U. Cronin's Blog, page 21

Fade to Grey: The Failing Demographics of Spain

A couple of weeks ago, I had cause to be out and about in my neighbourhood in Madrid mid-morning on a working day. I was startled by the difference between eleven o’clock on a Saturday morning and eleven o’clock on … Continue reading →

Half a Million Non-nationals Leave Spain in 2013

This week, the Spanish Statistical Office (Instituto Nacional de Estadística; INE) released its annual demographic report. It was all bad news; the population of the country is decreasing, mainly due to the returning home or relocation to other, less depressed … Continue reading →

Pigeon Houses (Palomares)

Pigeon houses (palomares in Spanish) have been a unique feature of the Castilian landscape since Roman times. In the provinces of Zamora, Valladolid, Palencia and a corner of León — an area known as the Tierra de Campos — a … Continue reading →

Steve the Spitter

Steve the Spitter is a character from something I’m working on at the moment . . . Steve the Spitter is, along with the Ghost and Dr. Cunningham, another nocturnal denizen of our centre’s labs and suites and cold and … Continue reading →

The Royal Academy Scores a Home Run (jonrón)

The Royal Spanish Academy, the body that is in charge of the Spanish language, recently announced that the twenty-third edition of its dictionary, which it has been compiling since 1780, will be published in the autumn of this year. Entries … Continue reading →

Excerpt from The Grotto

The excerpt is taken from the opening section of The Grotto. The statue’s Guardians are well into the process of falling under the Entity’s thrall and are now regularly sacrificing animals and worshiping It . . . The men watched … Continue reading →

Review: Neil Halstead vs. The Velvet Underground & Nico, Sala Shôko, Madrid. March 18, 2014

I’ve always looked upon bands touring specific albums from their back catalogues with suspicion. A couple of years ago, I had the chance to see Mercury Rev doing Deserter’s Songs, but even though I’ve been a huge fan of the … Continue reading →

Stop Touching Me!

The Spanish are a tactile people. As well as kissing twice by way of greeting or leave-taking, they find numerous other ways to press the flesh during daily intercourse. To a man like myself, raised as an Irish Catholic and … Continue reading →

Warpaint: 28th of February, Sala But, Madrid

Warpaint is a band I’ve wanted to see live since the first time I was arrested by their exotic mix of post-punk, Paisley Underground psychedelia and folk pop. I had always got the feeling that neither my headphones nor the … Continue reading →

Very Inspiring Blogger Award — thanks petrel41

My blogging friend petrel41 of the blog Dear Kitty. Some Blog has been kind enough to nominate Get Behind the Muse for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Thanks, dear petrel41, for this generous gesture!   The rules of this award … Continue reading →