Granada

Feliz Navidad!

mi querida familia española

Tate Modern

Images of London

view from Michael & Marta´s apartment

Hyde Park

Merry Christmas!

Pubs

at my Skerries house :)

the feast

lovely Kate


My bedmate Ferris

Belfast

Unfortunately despite allowing three weeks in Ireland, it hasn´t really been enough time to catch up with everyone. I couldn´t leave without at least seeing the lovely Julie though, so despite a lack of sleep and a fairly decent hangover from the night before (josh ritter concert) I managed to make the Belfast train and get up north in time for a delicious lunch. There was a lovely little Continental Christmas Market set up at the town hall full of delicacies and trinkets mostly from France and Germany that I got to enjoy as well. All in all worth the trip up, if only for a few minutes of catch up time and fun with Joolie.....I just hope that next visit is not so rushed!

Josh Ritter 12-12-06

I try never to miss the opportunity to see Josh Ritter live - wherever in the world I may be. Apart from the fact that I enjoy his music (The guardian recently listed him along with Will Oldham and the like as one of the modern 'poets of pop') his live performances are always full of warmth and fun. My preference would really be to see just him and a guitar without the theatrics and the band, however he still provided a lively and entertaining show. Josh has a huge following in Ireland (in fact at times the gig felt more like a giant love-in than a concert, but that's not really a criticism) you can't help but be pulled into the group hug and find yourself smiling along.

The set was a mixed bag with hits from all of his albums which I think managed to keep old and new fans happy (if indeed there were any new fans - these guys seemed like they'd all been in for the long haul and able to sing along to everything he turned out). He got everyone going with a rockin rendition of Hello Starling, right into my favourite from the last album- 'Good Man' then back to 'Me and Jiggs' from Golden Age of Radio. 3 great songs from 3 great albums - it was definitely a good sign of things to come.

Mostly he kept the mood uptempo except for a few choice solos including a beautiful rendition of 'Bone of Song' where he ditched the band and reminded everyone of the beauty of his words and his voice. All my faves were there (although I nearly missed the absolutely amazing 'Kathleen' whilst wasting time at the bar - sheesh) and a few others as well - it really was a great night!

(after some consideration even Shane was convinced - Josh puts on a good show)

check out more about Josh Ritter here and here

Ferris the Christmas Cat

Town Bar & Grille

Despite the ordinary sounding name, Town Bar and Grille is one of the best new restaurants in Dublin of the past year. Graham, Gemma and I had a beautiful Italian inspired meal with treats such as duck liver parfait, grilled sea bass and the ever present tiramisu among other treats....yum yum. Thanks guys for such a lovely night out.

Mint Bar

Dan

I've been waiting to meet the gorgeous Dan for some time and now finally that I am back in Dublin I did! Isn't he adorable?? (yeah, yeah Paul you're ok too) He's also a Tigger fan which automatically makes him a winner in my book.

Ash & Shane's wedding

Ashling and Shane

Elaine and Colm


Irish weddings have a reputation for being great fun and this one certainly didn't dissapoint - I had a wonderful time celebrating with the happy couple and all their lovely friends and family. It was a great chance to catch up with people I hadn't seen in years and just generally enjoy myself. The bride was stunning and everything went very smoothly. (except for that best man forgetting the rings part!!!!) A big thanks to Ash and Shane for letting me be a small part of their big day! (if you are really interested in more photos go to http://LeeanneMarshall.bebo.com)

Andy's Graduation

The night I left Australia was also the lovely Andy's graduation dinner. We were treated to a wonderful array of food that had been prepared by the apprentice chefs (Andy's duck curry was especially tasty) and I have to say it was a real treat as well as a particularly fine way to officially kick off the start of the summer holidays. Thanks for such a great evening and Congratulations Andy.

Honkers part II

Yum Cha