The upcoming general election is arguably the most important in the history of the Republic of Ireland. With what would seem to be a simple choice and the the election process more of a formality than a competitive election campaign. However I’m not convinced of this yet, even with the most unpopular government and Taoiseach since the opinion polls came into existence. The two main parties in opposition have failed to capitalise on the unpopularity of this government. In the past two years Fine Gael seem to have adopted the Richard Nixon strategy to elections with letting their opponent beat themselves. Labour have adopted the righteous anger at the government and their policies. While this generates some interesting and very nice soundbites they have yet to make any significant disclosure about their policies or anything at all on changes to the political system.

So at the moment I actually have no idea who I’m going to vote for yet. It will be dependent on me doing some research on their policies and plans. Most of them get an auto no for voting for the EU/IMF bailout.

“Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t”

One of the hardest things in rock music is to write an instrumental. Aside from a normal song where there are words to catch and hold the audiences attention with an instrumental song the music has to flow and grip the audience when it’s done right the results are some of the greatest songs ever written like Metallica’s “Orion” or Link Wray’s “The Rumble”. When it’s done wrong though it’s like an aural assault that borders on torture. A band that I saw last night committed this heinous crime not once, not twice but three times. The problem I had with it was that they tried to put together three instrumental songs, but that they all sounded the same with a minor different guitar break. Saying that I don’t want to come across as a bitter blogger who’s enjoying the anonymity of the internet and slating a band just because I have a blog and place to do it.

The band did make an effort to write their own material and they obviously have some form of following as parts of the crowd were singing and “bopping” along during their set. Maybe they just weren’t my cup of coffee, pint of beer or ice cream flavour. However the next band most certainly were. Pat McManus and chums as they were named last night were very good. The set was more restrained than Pat’s solo shows due to time constraints and sharing the stage. Still a great show with Pat’s usual energy and flair for the music. Just loving being up there on stage. Now tell me that there is anything better than that.

When this blog started 4/5 years ago on blogger it was about music, that’s it just music nothing else. It was about how music made me feel, the emotional response and involvement I had with music. Something happened then I don’t know what but somehow music and I drifted apart. It was still there I always listened to it and went WOW when a particular song touched those emotions that were being submerged for some reason. I don’t know what happened but it just seemed it wasn’t have the same effect, maybe it was the relationships I had or the new hobbies that I’d taken up. The buzz that accompanied these the endorphins and adrenline. In some ways I think kayaking became almost a surrogate to music for a while. But deep roots aren’t touched by frost, from the shadows a spark re kindles into an inferno.
I don’t know how or why it happened but that passion I had for rock music and blues when I was a wee teenager is back, bigger and better. It’s not just about the stones and BB King anymore. It’s about soul and motown, rap, dance, grunge and everything in between. When I hear music now again it’s such a buzz. It’s brought me back to a time when I hear a solo I close my eyes and see myself on stage in the rock pose, leaning back guitar out teasing the crowd with every note. It’s something inexplicable and I know some of my friends will understand what I’m on about. It’s one of those things thats constant like gravity. It’s always there pulling at your soul, moving you.
Pat McManus was right in “Return of the G Man” once the blues and rock is tattoo’d on your soul it leaves with a passion that never lets go.
Music It’s all that I have and all that I am. It’s influenced my development and personality so much that we are in separable. It’s in my swagger, my speech patterns, my perception of cool and fashion, without music and the passion that it gives me daily I’d probably be an accountant now if I didn’t have music.

As seems their way realisations strike at the most surprising things. My new found want for a job and career was a huge shock. Perhaps as big a shock for me was that I miss cds and buying albums in music shops. While downloading is quick easy and usually free. I miss the experience of going to record shops and buying a cd. This is partly fueled by a third realisation that digitising music takes away from the experience of listening to music. With the easy of piracy and downloading music free of charge it leads to huge libraries of files for people personally I have 8,000+ songs in my library. How many of these songs have I listened to? Optimistically just over half. While I’m not going to suggest that we go back to the days of vinyl (sadly that’s just unrealistic). When I’m on my laptop or using my iPod and docking station I find myself just skipping through songs on shuffle and only listening to one in every twenty or thirty.
In this respect me moving away from hone has been a blessing. I’ve come to re find my appreciation for just listening to music. At home I could just be flicking through songs not paying too much attention to whats on more just filling the silence in my room. Away from home though I’m almost constricted to when I can listen to music and certainly not as loud as I like to. Music has been such and big part of my life for the last ten years that when I get home at the weekend it’s like getting reaxquainted with a part of myself that I’d forgotten about. I get home Friday evening and just putting on a CD or record and just listening to it. It’s one of the highlights of my week. Just lying there taking everything in, the rhythm, the drum fills, the soaring solos and the vocals weave together to form songs and music it does get to me everytime.
I also bought a CD recently for the first time in nearly 2 years. It was Robert Plant’s Band of Joy and It brought back memories of being thirteen, saving up pocket money for weeks to buy a CD. Getting home, tearing the plastic off pop it in the CD player and just listening. Today I feel that music has become more of a background noise than the experience it should be. It’s like my generation has become caught up in the technology that allows the free spreading of music and portability that hasn’t existed before to diminish the medium. If you talk to someone in their thirties or forties listening to music used to be a big deal. Trying to get the house quiet to put on lthe lastest Stones or Beatles LP. If I was being melodramatic in this post I’d say that the medium was failing. But I’m not so I won’t.
Having a CD almost forces you to listen to the whole album and appreciate the album as a whole! I offer a simple suggestion to anyone reading this, pick you favourite album, put it on and listen to it straight through with no breaks, no song changes and without doing anything else while it’s on. Come back and tell me what you thought about it!

Given the state of the countries finances and just the general state of the place. One of the things that seems to getting clearer and clearer is that no matter who forms the next government will not be that different to the group that currently makes up the government. Both political parties are right / centre right and have mildly differing policies. The main reason for the two parties for existing is that one party doesn’t like the name of the other party or they had a hissy fit about colours 60 years ago. I’m sure members of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael can give some convincing reasons as to why they’re different. But honestly Fine Gael’s next campaign is going to be “Vote for Us We’re Not Fianna Fail”. Not a great campaign.

This is why I believe that we need a new political party/system. Whats needed is a new party that isn’t afraid of civil service unions and is only interested in whats best for the country instead of helping the Golden Circle of banks, unions and property developers. Sadly thats not going to happen. The only remotely left leaning party is Labour and they aren’t a big enough party to take power. And I’m unconvinced about Eamon Gilmore’s leadership skills are up to par with his righteous anger and criticisms of the government that have garnered him so much support in the last few months.

Personally I would be in favour of moving to a proper two party system in some where similar to the American one where you have liberals and conservatives and who has the majority is in power. Some may say how is that different to what we have presently? The main difference is that we would actually have a proper liberal option and input into policies. At the moment it’s all going to be the same until Irish politics fundamentally changes.

Just my thoughts…….if anyone would like to give me a penny for them I have PayPal

Odd how a cup of coffee from the same machine can be so different after a few months. I’m sure the coffee is the same more or less but the atmosphere is different. The same gang is gone, there was no assignments to be done that needed that caffeine boost in the afternoon. It was strange………although I don’t miss WIT I think I do miss academia and the mental challenges it brought. Maybe I’m not as opposed to science as I like to think?

My back injury has appeared started to flare up again which isn’t great but may accelerate the decision making process………..

I’m useless at titles this one has probably got absolutely nothing to do with this post because to be honest I don’t know what this post is about yet. But as I said I’m useless at titles. For the last few weeks I’ve felt an unfamiliar tug, it seems to be drawing me back to my attempts at creative writing and writing in general. Whats odd is that it seems to be permeating through my natural laziness to the extent that I had to pick up pen and paper and start writing anything at all. It ended up being a few hundred words that may or may not turn into the start of a short story of some sort that will have to be looked at again. It’s odd I’ve never felt compelled to do something like that before maybe it’s something that I subconsciously felt the need to do to keep my mind functioning the level it was in College.

The last few weeks have been very odd. I’ve found myself thinking about things that six months ago I would have hated and oddly enough I think I’ve matured quite in the last few weeks. To the point where more than thinking about a career I actually want one. Anyone who knows me will likely be very shocked at that revelation. But so was I when it happened.

Something else that I found interesting is that lately I’ve been listening to playlists that I might have made a few months or in some cases a few years ago. It’s fun, memories come back unbidden and a snap shot of a day, week or trip comes back. All good times and the nostalgia that memories from the past bring a fleeting wish to be back at a particular time or place. Something that has become clear is the the only constant in life is change, and you either adapt to the change or get left behind.

As march rolls around again the same way and time as always bringing us closer to what will surely be a disappointing summer again. Things have semi picked up since last year so far anyway. Started partying for a week down in Kerry with paddlin’ buddies which was great and everyone involved agrees it was a great trip despite the near complete lack of paddlin’. Got the all clear from my phsyio to go back paddlin’ and back to other such activities.


College started back as usual with less hours and more project work so it’s some sort of balance there I’m sure. Union troubles in WIT caused exam results to be delayed by a month so that was some form of excitement/interest. Something I noticed about that situation was that a lot of the people that get all antsy about results being delayed are the ones that are just looking for another reason to doss. There are genuine people who want their results as well but they don’t seem to get as up tight as the others for some reason.


The next interesting event was Kayaking Inter varsities, which as with all kayaking events was just fun. 3 days partying in Galway is a pretty good way to start off midterm. Finishing 7th overall is the highest the club has finished ever so constant improvement every year. I only competed in the long distance event so my effort was about 50 minutes on the water. Which left enough time for partying and general merry making. The pirate themed party on the Saturday was awesome! with some great and dodgy costumes.


Thats all thats really happened so far this year but hey that’s not a bad two months is it? What’s in store for the next few months? I dunno……Only thing on my calendar at the moment is the Splash Ball and finishing college. With a lil bit of kayaking thrown in i spose.