Day One saw us traipsing around Dublin. Our first stop was Malahide Castle, a twelfth century fortress nine miles north of the city.

Following a tour of the castle and grounds, we headed to Dublin Bay and Howth Head (the highest point in Dublin). We stopped off at a Martello tower on the coast, which was built in the early nineteenth century to ward off Napoleon’s army. No such forces would ever set foot in Ireland; better to be safe than sorry. Today there are countless such towers dotting the coastlines of the British Isles.

After the first pint of Guinness in a local pub and a small bite to eat, we were exhausted from the jetlag and headed to our hotel in the Dublin suburbs.

Day Two found us wandering around the city again. The first stop was Phoenix Park — the largest park within city bounds in all of Europe — where we visited the Papal Cross. On this site Pope John Paul II came to visit in 1979 and celebrated an open air mass with a faithful crowd of one million. It was the first time a pope had visited the country in hundreds of years (at least, that’s as I remember it) and no pope has been to visit the country since. The president of Ireland also lives in Phoenix Park (in a white house much like our own in the States). There is also the U.S. Embassy and the Dublin Zoo. Fun fact: the famous MGM lion lived in the Dublin Zoo.

After Phoenix Park we went to Kilmainham Gaol which is now a museum. The jail operated from 1796-1924 and housed many political prisoners and key figures in Irish rebellions during the English occupation. After a tour of the jail we headed for the Guinness Storehouse.

If you ever get the chance to visit Dublin, try to make this tour a part of your experience. It is self-guided, and at the top of the building you get a free pint of Guinness and a 360-degree view of the city. Pretty sweet.

Day Three saw us exploring the countryside to the south, as our bus wound its way through the scenic Wicklow Mountains. The first stop was Russborough House. Yet the highpoint of the day was, without a doubt, a visit to Glendalough. Here we explored the sixth century monastery where St. Kevin resided.

Next we drove through the Vale of Avoca, a valley in which two rivers meet and which was described thus by the poet Thomas Moore:

“There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet,
As the vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet;
Oh, the last rays of feeling and life must depart,
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart.”

The day ended with a meal in Johnnie Fox’s Pub, which boasts itself as “the highest pub in Ireland.”

On Day Four we visited Trim Castle in County Meath. This place is notable as the site where the sacking of York was filmed in the movie Braveheart.

The next part of our day was spent exploring some of the very oldest places in all of Ireland. First was the Hill of Tara, a group of ritual mounds topped with ancient stone monuments and apparently the seat of the Ard Righ, or High King of Irleand. The view from atop this hill is absolutely spectacular.

Next we visited Newgrange, an ancient passage tomb from the Stone Age which predates the Great Pyramids by 500 years and Stonehenge by 1,000. Over the entryway, there is an opening called the roof box. Every year on the winter solstice, the sun shines through this aperture, cutting a line through the passageway and illuminating the cavernous chamber within. It is incredible to think that human beings could conceive and create such a perfect structure  over 5,000 years ago. We were able to go into the dark tomb and behold the tranquil and deathly silent interior. Amazingly the hollow chamber has not caved in, and is perfectly intact. Many of the gigantic stones are covered with Celtic knots and swirls.

In the evening, our last night in Dublin, we visited the Temple Bar district, a touristy part of downtown Dublin that is filled with pubs and restaurants.

Day Five saw us leaving eastern Ireland and heading along the southern coastline. After a brief stop in Waterford (home of the famous crystal) we made our way to Blarney Castle. Yes, I did indeed kiss the stone. It is a fairly frightening experience. The stone is at the very top of the castle, you must lean out over a gaping hole and two men hold you so you don’t fall hundreds of feet to your death. Yikes.

On Day Six, we split off from the main part of our group and explored the city of Cork. It is the second-largest city after Dublin; and I must say, aside from an old jail and a vast covered market, I didn’t find anything particularly remarkable about the place.

The next day was spent exploring the gorgeous Ring of Kerry, a vast area in south-west Ireland. Highlights of this trip included Dingle Bay, the towns of Cahirciveen and Sneem, and the beautiful Moll’s Gap. We also passed through parts of Killarney National Park. See the pictures below to get an idea of the beauty. The day was also significant for other reasons…it was 9/24/2009…Arthur Guinness Day, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the greatest beer ever created. All thirteen of us made sure to raise a pint in a local pub at 17:59 (or 5:59pm, note the time matching the date 1759) to mark the occasion.

Day Eight found us making our way to Galway on the west coast. Passing through Killaloe in County Clare we crossed the River Shannon and arrived on the outskirts of Galway city, where we would stay in the Oranmore Lodge. That evening saw us traipsing around Galway’s Shop Street for pints and music.

The next day was probably a personal highpoint in terms of scenic views. On a day of misty and ethereal beauty, we went deep into the heart of Connemara, a land of intense green, brown and rusty orange colors. We stopped at the beautiful Kylemore Abbey, which sits on the edge of a serene lake in the mountains. We also visited the small town of Leenane, where The Field starring Richard Harris and Sean Bean was filmed. Other stops included the famous bridge from the movie The Quiet Man starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.

Day Ten included more rugged countryside. First we visited Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara. But the highlight of the day was our time spent in a region known as The Burren.

The Cliffs of Moher are among the most famous tourist sites in the country. These gorgeous heights drop straight into the Atlantic Ocean. As there are no guard rails, people have been known to fall to their deaths in the past. Wouldn’t you know it? My camera decided to stop working just before we arrived at the cliffs. But if you want to see photos, click on the link and scroll to the bottom. The picture above shows much smaller cliffs compared to Moher (pronounced like the word mower with a subtle “h” sound in between). Later that same day we briefly visited the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb which is another very ancient megalithic passage tomb. That evening, back in downtown Galway we saw some great musical entertainment in a large pub called The King’s Head.

Our last full day in Ireland was spent heading back to Dublin. We visited Trinity College and took a tour to see The Book of Kells, the beautiful illuminated gospels which date back to the ninth century. Our last visit was Dublin Castle. It is a bit more modern than the other castles we saw, so there is not much to tell. Next day, we flew home.

Thus, a very brief account of our time in Ireland. There is much more to say, though it has been a couple months since the trip and I don’t want to bore anyone with needless details. We were blessed with uncommonly beautiful weather–it only rained one day! I hope someday you can make it as well.

Erin Go Bragh!

This here post is one I’ve been brewing on for a while. It’s nothing original. Many people have remarked in the past about how some themes from movie scores sound very similar to others from older classical pieces.

1) The first example is of course the most notorious:

JAWS theme, by John Williams

Now compare to the opening of the fourth movement of Dvorak’s New World Symphony

2) How about the Charging of Fort Wagner from Glory, by James Horner?

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, O Fortuna

These two are perhaps slightly less alike; though the change to a triumphant major chord (at 2:30 and 2:17 respectively) are similar.

3) And now the battle scene from Gladiator, by Hans Zimmer

Yes, I realize those clips are from the movie Troy. However, it was the best single chunk of Zimmer’s battle music from Gladiator that I could find. I know many people already realize it bears a strong resemblance to Gustav Holst’s Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets. Both deal with war and the Romans, so it seems fitting that one draws from the other.

4) Speaking of Holst’s Planets, have you listened to the Jupiter movement? The passage we’re looking for begins at the 3:02 mark.

This sounds a lot like the opening phrase of one of the main themes from James Horner’s Braveheart score.

5) Speaking of Horner, there is another more obscure find in his Troy soundtrack. I am thinking of the Trojans’ theme, which features a distinctive F-horn run that sounds very similar to a motif in the “Hosanna!” portion of the Sanctus movement from Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem.

The Britten is first. Just for laughs, watch at the 1:57 mark in this video when ol’ boy makes a mistake and then smiles sheepishly. Hehehe. Now listen at 2:30 when the brass fanfare begins.

Now listen to the 44-second mark of this video.

What do you think?

6) Finally, one of my favorites comes from Howard Shore’s Ring Theme. Listen to those dark string chords at 29 seconds.

Ohoho! I want to watch Fellowship of the Ring. Now.

Okay. Compare what you’ve just heard–the first two notes of the Ring Theme (which appear all over the trilogy, by the way)– with this next piece. It is a movement from Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem entitled Reconciliation . It occurs in the middle section while the baritione soloist is singing about a dead soldier’s white face in the coffin. Listen at 3:03, 3:14 and 3:27. . .

There are many other musical examples out there. I am not in any way trying to accuse anyone of plagiarism. Far be it from me to do so. Rather, I think it notable that many contemporary composers are still drawing from the past, taking inspiration from their elders. Do you think it has always been this way?

Stay tuned for the next blog post in four months.

“Let us charge into the good fight with joy and love without being afraid of our enemies. Though unseen themselves, they can look at the face of our soul, and if they see it altered by fear, they take up arms against us all the more fiercely. For the cunning creatures have observed that we are scared. So let us take up arms against them courageously. No one will fight with a resolute fighter.”

–St. John Climacus

But things are starting to change. Slowly and steadily, I can see them clawing back. It may not show in the record (currently 21-32), but there is a different feel about this team. I think it boils down to desire. This team wants to win. Badly. And that’s something any fan should feel good about.

The Pacers have beaten very good teams this year — Boston, Phoenix (on the road), Orlando, Detroit (in overtime), Houston (twice) and came two points shy of sweeping the Lakers in the regular season for the first time in over a decade. Yet they are also losing some games to very poor teams by slim margins. It is rather puzzling; but despite the inconsistency, I think we are moving in the right direction.

Last night’s game was a good indication of that. The Pacers beat the mighty Cavs 96-95 at home. There were a couple of controversial calls at the end of the game — a foul on Danny Granger blocking an alley-oop to Lebron, and on the next play a foul on Lebron James blocking an alley-oop to Granger. Wow. Both star players get called for fouls on the exact same play. Granger sank the first free-throw and purposefully missed the second to run out the clock.

Brilliant.

Now watching the video I would say that neither play should have been a foul. It was great defense on both ends. But that is beside the point. The Pacers are starting to play well again, and they are building a chemistry that local fans can appreciate. I hope the management doesn’t broker any more trades; and we’d better keep the coach we’ve got. How can you build a team when the structure is always changing?

The Pacers are at a point where they can build on the talent they have. It may take a while, but in a few years time we could be making deep runs into the playoffs again.