Ballyvaughan beach in February

The destinations map on the Dublin Airport Destination Map annoyed me the other day when trying to look up routes to Germany. A lovely big interactive map squished into matchbox, effectively. So I pulled out the iFrame link and here it is in fullscreen glory.

Generate your CSS3 border-radius goodness with preview of results and with ease using this handy tool.

Weedle beta kicking off this afternoon.

My native Ballyvaughan and surrounding area of North Clare get featured on No Frontiers this Sunday evening. Curious to see how the place comes across during the hibernation season when pretty much EVERYTHING is closed.

Vimeo Plus Stats for Vimeo Plus users. Looks great, looking forward to a play.

Or IDWCon, rather. I’m only a recent convert, have little idea of what to expect but I’m ecstatic to find out

I thought I’d spread the cheer so I sent it off to Twitter via Pix.ie and I got some responses tagged #viewfrommyoffice…

From @sineadcochrane

From @christianhughes

From @anthonymcg

From @Poetryireland

And last by not least, my view at dusk…

Go Daddy!

He’s too good for words. Have a great one dad, love you lots.

Mariah Carey on cassette

When I go home to Clare, I often find myself taking a trip down memory lane in some way.

Today I was poking around looking for something when I stumbled upon the first musical purchase I ever made. It’s Mariah Carey‘s album Daydream on cassette. A bit scratched and dusty but still playable. Released in 1995, I remember buying it just before Christmas and playing it to death on the giant stereo in the living room to the point where my sister wanted to unravel it.

The musical snob in me is disgusted and disappointed that it’s not something awesome and hip but after listening back to it, I forgive myself – it’s seriously catchy stuff and it is so typical of the era. I’m slightly shocked that I remember nearly all the words and every Mariahesque lilt but then again I’ve always had a weirdly accurate memory for musical things.

Here’s my favourite song from the album (for shame!). I challenge you not to start chair-dancing to it with me. If you’d rather the roller-blade, crop top, 90s-fest video, here you go.

So come on, spill, what was your first album/single you bought? Could it be any more cheesey or embarassing than Mariah Carey?

I heard this song on the radio this morning and have probably listened to it 20 times since. I’d forgotten how much I love his voice, his lyrics, his interpretations of the songs of others and above all his style of guitar playing which happened about when he had to alter his method due to a serious round of tendonitis.

So who is Luka Bloom? Well he’s the younger brother of Christy Moore born Kevin Barry Moore in Kildare in 1955. The stage name is a marriage between Luka from Suzanne Vega’s song ‘My name is Luka’ and Bloom from James Joyce’s Ulysses.

He has released a stack of albums over the years with his own rather unique flavour of folk/soul/jazz running through them. Luka is live in the National Concert Hall this Saturday with Eddi Reader as part of the ESB BEO Celtic Music Festival 09. Check out more of his music on lukabloom.com or say howdy on Facebook.

I happened upon this video below earlier when indulging in some of his live clips on YouTube. It was filmed as part of a documentary about him called ‘My Name is Luka’ a stone’s throw from my house in Ballyvaughan, Co.Clare where he apparently spends quite a bit of time. He talks about how songs can connect people and places even if they’ve never been there before. Got some gorgeous shots of the beach in too – look forward to visiting it at the weekend.

Home

I’m heading home this weekend to relax, repair & shake off the weeks since I was last down there. It’s a strange place, but strange in a positive way. Peaceful, raw, beautiful, easy-going & calm while a vibrant, energetic creative current ripples quietly beneath. A place hard to put into words which is probably why it appears in art & music so often.

I’ve often taken it for granted as is easy to do when you grow up in a place & spend the best part of 17 years waking up to such scenery. I left the place 7 years ago this month & sure enough with every year that passes I enjoy getting back there more & more. Roll on Friday.

Club members including Brendan Gleeson launch the 09 event

Never a dull moment down at home it seems these days! This weekend the annual Burren Marathon Challenge is taking place in my native Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare. Last year over 1,000 people took part in the event and this year they are expecting around 1,500.

The event is hosted & organised by the Ballyvaughan Fanore Walking Club which has grown its membership of 13 to 130 since being founded in 2006. There are 3 different routes to choose from and you can walk/jog/run whichever you feel up to:

• Mini Marathon (6 miles)
• Half Marathon (13 miles & participants must be over 16yrs)
• Full Marathon (26 miles & participants must be over 16yrs)

It’s a fantastic chance to get some fresh Atlantic air into the lungs while taking in some truly amazing scenery. Unfortunately registration closed last week & there won’t be any further registrations made for this year’s event but keep an eye on the Ballyvaughan Fanore Walking Club website for info on their frequent organised walks around north Clare & south Galway. If you are taking part in the marathon this weekend, the very best of luck & don’t forget the hiking boots!

Views on the walk

And for anyone around the area this Saturday, a BBQ and a few sociables will be had in Logues Lodge, Ballyvaughan that evening with entertainment provided by my cousins from Aran, The Mulkerrin Brothers.