THE ART OF BELFAST’S STREETS

The Cathedral Quarter is becoming almost hip.

Few would describe Belfast as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. It does, however, have character.

The Cathedral Quarter, the streets surrounding St Anne’s Cathedral, is working to reinvent itself as a cool cultural hangout. To judge from our little stroll around the area, it’s succeeding.

ULSTER FOLK MUSEUM – Charlie Chaplin and why spades matter

Blacksmiths taking a lot of care making a decorative ram’s head fire poker.

We’re stingy, we Dutch tourists. We’re only visiting the Ulster Folk Museum because it’s cheaper than Titanic Belfast and the parking is free.

We expect an hour or so poking around a cheesy open air museum will be plenty, then we’ll go looking for a cafe with affordable coffee and scones and fill in the rest of the day somehow.

It turns out we need a change of plan. We love the folk museum!

WHAT IS IT ABOUT IRELAND? – The Gathering, 2013

Michael’s Bar, and Michael himself. County Kerry.

Tourism Ireland fed me a fine lunch yesterday; tender meat drenched in Jameson whiskey, with spinach and spuds. I don’t have to repay them by saying nice things about the Irish but, bejesus, somehow I just feel like doing so.

I’ve spent some miserable, cold, hungry days and nights in their country, and enjoyed every minute of them.

The luncheon event was a pleasant plug to Sydney travel agents and writers, promoting 2013 as the Irish Year of The Gathering.

TALES OF COUNTY CORK – the art of Irish storytelling

Blarney Castle - place a kiss on the X, if you think it will help your storytelling.

Another week, another newspaper article sold and published, another story to release into cyberspace.

This is what I wrote about our adventures in Ireland, land of the story and the storytellers with the wonderful voices…

DINGLE WAY, IRELAND – a walk with character

They're supposed to be 'drystone' walls, but when it rains, they get wet too.

The newspaper which has first publication rights on my articles has just published the piece I wrote about our lovely walk on the Dingle Way, in County Kerry, Ireland. That means I can now release the full story on this blog…

SPLASH IN THE DARK – West Cork sea kayaks

Fortunately this is not our boat.

Kayaking at night seemed a strange activity. Wouldn’t it be pointless to paddle around beautiful surroundings in pitch darkness? ‘Oh no,’ the girl in the Skibbereen Visitors Centre assured me, ‘It’s wonderful! Out there on the water, under the stars. On a clear night.’ I glanced through the window to the street, where people were scuttling for cover as the leaden Irish sky unleashed another shower.