Manneken Pis

One of the things I love about Belgium and the Flemish side of my family is their earthiness; they have a truly bawdy sense of humour that is wholly unexpected in the face of their proud bourgeoise sensibilities. The Manneken Pis to me exemplfies that - I took my husband to see it and he just shook his head and said "This says so much about your family." It does - we can be very much the staid, calm, traditionalists but there's a part of all of us that will laugh our heads off at a statue of a little man pidding in the street. And adopt it as a national emblem.

Blooming Bloomsday

I was roped into attending Bloomsday yesterday. I'm no fan of Joyce (I love The Dead but Ulysses is appalling dross) but my friend is a devotee and she begged the other two of us to attend. I must say If I have to suffer Joyce, Davy Byrne's Bar off Grafton Street is the place to do it. The atmosphere was excellent, the enthusiasm of the patrons, many in costume dress and others dressed with more than a nod to the period was infectious. There were songs and recitations, and inevitably, the passage from the offending book regarding Mr Davy Byrne himself. All in all it was a good day out, and I imagine even more so should you happen to like Mr Joyce!

The End is Nigh

Macnas Parade, Galway

One of the Macnas performers enjoys the relief of completing the parade