Monthly Archives: July 2013

July 20, 2013 · 12:51 pm

Running in the Dark

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This is a new song: to listen to it, please click here: Running in the Dark

RUNNING IN THE DARK

You are an echo in the entrance hall
You are a song that I can’t quite recall
It once was playing
As we made our rounds

You are the laughter from another floor
You are the moon behind the sycamore
That is swaying
In the castle grounds

You had no fear of running in the dark
And when you lost your way it left no mark
I sometimes thought that you had gone too far
But I would like to wind up where you are

You’re consolation for the deepest loss
In a world that’s carrying a cross
Still a broken
Heart can be raised up

You are a kindness that has been repaid
You are a celebrating cavalcade
When a local
Team has won the cup

When the rain has fallen
We’ll watch the flood
From our universe of flesh and blood
When the cards are dealt we’ll get on with the game
But everything has changed
And nothing … nothing … nothing remains the same

You had no fear of running in the dark
And when you lost your way it left no mark
I sometimes thought that you had gone too far
But I would like to wind up where you are

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Filed under Death, Ireland, Memories, Music

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July 11, 2013 · 6:42 pm

Losing my website, and a year in Ireland (1766)

Around 10 years ago, I used to have a ‘Chronology of Ireland’ website, which listed events, births and deaths connected in some way to Ireland, from prehistory up to the present (obviously more information was available on more recent events). I had compiled the chronology in my spare time, from reference books and other sources. The idea was to give a snapshot of life in Ireland in any given year; obscure and colourful snippets appeared alongside the unfolding of what we think of as Irish history.

The site contained over 100,000 words – the equivalent of a good-sized book. It was the largest resource of its kind in the world, and was strictly objective. But I didn’t have time to develop it as I would have wished, and took it offline. Continue reading →

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July 1, 2013 · 11:04 pm

Do You Hear Me When I Speak?

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This is the latest song that I’ve written – I started it a year or more ago, and finished it just recently. To listen please click here: Do You Hear Me When I Speak

Tired of thinking of what might have been
Tired of keeping up the fight
Tired of sinking into an old dream
To wake up blinking at the light

All the stories are misunderstood
All the carousels are stuck
In the battle we did what we could
All we needed was some luck

Have you found some place that’s good?
Do you know how much you’re missed?
Would you come back if you could?
Does the story have a twist?
And will we ever find the things we seek?
Do you hear me when I speak?

Chasing rainbows down overgrown lanes
Clearing nettles from the lawn
Looking around for whatever remains
When the energy is gone

All the faces behind every mask
All the photographs I scan
All the questions that I’d like to ask
All the races that we ran

All the glory that’s hiding its light
All that can’t be put in words
All the time that I’m trying to write
The dogs are barking at the birds

All the players that let down the team
All the candidates that lie
All the visions that run out of steam
All the moments that go by

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