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Ryan Shirlow

@ryanshirlow.bsky.social

5.4K followers 4.4K following 8.4K posts

Irish 🇮🇪 in Yorkshire 🏵️ Fortean Times writer & PhD student, study folk music 🪕 & folklore 🧚 Also ❤️old 🚙 cars & homebrew 🍺 Dad to 2 wee girls Music on Woodford Halse and Fenny Compton https://ryanshirlow.bandcamp.com/

ryanshirlow.bandcamp.com

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 4d

The shitter it all gets, the more I’m going to post about mandolins and fairies.

That’s it, that’s the plan.

Two old Irishmen, one with a flute and one with a banjo mandolin. “John McKenna and Michael Gaffney”

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Reposted by Ryan Shirlow

Richard Fallon @richardfallon.bsky.social · 4h

A literary Iguanodon at the Earth Sciences Library. Do any other libraries have dinosaurs or other antediluvian creatures carved into the furniture?

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 4h

why are they both playing Boris Johnson

Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 4h

I do like his hat, he’s not all bad that one

Reposted by Ryan Shirlow

glastomichelle.bsky.social @glastomichelle.bsky.social · 4h

On the way down from watching sunrise this morning on Glastonbury Tor. The moon looking pretty.

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 14h

Mark found a video of her name being read out and you were bang on.

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 17h

that’s brilliant Mark

it’s like anglified it would be Riona O’Hogan but it’s just got that little extra cut to it to say it properly in the Irish

I’ll do my best!

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Reposted by Ryan Shirlow

Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 18h

3 minutes in :)

youtu.be/4PfIutfriDI?...

Léacht Uí Chadhain 2022 - Ríonach uí Ógáin

YouTube video by UCD Scoil na Gaeilge, an Léinn Cheiltigh agus an Bhéaloidis

youtu.be

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 18h

If you could give me a phonetic spelt out clue or even better a short video or audio note with the correct pronounciation it would help me a great deal.

Have a look at her article Music Learned from the Fairies - it’s wonderful stuff. Essential to my PhD.

Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 18h

Proper Irish speakers I need your help.

I need to refer to the work of Ríonach uí Ógáin (brilliant stuff btw) and I have no idea how to pronounce her name.

I thought I could avoid making a fool of myself in front of a few dozen people by making a fool of myself here in front of several thousand.

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Reposted by Ryan Shirlow

Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

I’d also be interested in hearing from any drummers who like to beat skin heads after work or at the weekend. What sort of sticks do you use? How do you get the most satisfying sound?

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Reposted by Ryan Shirlow

Mathematician Records @mathematicianrecords.com · 1d

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 22h

oh yes absolutely, tiny things make such a difference, and every banjo is different

Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 22h

lovely

Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

I’d also be interested in hearing from any drummers who like to beat skin heads after work or at the weekend. What sort of sticks do you use? How do you get the most satisfying sound?

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

Have you had experience of skin heads in your neighbourhood? You don’t have to be afraid of them! There’s nothing like the sound of digging in and really thwacking a good skin head.

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

I mean this is correct, because the alternative is we say right wing people should never read or listen to left wing creatives and I feel that could go wrong somehow.

Reposted by Ryan Shirlow

Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

I’ve definitely run into trouble turning up to Irish music sessions with skin heads, I feel I’m out of tune with the rest of the musicians, and I often need to increase the tension to compensate.

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

I’ve definitely run into trouble turning up to Irish music sessions with skin heads, I feel I’m out of tune with the rest of the musicians, and I often need to increase the tension to compensate.

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

I’d like to see more skin heads on British streets, I think they’ve been misunderstood historically, and when the skin head has matured it becomes much less intolerant of change… in humidity ;)

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

Periodically I swap out a renaissance or even a fiberskyn, but I lose so much volume and the primary purpose of this banjo is playing outside, unamplified, at the urban farm or noisy Irish sessions.

My favourite banjos for tone have goat skin heads, one a hundred years old. They look amazing too.

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

haha that’s amazing because everyone involved in that show had such a massive British falling out a few years ago and it moved to a different channel with half the presenters, as you can imagine it was huge news here at the time

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Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

seen it quite a few times, but yes they may have been bots, “sh1t posters” or deluded

Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

It seemed like a niche thing, kept cropping up on my Bluesky and infuriating me! Mostly hard leftists (“tankies”) complaining we were a fascist island but it’s prevalent on the right too.

Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

They’re thicker than most people would use on a banjo, but I like the power that gives. They are a tad noisy though as you move around, scratch, thump, squeek.

Ryan Shirlow @ryanshirlow.bsky.social · 1d

very true