Oh my gosh it’s been a minute. And do you think I could remember my password?
The summer ran away with me (from me?) and I loved it, but autumn is creeping back in, and it is so welcome. I hope this e-mail finds you cosy, refreshed and with a warm cuppa/chilled glass of your chosen poison at hand. I had my first cinnamon roll of the year today. ‘Tis the damn season.
Nílisam céard é atá san aer, ach braithim míshuaimhneas éicínt. Fonn athraithe, nó teaspach mistéireach atá dár spreagadh rudaí nua a thriail. B’fhéidir go mbaineann sé leis an gcaoi go samhlaíonn muid tús úr le Meán Fómhair fós, mar a bheadh bliain nua acadúil againn. Tá athrú ar an tsúil cibé scéil é - tá George Ezra ag caint ar an gceol a fhágáil, tá pizzas á dhéanamh ag Lewis Capaldi, tá Harry Styles i mbun aisteoireachta (má tá)… Tá mise ar thraein go Mala of all places faoi láthair, ag obair ar thogra nua atá ag cur sceitimíní orm agus an croí trasna ionam ag an am céanna.
Ní thabharfaidh mé uasdátú iomlán saoil daoibh, ach ó thaobh an cheoil de, d’éirigh liom cúpla gig álainn a fheiceáil le linn tréimhse an tsamhraidh: inner indie child still floating after the pure nostalgic ecstasy of Arctic Monkeys at Electric Picnic; chuir muid fáilte in athuair roimh Paolo Nutini i ndiaidh 8 mbliana lena albam úr; agus bhain Anais Mitchell deora asam sa Pepper Cannister Church where I was absolutely too shy to go and tell her that she has literally been a light in my life for the past ten years.
Táim ag léiriú liom ar Newstalk i gcónaí, ag obair ar Splanc le Cuán Ó Flatharta, ach an tseachtain seo bhí debut agam féin ar an stáisiún, agus céard eile a sholáthróinn ach mír iomlán mar gheall ar ré agus réim Taylor Swift, a tionchar ar an earnáil cheol, ar phopchultúr, agus ar an saol. Ní mé an mise nó Cuán an Swiftie is mó eadrainn. Éist anseo ~55mins in:
Taylor Swift is not the only Mirrorball, though, and I am so excited to hear the new Arctic Monkeys album, The Car, in full! I truly had a ball at EP, it was a real reminder of just how good they are and of the incredible back catalogue they bring. I wrote a little about There Better Be A Mirrorball for Tuairisc.ie – (Arctic Monkeys ar ais) and managed to get them into the mír cheoil ar RTÉ freisin!
Tá an samhradh thart ach níl an teas á ísliú ar RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta agus Bladhaire fillte ar an aer an tseachtain seo. Beidh mé ar an gclár arís i mbliana le mír cheoil agus labhair mé an tseachtain seo ar Björk, AM agus Sorcha Richardson - éist nó éist siar anseo: Bladhaire | Podcast on Spotify or Bladhaire - RTÉ Podcasts (rte.ie).
Lil curveball: I was asked to chat about fashion and autumn trends on BBC last week! I wouldn’t say I’m a very chic person, but I do love fashion and surprised myself at how animated I got on air over it. I think I love the drama of fashion week and the big fashion houses houses the same way I love museums and galleries: gorgeous to look at, but nothing to do with me. They don’t make you feel pressure like Instagram and TikTok Influencers do, because they’re so far removed from my reality, and so provide more a nice escapism rather than a standard to achieve. Bhain mé an oiread sin sult as an gcomhrá seo anyway - b’é an chéad chlár le Rachel Ní Dhonnaile agus tá ag éirí go hiontach léi sa ról nua! - agus is féidir éisteacht leis anseo:
Agus ar nóta an fhaisin, beidh Aonach Amárach: Margadh agus Manglaim ar siúl ar an 8 Deireadh Fómhair, 6-8pm i gClub Chonradh na Gaeilge. Is féidir éadaí a fhágáil sa Siopa Leabhar an tseachtain seo, agus tá gach eolas ar an leathanach Instagram!
Cúinne Cultúir
I don’t know if I can recommend this, because I’m not sure that I understand yet what it is that I’m watching... I may or may not have been listening to Saint Sister when it first occured to me to get into Twin Peaks. It’s a cult classic, often referenced as one of the most influencial television series of the nineties. It’s definitely got the autumn feels and makes for a good cosy evening watch, and the shots and script are really atmospheric, if not a bit weird. I’m still not sure though if it, and in particular its baked in misogyny, is meant to be satirical? Is it showing it’s age, or was it uncomfortable to watch back in the day too? I’ll give it a few more episodes before doing a deep dive and reading everything the internet has to say about it. Let me know if you’ve seen it, I would love to dissect the series with someone!
Everything I Need I Get From You - Kaitlyn Tiffany
I love a book that makes me feel like I am enriching my understanding of humanity and society as they whirl around us, but this also made me LOL on the train. It’s about the phenomenon of fandom, from The Beatles to Bing Crosby, and how the same music fans - and in large part teenage girls - shaped the internet as we know it, all whilst using One Direction as a case study. Lots of memes and a-ha moments. Recommended reading.
And last but not least, Happy Birthday Ghostie. In honour of my sister who wandered streets in a white sheet, and of the ghosts that emerge this time of year: