Seamus Fogarty

I don't know how I've walked my morning walks or pondered my late-evening stewings without the raw soundtrack of Seamus Fogarty's God Damn You Mountain. He's like a dense, ghostly mist rolling in off the west coast or down off the craggy mountains ... with stories to tell. 

The Waterside by Seamus Fogarty; video by Myles O'Reilly.

Seamus Fogarty hails from the west of Ireland and "writes songs about mountains that steal t-shirts, women who look like dinosaurs, and various other unfortunate incidents." God Damn You Mountain was released last year. Obviously I've had my head in the mountains too long to say that I didn't catch wind of it sooner.

Stalker RX:
SeamusFogarty.com
Seamus on FB where you'll find such insights as "Band Interests: writing songs about eating cake with Phil Collins."
Buy God Damn You Mountain

Two Wooden Spoons

In my house, the wooden spoon was used to stir porridge and to rise fear. In the middle of an interrogation, my mother could just reach her hand in the direction of the drawer where this weapon was housed and we would cave. "Okay, I didn't brush my teeth!" By the time we were older and our confessions were of the kissing-behind-the-Cathedral variety, my mother had moved on to the hurley. Can't wait to rehash these stories and more (all of which my mother will vehemently deny down to the ground!) in a few weeks when I go home.

'Till then, a much softer, and sweeter, wooden-spoon association from This is the Kit -- found through RTE2's Other Voices series which I WISH I could watch from here. "Two Wooden Spoons." Not at all threatening. Unless you are threatened by loveliness.

Speaking of spoons, if your own are in need of an upgrade or you're looking to swap out some silicone spatulas for the real deal (because you'll never get a confession with a spatula), check out these handcarved spoons from Etsy seller, The Wood n Stuf, from Stuart Fernie in Co. Clare.

Made from sustainably-harvested Irish wood, sourced from a woodland nature reserve on the shores of Lough Derg. These really are quite lovely spoons – all made to order and all very affordably priced. Great gift for Mother's Day. (Just stand back when she unwraps it ;-))

TheWoodNStuf

Midweek Madness

This morning I joined a feckless choir of teenagers who howled every time there was a clash of thunder. It was so much more fun than clenching and waiting to be x-rayed by the next flash. The kids howled like wild wolves, fell about laughing in the pelting rain, and then hollered at the sky to give us more. It was exhilarating to feel that bold. That unafraid. To challenge nature. To laugh at its best rumbles and growls. I've had a bit of a crazed feel about me since. Unleashed. Or maybe, unhinged. One of those uns.

It might explain why I just went batty (or rather, baahtty) for Brigid.

Brigid is a friendly hand-knit Irish animal. "As a young sheep she grew up wandering the wild and windswept mountains of Connemara. Cloaked in cloud and drenched in rain, Brigid spent her youth in the mountains poking about in the heather and staying out of trouble. Her two best friends are Fionn the Fox and Liam the Hare, both of whom are a little mischievous."

Don't you feel like you were just struck by lightning when you look at this painfully adorable lump of Irish wool? I have no reason to purchase a €62 woollen sheep beyond a mid-week-mid-life crisis brought on by the old-age-low that came after the howling-high. 

Brigid was created in a collaboration between Makers & Brothers and Irish knitter/designer Claire-Anne O'Brien. 

Irish Sea-Washed Roban Backpack

I didn't know I needed a new backpack but I do. I have a cute but useless one that I use to ferry my wimpy weights to Zumba and sometimes to cart extra layers and snacks to the soccer field but, beyond the fact that it can be worn on my back, my backpack is not a practical backpack. A practical backpack has pockets, an obedient zip or buckle, and a be-prepared attitude. It can carry a laptop, lunch, layers, lettuce, lingerie, and other things I can't think of right now that start with letters other than 'L.' 

The one I just realized I want need must have looks like it's been around, but in a safe-sex kinda way. It's weathered, rugged, sturdy, and stylish. It's also been for a swim in the Irish Sea.

Dublin design company, Stighlorgan, makes "accessories that are built to last ... that take whatever the road throws at them." They use tough canvas, top grain leather, and thick jute rope fastenings. This spring, Stighlorgan has released its signature Roban backpack in a peat-green color and with an Irish-Sea wash.  The bags were soaked and ‘sea-washed’ in rough sea on the carved rock diving steps at Salthill, near Dún Laoghaire. They then went into an industrial wash to finish the process. The Spring 2013 Roban has a new weathered look; the canvas has become marled, the edges of the leather trim now have a two tone effect, and the jute rope has shrunk to become a rugged hawser.

The limited edition Irish Sea-washed Roban backpack will be available exclusively from Stighlorgan's website from Monday 29th April 2013. Only 50 bags survived the arctic waters so pre-order to guarantee availability. Bags are £89 and make a cool–and unique–Irish gift.

Stighlorgan.com

Irish Bookshelf: The Cake Cafe Bake Book

What to pack? What to buy while I'm there? What to make for dinner tonight? Welcome to my countdown-to-trip-home head. Another week and the 'dinner tonight' question won't even rate. I'm like a college student home for the weekend when I arrive in Ireland – stuffing my bag with anything that isn't nailed down. So far, I'm shopping for sweets, tea bags, salt-and-vinegar Taytos, Salad Cream, a Fisherman Out of Ireland hat to replace the beloved one I just lost in DC, and a butter dish. 

Oh, and books. I always end up carting back a gwawl of books, both new and used. There's always at least one cookbook in the mix (because you can never have enough sponge cake recipes). I'm already making room in my suitcase, on my shelf, and in my belly for Cake Cafe's Bake Book.

How cool is this book?

Self-published by Michelle Darmody of Cake Cafe, a small bakery and cafe in Dublin 8, and designed and illustrated by Niall Sweeney (of Ponybox), this book is jam-packed with tasty recipes and sugar-coated with cool graphics and illustrations. Not only is the book good enough looking to eat but it focuses on all things cake. Which means I can use it for every meal. The Bake Book offers illustrations, diagrams, and lots of advice and practical information, but my favorite thing about this book is what it does not offer – photography (which is probably why it was self-pubbed). Such a ballsy and fresh move. Let's recount: unique, graphic, cool, fun and cake-focused. SOLD!

Shop it: The Cake Cafe Bake Book

ps. The Cake Cafe also offers some cool, graphic aprons and tea-towels if you like your aprons and tea-towels to match your cookbooks.

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Dish

They say don't sweat the small stuff. But in a week of much head-shaking, sadness, and general bewilderment at such notions as terrorism and patriotism, I find myself comforted – or at least, comfortably distracted – by the small stuff. Instead of trying to understand how two young men could place a bomb at a finish line – a place of triumph and celebration – and in the vicinity of innocent bystanders ... of a sweet 8-year-old boy ... I find myself wondering how I have managed to date without a butter dish. 

I know, you thought I was raised right. Me too. I always thought I'd be the kind of grown up who would serve butter on a dish and milk from a jug. Instead, somehow, I serve a spreadable fat from a plastic tub and pour milk straight from a giant plastic carton. If you were to strap me to a kitchen chair and force an excuse out of me, I'd ask who has the time to wait for real butter to soften sufficiently to spread it on bread? Or the room in the fridge for a jug and a giant carton? But inside I'd know, I do.

I'll be heading home in a few weeks and I might make a butter dish the focus of my trip. Sure, there'll be a family wedding, a few birthday parties, and reunions with far-flung relatives and friends, but there'll also be the hunt for the perfect butter dish. And maybe even a matching jug. Thinking I might start with Dunbeacon Pottery's simple but lovely butter dish.

My first reaction is to want to use it to serve chocolate. Good chocolate. My second is an overwhelming urge to get buttering bread.  

Dunbeacon Pottery, run by ceramicist Helen Ennis, is based in Durrus in West Cork. Actually, the website describes the location as "west of Durrus in the west of west Cork." So it's way west. Homewares are available in off-white, green, and blue glazes, all inspired by the beautiful West-Cork location. I think my butter dish will have to be clean and simple off-white. I can see it on my table. Hear myself saying, "could you pass the Dunbeacon butter dish, please," and the kids smiling politely and saying "of course mother, here you go, and by the way this meal is delicious and your hair looks lovely today. Thanks for being so wonderful." 

To complete this rosy scene, I might have to get the matching jug and sugar bowl. 

And maybe some mugs. And pasta/salad bowls.

Now to figure out how I can swing a shopping sidetrip to the west of west Cork from a jam-packed agenda in Clare ... Handmade butter dishes for the bride and groom, birthday boys and girls, far-flung cousins and friends? Perfect! I guess I could pick one (entire collection) up for myself while I'm there.  

Dunbeacon Pottery

DunbeaconPottery online at The Irish Design Shop

Angela's (and Other Scanlon) Ashes

Sorry, just a quickie hello. I've been off taking in (or slipping under) the cherry blossoms in DC, working on a few projects, and trying to out-zumba a pregnant lady in an effort to shed winter padding. Anyhoo, I'll get my blogging act together soon but just wanted to share a quickie in the meantime.

Irish stylist/writer/presenter Angela Scanlon was profiled on Who What Wear style blog the other day as their "Newest Girl Crush" and "new favorite 'it' girl." I hate to say I beat WWW to the punch but I've had a crush on Angela Scanlon's cool style/life/it-ness for ages now and I was delighted to see her get a callout on such a major fashion site. I want her wardrobe and her job. I want the fashion she wants (currently a pair of pink suede overalls) because I don't want to rule  out the pugs (so-ugly-they're-cute) of fashion. I want her hair. In fact, I have two pictures of her on my "Hair! Hair!" Pinterest board that I shared with my hairdresser who btw thinks I'm a nut job because I directed her with "either Angela's hair or half the head shaved like Rihanna."

Unlike WWW, I'm not a stalker ... though, I do realize as I write this that Angela isn't the first Scanlon I've taken a shine to.

I once harbored preteen feelings for Jack Scanlon who lived on the other side of the block. Jack only had eyes for my neighbor, and BFUSS (Best Friend Until Secondary School), Mary. Mary had long and dark hair, an uncle who was a famous hurler, and she was very good at math and rounders. I couldn't compete. Then, Jack loved Jacqueline and that was too poetic for me to interfere with, even if the first three letters of my name also matched the first three letters of theirs. Then there was Jack's older brother, Mark. Mark worked at the same hotel-restaurant as me when I was a teenager. To me, Mark was Jack-meets-George-Clooney (or more accurately, Jack-meets-Dick-Byrne, the kind-of-but-not-really Irish George Clooney). To Mark, I was his friend's younger sister. Actually, I was Mark's friend's younger, spotty, frizzy-haired sister who got blotchy after the hotel-manager berated her publicly for turning her back to a table of customers to shine teaspoons. Mark was dating an older girl at the restaurant who had bleached-blonde hair and wore way too much makeup. They were both way out of my league – even if I did happen to know that her teaspoons were dull and she was in love with the Head Chef at the hotel.

When I stopped loving the Scanlons, I wanted to be one. The youngest Scanlon was born on a leap year and I wanted her exceptional birthday so badly. I thought she might have special powers. I'll be home in a couple of months and will report back on that assumption. I bet she's a horse-whisperer or she sees dead people or something cool like that. Or maybe she's a podiatrist – changing lives with orthotics.

Anyway, back to Angela. Yeah, she's another fab example of Scanlondom. Read her blog and admire her wit and shoes at AngelaScanlon.com.

(Yes, that was a quickie. Aren't you glad you don't have to sit on a bar stool next to me tonight and listen to me ramble? Unless you, too, have a Scanlon history. If so, I'll be at Pete's Tavern at 8.)

Vintage Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig!

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! Happy St. Patrick's Day! The wearing of the green can get a little Halloween in my neck of the woods (i.e., the bars are overflowing with sexy leprechauns, sexy shamrocks, and sexy Saint Patricks) so I thought I would counter the sexiness of it all with a little sweetness. 

I just came across an entire Pinterest Board dedicated to vintage St. Patrick's Day cards and it's the kind of discovery that stirs the crazy in me. I used to work at a small publisher, and on books illustrated with vintage postcards and illustrations, so I have a bit of a soft spot for vintage postcards – despite long days trolling paper fairs and shows, and a lack of appropriate credit on a book that was my concept and work but I was too green to stand up for myself (note to self: you're supposed to be focusing on sweet here, not bitter.)

Anyway, here are some sweet postcard images. And you should check out Mary Ann Kolb's Pinterest Board and Ebay store for more.

Someone please save me from myself but I suddenly picture a whole wall of framed vintage Irish postcards ...

A happy, sweet, and sexy St. Patrick's Day to you!
xojac

Irish in America Trivia

Thought I'd share a cute infographic about Irish America to enlighten your afternoon/break the ice at the bar this coming weekend. A few interesting tidbits here, including the fact that Guinness does not make the Top 5 on the list of most popular beers in the States. Now that's incentive to order another round (if ever I needed it!)

 
Mediapoint

Tea and Two Thoughts

1.  I just burned four pancakes and had to throw them out. I guess you could say that I just found a new (annoying) way to burn calories. I should have been eating eggs anyway.

I started out wanting to make scones because I've been a bit up the walls with projects and haven't baked anything in ages (and I have heavy cream to use up in the fridge). But then I thought I should wait and make scones when my son gets home so he can be a part of the mess and a good catch for a lucky (sane, and villa-in-south of Spain-owing) lady some day. So I made – and burned – pancakes instead. Now, I'm eating eggs and pondering what I should bake this weekend, so that one day my kids can sigh and remember how I used to bake the best Irish stuff on St. Patrick's Day. When you start to think about your legacy it gets a little overwhelming ... and before you know it, you're ordering Mexican food. So I am planning ahead.

What do I want to be remembered for? I want to be remembered for always trying to make scones that can measure up to my grandmother's. I also think I want to be remembered for Fish Pie (not that anyone in my house could forget the phase of making it every week that I went though last year), Kerry Apple Cake (which is often doughy because I insist on doubling the recipe to fit my pan and it never cooks through), and Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes – because I feel these best represent me as a person. To avoid last-minute takeout, I should probably just stick with scones. I gathered a few links to yum-sounding scone recipes in case you are also planning a sweet start to your Sunday/legacy:

Donal Skehan's Maple Bacon Buttermilk Scones (he had me at Donal Maple-Bacon-Buttermilk)

Clodagh McKenna's Short Scones

A variety of scone recipes from original Irish celeb chef, Darina Allen, including gluten-free scones, coffee and walnut scones, and Mummy's sweet white scones.

Smitten Kitchen's roasted pear and chocolate chunk scones. Seriously, take that Nana!

2. I think I have Post Traumatic Wet Disorder. I was harassed and haunted by a rain cloud all day yesterday and I am still shivering today. It was the kind of rainy day you see in a Lemsip Ad – only, I didn't take a Lemsip so my day didn't end with me sneeze-laughing in the rain. No, there was no laughing in the rain.


I was out and about all day, and by the time I got home I was cold and wet to the bone. Actually, I was cold and wet to the brain; I know this because I stood on the wrong side of the street waiting for a bus and missed my actual bus in the process. Did I mention it was pouring? I want to say that a truck rocketed by – through a big puddle – and tsunamid my outfit, just so you'll actually feel sorry for me, but it didn't. I did step in a puddle though, and I was wearing new boots. I know, I've gotten soft. What self-respecting Irish woman complains about rain? One who hasn't been home in a while. Well, I just booked flights home for the bank-holiday weekend in June and I can't wait to restore my thick skin then.

On that note, I have to share that I got a surprisingly decent deal with Aer Lingus -- $671 roundtrip, including taxes etc. My brother said "Jaysus, you won't get better than that for the summer" and I hope he's right (because my family is very competitive when it comes to getting the best deal). When I first came here, I used to fly home for $300 – and in February there were these two-for-the-price-of-one deals where two people could fly home for $300. Now, it costs twice as much for just me, the airplanes are dodgy, and I have to bring my own blanket and snacks. Old-lady gripes aside, I'm so looking forward to going home and I won't complain if there's rain.

Irish T-Shirts: T-léine.ie

Pantone may have declared green the color of the year for 2013, but there are plenty of reasons to not don this of-the-moment color on St. Patrick's Day, including the fact that you look better in blue. Go against the grain (and the green) and wear a shirt that is actually made in Ireland and features a little Irish language. Now, that'll make everyone else in the office/parade really green!

The Cork-based T-léine.ie company was founded in 2012 out of a love and passion for the Irish language. Owner Pronsias saw Irish language T-shirts as an opportunity for people to share and wear their love for the Irish language. " For such a beautiful language, I believed the generic 'Póg mo thóin' type t-léine (you know the ones!) just didn't do it justice." 

I couldn't agree more.

Sure, you could ask someone to kiss your thoin or kiss you because you're Irish, but if you're looking for the real deal/a Paddy to grow old with, you might want to try a T-shirt that triggers an interesting conversation, like this "Tá Éire fíorálainn” shirt, designed to commemorate the recent first Tweet in Irish from space (by Canadian engineer Chris Hadfield).

 And if you must look like a cabbage in green, at least look like a savage cabbage:

T-léine.ie

Stalk them on Facebook 

Fetching Collars from Lakeside Leather

You probably haven't noticed that I have a dog. I never talk about him and rarely take pictures of him. I don't send him postcards when I travel. I don't get excited for him when I see a cat go through the backyard. I don't yell at the kids to be more sensitive to the dog's fear of gates, doors, balloons, and thunder. I don't call the cat a mean bitch (and make fun of her bad knees) when she hisses at the dog for walking past her. I do get confused with a less-sane woman in the neighborhood who can often be heard saying stuff like "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Charlie, can't you see that I am in a rush? How can you possibly have anything left in that fart of a bladder? Can we please get a move on?" Yes, her dog's name is Charlie, too. And she says fart all the time because it is almost as satisfying to fling off the tongue as other F-words. Anyway, she's definitely not me because I would never say please.
I would say pretty please.

So yeah, I have a dog. What can I say? He's cute in a Lady-and-the-Tramp way. Celebrated in dog-park circles for his good nature, speed, agility, and ball-thievery. He likes his steak medium rare. He has nice ears. His parents weren't married and he often overcompensates for his lack of a glossy-coat with flash accessories. Right now, he's rocking a very colorful collar and leash that I bought him when I was in Guatemala last month. (Can you name-drop a country?) It's a little too festive for the cold weather we have here in NY and and could be interpreted as trying too hard, like showing up to the dog park in heels. 

Yes, Charlie M. Finnegan needs a new collar and leash. Something refined, sophisticated, smart. Made in Ireland is a bonus – although it could spark some my-granny's-dog-is-from-Ireland convos at the dog park. Still, "Buy Irish" and all that.

Introducing Galway-based Lakeside Leather:

Refined? check. Sophisticated? check. Smart? check. Made in Ireland? Check! Yes, these slick-but-rugged collars and leashes are made in Galway, and even better, by a lake in Galway. They're also made with pride which is added value, regardless of where the products come from. Oh, and while we're at it, they're affordable, too. I know, you should get a dog already so you can shop Lakeside Leathers. Name your dog Beckett; just trust me.


"In these days of mass production, with most finished products technically perfect but lacking character, I take pride in producing individually hand crafted goods. I love seeing the leather slowly develop into an article of beauty, while remaining simple, practical and enduring." - Ger, Lakeside Leathers

Now the website doesn't paint much of a picture of Lakeside Leather's surroundings but you can imagine that the making of these proud and high-quality leashes and collars takes place in a thatched cottage by a lake, though there is a distinct possibility that they are indeed manufactured in an Industrial Estate four roundabouts outside the town (and the "lake" is from a yellowed postcard of Lake Bled in northwestern Slovenia, where a former worker vacationed ten years ago). I prefer the damp-cottage-by-the-lake scenario (with a token salty type wandering around the surrounding craggy fields with an optional cow thrown over his back), and so would my American dog. If I ever get around to actually contacting Irish makers for some profile-type pieces, I'll let you know what I can find out about Lakeside Leathers. I'll also let the owner of Lakeside Leathers know that they'd shift a lot of inventory if they slapped a few on some Irish wolfhounds and took a few photos.
Still, wolfhounds and thatched roofs aside, I'm loving the rich leather and obvious quality of these collars and leashes.

Also loving that I can order a leather belt, cuff and key loop to match.

LakesideLeather.com
Lakeside Leather's Etsy store