Andy Kershaw

I notice quite a few hits today on a previous blog of mine about Andy Kershaw. Noticed in the Observer earlier that he was arrested in the Isle of Man recently in connection with breaking a domestic barring order of some sort. Hope he gets back on the radio soon as he epitomises some of the things I love – great music, loads of travel, and quite fearless and independent reporting.

As my son would say – “sweet”

A debut goal from Zat Knight and a late Gabriel Agbonlahor strike saw Aston Villa beat Chelsea 2-0 and end Chelsea’s 18-match unbeaten streak in the league.

We listened to the end of the game in the kitchen as I prepared a very fine pasta, pepper and chicken dish for the family. Indeed, the end of the game was much more exciting than the all-Ireland hurling final we watched earlier which Kilkenny won at a canter.

I must sometime explain that the love of Villa is a sort of family inheritance. And I do like the fact that we have inherited a team that we follow through thick and thin – not like all those other Johnny-come-latelies, or bandwagon-jumpers, who follow a top three team, knowing that they will always be winning something or other.

So on an evening like this, it gives me even more pleasure in saying Up the Villa.

You can tell it’s September – who knows what will happen at Villa Park?

A very important season for Martin O’Neill lies ahead. When he came in last year, he essentially played with Dreary O’Leary’s team. The expectation was that he would organise them and deliver a top 8 finish. It didn’t quite work out like that, though. But now that he has flexed his muscle in the transfer market, it is very much his team now. So any blame for non-performance in the months ahead will fall squarely on his shoulders. They’ve started evenly – won one, drew one, lost one. And today they face Chelsea in a 4 o’clock kick off. So, once the hurling’s over, we’ll be turning our attention to Villa Park. So don’t even think of calling between 3.30 and 6.00.

Toga international Moustapha Salifou: the final piece in the Villa tranfer puzzle?

You can tell it’s September – I haven’t got a ticket for the all-Ireland hurling final

Today the men of Kilkenny take on underdogs Limerick in the all-Ireland final. For the past two weeks, I’ve been pleading with people and dropping hints in an effort to find a couple of tickets. It almost paid off on Friday night when I got an offer of one ticket. But I really want to take my son, so I had to decline. So at 3.30 today you’ll find me in front of the TV for the climax of what has been an utterly fantastic year of hurling. The only shame is that Waterford didn’t make it through.

It would have been nice to see Dan ‘The Man’ Shanahan and his mates line up for a final after their heroic efforts all year.

You can tell it’s September – I’m thinking of a night class

This whole September attitude is starting to do my head in.

Currently, I sort of think I really should do a night class of some sort. My friend does a different one each year – bricklaying, car maintenance, watercolours, animal husbandry or some such. It’s why he’s such a well-rounded person.

Me, I’m tempted to learn Arabic or do accounting for business. But I know I probably won’t.

You can tell it’s September – I’ve gone back to the gym

Last September I joined a local gym with a series of challenges – like to lose a stone, be healthier, etc.

I started going on a regular basis for about 3 months. Then Christmas, business and a whole other series of other excuses interrupted me.

So, I’ve started again. The only challenge I’m setting myself now is to keep going.

Somehow, I expect to fail.

Listening to…

As I grow older it’s noticeable that my tastes lean to younger music. When the whole CD revolution began, I was keen to buy all the CD versions of my vinyl collection. I did buy some but realised that I was missing out on so much good new stuff. So – still too easily persuaded by late night DJs - here is a handful of some things I’ve bought over the  past while:

• Hope, by Foy Vance
• Oppenheimer, by Oppenheimer
• War Stories, by Unkle
• Puzzle, by Biffy Clyro
• Thirst for Romance, by Cherry Ghost

The first two are local. Foy Vance is a hugely thoughtful singer from Bangor. He’s playing a week’s residency in Belfast currently but is Sold Out. Catch his blog at www.foyvance.com/blog

Oppenheimer are from Belfast. Rocky O’Reilly of the band tells me things are really taking off. They had a track performed on the last Ugly Betty series and are currently practising material for their next album. They really are infectiously catchy.

Reading…

A very good summer for reading. While my wife devoured maybe 15 books or so, I gently wound my way through:

• Sahara, by Michael Palin;
• That they may face the Rising Sun, by John McGahern;
• Barefoot in Mullyneeny, by Bryan Gallagher
• Persian Fire, by Tom Holland
• The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai

A bit of a hotch-potch these: ancient history from Tom Holland, travel from Palin, and a mixture of Irish and Indian fiction and memoir from the others. I enjoyed all immensely though. Especially Palin in the Sahara, because I’d love to do that. And re-reading Bryan Gallagher’s book – championed by the late John Peel, amongst others – is a warm sereis of reminiscences about growing up in my part of Fermanagh.

But the stack of books by the bedside still to read grows and grows and grows.

Note to self: must try harder.

Summer in Rossnowlagh

For those of you who don’t know it, Rossnowlagh is in Donegal. It’s not really a town or a village. It’s basically a beach. But just like New York, it’s also a state of mind.

When you slip down to Rossnowlagh, you slip into a different frame of mind. And I know that everyone says that about their own favourite piece of Donegal. But in Rossnowlagh, I think it’s different.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been going there since I was a kid – it’s like there’s still a bit of the kid in me left over down there from years ago. And now that we have our own kids, it’s nice to sort of bestow a favourite spot on them.

We also meet people down there that we know from either business or friendships. But they’re different down there. All big kids. All watching the tide, ready to surf or bodyboard or barbeque on the beach or walk or just open another bottle of wine. 

And even though the summer was a bit of a washout there were great moments too. Like my son learning how to whip me at chess. My daughter getting the hang of bodyboarding. My wife cycling in the rain. And me just taking more time out of work than usual. Bliss.

Hello, I’m back again – again.

Once again I’ve been very lax about keeping this particular blog up to date. Obviously, there’s no excuse for such a slack attitude, but I’ve come up with a few anyway:

1. Most of my time has been spent on business in general;
2. Most of my blog time has been spent on a business-related blog;
3. I have a number of other writing projects that need to be finished off soon;
4. We’ve been in holiday mode over the summer, spending loads of time in Donegal;
5. I’m getting older and lazier.

But now that it’s September again – and everyone’s minds turn to work again, and knuckling down again, etc etc - I’ll try to get back on course: not so much for any readers out there, but just to raise my own stickability rating.