The Best Pies in Furness

Brian is enjoying his success on winning the Best Pie in Furness competition on Abbey FM. Here he is posing with some of his staff outside one his bakery shops in Barrow-in-Furness holding the Golden Pie Award. Don't the other pies look delicious? And I can say with personal experience that they taste delicious too!

Brian was also photographed in the North-West Evening Mail. I don't have a copy of the photo, but it is available to view (and buy) by clicking here.

Brian is making the most of his success by advertising on Abbey FM - click the "play" button on the toolbar below to hear his ad - makes your mouth water!

Our Brian Wins Pie Competition!!!

The brother Brian's bakery, Thomas's Bakery in Dalton-in-Furness, has won a Best Pie Competition in Cumbria run by a local radio station - Abbey FM. The competition was organized by the radio station in response to the Hairy Bikers - see the article "Pies in their Eyes" on Abbey FM's web site.

The picture on the left of Brian, my sister Kathleen, and I was taken outside Brian's bakery in Dalton in June 2006. This was during the 2006 European Football Finals in which England were taking part - hence the St George's Cross flag on Brian's van.

The pies were blind tasted in a "Pie-Off" by hairy biker and DJ John Little - click the "play" button on the audio bar below to hear Abbey FM's report on this competition:

Brian was also interviewed by Abbey FM (as well as the BBC!) - below is a short clip featuring Brian's reaction to the result:

I contacted the News team at Abbey who kindly supplied the reports in MP3 format. They also gave me permission to reproduce the clips here - many thanks to Rosie Hillman for sending me the files.

I plan to add more photos and reports on this to my blog. It's not every day that your brother wins a "Pie-Off" competition. Well done Brian!!!

There Will Be Blood

I went along to see the movie "There Will Be Blood" last week while in Cork. Having heard a lot of the hype and reviews, particularly Daniel Day-Lewis's performance, I was expecting a good movie.

I have to say I was disappointed - perhaps because I expected a lot more. It is very long - too long, and I felt there wasn't really that much of a story line to it. It was boring in places and could have been a lot shorter. The "music" was a bit annoying at times, and some of the dialogue was hard to understand - you have to pay attention all the time.

Having said all of this, the performance of Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview is brilliant and is worth going along to see for this alone. As usual, he gets right inside character, and delivers a real tour-de-force of a performance that earned him the Oscar for this role. The acting overall was strong, though Paul Dano as Paul/Eli Sunday is not a believable character.

This movie also won an Oscar for cinematography, which while it is excellent, probably reflects a poor standard in the other nominations.

Dad - 77 years young today!

Happy birthday to my Dad Joe on his 77th birthday today. Dad was born on 31st March, 1931. I called to wish him Happy Birthday and even sang "happy birthday to you" to him which he enjoyed. He is in great form and is keeping busy with growing plants and amateur drama festivals.

The photo to the left was taken just after Dad's 75th birthday in 2006. The framed newspaper page is from The Irish Times on the day of his birth. Long life and happiness to Dad!

Killiney Lions Club Dinner

Last evening, Roma and I went to the annual Killiney Lions Club dinner at Killiney Golf Club. It is our second year attending and it gave me the opportunity to wear my tuxedo as it was a black-tie event. Claire took the photo on the left of the two of us before we headed out for the evening.

I'm not in the Lions Club, but Roma joined the Killiney club about two years ago - she is to be the President next year!

It was a pleasant evening though it was nice to be one of the younger people attending - I'd say the average age was over 60. If the younger Lions Leos group were discounted the average age must have been closer to 70. Everybody at our table was retired, except for Roma and me!

We had a nice meal, not too much to drink, and we even got up to strut our stuff on the dance floor! We met a lot of people - of course Roma knows many more than I do. They are a nice group, but a bit formal with the ceremonial "traditional greeting" (which was a slow hand clap) for guests at the beginning. I expect to be attending a lot more events over the next year while Roma is President - she has mentioned that we will probably be invited to Holyhead in Wales as guests of the Lions club there. Two of the Wales Lions had wonderful dickie bows in the Welsh colours complete with dragon - fantastic!

Being an Invigilator - Boring!

I'm in Cork this week again to deliver the Business Systems Analysis module over two days to 13 students on the NCI Diploma in Business Analysis and Consultancy.

Right now it is just after 09.00 and I am supervising an exam that they are taking for a previous module. I had forgotten how boring it is to be an Invigilator! Of course I'm not supposed to be blogging while supervising an exam. I'm supposed to be watching the students (which I am doing every few seconds). I also supervised an exam last evening - I didn't get finished until 20.30.

I used to supervise exams a lot when I was a Postgrad in Trinity - I even made it to Senior Invigilator! It was boring then too, but at least I got paid for it.

I called Jim O'Callaghan last evening in the hope that we can meet up this evening. It was good to talk to him again. If we don't meet, it is off to the cinema - I haven't been to a movie for a very long time.

Jean Michel Jarre Concert

Last evening Roma and I went to the Jean Michel Jarre concert at the National Concert Hall (NCH) for a performance of his 1977 album Oxygene. Before the concert we had a very nice meal at Peploe's Restaurant on St Stephen's Green where apart from excellent food we also did a little bit of celebrity watching - the actor Gabriel Byrne was at the next table.

The concert was excellent and both Roma and I really enjoyed it. It's been many years since I had been in the NCH - I think the last time I was there was for a concert in which Dad sang as part of a chorus. Can't remember what it was. The first time I was in the NCH building was back in 1977 (the year of Oxygene!) when I sat the National University of Ireland Matriculation Examination - at that time this was a second way (in addition to Leaving Cert) to get to College. I didn't do very well.

JMJ looked great for someone who is 60 years of age later this year. He had three other musicians playing with him. He explained at the start that he played all instruments on the Oxygene album himself using eight-track recording machines. In order to replicate the sound, he would have needed eight hands - hence his three helpers!

All the instruments used, mostly keyboards and synthesisers, were analogue devices - though he didn't say they were all from the 1970's. He did say that you can only get the gear second hand nowadays. I counted 30 separate keyboards! The stage looked like a setting from an old science fiction movie. Lots of knobs and switches - not a computer or any digital device in sight. JMJ moved around each to create the electronic sounds that were very futuristic back in 1977. It was great to see all this old gear in use.

Each part of Oxygene (I to VI) was played without interruption - the first round of applause was at the end. I had listened to the whole album in my iPod earlier in the day to get in the mood - the concert reproduced the album faithfully as far as I could tell.

Midway during the concert, a giant mirror was lowered from above the stage so that the audience had an "aerial" view of the stage - a bit like the picture on the back of the Oxygene album. Fantastic!

For an encore, JMJ played a piece on his own - I would have preferred Oxygene Part IV. Overall, a fantastic concert that I thoroughly enjoyed. Continuer à jouer de la musique Jean-Michel!

St. Patrick's Day All-Ireland Club Championships - Croke Park

Today is St Patrick's Day and Kate and I went to Croke Park to see the All-Ireland Club Championships in hurling and football. We had perfect seats on the half way line with a great view of everything happening. We sat in the wrong seats (18 and 19) beside where we should have been - two others occupied the seats which we had tickets for (20 and 21). The weather was near-perfect - the low sun made looking down towards the Canal End a bit blinding at times.

The first match was the hurling final between Birr of Co Offaly and Portumna of Co Galway. We missed the first goal even though we were only 2 minutes late, but there were plenty of scores to keep us entertained. Birr led until about 25 minutes after which Portumna powered away for an easy win. Final score: Portumna 3-19, Birr 3-09. Star of the show was Portumna's teenage forward Joe Canning who scored 10 points.

Before the football final, we were moved out of our seats by new arrivals who had tickets for the seats we were sitting on - I checked with man occupying "our" seats, but he had tickets with the same seating numbers, but a different section. He wasn't for moving and I asked a steward to check the tickets after which Kate and I finally sat in "our" seats. Moral of the story here - always check your tickets - if you sit in someone else's seat, you will be moved.

The football final between St Vincents of Dublin and Nemo Rangers of Cork was a closer affair than the hurling - St Vincent's winning by 1-11 to 0-13. There were a lot of people supporting "Vinnys" in the crowd of over 31,000.

Despite the sun it was getting cold as we were leaving - Kate in particular felt the lower temperature. All in all, a good day's sporting entertainment and Kate certainly enjoyed her day out.

1,000 miles from Richmond to Sigean

I'm having fun planning my summer holidays on the web. Roma and I are taking Kate, Vicki, and Emma (Bourke) for two weeks to a rented villa in the South of France to the town of Sigean. While Roma and the girls will be travelling by Ryanair from Dublin to Carcassone, I am taking the Harley-Davidson over land and sea!

My planned route is shown below in Google Maps:

View Larger Map

The first leg (Thursday June 26th) is from Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead in Wales. I then cross Wales into England arriving in Portsmouth that evening where I will be staying in the Ibis Portsmouth Centre for the night. It's close to the naval dock where Nelson's HMS Victory is tied up - I'll be sure to check it out.

I have an early ferry from Portsmouth to Caen in France on Friday morning (27th June) which I will follow with about a 250 mile trip to the town of Chauvigny in north-central France. I will be staying in the Hotel Restaurant Le Chalet Fleuri in Chauvigny for the night.

The final leg of the trip (400 miles approx) is from Chauvigny to Sigean where I hope to hook up with Roma and the girls who will have arrived by air the same afternoon. After such a long trip I'm certain that I will find comfort in a cold beer or a glass of the local vin rouge!

Using YouTube

I have started to use YouTube as a resource in some of my classes - I regularly search YouTube, TeacherTube, and Google Video for ideas and short videos to play in class. Hopefully they can be both informative and entertaining - eg, I play the Monty Python Spam sketch when explaining where the term "spam" came from in relation to unwanted emails. They also give me, and my students, a break from my voice!

I also have an interest in podcasting lecture notes for students that they can add to iPods. I discovered a way of creating videos from my PowerPoint presentations using PowerPoint, Windows Movie Maker, and free software from Jodix.

The process is quite simple:

• Create a PowerPoint presentation as normal
• Save slides as JPEG format
• Import JPEGs into Windows Movie Maker (WMM) as a slide show
• Record voice over in WMM while playing slides
• Save everything as a Windows Movie Video (.WMV format)
• .WMV format doesn't work on an iPod (it will play in Windows Media Player), so it needs to be converted to an MP4
• Use Jodix's Free iPod Video Converter tool (available here) to convert .WMV file to .MP4
• Add MP4 file to iTunes and sync with iPod

I have made a video which shows how to do above step-by-step and uploaded it to YouTube. I also have it embedded here – click the play button to activate video.

As I write this I note that the video is quite popular with over 260 views. It has also been linked to by eight other sites.

I create podcasts for one class where I record a short (15 mins approx) video podcast which summarizes my weekly lectures with that class. In addition to the MP4 movie, I provide an audio-only version (MP3) recorded using a free audio recording tool from Audacity in the College’s Learning Content Management System - Moodle. I also make the WMV version available for those who choose to play the video on their computer or if they do not have an iPod.

This is also an (action) piece of research on my part – I intend to survey the students about this before the end of the semester. Who knows, I may even get an academic publication out of it!

Launch of HOG Gaelic Chapter Ireland

On Saturday, 1st March, I went along to the launch of the new Harley Owner's Group (H.O.G.) Chapter, Gaelic Chapter Ireland.

The location was at the new Dublin Harley-Davidson premises in Ballymount. I had a good look around at the new and second-hand bikes. The whole place looked very American, but very good - I liked it. Prices for parts and accessories looked OK too. There are some great looking new bikes, but my own 2003 bike still looked great in the car/bike park outside.

The event was not very well organized. I'd guess there were over 100 people there - a lot of leather and grey hair. It was attended by mostly middle-aged men (like myself) who all share a common bond - a love for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. There was a presentation from a HOG UK manager, but it was difficult to hear what she was saying due to noise and bad acoustics. She also had a presentation which was too small and difficult to see for most people there. Not very informative.

I recognised a few faces from the previous HOG Chapter (Ireland 1 Chapter) of which I was a (mostly inactive) member. I went on a few Sunday ride outs, as well as three St Patrick's Day parades with them (in 2001, 2002, and 2003). I signed up to join this new Chapter and will look out for new events - should be fun. I'd love to do the St Patrick's Day parade again. Though it is hard on the bike's engine, it was fantastic fun.

I'll be re-joining HOG in any case to get HOG Assistance insurance for my summer trip to in France - a "must have" for anyone travelling on the continent.

Cork, and an old friend, re-visited

I was back in Cork last Thursday and Friday to deliver the first day of five a day Business Systems Analysis module to a group of 13 students on the NCI Diploma in Business Analysis and Consultancy. The location was Jurys Hotel - we had a small room for the class which was a bit stuffy and warm. However, thanks to the students, we "mucked in" and got through the day's material. I was satisfied at the end that all were happy with the day's proceedings.

Before going down to Cork I got in contact with an old friend from my Trinity days - Jim O'Callaghan (Jim - if you're reading this, it was great to see you again - you haven't changed a bit!). Jim was one of the first people I became friends with in Trinity. As I recall, we met in College Park in training for the Gaelic football club - most likely in the first week or two of our time in college (this was October 1978). We had many a good time over the next six years and were very familiar with the watering holes around the city centre - especially the Lincoln Inn and the Pavilion Bar.

We went to Jacques Restaurant for a very nice steak dinner - this was after rejecting Jim's suggestion that we go to a vegetarian restaurant close to my hotel. We have only met once (we estimated in 2000 or 2001) for a short lunch in Dublin since the late 1980's, so we had a lot to catch up on. After dinner, we adjourned to the nearby Counihan's Bar where I had a few nice pints of Murphy's ("When in Cork.......!"). We talked about our college days, football, mutual friends, and what we had been doing since graduation. Jim has his own successful company - O'Callaghan Moran & Associates (OCM), which provides provides environmental consulting services to the public and private sector. The main difference between our conversation on Thursday night, and those of our College days was kids - we didn't have any then!

I'll be down in Cork again at the end of March and the end of April - we promised to stay in touch.

In class the next day, I discovered one of my students had worked for Jim - small world!

Higher Diploma in e-Learning Class

It's 18.20 on February 26th, 2008 and in 10 minutes time I have a class with the Higher Diploma in e-Learning students at NCI. Our class tonight is about Wikis and Blogs and I am going to show off my own blog as a "typical" example of Web 2.0 self publishing.

There are plenty of blogs related to on-line education. For example, "The Rapid e-Learning Blog" which publishes hints and tips about rapidly developing e-Learning content - a subject covered earlier this semester in our class. You can subscribe to blogs like this and get and automatic email everytime something new is published on the blog. This is a good way to keep up to date with information. On the down side is the fact that you can subscribe to too many blogs and not read any of them!

Happy blogging everyone!

My reviews at Amazon

A few years ago I started writing reviews of books at Amazon.co.uk. On 21st July 2001 I wrote a review of The Life of Mahatma Gandhi by Louis Fischer, and Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club by Sonny Barger.

As of today - I have written 46 reviews of books, music, gadgets, and movies. I am currently ranked as a Top 500 Reviewer - my position as I write is #364. I have 496 "Helpful votes" from other reviewers, it is nice to know that others found my reviews helpful.

Writing reviews is one of the great features of Web 2.0. You can not only let others know what you think of products, but also I often read reviews before I consider purchasing something written by someone who has already bought the product. Amazon also use this information to help make recommendations to me for future purchases.

Most of my reviews are positive, though I point out rubbish when I see it. To read my reviews, click here.

Places I have visited - by TripAdvisor

This is an interesting and cool tool provided by TripAdvisor for Facebook - (yes I have a Facebook page, but hardly use it at all).

MyTravelMap allows you to mark places you have visited - it is very accurate. All you need to do is click on a map provided by Google, and MyTravelMap does the rest.

Here's my map....

As you can see I have not been outside of Europe or North America much - just India (on business with SmartForce in 2001) and Morrocco on holiday.

Other countries I have been to: Canada, USA, England, Wales, Scotland, Holland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Germany, Croatia (when it was Yugoslavia - 1986 on my honeymoon), and Greece.

Other countries I'd really like to go to: Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Israel, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. There are sites that allow you to mark "Places to see before you die" - I think I'll add a few!

Return to Cork

I paid a quick visit to Cork City last Friday (15th February) to deliver a one-day Tutorial for students taking the NCI Diploma in Business Analysis and Consultancy. I'm going to be back again three times over the next couple of months to deliver a full module on the same Diploma programme.

I travelled down the previous day which of course was Valentine's Day. I missed my darling Roma, but I had cleverly hidden a card and a small present for Roma under her pillow so that she would find it when she went to bed. Am I a romantic or what?

Unfortunately my surprise didn't work as she spotted that the bed had been made earlier in the evening and so she checked under the pillow. Am I like an open book or what?

In Cork that evening I stayed in Jurys on the Western Road which is almost at the centre of the city. I went for a walk and found that the city centre was very active with (mostly) young couples out for the evening. I took a long walk so see the city centre as I am not familiar with Cork. I walked up St Patrick's Street and was reminded of the occasion in the summer of 1971 when Mum and I went to Cork to get me a school uniform and sports gear for Trabolgan (see previous blog entry below). Cash's (now Brown Thomas) was the shop on St Patrick's St that had everything. We didn't have uniforms in Carnew National School, so this was a first for me - all very exciting. I remember that the colour of the jumpers was purple, and that the football jersey was the same colour (maroon) as the Galway GAA strip. I told my students this and they had a good laugh.

Cork has changed a lot since 1971 - a very cosmopolitan city. It also has a traffic problem - the Western Road and city centre are dire. I was stook in my car, wishing I had my Harley.

Ireland 0 - Brazil 1

I attended the Ireland vs Brazil friendly football match last evening at Croke Park. I had an excellent seat just on the half way line for a great view of the match. The ground wasn't quite full, but I'd guess there were over 60,000 at the game.

Hill 16 was set aside for the Brazilian fans who really did create a carnival atmosphere and lots of colour. It was cruel that they were exposed to the rain which dampened their spirits a little bit in the second half.

As it was a friendly game I did not expect too much serious football. The Brazilians owned the ball for most of the game, but our lads defended well and limited their chances. There was some skill and trickery, but not all from the Brazilians - Celtic's Aidan McGeady also got the crowd going with some fancy footwork.

The game was settled with one goal in the 67th minute. In the period before the goal, Ireland were actually doing well, with Damian Duff getting on the ball a lot and passing defenders with ease. The crowd (me included) started chanting "Olé" for every Irish pass - we were getting cocky, but the "Oooooh" came when Duff lost the ball in their penalty area. Seconds later the ball was in the Irish net after a lightening break and a cool finish from Robinho - super goal.

Curiously, a lot of people started leaving the ground with 15 minutes to go. In the section where I was seated the seats were €55 each, the best team in the world were playing, and Ireland were only 1-0 down and giving a good account of themseleves. Why do they bother turning up in the first place?

One of my heroes - former Ireland and Preston North End goalkeeper Alan Kelly, was honoured at half time with an Eircom Legend Award. He wasn't there to collect it himself (Alan Kelly Junior collected on his behalf).

Overall, a good night's football. Sadly, it was flagged well in advance that Ronaldinho wouldn't be playing. Even worse, Kaka pulled out the day before the match - I felt a bit cheated and wondered if there was any intention on their parts to play at all. These guys could fill a stadium on their own. Kaka was even on the programme cover!

Who's that beside Eugene O'Loughlin?

For five years (1972 - 1977) I attended boarding school at Cistercian College Roscrea (CCR). I have reasonably happy memories of the School, though these are fading somewhat over time. I sometimes try to think of what I did each day during those five years - memories have faded over the last 30 years. The picture to the right (click on it for larger view) is our class photo taken at the end of 6th year - that's me in the middle of the second row from the back. Look at the three-piece suit, and the hair!

My good memories of CCR were: listening to football commentaries on BBC Radio 2 on Saturdays, playing in goal, saving a penalty, films on Sunday nights, visits from my parents, any trip outside the school, golf, coming second in a debating competition, Niall Duff, French classes, the bread, being in the Guest House Dorm in 5th year, being a prefect in 6th year (nearly everyone was!), common rooms in 5th and 6th year, shows and plays.

My not so good memories of CCR were: the food (except the bread), bullying by older boys (especially one Kerry bastard), missing home, the cold and having to wear a coat, cold water for washing (until 5th year), rugby, running out of clean socks (laundry was only once a week), getting thrown out of the Guest House Dorm in 5th year, the toilets, Fr Éanna, being caught with a "dirty" book.

One thing I should point out in the photo above - the lad to my left. Can you guess who this is? I sometimes bore people who visit the house with showing them the photo and asking the same question.

The lad is a very slim and youthful Brian Cowan - our current Minister for Finance and most probably future Taoiseach. He was a popular boy in CCR, very bright, good in class, and an excellent sportsman - I liked him. There was nothing in my mind back then that would have singled him out as a future Taoiseach. His father (Ber) was TD, but I didn't know this at the time.

Two of the other lads are sadly dead. Kieran Egan (5th from right in 3rd row) died in a car accident in the early 1980s. Enda Nolan (2nd from left in 3rd row) died of cancer last year. Of the others - I rarely meet any of them other than at a re-union. Mark Ryan (4th from right on back row) works in Accenture in the IFSC near NCI - I've bumped into him a few times. I occasionally meet Barry O'Shea (2nd from right in back row) - last time was at a coin fair in the RDS. I've met Liam Lenihan (fourth from right - second row) a few times as he is married to a daughter of a friend of my in-laws. The next meeting could be at the traditional 40th anniversary re-union gathering in 10 years time.

Irish School in Trabolgan and Sleeping with a Tenor

From September 1971 to June 1972 I attended an Irish speaking school called Scoil na nÓg (School for the Young) which was located in Trabolgan, Co Cork. It was a boys only school with about 60 students, which was run by two teachers (a Mr Kelly and a Mr O'Riordan). It was an excellent preparation for Secondary School where I learned lots of Irish - I even graduated with a Fáinne Nua (a pin worn by speakers of Irish). In Trabolgan I was known by the Irish spelling of my name - Eoin Ó Lochlainn.

The School no longer exists as it was closed in 1973 - my brother Joe was in the last ever class. Even the building, which I remember was a very old house with huge pillars at the front, is gone. I revisited the location a few years ago and found no trace of the old School. This location is now better known as Trabolgan Holiday Village. The school was a great location for 11/12 year old boys - it was beside the sea at the entrance to Cork Harbour, there were lots of woods about with plenty of bamboo shoots which made great swords and spears. We played lots of football and hurling and generally had a good time.

On my first day I was shown to my bedroom which I was to share with another boy who had not yet arrived. As the room had bunk beds I naturally put all my stuff on the top bunk to reserve it. Later on in the evening at bed time I met my room mate for the first time and I said to him that I hoped he didn't mind that I had taken the top bunk. He said "not at all" and told me that he wouldn't have been able to use the top bunk in any case. What happened next was quite shock for an 11 year old - the boy knocked on his shins which made a hollow sound. He had artificial legs! I had never seen or heard of this before. He removed his "legs" and showed me his thalidomide affected short legs. He had three toes on each foot which he called Curly, Larry, and Moe on one foot - Turny, Fuffo, and Jinks on the other.

This boy was none other than the now well known tenor - Ronan Tynan. We shared a room for the year 1971-1972 and I soon got over the shock on the first night. In his autobiography he mentions the school (though not me!) and he tells the story of playing football in his wellingtons which I remember well. The picture on the right is taken from Ronan's web site.

I have only met Ronan once since 1972. During my college days in Trinity (I'm guessing about 1985) I was walking through College Park when somebody called out "Eoin!". Curiously, I turned around to see Ronan - we had a great chat, he was doing Medicine in Trinity and by this time he was reasonably well known for his achievements in Para-Olympics. We promised to keep in touch, but never did. I have his Christmas "Irish Tenors" album which I play every year. I don't recall him singing or even being musical at all in school - but then again we were only 11 or 12 and our voices had not yet broken!

One of my favourite memories of Scoil na nÓg was during a History class. Our teacher was Mr O'Riordan who struck terror in our hearts every time he mentioned that the next subject was "Stair!" (history). He had a habit when testing us of asking each boy a question - if you got it right, he moved on to the next boy, if you got it wrong - you had to stand at the back of the class. The classroom was arranged in three lines - I was towards the end of the middle line. Mr O'Riordan started out with a few questions and after about three boys in the front row had been asked a question he asked the next "Who was the leader of the 1798 Rising in Antrim?". I knew the answer, but there was nearly two rows of boys to go before I would have got asked. One by one, the boys could not answer the question and as Mr O'Riordan got closer to me I was starting to hope that maybe nobody would know the answer. Finally, it was the turn of the boy next to me - and I was hoping he would not know the answer. He didn't, and was sent to the back of the class. My turn - I answered "Henry Joy McCracken" (that's him pictured on the right) and a sigh of relief went up from the boys after me as it was the correct answer. I was a hero!

Treasures of the Deep

The Sunday Press, 14th June, 1987

In the summer of 1987 I was part of a diving expedition to search for artifiacts from the lost ship "The Aid" which was wrecked close to the shore at Killoughter in Co Wicklow.

The photograph above was taken a few weeks before the expedition started as part of a publicity campaign. The photo was taken in front of the Dept of Zoology building and I happened to be around to be included - it was published on the back page of the now defunct Sunday Press on 14th June, 1987.

The 10-day expedition was a partial success. Some parts of the wreck were found, but the main body of the ship was not. It had previously been discovered by members of the Dublin University Sub-Aqua Club, but despite extensive searching we failed to locate it. We found lots of ballast stones and a few rusted bits. Probably the most interesting item was a broken lead tube of the type used to transport valuable paintings - it was rumoured that The Aid was carrying a Carrivaggio.

We had a mix of camping and staying in a local B&B - the campsite was located on the beach. There were about 20 people on the expedition altogether.

What I remember most was the heat and the algal bloom that occured just as we started. The bloom spoiled all our ropes and reduced visibility a lot. The sea current was very strong, so diving was confined to mid-tide. On one occasion I was washed down along the beach. I felt safe as I had a life jacket as well as my dry suit on - after a few minutes the expedition's came to the rescue. I wasn't really in any danger, but it did give us a reminder as to what the dangerous current can do. There were some follow-up expeditions, but I did not take part in any.

The article that accompanied the picture was written by Colm Keena, now a well known Irish Times journalist. He also graduated in Zoology the same year (1983) as me - small world.

There is also a report on the expedition in the Database of Irish Expedition Reports web site.

My Motorbike History

Honda 50

My brother Joe bought a Honda 50 from Damian Doyle of Carnew in 1977 so that he could use it to go to school in Bunclody. In one of those "small world" coincidences, Joe's son Niall goes to school with Damian's son Harry in Bunclody!

Of course, I got to ride the Honda 50 as well - I didn't know at the time how uncool this was, or that it would be the first of several bikes that I would ride. I remember feeling particularly cool once when riding home in the dark smoking a cigarette. The tobacco burned down inside the cigarette paper as the wind blew in my face. I was only 18 or 19 at the time, so to me this was cool!

The picture here was taken during a family summer holiday in Cork on which Joe took the bike. As well as the Honda 50, the picture features my Mum, Joe, our dog Pheobe, and me in very fetching flares!

Honda CD175

After the above Honda 50 Joe bought a new Honda CD175 - the picture shows Joe and me with the bike on the day he bought the bike (note plastic still on seat). Look at that hair! The bike is not yet registered - it was later to get the number 8923 NI. I still have the registration book. In the background is a Renault 4 van in which I learned to drive.

Joe bought a car within a few years - I think in 1980 and this bike "became" mine. I loved it and took it to Dublin while I was in Trinity. My landlady, Mary Dillon-Kelly, used to allow me to park it in her front hall! I used the bike to commute from Drumcondra to Trinity, and also going up and down home to Ballingate.

Sadly, this bike was stolen on 8th December, 1981. At the time I was staying in Rooms in Botany Bay at Trinity and used to park the bike in the shed beside the tennis courts. The previous evening I had returned from Ballingate and I remember the weather was really bad. To this day I am not certain that I locked the bike properly - so it was possibly easy to steal. I reported the theft to Pearse St Gardaí, but no trace was ever found. My motorbiking days were over for 18 years.

Honda 250N Nighthawk

In September 1999, the QBC on the Stillorgan Road was opened. The significance of this is that my morning commute from Blackrock to Clonskeagh was doubled in time as I used to use the inside lane to drive to work in my car. I didn't have the patience for this. One day I said to Roma "I should get a motorbike again" and guess what - she said "Why not!". In October 1999 I turned 40 years of age - some people think that there is a link here!

I went to a bike shop on Pearse St and after looking at several bikes I settled on a Honda 250N Nighthawk. It was blue and was the same as the one pictured here. I had it for a few weeks before I got a licence and insurance. My first trip on it (to Deansgrange) was very strange and wobbly! It took a lot of getting used to - soon however, I was riding like a natural and started the work commute soon after. One problem with this bike was that it was very light and used to fall over in strong winds when parked. Happy days - I loved the "freedom" that a motorbike provides and was delighted to be back on two wheels again.

Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Hugger

In January 2000 I was on a SmartForce trip to Scottsdale in Arizona. Now that I was a biker again I decided to visit a bike dealer near the Hotel - Harley-Davidson naturally. I was mesmerised by the colour and style of the Harleys - beautiful machines. I didn't have the courage to hire one. I did buy a denim jacket in the shop and I do remember joking with the Shop Assistant "I suppose I'll have to buy a Harley in order to wear this". I never had a denim jacket before and this was my reason for buying one. I also promised myself that I would investigate Harleys on my return to Dublin.

I visited Harley-Davidson Dublin soon afterwards and was interested in two second-hand Sportsters. However, they were expensive - one was almost £5,000, while the other was over £5,500. A new one was about £8,000 - so I decided to go for it. I bought a white 883 Hugger like the one pictured here. I was warned that everyone who buys a Sportster sooner or later wants one of the big Harleys.

My longest trip on this bike was to London for the "Last Ever CBT Systems Party!" in October 2002. This was just after SmartForce was taken over by Skillsoft and I had already applied for voluntary redundancy. It took me most of the day to get there and I had a severe hangover for the return trip.

I customized this bike a lot. But on my last trip to Scottsdale in Arizona I hired a Fat Boy and was bitten by the Big-Twin bug. With 2003 - the centenary year for Harley-Davidson - around the corner I decided that I would buy a centenary model Heritage Softail Classic.

Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic

This bike is the King of Bikes and is my most favourite thing that I possess. I ordered it in 2002 for January 2003 delivery so that I would have a special centenary edition. I spent a big chunk of my SmartForce redundancy money on this bike - but it was worth every penny. It looks just like the stock photo here. My number plate is 03 D 1903. You'll see elsewhere in this blog that I have travelled quite a bit on it.

I have added quite a bit of custom material to it. I have changed the pipes, added light covers, and lots of pieces of chrome. It has cost a hell of a lot to maintain - tyres are expensive, I have also torn the drive belt, and once destroyed a new tyre with less than 500 miles on it by riding over a metal peg in Booterstown. I would still like to customize it some more - I'd like higher handlebars that would help me to sit straighter on it. A new saddle would also help.

I don't think I'll ever change this bike for another - it's my dream bike! I don't know what will happen to it when I stop riding. I have promised it to Kate, or maybe I'll have some Grandsons who might be interested in it.

Newspaper Clippings

All three of my daughters had notices of their births in The Irish Times. Claire (27th August, 1988), Kate (1st May, 1991), and Vicki (3rd May, 1995) were all born by Caesarean section in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.

I don't have a copy of Claire's birth notice, but here are the ones for Kate and Vicki.

I kept the newspaper of Vicki's date of birth and the paper in which this notice appears. I only have a (torn) cut out of the notice of Kate's birth.

I also have had one letter published in The Irish Times on 10th March, 1990. I had been working in CBT Systems in Mount Street at the time and used to cycle from Rathfarnham to work on most days (this was before we got a second car, and long before I got a motorbike).

To be honest, I'm not sure how many punctures I got, or if they were all in February - but there were a lot! I spent a lot of time repairing punctures in the cold - there were all caused by glass. I have always been facinated by the "Is this a record?" letters to the Editor of The Irish Times and decided to have a go myself. Much to my surprise the letter was accepted and published!

Ballingate House Upper - Where I Grew Up

I grew up in the townland of Ballingate which is about three miles from Carnew in Co. Wicklow, and five miles from Bunclody in Co. Wexford. It is located here. Mum and Dad built the house where they now live in 1960 and moved in during September that year when I was almost one year old.

The house was built on the site of Ballingate House Upper - I don't recall seeing any photographs of it. For years as kids we played on the rubble of this house which was in a field between the farm and the main Carnew-Bunclody road - this mound of rubble is now gone. I know that the roof of the house was removed due to taxes - I believe in the 1930s or 1940s. Once this happened, the house fell into ruin and was demolished. Much of the outhouses and sheds still survive - they were used over the years as garages, hen houses, and store rooms. Mum and Dad now have their growing room for plants in one of these old sheds.

I came across a reference to Ballingate House Upper on the Buildings of Ireland website. This does not contain much information, but it does have two pictures that are interesting:

The first is a modern aerial photograph that I know is a few years old - this is because you can see two shadows of two Monkey Puzzle trees to the east of the farmyard. One of these trees fell down several years ago - much of the valued timber is now part of the stairs in my sister Kathleen's house in Kells, Co Kilkenny. Click on the photo thumbnail to see the photo on the Buildings of Ireland website.

The second picture is a reproduction of an Ordinance Survey map. Few features of the designed landscape shown on the 1836 - 1846 OS map are visible in aerial photography. It is almost unrecognisable as the house and buildings are long since gone. The layout of the surrounding fields is largely unchanged except that Dad had much of the trees cleared in the 1960s and 1970s. The two fields to the south of the house are part of a hill which is now covered in forestry. Click on the map thumbnail to see the map on the Buildings of Ireland website.

I have printed off a copy of the map and sent it to my Dad to see if he has ever seen it before. I know there is an early 20th century map in Ballingate which no doubt is very similar.

Where is my Grand Uncle Charlie?

Recently, while out for a walk in Dean's Grange I decided to locate the grave of my Grand Uncle Charlie (Monsignor Charles Hurley) while passing the local cemetery. He was my paternal grandmother's brother and I remembered his funeral being to this cemetery.

At the cemetery office I enquired if they had a map of all the graves and if it was possible to locate a grave knowing only the name and not a date. The office only has hand-written paper records of burials. A very kind lady offered to look through the books if I could tell her a rough date. We started in 1978 and worked our way through to 1985, but without success. Sadly, no luck that day. It is pointless searching for one grave in such a large cemetery and I continued my walk.

I decided to Google "Monsignor Charles Hurley" to see if there was any detail on the Web about him. I found a reference to him on the University Church website as follows:

Clergy Attached to University Church - 1856 to 2006

Monsignor Charles Hurley - 1960 to 1974. Mgr Hurley died in 1980.

I didn't know he was associated with University Church - I know he was Parish Priest in Harrington Street and in Ballybrack.

At least now I know the year he died and can go back to Dean's Grange cemetery and look up the 1980 books in more careful detail.

Outcome of this search will be posted here.

Proud of my Mum!

Long-standing Carnew Musical Society member feted

Mum made the Gorey Guardian Newspaper on June 24th, 2004 after winning the award for Unsung Hero at the Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS) Awards ceremony in Killarney the previous weekend.

The full article (minus photo which is only in the printed version of the newspaper) can be accessed here.

This photograph is an especially good one of Mum taken by a professional photographer in the sitting room at home in Ballingate for the newspaper.

Mum also plays bridge a lot and wins prizes too - here's one of several short articles that she is mentioned in having won First PRize!

We're all very proud of you Mum!

Lifeboat in two alerts - 1986

I'm on a roll in posting items on my blog - here's one about the time I made the Evening Press newspaper on 21st April, 1986, but for all the wrong reasons.

In the year up to when I got married, I lived in an apartment with my brother Brian on Strand Road on Sandymount. The sea was literally across the road. On a cold windy day Brian and I decided to go wind surfing.

We got on well and at one stage met for a chat quite far out to sea. We decided to swap boards - this was not a good idea. I was having difficulty with the new board falling in a lot. Brian of course headed off into the distance showing me how it was done! Needless to say I was getting tired - I also had a thin wetsuit on, and I was also getting cold.

Now the wind picked up, and it was an off-shore breeze. The tide was also going out - Eugene was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't know it at the time but I was in great danger of drowning.

I kept trying to get the sail up on the board, but tiredness and cold (especially my hands) meant that I kept falling back into the sea. I was determined not to leave the board and to try to make it back to shore - so I decided to try to make my way back. The sea was shallow enough for me to walk, but with the wind and the tide in the wrong direction for me I was quickly blown further out to sea. Now I was getting worried. Brian could see I was in difficulty and bravely came out to me - I was never so glad to see him. We decided that he would go back to shore and get help - I was definitely scared when he left.

It's a weird feeling being on your own in Dublin Bay surrounded by a million people who don't know your life is in danger. Little did I know it, but several people on the shore saw that I was in difficulty and phoned the emergency services - this was in the days before mobile phones.

At this stage I could just about stand on the sea-bed on my toes and keep my face above water. The wind was in my face and was also whipping up the waves - splashing me with cold water. I'm certain hypothermia was setting in - I got the feeling of euphoria that is often associated with the cold.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I could stand firm and the water was only up to my waist - I had come to a sandbank. Now it was a lot easier to move. I could now work my way back to shore by staying in the shallower water - what relief. Brian came rushing out from the shore and took my board and sail - I could barely carry them. We were greeted at water's edge by a Garda in bare feet with his trousers rolled up to his knees! Despite my ordeal, I thought this was the funniest thing. He told me that there had been five separate calls to the emergency services and that the Dún Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat was out to sea looking for me. He was quickly satisfied that there had been a genuine danger and let me go back to my appartment across the road. I quickly got the wetsuit off and climbed into bed with two quilts to warm up. Roma came with glucose to speed the process up and in a short time I felt well enough to get up. She was not happy with me getting into such danger only five months before our wedding!

Ths clipping above, which I still have, reminds me of my mortality. Though I never met the RNLI crew who were looking for me, I have since had a great respect for these volunteers who sometimes have to put to sea to rescue people who do stupid things like going out windsurfing on a cold windy day.

Wicklow People 21st November 2007

Mum and Dad are in this week's Wicklow People Newspaper. They are pictured (right) with Pat Sheppard, their long time very dear friend.

This year also marks the 40th Anniversary of Carnew Musical Society of which both Mum and Dad have been active members since day one. Dad, along with other Society colleagues, was also recently interviewed on Wicklow radior station East Coast Radio. Unfortunately, ECR don't podcast their programmes and I missed the interview. Maybe I'll catch the 50th Anniversary celebrations!

The picture was taken in Jim Byrne's Lounge which is on the Main Street in Carnew. You can't see it, but no doubt there is a creamy point of the black stuff on the table in front of Dad!

My Grandfather PJ O'Loughlin and the GAA

My Grandfather PJ O'Loughlin (mentioned in one of my other blogs) was a great GAA man and loved to be part of organizing games - in effect, he was one of a small army who helped to run the GAA, especially in his native Newmarket in Co Cork, and in Carnew in Co Wicklow. None of his children or grandchildren were to follow his footsteps into getting involved in running the GAA, though some of us did grace the football and hurling fields (I played football for FCJ School in Bunclody, and for the 2nd team in Trinity).

There's not much on the web about PJ. I first came across a website with his picture when looking to buy a Christmas present of a Wicklow GAA jersey for my brother Brian. Given Wicklow's lack of success, their jerseys are not much in demand and are hard to get! While looking at the Leinster GAA website, I came across an archive of old photographs. Much to my surprise, there is PJ pictured beside the victorious Junior All-Ireland winning Wicklow team in 1936 in his capacity as County Secretary.

PJ O'Loughlin was County Secretary of the Wicklow GAA from 1935 to 1940 - he is listed under the Irish spelling of his name (P.S. Ó Lochlain) on the History page of the Wicklow GAA website. Interestingly he is listed as being from Tomacork - this is the parish where he, my Dad Joe, and I grew up (and I served Mass in Tomacork church!). There was no GAA team in Tomacork - Carnew Emmets are the local team which PJ was involved with.

The only other place on the web that I found a reference to PJ is on the website of the local GAA team in his native Newmarket. It was a strange story that led me to find another picture of him - this time with the 1927 Newmarket football team.

Here's how I came across this picture: A Newmarket man called Dan Casey contacted my father who was looking for a death certificate for my Dad's aunt Mary O'Loughlin (who died in the 1940's). Apparently proof of her death was required in relation to a local right-of-way issue. During their conversation, Dan told my Dad that there was a picture of PJ on the Newmarket website. Dad has no access to the Internet so he asked me to look it up for him. I found the picture but did not see a great resemblance between a man in the photo called "Paddy O'Loughlin", and the 1936 photo mentioned above. I used the contact form on the website to enquire further and to see if I could get a hard copy of the photo. A man called Timothy Hourigan responded and was very helpful - offering to send me a copy of the photo. We swapped many emails and it turns out that Timothy and I are third cousins! His great-grandmother Bridget O'Loughlin is my great-grandfather's sister. Timothy's sister, Catherine, started this picture hunt as she mentioned to Dan Casey to say it to Dad that there was a picture of PJ on the Newmarket GAA website. It's a small world!

Anyway, I showed a copy of the photo on my computer to my Dad who instantly recognised his father. He also told me that though he was always known as PJ, that my grandmother (Kathleen) called him "Paddy". Timothy kindly sent a hard copy of the photo to my Dad. Timothy also amended the caption on the photo to refer to my grandfather as "PJ" instead of "Paddy" O'Loughlin.

Wedding Message for Eugene and Roma - 13th September, 1986

On my wedding day (13th September, 1986), Roma's cousin Anne-Elizabeth Bourke sent a request to RTÉ radio for the Val Joyce Show. It was played just before our wedding took place - I was in the church (waiting), while Roma was an her way to the church (keeping me waiting!). Neither of us heard the request. Fortunately, Anne-Elizabeth recorded the message onto a cassette tape from the radio and gave us the tape several weeks later. It was a nice thought on a special day for us. We kept the tape and some years ago a work colleague copied it onto a computer and created a WAV version which I have converted to MP3.

To hear this message (22 secs) click on the "Play" button on the toolbar below:

Wedding Message for Mum and Dad - 22nd October, 1958

My maternal grandparents, Paddy and Kathleen Byrne, emigrated from Dublin to Toronto, Canada, in 1957 and were unable to attend my parent's (Joe O'Loughlin and Phil Byrne) wedding in Dublin on 22nd October, 1958.

Instead, they recorded a wedding message on a 78 RPM vinyl record which is still in the possession of Joe and Phil. I'm told it is the only known recording of their voices.

In May 1999, I had the 78 digitized and professionally copied onto a CD-ROM.

The message is one minute and 50 seconds long. To listen to Paddy and Kathleen's wedding message to my Mum and Dad, click on the "Play" button on the toolbar below:

listen to ‘Canada Calling 22nd October, 1958’ on Audioboo

My Grandfather’s Ice Cream

When Croke Park was opened up to rugby and soccer this year I thought of my grandfather, P.J. O’Loughlin, who died in 1965. Originally a Cork man from Newmarket, he was a GAA man through and through, and was County Secretary of the Wicklow GAA from 1935 to 1940. My father commented recently that you could generate electricity from him spinning in his grave at the thoughts of the hallow turf in Croke Park being invaded by so-called “foreign games”. Equally, he would not have comprehended the advent of the Internet. Recently, I was looking up the Leinster GAA web site on the Internet and quite by accident I came across a photograph of the victorious Wicklow team who won the 1936 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship. Much to my surprise, there was my grandfather, in his capacity as County Secretary, posing with the team. None of us in our family recall seeing this photograph before. It was a strange feeling to discover this photograph on the Internet for all the world to see, over 40 years after my grandfather’s death.

I have very few personal memories of my grandfather. He taught me how to tie my shoelaces – I still tie my laces in the way he showed me. I also remember the tricolour draped coffin at his funeral, and the shots over his grave – the first time I ever heard gunfire.

However, my favourite memory is of the occasion that he brought me to Croke Park for my first All-Ireland Final in the early 1960’s as a small boy. No doubt he wanted the GAA tradition to be kept in future generations of our family and he was starting me early. I was only 4 or 5 years old – the year was either 1963 or 1964, I don’t know which. I do know it must have been before June 1965 when he died.

I recall practically nothing of the occasion which must have been a very exciting one for a small boy – no memories of the trip from Carnew in south County Wicklow to Croke Park, if I was lifted over the turnstiles as was then the fashion for small children, what the atmosphere at the match was like, or the trip home. I have no recollection either of what teams were playing that day, who won, or what the score was. Indeed, I don’t even recall if the game was football or hurling.

The only thing I remember about the occasion was that at the end of the game as the crowd filtered out, my Grandfather climbed over several rows of empty seats to an ice cream seller. He came back to me with a small tub of ice cream, which had no little wooden spoon to eat it with. When I announced that I could not eat the ice-cream for lack of a spoon, he quickly showed me how to use the lid as a scoop and I savoured the moment, and of course the ice cream. An unforgettable memory!

Years later (in 1998), I was listening to The Gay Byrne Show on the radio – Gay was hosting a discussion about the previous evening’s Paul McGrath Testimonial football match at Lansdowne Road. There was a lot of discussion and some complaints from callers about the cost of tickets and that many children had to have the full adult price paid for them.

One caller told us that he had brought his young son to the match for the price of an expensive full adult ticket. When Gay asked him why on earth he had done this, the caller responded that he wanted his son to be able to say that he had seen Paul McGrath and many other stars play, but most important of all was that he would be able to remember that he was there.

In words that turned back the clock and instantly transformed me back over the years to Croke Park and my Grandfather’s climb for ice cream, Gay responded to the caller by saying: “If you want him to remember that he was there, buy him an ice cream after the match”.