Bøker av Geoffrey D'Ombrain

This book began as an account written during my long journey in 2011 around Ireland with a visit to Berlin. Later, stories from my two previous journeys, 2009 and 2010 were added, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany and England. The book tells of extraordinary meetings with people, unbelievable coincidences and my being welcomed to perform Irish music, improvise on flutes and whistles and play with great bands. The magic also occurred in Berlin and a reader's imagination will be stretched to embrace some of the experiences I am able to relate. In my first paragraph I speak of miracles, defining such, "e;as an act of selfless kindness, or an event that is such a coincidence, as to be hard to believe"e;. Just imagine, the River Boyne flows next to the Bounty Bar (Trim) where I attracted the attention of a band waiting to drive to a late night "e;gig"e;. I sang "e;Red is the Rose"e;, which highlights the River Boyne and the band invited me to perform with them at their "e;gig"e; and in particular to sing that song. "e;Clear is the water"e; comes from the chorus of that song. When I first performed for an hour in the Bounty Bar I had no idea that it was voted the best pub in Ireland for music ( 2003) and had hanging on the wall, just above where I sang, a ship's wheel, a thank you gift to Billy Wilson, the publican, from "e;The Dubliners"e;.

So many stories have come down to me about my remarkable family going right back to escaping from France in an open boat in 1572. There was a great-grandfather who was City Surveyor of the Melbourne Corporation and a remarkable hero, Sir James D'Ombrain, who refused to follow Westminster orders and delivered grain, aboard the revenue cruisers, to the starving in Ireland during the potato famine. Then at age ninety I am blessed with a clear memory going right back to the days when I was but three years old. I have so many memories I wish to share. Some are amusing and some hard to believe. There are simple stories that bring life to many family members I have known, past and present. A love of the sea and craft that sail upon it is also woven through the text. I tell stories of friends, and people whose contributions to society should not be forgotten. I tell the story of how I came to establish a ground-breaking tertiary music education program. I share my reflections on war, religion and politics and tell some amazing tales of closer contact with our remarkable First Nations' Australians. Our family has long displayed a passion for botanical and zoological pursuits. It is appropriate that I conclude the book with a few unbelievable stories about my encounters with birds. In all my stories I am "e;somewhere in the middle"e; closely watching life's cavalcade.

The book consists of three parts. The first is the background story providing a detailed context surrounding the writing of the works. It also gives details of methodology and the origins of each work. The second part of the book is made up of the scripts for each of the works and the third section is the scores for all the original music. Education through artistic endeavour is very strong including entertaining shows featuring the circus, pirates and the celebration of Christmas. Treatment of topics is highly imaginative, especially the use of science fiction in, "e;The Rockers, the Poppers and Me"e;