: About Me

My background is in music, specifically classical music. Following an early career as a performing musician, I turned my attention towards academia following my graduation from college. My Master's and Doctoral degrees are both in musicology, that is, the theory and mechanics of music. Professionally I'm a music lecturer, specializing in Renaissance music, specifically early music printing and English Elizabethan Psalm singing and Psalters. I can play musical instruments - the organ (I used to be 3rd organist at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin), piano and trombone, and I still sing occasionally.

In my spare time I write and edit two travel guides:

www.hidden-dublin.com

www.hidden-italy.com

You're most welcome to visit both guides and I always respond to queries or observations.

My passion is ...

rail travel

I know too much about ...

apple macintosh

My parents always told me ...

wear a hat and keep your body warm!

My childhood ambition ...

train driver

My favorite memory ...

My first kiss

Why I write ...

to articulate my thoughts

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

The game of courting/Numbers/J S Bach's St Matthew Passion

My first job ...

FBD Insurance Co.

My best moment ...

Getting my degree after years of hard work

My inspiration ...

My father

Relationships & Family > Crisis Support (Other) What is an Irish wake?

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Following the funeral service and burial, the Irish wake is a prolonged and informal celebration of the deceased by his or her family and friends. It can last as little as a few hours or occasionally continue into the next day, particularly in country areas where the bond between family and friends is still considered very important. Invariably, the wake begins at the local public house since most funerals take place during opening hours (the earliest time for a church funeral is usually 10am and most pubs are open by 11am, by which time the funeral and burial are well finished). In a mode...

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• University Professor
• Helium Charter Member