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[Rigor Mortis]

Connacht - Met Éireann - The Irish Meteorological Service

Met Éireann, the Irish National Meteorological Service, is the leading provider of weather information and related services for Ireland.

www.met.ie

I don't know if I'm allowed post that link, but believe it's within the general allowance. I've read that forecast on the link and think someone somewhere needs to make up their minds and not be so changeable. Like the weather.

 

[Louanne Learning]

When I use the Accuweather forecast, this is what I get for our first two days in Galway:

10°Hi
RealFeel® 6°
RealFeel Shade™ 5°
Breezy in the morning; otherwise, sunshine and a few clouds
Max UV Index1.0 (Low)
AccuLumen Brightness Index™9 (Very Bright)
WindWNW 20 km/h
Wind Gusts57 km/h
Probability of Precipitation7%
Probability of Thunderstorms0%
Precipitation0.0 mm

10°Hi
RealFeel® 5°
RealFeel Shade™ 4°
Partly sunny and windy
Max UV Index1.0 (Low)
AccuLumen Brightness Index™7 (Bright)
WindNNW 30 km/h
Wind Gusts56 km/h
Probability of Precipitation11%
Probability of Thunderstorms0%
Precipitation0.0 mm

 

[CatrionaGrace]

If you are in Galway, you might consider a sidetrip to Malachy O'Kearns' Roundstone Music and Crafts. My daughter and I spent an afternoon there looking for a bodhran for my husband and it was a very cool place. I had the bodhran shipped to the law firm where I worked since I didn't want it left outside by UPS in the Wyoming spring snow. It arrived during lunch when the secretaries were watching a documentary on... Malachy O'Kearns. Let me tell you, the voice of a drum changes between sea level Ireland and mile above sea level Wyoming. The bodhran guy in the band Colcannon told hi how to get the poor drum back to its good voice.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Temperature has taken a right dip this week but at least it's dry so no ice on the roads. I believe the cold snap is expected to end come Friday with rain warnings for parts of Munster. If that's still the forecast, hopefully the roads will dry before it freezes again.

In the event of snow/ice, the main roads will be salted/gritted long before the secondary/tertiary roads, thereby much safer to drive. Coastal roads, of course, are less prone to ice but not entirely immune. The West does tend to higher volume of rain and big wind.

looking for a bodrhan

I've heard it said that, rather than knuckles or stick, the best thing to play a bodhrán with is a sharp knife. In fairness, it's a great sound and I think the quote is attributed to folk musicians who tired of rhythmless bodhrán players joining the group either unaware of or thinking no-one would notice their lack of musical talent.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

I've not heard that, but will relay it to my husband, who does have rhythm. I'm not sure he's ever bought himself a drum, though he has been playing hand drums for decades. I bought him a dumbek in hopes he would play for my dance classes, then bought him several others over the years. The most beautiful was a clay drum. Alas, one day my husband was in the music room when he heard a terrific CRACK. Poor clay drum could not take our dry climate.

 

[Louanne Learning]

Thanks for all the tips!

Our power has gone out here. It tends to happen too frequently

 

[JLT]

I've not heard that, but will relay it to my husband, who does have rhythm. I'm not sure he's ever bought himself a drum, though he has been playing hand drums for decades. I bought him a dumbek in hopes he would play for my dance classes, then bought him several others over the years. The most beautiful was a clay drum. Alas, one day my husband was in the music room when he heard a terrific CRACK. Poor clay drum could not take our dry climate.

Dry or wet climates play havoc on bodhráns with skin membranes. So if you give him one, it might be a good idea to give him a humidifier as well to put in its case (they're available and cheap from music instrument stores). I hear that in humid climes, they prefer plastic membranes to skin ones.

I took an introductory course in bodhrán playing using a pizza box. It worked. But I never really got into that instrument, since I have so many others around the house that I'm already ignoring.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

So if you give him one, it might be a good idea to give him a humidifier as well to put in its case (they're available and cheap from music instrument stores).

Gave him one in 2011.

Believe me, in Wyoming, we know about keeping humidifiers in our instrument cases.

 

[Louanne Learning]

Malachy O'Kearns' Roundstone Music and Crafts.

I Googled it! Their url is actually Irish Bodhrans - Irish Bodhrans for Sale - Bodhran Drum - Malachy Kearns Irish Drums - Irish Bodhran

Unfortunately, they are a one-and-a-half-hour drive from our hotel, so I'm not sure we will be able to visit.

 

[Homer Potvin]

I Googled it! Their url is actually Irish Bodhrans - Irish Bodhrans for Sale - Bodhran Drum - Malachy Kearns Irish Drums - Irish Bodhran

Unfortunately, they are a one-and-a-half-hour drive from our hotel, so I'm not sure we will be able to visit.

Pretty cheap, all things considered. Probably a relatively small market.

 

[Louanne Learning]

Our plane departs from Toronto 5:25 pm local time, lands in Dublin midnight our time, but 5:15 am Dublin time, so I hope I can grab a couple of hours of sleep on the plane, because we're getting our rental car (see below what we rented! A Skoda Kodiaq) and immediately making our way to Galway and hoping to stay up!

 

[Rath Darkblade]

I'd have been in jail long ago if I had to deal with customers. Picture me in front of a judge going, 'Your honor, I'll just make your life easy: I'm guilty. 100% guilty. I did it. Case and trial closed, you may sentence me now.'

Thank you for saying to customers things that I'm not allowed to say.

I once had a customer argue with me that she shouldn't owe us money for an unpaid bill, because - and I quote - "But I sent you cash in the mail!!!"

Luckily I was much less experienced then, so I was struck speechless for a moment, and my boss heard and took over. But I'd have been sorely tempted to say "Lady, you're either the biggest liar I've ever talked to, or the biggest idiot." (I wouldn't have said it, sure ... but I'd have been tempted to).

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Our plane departs from Toronto 5:25 pm local time, lands in Dublin midnight our time, but 5:15 am Dublin time, so I hope I can grab a couple of hours of sleep on the plane, because we're getting our rental car (see below what we rented! A Skoda Kodiaq) and immediately making our way to Galway and hoping to stay up!

View attachment 695

Safe travels. Something below that might help you out.

 

[Louanne Learning]

I'm so looking forward to hearing everyone talk in Ireland!!

 

[Pik]

According to the legend, Irish people are kind (don't know if kinder than the ones in Scottish highlands)

 

[DLC]

 

[Louanne Learning]

I watched the first few minutes, very interesting, thanks for sharing.

 

[Pik]

I prefer the tourists to be honest

 

[Louanne Learning]

That’s an interesting quote thanks for sharing it.

I like to be a traveller of books.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Ppphhht. Travellers are just slow tourists.

Why do tourists come in for so much disdain, implicit and overt? Perhaps that attitude allows folks to feel superior during the periods when they themselves are not tourists.

Now let me tell you about those yahoos I saw last summer who were wearing cowboy hats and new boots with their Bermuda shorts and Pittsburgh Steelers tee shirts...