Happy St. Patrick's day, friends! This holiday is near and dear to my heart since I have been playing Irish music since I was a little girl. I started music lessons like a lot of kids in the States--piano lessons for 3-4 years and singing in choir at school and at church as long as I can remember. As I became a teenager, I actually transferred schools to attend a music-magnet school with excellent academics that my late father attended. My morning was dedicated to Latin, Science, History, English, the works...but my afternoons were filled with music.
I sang in several of the school choruses and ensembles, took private voice lessons, learned to play Trinidadian steel drums, and learned string instruments in the school orchestra just to name a few highlights. But my real passion was reserved for Saturday from 9 A.M.-3 P.M. when I attended an Irish music and culture school, unaffiliated with my academic learning. While there I first learned to learned to play the most dreaded Irish instrument: the Irish frame drum called a "bodhran." I took classes in traditional "sean nos" singing and Irish language to learn the pronunciations and meanings of words using the help of Buntus Cainte. Any other Irish speakers out there?
From the bodhran and singing/storytelling, I learned how to play my (now favorite instrument) the guitar. Irish rhythm guitar is one of the most satisfying instruments to play if you love both percussion and melody as it allows a beautiful blend of both. I have also branched out in my style now to play not just Irish rhythm, but lots of styles that can accompany my singing, or the singing of other people. After this I moved to other "stringed things," buying the first instrument I ever got with my own money, my mandolin. Others gifted or lent me musical instruments that I enjoyed learning to play including the tenor banjo (four strings), fiddle, bouzouki, and tin whistle. While we are in quarantine, I have promised myself to make intentional time to practice some of my favorite music since my instruments have been in their cases, collecting dust since we moved into our house last summer.
The other main hobby I have these days is practicing yoga. I have been doing online videos nearly every day with the channel "Yoga with Adriene." In fact, my first date with my husband included doing a YWA video, just to see if he would be interested in it, too. I will let our mats speak for themselves.
During the quarantine, our poor pup (Rory) got an infection (most likely as a result of spring allergies + coming into contact with myriad cleaning solutions we used to clean our house.) As a result, we needed to get out some old antibiotics and a cone we kept from his last surgical procedure (veterinarian -approved over the phone!) to help him get well. Rory has always had a habit of joining my husband and me for yoga practice, so we ended up doing the yoga off our mats when this happened a few seconds after the photo you see above...
I think Rory might have ended up being the most "zen" of all!
Thankfully, he is doing much better now after lots of cuddle time...
And time spent just hanging out on the couch with his humans.
Today we are looking forward to celebrating his first "cone-free" day with lots of good Irish music and homemade food. Here is our Ireland-themed meal of healthy, rationed food:
Even though there may not be parades and pub parties this year, they will come again. I encourage all of you to embrace the tradition of the *actual* term in some of the French-Canadian provinces that play Irish music and have yourself "the biggest kitchen party in the world!" Grab your housemates, grab some good food from your fridge and listen to music with high spirits. This is called, I kid you not, "the craic and cheoil" (pronounced: krak and kay-ol) roughly translated to "good times and music."
Keep those Irish eyes, smiling, guys (my community just *rolled* their eyes at me).
Prepare, don't panic.
-Allison
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