Ireland

U2 are back in Italy. They played at San Siro in front of 80 000 people. We talk about records. One thing is certain: U2 confirm the biggest rock band in history. The show was amazing Grant by a monumental stage (The Claw) and a fireworks scene.

U2 talk about the music they made. They did this both to celebrate the myth of Jacko is to attack our prime minister. Yet another lesson in style media.

Plenty of space left to historical songs to the delight of fans. I Still Have not Found What I'm Looking For fading Stand By Me by Ben E. King among the choirs, Angel of Harlem (with a dedication to Michael Jackson when he sings a couple of steps from Man in the Mirror and Do not Stop Til You Get Enough) and Party Girl with her daughter Memphis Eve called on stage to celebrate birthday while the stadium sing Happy Birthday. Vertigo is a slap in the face of energy, I'll Go Crazy If I Do not Go Crazy Tonight Larry Mullen leaves the battery and steps on a bongo. Sunday Bloody Sunday and Pride are history. Of rock. MLK is the other History, speaks of Martin Luther King.

The only enemy (invisible) ASL was in Milan that has imposed a limit for the ridiculous decibels (78 !!!). If you do not have the courage to host such an event is better than not doing it in half.

"I do not want to disrespect the people of this country, the person of the Prime Minister and his party, but Ber lusconi made promises which he maintained in regard to poor countries. Proximal to the G8 in my day you decide on the gift of life. I write songs, he can write the story. " And the One devotes a very very special.

"No Excuse: Bono Nobel '

A few days before the two Milanese U2 concerts are a network of various witnesses what appears to be once again a huge tour, full of technological innovation and emotional impact for sure .. and I would like to see at a cost of EUR 106 million and 120 trucks.

Took office in Ireland is a very bad climate for P2P world, even the music industry lobbyists, who have reported great success when one of the largest Irish ISP Eircom, has given up fighting in court and agreed to disconnect their customers, guilty of violation of copyright, now they want the ISP block all file-sharing sites starting with the Pirate Bay.

The funny thing is that at least in the case of the Italian block Pirate Bay, ISPs had to obey an order of the Finance Police, even if the court of review has decided to cancel the block, but there is no provision in Ireland lawsuit against Pirate Bay. It is, in fact, of private agreements between ISPs and the music industry and the politicians, like Pontius Pilate, wash their hands, not wanting to be involved in the story that would put against public opinion.

So the situation is that Eircom will block any site which will be reported dall'Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and will accept any blacklisted at the same time music lobbies have given notice to the other ISPs within seven days to accept the same deal, otherwise they will be mentioned court. Of course the ISPs do not agree and seek protection. You do not really know who will be able to contact, since as said that the political forces are conspicuous by their absence, while virtually every form of freedom is eliminated from the internet.

And if the site has a lot of material free from the constraints imposed by the copyright will be blocked too, just an infringement notice in relation to the site. This will also say that in Ireland no artist can expose its content using peer-to-peer technology as likely then that the site is disconnected, thereby it destroys any possibility for an artist to make known his deeds outside the official channels.

I really hope that public opinion in Ireland react to these charges. If Eircom, in fact, might begin to see many of its users dissolve the contract and move to other ISPs that have not accepted the dictates of IRM, ie if all this will bring a huge economic damage, we must see whether it will continue to blindly obey taxation of music lobbies.

A few days ago I opened a Facebook page dedicated to Magnetic Music Café in Doolin, undisputed destination of a trip to Ireland, especially if you are fans of Irish folk music.

For those of you who use Facebook that's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Doolin-Ireland/Magnetic-Music-Cafe-Doolin/116082675054

I think many like me are afraid of hearing the new single from U2 prelude to their new album. It had already happened in the past but always forget about it.'s Get On Your Boot is the one that was Achtung Baby in The Fly, Dischotèque for Pop or How To Dismantle An Vertigo Atomic Bomb. They show us forever. We try to surprise their audience and crowd throwing an individual who has little or nothing to do with the rest of the album.

My first impression after listening to No Line On The Horizon are enthusiastic. And 'futile venture into comparisons with the distant past. U2 goes ever recognized a lucidity and a regenerative ability to constantly re-read this very uncommon. This is a mature album, refined (directed to the console Eno feels and how!) And that brings in the folds of the guitars dell'inossidabile Edge content at the highest level.

It will be certainly the mainstream pop album of the year. But listening and listening again emerges another certainty: to No Line On The Horizon is not only all the music of U2, but there really any music. The genres are hiding and emerge in a constant game of quotations. Gospel, country, rock ELECTRONIC, 60's rock, ambient ... everything!

U2 are also musically more generous and brave: Adam's bass riffs, guitar solos Edge and Larry beats the skins on which change depending on the sound of the piece. Bono is stratospheric, as usual, but this certainly does not surprise anyone.

Welcome back U2!

I take this opportunity to have witnessed last night at a concert (in the bottom of this post will find a video testimony of the night) to tell you about the extraordinary Lunas.

The Lunasa are in my opinion one of the nu-Irish folk formations most interesting and talented of all. The band's name is taken from one of the most important festivals of the Celtic calendar. The fact was the Lunasa harvest festival dedicated to the deity Lugh (patron of the arts) and fell during the night between July 31 and August 1.

The Lunasa consist of:
Seán Smyth - Violin
Kevin Crawford - flute and bodhrán
Trevor Hutchinson (ex Waterboys) - Low
Cillian Vallely - uillean pipes
Paul Meehan - Guitar

Originally published in the training was very good guitarist Donogh Hennessy (universally recognized as the best Irish guitarist and former band member of Sharon Shannon) who now is working on personal projects and collaborations with Pauline Scanlon is not the last.

The Discography includes:

• Lunasa (1999, 2001)
• Otherworld (1999)
• The Merry Sisters of Fate (2001)
• Redwood (2003)
• The Kinnitty Sessions (2004)
• Self (2006)
• The Story So Far ... (2008)

The Lunasa arise as interpreters but often the authors of the Irish folk tradition (and, more generally, "Celtic"). They have good technical qualities and their sound is fresh and very addictive.

Their latest album The Story So Far ... is an exceptional collection of the best musical production of Lunasa and is an excellent starting point for those who want to approach the Irish folk tradzionale rinvigrito and revisited in a more modern.

Links to explore:

http://www.lunasa.ie/
http://www.myspace.com/lunasaofficial
http://www.myspace.com/donoghhennessy
http://www.myspace.com/paulinescanlon1
http://compassrecords.com/

The breakfast with French toast Lorraine color a day that there is rather gray and full of rain. From the windows of the dining room there is a view of all the crazy hills of Doolin, the Cliffs and islands Arann.

We set en route to Connemara not before being passed by the Clare Jam Company, or Heaven, where the jam is easy to give in to all sorts of temptation surrounded by dozens of different kinds of jam or marmelade. The owner and vendtore seem to come directly from the past: a few words and with an accent almost incomprehensible. I left the store with 8kg of jams and no idea of ​​how to bring them to Italy. And 'That's the beauty of being on vacation ... or not?

I drive through the moonscape of the Burren along the old road that leads from Ennis to Galway. Today seems really determined to the day when we reach the Connemara ugly and a thin but constant drizzle accompanies us to our destination along the Sky Road. We stop for lunch at the old railway station in Clifden where the delicious goodness of sadwiches is ruined by the annoying noise of a company of rude Italians who manage to obscure the fascinating charm of a place from another time. Italy is far from us as we feel these people. Too bad.

After a short break we decided to go where the obligatory stop at Roundstone, and 'the Craft Village where we are enraptured by the extraordinary beauty of the jewelry, and musical instruments of porcellene types of Irish tradition.

We return to Clifden and we prepare for dinner at Ban Pangur near Letterfrack. Tomorrow is our last whole day in Ireland. Tuesday traveling to Dublin, where the magic begins and ends, where I leave a part of me every time I come home safe, however, to find it during my next trip.

We wake up early and eat pancakes favolsi of wild honey in the veranda of the b & b that hosts us. The view over the bay of Dingle is wonderful and the spell is broken only by the rain that pours on the roof at times. The goal now is the magic Doolin in County Clare, a tiny fishing village that owes its fame to a musical tradition that is lost to the origins of Irish folk.

We decide to skip the usual Limerick and take the ferry to Tarbert on the Shannon. From Dingle we head over the Connor Pass and we stop on the shores of the ocean in a beautiful white sand beach. The wind is cold and the clouds promise rain. We are preparing to arrive in Doolin tradzionale blanket of fog and humidity.

The short trip aboard the ferry that crosses the Shannon is always nice to challenge the long standing cold over the bridge that runs along the sides of the boat. We cross the mouth of the largest river of reland and disembark in Clare, where we will have a heavy rain. I drive to Doolin and amazement the day turns into a few minutes and when we are in sight of the beautiful hills that descend to the village a warm sun is high in the sky of Ireland.

A compulsory stop at the Magnetic Music Café where a cup of boiling water and a free slice of cake with rich cream brings us back to the world. This place is really special, steeped in a mystical atmosphere and gathering where music is the main element. A quick tour of the negozzietti and head for the main lot.

From here you decide rilsalire the coast to the cliffs. The spectacle of rock's great if you feel like walking over a giant form of Swiss cheese. The afternoon was perfect and after a long walk we reach the base of the Cliffs from which there is a view indescribable. I sit perched among the rocks in layers. I like to think so that you hear a seagull here. I would take the flight and I also see this from Ireland. I'll be back with your feet and mind on the floor and slowly return to the path of wasting a lot through the fields bordering the beach.

Let's go back to the b & b to rest a little before launching into the atmosphere of the village at night.

No, no, for heaven's sake what have you got?! Absolutely do not want to talk about the pop star, but the greatest connoisseur of beer and whiskey in the world of the same name in spite of the controversial musical celebrity.

M. Jackson has really drunk everything and everywhere. He has written real bibles reference for connoisseurs. It 'a writer as much as her refined taste for malt and hops. I discovered through a friend and the feeling was immediate.

If you like beer and / or whiskey or even if you only read the memorable pages where the topic is the perfect drink Jackson is the author. His descriptions of the condition of "rapture" are amazing and its definition of "thirsty" is the most witty and sincere I have ever read.

Obviously there are pages in his praises to the Irish beers and whiskeys.

Following are a brief bibliography, which is now proudly possess ... between a glass and the other

Title: World of Whisky Altante
Year: 2005
Publisher: Mondadori
In brief: Michael Jackson, internationally renowned expert, leads the reader on a long journey to the discovery of the whiskey. Tracing its history from its ancient origins, the most prestigious distilleries describes and analyzes the different types: single malt scotch from the blend, from American bourbon to the varieties produced in Japan. The book also discusses all phases of the whiskey, the cultivation of cereals to their maceration, distillation to aging, not to mention news and curiosity about men and places that made history. The final section is devoted to whiskey tasting, its use in recipes and in the preparation of cocktails.

Title: Stories in a glass of beer, whiskey, life
Year: 2005
Publisher: Slow Food
In short: Maximum connoisseur of beer in the world and effective writer, English Michael Jackson works closely (as well as magazines such as Decanter and Wine) at the quarterly international Slow the dome and the publisher has published, in 1999, the Italian translation of a seminal text for understanding the universe brewing (Guide to the beers of the world), complete with all the addresses of places where you can drink a good pint. Including but not limited to his experiences as a taster and expert in this drink are dedicated to the stories in this book. This is a series of reports divided into three sections: memories of life, travel impressions, experiences related to the job-passion of expert beer.

Title: Beer. The best 500
Year: 2005
Publisher: New Techniques
In short: What are the best beers? In these pages you will discover the true story of Czech lagers and German ones, and the Trappist Belgian wheat beers, the classic British ales, stouts of Irish and American microbreweries. The supermarket shelves are stocked with beers from around the world. The maps of beer bars, pubs and restaurants contain more extensive lists. But what is your beer? Michael Jackson, the world's leading beer experts, introduces you to the best and shows beer bottle label and the right way to pour into the glass more appropriate.

As in literature, the cinema has often worked in Ireland is linked to its history (often tragic if we think of contemporary history) and lifestyle and some stereotypes.

Here is a brief filmography recently that I have drawn from memory.

Title: Michael Collins
Year: 1996
Plot: In 1916, during the revolt known as the Easter Uprising, Irish revolutionaries surrendered after having opposed for six days, at the headquarters of items in Dublin, the English army overwhelming military force. Among the revolutionary leaders only to Eamon de Valera, an American citizen, is spared the firing squad ..

Title: The Secret of Roan
Year: 1994
Synopsis: Fiona, the mother of an orphan, goes to live in my grandparents' house on the west coast of Ireland. From his bedroom window to see the island of Roan Inish, which comes from his family and to which are linked to some legends: the brother of Fiona, slipped into the sea with the cradle during transfer from the island, would still be alive, and inhabit the island. Fiona tries to convince the grandparents to return to the island of Roan.

Title: Angela's Ashes
Year: 1999
Synopsis: Frank McCourt was born and raised in America, but his blood is Irish. The story of a family narrated by one of the protagonists, a journey through Ireland of the '30s. The misery and poverty seen in the spirit of a child, without hypocrisy or false truth.

Title: Bloody Sunday
Year: 2002
Synopsis: One of the deepest wounds of the conflict between Catholics and Irish: the day that marked three decades ago - the beginning of a long and painful civil war. A demonstration ended in blood, an army that defended the law of violence. The story of that day and the testimonies of the protagonists in a film not to forget the injustices of the past and to build tomorrow's justice.

Title: Ned Svelgiati
Year: 1998
Synopsis: Ned Devine is the lucky winner of first prize lottery, but soon after discovered the excitement dies. Some of his countrymen and try to discover it incassre the prize in its place ..

Title: The Wind That Shakes the Barley
Year: 2006
Synopsis: At the beginning of the twentieth century in Ireland, two brothers, Teddy and Danien along with their friend Dan, driven by their patriotism, enlist in the army to fight for the independence of their country.

Title: The Commitments
Year: 1991
Plot: Jimmy Rabitti be posted on journalism, can form a complex of soul music, to try to make a fortune. But there will be disappointments.

Title: In the name of the father
Year: 1993
Plot: Gerry Conlon and his father are arrested for an attack by the IRA (Northern Irish independence party) to a pub that has caused many casualties. Despite the evidence of their innocence is condemned. Only 14 years after the process is reopened.

Title: The Boxer
Year: 1997
Plot: After spending fourteen years in prison as a member of the IRA, Danny back to Belfast where he finds the world of boxing and his ex-girlfriend who is married and has one child, but she still loves him.

Title: Dancing at Lughnasa
Year: 1998
Synopsis: Summer 1936. In Ballybeg, a small town in the county of Donegal Irish, Mundy family lives, five unmarried sisters and a brother, Jack, a Catholic priest missionary in Africa. Then there is Michael, the teenage son of Christina, the youngest, who was not married, defying the strict moral environment. After twenty-five years in Africa, has announced the return of Jack, and the whole group goes to the village to welcome him.

Title: Rebel Hearts
Year: 1992
Synopsis: End of the last century. Joseph and Shannon, two young Irish people from different social classes, they share the same dreams. They decide to leave for America to find land to cultivate. Arriving in Boston, Joseph, is taken for some time to boxing, but eventually decided to leave for Oklahoma, where, after so many sacrifices will be able to realize their dreams.

Title: The Field
Year: 1990
Synopsis: A little masterpiece! A film that highlights the harshness of life of the Irish people after the Great Famine that struck the island in 1848, perhaps the best representation of rural life in the place ever.

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