
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed, or finely grated<br />
175ml double or regular cream<br />
75g Parmesan or Gruyere cheese, finely grated<br />
1 litre (1 3/4 pint) pie dish<br />
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<b>1.</b> Preheat the oven to 180c.<br />
<b>2.</b> Using a sharp knife, peel the skin of the butternut squash. Remove all seeds, and cut into fine slices about 5mm (a quarter of an inch) thick. <br />
<b>3.</b> Layer the slices of squash into the pie dish and season with salt and pepper.<br />
<b>4.</b> Place the garlic and cream in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and then pour over the squash in the dish. Sprinkle with the grated cheese. <br />
<b>5.</b> Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to one hour, removing the foil after 30 minutes of cooking time. When cooked, the butternut squash should be soft and the top golden and bubbly.<br />
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<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11695671055/player/437382c49f" height="500" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11695926273/player/b4120da83e" height="500" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.maryberry.co.uk/recipes/baking/whole-orange-spice-cake">Mary Berry's Orange Spice Cake</a></b><br />
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A fresh, spiced orange cake. If liked, you can ice the cake as well as fill it. Use just under half the orange filling to sandwich the cakes together and spread the rest on top<br />
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1 small thin-skinned orange<br />
275g self-raising flour<br />
3 level tsp baking powder<br />
275g caster sugar<br />
225g butter, softened<br />
4 eggs<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1 tsp mixed spice<br />
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<i>For the orange filling</i><br />
50g butter, softened<br />
175g icing sugar, sifted, plus a little extra for dusting<br />
2 level tblsp orange pulp, reserved from the cake<br />
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<b>1.</b> Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line two deep 20cm tins with greased greaseproof paper. Place the whole orange in a small saucepan, cover with boiling water and simmer until soft, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. <br />
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<b>2.</b> When the orange is soft and cold, cut in half and remove any pips. Process the whole orange, including the skin, until medium chunky. Reserve 2 level tablespoons of the orange pulp for the icing, and leave the rest in the processor. Add the remaining cake ingredients and blend until smooth. Avoid overmixing. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins. <br />
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<b>3.</b> Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool in the tins for a few moments, then turn out, peel off the paper and finish cooling on a wire rack. <br />
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<b>4.</b> To make the orange filling, cream the soft butter, then add the sieved icing sugar and reserved orange pulp. Sandwich the cakes together with the icing, and sieve icing sugar over the top of the cake.<br />
TIP - Thin-skinned oranges are usually smaller – avoid using Jaffa oranges as they have a very thick pith. <br />
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Best eaten fresh, but it will store in an airtight container for 2-3 days. You could also freeze the filled cake for up to 2 months. Thaw for 2-3 hours at room temperature. <br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-33027777297787842142013-12-27T23:28:00.001+00:002014-01-04T13:32:02.534+00:00What do vegetarians eat at Christmas? // A Vegetarian Christmas Menu (Pt. 1)<center><iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11567182654/player/1c9e5f0b01" height="500" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11592601983/player/f4cf778881" height="500" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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<b>Vegetarian Christmas Menu</b><br />
<u>Starter</u>: Roasted tomato soup (vegan)<br />
<u>Main</u>: Mushroom Wellington (vegetarian/vegan)<br />
<u>Dessert</u>: <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2014/01/what-do-vegetarians-eat-at-christmas.html">Orange Spice Cake</a> (vegetarian)<br />
<u>Sides</u>: <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2014/01/what-do-vegetarians-eat-at-christmas.html">Butternut gratin</a>, roast potatoes and root vegetables, sweet potato and ginger mash<br />
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Last Christmas, as it happens, I didn't give someone my heart, but I did make a superb <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2013/01/eat-drink-and-be-merry.html">Sweet potato, hazelnut and spinach en croûte</a> from the <b><a href="http://www.bookshop.kennys.ie/book/UK/9780955226144/Cornucopia_at_Home">Cornucopia cookbook</a></b>. I wanted to try something different this year, to add to my repertoire, for when I am in a position to throw <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtdtX8k3uaM">candlelit dinners</a>.<br />
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(FYI: I prepared all my vegetables, par-boiled the potatoes for roasting as well as making the soup and gravy the day before, to save on stress on Christmas day.)<br />
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<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11552248823/player/6d6b594d4d" height="500" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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<b>Roast Tomato Soup <br />
</b>(from <b><a href="http://www.bookshop.kennys.ie/book/IE/9780007259717/Home_Cooking">Rachel Allen: Home Cooking</a></b>)<br />
900g ripe tomatoes (about 8), halved<br />
1 red onion, peeled and thickly sliced<br />
6 large cloves of garlic, peeled<br />
Leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme<br />
1 tsp caster sugar<br />
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil<br />
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar<br />
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper<br />
600ml vegetable stock<br />
50ml double or regular cream (I used <a href="http://www.planetorganic.com/provamel-organic-soya-dream-cream.html">Provamel soy cream</a>)<br />
Basil leaves, to serve<br />
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<b>1.</b> Preheat your oven to 200C. Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange the halves, cut side up, in a single layer on a baking tray and scatter over the onion, garlic, thyme and sugar. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.<br />
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<b>2.</b> Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until softened. Once cooked, tip the entire contents of the baking tray, including any juices, into a blender. Add the stock and blend until smooth, then pour into a large saucepan. Alternatively, place the cooked tomatoes in the saucepan, pur in the stock and puree using a hand held blender. <br />
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<b>3.</b> Bring the soup to the boil, add the cream, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes to heat through. Serve topped with basil leaves.<br />
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I can't take credit for this, as my 17 year old brother made this! We had it with toasted spelt bread from Mayo's <a href="http://www.cherryblossombakery.ie">Cherry Blossom Bakery</a>, spread with <a href="http://www.puredairyfree.co.uk/Products/1/Pure-Soya">Pure dairy free margarine</a>.<br />
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This dish is time-consuming, but you can prepare it up to the baking stage and freeze it weeks in advance. Before serving, remove the wellington from the freezer and, after thawing, glaze the pastry with beaten egg (or without if vegan) and put it in a hot oven to bake for 45 minutes at 220C/425F/gas mark 7 until puffed and golden.<br />
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<b>Mushroom Wellington<br />
<i>Makes 2</i></b><br />
600g puff pastry (I used read-rolled pastry, <a href="http://www.theflamingvegan.com/view-post/Vegan-Pastry-Products-Thats-Jus-How-I-Roll">Jus Rol is suitable for vegans</a>)<br />
50ml flavourless vegetable oil <br />
675g chopped onions <br />
450g whole chestnut mushrooms<br />
2 tbsp fresh or dried tarragon <br />
4 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
4 tbsp soya sauce or tamari, or replace one with marsala or sherry <br />
320g broken cashew pieces <br />
320g ground almonds <br />
175g fine freshly made breadcrumbs, white or wholemeal <br />
1 egg, beaten for glazing (omit for vegans)<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
<b>1. </b>Roll out the pastry into two rectangles, 23x30.5cm each, cover and place in the fridge, if you're using ready made, no need to do this as its all been done for you! To make the filling, heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion with half the crushed garlic for at least 20 minutes or until it turns a deep golden colour.<br />
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<b>2.</b> Remove onions from the pan and set aside, then add the mushrooms to the same pan with the rest of the garlic and half the tarragon and cook on a fairly high heat. Halfway through cooking, add the soya sauce or tamari and the alcohol, if you are using it. Continue until the mushrooms are cooked through; there should be no white centre left when you cut one open. I cut mine in two halfway through cooking to ensure they were cooked throughly.<br />
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<b>3.</b> Season with salt and pepper. Set aside, reserving all the mushroom liquor (the intensely flavoured liquid given out by the mushrooms). If you have too little liquid, add some water to the pan and swirl around until it combines with the mushroom liquid. In a food processor or blender, blend the cashews with the reserved mushroom liquor to a fine, smooth purée, adding a little water or even more of whichever alcohol you are using, until you have a smooth, sweet paste or pate. <br />
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<b>4.</b> Remove mixture from the blender and blend first the onions, then mushrooms – you can mix them up if you wish – until they are perfectly smooth. Mix all the blended ingredients together in a bowl, adding the breadcrumbs, ground almonds and the remaining tarragon. The mixture should gently hold its shape when formed with the hands. Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Remove the pastry from the fridge. <br />
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<b>5.</b> Divide the mixture in two and place one lot on a sheet of pastry, shaping with your hands as you go to make a long rectangular shape about 28cm long, 7cm wide and about 5cm high. With the thin point of a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts at a 45-degree angle, starting from the left hand corner of the pastry towards the pate mixture. Repeat on the other side, this time starting at the top right hand corner and cutting down towards the centre. <br />
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<b>6.</b> The strips should now be about 2cm apart. Fold in the end pieces first. Then draw a strip over from the left, then one from the right, crossing them over so the mix is snugly wrapped up. Repeat for the second wellington. Either freeze at this stage or glaze generously with beaten egg. Place upon a floured tray, using two fish slices or the loose base of a tart tin to help you. <br />
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<b>7.</b> Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes until golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes before attempting to lift onto a serving dish. Allow 2 slices per person, cut with a very sharp serrated knife.<br />
<br />
<b><i>To serve</i></b><br />
Place the wellington on your large platter, surrounded by roasted vegetables. I made a red wine and juniper gravy, from the Cornucopia cookbook, <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2013/01/eat-drink-and-be-merry.html">you can find the recipe here</a>.<br />
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<i>This recipe was originally conceived by <a href="http://www.ivillage.co.uk/vegetarian-christmas-vegetarian-menu/78218">Nadine Abensur</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11567414266/player/40d2bf06f9" height="500" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>Behold, a totally uncurated picture of my decadent Christmas dinner, piled high with butternut gratin, mushroom wellington, roasted veg & potatoes, sweet potato & ginger mash and red wine & juniper gravy</i><br />
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<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/11593214876/player/021f457d5f" height="500" width="500" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe><br />
Seasons Greetings everyone!<br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-79585842167813485852013-11-20T12:23:00.000+00:002013-11-20T12:40:04.683+00:00Dedicated followers of fashion // 1960s London<center><b>The Shop</b>, Chelsea <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10952871966/" title="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.24 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/10952871966_b959975e20.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.24"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10952958814/" title="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.28 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3720/10952958814_dc4cef2da1.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.28"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953026463/" title="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.29 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3759/10953026463_c4a999eda7.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.29"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10952948624/" title="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.37 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3766/10952948624_997da7c952.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.37"></a><br />
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<b>Granny Takes a Trip</b>, 488 Kings Road, Chelsea (<a href="http://agnautacouture.com/2012/12/16/granny-takes-a-trip-a-boutique-everybody-wanted-to-be-seen-in/">Read</a>)<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10952944654/" title="Granny Takes a Trip by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2829/10952944654_71f30ce60c.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Granny Takes a Trip"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10952912906/" title="Granny Takes a Trip by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/10952912906_1c4271332f.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Granny Takes a Trip"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953001134/" title="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.54 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5504/10953001134_d45b754b37.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.54"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953068923/" title="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.59 1 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/10953068923_554db2f188.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.17.59 1"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10952991024/" title="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.18.03 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/10952991024_c8bef86bd3.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Screen shot 2013-11-15 at 00.18.03"></a><br />
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<b>The Antiques Supermarket (predecessors to today's vintage shops)</b><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953124573/" title="Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5508/10953124573_bceefe2286.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953047064/" title="Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3719/10953047064_fa57bd2d51.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<br />
<b>I Was Lord Kitchener's Valet, 293 Portobello Road, W10</b> (<a href="http://dandyinaspic.blogspot.ie/2011/09/i-was-lord-kitcheners-valet.html">Read</a>)<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10952878725/" title="Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3806/10952878725_71062fe4c9.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10952873195/" title="Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5508/10952873195_886425cc2d.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953029774/" title="Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2825/10953029774_f14657fd35.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<br />
<b>Other clothing stores on Carnaby Street and Kings Road</b><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953091494/" title="Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/10953091494_f40772c6b9.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953080724/" title="Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5485/10953080724_53872f3d08.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953063186/" title="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/10953063186_86948e8f3b.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953146444/" title="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/10953146444_2efa8d267c.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
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<b>Nightclubs - <a href="http://peel.wikia.com/wiki/Tiles">Tiles</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamingo_Club_(London)">Flamingo Club</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_Club">UFO Club</a></b><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953205133/" title="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/10953205133_e50685ba13.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953207884/" title="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/10953207884_a69b72f965.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953034505/" title="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/10953034505_4a0a3c9d8f.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953029145/" title="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/10953029145_1e7c18d5d9.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10953100126/" title="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/10953100126_49223d9c58.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion"></a><br />
<br />
BBC iPlayer have some great documentaries that you can watch up to a week or two weeks after they've aired on TV. As I'm in Ireland I couldn't previously watch these online, but a friend suggested a plugin for Google Chrome and Firefox called <a href="https://mediahint.com/">Media Hint</a>. It takes mere minutes to install and within half an hour I had access to some great docs, including the above BBC4 'Timeshift' series doc <i>Britain on Film: Dedicated Followers of Fashion</i> focusing on the fashions of the 1960s. In this documentary series they take the footage of 'Look at Life', a regular British series of short documentary films of which over 500 were produced between 1959 and 1968 by the Special Features Division of the Rank Organisation for screening in their Odeon and Gaumont cinemas. <br />
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It portrays everything that was exciting about the early to mid 1960s, I love the Dandy fashions for men, those jackets, those linings! The explosions of colour, the mix of the antique with the modern. It always seems so strange to me, what we consider antique now were relative to them, as to how we regard the fashions our parents wore. Edwardian, art deco clothing would have been much easier to get a hold of them, and at much reduced prices to now. I think this one of the many reasons why I hold such a nostalgia for that period of time, of seismic change. Of course, if I had been growing up in rural Ireland then I wouldn't have had those opportunities to act out, unless I became a nurse and moved to London as many generations of Irish women before me have done. Lets not forget that the rent was affordable then! Such an exciting time appeals to me, as in the midst of a recession, as a young person I feel a lot around me is stagnant, but the prices are higher than ever.<br />
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I think my favourite outfits above is the girl in the purple velvet jacket with the orange shirt, two of my favourite colours, she looks so sharp and confident! I love the arts and crafts inspired window of The Shop, with a mod twist! Perhaps I am viewing that period through rose-tinted glasses, but even watching the nightclub footage it seems that efforts were made for a social purpose, and not a commercial one. If you walk through Chelsea today, you'll see what I mean.<br />
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You can view my full flickr album <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/sets/72157637870711483/">here</a>.<br />
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If the above pictures have caught your interest you can watch the 30min documentary on YouTube (as I only discovered this afternoon):<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kUQ1aF6uGsY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-79509252885059030032013-10-12T01:47:00.000+01:002013-10-12T01:51:14.938+01:00Arts and Culture blog finalist // Blog Awards Ireland 2013<center><a href="http://www.blogawardsireland.com/category/finalists-2013/"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10215139496/" title="Blog Awards Ireland 2013 Finalist by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8276/10215139496_c9d631642d_o.png" width="276" height="337" alt="Blog Awards Ireland 2013 Finalist"></a></a><br />
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Last week I got a bit of a shock, as I discovered I was a finalist in 'Arts and Culture' category in the <a href="http://www.blogawardsireland.com">Blog Awards Ireland 2013</a>! There are <b>four other fabulous finalists in the same category, some of them personal favourites including <a href="http://theirishaesthete.com/">The Irish Aesthete</a>, <a href="http://www.writing.ie/">writing.ie</a>, <a href="http://ayearoffestivalsinireland.com/">A Year of Festivals in Ireland</a> and <a href="http://www.lexicolatry.com/">Lexicolatry</a></b>. Honestly, to be even uttered in the same breath as these fine blogs, is a reward in itself! It has really encouraged to push harder with my blog, so perhaps some changes will be on the horizon in the near future. For now, I'll continue to blog about my cultural pursuits and interests, (on a budget!). You know, I'm happy that even some of my friends read my blog! I have considered doing some freelance writing because theres still a lot I'd like to contribute, but this content doesn't necessarily 'fit' with the blog as it is, but I am unsure as to where to start, so if you have any suggestions feel free to comment or shoot me an email!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10216676343/" title="carol anne by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/10216676343_a2776d7abd.jpg" width="500" height="274" alt="Carolanne with her produce at a market in Johannesburg"></a><br />
<i>Carolanne with her produce at a market in Johannesburg (<a href="http://www.carolanneskitchen.com/">via</a>)</i><br />
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<b>Two other Sligo bloggers made it to the final round of nominations </b>also, my friend Carolanne of <a href="http://www.carolanneskitchen.com/"><b>Carol-Anne's Kitchen</b></a> (for best <b>Blog of the Dispora</b>), and <a href="http://www.seomraranga.com/"><b>Seomra Ranga</b></a> (<b>Best Science/Education Blog</b>). Carolanne is a globe trotting foodie, with a passion for life and new experiences. She has lived in India, Australia, and after training at the reknowned Ballymaloe cookery school earlier this year, she is currently based in South Africa, where she brings Irish flavours to the farmers markets of Johannesburg. The girl makes a <i>mean</i> caramel square. I mean I'm craving it right now, thousands of miles away, I've not tasted better yet, and I eat a lot of things coated in chocolate.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10216676593/" title="seomra ranga by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3665/10216676593_f057984b4c.jpg" width="500" height="337" alt="seomra ranga"></a><br />
<i>(<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SeomraRanga">via</a>)</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.seomraranga.com/"><b>Seomra Ranga</b></a> (from Irish, translates to 'class room') is an online resource, for Irish primary school teachers, established in 2007 by the enterprising Damien Quinn. It provides a wealth of free resources for teachers to use in the classroom, and Damien is active on every social network there is it seems, tirelessly promoting his fantastic site.<br />
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I wish them both well, both are duly dedicated to blogging and promoting their ideals just as well offline!<br />
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Blogging was a total revelation for me, I've made new friends along the way, though I'm not sure I can claim that my photography skills have improved! I find it enjoyable and immensely satisfying but I just don't blog enough! The <a href="http://www.blogawardsireland.com">Blog Awards Ireland</a> is a reminder of the talent throughout this small island of ours, and no matter how rural or urban we bloggers are, we can connect with a blogging community on this world-wide platform, whether we're at home, or one of the thousands of Irish abroad, thinking of home.<br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-23263990834167608252013-10-08T14:21:00.001+01:002013-10-08T14:48:01.831+01:00Rathmines Library & Oratory of the Sacred Heart // Open House Dublin 2013<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10124427366/" title="Visitors at the Oratory of the Sacred Heart in Dun Laoghaire this afternoon #OpenHouseDublin by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3766/10124427366_92d5eb2e19.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Visitors at the Oratory of the Sacred Heart in Dun Laoghaire this afternoon #OpenHouseDublin"></a><br />
<i>Vistors at the <a href="http://www.militaria-archive.com/museums/oratory/index.html">Oratory of the Sacred Heart</a>, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin</i><br />
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<a href="http://openhousedublin.com/">Open House Dublin</a>, held annually in October, is Ireland's largest Architectural festival, running annually, part of the Architectural Festival Family worldwide which includes Chicago, London, Lisbon, Helsinki and Dublin. Last October, I volunteered in the North Georgian Quarter of Dublin and <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2012/10/open-house-dublin-2012.html">I wrote about my experiences here</a>.<br />
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Overall participating in this weekend has been a rewarding experience. Over the three days, 100 buildings of historical, social and architectural interest open their doors to the public. This festival facilitates special tours by hundreds of professionals and enthusiasts to interested members of the public. Being a volunteer you get the opportunity to experience these special buildings, share them with the public and meet other interesting volunteers besides. <br />
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<b>Rathmines Library</b><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10153718906/" title="Rathmines Library, 1913-2013 centenary, Dublin by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/10153718906_0a6074c7d9.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Rathmines Library, 1913-2013 centenary, Dublin"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10098305345/" title="Morris & Co. 1913 stained glass window with an allegory of literature at #Rathmines Library #OpenHouseDublin by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2821/10098305345_4a0cbf35db.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Morris & Co. 1913 stained glass window with an allegory of literature at #Rathmines Library #OpenHouseDublin"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10098124545/" title="Lovely day in the village #Rathmines #OpenHouseDublin by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2890/10098124545_96d9c5f27d.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Lovely day in the village #Rathmines #OpenHouseDublin"></a><br />
Top: <i>Rathmines library celebrates its centenary this year</i><br />
Middle: <i>Morris & Co. 1913 stained glass window, with an allegory for literature.</i><br />
Bottom: <i>View of Rathmines towards Portobello from a library window.</i><br />
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On Saturday, I was based in Rathmines Library. This public library is the second busiest in Ireland, and was full of life all afternoon. It was cheering to see all the young families and various members of the community come through the doors. The stained glass window to the front of the building, was commissioned from <b>William Morris & Co.</b> in 1913, the simplicity of design is certainly in the Morris style. A classical figure is seated in the centre, as an allegory for literature. Rathmines Library is one of libraries funded by the Scottish-born philanthropist <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Carnegie">Andrew Carnegie</a></b>. Carnegie's fortune is a true rags to riches story, coming from his successful steel business in the USA. Upon the sale of his business for $480m, he dedicated the rest of his life to philanthropic activities. He built the famous Carnegie Hall, and funded the establishment of public '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie_libraries">Carnegie libraries</a>' throughout the English speaking world.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10153710616/" title="Carnegie Library, 1912, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/10153710616_e416d39a94.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Carnegie Library, 1912, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin"></a><br />
By great coincidence, or not, when I ventured out to Dun Laoghaire on Sunday, I discovered they too had a Carnegie Library!<br />
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<a href="http://www.militaria-archive.com/museums/oratory/index.html"><b>Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Dun Laoghaire</b></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10126509455/" title="Entering the Oratory of the Sacred Heart (c. 1919) in Dun Laoghaire at #OpenHouseDublin #dunlaoghaire by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/10126509455_2280cf44c7.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Entering the Oratory of the Sacred Heart (c. 1919) in Dun Laoghaire at #OpenHouseDublin #dunlaoghaire"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10126707306/" title="Mural detail from the Oratory of the Sacred Heart, in the Celtic Revival style. Sr. Concepta Lynch worked on painting the Oratory for 16 years until her death in 1939. She used domestic house paint as she was in an enclosed order (of nuns) and had to send by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3756/10126707306_ac470875f3.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Mural detail from the Oratory of the Sacred Heart, in the Celtic Revival style. Sr. Concepta Lynch worked on painting the Oratory for 16 years until her death in 1939. She used domestic house paint as she was in an enclosed order (of nuns) and had to send"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10135907303/" title="Painted mural commemorating the 1932 Eucharistic Congress by Sr. Concepta Lynch at the Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Dun Laoghaire #OpenHouseDublin by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7398/10135907303_b4cdffa38e.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Painted mural commemorating the 1932 Eucharistic Congress by Sr. Concepta Lynch at the Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Dun Laoghaire #OpenHouseDublin"></a><br />
Top: <i>Entrance to the Oratory of the Sacred Heart (c. 1919)</i><br />
Middle: <i>Mural detail of a Celtic figure</i><br />
Bottom: <i>Painted mural commemorating the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaUlGKPHN4w">1932 Eucharistic Congress</a>, which had taken place in Dublin</i><br />
The journey from Dublin city centre takes about 50 minutes on a 46a bus, or 20 minutes on the DART. I was tied for time, as I had to get the last train back to Sligo on Sunday, but it was a beautiful mild afternoon, so I didn't mind the journey or the destination at all!<br />
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<b>Sister Concepta Lynch</b> (1874 - 1939, born Lily Lynch) learnt the Lynch Method of Celtic Art from her father, Thomas Joseph Lynch, a renowned Dublin artist who specialised in Celtic illuminations. After her father's death when she was 16, she ran his studio on Grafton street for a further six years, until taking her vows and becoming a nun in the enclosed order at the Dominican convent, Dun Laoghaire.<br />
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At the end of World War I, a town in Northern France donated a statue of the Sacred Heart to the parish of Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) to commemorate the many local Irishmen who had fought and died in Flanders during World War One. In response, in 1919, an oratory was commissioned by the Dominican sisters. Upon its completion, Sr Concepta was asked to decorate the altar, after witnessing the style in which she had executed it, her Mother Superior asked her to decorate the entire oratory, and she did so in the Celtic Revival style she had learnt from her father. She worked on the oratory for sixteen years (1920-1936), only giving up when she was in ill health towards the end of her life. As you can see from the pictures its not your conventional war/peace memorial!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10137125205/" title="Untitled by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3759/10137125205_6a9cbfabf2.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Sr. Concepta Lynch, Dun Laoghaire"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10137036624/" title="Untitled by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/10137036624_d5eafb6808.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Oratory of the Sacred Heart with Harry Clarke stained glass, Sr. Concepta Lynch, Dun Laoghaire"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10153525094/" title="Harry Clarke & Co. window in the Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Dun Laoghaire by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3802/10153525094_e6442b42eb.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Harry Clarke & Co. window in the Oratory of the Sacred Heart, Dun Laoghaire"></a><br />
<br />
Top: <i>The sacred heart statue was brought over from France after WWI, see the Harry Clarke & Co. stained glass in the background</i><br />
Middle: <i>The ceiling remains unfinished, after Lynch's death in 1939, Harry Clarke & Co. stained glass in the background</i><br />
Bottom: <i>The <b>Harry Clarke & Co. stained glass</b> was commissioned by Lynch, she had it inscribed with the names of family members who had helped fund and inspire her work in the oratory</i><br />
<br />
The design of the oratory takes its inspiration from Celtic manuscripts, including the Book of Kells, as well as Byzantine methods of decoration. Celtic illuminations are notable for their zoomorphic designs (designs taking animal forms), figures, wonderfully curved designs and repeating patterns. This all encompassing design took Lynch sixteen years to complete between (1920-36), she became ill and couldn't complete the ceiling of the oratory. However, this does not detract from the design, as you can clearly see her design process, where she sketched out the designs in graphite pencil, using templates for repeating designs. Unbelievably the oratory is painted totally in household paint. As she was in an enclosed order she could not purchase the paints herself from a specialist art shop, so she would send her students with a list of her desired colours to the local shop to buy paints.<br />
<br />
It is a shame that Lynch isn't more recognised in the Irish art canon. This is possibly due to a number of inter-related factors, significantly, she was in an enclosed order so she was not part of the artistic social scene in Dublin. The oratory itself was in a fixed location on the grounds of a convent in a coastal village outside Dublin, so its not like her life's work could be exhibited to the greater public.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/10154660025/" title="Celtic spiral mosaic by Laura O'Hagan, artist, Oratory of the Sacred Heart by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5510/10154660025_5b1fba2c58.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="Celtic spiral mosaic by Laura O'Hagan, artist, Oratory of the Sacred Heart"></a><br />
<br />
The modern building, or 'shell' that now surrounds the oratory was constructed in the 1990s in order to protect the small oratory. The entrance area has this beautiful mosaic set in the centre, by the <a href="http://www.lauraohagan.com/">artist Laura O'Hagan</a>, who designed it in response to the Celtic Revival decoration of the oratory. <br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />
I apologise for the quality of my photos, it wasn't until I was on a train bound for Dublin that I realised I had forgotten my camera! Its difficult to source photos of the Oratory online, but I found some <a href="http://www.militaria-archive.com/museums/oratory/index.html">high resolution pictures of the oratory here on the Militaria Archive</a>.<br />
<br />
Rathmines library celebrates their cententary this year, and are hosting a number of fascinating (and free!) talks and events throughout October and November. View the full series of events <a href="http://www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/libraries/library_events/Documents/Rathmines_Centenery_Programme.pdf">on their site here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Read more:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/rbannis1/AIH19th/Carnegie.html">'<i>The Gospel of Wealth</i>' by Andrew Carnegie</a><br />
<a href="http://hartleywoods.co.uk/TheOratory/P1Concepta.html">Sister Concepta Lynch and the Lynch method of Celtic Art 1874 - 1939</a><br />
<a href="http://www.militaria-archive.com/museums/oratory/index.html">View more high resolution pictures of the oratory here on the Militaria Archive</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/EaUlGKPHN4w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-90299765307210542262013-09-30T11:38:00.004+01:002013-10-15T19:20:02.403+01:00Meat Free Monday // Kale and Chickpea Curry<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9903791034/" title="Really enjoyed the Kale & Chickpea curry I made for dinner for me and the fam this evening #meatfreemonday by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/9903791034_1db70b3fd0.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Really enjoyed the Kale & Chickpea curry I made for dinner for me and the fam this evening #meatfreemonday"></a><br />
<br />
I never promised that Meat Free Monday would happen every Monday, but <i><a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2013/02/meat-free-monday-hearty-spanish-lentil.html">sporadically</a></i>. Anyhow, I heartily enjoyed this kale and chickpea curry I made last week. My friend Jenny who has been rockin' veganism for the past few months recommended it to me. I adapted the <a href="http://www.vegansociety.com/healthcare/food-and-recipes/recipes/curly-kale-and-chick-pea-curry.aspx">original Vegan Society recipe</a>. <br />
<br />
Kale is currently is season at the moment, so buy Irish (or local to wherever you are)! You could always throw in some forgotten vegetables you have in the fridge, end of season courgettes would work well as they can be quite bland and would really benefit from the rich flavours of this curry (I'm so in love with the cardamon in this). As always this is a very economical dish to make.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil<br />
2 medium onion, sliced<br />
4 cloves of garlic, crushed<br />
1 red pepper, diced<br />
2 tins plum tomatoes<br />
2 tins chickpeas<br />
150ml vegetable stock<br />
Pinch sea salt<br />
200g kale<br />
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes<br />
1 teaspoon turmeric<br />
1 teaspoon ground cumin<br />
1 teaspoon ground coriander<br />
6-8 cardamon seeds<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the sliced onion until golden. Add the garlic, pepper (optional) and spices (except for the cardamon) and stir every now and again while cooking for about 1 minute.<br />
<br />
- Add tomatoes, drained chickpeas, kale and cardamon seeds. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 10-20 minutes until the kale has softened to your liking. <br />
<br />
- Season to taste. Serve with rice, or naan bread.<br />
<br />
- Should serve 4 people, generously, with enough leftover for lunch the next day! <br />
<br />
The addition of cardamon really makes this dish special, and would keep for up to 3 days in the fridge for leftovers, I wouldn't recommend freezing as the kale would loose its texture.<br />
<br />
You can view my other <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/search/label/meat%20free%20monday">meat free monday recipes here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Get involved in the <a href="https://twitter.com/MeatFreeMonday">#meatfreemonday</a> campaign!</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.meatfreemondays.com/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8376/8545984852_f1f8e1e848_o.jpg"></img></a><br />
<br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-78165463718499327582013-09-20T15:13:00.002+01:002013-09-20T15:30:33.748+01:00Don’t agonise. Don’t regret. Don’t fuss. Never brood. Move on.<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9836112865/" title="Circle of Friends, 1995 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/9836112865_7c3ea84b99.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Circle of Friends, 1995"></a><br />
<i>Minnie Driver and Saffron Burrows in the 1995 film adaptation of Binchy's bestselling novel Circle of Friends</i><br />
<br />
As twenty somethings are loathe to do, a few weeks ago my friend <a href="http://jeannedesutun.blogspot.ie/">Jean</a> and I were dissecting our current situations (career, finances and relationships) and prospects for the future over <i><a href="http://www.slang.ie/index.php?county=Carlow&entry=Tae">tae</a></i>. I'm trying to be positive and reflective with whatever hits me nowadays. We both see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maeve_Binchy">Maeve Binchy</a>'s book as a balm of sorts, as do generations of young Irish women, our mothers too.<br />
<br />
Jean reached for her newly acquired kindle and brought my attention to a Binchy quotation she had highlighted in an article she had been reading. As with everything Binchy wrote, there's a sense of imparting wisdom, like a beloved aunt with a girlish heart, passing on her knowledge to make the difficulty of navigating your way through the obstacles of life a bit smoother, finding comfort in the knowledge that someone close to you grappled with similar situations, and came out the other side, warm personality intact.<br />
<br />
<i><b>"Learn to type. Learn to drive. Have fun. Write postcards. (Letters take too long and you won’t do it, a postcard takes two minutes.) Be punctual. Don’t worry about what other people are thinking. They are not thinking about you. Write quickly. (Taking longer doesn't usually make it better.) Get up early. See the world. Call everybody by their first name, from doctors to presidents. Have parties. Don’t agonise. Don’t regret. Don’t fuss. Never brood. Move on. Don’t wait for permission to be happy. Don’t wait for permission to do anything. Make your own life."</b></i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9836061775/" title="still-of-minnie-driver,-saffron-burrows,-pat-o&x27 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7320/9836061775_fb73b03ec4.jpg" width="500" height="249" alt="still-of-minnie-driver,-saffron-burrows,-pat-o&x27"></a><br />
<i>Maeve on the set of 'Circle of Friends', 1995. Binchy's international profile increased after her book was adapted into a film.</i><br />
<br />
An ultimate autumn comfort of mine is curling up in my duvet before lights out and reading a chapter of a beloved Maeve Binchy book. I recently picked up a collection of her early short stories <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dublin-4-Maeve-Binchy/dp/0099498588/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379686371&sr=8-1&keywords=dublin+4+maeve+binchy">Dublin 4</a></i> in a charity shop, and read it on the train to Dublin. I lived in Dublin 4 for a time while I was an undergrad at UCD, and all the ups and downs of youthful naivety came flooding back. Her books are all so familiar, its like catching up with a dear friend, and one that has always been there for you.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/emperordalek/4356761104/" title="Maeve McCarthy b1964 by John. Blakey, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4043/4356761104_31a956e41f_z.jpg" width="422" height="640" alt="Maeve McCarthy b1964"></a><br />
Maeve Binchy, 2005, by Maeve McCarthy, National Gallery of Ireland (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/emperordalek/4356761104/">source</a>)<br />
<br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-85277217521283065662013-09-10T13:29:00.001+01:002013-09-10T20:27:00.666+01:00Surviving the war, London and designing for the elite // The dressmaker Wanda Zaklika<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9705407708/" title="Sligo Flea Market at The Model, June 22nd by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/9705407708_74790a4b12_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="Sligo Flea Market at The Model, June 22nd"></a><br />
<br />
My school reports described me as a 'day dreamer', how I had potential if I only paid more attention in class. I would get in trouble for sneaking <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malory_Towers">Malory Towers</a> books and Anne of Green Gables into my Irish textbooks during class. History and English were the two subjects that firmly held my attention, I was fascinated by people from ages past or by stories of children living out lives far removed from my own, as I sat chin in hand, in that overcrowded rural class setting. Discovering vintage clothing by way of my eBay hobby was a revelation of sorts for me. It was the chance to have my head in the past, but my feet in the present (almost). I was living a day dream of sorts, imagining those who had worn the dress before me, what they'd been like and how exciting it was that 30 or 40 years hence, I shared the same taste as a girl from a decade now past. It was my own role in social history, and my preoccupation with how lifestyles have changed, but at the same time, looking back to what I imagined was a more authentic time, a social life that wasn't dictated by Facebook. <br />
<br />
Imagine then, my sincere delight when one summers day last year, an email arrived in my inbox referencing an old blog post, <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2012/07/vintage-suit.html">in which I wore a beautiful 1960s floral silk suit</a>. The son of the seamstress who had made the suit had found my blog via a Google alert and had emailed me to inquire about the garment, and by what circumstances I'd come by it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9714518857/" title="Wanda Zaklika London 1960s dress by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/9714518857_7da663ec75.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Wanda Zaklika London 1960s dress"></a><br />
Wanda Zaklika London label, other labels could read 'Wanda Zaklika Haute Couture'<br />
<br />
<i>The dress with the label "<b>Wanda Zaklika London</b>" was made by my mother, who died in 1997. It's fascinating to see the dress find a whole second life. I'm afraid I don't know who it was made for. It would have been fun if I could have given you its history. My mother's business centred around a limited group of affluent clients. The dress might, for instance, have been made for the wife of the French ambassador to London or for someone in the Bowater paper family (or some other client I cannot now recall).<br />
<br />
My mother wasn't a designer for the mass market She designed and created clothes for a rather small number of very affluent women. She had, perhaps, 20 customers at any given time. Each piece was custom designed and made for the individual and no two pieces of clothing were alike. Indeed, since some of the women went to the same society events it would have been a cardinal sin to dress two of them the same. My childhood involved being surrounded by copies of Vogue and having to walk about carefully because of all the pins embedded in the carpet. Notwithstanding this, none of my mother's talent trickled down to me.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9717761088/" title="Wanda Zaklika London 1960s dress by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/9717761088_752ba817fa_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Wanda Zaklika London 1960s dress"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9717798002/" title="Wanda Zaklika London label dress by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/9717798002_f48f1550df_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Wanda Zaklika London label dress"></a><br />
<br />
The dress is evocative of the new gaily coloured prints of the 1960s, with the large collar and buttons on the jacket in a quite conservative cut, typical of early 1960s fashions. It is all silk, the shift dress is very comfortable to wear, and was probably made for a middle aged woman, which would fit with the description I was given of Wanda's clientele. It would probably have been worn at a day event, during the summer.<br />
<br />
The reason I was unable to find any information on the maker is because there is nothing to be found. Then as now, many seamstresses worked independently, from home, or in a studio, making dresses to order at the bequest of their clientelle. Now middle-class clients are more likely to buy off the peg, branded designer labels than have clothes made to order. For special occasions, such as weddings or debs/prom nights, we might get a seamstress to make something especially for our shape and to our taste. I was curious about the clientele of Wanda Zaklika and her son was more than happy to enlighten me ...<br />
<br />
<i>The sort of people who were customers were the wives of manufacturers or businessmen, members of the aristocracy (in the sense of being titled) and diplomat's wives. It was pretty much a word of mouth kind of thing and my mother never had to go out and hawk her stuff about as is the case with some designers. Given the scale of the business it is quite a surprise to see one of her garments materialize on the web.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9714235575/" title="Derry and Toms 101-111 High St Kensington. London. Iron grilles. Store frontage, 1931"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5510/9714235575_b6a12e22d7.jpg" width="442" height="500" alt="Derry and Toms 101-111 High St Kensington. London. Iron grilles. Store frontage.1931"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9717382382/" title="Derry and Toms entrance by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3702/9717382382_de9d89b40a_o.jpg" width="490" height="390" alt="Derry and Toms entrance"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9714149585/" title="Shot outside the entrance to the department store Derry & Toms on Kensington High Street, London. by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3787/9714149585_28445e9b38_z.jpg" width="489" height="640" alt="Shot outside the entrance to the department store Derry & Toms on Kensington High Street, London."></a><br />
<i><u>Top</u></i>: 1931 picture of the art deco facade of the seven story Derry and Toms store on Kensington High Street, closed in 1971 and a couple of years later taken over by the opulent <a href="http://interiorator.com/big-biba/">Big Biba department store</a> for a short while (1973-75), it now houses a Marks and Spencers store. (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/phillip_medhurst_fine_art/7440278732/">source</a>)<br />
<i><u>Middle</u></i>: Entrance to Derry and Toms store, 1960s (<a href="http://rbkclocalstudies.wordpress.com/tag/derry-and-toms/">source</a>)<br />
<i><u>Bottom</u></i>: Photo shoot outside for Derry and Toms catalogue outside the store entrance on Kensington High Street, 1960s. (<a href="http://www.retronaut.com/2013/01/photo-shoot-derry-toms-catalogue-london/">source</a>)<br />
<br />
<i>My mother purchased many of her fabrics at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derry_%26_Toms">Derry and Toms in Kensington High Street</a> or at Harrods in Knightsbridge. As a young child, in the absence of daycare, I would accompany her on some of these shopping trips. In exchange for being a cooperative and patient boy I was taken to Harrods toy department to drool at the toys once purchases were complete. Sadly, there were never any toy purchases since our budget would not tolerate it, but it was fun to see how the other half lived.</i><br />
<br />
The dress itself, I have only worn on 2-3 occasions. It has some minor flaws such as bleach stains and cigarette burns. I had a bit of a mishap when I attempted to hand wash it and the colours ran. We assume that it was probably obtained from the sale of someones estate and potentially passed through a few people's hands before ending up on eBay, and finding its current home with me. There could be dresses under the Wanda Zaklika label marauding out there, some possibly even sold on eBay, but often if it is not a brand name, people neglect to list the maker of the item, or label information.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9705595450/" title="Wanda Zaklika by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7454/9705595450_b9a02af9b7_b.jpg" width="501" height="752" alt="Wanda Zaklika"></a><br />
<i>Wanda Zaklika as a young woman, holding a leopard cub. This was taken in pre-WWII Poland,<br />
probably at a zoo.</i><br />
<br />
Though we can't be sure about the provenance of the dress, it is a piece of a larger, fascinating tapestry, and revealed to me, the tragic beginnings of its brave, driven designer and creator.<br />
<br />
<i>My mother was a concentration camp survivor, having been a member of the Polish Resistance. After World War II she worked for the Polish Red Cross in Italy, looking after orphans. There she married my father, whom she had first met as a Polish POW [Prisoner of War] in Germany, and the two of them set out on their honeymoon only to be held up by Italian bandits and robbed of everything they possessed, including their clothes. Given the choice of being sent behind [the] Iron Curtain to Communist Poland or coming to England, they came to England, much of their luggage being lost in transit. There they set up their lives anew under very difficult conditions.<br />
<br />
My mother had a degree in economics from the best business school in Poland (known by its initials SGH, and referred to in English as the Warsaw School of Economics) but her qualifications were not recognized in the UK. She began to study for a duplicate degree in Britain while simultaneously learning English. When I arrived on the scene her studies were interrupted and she began piecework sewing of shirts, something she could do to supplement our extremely modest income while looking after a baby.<br />
<br />
Having acquired sewing skills through this and a range of subsequent dressmaking and design jobs, she set up her own couture enterprise. She acquired clients primarily by word of mouth and kept a restricted clientele so she could continue to care for me. Typically, she employed one or two people to do the finishing work on the clothes. My mother continued the business until I went off for postgraduate work, so it must have lasted for nearly two decades, perhaps from around 1955 to 1975 or so.</i><br />
<br />
What an incredible story, of courage, survival and necessity. I'm glad that despite her horrifying time during the Second World War, Wanda Zaklika found success in her business, and raised a family, and I have a personal artefact to remember her by. Something I will never gain from the latest on-trend piece from replica high street stores. I feel very lucky that Wanda's son shared her unique story with me. <br />
<br />
-<br />
<br />
If you have a Wanda Zaklika dress, and perhaps you too found this post as a result of a Google search, please get in touch with me via my email. I'd like to put you in touch with Wanda Zaklika's son, as I'm certain he would be interested to learn where his mother's creations have ended up. Most things have a story to tell, as this happy anecdote demonstrates.<br />
<br />
Has anyone else any similar stories to share?<br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-11031141331523280542013-09-04T15:38:00.004+01:002013-09-04T15:44:15.825+01:00Celtic eclecticism and Pre-Raphaelite fantasy: Bill Gibb<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9640658260/" title="Detail of Renaissance evening outfit, Bill Gibb, 1972 v and a by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5468/9640658260_51df825789_z.jpg" width="514" height="640" alt="Detail of Renaissance evening outfit, Bill Gibb, 1972, V&A"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9659887960/" title="Bill Gibb, early 1970s by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/9659887960_484b73c20f_z.jpg" width="493" height="640" alt="Bill Gibb, early 1970s"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9659917910/" title="Bill-Gibb-1970 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3718/9659917910_ae51859875_z.jpg" width="522" height="640" alt="Bill-Gibb-1970"></a><br />
Top: <i><a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O15672/evening-dress-gibb-bill/">Detail of Renaissance evening outfit, Bill Gibb, 1972, V&A </a></i><br />
Bottom: <i>Bill Gibb designs, early 1970s</i><br />
<br />
Before I became a student of art history I was bewitched by the exuberant romance of Pre-Raphaelite paintings. The sensual drape of a fabric was evocative of a mood, an allusion to desires at odds with conservative Victorian society. The 1960s and 1970s witnessed a revival of the Pre-Raphelite mode of feeling, reflected in the clothing of the period.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8208549201/" title="william-holman-hunt-lady-of-shalott-1886-1905 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8208549201_df3b1b6d82_z.jpg" width="498" height="640" alt="william-holman-hunt-lady-of-shalott-1886-1905"></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/5830621552/" title="Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Veronica Veronese 1872 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5269/5830621552_ffbfeec938_z.jpg" width="495" height="640" alt="Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Veronica Veronese 1872"></a><br />
Top: <i>The Lady of Shalott</i>, c. 1886-1905, William Holman Hunt<br />
Bottom: <i>Veronica Veronese</i>, c. 1872, Dante Gabriel Rossetti<br />
<br />
As the 1960s entered their full swing, fashions became more daring as new vibrant chemical dyes flooded the market and fed the appetite for psychdelic prints. In this decade we saw the introduction of the womens liberation movement, and in response the hemlines became higher as women's dress became more outrageous. Toward the end of the decade, as austerity set in, a wave of ennui hit the younger generations, who witnessed the destruction of many historic buildings as the downside of rapid urbanisation and modernisation became apparent. Responding to the rapid population growth in urban areas, high rise concrete building began to dominate the skylines of the major cities, particularly London. The demand for social housing grew, and a generation of young people grew disenchanted with modern living, turning, as the Victorians did, to what they saw as a more rural, authentic way of living. In the cities they expressed this desire through their clothing. By the time the 1970s came round Victorian eclecticism shook out its extravagant skirts as it sashayed back into vogue. Enter Bill Gibb.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9656556479/" title="billgibb1 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3696/9656556479_8d709bab71_z.jpg" width="466" height="640" alt="billgibb1"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9656559671/" title="Bill Gibb at the V&A by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2887/9656559671_34f386ba77_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="Bill Gibb at the V&A"></a><br />
Top: <i>Bill Gibb editorial, photographed by Sarah Moon from Vogue, January 1970</i> (<a href="http://emmapeelpants.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/inspirational-editorials-bill-gibb-glorious-confusion/">source</a>)<br />
Bottom: <i>Autumn/Winter 1976/77 designs from Bill Gibb, from the V&A</i><br />
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Bill Gibb's roots couldn't have been more pastoral. Born in rural Scotland in 1943, Gibb was the son of a dairy farmer. His talent for drawing was noticed by his art teacher, who encouraged the young Gibb to move to London in 1962 to study at St. Martins School of Art. He graduated first in his year and gained a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in 1966, where he studied under the legendary <a href="http://lastyeargirl.blogspot.ie/2012/01/last-year-reads-janey.html">Janey Ironside</a>. At the close of the decade, a number of key British talents emerged from the college, namely Ossie Clark, Zandra Rhodes, Anthony Price, and Gibb himself. Thus Gibb became an active member of the <b>British Boutique Movement</b>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9659791264/" title="Twiggy in Bill Gibb by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5348/9659791264_c3685544c1.jpg" width="462" height="500" alt="Twiggy in Bill Gibb"></a><br />
In 1971, Bill Gibb made a splash onto the international fashion scene as he dressed Twiggy (pictured) for her appearance at the premiere of Ken Russell's <i>The Boyfriend</i>, a movie in which she also starred. In 1972, he established his independent label, he debuted his first solo collection at the Oriental Club in London.<br />
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Gibb was unconventional, his designs responded to the growing romantic trend of the late 60s/early 70s, the free spiritness of the Woodstock generation personified this mood, and his <b>creations took their inspiration from the Medieval Renaissance and the East</b>. He combined rich fabrics, textures and hand embroidered patterns. Gibb’s most recognizable motif was a bee (B for Bill) which he utilized in the form of enamel bee buttons and knitwear with bee designs (how very Arts and Crafts!). Twiggy, Bianca Jagger, Anjelica Huston and Elizabeth Taylor counted among his celebrity following.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9656619925/" title="Bill Gibb with his models, 1970s by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/9656619925_cbe2e0c04d.jpg" width="500" height="482" alt="Bill Gibb with his models, 1970s"></a><br />
<i>Bill Gibb with his models, 1970s</i> (<a href="http://www.whatgoesaroundnyc.com/blog/13458">source</a>)<br />
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By the 1970s Gibb was influenced by the Hippie movement, and the rising popularity of the 'handmade' artisan crafts. With his partner, the artist turned knitting guru, <a href="http://www.kaffefassett.com/Home.html">Kaffe Fassett</a>, Gibb's knitted designs became what he was best known for. His designs and knitwear were undoubtedly influenced by his Scottish roots, and his love of history and fantasy. Like the Pre-Raphaelites before him, the costumes of the Renaissance informed and inspired his designs. The lure of the exotic also features heavily in his gowns, with luxurious fabrics, silks, leather and furs, translated into eclectic styles such as a hareem style trouser suit or a billowing Holbein print gown. The pastoral influence was never far away, with folk style dresses, evoking the fairy tales of Bavaria and Eastern European traditions. Just as the folk tales of Europe share common themes, the creative exchange between Gibb's Celtic eclecticism and Eastern influences met in a rich melting pot, where art became fashion.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9672761826/" title="Frederic WilliamBurton, Hellelil and Hildebrand the Meeting on the Turret Stairs, 1864 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2812/9672761826_ba3170c32f_z.jpg" width="411" height="640" alt="Frederic WilliamBurton, Hellelil and Hildebrand the Meeting on the Turret Stairs, 1864"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9669480913/" title="Bill Gibb and Kaffe Fassett dress by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/9669480913_cf402ee7e5.jpg" width="500" height="345" alt="Bill Gibb and Kaffe Fassett dress"></a><br />
Top: <i>Hellelil and Hildebrand the Meeting on the Turret Stairs, 1864, Frederic William Burton</i><br />
Bottom: <i>A Chenille and Lurex dress designed by Gibb, knitted by Kaffe Fassett with actual pearls, in front of one of Fassett's needlepoint tapestries (1970s)</i><br />
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The romance of the medieval beloved by his predecessors the Pre-Raphaelites, featured heavily in Gibb's designs. The revival of craft, first promoted in the nineteenth century by William Morris, in line with the medieval craft guild tradition, was also a popular feature of the fashions of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Gibb worked closely with Kaffe Fassett, executing highly skilled designs in wools and silks, as close to <i>haute couture</i> that British fashion designers at this time attained.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9672548490/" title="Liberty evening gown, 1897 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/9672548490_6905be7e4d.jpg" width="415" height="500" alt="Liberty evening gown, 1897"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9669321667/" title="Bill Gibb evening dress, 1972, worn by Sandie Shaw, V&A collections< by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/9669321667_522a0f7893_z.jpg" width="436" height="600" alt="Bill Gibb evening dress, 1972, worn by Sandie Shaw, V&A collections<"></a><br />
Top: <i><a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O15544/robe-liberty-co-ltd/">Liberty evening gown, 1897</a></i><br />
Bottom: <i><a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O75512/tana-nimbus-country-evening-dress-bill-gibb/">Bill Gibb evening dress, 1972, worn by Sandie Shaw, V&A collections</a></i><br />
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The <b>Victoria and Albert museum</b> is the world's foremost museum for design, throughout its 150 years the exhibits have inspired generations of artists. Comparing the Liberty gown with Gibb's design almost a century later, it is probable that Gibb was one of the many art students who came to the V&A to be inspired by generations past. Gibb favoured leather, suedes and wool crepes in his dramatic clothing, often adorned with lavish embroidery, clothing that evoked the romanticism of the medieval, but in contemporary, comfortable fabrics, much in line with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artistic_Dress_movement"><b>Aesthetic dress movement</b></a> of the nineteenth-century. <a href="http://collections.vam.ac.uk/search/?listing_type=&offset=0&limit=15&narrow=&extrasearch=&q=bill+gibb&commit=Search&quality=0&objectnamesearch=&placesearch=&after=&after-adbc=AD&before=&before-adbc=AD&namesearch=&materialsearch=&mnsearch=&locationsearch=">The V&A museum holds a number of Gibb designs in its collection now</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9656724311/" title="RELAX_YI SPA_1 30 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/9656724311_2dede1eccf.jpg" width="500" height="345" alt="RELAX_YI SPA_1 30"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9659957696/" title="RELAX_YI SPA_1 31 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/9659957696_2a96b529ed.jpg" width="500" height="342" alt="RELAX_YI SPA_1 31"></a><br />
<i>Charlotte Rampling wearing Bill Gibb designs, from a 1971 issue of British Vogue</i> (<a href="http://ilovecatparty.blogspot.ie/2011/10/bill-gibb-x-charlotte-rampling.html">source</a>)<br />
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Some of Gibb's designs are more contemporary, playing with the art deco decadence promoted most notably by the Biba look, as seen in the Charlotte Rampling editorial above and the designs below. The two dresses (seen below) remind me of Edwardian tea gowns, in terms of fit, and the materials used (silks and wools).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9656647827/" title="Bill Gibb Maxi Dress featuring his signature bee motifs by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3755/9656647827_816e3ce038.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Bill Gibb Maxi Dress featuring his signature bee motifs"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9659933820/" title="Bill Gibbs by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/9659933820_0d580c8492.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Bill Gibbs"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9656620269/" title="BillGibbSensationalPink1970sSatinCoat_03 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5332/9656620269_3dba81eaee.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="BillGibbSensationalPink1970sSatinCoat_03"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9659851226/" title="BillGibbSensationalPink1970sSatinCoat_02 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2890/9659851226_ac545a995e.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="BillGibbSensationalPink1970sSatinCoat_02"></a><br />
Top: <i>1970s Bill Gibb maxi dress with his signature bee motif</i> (<a href="http://www.whatgoesaroundnyc.com/blog/13458">source</a>)<br />
Middle: <i>Bill Gibb psychedelic marbled printed satin maxi dress, from his debut independent collection, Autumn-Winter, 1972</i> (<a href="http://www.kerrytaylorauctions.com/detail.php?id=36411646#">source</a>)<br />
Bottom: <i>Bill Gibb 1970s pink satin coat</i><br />
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Throughout his life, Gibb remained much like his childhood self, the boy who 'had raided a dressing-up box to transform his sisters into minature Rapunzels or wee Ladies of Shalott'. Gibb had too much of a romantic outlook, and his romantic vision was at odds with the fashions of the 1980s. Like so many members of the British Boutique Movement, Gibb was an artist, a visionary, but a poor businessman. His own label struggled financially, particularly in the 1980s as the romance of his designs struggled in the decade of monochromatic modernism, all sharp shoulders, where for the modern woman, androgynous suits reigned. In 1985, he showed at London Fashion Week in a collaboration with Fassett, to renewed critical acclaim. It appeared that his career might be rejuvinated. Sadly, in 1988 Gibb died an untimely death, as a result of bowel cancer. His influence on generations of designers cannot be underestimated, but in the wider sphere, he is less recognised. A handful of exhibitions have commemorated Gibb's unique vision, a retrospective exhibition at Aberdeen Art Gallery in 1990, and more recently he has been rediscovered with the release of Iain Webb's book on Gibb, with two exhibitions: <a href="http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Bacchanalian-adventures-designer-Gibb/story-11328500-detail/story.html#axzz2dvRG62K3">Bill Gibb: A Personal Journey at the Fashion Museum, Bath (17 October 2008 - 2009)</a> and <a href="http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/exhibitions/current_displays/bill_gibb_-_a_personal_journey.aspx">Billy: Bill Gibb's Moment In Time at the Fashion and Textile Museum (November 2008 - January 2009)</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9672701890/" title="Bill Gibb and Kaffe Fassett by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/9672701890_da37ab1bf3.jpg" width="500" height="396" alt="Bill Gibb and Kaffe Fassett"></a><br />
<i>Bill Gibb and Kaffe Fassett, 1960s</i><br />
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<b>Read more:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.stylebubble.co.uk/style_bubble/2010/01/gift-of-the-gibb.html">Style Bubble / Gift of the Gibb</a><br />
<a href="http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/gibb-bill/">Vintage Fashion Guild: Bill Gibb</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/style/25iht-fbill.1.18094446.html">Suzy Menkes / Bill Gibb: A bittersweet story of a forgotten designer (The New York Times)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bill-Gibb-Webb-Iain-R/dp/185177548X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378303179&sr=8-1&keywords=bill+gibb">Bill Gibb: Fashion and Fantasy, by Iain Webb</a><br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-23053706173740458612013-08-11T22:03:00.001+01:002013-08-12T21:38:53.041+01:00No Angel // Orlando (1992) & The Portrait of a Lady (1996)<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9303829834/" title="Orlando (1992) by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3795/9303829834_394e1585b1_z.jpg" width="640" height="361" alt="Orlando (1992)"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8553116884/" title="18 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8231/8553116884_739ff5e20f_z.jpg" width="640" height="362" alt="18"></a><br />
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Two films I've watched this summer have been <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107756/">Orlando</a></i> (1992) and <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117364/">The Portrait of a Lady</a></i> (1996). Both are period dramas, directed by women, with only four years between their respective releases. Two scenes in particular, from both films, captured my imagination, as well as the costumes. Clothing for characters, as for us, reveals much about class, background and personality. Costume tells us much about the role of women in society, and for both genders, it reveals to us their social background. I don't pretend to possess anything beyond a superficial knowledge of nineteenth-century costume, but reading costume provides a richer history of a particular period, and the nineteenth-century into the twentieth-century was one of tremendous societal change, one that is most explicitly obvious though women's dress. In <i>Orlando</i>, they wear the large petticoats of the mid-Victorian period, whereas in <i>The Portrait of a Lady</i>, her skirts are much more suitable for a young woman travelling, but nonetheless long and cumbersome. What these costumes express is how women were bound to societal gender roles by corsets and impractical oversized or long, heavy layers of skirts and petticoats, representing a very particular ideal of femininity. <br />
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Both films feature tackle the subject of gender, with two strong female leads. The gloomy, almost Gothic mood of these films appeals to me, as we tend to associate this moodiness with the Byronic hero, this idea is subverted here. The moody psychic landscapes reflect in tone and feeling, the darker oppressive clothing of the characters. The fog of evening lingers over both scenes as these characters come to make the choice that will determine their lives going forward, and perhaps lead to the fog of uncertainty being lifted.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8553117210/" title="16 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8365/8553117210_55372ebea4_z.jpg" width="640" height="352" alt="16"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8553117392/" title="15 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8553117392_1ae457b76b_z.jpg" width="640" height="362" alt="15"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9301046323/" title="Orlando (1992) by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3794/9301046323_07c91fe91c_z.jpg" width="640" height="361" alt="Orlando (1992)"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8551984895/" title="11 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8527/8551984895_a04eafb89f_z.jpg" width="640" height="361" alt="11"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9490119100/" title="Orlando, 1992 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7359/9490119100_268863dc23_z.jpg" width="640" height="312" alt="Orlando, 1992"></a><br />
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<b><i>Orlando</i>, 1992 (dir: Sally Potter)</b> is adapted from Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel <i>Orlando: A Biography</i>. The costumes are by Sandy Powell (<i>Shakespeare in Love</i>, <i>Interview with the Vampire</i>). Tilda Swinton, plays the title role of the androgynous young nobleman Orlando. Orlando, the Queen's favourite, is demanded by Queen Elizabeth to remain forever young, and incredibly they do just that, living from decade to decade seeking love, poetry and ultimately the meaning of life. At one point Orlando changes gender, and the revelations that accompany this are aptly played out on screen. Our hero, turned heroine finds themselves (I will refer to Orlando in non gender specific terms) trapped between the intrigue and over-sized crinolines of 18th-century court life, with its egotistical poets and gossips, and salacious men. Alexander Pope informs the now Lady Orlando:<br />
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<i>“Conversation, is a place where one plays with ideas, my dear lady, though one forges them quite alone. The intellect is a solitary place and therefore quite unsuitable a terrain for females, who must discover their natures through the guidance of a father or husband.”</i><br />
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When a former acquaintance asks for their hand, Orlando's aghast refusal, reveals to them the imbalance of power between the genders. In this standout scene (see below), Orlando recoils with their dignity intact, but struggles to exit the scene as swiftly as they would like, their silk skirts weighing them down and their perspective all astray. The scene is strongly charged, as our hero/ine struggles through the metaphorical labyrinth of the grand maze, just as they struggle through womanhood, before stumbling on the next period in their development as a woman - 'Sex', represented by the dashing figure of Billy Zane.<br />
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Formal or picturesque garden design was the height of fashion in England during the eighteenth century, as in most fashionable matters, England took its cue from the magnificent gardens of the French court. <i>Orlando</i> was filmed at <a href="http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/">Hatfield House</a> and <a href="http://www.blenheimpalace.com/">Blenheim Palace</a>, and it appears that the 'labyrinth scene' was filmed in <a href="http://www.blenheimpalace.com/thepalace/whattosee/pleasuregardens.html">Blenheim Palace's Marlborough Maze</a> ("the world's second largest symbolic hedge maze"). <br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OVCO_F0fUas" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>The Labyrinth scene from 'Orlando'</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9303621826/" title="The Portrait of a Lady (1996) by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/9303621826_1450f720aa_z.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="The Portrait of a Lady (1996)"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9300849771/" title="The Portrait of a Lady (1996) by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3761/9300849771_61c18a944c_z.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="The Portrait of a Lady (1996)"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9303630762/" title="The Portrait of a Lady (1996) by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2856/9303630762_79fa77be87_z.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="The Portrait of a Lady (1996)"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9300889137/" title="The Portrait of a Lady (1996) by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2889/9300889137_e018836ffd_z.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="The Portrait of a Lady (1996)"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9303713190/" title="The Portrait of a Lady (1996) by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/9303713190_1441c7a8a5_z.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="The Portrait of a Lady (1996)"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9303666704/" title="The Portrait of a Lady (1996) by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/9303666704_4690567490_z.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="The Portrait of a Lady (1996)"></a><br />
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<b><i>The Portrait of a Lady</i> (1996) (dir: Jane Campion)</b> is adapted from American author Henry James' 1881 novel. The costume designer was Janet Patterson (<i>Bright Star</i>, <i>The Piano</i>). Our heroine is Isabel Archer, a young American heiress, who has come to England to visit relatives, and to 'find' herself, with the intention of embarking on her own Grand Tour. Being an educated young woman, from a good background, she is highly eligible and sought after. Isabel refuses the advances of her young suitors and quickly departs to Italy, where she makes some unfortunate acquaintances and finds herself coerced into a union with the penniless but charming American Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich, who seems to have excelled at playing dastardly charmers in 90s period films). The film is highly sensual at times, as our young heroine seeks life and love, making naive mistakes along the way. In this final scene, Isabel realises that in order to be her independent self, despite her sexual desires (which women weren't expected to possess), she must be free, and alone to pursue her dreams, for in the role of wife, she would be expected to be the submissive partner in the marital arrangement.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/q9I9TCRa4f4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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The slowed down frames allow us to observe Isabel more closely as she contemplated her decision (and the deceptive amount of layers to her dress!). She surrenders this final temptation, in order to become herself, truly independent and free. Instead of entering the house as soon as she reaches for the door handle, Isabel turns her body to face our gaze, a contemplative look plays across her face, neither sad or outwardly happy. John Gielgud's character, the aging Mr. Touchett, Isabel's confidante, in a revealing quote on 'self' tells Isabel:<br />
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<i>“When you have lived as long as I, you will see that every human being has his shell, and that you must take the shell into account. By the shell I mean the whole envelope of circumstances. There is no such thing as an isolated man or woman; we are each of us made up of a cluster of appurtenances. What do you call one's self? Where does it begin? Where does it end? It overflows into everything that belongs to us - and then flows back again... One's self - for other people - is one's expression of one's self; and one's house, one's clothes, the books one reads, the company one keeps - these things are all expressive.”</i><br />
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In the Victorian period women were expected to be the '<a href="http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_19c/thackeray/angel.html">Angel of the House</a>'. Women have to fight for the right to be alone, and were scathingly referred to as 'spinsters', for their seeming inability to catch husbands with their feminine charms (maybe they just didn't have time for that BS eh?), while men often enjoyed bachelor status well into middle age, often then settling down to marry women half their age. Orlando chooses to enjoy sexual relations with another man in the infamously laced up context of the Victorian period. Isabel experiences desire too, but in the strict social conventions of the period, she can only truly enjoy those relations within the confines of marriage. In a marital arrangement, by societal standards of the time certainly, no matter how her husband encouraged her, her husband's needs would come first. Now do you see what I did in the post title, 'No Angel', huh, you get it?<br />
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Orlando is also searching for self, becoming accustomed to the restriction of their new female gender. Shocked by a former male acquaintances advances, they rebuff him only to be told that 'she' will end up alone and a spinster. A threat not unfamiliar to many young, unattached young women. In the final scene, Orlando gazes confidently out at us, the viewer, having reached their own revelation.<br />
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The characters struggle both metaphorically and physically against their gender roles. You'll notice in the above scenes both directors focus on the weighty quality of the skirts, in their attempts to flee from masculine constraints they are literally weighed down by the clothing and metaphorically by all that it represents in that particular society. Sound also plays a conscious part in the representation of dress in these two films, a subtlety I love and that can only be communicated through the medium of film, unlike a painting alone. Campion's Isabel tinkles delicately as she moves, wearing all the baubles of a heiress, and a lady, a bird in a gilded cage. Potter's Lady Orlando's dress rustles impatiently as it is hitched up and dragged across the earthy ground and against the pruned shrubbery of the maze, in her desperation to escape, troubling with movement is not something Orlando had to contend with as a man.<br />
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British and American audiences respectively, have always held a fascination with period dramas, each generation sees a revival of certain popular novels. These two films no doubt presented challenges, as they are both ambitious projects, but are ultimately most satisfying to watch, and yet are still severely underrated. This post was a little meandering, but I hope it will encourage you to watch both of these films (ignore the IMDB ratings in these cases!), and to pay more attention to the beautiful subtleties of dress and costume in film, period or otherwise. Buttons, embellishments, cuts, all have their part to play in the interpretation of a character. <br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-44084769249194072512013-07-24T14:26:00.000+01:002013-07-24T14:41:22.549+01:00Cultural Tourism // Sligo's Yeats' Initiative <center><a href="http://www.treadsoftly.ie/">Tread Softly... A Season of Yeats</a>, is an annual 10 day festival running alongside and complementing the Yeats International Summer School, focusing on the connections between Sligo and Yeats through a programme of music, exhibitions and spoken word performances.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.treadsoftly.ie/">Tread Softly festival</a> is an initative that seeks to promote Sligo's Yeats legacy as a unique cultural visitor attraction. "<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5168">The Land of Heart's Desire</a>" has long held appeal for devotees of the poet Yeats, but the story of the Yeats family has its roots in Sligo's rich landscape.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LKjp4t8dQD8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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The short video above shows the highlights of last year's first 'Tread Softly' festival. From 2:45 onward you can hear me speak! Last year I gave tours of the John and Jack B. Yeats 'Father and Son' exhibition at <a href="http://themodel.ie">The Model gallery.</a> This year I will again be giving a couple of public tours of the current <a href="http://themodel.ie/exhibitions/jack-b-yeats-enter-the-clowns-the-circus-as-a-metaphor">Jack B. Yeats' exhibition 'Enter the Clowns: The Circus as Metaphor'</a>.<br />
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Though not a new concept by any means, cultural tourism has gained a lot of mileage in recent years, particularly amongst regional tourism groups striving to make economic gains by utilising their unique local cultural heritage. And who can blame them? Personally, I have seen a vibrant revival in Sligo's arts and culture scene, since I returned a little over a year ago (after being abroad for almost 2 years). Much progress has been made to promote Sligo as a cultural destination, for the benefit of its locals and visitors alike. Cultural tourism also takes place at a local level, with the advent of facebook, many groups promoting local history and encouraging engagement from their members have sprung up. Some recent festivals promoting their area's unique cultural attractions include the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LibertiesFestival">Liberties Festival</a> and <a href="http://www.happy-days-enniskillen.com/">Happy Days - Enniskillen's International Beckett Festival</a>.<br />
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<b>What is Cultural Tourism?</b> <i>Cultural tourism is about understanding the collective cultural offer of a destination, matching that offer to (and connecting with) the 'wraparound' industries (food, drink, hotels, shops and so on) and making sure that it's all packaged in a way that is meaningful to the consumer.</i> (<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2013/apr/15/cultural-tourism-partnerships-not-quick-fix">Helen Palmer, 'Why cultural tourism is not a quick fix', The Guardian, April 15 2013</a>)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9354855472/" title="Tread_Softly_Web by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2884/9354855472_b28dcbf934_z.jpg" width="400" height="568" alt="Tread_Softly_Web"></a><br />
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Recently, in acknowledgement of this, the North-West Craftfest was rebranded as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CraftfestNorthwest">the Lily Lolly Craft Fest</a>. The aim is to commemorate the legacy of the lesser celebrated Yeats sisters, who were pioneering craftswomen in their own right. They were at the forefront of the Irish Arts and Crafts movement, founding the Dun Emer Guild in 1902 with Evelyn Gleeson in Dundrum, Co. Dublin. <a href="http://womensmuseumofireland.ie/articles/susan-and-elizabeth-the-yeats-sisters">You can read the article I wrote on the sisters for the Women's Museum of Ireland here</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9351970141/" title="Lily Lolly Craftfest by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3768/9351970141_0c610cf96f_z.jpg" width="450" height="640" alt="Lily Lolly Craftfest"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9034783261/" title="Martina Hamilton of @HamiltonSligo officially launching the Lily and Lolly Craftfest this evening as part of #YeatsDay celebrations in #Sligo by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/9034783261_e7940eedd3.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Martina Hamilton of @HamiltonSligo officially launching the Lily and Lolly Craftfest this evening as part of #YeatsDay celebrations in #Sligo"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9035211813/" title="Pioneering academic, Dr. Nicola Gordon Bowe speaking on the Yeats Sisters 'Unsung Heroines' as part of #YeatsDay celebrations #sligo by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/9035211813_b61ea8cb0e.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Pioneering academic, Dr. Nicola Gordon Bowe speaking on the Yeats Sisters 'Unsung Heroines' as part of #YeatsDay celebrations #sligo"></a><br />
<i>1. Martina Hamilton, owner and designer at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCatAndTheMoon.Sligo">the Cat and the Moon craft boutique</a> and jewellery shop, and curator of the <a href="http://www.hamiltongallery.ie/">Hamilton Gallery</a>, officially launching the Lily Lolly Craftfest on June 13th.<br />
2. Celebrated academic and expert on the Irish arts and crafts movement, Nicola Gordon-Bowe, delivering a talk on the legacy of the Yeats' sisters, at the Lily Lolly Fest.</i><br />
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The Lily Lolly Craft fest coincided with Yeats Day 2013. <a href="http://www.treadsoftly.ie/yeatsday/">Yeats Day</a> is envisioned to be Sligo's version of <a href="http://jamesjoyce.ie/">Bloomsday</a> (June 16th) or <a href="http://www.shakespearesbirthday.org.uk/">Shakespeare's Birthday</a> (April 20th).These are grand shoes to fill. Expectations are hig. The Lily and Lolly festival had the support of local businesses and crafts people. My festival highlights include the Nicola Gordon-Bowe lecture, Una Burke's talk and an embroidery workshop with Amy O'Hara of <a href="http://www.dumore.ie/">Dumore Embroidery</a>. These events certainly played close to the Lily and Lolly legacy, by promoting a body of work by by local craftswomen, and the festival was launched with a talk by Nicola Gordon-Bowe, an authority on the Yeats sisters. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9359009210/" title="Una Burke by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7335/9359009210_4f1d1c4b2e_z.jpg" width="449" height="640" alt="Una Burke"></a><br />
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<b>My criticism</b> would lie with the marketing of these events, particularly the digital strategy. While the leaflets and poster designs were of particularly high quality. There appeared to very little engagement with Sligo's online community, or the online craft community at large. <a href="http://www.unaburke.com/">Una Burke's talk</a> was a total revelation to me, but was so poorly marketed that the attendance for what was an outstanding afternoon was less than it should have been. This lady's career is on the rise, she has designed for Lady Gaga and has exhibited in prominent London galleries! Her inclusion in the event line-up should have been shouted from the rooftops, at least the virtual ones! The failure of the digital strategy to provide a suitable platform for the local businesses that participated meant that some events didn't receive as much attention as they might have done. In this globalised world, cultural organisations cannot afford to ignore the digital sphere when working in cultural tourism.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9358919452/" title="Purgatory by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/9358919452_135652d326.jpg" width="500" height="209" alt="Purgatory"></a><br />
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Looking at organisations finding their soft spot in engaging the cultural and digital sphere ... one of the more unique places I have gone to see a performance, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blueraincoattheatre"><b>Sligo's Blue Raincoats Theatre</b></a> company staged a performance of W.B. Yeats' play Purgatory at the summit of <a href="http://gostrandhill.com/explore/history/knocknarea/">Knocknerea mountain</a>, at the base of Queen Maeve's cairn. Incentives like this promote Sligo as a unique cultural destination, a place where magical things happen, such as a contemporary theatre company staging a play by one of the counties famous sons, at the summit of an ancient mountain.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9358972420/" title="Sligo Who Knew by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5519/9358972420_04507db325.jpg" width="500" height="185" alt="Sligo Who Knew"></a><br />
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The <a href="http://www.sligotourism.ie/sligo-who-knew-turns-to-social-media-to-unearth-hidden-gems/"><b>'Sligo Who Knew?' campaign</b></a> turns to social media to unearth the counties hidden gems and to promote Sligo as a 'staycation' destination, being only a 2 and a half hours drive from Dublin. Using the #sligowhoknew hashtag Sligo businesses, cultural centres, selected digital ambassadors, tourists and Sligo tweeters can share the hidden corners of Sligo, from their unique point of view! You can see all the tagged content from all social networks <a href="http://tagboard.com/sligowhoknew">on the <b>#sligowhoknew</b> tagboard</a>. It is probably one of the most forward thinking digital tourism strategies in Ireland at the moment! As a Sligo person, I too play a part in this dialogue, as the press release highlights - "Locals Become Proud Ambassadors of their Homeland".<br />
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<i>"… Sligo was a different habitation. A small and beautiful town situated almost at the western edge of Europe, it was bounded by green fields, mountains, and the sea, and its narow streets were lined with small shops. At the quays there were boats loading and unloading, and sailors with stories that made the world seem “full of monsters and marvels”. Over the town to the west loomed the mountain Knocknarea, on its flat top an enormous mound supposed to contain the remains of Queen Maeve; to the north beyond Drumcliff stood Ben Bulben, the long stone outcrop ending in a massive, razor-sharp edge. With its mists and changing colours, its ancient mysterious mounds and dolmens, Sligo was a place where one could easily believe in a world of magic.” </i><br />
<b>'Prodigal Father: The Life of John Butler Yeats (1839-1922)', William M. Murphy,<br />
(London: Cornell University Press, 1978)</b><br />
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Sligo and its enchanting landscape was a constant source of inspiration for all of the Yeats siblings. Prompted by their father's inability to secure and retain commissions they entered into artistic professions with the intention of earning a living, with the explicit aim of utilising their creative talent into something productive and profitable. These recent festivals promote the Yeats family legacy and seek to place it at the centre of the cultural, historical and physical spirit of Sligo, inspiring a new generation to be inspired by Sligo and its creative traditions; just as the Yeats family once were.<br />
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<b>See more: </b><br />
<a href="http://culturaltourismireland.ie/">Cultural Tourism Ireland</a><br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2013/apr/02/museums-cultural-tourists-digital-content">Museums connecting cultural tourists: more substance over style, please</a><br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2013/apr/15/cultural-tourism-partnerships-not-quick-fix">Helen Palmer, 'Why cultural tourism is not a quick fix', The Guardian, April 15 2013</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sligotourism.ie/sligo-who-knew-turns-to-social-media-to-unearth-hidden-gems/">‘Sligo – Who Knew?’ Turns To Social Media To Unearth Hidden Gems</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sligotourism.ie/sligo-who-knew-turns-to-social-media-to-unearth-hidden-gems/">Tread Softly ... A Season of Yeats festival</a><br />
<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/news/treading-softly-in-sligo-237727.html">Treading softly in Sligo (Irish Examiner, July 24 2013)</a><br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-21989312781484041072013-07-18T14:19:00.002+01:002013-07-18T14:47:03.368+01:00The Steps of Rome // March, 2013<center><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9196571070/" title="Roma 059 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3830/9196571070_9594251ac9_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Roma 059"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9193810449/" title="Roma 037 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2835/9193810449_88cd64bdc6_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Roma 037"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9193864609/" title="Roma 034 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7376/9193864609_deeb2fb036_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Roma 034"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9216371222/" title="Roma 028 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/9216371222_3ffcd779c0_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Roma 028"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9213615771/" title="Roma 086 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7411/9213615771_e69674d0bf_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Roma 086"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9213561107/" title="Roma 048 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/9213561107_dc176cb504_c.jpg" width="534" height="800" alt="Roma 048"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9193897433/" title="Roma 021 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2816/9193897433_a772ecc6d7_c.jpg" width="534" height="800" alt="Roma 021"></a><br />
<i>Hane and I with our heads huddled together, Tara and I at the Spanish steps (our poses in that picture remind me of Manet's <a href="https://www.google.ie/search?q=petit+dejeuner+sur+l'herbe&rlz=1C1LENP_enIE533IE533&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&authuser=0&ei=mvHnUfjRGLCR7Abo9IHwDQ&biw=1600&bih=732&sei=vvHnUa_nMuTC7AaboYHIDw">Petit Dejeuner sur l'herbe</a>!)</i><br />
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Rome is so expansive (and continuously expanding!) that we spent quite a lot of time with our noses in our map. This final leg of the journey was for our return flights home, so we only spent 2 nights in Rome. We took it easy, leisurely walking the streets, not neglecting gelato breaks of course! We had these incredible pastries called 'sorchetta' topped with cream and chocolate one night, after a night of socialising with my Roman friend Aurora, and our mutual German friend Hane (both of whom I'd worked with in Venice, oh that all seems so long ago now!) Where we'd usually get curry cheese chips, the Romans have delicious patisseries open into the the wee hours, and no anti social behaviour. I could get used to that way of life, my waistline wouldn't find it hard to adjust!<br />
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Aurora took us to a small family owned restaurant called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Casa-Di-Alice/130534599846">A Casa di Alice</a> on our last night. The menu had dozens of different spaghetti dishes, all the pasta being made fresh in the kitchen. She went to secondary school in the area our hostel was in (east Rome), so she was familiar with all the best social spots, luckily for us! It was all very reasonably priced and with plenty of choice for vegetarians, so different from home. <br />
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Rome was very touristy, but it has a charm of its own, the locals are well dressed like so many Italians are. There are many, many designer boutiques, which didn't interest us. One afternoon, I removed myself from the mania of Rome and the Piazza di Spagna and found refuge for an hour in the <a href="http://www.keats-shelley-house.org/">Keats Shelley House</a>, located right beside the Spanish Steps. It was a peaceful haven in the heart of the ever pulsing Rome, Keats himself would appreciate that I think.<br />
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<b>We stayed at</b> the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g187791-d2048425-Reviews-Papaya_Female_Hostel-Rome_Lazio.html">Papaya Hostel</a>. <b>We visited</b> some of the main attractions in the city centre - the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Steps">Spanish Steps</a>, the <a href="http://www.keats-shelley-house.org/">Keats Shelley House</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_del_Quirinale">Palazzo del Quirinale</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_dei_Condotti">Via dei Condotti</a>. However, we mostly just walked the streets, as we both had visited the city before, and we preferred to catch up with friends than fret about getting into the major attractions.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8520985368/" title="1am 'sorchetta' from Laboratorio Lambiase, Rome with @teelydon by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8389/8520985368_03829e943d.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="1am 'sorchetta' from Laboratorio Lambiase, Rome with @teelydon"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8521736265/" title="The last supper: home made spaghetti with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and pumpkin: 'Halloween' pasta by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8512/8521736265_5dee2a1ea7.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="The last supper: home made spaghetti with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and pumpkin: 'Halloween' pasta"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8521739575/" title="Cute menu! by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8097/8521739575_a5a2dc67e4.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Cute menu!"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8521922977/" title="1960s Dollyrockers velvet liberty print shift dress & murano glass stud earrings #wiwt by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8092/8521922977_56f9046224.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="1960s Dollyrockers velvet liberty print shift dress & murano glass stud earrings #wiwt"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8521196061/" title="Keats bed, in which he died on February 23, 1821 in Rome, at the age of 25 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8527/8521196061_ea2540721f.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Keats bed, in which he died on February 23, 1821 in Rome, at the age of 25"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9311209394/" title="Untitled by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3702/9311209394_d23651abd5.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Untitled"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8527889480/" title="Silhouette (1823) of Fanny Brawne (1800-65) by Augustin Édouart at the Keats-Shelley House, Rome by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8527889480_edae8fde89.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Silhouette (1823) of Fanny Brawne (1800-65) by Augustin Édouart at the Keats-Shelley House, Rome"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8526741273/" title="Homeward bound over the Alps yesterday afternoon by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8378/8526741273_010934e06c.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Homeward bound over the Alps yesterday afternoon"></a><br />
<i><b>1:</b> 1am 'Sorchetta mora', from <a href="http://millyandolly.com/tag/pasticceria-lambiase/">pasticceria Lambiase</a>, Rome <br />
<b>2-3:</b> Home made spaghetti with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and pumpkin: 'Halloween' pasta from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Casa-Di-Alice/130534599846">A Casa di Alice</a> <br />
<b>4:</b> Hostel selfie, wearing 1960s Dollyrockers velvet liberty print shift dress & murano glass stud earrings <br />
<b>5:</b> Keats bed, in which he died on February 23, 1821 in Rome, at the age of 25 <br />
<b>6:</b> Locks of Shelley and Keats hair.<br />
<b>7:</b> Silhouette (1823) of Fanny Brawne (1800-65) by Augustin Édouart at the Keats-Shelley House, Rome<br />
<b>8:</b> Homeward bound over the Alps</i> <br />
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All these wonderful photos were taken on my friend Tara's camera, the instagram pictures are my own.<br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-63822458243645929942013-07-11T16:42:00.001+01:002013-07-11T16:42:57.841+01:00One doesn't come to Italy for niceness, one comes for life! / Florence, March 2013<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9192970781/" title="Florence 2013 004 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5466/9192970781_a5141d5868.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence 2013 004"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9195827668/" title="Florence 2013 030 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7431/9195827668_93dbaa0ac1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence 2013 030"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9195846620/" title="Florence 2013 047 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7448/9195846620_e563e2a570.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence 2013 047"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9193183063/" title="florence dat 3 070 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/9193183063_058724cb5e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="florence dat 3 070"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9193269619/" title="florence dat 3 049 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2807/9193269619_3a643502f8_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="florence dat 3 049"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9192669583/" title="Florence day 2 221 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5326/9192669583_5d3d3ccb1b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 221"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9195733260/" title="Florence day 2 249 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/9195733260_23a041dc5d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 249"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9217177756/" title="Florence day 2 242 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/9217177756_0ed29cd5d1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 242"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9217164082/" title="Florence day 2 256 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/9217164082_33ca14e6bb.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 256"></a><br />
<i><b>1</b>: Statue of Michelangelo's David (replica) in Piazza della Signoria // <b>2-6</b>: The view from the roof of our hotel, (<a href="http://www.hotelmediciflorence.com/">Hotel Medici</a>) // <b>7</b>: Cheeky fun with David // <b>8-9</b>: Recalling <b><a href="http://youtu.be/pd1_zKPjlog?t=22m23s">that scene from A Room with a View</a></b> // <b>10</b>: Tara and I</i><br />
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I began this post last week, cup of tea in hand, as the rain poured down outside my window. Disheartened, I got distracted. This week couldn't be more different! The weather took a total turn around last week and we are enjoying temperatures in the mid-20s all across Ireland. So now I am recalling my Italian trip with fondness, and sharing some of our pictures! I had meant to blog about my Spring trip months ago, I did <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.ie/2013/03/gelato-diaries-sequel.html">write a blog post on gelateria in Florence in March</a>, if you're into that sort of thing!<br />
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Tara is one of my best friends, we met in our first year of university as we were placed in student accommodation together, and happily a firm friendship was formed. We took the same Art History classes and vowed to one day visit Florence. We fulfilled that promise earlier this year. Tara works in Dubai, so our rendezvous point was at Rome's International Airport. From there we took a fast train to Florence. I would advise that you book these in advance, or you can buy a ticket for half the price, but it takes closer to 4 hours to travel between the two cities.<br />
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We were (and are!) two twenty-somethings on a budget, so we took our trip in the down season (though is there every really a low tourist season in Italy??) <b>We stayed</b> at <a href="http://www.hotelmediciflorence.com/">Hotel Medici</a>, a 2 star hotel in the city centre. Our rooms were actually a 5 minute walk from the main reception, but we could easily walk to the hotel in the mornings for a simple breakfast. Italians are reknowned for their generous meals, but breakfast is an altogether simpler affair. Typically they may have a pastry for breakfast with a strong expresso, so they can enjoy a long, lazy lunch. We would eat heartily at lunch so we got used to our simple breakfasts. After breakfast, we strolled lazily along the characteristic Florentine streets to our first attraction of the day. On our first evening, we picked up a cheap bottle of Italian wine and sat on the balcony admiring our up close and personal view of the Duomo (see above). I can confirm that Italy does actually have a cold spell during the winter and spring, so do bring a warm jacket and scarf. We had 3 aran sweaters to share between the pair of us, so we were fine!<br />
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<b>We visited</b> all the major attractions - the <a href="http://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/pitti-palace.html">Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens</a>, the <a href="http://www.uffizi.com/">Uffizi gallery</a>, the <a href="http://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/accademia-gallery.html">Accademia galleries</a>, the church of <a href="http://www.santacroceopera.it/it/default.aspx">Santa Croce</a> (c. 1443), and <a href="http://www.duomofirenze.it/index-eng.htm">Florence Cathedral (San Maria del Fiore)</a>.<br />
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As with any trip, if you want to save on admission prices, book in advance. You can get reduced rates up to 12 hours before your visit. <a href="http://www.etoa.org/policyareas/tourist-taxes/italy">In 2011, a tourist tax was introduced for the major Italian cities</a>. This rate is paid daily, to your hotel, and varies depending on the star rating of your hotel. There is a cut off point (eg. 10 nights is the maximum charge for Florence).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9216447570/" title="florence dat 3 001 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/9216447570_ca53b2b941.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="florence dat 3 001"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9216435344/" title="florence dat 3 002 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3726/9216435344_c9297120ef.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="florence dat 3 002"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9213722463/" title="florence dat 3 037 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3675/9213722463_2e7b37804e_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="florence dat 3 037"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9195906478/" title="florence dat 3 026 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3792/9195906478_bccfd1151b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="florence dat 3 026"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9193080959/" title="Florence 2013 054 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2833/9193080959_7d2af24de7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence 2013 054"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9195173510/" title="Florence day 2 027 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/9195173510_ccfe51b8c3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 027"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9213887917/" title="Florence day 2 043 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7337/9213887917_f08fc571d8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 043"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9192395087/" title="Florence day 2 067 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5460/9192395087_bce8bd9191.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 067"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9216969080/" title="Florence day 2 084 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2842/9216969080_d4049b82f1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 084"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9214180409/" title="Florence day 2 089 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3815/9214180409_08e5832aef.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 089"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9217197816/" title="Florence day 2 177 by acertainsmile, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/9217197816_0ea993f91e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Florence day 2 177"></a><br />
<i><b>1-2</b>: Interior of the infamous Dome of Florence's catherdral. A feat of engineering, designed by Brunelleschi in the 15th century // <b>3</b>: Italy's old restaurant signs // <b>4</b>: Looking over the river Arno, after consuming the best panino I have and will probably ever eat again // <b>5</b>: Facade of the Church of <a href="http://www.santacroceopera.it/it/default.aspx">Santa Croce</a> (c. 1443) // <b>6-11</b>: At the <a href="http://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/pitti-palace.html">Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens</a></i><br />
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All these photos were 'borrowed' from Tara's superior camera. Thank you again!<br />
<br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-51659416439717486732013-06-28T14:08:00.001+01:002013-06-28T14:08:29.443+01:00Adventures in markets, Act I<center><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/9121060454_d6a975aee7.jpg"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/9121060454_d6a975aee7.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9118983809/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5327/9118983809_00a8b63eaf.jpg"></img></a><br />
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The first <a href="http://facebook.com/sligofleamarket">Sligo Flea Market</a> was a success! I am thrilled with the feedback, and am still on a sort of high after it! That being said, there were a few hiccups on the morning itself. You're dealing with a diverse group of people - sellers of all ages and personalities. Some are trying to sell bric a brac for the day, while for others this is a business. <br />
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I managed to spill hot tea on myself the day before so I couldn't go in the evening before and assign tables as planned. This made for a bit of a clumsy start the next day as people arrived earlier than I had advised and already bagged tables. So I scrapped the plan, and flexed my diplomacy muscles, I had some chocolate, wore my brightest smile and made sure everyone was happy. I didn't relax until a couple of hours in. My friend Linda was selling some seriously tempting kitchenalia and homewares, and she was great for support on the day. There were some craft and jewelery stalls, there was a dedicated record area, and lots of rails selling vintage and second hand clothing.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9121154356/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7398/9121154356_a085f46322_z.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9118418457/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5506/9118418457_52ccf3debe_z.jpg"></img></a><br />
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There was a great atmosphere around the venue for the day. There's something about selling vintage and craft goods that seems invites conversation with the sellers and leads to unexpected friendships! Everyone and everything has a story to share.<br />
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Social media is a brilliant tool for sharing these stories. I'm lucky that Sligo has a vibrant social media community already, and people are very keen on micro-blogging and spreading the word about Sligo and its secrets!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9121082920/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3695/9121082920_8b88f7ffda.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9127013911/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7311/9127013911_ddd3e500d1.jpg"></img></a><br />
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Over the course of the day I got plenty of excercise, simply by walking about the market, snapping pictures, tweeting, updating facebook and dipping in and out of conversations, as well as looking at all the stalls and resisting temptation. Until the last hour at least! I purchased a beautiful 1960s crepe dress, from a woman who had bought it in Rome when she was my age. You just don't get the same history from a piece of high street mass produced clothing. I also purchased a pair of 1950s gloves, a 1970s belt and the beautiful beaded evening bag below, which I reckon must be 1950s.<br />
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Five years ago, I had just finished secondary school. I was so shy, I would never have had the courage to do something like this. I've developed some great friendships and interests over the past five years. I've meet some wonderful (and some woeful) people, and all these experiences have changed me. In the past three years especially, I've been learning that if I want something, I should do something about it, and try not to be so afraid of failure. This market brings something a little different to Sligo, it unites a diverse amount of people together in one community for a day, and for me to engage with such interesting people, is an absolute pleasure. Events like this are something I would certainly love to be involved with in the future, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to be able to run something like this for the first time, and receive such a positive response in return.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9120622880/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/9120622880_b75b66a160.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9116788544/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/9116788544_0e78cfc0b5.jpg"></img></a><br />
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5466/9153756034_1eede986fb.jpg"></img><br />
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<i>All the photographs of the day were kindly taken by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AnnaMLeask?fref=ts">Anna Leask</a>, and the instagram pictures are my own.<br />
</i><br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-82427086363575733472013-06-19T15:50:00.000+01:002013-06-19T15:50:05.529+01:00Snapshots of Summer<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8970944082/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3745/8970944082_d48391a6bb.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8948276870/"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3684/8948276870_fd1c883777.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8985164278/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/8985164278_49883440bc.jpg"></img></a><br />
Between <a href="http://womensmuseumofireland.ie/">one project</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SligoFleaMarket">and another</a> I've been too distracted to resume regular posting. I experience a lot of self doubt with things I intend to post, real things I'd like to write about, and I inevitably end up not sharing them at all. Otherwise, these past few weeks have been pleasant on the whole. I've been enjoying the sun when it shines, and wearing a lot of prints (see above).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8951064208/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8137/8951064208_fc11cbf223.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8985057568/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3682/8985057568_6ff236ba36.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8998521319/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8560/8998521319_2843052d2e.jpg"></img></a><br />
Treating myself - Prosecco al fresco at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/acasamiasligo?fref=ts">A Casa Mia</a> / Buttermilk ice cream and raspberry sorbet from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MurphysIceCream?fref=ts">Murphys Ice Cream</a> / Yuppie tea and chats at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thetwistedpepper">the Twisted Pepper</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8981694907/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/8981694907_fb33585a52.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8995370110/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/8995370110_a17833af93.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9014703413/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5335/9014703413_dcb9e39304.jpg"></img></a><br />
The Bugle Babes at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/filmfataleevents">Film Fatale</a>'s screening of <i>Notorious</i> / Walking around Clontarf / The interior of my friend's house in Stoneybatter, Dublin<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8960835797/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7343/8960835797_fee03016f0.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/9004144133/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8400/9004144133_5c2c124c75.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8960835797/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5329/9022430783_e033e97b8f.jpg"></img></a><br />
I've been devouring <a href="http://www.brodericksbrothers.com/">Broderick's</a> treats, made here in Ireland, with some seriously cool, cheeky contemporary packaging / I'm still scouting the charity shops when I have a spare moment, I picked up these two 1970s Carriagaline cups to add to my collection, when I was last in Dublin / I wore my 1950s beaded handbag for the first time, despite having picked it up in a Glasgow charity shop two years ago.<br />
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<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/9085759328_770aaacaa3_z.jpg"></img><br />
After following it enviously for the past couple of years, and having attended <a href="http://vagabondlanguage.blogspot.com/2012/11/film-fatale-some-like-it-hot.html">their Sligo screening</a>, I finally made it to a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/filmfataleevents">Film Fatale</a> night in the Sugar Club, Dublin! The theme was 1940s, so while I brought a suitable dress in my bulky bag, but it was one of the best evenings of the year (so far! crossing my fingers) so instead I wore my new 1970s cotton dress from <a href="http://www.vintageclothing.ie/">Enchanted Vintage</a>. Jean outglamours me in dress, and demeanor, doesn't she look fab? Guess who was shy about getting their photo taken, the expression says it all!<br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-41901285982037544422013-06-03T11:00:00.000+01:002013-06-03T16:51:29.423+01:00Sligo Suppers in the shadow of Benbulben<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8728745880/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/8728745880_c676a86c63.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8728748920/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/8728748920_2e0dba3712.jpg"></img></a><br />
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Carol Anne, Sligo girl, globe trotter and food blogger at <a href="http://carolanneskitchen.com/">Carol Anne's Kitchen</a> completed her 10 week course at the world-famous Ballymaloe cookery school in April. Before she returned to South Africa, where she lives with her boyfriend, she hosted two special culinary gatherings in Grange, north county Sligo. I was thrilled to help her out and be a part of her first experience of catering for a large group (25 people). Although it all happened at the last moment, Carol Anne managed to pull off two successful, fully booked supper clubs, over two subsequent Friday nights. She's some woman, for one woman!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8728752698/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7335/8728752698_de9ddbaa07.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8727875623/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/8727875623_625c454286.jpg"></img></a><br />
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All the vegetables were organic, sourced in the <a href="http://www.theorganiccentre.ie/">Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co. Leitrim</a>. <br />
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<u>Menu 1 (May 10th)</u><br />
<i>Butternut Squash Soup<br />
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Harissa Roasted Chicken<br />
Green Buckwheat Salad<br />
Tzatziki Yogurt Dip<br />
Orange and Fennel Salad<br />
Put lentil stuffed courgettes<br />
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Rhubarb fool with vanilla shortbread</i><br />
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The menu of the first supper club had a mediterranean feel to it. Vegetarians and carnivores were generously catered for. Courgettes are probably one of my favourite vegetables, and in common with most veggies, I adore puy lentils (the caviar of the lentil world). I was able to help myself and scoff some of the food between courses!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8748322739/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8405/8748322739_9744f8dfb5.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8749395277/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/8749395277_b7d8c9eeb0.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8749404703/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5336/8749404703_08145b3e9d.jpg"></img></a><br />
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Carol Anne's delicious sourdough bread made an appearance on both nights. She picked up the recipe at Ballymaloe, and we were privleged enough to enjoy it with some of her mother's homemade Irish butter, delicately flavoured with paprika and garlic. I was a vegan for a couple of months until I moved back home. Soda bread and Irish butter is manna from heaven, if you're Irish.<br />
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<u>Menu 2 (May 17th)</u><br />
<i>Poppadoms with mint chutney<br />
Vegetable Pakora and mango relish<br />
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Slow cooked spiced lamb korma<br />
Roasted vegetable coconut curry <br />
Both served with lemon rice<br />
Coriander flatbreads and Raita<br />
Carrot and fennel salad<br />
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Cardamon infused panna cotta topped with rosewater infused pomegranate seeds (agar was used instead of gelatin for the vegetarians)</i><br />
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The vegetable curry was divine, much better than I've had in some Indian restaurants. The richness of the coconut milk in the curry really came through, combined with the delicate heat of the spices and the moreishness of the butternut squash, parsnip and sweet potato. <br />
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My favourite dish of the two nights was the sublime, cardamon infused yogurt with pomegranate seeds that had been soaked in rosewater. Incredible doesn't cut it! The warmth of the cardamon cuts through the creaminess of the yogurt and your palate was refreshed by the fresh burst of the pomegranate seeds. Quite unlike any dessert I've had in a restaurant before.<br />
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The atmosphere was jovial, many of Carol Anne's friends and acquaintances had come for the evening, as well as curious foodies who'd heard about the night on twitter! The evening sunset lent a twinge of romanticism to the evenings as the setting sunlight illuminated the glasses and plates, as people had animated conversations between courses. Benbulben looked curiously like Ayers Rock from the north of Sligo, as the sun set.<br />
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<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7344/8927224849_8e5e0d535a.jpg"></img><br />
<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/8927837132_4d0607b459.jpg"></img><br />
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<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/8929057605_68a246aa49.jpg"></img><br />
<i>Pictures 1 & 3 via <a href="http://twitter.com/ladydotty">@ladydotty</a> & 2 of Carol Anne in her chef's whites via <a href="http://twitter.com/carolanner">@carolanner</a><br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-13802115347965846212013-05-24T14:35:00.002+01:002013-05-24T16:58:44.810+01:00In Good Hands / Nostalgia and Traditional Irish Craft<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8802355891/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/8802355891_ae0e8b07bf.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8751478930/"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2875/8751478930_3d4c969817.jpg"></img></a><br />
<i>Film-makers David and Sally Shaw-Smith</i><br />
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As a child growing up in the West of Ireland, on the suburbs of a large town, we had the "poverty channels" (how us those of us from outside <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pale">the Pale</a> would later jokingly refer to a childhood spent watching the basic national TV channels). There were only 2 national television stations, Rte 1 and Network 2, the more obscure TG4 and TV3 were later arrivals in the mid 90s. In the pre-Celtic Tiger years, only the more affluent classmates seemed to have the British channels.<br />
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I'm glad my parents refused to budge though, because in the days before our huge, awkward desktop arrived in the early 00s, rainy day television was my only distraction when I'd finished reading all my books. I watched a great many things, my interest in old films and eclectic old documentaries stems from this time (necessity fuels the imagination). By happy coincidence, <i><a href="http://www.irelandstraditionalcrafts.com/">Hands</a></i> was one of those iconic documentaries screened repeatedly by RTE over the years, I watched quite a quantity of them, charmed by the almost skill of the craftsman, many who seemed to be kindly old rural bachelors who spoke in indecipherable heavy Cork accents. Now numbering over 37 documentaries focusing on the survival of traditional Irish craft in the Age of the Machine, in all the 32 counties on the island of Ireland.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8790888347/"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/8790888347_b3138c40d2.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8754575872/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/8754575872_9ede0c7859.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8790884685/"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3768/8790884685_ed90666cfe.jpg"></img></a><br />
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<i>Hands</i> always stuck with me, especially as I later went on to study History and Art History. The nobility of Ireland's rich arts and craft tradition remained as one of my untapped interests. Happily, Lara Byrne, the film programmer at <a href="http://themodel.ie">The Model arts centre</a> in Sligo, arranged for some exclusive screenings of the documentary last weekend, with a Q&A with the directors afterward. The weather was a washout, and unfortunately probably deterred a lot of people from attending, but for those of it who determinedly battled our way through the rain to get there, we were rewarded with an intimate Q&A session with the filmmakers, David and Sally Shaw-Smith.<br />
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Lara made her decisions wisely. We were treated to two thirty minute long documentaries, one on <b>Rushwork</b> – In Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, we see the harvesting of rushes on Lough Ree, curing and making traditional rush baskets and other items (1989). The second, '<b>Of Bees & Bee Skeps</b>' (1983) – winner of the Golden Harp for Ireland and in the museum of Modern Art Collection New York; this arresting and moving documentary records the traditional work of bee-keeping from making a straw skep to catching a swarm, and extracting honey.<br />
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<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5288/5346268207_24617ffc3d.jpg"></img><br />
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5206/5346148453_d87c9b8396.jpg"></img><br />
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5049/5346827786_9f77d89fe9.jpg"></img><br />
<i>(Chairmaker John Surlis, Wool spinning and an Irish tailor, Images via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/handsseries/">David Shaw-Smith</a></i>)<br />
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I can happily report that after watching these documentaries for the first time in many years on a big screen, the authenticity and intimacy of this series has not dated, even though the fashions have! There are 37 documentaries in all, recorded between 1969 and the late 1980s. I love the easy pace of the documentary, reflecting the pace of life in the countryside in which it was filmed. There were a couple of narrators as far as I remember, but the easy, familiar tone of hs voice still is most comforting. I decided to save up to buy the 15 disk complete Hands series at Christmas, but I did purchase a copy of David's beautifully illustrated compilation <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Traditional-Crafts-Ireland-David-Shaw-Smith/dp/050051142X/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369402735&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=traditional+crafts+of+irelan">Traditional Crafts of Ireland</a></b></i>. David and Sally kindly signed it for me, and it is now resting on my beside locker, for me to look through before bed each night! <br />
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<b>'Imbued by a sense of urgency to record crafts in their natural surroundings before they disappeared completely, David and his wife Sally, under contract to RTÉ, travelled the length and breadth of Ireland and it’s islands to assemble this important collection of 37 films on traditional Irish crafts and lifestyles, where the emphasis is on the skills of human hands rather than on machines.'</b><br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MZlPN8i8wX8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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<b>While I would urge people to purchase the DVDs from <a href="http://www.irelandstraditionalcrafts.com/">their official website</a>, while searching Google for images I found a few episodes of 'Hands' available to watch online (and I believe in sharing culture wherever you find it):</b><br />
1. <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xnn2rl_hands-disk-30-rushwork-harvesting-and-weaving-ireland-1983_travel#.UZ4fnLWyCRM">Rushwork</a><br />
2. <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xnnpxv_hands-disk-36-of-bees-and-bee-skeps-staw-l-lipework-full-nideo_shortfilms#.UZ4ezrWyCRM">Of Bees & Bee Skeps</a><br />
3. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLKQgTCVinE">Currach Makers</a><br />
4. <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xnitpq_hands-from-rte-ireland_shortfilms#.UZ4gD7WyCRM">Chairmaker John Surlis</a><br />
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<b>PS. 'In Good Hands' will be a six-part series revisiting some of the families of craftspeople featured in the original 'Hands' series, I believe it is screening on Rte this Sunday.</b><br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-82764504014038543932013-05-19T12:30:00.000+01:002013-05-19T12:30:01.508+01:00Rails, Records and Retro Bakes / The Frivolous Fare<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dottypix/8741443832/in/photostream"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/8741443832_052baa1910_z.jpg"></img></a><br />
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The Sligo Flea started out as the Frivolous Fare. I had a rail at the Christmas fare, and fell in love with the vibe. So when I was asked to carry it on, as the original founder was moving away, I leaped at the opportunity! <a href="http://facebook.com/sligofleamarket">It's been rebranded as the Sligo Flea</a>, and our first flea is on June 22nd. <br />
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It was a great day, the sun was shining, the atmosphere was great. I got a little too caught up in it as I got distracted and someone stole one of my vintage dresses. Besides that hiccup there was records, retro bakes, rails of vintage dresses and plenty of banter!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dottypix/8741482604/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/8741482604_17626cd240.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dottypix/8741435178/in/photostream"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/8741435178_88afc27cab.jpg"></img></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8685945254/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8685945254_57eb68be13.jpg"></img></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8684938529/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8115/8684938529_40c1514924.jpg"></img></a><br />
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When we'd all packed up, I went for a well deserved glass of wine in Source wine bar with my pal Jenny. The wine bar is on the first floor, and affords a great view down O'Connell street, perfect venue for people watching. When you "go for one", it's never just one ... and so we ambled along on the sunny evening to one of my favourite pubs in Sligo for another.<br />
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I wore a 1960s <a href="http://vintagefashionguild.org/label-resource/dollyrockers/">Dollyrockers</a> full length pinafore dress with a plain People Tree cotton tunic underneath. It's not something I'd wear on a typical day, but as I was selling some of my vintage clothing at the fare, I thought I may as well adopt an alter ego. I'm a bit afeared of maxi dresses but I felt the hippie vibes in this.<br />
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<b>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SligoFleaMarket">Sligo Flea</a> will be on June 22nd, check out <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SligoFleaMarket">our facebook page for all the latest info</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SligoFleaMarket">/SligoFleaMarket</a><br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/sligoflea">@SligoFlea</a></b><br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://twitter.com/ladydotty">@LadyDotty</a> for taking the pics and giving me permission to share them! The instagram ones are my own.<br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-76104173614124374782013-05-16T14:02:00.000+01:002013-05-16T14:03:20.265+01:00The Sligo Flea Market<center><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7288/8743360265_f2ed9a368f.jpg"></img><br />
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Despite all my good intentions I haven't been diligently updating the blog, even though I have lots of things I want to share!<br />
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For the moment I'm working on an exciting project in Sligo. The Sligo Flea Market is happening on June 22nd, July 13th and August 3rd. It's going to be a bustling day at The Model Sligo, with all sorts of eclectic stalls selling vintage clothes, local crafts and rare vinyl.<br />
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We are now taking bookings for spots. Visit <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SligoFleaMarket">our facebook page</a> to find out more.<br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-4588790367419483272013-05-06T17:39:00.002+01:002013-05-06T17:43:01.943+01:00SeaTrails / Strandhill, Co. Sligo<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8712067934/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8560/8712067934_1552761200.jpg"></img></a><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.seatrails.ie">SeaTrails</a></b> is a new initative that has recently begun in Sligo, founded by a Sligo-based maritime archaeologist, Auriel Robinson. Seatrails offer a range of guided tours throughout Sligo, focusing on the history, geology and archaeology of the landscape we are so familiar with.<br />
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(Excuse my unashamed use of phone photos throughout this post).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/acertainsmile/8712063524/in/photostream/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8256/8712063524_2800be0fda.jpg"></img></a><br />
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On Saturday, we assembled at 8.15am, by the canon on the Strandhill promenade. The wind coming in from the ocean certainly banished the sleep from our eyes, and we were eager to get moving to warm ourselves up! Auriel began with a brief history of Strandhill village. Where the popular Shells café and Voya seaweed baths now stand, there was once nothing but sand dunes here, until <a href="http://gostrandhill.com/explore/history/the-1800s/">the close of the 18th century</a>.<br />
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We made our way down to the main beach. Along the way we heard about the coastal erosion of the beach, and spied for fossils amongst the rocks on the shore, relics of the 350 million year old sea bed from which they came. Auriel then guided us into the dunes of Strandhill, down to the Shelly 'valley', a large area amongst the dunes, sheltered from the wind, with millions of shells underfoot, blown down from the grasses of the dunes, that serve as a rich food source for all sorts of wildlife.<br />
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Auriel transported us back to the Ice Age, where in the shadow of Knocknarea, we learnt about how the landscape was forever altered by the path of glaciers. Our (Paleolithic) hunter-gatherer ancestors settled here for the rich sources of trout and shellfish. As they lived in huts, little evidence of how they lived day-to-day survives. Dotted along the mountains that surround Sligo, are the highest concentration of megalithic tombs in the world, and the second oldest megalithic tomb in Europe. There's was so much to take in that I couldn't repeat it all verbatim, you'd have to be there!<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8555/8714917230_5af2ac03f4.jpg"><br />
<i>Photo via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shellscafe">Shells Cafe</a></i><br />
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At 9.30am we returned for a 'walkers' breakfast at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/shellscafe">Shells Cafe</a>, there was home made scones, jams, muesli, and orange juice served with freshly brewed coffee.<br />
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<a href="http://www.seatrails.ie">SeaTrails</a> offers locals and tourists the opportunity to lean more about the nature and archaeology of the environment which we co-habit with hundreds of wildlife. Learning why certain things are the way they are in our landscape, from such an educated and enthusiastic guide was a great start to the long weekend. <a href="http://www.seatrails.ie">SeaTrails</a> have a whole range of tours around Sligo, and also take group bookings. Visit <a href="http://seatrails.ie">their website</a> to find out more.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8259/8707230168_f45e62239c.jpg"></img><br />
Afterward we popped into the Sligo Farmer's Market, which also runs on Saturday, selling fresh and organic produce for your Saturday and Sunday lunches!<br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-10866472966221231892013-05-01T13:56:00.000+01:002013-05-01T13:56:18.917+01:00Open Door Sligo / The Masonic Lodge<center><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8541/8694515816_c668a9924b.jpg"></img><br />
A new initative has recently begun in Sligo. <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/OpenDoorSligo?fref=ts">Open Door Sligo</a></b> appears quite covert, mainly because their facebook page is updated sporadically. The idea is similar to the Open Doors weekend, building of historical significance are opened to the public for an afternoon.<br />
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Advance booking is necessary, as space can be limited in some of these buildings. Open Door Sligo had co-ordinated a tour of Sligo's Masonic Lodge last year, and I was disappointed to have missed out, but now I had my chance! Masonic Lodges have always been a source of fascination to most people. Unlike churches and places of worship they remain closed places, accessible only to those who are members of the mysterious brotherhood. Some famous (and unexpected) Freemasons include Oscar Wilde, Clark Gable, Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Peter Sellers. <br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8694466064_b56925705d.jpg"></img><br />
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When we were all seated in the meeting room (where certain decorative features are modelled after the Temple of Solomon), we were given an overview of the Freemasons, and its history in Ireland, by Morgan McCreadie. Morgan is the assistant to the grand secretary of the Irish Freemasons. I had encountered Morgan before, when he spoke at the last <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheTrailblazery">Trailblaze</a> event at Dublin's Masonic Temple. He is a most engaging and charismatic individual, and he did succeed in dispelling some popular myth around the Freemasons. In fact just yesterday he was <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/deconstructing-a-few-secrets-of-the-freemasons-1.1376725">featured in an Irish Times article on the subject of Freemasonry</a>. <br />
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The house itself is in a state of disrepair, and relies on donations from members to fund repairs. You could say that the house was lacking a "woman's touch", as a few odds and ends were scattered untidily among the photos and paraphernalia. Freemasons meetings are first recorded in Sligo as far back as December 1760, but it wasn't until 1895, after years of tireless fundraising, that a purpose built meeting place was built in Sligo town. Jack and William Butler Yeats maternal grandfather, William Pollexfen was a member of the Sligo Freemasons Guild. <br />
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The Masonic Square and Compass, seen here on the front gate, and the clock on the mantlepiece, are recognisable as architect's tools and are used in Masonic ritual as emblems to teach symbolic lessons. No hierarchy exists in the guild, Morgan assured us, these are working men, and these tools allude to that, to the honesty and morality of their work. Freemason's meetings are ritualistic, which sounds somewhat hocus pocus, but really means that they follow a format that has changed since the formation of the brotherhood, which has become ritual. <br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8266/8696857358_4610254a82.jpg"></img><br />
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8694460190_41e79f1e65.jpg"></img><br />
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There are currently 25,000 Freemasons in Ireland today. The Masonic Temple on Molesworth Street is open to the public, within working hours. The Freemasons discretely donate sums of money to various charities, something that is neglected to be mentioned in the press, further enveloping these societies in secrecy. <br />
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The elephant in the room, was the question of why women were still excluded from membership. Morgan gave us a simple, straight forward answer, the subtleties of which escape me now. Essentially, men need a place to gather with their fellow man, in an all male environment, men interact differently than in a mixed environment. Women behave differently together, they are multi-taskers, they make plans, men prefer to relax, knowing what to expect, or something to that effect. I was satisfied with his explanation, I have no desire to become part of the organisation, though now some of the secrecy has been removed, it's not as elusive to me as it once was.<br />
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Elements of their ritual still fascinate me, as the 'Freemasonry' wiki states "Freemasons use signs (gestures), grips or tokens (handshakes), and words to gain admission to meetings and identify legitimate visitors.", well this myth does hold true, as confirmed by Morgan.<br />
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All in all, an afternoon well spent! I'm thrilled to see initiatives like this taking place (this one was hosted by the <a href="http://makepeacepublic.org/tag/sligo-peace-and-reconciliation-partnership/">Sligo Peace and Reconciliation Partnership</a>, which aims to strengthen cross-border relations), arts and culture are underappreciated at local government level, are usually under funded if at all, if the turnout for this event is anything to go by, its doing something worthwhile.<br />
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Find out about future Open Door Sligo events <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OpenDoorSligo?fref=ts">via their facebook page</a>.<br />
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Read more: <b><a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/deconstructing-a-few-secrets-of-the-freemasons-1.1376725">Deconstructing a few secrets of the Freemasons (The Irish Times, April 30th 2013)</a></b><br />
</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-62634727343898631872013-04-27T10:30:00.000+01:002013-04-27T10:30:01.869+01:00Vagabond Vintage at #sligoflea<center><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8523/8683612973_972577e82b_z.jpg"></img><br />
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Today (Saturday April 27th), I'll be selling some vintage clothing at this market, at <a href="http://themodel.ie">The Model</a> Sligo, from 12-5pm. Follow the #sligoflea tag on instagram for loads of pictures throughout the day. You can find me on instagram as <b>illbeyourmirror</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/wantedwanted?ref=si_shop"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7749196870_1a73b7704a_q.jpg"></img></a><br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721530240673009820.post-9934174721649924092013-04-24T11:25:00.001+01:002013-04-24T14:15:31.418+01:00Grave Discoveries / Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum, Dublin<center><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8100/8657267849_6aa432cb00.jpg"></img><br />
A couple of weeks ago, <a href="http://theplathdiaries.blogspot.co.uk/">Maeve</a> and myself made good on our pact to visit <a href="http://www.glasnevinmuseum.ie">Glasnevin Cemetery</a>. I bought a Groupon coupon for discounted entry a few months ago, which I thought was a good way for Glasnevin Museum to generate visitor footfall. <a href="http://www.groupon.ie/deals/south-east/Glasnevin-Museum/20225152" target="new">They're selling Groupon tickets at the moment too</a>. The skies remained a clear, deep blue for the duration of our visit, we were blessed with the weather!<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8657310495_331508b5ce.jpg"></img><br />
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8110/8657315785_40de2bd304.jpg"></img><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud_Gonne">Maud Gonne MacBride</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Larkin">Jim Larkin</a>'s graves<br />
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<b>On April 24th, 1916 the Easter Rising began in Dublin city, and lasted for 6 days, fiercely fought by the Irish Republicans who wanted to emancipate Ireland from British rule. In the end there were casualties on both sides, and Ireland wouldn't achieve its independence until 1922. Some of the most famous figures of the Rising, assassinated for their part in the Rebellion, are buried here at Glasnevin cemetery. <br />
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Glasnevin Cemetery is Ireland's largest non-denominational cemetery, established in 1832 by Daniel O'Connell "The Emancipator". The Penal Laws operating in Ireland at the time prevented Catholics from practising their religious rites publicly. Many Catholics could not afford to bury their dead in consecrated ground. O'Connell sought to redress this state of affairs. Now over 1.5 million of over 12 different faiths are buried here, death being the great equalizer.<br />
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Our tour lasted a little over an hour, they have two public tours every day at 11.30am and 2.30pm, and on different days you are treated to a historical renactment of a particular event at the cemetery. When we were there, we were presented with a renactment of Padraig Pearse’s graveside oratory at the funeral of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenian">Fenian</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_O'Donovan_Rossa">O'Donovan Rossa</a>, in 1915. It was a bit naff, but its probably a good crowd pleaser, and does set the context, particularly if your memory is a little rusty on twentieth-century Irish history. It did put us in the mood for the rest of the tour. Our guide was Niall and he had a special association with the Rising, through his grandfather, who had gotten involved as a volunteer at the age of 15.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8659493394_56bf71011c.jpg"></img><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Casement">Roger Casement</a> was one of the first graves we stopped off at. Casement was an Irish nationalist, anti-imperialist and abolitionist. He was stripped of his knighthood, and executed for treason on August 3rd, 1916, for his involvement in the Easter Rising, this judgment is said to be strictly enforced due to the recent discovery of Casement's "black books" which revealed his homosexual activities. <br />
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We were taken into the O’Connell family crypt underneath the round tower. Visitors were once able to climb the tower, until an Loyalist bomb was planted there in the late 1970s, which destroyed the staircase. The <a href="http://www.glasnevintrust.ie/">Glasnevin Trust</a> is a registered charity, so they rely heavily on visitor income and fundraising. They hope to reinstate the staircase inside the tower at some point in the future. The crypt was recently refurbished, in 2009. The quotations on the wall are said to be O'Connell's dying words; "My body to Ireland, My heart to Rome", which was taken literally, as his heart was taken to what was then the chapel of the Irish College there, now the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant%27Agata_dei_Goti">Sant'Agata dei Goti</a>.<br />
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O’Connell’s coffin takes centre stage once inside the crypt. The macarbe part of me got a thrill at seeing O’Connell’s coffin, which is visible through the marble tableau above it. The interior has undergone a recent restoration with bright murals painting on the walls, outlining key dates in O’Connell’s life.<br />
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Afterward we went to where <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Stewart_Parnell">Charles Stewart Parnell</a> is buried, above the cholera pit. Popular legend speaks of how one of his dying requests was to "bury me with my people", which was honoured, whether this is true or not.<br />
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On the final leg of our tour we were brought to the Republican plot, where the names are so familiar to all of us who’ve come through the Irish primary school system. The plot is simple and unadorned, the grave markers recording only their name, and the dates of birth and death. A young boy was very enthusiastic about this part of the tour, I could empathise, having had an appetite for Irish history when I was in school myself (and retain to this day may I add!). I would love to see more little girls express the same interest, perhaps if the Women of 1916 were celebrated more (watch this space!).<br />
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<i>The Funeral of Harry Boland</i> (1922) by Jack B. Yeats.<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Boland">Harry Boland</a>, an Irish nationalist, was a member of the First Dáil. Boland joined the Irish Volunteers and took an active part in the Easter Rising of 1916. Boland was Michael Collins best friend and right hand man, but their friendship was strained as Boland opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty. In November of 1922, Boland was accosted by soldiers of the Irish Free State Army at a hotel in Skerries, and though he was unarmed, he was mortally wounded and later died from his injuries. At his burial in Glasnevin, no press nor photography was permitted, and thus Yeats' painting is the only pictorial evidence of this event. This painting is held in the Niland Collection at <a href="http://themodel.ie">The Model, Sligo</a>. I had the pleasure of speaking on this work during some summer tours of the gallery I gave last year. You can see the base of the O'Connell monument (as in my first photo) in the picture.<br />
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<i>Michael Collins grave</i> is the most visited grave in Glasnevin, unsurprisingly as it is set apart from the others, close to the Glasnevin Museum building. Personally I wasn't a fan of its position, I'd like to have seen Collins' grave beside his contemporaries. Set apart from the others, the sensitive side of me sorry for the grave, alone.<br />
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The Museum is contained in the basement, and is eerily enjoyable, it includes some quirky coffin seating in the interactive cinema and models of gravediggers, as well as some excerpts of recorded conversations between Glasnevin Gravediggers in a local pub. The mood remains dark and contemplative. There are interactive panels that explain in an intelligent but understandable manner, the philosophies of each of the religious faiths that are buried here. A series of display boxes includes the names of some of those interred there and some items associated with them during their life.<br />
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The museum continues upstairs with an interactive exhibition, and a small display of some O'Connell memorabilia. You can browse through the interactive exhibits and learn about the famous 'residents' of Glasnevin. I like that you have a view of the graveyard in front of you as you do this, a reminder of past, present, and future.<br />
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Glasnevin Museum have a strong social media presence and you can intereact with them on <a href="http://twitter.com/glasnevinmuseum">twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GlasnevinMuseum">facebook</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/glasnevinmuseum">instagram</a>.<br />
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Getting to the cemetery from the city centre is very simple, you can get Dublin bus 140 from O'Connell Street, a bus ticket is around €2.20.<br />
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</center>Zoëhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13196378514902183627noreply@blogger.com3