SPRAOI – 25 years in the streets

SPRAOI 2017

Two years ago I wrote about Musical Nun Ruth antics, last year I was impressed with The Morbid and Sons undertakers street theatre. This summer SPRAOI presented a whole constellation of street performers who demonstrated many talents and successfully had the audience in stitches.

Niamh McGrath and Keith Singleton, the Oh Dears, gave me a tea bag so that I could enjoy a cuppa after all that hard work taking pictures. They were asked for an autograph and no wonder – many people are familiar with the duo and their comedy Looking Deadly.

SPRAOI 2017

Mr. Culbuto, a human tumble toy, was rolling around O’Connel street waiting for someone to play with him. Two nuns (real nuns!) happened to walk by and one of them agreed to hold his hand.

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Naturally, Mr. Culbuto started falling face down.

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The nun was terrified. The audience were amused.

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Mr. Culbuto’s delivery man said it was OK 🙂

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“Ireland’s most lovable idiots”, brothers Seamus and Sean, are always amazing. I watched this show in Clonmel last year, but didn’t mind to watch it again.

Lords of Strut

The Lords of Strut Cormac Mohally and Cian Kinsella launched their first gig in 2008. Since then they have traveled around the worlds and even become Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists. They charmed the judges with all that lycra, neon and sparkles, no doubt on that, but also with their dazzling acrobatics and contortion.

As always, Sean gets stuck in contortion ring, but with the help of Seamus he will eventually squeeze his body through.

Lords of Strut

Stellar acrobatic performance on the ladder.

Lords of Strut

“Happy reunion” with the long lost “daddy” Sean found in the audience. It is my favorite part of the show 🙂 As you can see, some spectators laugh to tears.

Lords of Strut

Between the shows, SPRAOI visitors are having a great time this weekend with all the nice weather.

The performers are moving to a different location. Most of them have 2-3 shows every day.

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The Silent Brass Band from The Netherlands marching by.

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True fans gathered around the Georges Court stage.

I see a familiar face. Morbid and Sons undertaker !

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Yet I am told that it is a new comedy show directed by Nicholas Kavanagh – The Foolhardy Three. Lots of music, dance and slapstick, as expected from a good old vaudeville.

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Gareth Jones & Matt Barnard are absolutely brilliant. The Variety Spectacular is a truly spectacular show, a comedy classic full of song, dance, and charm. I loved the use of volunteers – my favorite part of any act 🙂

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And last but not least – Robotic Drum Show. Performer Ulrich Kahlert, Germany.

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I will write about SPRAOI Grand Parade some other day.

Have a wonderful week!

SPRAOI – quarter of a century party

August Bank holiday weekend in Waterford is better known as The SPRAOI weekend. In 1993, twelve events took place over three days of the festival; this time, 25 years later, the number of events is over 200. I have counted 28 performers, and I will tell about some of them in my next blog, but today I want to write about one of the favorites – a party folk band from Holland, the Scotch. During the three days, they gave eight performances in different venues in Waterford as a part of their Ireland tour that also includes Cork and Ardara, Donegal.

I went to see them in the Palace Square Friday, after dark. I can tell you – these guys know how to put on a show 🙂 Young and old, no one could stay still listening to the lively and infectious rhythms.

I have questions, and the drummer looks like the right person to start a chat 🙂

After an hour the show is over. I enjoyed every minute of it – watching the audience was a bonus 🙂

The guys are putting their instruments away, but it is not the end.

Their fans want pictures. I take advantage 🙂

I guess they will go to their car, eventually, and yes – here comes the drummer 🙂

His name is Wouter and he is willing to answer my questions.

Scotch is a party folk band, formed in 2003. At that time their shows were more theatrical.

Wouter: We started out as a punk band with a lot of glam rock inspirations. Went to a more symphonic style wearing all kind of costumes and doing some heavy makeup. The folk style evolved during touring in Germany and Czech as busking became an important part of our travels.

Wouter is doing drums, percussion and vocals.

Sam is the lead vocalist of Scotch, and also the violinist who is responsible for all the dance craze tonight 🙂

Wouter and Sam founded Scotch, and Nathan, the guitarist and vocalist, is with the band from the very beginning…

… as is the bass guitarist and singer Sjoerd. A lifelong friendship.

Jochem joined Scotch in 2007, and he is doing guitar, banjo, melodica and vocals.

And Juno is taking videos 🙂

The band is known and loved in their native city, Dordrecht which is as old as Waterford. Well, they are loved in Waterford too, and also in Scotland, and many other countries they have toured over the years. They performed at various national art festivals, the Calais refugee camp, and successfully auditioned for Holland’s got Talent.

I hope you can listen to their music here. Just scroll down:

Jean Luc is their third album.

What holds you together for so many years?

Wouter: Friendship is the most important thing in the band. We’ve been playing together for such a long time now. It would be super strange to split up. We enjoy traveling together and meeting people with the music as a kind of super glue.

Do you make a living as a band?

Wouter: Nope…

Which is a shame, because they are wonderful and they make a difference. They bring a party to people.

I watch all of their performances as it is close to where I live.

Sometimes I spot them watching other performers, or taking selfies 🙂

Their fans are waiting at the George’s Court stage.

It is a huge crowd here around the main stage of the festival decorated with Waterford colors.

From where I stand I can only see a glimpse of Wouter 🙂

The following day it is raining heavily, but it doesn’t scare their loyal fans.

The ‘orange minions’, the members of the huge group of SPRAOI volunteers, are doing a great job creating a protective shield for the musicians.

Bring in the party!

This is Scotch’s Facebook page and you can book a party at booking@scotchtheband.com, or let your friends know about them.

Thank you for celebrating SPRAOI milestone! More in my next post.

Have a wonderful week!

Mount Congreve gardens – an unexpected meeting …

Walled garden is greeting me with all shades of purple.

Numerous fruit trees will bear a bountiful harvest in a month or two.

I admire various espaliers clinging to the walls.

As I cross the walled garden I discover a fragrant rose walk in the middle of it.

Winged thorns are not the only unusual feature of Rosa sericea pteracantha : its flowers have only four petals instead of usual five.

Leaving the walled garden.

Walking around the pond.

Unhurried walk with occasional stops takes me back to the glass house.

More flowers, more colors.

Magnolia Daybreak was planted in memory of Ambrose Congreve by the staff of Mount Congreve. It has beautiful and extremely fragrant pink flowers. There are many magnolias in the garden that bear names of Congreve family members.

On my way to the field where I have parked my car I came across a lawn. I changed my lens to a wider one to take a picture of the tree. From this moment the events started developing rapidly.

I took the picture and next moment a huge, long-legged hare appeared out of the shrubs at the other side of the lawn and started lazily towards me. I stopped breathing for a moment and then began to reattach my 70-200 mm lens. When the lens was finally on I lifted my eyes and almost screamed as the hare was sitting right in front of me, and he was the size of a dog.

I guess he had lost all his senses because of his old age, it is why he almost bumped into me. Startled, he looked at me with crossed eyes. I didn’t have time to focus and only got these two blurred pictures of him as he darted across the lawn.

I slowly walked to where he entered the shrubs, and there he was, recovering after the scare.

I am glad that I can share this story with you.

Have a wonderful weekend

Mt Congreve gardens in July

Mount Congreve is usually a tranquil place, but not today as hundreds of young treasure hunters and their families have gathered here for an action-packed event. I cannot resist a 99 cone with a flake, and after a short inner debate find myself at the end of a long line.

Mount Congreve

Even the Garda special forces are looking for something delicious.

The cone is gone in a flash, and I don’t feel like looking for any other treasures. I make my way up to The Temple to visit the resting place of Ambrose Congreve, the man who has created this amazing garden on the banks of River Suir.

I get caught in prickly shoots of unknown plant stretched across the path. The leaves look so neat. I wish I knew the name.

I also come across a blooming rhododendron. A late bloomer indeed.

A set of steps takes me to another level.

Blue Hydrangeas are gloving under the dark canopy.

Finally I see the sun again. Love the play of light on the Rhododendron trunks.

This is a cousin of our ordinary Linden ( Lime) tree. Tilia henryana was named so after the Irish sinologist Augustine Henry who discovered the tree in 1888. Henry was born in Dundee into a family from Co Tyrone.

I am leaving the shady woodland garden to enjoy the bright colors of the walled garden.

I have a love-hate relationship with Dahlias 🙂 My mother used to grow a variety of Dahlias and we had a good few shelves filled with tubers in our cool room. I am absolutely fascinated with the flowers, but the smell of the stems makes me sick. Also, one of my chores was to take care of displays of cut flowers in our house, and I remember being so frustrated that dahlias made the vase water stink just in a couple of hours while the flower itself could last like forever. Still, Dahlia is one of my garden favorites.

Thank you for walking in the garden with me. This visit had a funny ending I will write about next time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Saltee Islands – All Things Beautiful

As I said in my previous post, to get to the Gannet place we have to first cross the Black-backed gull land. Great Black-backed gull is the largest of the gulls, and is described as a “merciless tyrant”. They can be fierce and aggressive at their nests, but I have no intention to bother them, and I know there are no chicks that early in the year. The gulls are perched on the rocks and become agitated as I get closer. Apparently they don’t understand the message I am sending them with my body language. One of them is trying to attack me. I keep walking and pretend I don’t hear, so he finally leaves me alone and returns to his rock. I turn around and take a picture 🙂 Then I hurry away.

Just before the Cat Cliff comes into sight, I see another Black-backed gull with a tiny crab in its bill.

Finally I reach the Cat Cliff. This place always makes me emotional and fills me with reverence for the mystery of life. Beautiful big birds are so vulnerable here keeping the eggs warm, protecting the young.

While climbing down the cliff, I have to pass by a clan of European Shags whose matriarch is an ill-tempered bird that starts hissing way before I come close. This year her young and very shy son finally has his own family. Now there are three nests altogether. I didn’t want to bother the hissing mama and the shy lad, and took a few pictures of the third Shag with two chicks and a Razorbill in background. Shag looks similar to Cormorant, but they are two different birds, easily distinguished from each other: Shag is smaller and has emerald green eyes and green sheen on the feathers. Also the European Shag’s tail has 12 feathers and the Great Cormorant’s 14 feathers. European Shag chicks hatch over a two day interval – it is why one chick looks much bigger than the other.

These two Gannets are familiar to me. Their nests are perched at the very edge of the cliff so I always have to pass by them.

I make myself comfortable on a big flat rock, and when the Gannets take off and land I feel like on Maho beach 😉

gannet

This is not a fight, but an act of affection 🙂

A perfect bird.

Synchronized flight.

Watching gannet landings, I forget about time.

I would sit on that rock and admire the gannets until dark, but it is time to start moving as the boat is back in an hour.

I safely pass the Black-backs territory and stop at the highest point to enjoy the beautiful view. You can see the Little Saltee in background.

I walk through the carpets of blue and white.

And of course, Sea Pink.

Oystercatcher’s loud, panicked voice calls me back from my daydreams.

I take one last glance around. This is the Makestone, the largest islet at the southern side of the Great Saltee.

Little Saltee looks close when zoomed out. In fact, the channel between the islands is about a mile wide and 30 f deep.

At this time of the year, puffins spend most of their time at sea. I have only seen four puffins during this trip. They will return later, after we leave the island. I am glad they are safe here.