An Irishman’s Diary

It has been a busy week. I flew to Cairo, Egypt on 11th to participate in a conference on Election Law Reform there. I had a couple of nights in Cairo then off to a resort on the Red Sea (by road) for the conference.

Here’s a couple of shots of the drive back - through the Eastern Desert (east of the Nile) to Cairo.

Since the hotel in Cairo was overbooked, and I was departing at 00:30hrs for a 3am flight back to Islamabad, the nice people at the Intercontinental put me in the Presidential Suite. Hurrah! Up on the 26th Floor, it had long balconies (plural, lads and ladies) and stunning views of the sunset and the River Nile. Thank goodness I had me camera….

The next series were taken after dark - they reveal the breadth of the view. I haven’t time to stitch them together into a single shot. You’ll have to use your imaginations….

Nice - eh?! Set me up for the journey back via Istanbul - where it was SNOWING. But that’s for another posting. As are my photos of polling in Pakistan on Election Day - 18th Feb - coming soon to An Irishman’s Diary….
(soundtrack to this post - Nirvana (believe it or not) and The Killers - rehearsals tonight for Leap Year gig on 29th…)

As we approach election day in Pakistan (February 18th), efforts are underway to get the vote out - no mean feat given the drop in turnout in recent elections here. One useful mechanism for getting the message into households is to put Voter Education messages on electricity bills. Here is what was on my recent electricity bill:

The flip side of this bill contained commercial advertising. I reproduce it here without further comment…

You at the back - stop sniggering….

While in Ireland in Sep/Oct 2007, I attended a function at the Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the formation of the Acorn Theatre Company. It is very hard to contemplate that twenty-one years have past since the Acorns started. Here’s a mix of images - first from the early days - then from the anniversary party. All I can say is “oh my God, the haircuts….”

Malcolm - Acorn Theatre Company Mascot - proud owner of Fionnuala Gallagher…

The first major play Acorn produced was “On The Outside”, by Tom Murphy. Here’s a newspaper clipping from the pre-show publicity drive. First inkling of major haircut issues visible in this one….

Group shot, 1986, taken out back of the Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo. The really frightening aspect of this photo is that I can’t remember whether we were in costume or whether we always dressed this way… Back row, from left, Ursula Smullen, Martin Dolan, Gerry Marshall, Conor Clarke, Anne Slattery, Kevin Lavin. Front row, from left, Marion Cullen, yours truly and Frank McCusker.

Still not convinced about the haircuts - check this shot…

Now, some shots from the party:

A Sligo Weekender article on the anniversary party rounding off this visit down memory lane:

Finally, huge thank you to Conor Clarke - fixer extraordinaire - who did all the heavy lifting to arrange this anniversary (no mean feat) and pull together all the images and memorabilia. Thanks Conor!

Hi,

Am swamped, if not quite under house-arrest here… More Coney pics here.

Enjoy!

Right, where’s me gas mask…..

To keep you at bay until I get the whole lot of ‘em sorted out. Holiday on Coney Island, off Sligo, September/October 2007. Enjoy.

View from Inishmulclohy Lodge - stunning.

Der cooks dinner, Inismulclohy Lodge

Mark (addressing dog), Uncle Big Der (at rear) and the increasingly large Little Der, Coney Island.
Clara and Oisin look out the staircase window for rabbits. RABBITS! Judy is unimpressed (or can’t see the rabbits, more like)

Well, he’s bigger than a rabbit. But not nearly as cute…

More to follow, I promise.

[Soundtrack to THIS blog entry - Funky Funky New Orleans, Various Artists. Don’t ask]