Ah the big freeze in Dublin. Everything has ground to a sudden halt.This photograph was taken at the Pier in Dun Laoghaire. My hands had gone pink by this stage! A lone walker made these footprints down the pier. It is unusual to see areas that you are familiar with in photographs. Especially when you are not used to snow!

The Dalkey Winter Fair 2009 is finished for another year. Although the crowds were smaller it was still a good turnout. It rained heavily on the opening night but people still came out which was a good sign. This year I have included photographs of Galway City. I got great feedback off people about these photos.  

The most primitive and basic derivative within music, the human voice was on show last night in Kelly’s of Galway. And what a show it was. The night promised an eclectic bag of tricks, and it truly delivered. Playing to a packed audience, the night opened with “The Big Sing Multicultural Choir”. Angelic and uplifting, they sang African songs in unison. The audience swayed from side to side in step with the hypnotic rhythm of the songs.

A brief interlude and a complete change of direction brought the entertaining “Size2Shoes” onto the stage. A unique act, part comedy and musical, they played off each others energy with gusto. From Limerick, “Size2Shoes” use their wit and musical ability to produce an urban remix of contemporary songs. Beatboxing "Sweet dreams are made of these" by The Eurythmics stood out as a real crowd pleaser. Although their performance was highly entertaining and professional, it seemed lost in between the world music acts and might have worked better on a different platform.

Spoken word by Marty Mulligan followed and it was exactly that, spoken word. It was a pity Mulligan’s great effort and enthusiasm wasn’t matched by his ability. The words he spoke came out as inaudible raps. This left some audiences with confused expressions on their faces. A confused act indeed!

Following Marty Mulligan, the presence on stage of Linton Kwesi Johnson brought the crowd to silence. Johnson, originally from Jamaica, was electrifying. He recited his poetry with powerful eloquent words. Touching an emotional chord within himself, his Jamaican accent seemed to grow stronger as the night wore on. "’War war", he told us, "War". In between his poetry Johnson spoke about life as a black man in England. He referenced knife crime in Manchester and he spoke nostalgically about his late father. A voice for black culture in the 60's and still as powerful and relevant today, this was a rare performance that both inspired and awed. Well worth the wait to see a dub poet legend.

The night ended as it began, with African music. The Toluking Band played the remainder of the night away with African grooves that left a smile on the face and a bounce in the step of the crowd.