last few weeks in Ireland

My last few weeks in Ireland, if I was still my old canadian self would have been around making lists, checking everything a few times, worrying and of course hanging out with my closest friends. But instead it was about having a blast and worrying about everything later. I suppose my oldself would have not been to far off that, but I would be been a bit more inclided to stay home and check things twice then go on road trips.

Two weeks before leaving we had the launch party of The RAG. It was deadly, loads of great food, so many people. And I mean not the usual suspects. Clare and I were doing one of the early shift at the door and we barely knew anyone one that was there. We had stencils of revolutionary women out the back that went down really well. Later in the evening party wierdo played which rocked the house. It was the first time that Seomra Spraoi, a new social centre in dublin had a band in there space and it worked briallantly. Actaully considering the standing orders for the place a quite low it was really handy for them since we donated all the cash from the bar to them. Between the banquet that was there on the thursday, the wsm social on the friday and our cash they were able to cover the rent that month.

The next few days after that were a bit rough, I still had to go into work and really was not in the mood. I did my last few days, which luckly went by quickly and with no problems. My last day at the shelter included a radio show on spin fm, which is mainstream radio about RAG. The questions were about anarchism, the mag, the article i wrote on unionising sex work, our collective etc. It was in a mtv joking style. Then the best part, a text came in saying that I have a sexy voice. The converstaoin turned to whether that was offensive or not. DAmn it was embarassing, here I am sciving off working hoping the bass doesn't comje back and find me int eh keyworking room on the phone or worse here me on the radio while she is driving and I'm talking about objectification in the most joking relaxed way possible sayign I would rather he commented on the ideas then my voice. The whole thing ended in the shows host saying "so lets leave it with you having sexy ideas and theres anarchism for you, they don't know when the next one will be out or were you can get this one."

I was starting to realise, like I have done back home, leaving a place is expensive. I started having lunch or dinner out with my friends. Since I perfer to chat one on one the lunches were adding up. In those few days we decided to have a sponatious road trip and bring rag on tour.

Marrianne, clare, reddy and I got into marriannes car and started a four day journey that was jam packed. Our first stop was carlow/loughlin bridge, were we gathered reddy, eat lunch on the barrow, helped marrianne fill out a job application and went to visit ciarons hedge school. Unfortunately the only thing left of this school was a laminated sign sitting in hay that said admitance 10 max and strangley a head school commemerating the art project. Strange to have something so perminent for something so temperary. We kept the sign leaving up in the window and as luck whould have it we ran into ciaron when I was being dropped off four days later at home and showed him what was left of his project.

Our next stop was cork, where I was glad that I was not driving, the narrow roads and steep hills are one hell of a combo. We were having a mini rag launch party there, considering we called people in cork just the day before we wern't expecting the 200 plus crowed that we got in dublin. Our friends in CAZ {cork autonomous zone}/ barrack books let us use there space. We bought a carrot cake at the quay co op and john had a few bottles of organic wine. There were about twenty people there and we sold 15 mags {much of this was due to the amnesty meeting that made its way upstairs}.

In the rest of the trip we managed to sell all 100 mags that we brought with us, and really could have sold allot more. The most noted sells were 1. selling one to an 18 year old guy whos mates were shouting sexual abuse towards marianne and clare out a window. 2. this guy on acid on the middle of the day in cork 3. a guy who gave me 18 euros for a hair cut and I gave him a mag instead.

Also on this journey we say this great squated farm house, where grainne was in the process of learnign how to make rocket stoves to have wonderful warm beds, benches, bathrooms and stoves all in one. there was a soalr powered bath tub outside and some of the most beautiful yurts that you can ever imagine. Plus picked apples from there orchard that become apple cruble for out pot luck.

We also went to this women aslings house that is not bigger then a van, that is after the recent extention. It was made from cob, hemp and wood that they got from factories that deliver glass.

after seeing those ecological houses we also saw a house in galway that is being constructed from an old trainstation. The master bathroom was about 4 times as big as aislings house. It was this engineer mates of clares who family was moving from there city based farm land where they became rich selling tomatos.

Beside seeing some of the most amazing houses around and selling magazines we also took part in a shell blockade in cork, which made the evening papers and talked to people all over the country that were involved in fundraisers and actions against shell.

After coming back from that road trip I then heading up to leachrum ( i know its not spelt this way, but it is how I learnt it via break core so that is how it will stay) willie, natalia and dee bought a house and land up there, the three of them have been moving back and forth between the rural and urban life, while a mate of theres watched over the place. It was a going away party of sorts for tamarack and sean, it was mentioned a while back that it could be for me to, but all four of us refused to take claim to it. It ended up being a great night of mates, food, beer, a camp fire and for the second time and not the last time that week, the can kickers.

A generation of punks that no longer listen to punk but bake there own bread instead. They have given up the radical city book shop but a stall in the local market and still have chomsky and emma goldman on the top of the list, besides the self sustainable, ecological books.

The next two days consisted of last min packing and shipping that was more expensive then I could have imagined. But to have my comforts around me when I go home to a strange place is worth every penny.

the final night was like any other, reddy, da donal and I drinking buckie on the streets on the way to a gig that will be brillant but no one else will come to cause they relate everything reddy says about music to breakcore and in many peoples heads rubbish. We went to this brasilian band that we made, dancing up front and thinking hey they are us, what are they dont' on stage being us. after leaving that gig on a high we ended up at porco dio where we say the can kickers for the third time and say everyone that I love in dublin. I dnaced liek made adn had a great time, trying no to say good bye but only . . . till next time