Month / November 2012

by shannonchance

Face-to-Face with Dorian Gray

Face to face with Dorian Gray.

Dorian Gray really made me think.  The theatrical production of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray brought me into a deep dark world and beaconed me to chose the light.

I’d tried to see this play when Mom was here, but it sold out during the theater festival. Thankfully, the Abbey Theater extended its run. And I got a front-row seat for just 13 Euro!  All that money I save not buying cable — it goes straight into Dublin theater.  And that’s the way I like it.

I’ve got to hand it to my sister, NYC actor Heather Massie, for showing me the ropes of theater-going. I’m no longer intimidated by the whole theater scene.  In fact, tonight, I looked Dorian straight in the eye and walked away knowing that life is good and remembering that I am truly blessed.

Fabulous actor. Fascinating character.

There’s such great theater in Dublin!  I’ve gotten to see two of this season’s four shows. The first, The Plow and the Stars was beautifully executed, just like The Picture of Dorian Gray. (See how serious I looked after seeing Dorian Gray!?!)

by shannonchance

Finding Gavin Duffy

Gavin (left), his brother Aidan, and the Monday night musicians at Hughes Pub.

Finding Gavin Duffy has been a challenge lately.  This case is much different from finding Kevin Donleavy, but this story also ends in a pub.

November is notoriously hectic in the university world, and Gavin works so hard and teaches so many hours that he doesn’t have much time for lunch chatter these days.  In addition, he’s got his hands full at home with three growing kids and another (surprise!) on the way.  (Congrats are in order to Gavin and Carmel and their three very-happy-to-have-a-new-sibling kids!)

But I also want to do my job here, which is to help Gavin progress with his dissertation.  I want to make sure we’re ready to meet with his dissertation advisor Thursday.  We really need to have something new to say.  We need to show some progress — so as to use Rob’s (and our) time well.

In any case, I know I can track Gavin down in my own neighborhood once a week, when his group of musicians gathers to play at Hughes Pub.

We shared our research progress, quickly between songs last night, and had some fun in the meantime.

I’ve spent more than a little time at Hughes Pub this week.  Saturday night I went in at ten o’clock not knowing a soul.  I left at two in the morning with three new friends: Dubliners Kathleen, Sean, and Mick.

Paddy Woodward described the feel at Hughes as a fine suburban-style pub, if I remember correctly. I didn’t understand until I visited the back part last Saturday. I arrived with the tourist crowd…

…and left with the locals. Thanks for tons of laughs Kathleen, Sean, and Mick!

by shannonchance

Turning Three

Three-year-old Evan and his momma, Julia.

Look what I’ve been missing back home.  My nephew Evan turned three years old!

Looks like I missed cupcakes, and chocolate, and loads of smiles.

Here’s to turning three, Evan!  I wish for you a world of fun.

Even and his brother Conner playing with Tigger.
A host of gifts.
Three-year-old Evan and his momma, Julia.
Evan wearing a birthday cupcake.
Evan and his cousins celebrating with (in?) chocolate.
A smile form Tommy, sent just for me today.
by shannonchance

Blue Moon Today

The Post Office was holding a package for me and I was thankful for the opportunity to get out in the sunshine and walk.  I’ve sequestered myself in an attempt to get some work done on this research project.  I’m up to my eyeballs in coding and making good, but slow, progress.

The sky was glorious and the neighborhood interesting to see.  I’m posting a reflection just exactly as my camera saw it.

Blue Moon in Phibsborough. Copyright Shannon Chance 2012.

by shannonchance

Time to Teach the Fulbrights!

At Trim Castle with the 2012-13 Fulbrights to Ireland and their families (on 7 September 2012). Try playing “where’s Waldo?” and find Dave, Heather, and me.  You’ll also see the pipers (Jonathan and Amanda), Erin Eife, and many other folks I’ve blogged about.

There are so many things I meant to share but haven’t had the time to post.  This is one of them.

These are photos that Fulbright Communications Officer, Joanne Davidson collected during our September 2012 Fulbright orientation events.

I hope they’ll give you the feel for some of what we learned.

Colleen Dube, the Head of the Fulbright Commission in Ireland, orienting us all (on 6 September 2012).

Learning Irish with Sioban, a former Fulbright to the USA and the niece of the Cobblestone pub’s proprietor, Tom Mulligan. (Photo from 6 September 2012.)

Ann and Bob Trumble from Williamsburg, Virginia. Bob teaches at VCU and he used to work at NIH and NSF. I’ve enjoyed spending time with them — they have been living here in Dublin. (Photo from 6 September 2012.)

by shannonchance

Becoming

The crowd mulling over meanings posited by the curator of Alice’s retrospective exhibition, titled Becoming.

The Irish artist Alice Maher was once a Fulbright to California. She has accomplished enough over the years to be featured in the “Prominent Alumni Lecture Series” event held last week.

The event (coordinated by the Ireland United States Alumni Association and hosted by the US Embassy in Dublin) highlighted Alice’s exhibition, Becoming.

The exhibit is currently on display at the Irish Museum of Modern Art on Earlsfort Terrace. (If you want to visit it, please note that it is not located at the Royal Hospital site–which is closed for renovation.  Alice’s work is across town in the rear of the National Concert Hall.)

During last week’s event, the curator of the exhibition walked guests around the museum. He shared his thoughts about Alice’s work and explained how the various pieces were selected and displayed.

I particularly enjoyed hearing Alice talk about the context of her work. I also enjoyed meeting the museum’s Head of Education and Community Programmes (Helen O’Donoghue) and catching up with the staff of Fulbright Ireland (Colleen and Joanne) and the current Fulbright scholars who attended (Bob Trumble and his wife Ann, Scott McDonald, and Matthew Baker).

Since the actual home of the Irish Museum of Modern Art is under renovation, the exhibit is housed in the former classroom area behind the National Concert Hall.

This is a close up view of an installation Alice created to highlight decades of graffiti on the old University College Dublin (UCD) desks.

by shannonchance

The Song Collector

Researchers help define and preserve culture. Last night, I got to hear Len Graham (a researcher and collector of Irish ballads) sing songs he has collected over the decades. Here’s a YouTube video of Len performing “at the Big Muddy Folk Festival in Boonville, Missouri on April 4, 2008.”

Len called last night’s performance “It’s of my Rambles… Recollections of Singers and Songs from the Ulster Tradition.” He prefaced each song with an explanation of how and where it was collected and which demographic group claimed to have originated the song (Ulster, the Travellers in Ireland, etc.). He explained some of the meanings behind each song.

Len spends his life singing and tracking down songs and singers.  He transcribes and archives words and melodies so that they aren’t lost to humanity. He’s travelled to Australia to find people who know rare songs and to Arkansas to record missing verses to a known song. These are just a couple of the many travel stories he told.

Len Graham singing at Na Píobairí Uilleann. The placard to the left lists Alfie Mulligan, who I’ve posted a snippet of on this blog (playing uilleann pipes at his brother’s Cobblestone pub).

Here you can see what the uilleann pipes look like (photo downloaded from an online blog).  (There are lots of YouTube videos available of uilleann pipers.)

Len spoke of a time not so long ago when there were just ten or so uilleann pipers in all of Ireland. Today, he says, more than a thousand people play these pipes.

He’s part of a vibrant oral tradition of storytelling that’s alive in Ireland today. But the songs have also been recorded and archived in important libraries–such as the one here in Dublin and another at Brown University. A researcher from Harvard (named Child) did a lot of important research into Irish ballads back in the 1800s.

I especially enjoyed Len’s songs involving heather (the name of a flower that became the name of my sister).  I also found “When Irish men throughout this world are brothers one and all” to be quite catchy.

This event was part of Na Píobairí Uilleann’s monthly Notes & Narratives lectures, which the organization describes as a series of “performance-based lectures on traditional music, song and dance by some of Ireland’s finest traditional artists.” Last night’s event was held at the Na Píobairí Uilleann hall on Henrietta Street.

Thanks, Jonathan Kennedy, my fully-bright friend, for the heads up about this event. Hope you’re putting your uilleann pipes to good use out there in Western Ireland this weekend!

by shannonchance

The Twinkle on Grafton Street

Christmas lights as seen in panorama from the corner of Grafton and Wicklow.

Frank McNally listed “23. Christmas lights in early November” as something he hates about Dublin (Irish Times, 15 November 2012).

Now, normally I bemoan Christmas selling creeping into every moment of fall, too.  But I have to admit that I’m taken by the holiday lights on Grafton Street.

Henry Street (the bustling pedestrian shopping avenue in Dublin that I’ve posted pictures of so many times before) isn’t yet illuminated. And it seems quite dreary by ten 0’clock in the evening. Not so on Grafton!

In these dark days of fall–when the Dublin sun sets around 4:30 pm–it’s fun to bask in the glimmer of lights on Grafton and Wicklow.

by shannonchance

Presidential Acclaim

USDA Photo by Bob Nichols of Dr. William R. Harvey, President of Hampton University.

My university president made news today in an article in the Huffington Post.

Earlier today I received a letter from him, congratulating me for the article in Planning for Higher Education.  I realize that it’s fairly standard text, but it’s nice to be remembered… particularly after a long day of manuscript writing!

The paper I’m writing now won’t be published until 2014!?!  That’s par for the course in the land of academe.