Another Bit of Memoir: The Perils of Travel

Nov20

Now that Christmas is nudging a little closer, my thoughts have been turning to sorting out the logistics of popping over to see my parents. This also inevitably brings to mind the various travel related mishaps that I’ve had over the years (late trains, snow, rough seas, flight delays etc.).

I wrote the following piece about one of the times things went awry, for a school newsletter a few years ago and have just been fiddling with it a bit more. It’s another of my attempts (along with The Cake Lady) to experiment with memoir writing.

Stranded in Wales: Our Holyhead Experience

Motto: “Cymru am byth”
“Wales for ever

A few years ago, I often travelled from Dublin to Birmingham using the Dún Laoghaire /Holyhead ferry route. After one particular visit to Birmingham, the return trip didn’t go according to plan. My daughter and I had planned to be back in Dublin in time for her dad’s birthday and we duly arrived in Holyhead to catch the last Stena ferry to Dún Laoghaire. But the departure area was strangely, evenly ominously quiet. Did I have the sailing time wrong? I was dismayed to discover that Stena had cancelled the evening sailing; our ferry had been sailing through rough seas on the way over to Wales and had been involved in a slight collision in. While no serious damage had occurred, repairs and safety checks meant that we were not going anywhere in a hurry. There would be no ferry until about 9am the next day; an Irish Ferries boat would then (apparently) be sailing the stranded passengers into Dublin Port instead of Dún Laoghaire. So much for my best efforts at forward birthday planning.

So I found myself in the somewhat daunting position of being stranded in a town I hardly knew with nowhere to stay. Oh, and not forgetting the small (very tired) child in tow. I was at least equipped with the necessary cash for emergencies (whether being prepared for emergencies is a legacy of being in the Brownies or from reading Paddington, I’m not sure but nevertheless, generally I am prepared). After patiently explaining our predicament to my tearful four-year old and then phoning home to break the news of the interesting situation, I set about trying to figure out where we could stay. After ruling out a night on hard moulded plastic seats, I thought that our best option might be to head back to Brum and start afresh next morning. The thought of a proper bed to sleep in was strangely tempting. Unfortunately, a quick glance at the train timetable ruled that idea out of court.

Fortune seemed to be smiling on me when I spotted a pile of glossy leaflets advertising a new bed and breakfast place in town. It looked decent and reasonably priced. The only thing that now remained was to find the address given in as short a time as possible. My daughter was still upset at not being able to get home for daddy’s birthday. I tried to persuade her that being stuck on the wrong side of the Irish Sea from the birthday cake and (her own bed) was a great adventure. At that point, she just wouldn’t buy it and I had no more treats in my armoury to placate her. Call it being prepared for emergencies, but only up to a point (this situation wasn’t covered in the Brownie Handbook). Fortunately, sharing the stimulating experience of being stranded in Holyhead was her elephant (Ella).

We found the address of the B&B without too much difficulty, but there our luck petered out. The sign read, ‘Full up, no vacancies‘. Well it was half term so I suppose this was hardly surprising. I decided that it made sense to ask anyway, since we needed help. The owner would probably be able to point us in the direction of another bed (or so I hoped). The proprietor confirmed that he didn’t have any vacancies, but then asked me to wait and said that he would see what he could do. We promptly crossed our fingers and toes (even Ella the elephant did). His side of the overheard phone conversation involved the explanation that he had a stranded mammy and child. It turned out that he had been speaking to his mother who just happened to run a small guesthouse nearby. To my great relief we were sorted. Then instead of just giving me the address and directions, our newfound friend (I regret that I failed to keep a note of his name) offered to drive us to his mother’s house. I wondered fleetingly whether I was being very irresponsible in getting into a car with a total stranger. But there are times when you have to trust your gut and this was one of those occasions.

I was actually grateful to have had the lift over to the house, as we were both rather tired and dispirited. We then realised that we needed to find somewhere handy to eat as the premises didn’t offer evening meals. It turned out that our most likely option was a local fish and chip shop that boasted a couple of tables for dining in. The only question remaining was whether it would be open on a Sunday night or not. To my amazement, our new landlady’s son then very kindly offered a lift to the chip shop. He even said he would wait to be sure the shop was open before leaving us; this was certainly well above the call of guesthouse duty. I did however feel that I should draw the line at phoning him for the offered lift back.

My daughter was finally reconciled to our Holyhead adventure by the experience of eating piping hot fish and chips hours past her normal bedtime. Thankfully, I found the way back to the B&B after only one wrong turning. I even managed to find an Aldi (or was it Lidl?) to buy orange juice. Cue a brief moment of self-congratulation upon my innate sense of direction. We were certainly glad to see our beds that night; it had been a very long day and we were still not sure whether we would get home on Irish Ferries’ morning sailing. Meanwhile things had turned out much better than I expected, thanks to the kindness of strangers.

Although we were yet to leave Holyhead to brave the stormy seas on our homeward trek…

I hope you liked the piece and would appreciate any constructive comments! I’ll be back with a Tolstoy update soon..

A Brisk Autumn Walk Enjoyed: Sculpture In Context

Oct17

This re-blog of my Irish News Review post is by way of a reminder that Sculpture in Context finishes tomorrow so your last chance to visit is rapidly aproaching. Do pop along if you’re in the area (and do let me know if you find the artwork numbered 146 in the catalogue)…

Irish News Review

On a rather chilly Saturday morning my companion and I ventured forth to our annual, much-anticipated visit to the Sculpture in Context exhibition at the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. Unlike previous years, we actually managed to make our way around the entire exhibition and were satisfied that we had seen absolutely everything (except for exhibit number 146 which appeared to be missing). The chilliness of the weather proved to be an important factor in the success of the day’s activities; we achieved this magnificent result because the day was too cold to dawdle around as much as on sunnier visits. Added to that we initiated an unusually organised approach (in other words, we had a plan) to our seasonal cultural activity of sculpture spotting.

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Open House Dublin: #LandingExcursion Time Again

Oct16

As fellow fans of architectural Dublin will know, Open House Dublin fell in the first weekend of October (Friday 4th – Sunday 6th). I’ve mentioned Open House before on The Landing since it’s one of my favourite cultural events. As usual many buildings of architectural merit across a wide variety of age and purpose were open to the public at no charge. Guided tours to buildings such as The Chocolate Factory, the Lighthouse Cinema and the Alliance Française were on offer as well as government, institutional and educational buildings. Some tours were available by public lottery only (such as for Freemasons Hall) but unfortunately I wasn’t geared up enough in time to enter. Maybe next year I will be better organised; I picked up the map and leaflet in good time but failed to follow-up. Having said all of that, we had a good day of building bagging despite the lack of forward planning and we went home quite satisfied (and very footsore) with our discoveries.

A view of the front on Kildare Street

Our last port of call on a busy day was to the Department of Industry and Commerce building on Kildare Street where we just squeezed onto Open House’s final tour. We were really lucky because the organisers took double the optimum number of people round so as not to leave anyone out. We certainly fared better here than at Earlsfort Terrace where the volunteers were saying they were booked out for the last tour. I couldn’t help wondering whether it would have really hurt them to allow a few extras since they were turning away enthusiastic visitors. That’s one to bookmark for next year’s event I suppose. Anyway, back to the over-subscribed government building tour.

The tour was conducted by Angela Rolfe, an OPW architect who wrote a book to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the building and so is therefore an expert on the construction and features of the purpose-built (completed in October 1942) government building. The building was designed by J.R. Boyd Barrett and the building contractors were John Sisk & Son. It now houses two departments: the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. I have to admit that apart from the interest of seeing the interior features of a building that I wouldn’t normally be able to enter; there is a certain degree of plain nosiness in wanting to peek behind the scenes. Not that you get to see anything shocking, apart from the possibilities of seeing who has the untidiest office and leaves dirty coffee cups around. And in fact, it was all pretty tidy by and large.

The interiors still have most of the original features, apart from it seems some alterations to facilitate modern health, safety and fire regulations. Sadly, the glossy finish on the Australian walnut panelled walls has been a victim of this since the surface was deemed to be a fire hazard. The panelled lobbies and minister’s corridor are still impressive but the walls must have looked wonderful without the more practical matt finish. The craftsmanship of the whole building was very much in evidence as also was the obvious care with which the building has been looked after during its seventy-one years. The sash windows still function and the specially made linoleum is still in pristine condition. But then it was pretty posh lino in the first place I suppose, no bargain basement stuff here. The building seems to have been well designed for the benefit of the people working there and not just for appearances sake, with attention paid to the quality of lighting, space and ventilation.

Gabriel Hayes’ design

I was interested in trying to obtain a copy of Angela Rolfe’s book (47 pp, Office of Public Works, 1992,) but it seems to be quite hard to track down. The only copy I found was listed on ABE Books as a first edition at €25 which is rather more than I wanted to pay. I might just have a look at the copy in the National Library instead. I can’t find an image of it to post up either so I’ve added a picture of the building and a link to the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage instead, so that you can see a couple of shots of the carved exterior panels by Gabriel Hayes (1909-78). There’s also more detail about the features of the building if you want to read more. Gabriel Hayes had a long career and amongst many achievements, she designed some of the decimal coins, brought out in 1971 (see picture attachment page for more information).

I’ll be back with more Landing Challenge book news soon but I’d love to hear if anyone else in Dublin was touring the city for Open House this year so drop a line in the box if you have any news…

Picture credits: Wikipedia, with thanks.

Dublin’s Newest Open Space: Granby Park

Sep8

I’ve re-blogged my piece on Granby Park because I think the Upstart project is such a great initiative that I thought I’d give it another plug. With Culture Night coming up on 20th September, it’s worth bearing Granby Park in mind as another cultural stop on the city tour. I’m planning to make a return visit so I hope to be posting up another piece about Granby Park at some point.

Irish News Review

On Saturday we took a trip up to Granby Park, the pop-up park built by Upstart on a derelict site on Dominick Street. I had vaguely heard about the plan a while ago but hadn’t realised that it was now open to the public until my other half picked up an advertising flier. After its grand opening, held on 22 August , Granby Park was open for business, hosting a range of events for the whole family until it closes with a concert on 22 September. All of the park’s family friendly amenities and attractions have been built by volunteers and use donated and re-cycled materials.

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Origins: Felt in the Natural World

Aug16

I’ve re-blogged this article because I went along to Feltmakers Ireland’s exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin yesterday. It certainly brightened up an otherwise wet and gloomy day.

If you have the opportunity to pop along to Glasnevin do try to do so as there are some fantastic pieces on display. It was impossible to choose a favourite artwork from the nature inspired creations.

I’ve never actually tried felting for myself though recently The Booworm and I had a bash at turning an old jumper belonging to He Who Put the Shelves Up into felt. It worked quite well but made a mess of the washing machine so I think we would boil items in a saucepan next time!

I’ll let you know about any future developments on The Landing feltmaking front!

The Feltmakers Ireland exhibition runs until 26th August at the National Botanic Gardens in the gallery above the tea rooms.

Feltmakers Ireland

We hope you can join us for the launch of Origins: Felt in the Natural World on Wednesday 7th August at 4pm. You will have an opportunity to view the work, meet up with your fellow members of the guild and enjoy some floral refreshments.

Participants:

Muriel Barnwell, Rosaleen Fleming, Fabienne Herbert, Nessa McCormack, Anne Walsh, Natzaret Sindreu, Kay McKenna, Mette Roche, Elizabeth Bonnar, Nicola Brown, Claire Merry, Marie Dunne, Suzie Sullivan, Aiveen Reid, Sheila Jordan, Mary Hayes, Holly Angle, Katalin Szucs, Mel Bradley, Annmarie Donnellan, Maureen Cromer, Joanna Kidney, Vicky Blomfield, Marika Miklosi-Manning & Gabriella McGrath

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Marc Chagall: Modern Master

Aug13

The Landing Bookshelves have been rather quiet of late for one reason or another I’m afraid but I hope to shake off my dose of ‘Blogger’s Block’ as soon as possible. With a little bit of luck (as Alfred Doolittle once sang) normal service should resume shortly. Meanwhile, here’s a quick snapshot of a new purchase for my TBR Pile...(!)

Chagall exhibition catalogue

I went to visit the Marc Chagall (1887- 1985) exhibition at Tate Liverpool recently and indulged myself in a catalogue purchase with my birthday money afterwards. The last major Chagall exhibition held, which I also managed to visit, was Chagall: Love and the Stage at the Royal Academy in London, 1998.

I can still recall a feeling of being incredibly overwhelmed by the experience of looking at the paintings in the flesh as it were, that I had previously only seen in books. When I went on to study art history as a mature student later that year, I was able to choose Chagall as a topic in the assessment work for a couple of modules.

Not surprisingly I have yet to actually sit down and read my new catalogue properly but instead have been raptly gazing at the reproductions. One of my favourite paintings, The Promenade (1917/18) depicting Chagall with his wife Bella floating in the air above him, is placed opposite the foreword. The rationale for this exhibition, according to the foreword, is to offer a reappraisal of Chagall’s work. This has similarly also been essayed for Klimt, Picasso and Magritte in Tate Liverpool’s recent summer exhibitions.

The editors explain that the exhibition intends to represent Chagall ‘as a pioneering avant-gardist who responded to the initial problems and paradigms of abstraction with narrative elements, expressionist colour, nostalgia, fantasy and folklorist influences to create poetic and enduringly moving works.‘ Five essays by experts on Chagall’s work look these different aspects of his art, beginning with Simonetta Fraquelli on ‘Logic of the Illogical: Chagall’s Paintings 1911-1914’. The painting on the catalogue cover, I and the Village comes from this period; Chagall’s own particular view of the world is expressed in gorgeous colour in a brilliant composition.

Another essay in the catalogue explores Chagall’s influences from his Jewish heritage and his positioning of himself as a painter of a much wider world. Monica Bohm-Duchen (Marc Chagall: Russian Jew or citizen of the world?) discusses Chagall’s early life in Vitebsk, in a devout Hasidic household, his art studies in Russia and his eventual move to the cosmopolitan art world in Paris. Introducing her piece, Bohm-Duchen says that ‘an understanding of his complex relationship to his Russian-Jewish roots remains central to an understanding of his oeuvre’.

I look forward to settling down and reading these and the other essays in the book in the next few days. Chagall has featured in a previous blog post back in the #PoetryinJune series as the subject of an Alan Murphy poem. If you missed it first time round then do take a look at it.

More from the TBR Pile on the Landing Bookshelves soon. Drop me a line about your summer reading/activities if you have come across anything you’d like to share.

Back soon!

An Alternative St Patrick’s Day: A good long walk

Mar15

In honour of St Patrick’s Day this Sunday, I’m reblogging a piece I wrote last year for Irish News Review, after doing the Harbour2Harbour walk. Since setting myself an Advent Calendar challenge, I’ve tackled the February Month of Letters challenge and a hunting Easter Eggs challenge, so doing the walk again this year will be yet another challenge to tackle. Looks like this year might turn into a year of targets and challenges. No bad thing perhaps…

Irish News Review

This year we finally cracked and said ‘no’ to Dublin’s big St Patrick’s Day parade. We had come close to it last year and debated the idea of doing something different, but in the end, we still found ourselves lining up on Dame St in our accustomed spot. Even so, this year’s change of plan was still very much of a last minute affair. It is always easier to stick with what you know than try a different activity.

The proposed alternative last year (and the year before that, come to think of it) was tackling the St Patrick’s Day Harbour2Harbour walk. This is held in aid of the charity Aware which helps people suffering from depression (link below). Walkers can start at either Howth or Dún Laoghaire. You can stop at the half way point if you want, having then completed eight miles or go for the total sixteen…

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Another Challenge: The Easter egg hunt continues…

Feb24

I wrote a piece for the Irish News Review about participating in the Big Egg Hunt, which is aiming to raise money for the Jack and Jill Foundation. Well, that was only the beginning folks! My quest began with the modest aim of finding twenty out of a possible hundred, which is all you need to find for the Egg Hunt. Finding twenty eggs and submitting the form in the I-Spy booklet means that you may enter into a draw to win a year’s supply of chocolate. There is also a diamond bracelet on offer, but what is that compared to lots of chocolate? The hunting bug has completely claimed us however, to the extent that we are now aiming for the round hundred, no less. So apart from my February Month of Letters challenge, I have now added hunting Easter eggs. I think that we have reached the sixty eggs mark, or thereabouts. We scent victory in our hunt…

Easter Egg Hunting…

Today’s bag focussed on the three to be found at Malahide Castle (but I am not saying exactly where, or which ones they are so as not to spoil anyone’s fun) which made for a pleasant Sunday morning excursion. Before heading to Pearse Station to get the DART, we decided to tick off the last of the Southside city centre Easter eggs. We were only missing the egg on display in the Merrion Hotel. Now, this is going to be a bit of a spoiler so look away now if you prefer. As we approached the hotel, I was rather hoping to spot the egg on a plinth outside the building. It was not alas, to be. I had visions of us trawling around the interior of this smart hotel on a rather ‘egg-centric’ search while brandishing our booklet and pen to the alarm of respectable hotel residents enjoying a late breakfast.

I confess here and now that I did ask the trio of door attendants standing chatting outside, about the exact location of the egg. They said that it was inside the premises (they did specify the location but my lips are sealed) and pointed in the general direction. At the hotel desk, I asked staff for more specific details, and one receptionist very kindly showed us to the egg. I will just say that we might not have located it otherwise, without wandering for quite a while through lounges and corridors. By the time the hunt is over, the amiable staff of the Merrion Hotel might be a little tired of random people wandering in off the street waving maps at them. Perhaps some of the hunters may stay on to have tea afterwards and make it worthwhile for the hotel staff. Could this have been the cunning plan all along?

I will let you know if and when we reach our goal of making a century of eggs. Meanwhile, I am almost at the end of my February letter and postcard writing stint which I have greatly enjoyed. In my next post I will give a progress report on both of those challenges.

The trouble is, I just can’t stop thinking about chocolate Easter eggs. On with The Big Easter Egg Hunt!

The end of summer: Sculpture at the Bots

Oct16

You know that the end of summer draws near, when the annual Sculpture in Context exhibition opens at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. Now in its twenty-sixth year, Sculpture in Context, hosted very successfully by the Botanic Gardens for eleven of those years, goes from strength to strength. It is an event that I look forward to immensely and one that I have not missed seeing since I first came to Dublin several years ago.

Wood Nymphs by Maureen Bushe

As the editorial in the exhibition catalogue explains, the gardens ‘offer a challenging venue which gives the artist the rare opportunity of realising large scale work’. The editorial goes on to highlight the aspect of the exhibition that I like most, that of ‘sometimes finding sculptures in the most unusual places’. In fact you need to keep your eyes peeled as you walk around the gardens as artworks could be in the water, up a tree or in amongst the flowerbeds. The organisers kindly provide a map with the catalogue (€3) to aid in your quest to discover 130 pieces of sculpture. To be fair, not all of the pieces are scattered over hill and dale because there is an indoor element to the exhibition too (this is a blessing on wet and chilly days).

How you approach the exhibition is entirely up to you; either the systematic approach or the ramble around and see what turns up method are possible. I tend to favour the latter, as the ensuing randomness of the experience is much more rewarding. As I have said, you do need to be observant, as well as to be prepared to perform an abrupt about turn when another artwork is spotted. Sometimes I have found myself poised between two pieces several metres apart, in a mad moment of indecision. Visitors have an opportunity to vote for their favourite piece in the exhibition but I usually find it much too difficult to decide.

Murder of Crows by Bernadette Doolan

This year’s exhibition is due to close at 5pm on 19th October so you still have time to squeeze in a visit. On a clear autumn day, there are few nicer places to be than the Botanic Gardens and the sculptures are a wonderful bonus. Look out for ‘Wood Nymphs’, a ‘Murder of Crows’, a ‘Pigeon Situation’ and some ‘Travelling Birds’ (parrots). There is bog oak, recycled plastic, glass, ceramic, marble and limestone and much, much more. I only go to look, but the artworks are actually for sale so you might find just the right piece to fit that awkward corner.

If you have a very large corner, look at Claire Halpin and Madeleine Hellier’s piece ‘Car Park’. This is a 1996 green Nissan Almera, which has ‘many additional features including formal gardens, sun dial, cactus house … and hubaceous borders’. This will be sold by silent auction, bid deadline at 4pm on 17th October so if you have houseroom (sorry, garden room) why not put in a bid.

Car Park by Claire Halpin & Madeleine Hellier

More information www.sculptureincontext.com
Until Friday 19th October

(Photo credits: Verity – with thanks)

Open House and Dublin Hotspots

Oct11

Apart from my literary endeavours, I have also been venturing out from the rarefied surroundings of the Landing Bookshelves yet again. Last weekend was the Open House architectural event so once more my trusty sidekick and I took to the streets of Dublin. We headed along to No 4 Castle Street to take a peek inside the former shop premises and merchant’s town house that is now the headquarters of Dublin Civic Trust. This was taking a second bite of the cherry as it were, as we had recently been touring Dublin’s cultural hotspots for Culture Night. On that occasion, we missed the townhouse due to lack of time. On Saturday morning, the town house was thronging with visitors but we managed to get a place on the next tour of the building.

Time to get walking..

While we were waiting, we browsed the Trust’s publications and bought a copy of See Dublin on Foot: An Architectural Walking Guide by Julie Craig (for a reduced price of €5), which kept us occupied while we waited. Naturally, I have now discovered several more places to go and visit! If you get the chance, the book is well worth buying even at the full price of €8 from the website. The walking tours are divided into six sections: Oxmantown, Gardiner’s Dublin, the Collegiate City, Administration and Finance, the Liberties and Maritime Dublin. As the book was published ten years ago there will no doubt be some changes found (certainly in some cases perhaps for the better due to work of the Civic Trust) in the cityscape. I will keep you updated on my progress around the city.

The section on Maritime Dublin reminds me of another recent expedition, which was to visit the newly restored National Maritime Museum in Dún Laoghaire. If you are interested, take a look at my piece about it for the Irish News Review (here) where you will also find a link to the museum site.

I have been bowling merrily along with Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell) lately (and feeling terribly virtuous for reading my book club novel to boot) and have still made no further progress with The Go-Between. I certainly need to give myself a stern talking –to about said lack of progress. The trouble is that whenever I set myself a blog reading task, something else inevitably pops up and demands my attention. That is how it seems anyway; perhaps the truth is that the next book that comes along just easily distracts me. The cover is always brighter, perhaps?

Fire and Ice, Spindrift Press

To some extent, I can plead that competing interests affect my reading plan from time to time. The prime example of this is my book group as I feel that I owe it to the other members to make an effort and not just plead lack of time (well not too often anyway) to read to the book. I also read a certain amount of titles with my bookseller’s hat on, either to write a review or just to be up to speed on our stock. In the former category, I have been reading Fire and Ice, a Cold War thriller by John Joyce on which I have written a review this week for Writing.ie. The book is due to be launched in Hughes and Hughes Booksellers, Dundrum on 26th October, so of course I had to push it up the reading queue a bit.

Now after my Open House exploits, it’s back to my cosy Landing nook for a little more reading…