national gallery of ireland

The works of Jack Yeats

Entrance to the gallery

Spotted a sculpture, Magnus Modus by Joseph Walsh, in the Courtyard

Close-up of Magnus Modus

Feels like I walked onto the set of a hip hop video

The National Gallery of Ireland was hosting a Vermeer exhibition and we called in for a visit. I haven't been back since 2014 and they have just finished renovations. The Gallery is exquisite and it was a shame we didn't have more time to explore. Hopefully we'll be back soon enough. 

National Gallery of Ireland website

radiohead in dublin 2017

Time is a strange thing. I've been waiting to see Radiohead for the last 20 years, then the last 6 months, and now it's over. I don't know why but I'm finding it harder to hold onto experiences. 

Anyway, it's two days later. I'm sat here, at half-eleven, at night, writing about watching Radiohead two nights ago. I'm writing to remind future-me that in the heady days of my waning youth, for a brief period, I was transported back to 20-year-old me. 

Setlist here. 

royal hospital kilmainham

view of royal kilmainham hospital from the courtyard

another point of view

exhibit from the Irish Museum of Modern Art 

another exhibit

view of the gardens

another point of view

leaving the Royal Hospital Kilmainham

The day after Forbidden Fruit turned out to be bright and sunny, so we made our way to Royal Hospital Kilmainham, which also housed the Irish Museum of Modern Art. The exhibits were ok but the grounds were beautiful, definitely worth a visit. I believe the venue is free to visit, as the museum cafe, but admission fees apply to visit the exhibits. 

Currently on exhibition are: As Above, So Below: Portals, Visions, Spirits and Mystics; and IMMA Collection: Freud Project 2016-2021.

forbidden fruit 2017

The calm before the storm

Auditioning for The Hunger Games

FlyLo playing in-between screens

FlyLo himself

For years I've always wondered about attending a summer music festival abroad. When I found out that Bon Iver was curating Day 3 of Forbidden Fruit, I immediately booked tickets the day they were released. And I'm sorry to say that forbidden fruit tastes vile. 

The fault isn't entirely with the (dis)organisation of the festival. It was just very bad weather, rained all day, mud everywhere. I know I sound so prissy, but I can't help it. The pouring rain made it very hard to enjoy Bon Iver live. 

Despite that, I had a very good time during FlyLo's set. At least that was housed in a tent, I think given the visual aspect of his performance. He is just so good live. It was worth making the trip to Dublin to see him. 

As for the rest of the acts, I felt a little short-changed. I doubt Bon Iver had much input over the acts. They were almost all Irish acts. There is nothing wrong with that. I think Forbidden Fruit should be commended for giving local musicians a major platform that celebrates their Irish roots. I just felt that they should have marketed Day 3 as a celebration of Irish musicians rather than saying it was a specially curated festival. 

In any case, if you ever have the opportunity to see FlyLo live, take it. 

arcade fire in belfast 2017

I first heard Funeral at the end of 2005. I was working in a job that didn't make me happy and I used to spend all day with my headphones plugged in. I didn't pay much attention when Neon Bible came out but I did listen to The Suburbs repeatedly. I only checked out Reflektor because they were touring and were planning to visit Dublin. In any case, I didn't end up seeing them. 

Fast forward to 2017 and Arcade Fire opened for Belsonic last night. My expectations were low since I haven't been keeping up with their releases but despite everything, it was a really good gig. First of all, it didn't rain, so that already one-uped my experience at Forbidden Fruit. And I was surprised by how organised the Belsonic team was. There were ample staff for tickets and security, and enough food and bar stations. 

I was also pleasantly surprised that most of the audience were my age or older (always a plus). I always thought their listeners would be much younger. Anyway Arcade Fire are seasoned performers and know how to work a crowd. My only gripe was that I wished they played more tracks from Funeral. 

Setlist here for when I want to relive last night. 

rowallane garden

The former stables

The Walled Garden

View of the cafe

Spring flowers

The Rock Garden

Cherry blossoms

Bought a bowl from the resident potter, Matt

The gates leading out of the stables towards the house

Last weekend, the weather in Northern Ireland was expected to be sunny and warm (16 degrees celcius) so we decided to head to Rowallane Garden in Saintfield. We bought a rambler bus ticket from Europa Bus Centre and caught the 515. The driver and another passenger were helpful in getting us there. We had lunch at the cafe and explored the grounds. We spent about two hours exploring then headed to Ormeau Road for a late lunch at The Pavillion (accidentally gate crashing a post-football game celebration). 

yugo belfast

Son-in-law egg with chili jam

Wok-fried minced pork and green beans

Korean fried chicken with miso gravy and kimchi

Deep fried crispy pork dumplings

We visited Yugo Belfast yesterday in the City Centre and the food was delicious with the right amount of spice. Everything we ordered tasted really good but my personal favourite was the deep fried crispy pork dumplings. I like their izakaya-style menu with a good selection of small plates and side dishes. Even though Yugo tout themselves as an asian fusion eatery, I was surprised at how much it reminded me of food from back home. Everything was served promptly and service was great too. Will definitely be back.

teenage fanclub at the academy in dublin, 2 december 2016

Set list here so I can relive that night on Spotify anytime.

Photos taken with my Canon Powershot G16.