Email from Dee and Dan

Well Hello Ferris and all of the LI community!!

Myself and Dee just wanna apologise about our leaving early last week by 15 minutes. We left then because of the troll in the room. We saw that he was masquerading as us as well as other LI chatters. Luckily there has been a new chatroom put in place and this will not be so easy in the future. We look forward to our show on Wednesday which will be classic uninterrupted or disturbed Dee and Dan.

Thank you

Dee&Dan

Selfmade japanese Haiku in the LI-chatroom

Selfmade japanese Haiku in the chatroom by Denise, Arco, Dawn, Gabriel, Ferris and Phantom O´Banjo "I saw a fish without clothes but it had feet and hands also teeth and he was swimming under me in the back room"!

Leven and the Mystery of the Li-chatroom

Hello Friends ! I got the permission from Leven in North Carolina to copy the article from her blog to our LI-community blog here. I think it captures the feeling we all have when we enter this wonderfull chatroom and listen to great Irishmusic and Dj´s Thank you Leven

Check Out LI

My love of and determination to find Irish music on the net led me to a pot o' gold!

I accidentally found a new chat room while browsing through Celtic channels in Real Player. Curiousity kills the cat---> I had to check it out! When I first found this place it had a plain, simple layout, no extra features, and no fancy buttons. It was just a room in the middle of an IE page with video feed from the studio, and channels to choose from for their music. You could listen and chat at the same time. The music, (if you like Celtic music- which I Loooveee!!), is awesome! I prefer the channel 1 station. It is more traditional and sounds old. The other, channel2, plays more modern Irish music.

After "lurking" for awhile, just watching to see what kind of place it was, I finally took a deep breath and said "Hey". (Well, I was doing homework at the same time too guys!)

I met some very friendly people that first night who graciously gave me a run down of the web site, and the studio. Before the weekend was over I had added my photo to their Community Album, and bookmarked the place! I haven't had the courage to post in the Community Blog yet, as I'm new to this blogging stuff; and I thought I should do my blog here first. Maybe in the future though.

Entering LI chat is like stepping into an old Irish Pub. You are heartily welcomed and by the time you leave everyone knows ya, and makes you feel like part of the family. The DJs even chat with you in the room and on the radio!

Yesterday, everyone was to meet there for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner so to speak. Shortly after people began arriving a "Troll" entered the room and everything went sideways! But, we graciously thank him for his idiotic antics! The LI team had pity on us and made a new room for us with all kinds of new gagets and buttons!!!! For those of you who've known me for years, it's almost like OnlineCall now, but without the cam access. The new room comes with what I've dubbed the "LI Posse" who now controls Trolls and idiots, and kicks them out! You can also create your own room for privacy, and PM people as we did back in the OC days.

A member of the "Posse" told me it would be alright if I post the homepage here for LiveIreland. You'll find it at the end of all this babbling. They have some interesting articles, and links on the side to various things including the Community Blog. If you want to find the chatroom scroll about midway down the homepage and you'll see a picture of a lady where it says "Studio1 is now open". Click on her and it'll take you to a log-in page. Just type in a name for yourself and click login. If your Java is not up to date it will get you to update it before giving you the login page, so don't freak out if you don't see a login box your first time. It will tell you instead you need to update and give you the option to do so. Once you update Java, it'll take you there. If you're timing's right you might even catch me in there, and I'll introduce ya to everyone! If you see me online in msn, chances are I'm there too! Look for "Leven"!!!

That's all for now! Thanks for letting me share. Feed-back is welcome you guys!! I've never done this before so, good advice is a plus!!! Here's the link to LiveIreland, hope to see ya there!! www.LiveIreland.com

Thanks Giving Pre-Dinner at LI

Get ready for a Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner at 11:30 am Wednesday, November 22nd, eastern standard time in the Chatroom. Bring your seats...a nice suit....good manners.....your own favorite dish....Phantom O´Banjo will be cooking a Turkey. So dont miss this!

A man forgot to buy turkey for Thanksgiving

It's the day before Thanksgiving, and the butcher is just locking up when a man begins pounding on the front door. "Please let me in," says the man desperately. "I forgot to buy a turkey, and my wife will kill me if I don't come home with one." "Okay," says the butcher. "Let me see what I have left." He goes into the freezer and discovers that there's only one scrawny turkey left. He brings it out to show the man. "That's one is too skinny. What else you got?" says the man. The butcher takes the bird back into the freezer and waits a few minutes and brings the same turkey back out to the man. "Oh, no," says the man, "That one doesn't look any better. You better give me both of them!"

Melda´s Review of the Simon show . And the winner is.....

I have just spent another enjoyable evening visiting with our friend, Simon. We listened to some wonderful music and he passed along a lot of information on the background of some of the artists. His "bits and bobs", as he calls them, are great and I, for one, am learning a lot about Irish Traditional music.

He also tested our knowledge of Irish music history with 2 contests and awarded the two winners, Arco and Linda, albums of Irish music. Well done Arco and Linda!

The chat room starts buzzing when Simon is on and he interacts with the chatters there whenever he gets a chance.

Simon is always good craic as well and makes us smile and laugh . He plays a great variety of music with a nice blend of slow and soft---and fast and bouncy songs. You never fail to make me get up and dance about the kitchen Simon!!

It's unique how he remembers what each one of us likes to hear. As I'm writing this--"Sweet Baby James" is playing, and he knows that it is one of Ferris's favorite songs. He also knows that I;m the chat rooms # 1 Luka Bloom fan!

Simon took time to tell us of Carol's progress in the hospital, and was very concerned about her. He sent his wishes for a quick recovery to her. (I know we are as loved by Simon, as he is by us,)

Simon,-you do a wonderful job and Tuesday night wouldn't be the same without you.

(By the way, isn't it about time for the lovely Sarah to make another guest appearance?)

Carol (MN) in the hospital

November 21st 2006 Update: Sara came to the chat room again today and was sounding much better and happier. Carol is doing better every day and might be home for Thanksgiving either. I missed the part where Sara explained what now caused the issue at the first place, but might not have been pancreatis after all. Yeah! Keep sending well wishes for her and you know there will be a VERY happy Thanksgiving in MN! :) Original Post: Carol (MN) is in the hospital - her daughter Sara came in the chat and told us about it as Carol wanted all of her friends and acquaintance in LI to know.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers and post something nice here.

(Side note - I just popped into the chat this Saturday night after a mostly crappy day and had 3 or 4 people in there tell me about Carols situation and it truly felt like stepping into a pub or a family group talking about a person we all know, miss and wish all the best and that she feels better soon!)

Update from Megan(Wisconsin)

An update post by Megan(Wisconsin) - she is getting blog happy, so visit her sometime!

/start quote Dia Duit Hello everyone,Well I just wanted to say hello. I LOVE this place. It's where I can go and talk about things Irish, listen to Irish music and hear the occasional Irish voice. I have a livejournal if you'd care to check it out- http://irishfairylass.livejournal.com/ , a deviantart page- http://celticmeg.deviantart.com/ and a myspace- http://www.myspace.com/meganofsomeirishheritage so if ya can't tell by now, I'm into the Irish thing lol. I would like to one day be quite fluent in Gaelic and to visit Ireland of course lol.

See ya around.

- End quote/ And she also has a blog here at blogspot: http://missmegsramblings.blogspot.com/

Apple crisp recipe by Dawn

Recipe Number 2 Folks Forget all your diet plans. Its not worth to spend money on diet food. Go and make some Apple crisps like our Dawn is making. Dawn says:

This is my traditional special occasion treat at my house. I make this on Thanksgiving morning to get the oven nice and hot before the turkey goes in.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

3 ½ pounds apples peeled, cored and sliced thin or chopped chunky

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 packets of instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal

1 pinch salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup maple syrup (spring for the real stuff, it's worth it!)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F

Put your sliced apples in a 9x13 inch baking dish, spreading them out evenly.

In a large bowl blend your butter and sugar together until creamy.

Slowly stir in flour to the butter/sugar mix - but don't over beat, just fold it together. Stir in oatmeal and salt and fold in half the walnuts.

When all the dry ingredients are mixed together, sprinkle the entire mix over the apples.

Add the second half of your walnuts to the top of the dish and drizzle the maple syrup over the top of the dish.

Bake in your pre-heated oven for 50 minutes.

Your apples should be tender and juicy. Watch that your topping doesn't get over brown.

When reheating, tent the dish with foil to prevent further browning. Live update: Dawn managed to bake an apple crisp for all of us. Get your forks ready Folks and enjoy

The Dee and Dan show with Fairies, Leprechauns, Irish Lessons, and Dee in a Bus..wwooohhooo!!

Ok....i must admit! I really had a blast creating this recorderd show of our loveable Dj´s Dee and Dan! Click and you will have some fun for more than a day!

TheDeeandDanshow Uploaded by Ferris036 Irish Lessons Please -- Mas é do thoile Thank you -- go raibh maith agat You are welcome -- Tá failte romhaet Where do you live--- Cá bhfuil to i do chonaí? i live in____Tá mé i do chonaí í________

Dee & Dan - cozy and professional too!

We had another great show by Dee & Dan today. And this time even Dee let it slip that they are a couple - of course Dan has mentioned that before in chat when he wasn't in the studio, but just visiting. They showed their closeness today quite a bit, and made us listeners feel all warm and fuzzy about their young love. But besides all that, they still did their great show, with craic, music, trivia, gaelic lessons and more. I'll keep it short and let pictures speak a thousand words. D&D we luv ya too!:)

Simon the Sorcerer !! Review by Allie and Melda

Allie Today I had the pleasure of listening to Simon’s live show for the first. I wasn’t sure what to expect…just went on Ferris’ word that I would enjoy it. I have to admit…I love to chat and was there a bit early. As the time grew near, the chat room exploded with activity, everyone waited impatiently for the show to start. More and more people arrived for the show. The regulars were there as well as some new faces. As I thought about it, where else can you gather people from all over the world like this? The music was amazing and Simon was a wonderful host. He answered all the requests he possibly could and took time to chat with the friends gathered there. I found myself transported back to my favorite Irish pub in my mind. Each song he played had a special meaning to one or more of the chatters there. Simon is a very engaging person and very professional. I can’t remember when I have enjoyed a show more. The banter in the room, the personable Simon, and the wonderful music made it an even better experience that I had expected. Many thanks LI for a wonderful program and thank you Simon for making it so much fun! Melda

SIMON

TUESDAY'S TONIC

Tonight was another lovely relaxing session with Simon.

Simon acknowledged the fact that Ferris is a great source of knowledge concerning the history of Irish traditional music, and possesses a wealth of information which he is always willing to share with the L I audience. Simon never fails to show appreciation for the help of the chat family.

Jen added a spark of excitement in proclaiming what we have always known, that, "that DJ is really hot". I think the word "sexy" was mentioned by another Lady in the chat as well.(Of course it was said, with all due respect, for Simon) We also like your new hair cut! He got a call on his cell phone from the "three ladies from Dublin" . He wouldn;t tell us what they said,-but he said it was "cheeky", and he blushed!!

He brings a calm to our stressful lives with his soothing voice and peaceful presence. He interacts with the chat room and keeps up with all the emails. As usual, we get to hear all our favorite songs both new and old.

I know it;s been said many times--but Simon, you do a magnificent job!! Your Fan Club continues to grow-and one day we will need a bigger chat window! (HELLO--is anyone listening in the studio)! One word that comes to mind concerning Simon is "wunderbar"!! Addition by Ferris:The blog song?: As u all know, nearly at the end of the Sorcerer show we had some fun with making up words after Simon was playing the Song"I´m a Bog man" by Luka Bloom. I asked everyone to build up a sentence with the Words BOG, FOG,NOG,SOG;HOG Here we have some nice samples: Chip:I once saw a HOG stuck in a BOG in the FOG, so I had to SOG for a NOG Mike(New Orleans):As I was walking through the FOG in the BOG, drinking my NOG, my shoes began to SOG Rose(WI):It looks like ye'se all have had too much nog

LaDonna(WVa): there's a sog hog in the fog bog from too much NOG Well done Folks !!! You are great!!

Late Night, Live Ireland

Justin wow'ed us again with another show. Each show Justin finds a new way to get the audience involved so that his radio time is no longer just a DJ announcing and playing songs but a party that he shares with us all. This week Justin had us in stitches with Irish jokes that he told and that listeners sent in. Interspersed he played what I would have to say was the best play list I have heard yet, weaving the listener's requests into a show that flowed from start to finish without missing a beat. Beautiful music, poetry and humor were the hallmarks of this marvelous session. I will guarantee that there were several workplaces were productivity was negatively impacted because the workers were just having too good a time on Live Ireland! There was something there for everyone in the mix. And now Justin has added a carrot on a stick for his growing crowd of loyal fans. Justin has promised to do a show on Christmas Day! Not only that, but he has asked his audience to send in their personal Top Ten Irish Songs list to justin@xtrememedia.ie so that he can compile them and make this is play list on Christmas Day. So, what does it take to be a GREAT DJ? I think it takes: 1. A love for the music you play 2. A knowledge of the music 3. A sense of community with the people that love the music you play 4. A sense of humor 5. A great voice 6. A good deal of flexibility Justin has all of this and so, in my opinion, Justin is a GREAT DJ. My Mondays are scheduled and so is my Christmas Day.

100! WooHoo! 100!

With the additions of Aly, Leven and Shodan to the Live Ireland Photo Gallery we have reached a total of 100 photos of Chatters on LiveIreland! That is quite a milestone! Thank you to Dabhoch and Kobi for helping to maintain the Gallery and to all of you who make sure that new chatters know about it. And a special thank you to all who have sent the photos!

Put yourself on the Map or find other LI Listeners

Review Of the Dee and Dan show by Paul (Wi)

DeeandDanlearningirish1 Uploaded by Ferris036

Lesson1 Cá bhfuil na teach an taibherne, bá mhaith liom guiness agus bá mhaith liom guiness go tapaí!! Lesson2 tá na daoin ag eisteachta na liveireland ar feabhas While I missed a good portion of this week's edition of the Dee and Dan show, I know they succeeded in brightening everyone's day. While they have been referred to as "lovebirds" and they tend to be extremely close in proximity to one another, the question remains: what exactly is the nature of this dynamic duo's relationship? Perhaps, they are just cozy friends? Perhaps they appear to be "loverbirds" because they must share the same LiveIreland microphone? Ahhhh... probably not. But, I don't profess to know the answer - nor do I know the answer to many of Dee's Irish Trivia questions, though I always learn something about that magical place. Wednesday, I learned about Banshees. I learned Siouxie - as in Siouxsie And The Banshees - is spelled s-i-o-u-x-i-e, I also learned of the proper way to dress my Irish Coffee. In one of her infamous exchanges with LI chatters, Dee quickly denied being caught on the webcam with "finger in nose" (If someone has screen capture, please send to Ferris ;-) Stick around long enough and you're bound to memorize the lyric to the great Planxty rendition of "Arthur McBride"! D & D promise a show that will only get "better and better" - I couldn't look forward to anything more. And Dee and Dan make it clear before exiting that they don't look forward to anything more than these glowing reviews, so I say, lovebirds: JOB WELL DONE!

Rikki´s Review of the Simon Show

I keep wondering how Simon's Tuesday Show can possibly get any better,........ but it does! He just keeps going from perfection to perfection, and changing a wee bit each time.

Today was unique for it's "quiet". I have not noticed this happening on any of the shows before. It reminded me of "the good old days" in the pubs in Ireland, when the M.C. held the respect of the crowds, and demanded respect and quiet for the entertainers. Always an enjoyable experience for the audience and the entertainers.

Today, without even trying, Simon brought about this same wonderful atmosphere for us at LiveIreland. The show was handled so well, as always, by our beloved Simon, that it seemed to be only half an hour long. He has come to know us all so well that he can choose the music we are all so fond of without our always making requests. He has a delightful way of interacting with us that lightens our hearts and puts smiles on our lips. ( Heck, Ferris even told him he loves him, so you know just how lovable Simon must be! )

The "quiet" I am speaking of, is that almost everyone seemed to be chatting very little during the show, and sometimes coming to a complete halt. I have never seen this happen when a dj has been in charge. It is usually a chatting frenzy, but not today. We all listened. It was lovely. ( Simon has that effect on us. Calm.)

If I could change anything about Simon's show, it would be to make it more often than one day a week, and longer by at least 2 hours. That is probably not going to happen, but wouldn't it be terrific if it did?!!! (Bernard, are you reading this? :o) Addition: by Ferris. Just to make it clear. I said i love Simon but not kissing him.!!!...:-)

Justin Takes Me Away

Have you ever been left alone in a boring place and been transported to an alternate reality? It happened to me today! There I was, sitting and waiting, just minding my own business, when this cute young couple sat down beside me. They were talking about weddings plans and were in the doctor’s office to have blood tests (do they still require that?). Anyway, I recognized the brogue…Irish. Then I realized who they were. They were Justin Dawson, late-night LiveIreland DJ, and his girl Sarah (sez to the chatters). I couldn’t believe it. What were they doing in my hometown in west Texas? Going to school? I was so excited……OMG! Who is this shaking my shoulder….Geez, I fell asleep in the waiting room? Well, all I can say is this: that is how well we got to know Justin and Sarah on Monday during Justin’s 9 p.m.- 11 p.m. GMT (21:00 to 23:00) program. Justin was his usual bubbly self in the studio, filling in with banter between songs and begging for requests from listeners. He always sounds to me as if he’s about to break out in uncontrollable laughter…like his soul has permanent smile dimples. He’s a joy to hear. But Justin gets downright giddy when Sarah enters the picture. OK, this time she wasn’t actually in the picture as she has been in the past, but she came into the chat room for most of the show. We all had a great time planning a wedding of mythical, if not practical, proportions. I’m relatively certain that we dissuaded Justin from wearing a Speedo for the ceremony. Of course, it didn’t seem to matter that neither of these two precious people has popped the big question to the other! Justin has, after all, given sez only 2 rings, neither of which is the engagement type. (sez, you haven’t given him one, have you?) So folks, if you missed Justin’s program on Monday, 6 November, you missed much good music and priceless craic. Jus kept up well with the troublemakers in the chat while taking requests via email and listening to the messages we left on the toll-free answering machine. Please join him on Mondays from 21:00 to 23:00 GMT and get to know him well enough to chat in the doctor’s office. *review submitted by Linda (TX)

A Special Note from Justin

Especially for the fans of the show at the Live Ireland community. As promised here is a photo of myself and my English girlfriend Sarah. I have some photos of us kissing the blarney stone also. I look terrified kissing the blarney stone. Attached is a photo of us in a hotel room in Cork, where I took Sarah for her birthday and treated her to a special weekend. Having a girlfriend from Middlesbrough UK I have expanded my horizons to parts of Ireland I have never visited. Still to come on my places to see list is the Giants Causeway up in Northern Ireland. Last week we visited Galway, I haven’t been there since a young lad, and could hardly remember it! =o) more photos to come! Best Wishes Justin Late Night Live Ireland 9-11pm GMT Mondays

Bren & Gav - Craic agus Ceol

I am a little late with this review, but I think as we had a new DJ duo last Friday we should give them a review. Well, they never presented together at LI like that at least - both are very well known of course. Em was not feeling well on Friday, especially her voice, which reporetly went missing, prevented her from showing up. I think this was the 2nd time she missed a show since she started on LI - let's not make that a habbit! (just kidding - hope you are already feeling much better!) So Bren & Gav filled in - both have presented before together with EM, Bren being the original LI partner of her and Gavin who has filled in for Bren before when he took some of his absents ;-) Bren & Gav together were a great show as well. Same fun, same funky stories, and great music. Odd was only that Gav was correcting Brens reading, when normally Bren is doing that to Em... oh well :) Em, despite feeling not well, did come into the chatroom to check on what the two lads were doing to her show and was pretty pleased as well. A great time was had, and we are all looking forward to the next Craic agus Ceol show on Friday! Thanks to that wonderful friday trio! :)

Celtic Connections 2007 line up announced

They have just released the lineup, loads of great music. Based on past exprience they will add to the list of performers as time goes on. Irish musicians include Altan, Mairtin O'Connor, Solas, John Spillane, Frankie Gavin, John Doyle. Loads of Scots, of course, and Americans too. This is a festival which runs from 17th Jan through 3 Feb in Glasgow, Scotland, many venues, many artists, many collaborations. Very welcoming people all around. I recommend it to you.

Celtic Connections 2007 website

Edith Kudlovics website

Hello all! This is a little advertising for Edith Kudlovic. She is a regular Listener in Live Ireland and lives in Austria near the Attersee. Edith is a very talented Painter and Photographer and has already written a book about her youth when she and her Parents had to leave Yougoslavia/Hungary after the WW2. The book is about her Life in a refugee camp where her Parents used to work as nurses in a Sanatorium for consumptives (tuberculosis). Unfortunately her father died very young at the age of 57 due to the radiation he was using in his laboratory. She lived there from the age of four to twelve years. Even if you are not familiar with the German language, the pictures speaks their own language. Click here for a preview of the book. Ediths painting and Photos are very special Here are some samples. Click any picture in here to enlarge to the original size. tree impressions / little irish boy/ face in a tree whistling tree More can be find at her website There is also a celtic tree footpath near Ediths home. This footpath was built in Spring 2003 in honor to the Celts who had a major role and influence in the history of Austria and Germany around 4 BC. Also known as the Hallstatt culture More info about the foopath can be found here. Unfortunately only in German but with background music of Loreena McKennitt. Impressions of the Celtic Tree footpath from Edith. celtic knot work in trees/celtic looking women/inside look of a celtic cottage/celtic tree poles/foothpath PS..If you ever get the chance to talk to Edith in the chatroom please be patient with her English language but she is really a font of knowledge about a time Austria and Germany went through after the WW2. Thank you!! Your Ferris