Monday, 13 October 2014

Newgrange

Hello my lovelies! ;-)

About two weeks ago, on a nice semi-sunny Sunday, my Paddy decided to take me for a drive. He wouldn't tell me where we were going but I had my suspicions - and I was glad they were confirmed :-) We went to Newgrange, an archaeological site which, if you're ever in Ireland, is most definitely worth seeing. It is a prehistoric passage tomb which predates the pyramids of Egypt, and is an impressive piece of early architecture. If you would like to learn more about it, this is a great place to start (World Heritage Ireland website). Here are some pics I took during this little trip:









The new visitors centre




They bus you to the spot


The beautiful river Boyne


The reconstructed passage tomb











The exhibition in the visitors centre




A Newgrange bracelet from my Paddy :-)




What is worth mentioning, is that during the tour they simulate what it would be like inside the tomb at dawn, during the winter solstice. It is a truly magical experience and yes, I know I normally run away from anything described as "magical" or "spiritual", but experiencing it was something else, especially that me and Paddy stayed in the tomb for a chat with the guide after everyone else left and she repeated the simulation once again for us :-) So - go explore!

All the best,
Domo.
P.S. I just came back from an archaeology field trip, it was absolutely fantastic and I'll write about it soon :-)

Thursday, 9 October 2014

2014 Blog Awards

Hello my dears!

So last Saturday, I got dressed up (well, a little bit, nothing too special), took my little Yaris and went for a drive to Westgrove Hotel in Clane. It wasn't some randomly chosen destination as that's where the 2014 Blog Awards ceremony was held.
My blog wasn't one of the competing ones but I was one of the judges and, since I put some work into that role, I decided to go and see what this ceremony would be like. And it was like nothing else I've seen, mainly due to the unforgettable "mistress of the ceremony" - Bunny from Belfast; I'll explain in a moment :-)

Like I already said, the function was held in the Westgrove Hotel in Clane. This year's theme was "The 80s" and everyone was encouraged to dress up. Being a spontaneity-challenged person as I am, I didn't dress up but loved some of the costumes I've seen. The ceremony had a number of sponsors, like TG4, Glenisk (who also provided the desserts - shots of a strangely tasty mix of their dairy products and alcohol) or Weight Watchers, just to mention a few. And then there was Bunny - an insanely funny and extremely not-PC transsexual from Belfast, who at one point declared, that his ancestors are probably spinning in their graves because of all the Irish (as in Gaelic) names he has to read out; that and the fact he is a big man wearing a dress... :-)

There were many awards and the ceremony didn't finish until somewhere around half 11 pm. The overall winner was One Man's Meat; if you would like to see the categories and winners, follow this link. Some people left straight afterwards, some stayed for the 80s disco - and everyone seemed to have had a great time.
Overall, I'm glad I forked out the 30euro for the ticket and went to the function. I had fun, ate some delicious food, got a great goodie bag and even networked a tiny bit. Can't wait for the next year's one! :-)

Here are "a few" pics:

What I wore (plus a jacket, it was freezing!):





The venue:



The glorious 80s... ;-)










The centerpieces were made from actual tapes



Bunny!

One of the small competitions, this one included a pair of bejeweled shoes and a few volunteer Cinderellas


Undercurrent performing to an 80s hit :-)



The Awards:




The menu and Glenisk dessert shots






The goodie bag - everyone got one of those :-)





All the best,
Domo.

Friday, 3 October 2014

UCD Rifle Club

Hello my dears!

Sooo I'm back online... Turns out that starting an MA course in a field different to the one you graduated in, can be "a bit" overwhelming and tough... Who knew! Well, I guess this is as settled as I'm going to get so why not get back to regular blogging :-)

During the Freshers' Week in UCD, all the clubs and societies were advertising their offers and trying to get the students to sign up. I chose the Archaeology Society (no surprise there), the Tennis Club (I won't actually have time for it) and the Rifle Club. Last Monday, I booked a time on the shooting range and on Wednesday, I went for my first shooting session. Well - I think I'm hooked! :-)
Here's a few pics from the club:

The entrance to the Club.

The veeeery steep stairs leading to the Club :-)





Waiting for the booked time slot

I was trying to be artistic with the pic :-D By the way, you shoot an air rifle and lead pellets.

Next time I'm in, I must ask why they have a huge Polish flag in there

Gotta have a poster with Clint Eastwood

So since it was my first time, I was shooting sitting at the bench. This is how I did - not too shabby but next week I'll be shooting standing, and that's a whole other story... 

Hope you have a great weekend. I'm going for a field trip to the National Museum today (as part of the course), hopefully we'll be able see some stuff you don't normally see when you're a tourist :-)
All the best,
Domo.