BBC Northern Ireland Interview at Corrymeela

Do you know THIS “punter”?

We’ll miss you, Uncle Tom.

No Rest for the Wicked

Running a 5.3-mile leg of the Belfast Marathon (and possibly the subsequent 4.3-mile leg) tomorrow morning, then hopping a ferry/train to Edinburgh, Scotland, for a few days. Hey, you only live once, right?

Rome/Florence Pictures Posted

Three albums have been posted to “My Photos”

Goda! (”Enjoy!”)

Ciao, Roma

Last day in Rome. While I do plan to post (roughly 450) pictures and write about this amazing week ASAP, I will leave you with this in the meantime:

There is absolutely NOTHING in this world that can compare to sharing a midnight cappuccino with new friends, under a full moon and infinite cluster of stars, and the Pantheon towering immediately beside you.

Congratulations, Helen and Kai!

America’s National Pastime Descends Upon Corrymeela

Let it be known that today at approximately 7:00 pm GMT I had my first game of catch on this side of the Pond. Thank you, Davey and Sheila!

Damn, that felt great to do again. Hopefully I’ll somehow manage to fill the void I’ve created for taking an international leave of absence from my church softball team (Go Church of the Holy Spirit!). And while I’m at it, go Phillies and Red Sox!

Yesterday we said goodbye to Ference Holczinger, a Roman Catholic priest from Hungary who completed a three-month stint at Corrymeela. He now heads south to Dublin to complete his final three months of Jesuit training. Kind, insightful, witty and always willing to lend a helping hand, his presence will be sorely missed at the Center. Not to mention his cooking (his spaghetti bolognese is out of this world and arguably the best pasta dish I’ve had in years).

Random Notes:

• It’s official - I’M HAVING A ROMAN HOLIDAY! I will be in the “Eternal City” from Sunday, April 20, to Sunday, April 27. Among the agenda items for that week is a stop in Florence to spend some quality time with Corrymeela’s favorite lovebirds, Edvin and Sarah.

And yes, MaryAnne Delaney, you shall be the recipient of an official Pope Benedict XVI snow globe from the Vatican gift shop.

Marshmallow Peeps in the Microwave

Happy Easter everyone! Yesterday marked the completion of Corrymeela’s annual Easter Youth Weekend, a program held in conjunction with the holiday providing marginalized youth from all over Northern Ireland ages 18 to 25 with the opportunity meet one another, forge new friendships, have “good Craic” and explore issues important to their respective communities.

While it was a great success, the particular highlight for yours truly was that it was the first time that all nine Long-Term Volunteers worked alongside one another on a residential program. It was our baby (and often times, “nagging spouse”) since last Fall, when we began developing the weekend’s overall theme and took on individual responsibilities in the areas of program development, recruitment, fundraising and hospitality. I took on the role of fundraising chair and got an eye-opening glimpse into how grants can benefit your project but severely limit your freedom in terms of programming and recruitment.

By the time the participants left on Sunday at 2:00 pm, I was drained and severely in need of a date with my bed. But before I could so, I needed to make a very important phone call.

The entire O’Rourke clan was having Easter dinner at my Aunt Maureen and Uncle Dave’s house, so I thought it’d be fitting to make a surprise call to them all (thank you “Yahoo! People Finder”!). I spoke to my immediate family, then had the phone circulated around. I left them all by asking Maureen to save some of her baked corn (my favorite recipe of her’s) for me and ship it over. A joke, obviously. But you know I’d probably eat it anyway.

If there’s anything I missed from home this past weekend (aside from blowing up marshmallow peeps*** in the microwave), it was missing out on coloring eggs with my family. Mom told me over the phone last week that it wouldn’t be same without my series of eggs decorated with irreverent sayings and witticisms. And I did miss this tradition terribly, but Dad surprised me with a really nice gift via email to make them seem not so far away.

(Maggie and Kaya are our dogs.)

Random Notes:

• *** The ONLY way to eat a marshmallow peep is when it’s stale, and I challenge anyone to a brawl who thinks otherwise.
• Myself and Ronnie Millar, Center Director at Corrymeela, are taking a two-month-long online course through Facing History and Ourselves titled “Holocaust and Human Behavior”. There’s a big part of me that misses academia, so I’m beyond excited for this opportunity.
• I hope to post about my Dublin St. Patty’s when I have some free time.
• Short-term volunteer Tej Singh got his hair cut at a place called “Ginger Snips”. Even better, they gave him soda bread before he left. Just had to mention that.

O’Rourke’s “Norn Iron” to English Dictionary

This past week, Shane O’Neill - Corrymeela’s Center Manager, resident Irish dancer and Prince impersonator extraordinaire - exposed me to a new Irish idiom while relaying his recent weekend in Dublin with an old friend:

“I haven’t seen him in donkeys.”

Now, after regaining my concentration after a few minutes of bewilderment - and thereby missing the rest of his story - this statement inspired me to finally post something here that’s been a little project of mine for the past few months. Having said that, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you …

O’Rourke’s “Norn Iron” to English Dictionary

What about ya? = “Hello, how are you?”

What’s the Craic? = “Hello, how are you?”, “What are you up to?”, “What’s up?”

How’s the form? = “How are you?”

Craic (pronounced “crack”) = a good time, a party

Aye = “Yes”; a general affirmative response

Dead on. = “Great” or “Good”; reflecting a positive situation, be it physical or otherwise

Brilliant/Grand = (Similar in nature to the aforementioned)

Happy days = a joyful affirmative statement; similar to “awesome” in the States

That’s (pure) class. = (Similar in nature to the aforementioned)

Beezer = (Similar in nature to the aforementioned)

He/she is fit. = “He/she is hot.”; when said person is in physically good shape

He/she fancies you. = “He/she likes you.”

That’s mingin’. = “That tastes like shit.”; a negative response to eating disgusting food

I don’t give a shite. = “I don’t give a damn.”

I’m knackered. = “I’m exhausted.”

Snog = to kiss

Blocked = to be drunk (on a very important note, never mistake this with being “bloked” … if you’re a guy, you definitely don’t want this)

Crikey! = to express surprise; ONLY used by one Robert Deignan

That’s spankin’. = “That’s great/fantastic.”; again, ONLY used by one Robert Deignan

O’Rourke-ster = a quirky/unique statement or action by yours truly, be it good or bad (coined by Robert Deignan)

O’Rourke-aster = a blunder or compromising situation caused by yours truly (coined by Shane O’Neill)

*** Food Subsection (this is a bit confusing, I’m warning you) ***

Chips = French Fries

Wedges = Steak fries

Crisps = Potato chips

Chipper = a place where one could obtain (Irish/U.K.) chips

Sweets = all forms of candy

Biscuits = Cookies

Scones = Biscuits

Tea = another term for dinner time

Supper = a late night snack, usually hot chocolate and toast

And one more. Never ask for a “ride” … ask for a “lift”. I’ve made this mistake multiple times.

Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this shotgun tutorial into this beautiful region’s vernacular. For your information, there are also many colorful/amusing swears and negative interjections (my particular favorite involving the word “duck”), but I didn’t feel it was appropriate to make them public domain. I can tell you that, after six months of consistently undergoing 15-hour workdays, one can manage to master many of these phrases with the greatest of ease. That said, if anyone is interested I’d be more than happy to share them with you via email.

Random Notes:

• I had the luck of witnessing a rare phenomenon while heading back to my room at approximately 1:00 am two weeks ago - a complete lunar rainbow over Rathlin Island.  I was in sheer awe of it and must have spent 15 minutes simply staring at it.  I’m pretty sure I’ll never see one again in my lifetime, so I feel pretty fortunate.
• Sarah, Sheila, Edvin and I will be spending St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin.

Lazy Saturday

I’m currently getting a long-overdue rest at Corrymeela Knocklayd, my veritable Fortress of Solitude, after a week of housekeeping and a tiring/interesting Thursday night in Belfast involving: a great/pounding rock show; a three-mile walk back into the City Center; an odd cohort of Germans; some great after-hour “chips” with curry sauce; and a 5:45 am wake-up call the next morning to catch an early bus to Ballycastle to make my 10 am workshift.  Hey, you only live once, right??

My sweats are on, the watch is off the wrist, and I’m anxiously looking forward to today’s 4 pm Ireland vs. France Six Nations rugby match.

Cheers,

“Mickeybo”