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Careful With That Axe, Eugene
Thinking and ranting out loud - my own thoughts and comments written whenever the mood takes me. Nothing is safe, Chop Chop!
Blog title from a song by Pink Floyd.
Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Dad singing Fr O'Flynn
Monday, March 31, 2025
The Mountains of Mourne, sung by Joe O'Loughlin
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Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Madeira
Recently Roma and I spent 10 days in Madeira to get away from the dreary Irish winter. We stayed in a rented apartment in São Martinho just outside the capital Funchal and it was nice to have warmer weather for a few days. The temperature in Feb/Mar gets up to 18/19 C and while it was not sitting out in the sun weather, it was nice and warm despite a few short showers.
Madeira is a beautiful island full of middle-aged and older couples at this time of year. On our first day we took a Hop-on-Hop-Off bus which gave us a nice start to see interesting places, and also to see just how small the island is. The village of Câmara de Lobos was the highlight with its cute harbour and poncha bars. We had a lovely lunch in Restaurante Vila do Peixe overlooking the harbour before getting back on the bus. Funchal itself is a nice town and it does not take long to get around - everything of interest is easy to walk to.
We took the Funchal cable car up to the Monte Palace garden which was covered in cloud and wet. We enjoyed the garden despite it not being the best time of year for flowers. We thought about taking the well-known wooden toboggins back down, but it was a little bit of a relief that we found out that they were not operating on that day. On another day we took an open-top jeep tour to Porto Moniz. There were eight of us in an old Land Rover and it was a bit crowded making standing up a bit uncomfortable. Nevertheless it was great fun and our guide was super.
They are very proud of Cristiano Ronaldo in Madeira - he grew up there. I visited the museum in the harbour dedicated to him and found it very interesting. He certainly won a lot of trophies and medals and they are all there, though it is hard to make out was is original or a replica. I am a fan of Ronaldo and this was certainly an unmissable experience for sports fans.
We treated ourselves to a cocktail in the posh Reid's Palace hotel on our last day. We had hoped to go to the terrace bar (and dressed up for it!), but we were too early. Instead we went to the pool bar where for €16 I had the most delicious rum and Bailey's cocktail
Overall, Madeira is a lovely place to visit. It is very relaxed and the people were very friendly - tourism is their number one industry. We will be back!
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Solar Power in 2024
2024 was the first full year that we have had solar power running at our house. We have sixteen 400 watt panels on our roof - eleven facing south, and five facing west. Combined, they are capable of generating up to 6.4 kWh, but this is rare since they don't all get direct sun at the same time. In 2024, the highest was 4.7 kWh on 23rd June, which was a very sunny day.
From the chart below for 23rd June you can see that we generated 37.84 kWh (green line) which covered almost all consumption during the day. 80% of what was generated was fed back to the grid for which we are paid €6.41. You can also see that there was very high consumption during the night - this was from charging my car. I don't charge during the day because we get approximately 19.5c/kWh for excess fed to grid, but are charged at night rates for 9.65c/kWh from 00:02 - 00:04, and 16.44c/kWh from 00:00-00.02 and 00:04 - 08:00. The consumption rate below is just under 8 kWh, or 64 kW for the night.
The total cost of charging the car was €9.43 approx. 64 kW should do just over 400 km in range in the summer - this equates to about €2.36/100 km. Compared to today's prices for petrol (€1.88/litre), and using a rate of 5 litres/100km, 100km in a petrol powered car would cost €9.40 - almost exactly four times the cost of my electric car. Charging at 02:00-00:40 only would bring my cost down further. Clear evidence that charging at home saves a lot of money!
Monday, February 17, 2025
Looking back
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Friday, February 07, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 24
Thursday, February 06, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 23
Wednesday, February 05, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 22
Tuesday, February 04, 2025
Interview with my Dad - part 21
In today's short (1 minute) audio clip my Dad answers a long question by me about how the education of his children came first ahead of any financial problems. At various stages in the late 1970s and early 80s he and my Mum supported their four children through boarding school and college. We were not blind and could see that there were financial problems, but not for a moment does he and my Mum regret investing in our education.
Click below to listen:
Interview with my Dad - Part 20
Monday, February 03, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 19
While busy with the Carnew Musical Society committee, Dad also found time to get involved with musical societies at national level with the Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS). He first took over the running of the AIMS Bulletin, and then he became national president of AIMS for two years (1980 and 1981). He talks about seeing musicals all over the country, and seeing The Merry Widow five times in the one year. when his term as president was over he took over the running of the AIMS Choral Festival in New Ross, Co Wexford.
Click below to listen:
Sunday, February 02, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 18
My Dad's great passion was singing, it was never a bother to get him to sing a song on any occasion. He was blessed with a fine voice and we have several recordings of him. He started out with the Gorey Operatic Society, and in today's clip he tells us about how he moved from GOS to the then Carnew Choral Group for a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury. He also played many lead roles such as the Pirate King, the Mikado, his most enjoyable role was as Wilfred Shadbolt in The Yeomen of the Guard.
Dad also busied himself with musical society committees, and in the clip he describes how he (and others) set up the southeast region for the Association of Irish Musical Societies.
Click below to listen:
Saturday, February 01, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 17
Following on from yesterday's post about my Dad representing farmers on the Beet Grower's Association and the Irish Farmer's Association, Dad discusses with me about how the uncertainty over grain prices led him to join the Bunclody Farmer's Co-Op, which had been set up by his friend Rory Murphy. He later joined the board of the Co-Op and became its chairman for one year.
Click below to listen:
Friday, January 31, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 16
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 15
Today's audio clip sees my Dad telling us about his early life in Ballingate in the 60's, and his faith - especially when my Mum got sick. He found this time (mid-1960's) hard going, but his "get on with it" attitude saw him through.
Click below to listen:
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 14
As I recently discovered, when your father dies it is not an easy time. Dad's father PJ O'Loughlin died on 19th June 1965 at the young age of 60 years. In today's audio clip Dad talks about his relationship with his father, which he describes as "formal" and his sadness surrounding his passing.
Click below to listen:
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 13
In today's very short audio clip, my Dad explains how the family farm that he grew up on in Tomacork had to be sold as debts piled up. His father PJ's auctioneering business also suffered and had to be closed. This must have been a sad time for all the O'Loughlin family in the early 1960s. While Dad stayed behind on his own farm in Ballingate, his family moved to Shankill in Dublin.
Click below to listen.
Monday, January 27, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 12
Sunday, January 26, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 11
The late 1950s was an eventful time in my Dad's life. At this time he was working on both his father PJ's farm in Tomacork, and his Uncle Pat Hurley's farm in Ballingate. He also got married!
In today's audio clip you can hear about when he proposed to Mum, going to Spain on their honeymoon, and living in Tomacork during the first two years of marriage.
Click below to listen:
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 10
Friday, January 24, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 9
Travelling during the 1950s was not a common thing for Irish people to do, but my Dad managed a couple of trips to see a little bit of Europe still suffering after the end of World War II. In today's clip, my Dad tells us about travelling to Lourdes on a Dublin diocesan pilgrimage with his Uncle Charles (Mons), and to Paris, and Arnhem in Holland with Macra na Feirme. During the latter visit he and the Macra lads went to see the still bombed out city of Essen in Germany.
Click below to listen:
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 8
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 7
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 6
Monday, January 20, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 5
In this very short clip (part 5 of 24) my Dad talks about leaving secondary school in Roscrea at the end of 5th year in 1948, and his regret at not going on to complete the leaving certificate or going to university.
Click below to listen.
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 4
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 3
Friday, January 17, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 2
Here's Dad telling the story:
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Monsignor Charles Francis Hurley - 40th Anniversary
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The Mons. |
Rest in peace Uncle Charlie.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Interview with my Dad - Part 1
Thursday, January 09, 2025
Eulogy for my Dad
At my father's funeral in Tomacork church I was kindly allowed by Fr Casey to give a short eulogy at the end of the requiem mass. I have to admit that I had written a lot of it some time ago and refined it as the end for Dad drew near. I ran it by family before the mass and modified as requested.
The mass was streamed live, but this broke down after 30 minutes - Storm Daragh was having its way on Dad's final journey. Luckily, I still got a recording. I thought for a long time (it's five weeks since Dad died) as to whether it would be appropriate to publish it here, but a lot of people could not come on the day due to the storm. I am also very proud of Dad's achievements and his life - so here goes:
Many thanks to KMcE and LDMcE for recording.
Wednesday, January 01, 2025
Joe O'Loughlin (1931 - 2024)
Thursday, December 05, 2024
Monday, October 21, 2024
Oh no - I am 5% English!
I have my family tree on Ancestry.com, and a few years ago I did their DNA test which has been very interesting to investigate and discover relatives I didn't know I had. A few years ago, back in 2014, I did the National Geographic DNA test which told me that I was mostly European, but also that I was 2% DNA match to Native Americans. When I did the ancestry test it showed me as 97% Irish, and 3% Welsh. Not a big surprise, so far I have not found Welsh cousins - but given the proximity of Wales to Ireland I guess some DNA crossed the Irish Sea many years ago.
In the past few days, Ancestry.com has sent me "updates" to my results which tell me that I am now just 94% Irish, but that I am also 1% Icelandic, and 5% English. I'm sure today's DNA research is much better than back in 2014, but I think I would think I would prefer to be 2% Native American than 5% English!
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Geneva
To wind down after our Italian Job Tour, we decided to spend a few days in Geneva on the way home. We took the train from Milan to Geneva (about 4.5 hours) through the mountains and valleys of the Alps - a very nice comfortable way to travel, and not much longer than what a flight and airport checks would take. We stayed at the Hotel 9Paquis near the city centre and settled in for a few bike-free days. I had never been to Switzerland before. Roma had been there years ago and warned me that it would be an expensive place to stay. Boy was she right! On our first afternoon we stopped at the Pitstop Donut café on the Quai des Bergues overlooking the Rhone river for an aperol spritz (fast becoming my go-to holiday aperitif!) and I was shocked to discover that one would cost 16 francs (about €17).
We did a lot of walking and also used our free travel pass on the trams/trains/buses/ferries to get around. We went to the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire which was a great way to spend a couple of hours. We also went to see the Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge where we were fascinated by the archives of millions of records of missing people in war. Most shops were closed on Sunday, and a lot of other attractions were closed on Monday too. Eating out was expensive, so we went to the food markets where we got sandwiches and much cheaper wine. We also had to try a Swiss fondue - it is just an expensive way to eat a bit of steak.
We also enjoyed taking the free ferries across the lake to get a good view of the Jet d'Eau - one of Geneva's best known landmarks.
Geneva was never on my Bucket List, and I think this is a been-there-done-that experience that I can tick the box on. It is a lovely city, very multi-cultural, very friendly, easy to get around - but soooo expensive. Not so sure that I will be back - I'd need the Lotto for another visit!
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
The Italian Job - Reflections
Back home in a cold and wet Dublin, I already miss Italy and its roads. Some thoughts on our ride and experiences:
The Bike
The bike we had for the tour, a Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra, was excellent and comfortable for two. This was our second tour with Eagle Rider and I highly recommend them to all bikers.
The trip was 2,970 kms according to reading on my bike. We had every type of road and conditions that tested us all. Only four riders out of the nine bikes were Harley-Davidson owners, and many of the others struggled with the weight of the big bikes. It took me quite some time to get to grips with the many hair-pin turns in the mountains, but after a while I was having so much fun - bring it on! On the rainy days we stuck to the motorways for safety and comfort.
There was a lot of motorway riding. Even allowing for the rainy days, I felt there was far too much of this type of riding on the trip. All the motorways we were on were tolled, so each time the group had to enter and leave one-by-one - by the end of the trip I was fed up with this. I appreciate that we have to get from A to B (with hourly breaks for comfort stop) but riding on a motorway at 130 km/hour is hard work.
The Sights
Italy is the place to go for sights and marvels, and we saw lots of them. Highs for me were: the Leaning Tower of Pisa, driving by Mt Vesuvius in Naples, the streets of Sorrento and Amalfi, the caves in Matera, the trullis in Alberobello, the Greek and Roman temples in Paestum, and of course Florence where we got to see the world famous statue of David and the Birth of Venus painting.
Food/Restaurants
We had too much food! The food in Italy is delicious and plentiful. Some days we would have a simple lunch at a motorway service station, other days we were dining on the street in style. Lots of pasta and pizza of course, with delicious wine to wash it all down (not during day!!!).
Hotels
All the hotels we stayed in were good. The best was the Trullo in Alberobello - brilliant restoration work for a unique place to stay. Incidentally, an aperol spritz here was €3.50 - later in the week when we were in Geneva, the same drink cost almost €17! Some hotels were quiet as the holiday season is at an end. We stayed in 10 different hotels throughout the tour. If I ruled the world I would make every shower unit the same in hotels!
Toilets
Why can't there be more toilets in Italy? Men are not used to queueing, but us guys had to wait a lot in restaurants where there was just one toilet for men and women. The women on the tour just said "welcome to our world". Motorway service stations were fine, but everywhere else seemed to leave us a bit short. Now that I am a Senior, I have learned never to pass up the opportunity to use the bathroom!
Group
Probably the best thing about the tour was the group we were with. With folks from Italy, Switzerland, Scotland, England, Australia, the United States, plus us from Ireland - we were a very multi-cultural group that seemed to gel and get on great right from the start. Strangers on Day 1, great friends by Day 15.
Friday, October 11, 2024
The Italian Job - Day 15
Our Italian Job trip is now over, and after 2,970 kms on the road it is time for us all to head our separate ways. We had an early start and thanks to our wonderful tour guide Stefano, we made it to Treviglio station for a 07:05 train to Milan Central. We had just 10 minutes to spare to get our train to Geneva, but we made it and have nice comfy seats to enjoy for the next 4 hours.
Day 15 is the official last day of the Italian Job, but it is really a departure day. We had a fantastic time over the past two weeks with a wonderful group of people with whom we had so much fun. We are off to Geneva for a few days to wind down before going home. I have never been to Switzerland before and am looking forward to getting there. I will write a reflection on the trip over the next couple of days.
Thursday, October 10, 2024
The Italian Job - Day 14
Our final day on the road started out in Florence in light rain. We set out early to try to avoid downpours, with partial success. Mostly dry today, but we needed the wet gear on for most of the day in case of showers. Our big stop today was at the Ferrari museum in Maranello. Not that many cars on display, but nonetheless fantastic to view. Our guide seemed keen to tell us how much each car on view was worth (up to to eight million euros). Some fantastic cars were on display - I especially enjoyed the old cars.
We continued on our way with many toll gates for the next few hours until we reached Treviglio where our tour started two weeks ago. Our farewell dinner was so much fun as we said goodbye to all the friends that we made over the past two weeks. Day 15 is the official wrap up - more tomorrow.
Some photos of the day…
Wednesday, October 09, 2024
The Italian Job - Day 13
What a fantastic day of art and culture in Florence, or Firenze as the locals call it! This city is totally over-crowded with tourists, but well worth the effort to shuffle past thousands of people all visiting Firenze for the same reason as us. Our motorcycle free day started out with a three hour tour of the city centre. This was interesting in parts, but our tour guide was boring for most of the time. There is only so much about the Medicis that I can take, and after a while - one building’s architecture was just like the next. Firenze is beautiful with the magnificent Duomo at its centre. We crossed over the Ponte Vecchio bridge to see the Royal Palace, and came back to look at the outside of the Uffizi Gallery (I thought our guide had said “Graffiti Museum”!) I didn’t realise that this is where some famous Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Raphael paintings are held. Our tour ended in the Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo’s statue of David is located. Nothing prepares you the magnificence of this statue - I along with everyone else, stood in awe looking up at one of the world’s most famous statues. Amazing!
For lunch we moved away from the tourist spots and enjoyed Coccoli and an aperol spritz at the La Petite restaurant. Later we went back to the Uffizi gallery and to our surprise the queues were quite short, so we went in to see Botticelli’s Birth of Venus painting, plus many more magnificent pieces of art. By the end of the day we had culture overload, but we were so thrilled to get to opportunity to see this art in just the one day we had here.
Some photos of the day:
Tuesday, October 08, 2024
The Italian Job - Day 12
You meet the nicest people in Launderettes! Today was laundry day as I was down to my last jocks and socks, we spent nearly two hours in the launderette close to our hotel. First we had to wait for a free washing machine, and then needed two drying cycles. We had a great conversation with Jill and Dave from Ohio while we waited. I write this because this was basically the most exciting thing that happened today!