I find the unpredictability of our sessions a little stressful, but our November session turned out to be great fun. For me personally, the presence of another two fiddlers made my day. The pub was really busy too. Our band, ThessHooley, made its debut on 26th November. Of course, we had our entourage and camp... Continue Reading →
23/013 Life in Northern Greece
The excrement was everywhere. On the floor. On the door. On the walls. On the toilet seat. In and around the lavatory bowl. Add a little blood to the recipe to complete the scene. The Charge of the Shite Brigade. A fellow patient had fallen in the toilet. Following surgery to remove my gall bladder,... Continue Reading →
23/017 Greek Word
επαναχρησιμοποιήσιμος – a 10-syllable monster that means ‘reusable’. A Greek advert for the ‘braless bra’ crops up on my Twitter/X feed. I don’t know why as most of my tweets (now posts) relate to Ireland. Apart from the length of the word, it is noteworthy that the prefix επανα- and the suffix ιμος correspond reliably... Continue Reading →
23/012 Life in Northern Greece
28th October. Greece’s second National Day, the first being the 25th of March, the start of the revolution against the Turks in 1821. Today marks No Day (Όχι Μέρα), 28th October 1940 when Greece’s dictator, Ioannis Metaxas, said ‘No’ to another dictator, Mussolini. The Italian ultimatum was not exactly a demand to surrender – the... Continue Reading →
23/012 Irish Music in Northern Greece
17th November: We had our second rehearsal in Lost Angeles on Thursday, 2nd November. Very encouraging. We went through the first half of our set, worked out some arrangements and changed the order of one or two tunes. What is also encouraging is the fresh ideas being proposed by my bandmates. Our follow-up session on... Continue Reading →
23/016 Greek Word
νταβάς (plural: νταβάδες), also ταβάς, a shallow cooking pot or casserole dish. I had no idea what my mother-in-law was talking about when she asked me for a νταβά. As we were in the kitchen, I knew it was related to cooking. It’s from the Turkish ‘tava’, a frying pan. The Turks may have borrowed... Continue Reading →
23/011 Irish Music in Northern Greece
Our session on 15th October was a quiet one. The bar was quiet too. The highlight of the afternoon was the fact that one of our Greek friends came up with a name for our new band, a bilingual pun: ThessHooley. It can mean θες Hooley (do you want a party?) or Thessaloniki Party. We... Continue Reading →
23/011 Life in Northern Greece
Before I turn my attention to the Thessaloniki Metro, I want to look briefly at the Greek kiosk (περίπτερο) again. I wrote about the institution in 23/005 LinNG. An article just published in Greek Reporter goes over the declining numbers again. The article is a little bit romanticized too, describing the περιπτεράς (kiosk licensee) as... Continue Reading →
23/015 Greek Word
φυτευτός: literally, it refers to a plant that is not native to a region. I suppose potatoes and tomatoes in Europe fall into that category. The opposite - ‘growing naturally’ – is αυτοφυής as in αυτοφυή φυτά, native plants. The word has been used recently to describe Stefanos Kasselakis, the new leader of SYRIZA, the... Continue Reading →
23/010 Irish Music in Northern Greece
Angelochori 16th September. It is an unusual venue. It is called The Salt Flat Guardhouse, Το Σπίτι του Φύλακα της Αλυκής. When we played there in 2021 and 2022, the house was in a state of disrepair. Part of the roof had caved in, and one entered at one’s own risk. The Cultural Association stages... Continue Reading →
23/014 Greek Word
This time a phrase rather than a word. Western ideas can take a while to make their way to Greece. For example, the #MeToo movement was about three years behind, but it did end at least two careers. Now one horrible idea has hit Greece: zero hours contracts. Professional people are lucky to earn €700... Continue Reading →
23/009 Irish Music in Northern Greece
23rd August: Not much about Northern Greece. I am in the UK right now on a kind of working holiday. I have managed to attend two sessions in the Birmingham area. In terms of overall ability, I would place us halfway between the two. Regarding repertoire, I, personally, have some way to go unless …... Continue Reading →
23/008 Irish Music in Northern Greece
We had a practice on 2nd August. It was organised in the sense that we had a preset list of tunes and songs to go through. It wasn’t pretty, though! However, I know we will be OK by our next session (10th September) and next gig (16th September). I’ve spent most of the time doing... Continue Reading →
23/010 Life in Northern Greece
6th August: It is still very hot. Halkidiki has been put on yellow alert for forest fires. No barbecues until further notice. Surprisingly, people were also warned not to throw cigarette ends out of cars. Why? Shouldn’t that be a matter of common sense? And shouldn’t it apply at all times and seasons, not just... Continue Reading →
23/009 Life in Northern Greece
Summer is here and we are in the middle of a heatwave called Cerberus. About three weeks ago there were three deaths and one life-changing injury in northern Greece. In Perea, next door to me, a young Syrian dived off the jetty into the sea. He’s now paraplegic. Three older people were also pulled out... Continue Reading →
23/007 Irish Music in Northern Greece
9th July 2023. Our depleted numbers assembled to celebrate the Dubliner’s 8th birthday. It’s amazing what Ken, the owner, has come through from bureaucratic tribulations to Covid. Yet the bar is still there. Our April/May/June playlist did an additional month’s service, but I have finally given it a rest. A couple of days after the... Continue Reading →
23/013 Greek Word
μανούρα = a ball ache. Well, that was the translation my bilingual interlocutor proffered. It is a colloquial word, not as vulgar as my interlocutor’s translation. It’s also missing from several dictionaries including the Babiniotis. My Word Reference app defined it as “sth: requires effort” or “κτ που θέλει κόπο” while giving ταλαιπωρία as a... Continue Reading →
23/012 Greek Word
λαθροϋλοτόμος – an illegal logger I came across this in an article about a forest ranger being the victim of a serious attack by an illegal logger who hit the man on the head with a metal bar. This is the article: https://www.ethnos.gr/greece/article/267539/poseginehepitheshmeoploapolathroylotomosyxnaantimetopoimediaplhktismoysoidasikoiypallhloileipoyn1000atomaapotisyphresies The word has three parts: λαθρο = hidden/secret so by extension ‘illegal’... Continue Reading →
23/008 Life in Northern Greece
The elections are over. An overall majority for the New Democracy government, a slight increase in the vote share for PASOK and the KKE, the election of one extreme right and two far right parties, and the re-election of the demented Zoe Konstantopoulou who, having scraped into Parliament with 3.17% of the popular vote, declared... Continue Reading →
23/006 Irish Music in Northern Greece
As I write, the Athens Irish Festival is underway. No-one up in the wild north received an invitation. Not that that’s a problem in itself; it is the "Athens" Irish Festival, after all. The clue is in the name, as they say. However, what annoys me – apart from the mad story-telling banshee opening the... Continue Reading →