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Moves
Some of you will ‘get’ this… What you see (part of) has been our teenage childrens’ den, a home to a huge flowing cast of their very welcome friends and my ‘study’ where I sweat buckets for a Master’s Degree. It’s almost 25 years since we moved and we’re on the move out soon. A…
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Mancini – Ghosts Of Stanford Green
Mancini have fashioned a collection of fine music here, a fecund memory vault, a soundtrack to a reverie, dark with a hint of sky, nudging at the fringes of memory. The songs hit hard, or simmer, layers underpinning the vocal, washes of instruments bringing forth strong lyrics, some breathing, taking their time, some a short…
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Pillow Queens – Set Theatre – 09/03/2022
Pillow Queens came to Kilkenny to fulfil a previously postponed gig. Thanks to a good friend and a change in both of our plans, I managed to get along. I’ve been a fan of their work for some time and have played each of their releases in the past number of years. I’d enjoyed their…
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Father’s Day 2020
Like a good number of fathers of my acquaintance I forgot all about Father’s Day this year until our son and daughter mentioned it on the past few days and sent messages. If all goes well we’ll meet up, socially distantly and mark the day. This year has made us take stock, figure out the…
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Almost 6 months old…
In the recent few months I have met and held our first grandson. This smiling, happy child has captivated me in a way that I had expected, and, if I’m honest, has also captivated me in a way I had not expected. that’s down to dates and my own circumstances. I’ll come back to that. …
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Harry – Eulogy (12/7/2025)
This is one of the hardest pieces I have ever had to write and yet it was one I was honoured to write. As I type this, I’m not really sure it’s happened. Harry was one my oldest and dearest friends and the shock is still very real and raw. His family asked if I…
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Waves…
This was written in response to a beautifully written piece by Ronán Johnston. I had it written before I thought it might be inappropriate to jump in on the post, but he graciously accepted and understood my impulse. One phrase that he used set me on the road. It’s from a gorgeous album of his…
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Going for a pint….
Billy O Hanluain, in his beautfully observed post on Facebook, described the scene of an older couple in a café, exchanging glances and intimate moments which Billy was there to witness and describe. It was pitch perfect, gorgeously observed and done with a tenderness that’s hard to define. Check it out, it’ll do your heart…
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Speak Like No One in Particular – Kilkenny Arts Festival, 2022.
Full disclosure: I went in simply to attend and and ended up being a (small) part of the performance, but let me say that it did not affect my overall experience. We were asked to volunteer for speaking parts while we waited to go in and were handed scripts to read. Luckily for me, I…
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“They’re not your real Mammy and Daddy!”
It was like a slap but this was different. I’d had a slap or two in the little fights or if the road football match was going wrong, things like that were to be expected, but this hurt in a way that a slap did not. I’m sure I was in some sort of childish…
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Martin Bridgeman 