Mike profile picture

Mike

Welcome one and all :-)

About Me

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I am a very ordinary, easy going kind of guy really but i am very passionate about the people and things i care about . I was born in England but have a Catholic Irish background and for me Ireland it's music , it's people, it's history and it's culture is a passion. I love to travel and to meet people from different cultural backgrounds, my favourite place to be apart from Ireland is Italy. For me it has everything you could possibly want, great food, great wine, beautiful climate, amazing countyside and cities and most importantly of all people who are warm, colourful and welcoming, i hope one day in the not too distant future to make my home there.I have posted a few photo's of some of the lovely places that i have been lucky enough to have visited in recent years, sorry my ugly mug spoils a few of them,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I cannot play a musical instrument, i cannot sing to save my life and i cannot even tap dance but i do admire people who are creative and i am more than happy to promote their work on my page. Everyone tells me i have good people skills so i guess that is something to put on my cv :-). Most of the people on my friends list are people whose music has given me happiness and inspiration, some i have been a fan of for a long while, others i have only discovered recently, but check them all out if you visit this site you might just find something you like and they are all excellent songwriters, singers and musicians.There are also some very talented artists, sculptors and photographers on here to so please take a look at their sites, they are so talented and i enjoy showcasing their work on my page,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I love to socialise and visit good pubs and restaurants any chance i get.My perfect evening would be eating al fresco overlooking the beautiful Italian countryside of Tuscany or Puglia, or downing a few pints of the black stuff in a pub on the West Coast of Ireland,Derry or Dublin. Thank you for visiting my little world i hope you discover something new while you are here.Special thanks to my good friend Tinsi for the lovely artwork on my page,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

My Interests

Music is my first love, mainly folk, blues and rock, nothing too heavy though. I enjoy some sports mainly fast, aggressive, physical contact team games, i have not time for golf tennis and the like ,if there are no bruises, blood or broken bones then in my opinion a sport is neither worth watching or playing, i carry my scars to this day lol. Football (soccer),Rugby Union, Gaelic Games and Aussie Rules. My big love is Glasgow Celtic, the best team in the world with the best fans, i also have a soft spot for Derry City, Notts County and in Italy AC Siena. I love to travel particularly in Ireland and Italy. ..Puglia: Trullo and countryside''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''',,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Forza Siena !

I'd like to meet:

Not really bothered about meeting anyone famous at all to be honest as from what i have been told it can be a big dissapointment, i am more than happy with my family and the good friends i have made over the years. As for My Space i enjoy making friends with people who are talented and creative wether they be musicians, artists or photographers.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Dark night in Montegiovi by Tinsi

Music:

My favourite artist's would have to include the likes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Fairport Convention,Sandy Denny, Kate Rusby, Rory Gallagher to name a but a few. I love the music of Ireland as you can see if you browse through my friends list but i also enjoy Scottish and English traditional music.There are so many good young musicians out there keeping the tradition alive such as Seth Lakeman,Eliza Carthy,Bellowhead etc and not forgetting exciting young contemporary writers and musicians like Newton Faulkner, check him out if you have not heard him yet you are missing a treat .I have been listening to a lot of Italian music recently thanks to a very good friend who has introduced me to it (ta pet !), i particularly enjoy Eros Ramazzotti,Gianna Nannini, Zucchero,Gabriella Pascale, Brunella Selo Stefano Barotti amongst many, there are a few others on my friends list so check them out. I love live music and try to get to gigs as often as i can wether it be a big name artist or just a few friends in a local bar, nothing beats a live performance. The video below is the wonderful Kate Rusby 'Who Will Sing Me Lullabies',,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Movies:

Just a few of my all time favourites !,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The trailer for one of my all time favourite movies Cinema Paradiso, it's a must see film for anyone so if you have not seen it do so soon !,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Television:

Just a few of the great TV shows i have loved and enjoyed down the years ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,One of the best war and adventure series ever made 'Sharpe' starring Sean Bean, you have no idea how much i want to be this charachter !,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Books:

My favourite writers are Brendan Behan, Roddy Doyle, Tim Parks and i occasionally indulge myself with a bit of Dickens or Thomas Hardy. I am a bit of a history buff in particular Irish History and Military History.I also enjoy a good Travel book especially if i plan to visit a particular country on holiday, i like to learn as much as i can before i arrive there. I am happy to admit I am a bit of an anorak at times lol.Ireland : Free Derry Corner and the H Block memorial

Heroes:

Musical heroes : Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Rory Gallagher Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention have been part of my musical life since my teenage years. I also admire the greats such as John Lennon, Bob Marley, Christy Moore.Sporting Heroes : Jock Stein, Jimmy Johnstone, Billy Mc Neill, Henrik Larsson, all great players and great ambassadors for Celtic Football Club.Politics and Historical Figures : James Connolly, Michael Collins, Wolfe Tone, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Fidel Castro, all brave men and men of conscience and honour who put their people and country before themselves and were prepared to give their lives for it.But the biggest hero in my life was my late father. As a young soldier he was captured by the Japanese at Singapore and endured three and and half years of living hell working on the Railway of Death. Hard labour,starvation, beatings, disease he survived it all and lived to tell the tale and i never heard him utter a bad word about anyone even those who made his life hell for those years. When i think i am having a bad day i think of what he and his comrades must have endured and it helps me get things in perspective and it makes me realise i have it easy. .. .. .. ..Sicily : Il Teatro Greco( Greek Theatre), Taormina, Sicily

My Blog

Holidays

Just getting the last things organised and packed here ready for the holiday. Off to the Caribbean for 3 weeks, a week in Jamaica,Antigua and Barbados. It's a new destination so i am not quite sure wh...
Posted by Mike on Sun, 07 Oct 2007 11:22:00 PST

Calcio

I know not everyone reading this will be thrilled or falling off the their seats with excitment but this weekend marks the start of the new football season in Italy. For me Serie A is s...
Posted by Mike on Sat, 25 Aug 2007 03:50:00 PST

Cropredy 2007

Well i am back from what was a very enjoyable weekend at Fairports Cropredy festival and what a fun time it was. It was the first time ever the festival had sold out before the event itself and t...
Posted by Mike on Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:37:00 PST

Fairports 40th bash

I am off to a very special birthday party this weekend, not a very initmate one as there are 20,000 plus guests so the cake is going to have to be pretty big that's for sure, Myself and 25,000 ot...
Posted by Mike on Thu, 09 Aug 2007 05:21:00 PST

A night of memories

Last Friday afternoon my son and i took a short flight over the water to visit my mothers home town of Derry. It was not my first  visit i had been there many times before the...
Posted by Mike on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 07:47:00 PST