Some very sad news. A young Irish primary school teacher was murdered while jogging on the banks of the Royal Canal near Tullamore. Her name was Ashling Murphy. She was only 23 years old. Ashling was one of us, an accomplished fiddler. Here she is when she must have been a very young teenager. You... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 03/2022
Two words for the price of one this week. πακετάς, plural πακετάδες = a delivery person. Walking past a γυράδικο today, I saw a job advert on the window “ΖΗΤΕΙΤΑΙ ΠΑΚΕΤΑΣ” I was wondering why anyone would be looking for someone to wrap and box food for takeaways. Small eateries don’t usually have that level... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 02/2022
A bit of a mouthful this week in which ‘f’ and ‘th’ sounds are pronounced in succession. αυθυποβολή = autosuggestion It is made up of three components: αυτο + υπο + βολή. You might be wondering why or how αυτο has become αυθ but more about that later. The word came in this headline: Έρευνα:... Continue Reading →
Life in Northern Greece 02/2022
The reason why I didn’t go to Evosmos is because I looked at the map and saw that it was very built-up. I thought parking would be difficult and queuing long. Moreover, I couldn’t find information on which vaccine they were doling out. I decided to stick with my local health centre and finally managed... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 01/2022
αναμνηστική = a booster injection. αναμνηστικός/ή/ό is an adjective which means ‘commemorative’, but αναμνηστική [δόση is understood] seems to be the favourite word currently for a booster injection. I have been unable to find out how it has come to mean booster. You can also say επαναληπτική, which makes more sense as it means ‘repeat’.... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 02/2022
12th January 2022. It has just been announced that the music ban has been extended until 23rd January. In today’s www.voria.gr there was an article saying that the music ban alone has resulted in a 50% drop in turnover for the catering sector. Lockdown cost the sector even more. It seems pointless too. Though new... Continue Reading →
Irish Music in Northern Greece 01/2022
We ended 2021 and began 2022 with a negative. No session on 9th January. There is a small chance it might happen on 16th as the restrictions are due to end on that date. I am assuming that they end at 6am on that morning. As a band we sing the song Salonika and segue... Continue Reading →
Life in Northern Greece 01/2022
A very happy new year to everyone. Today, 3rd January 2022, we went to a fish restaurant where I learnt that my vaccination certificate/Covid pass had expired. I have already booked my booster, but it looks as if I am going to have to bring it forward if I can. Digital or e-government has really... Continue Reading →