So…my new year’s resolution, inspired by (i.e. stolen from) this lovely blog was to read a new book every month.  Seems really manageable, and mostly I’ve been getting through them in a fortnight or so, leaving plenty of room if a book is a dud to struggle through.

I started off in January with Eat Pray Love, which seemed like a good “new year/new me” type to kick off with. I was terrified it would be saccharine and sanctimonious and too american and G-O-D loving, and I’ll admit the intro didn’t do much to allay my fears, but thankfully it’s a great read. Bit hard going on the Oprah-effect in India (the “pray” bit) but overall a lovely, straightforward, honest read. Had me googling the author immediately afterwards to find out how the story ended and I’m tempted to give the follow up book a go.  Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love is a gazillion seller in the US and has been duly Oprah book-clubbed to the hilt. To top it all off it’s due out as a film this summer complete with Julia Roberts in the lead, but it is well worth a read. Light and easy but not frothy and a very straightforward, journalistic writing style from Gilbert.

Colm McCann’s Let the Great World Spin in February was almost the opposite.  An absolutely wonderful writing style, truely poetic. Not in the flowery, flouncy descriptive sense, more in the sparse use of the most perfect language to convey a thought.  An early phrase recounting how he could “revisit the museum of that afternoon” to relive a childhood memory has stayed with me since reading it.  The writing style, and the storytelling device I loved, but the story itself was sad and depressing. Some will no doubt call it realistic, and true to life, but I nearly put it aside half way through due to the unrelentingly depressing lives of the protaganists. Thankfully I persevered but I’m still not sure if I liked it or not. I loved the writing, but not the tale.

So now we come to March, and I am bookless. I could keep up with The Irish Times book club (genius idea by Rosita Boland) who are also doing a book a month, but their March book is The Lovely Bones and I am not one for tales involving serial killers or paedophiles so that’s out.  So…do you have a recommendation for me?

I don’t like Thrillers or Killers and I’m not a fan of laborious or historical books, though a historical novel, well told is fine. I’m not big on romantic fiction, but a love story is fine (i.e. Time Travellers Wife), I love some Sci-Fi (William Gibson-esque) and Fantasy (Clive Barker and anything with Vampires—sad but true) and humour is welcome….any thoughts?

Knocknarea from the Church covered in winter air frost

It’s a great walk, a ramble across the dunes – or the beach when the tide is out- and round the back of the airport which makes me smile.  When you get to Strandhill beach you turn right past the surf shop, instead of left along the shore which is the more usual walk out there.  This one works when the tide is all the way in, which makes it a great option if you get to Strandhill intending to walk to Culleenamore and discover the tide is in the way.

Strandhill Beach

You head out along the dunes and after about 5 or 10 minutes you want to head down to the right (away from the beach) and then walk parallel to the beach- you’ll see a series of brown walking posts with a celtic cross on them that you can follow to the church, or just head for the back of the airport.

After a brilliantly irish sign asking you to watch for low-flying aircraft, you cross the back of the runway and head for the ruin in the distance.  The Church itself is pretty special- it dates back to the 12th century but may be much older than that. There’s a great amount of info on a well maintained panel outside the church- courtesy of the Killaspugbrone Preservation Society- which details it’s connections to St. Patrick, and how the cemetery around the church was, unusually, multi-denominational.

It was the main burial place for the Coney Islanders and you can conjure up a vivid image of the mourners walking across the strand between island and church.  It tells of a settlement around the church at one time too- which had to relocate due to shifting tidal and land patterns.

Cast a cold eye...

The beaches to the left and right of the Church are wonderful, great shapes and with beautiful views, well worth an extra walk once you get there. All in all it can be anything from an hour long walk to a 2 hour ramble, and it’s reasonably firm going. Enjoy!

A beach overlooked by the church

I’ve had 2 giant bin bags of clothes waiting to be dropped off somewhere for the last 6 months so this was perfect- I brought them to the Radisson instead and got vouchers for each thing, more for suits and coats and less for skirts and things.  I had enough vouchers in the end to buy a small shop, so D and me were both able to get a whole bunch of free new additions to our respective wardrobes.

I wasn’t sure what to expect clothes wise, and I’m not the easiest to fit without trying things on first, but I was really surprised; I ended up with quite the haul.  I picked up a great cream bouclee dress and crop jacket that isn’t quite right, but I’ll hang on to it a bit and see if I can make it work. A white cotton/lace dress that reminded me of the wholesome peasant look that chanel is going for this Spring Summer is just a bad fit- I look truly wrong in it, so that, along with a red cardi thing from awear are going back in the charity bag. Another zara dress isn’t great on top so I’ve turned it into a skirt and I love it.

the once dress, now skirt (zara)

I picked up two lovely scarves – a mustard woollen scarf and a black pashmina – something I’ve wanted for an age.  I found a really unusual necklace; crochet suspended in a wire frame that needed a few tassles removed, but looks great now.

Crochet/Lace Necklace

And I picked up a darling red and white polka dot dress that I was not at all convinced about, but is actually really cute on, especially with the grey oasis cardi I picked up alongside it.  The dress is the kind of thing I would have never bought in a shop, or even thought to try on, and it shows how great a bit of risky thrifting can be.

Polka dot dress and grey cardi

Has some great tracks on there, including an opener from Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zero’s who I tipped from SXSW last year, one of my favourite tracks of last year- Cable Dazed, a cracking Jape remix of Patrick Kelleher’s Wonder which was previewed on Donal’s Fresh Air show with Patrick Kelleher in November, and then on nialler9’s blog the following day (boy that dude is quick).  I’m loving the Floating Points track (donal played with him at POGO last year) and the last track on the set- The Echoing Green is just gorgeous, has led me to listen to the whole Gentleman Losers album.

I didn’t really go for Soap and Skin at DEAF last year, she shows great promise but the theatrics seemed a little forced, and the music was not quite so interesting and complex live as I hoped, but the remix of Marche Funebre on this set has stopped me from writing her off.

My favourite track is the brilliantly funky Triple Trouble from ex-Cane 141 Galway man Mike Smalle:

Portico Quartet

Itchy feet are programming 4 great gigs in Sligo this February under the banner of Quattro and the second last date has really caught my eye. Happening at The Factory on Thursday Feb 25th it’s with a group called The Portico Quartet from London who have a hang drum (or two?) as part of their make up.

I only discovered the nuts-looking hang this november as one of the Fresh Air Festival artists; Roland Gomez is a hang player.  It’s a hugely unusual instrument that is hand made by panArt in Switzerland and therefore very hard to come by, but seemingly very instinctive to play if you are already proficient in another instrument. It  looks like a spaceship and sounds equally otherworldly. Have a listen to Roland playing on Donal Dineen’s show here>

The Portico boys have been nominated for a Mercury Prize and are not shy on great press quotes, of which this is just one.

“A band who make experimental and adventurous music sound wonderfully accessible, Portico Quartet are like nothing you’ve heard before.” Straight No Chaser

At first listen they seem as likely to turn up on a Cafe del Mar cd as on a jazz or contemporary classical one, so I’m looking forward to hearing what they have in store for Sligo.

Not quite sure why music network don’t have any web links for the quartet on their site, but you can listen to them on their myspace or visit their rather nice site. They seem to be on tour to a few places around the country- full list here.  The Sligo gig tix are €12/15 and avail from The Factory on 071 917 0431

Other Quattro gigs:

Feb 6th – Frisk Verde (Ireland/Denmark/USA) Guitar maestro, Mike Nielson’s latest Jazz Combination
Followed by “Grapevine” Sligo’s newest club playing: soul, funk, dancehall jazz and blues! with DJ’s Pedro and Barra

Feb 14th – Netnakisum (Ausria) Astounding and quirkingly entertaining classical musicians play Motzart to Harmonic yodeling from the alps (Back due to popular demand)

Feb 25th – Portico Quartet (UK) award-winning foursome that play a unique style of jazz featuring the world famous hang drums of Switzerland

Feb 27th – Niwell Tsumbu and The Songs of The Nations Band
(Congo/Cuba/Germany/Holland/Ireland) Gifted Guitarist, Niwell has put together an stunning international group of musicians to play his original and spell-binding compositions.