ARTlifeCULTURE

I am still grateful for having found my Banana Bread and Gingerbread recipes both of which share the same loose handwritten page and both of which have been missing – presumed lost for what has seemed like forever.

I first tasted this Gingerbread in one of Ireland’s old country homes when I must have been 10 or 12 years old. I cannot tell you which house as my memory fails me in this regards but I remember clearly that it was open to the public for viewing and that it had a lovely kitchen-style coffee shop in its basement. I had never before tasted Ginger Bread and I was amazed by its chewy dense texture and intense flavour. At the cash register they sold postcards featuring various traditional Irish recipes of which this Gingerbread was one. I bought it as my holiday souvenir and have baked this bread ever-since.

Grateful that I have found it and in the interest of preserving this recipe for posterity, I am sharing it with you.

I hope you enjoy it!

This recipe makes two loaf tins.

• 16 oz self raising flour
• 2 level teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 level teaspoons ground ginger
• 8 oz brown sugar
• 8 oz treacle
• 6 oz butter
• a half pint of milk
• 1 egg
• a pinch of salt

So I start by turing on the oven to 170 o centigrade and preparing my loaf tin by buttering and dusting it with flour.

Then I begin by placing the butter, treacle and sugar in a saucepan. Gently heat the pan until the sugar is well-melted and the mixture combined.

Then and in another saucepan, gently warm the milk and egg mixture taking care not to overheat it as your egg might just scramble!

Combine the two warm mixtures and add the remaining dry ingredients. Again at this stage, I put my two warm mixtures into my mixer and I switch it on, I then add in my dry ingredients and mix away until it is well-combined. From there, I turn the mixture out into the pre-prepared loaf tins and I bake them at 170 o centigrade for 45 minutes. Again, I do check them after 35 minutes as I may need to loosely cover it with piece of tin foil or baking parchment to prevent them overly browning.

Once cooked (and you can be sure of this by sticking a skewer into the cake and seeing if it comes out clean), I allow them to rest for a few minutes before turning the loaves out onto a wire tray to cool.

This cake is delicious eaten-warm with, or without, butter and washed down with a large glass of milk or a decent cup of tea. It will happily keep in a tin for a week or more, if only it would last that long!

Banana Bread is a firm favourite in our house and it was with great relief that I found this recipe recently having misplaced it for more than a year! During its misplacement, I had enough ripe bananas to have been driven to try other banana bread recipes and I can report that each recipe failed to come close.

So now I share with you my Banana Bread which I have been making for close on twenty years and which never fails to comfort and please. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

• 8 oz self raising flour
• 2 level teaspoons of baking powder
• 5 oz light brown sugar
• 4 oz mashed banana or 2 small ripe bananas
• (2 oz walnuts and / or 2 oz sultanas optional)
• 2 eggs
• quarter pint of oil

This amount makes one loaf tin so with our current family of seven, I always double it.

So I start by turing on the oven to 170 o centigrade and preparing my loaf tin by buttering and dusting it with flour.

I then measure out and place all the dry ingredients in my large mixing bowl. I measure out a quarter pint of sunflower oil in my glass pyrex jug and from there I add in my two eggs and beat lightly with a fork. Now I am very fortunate to own a Kitchen Aid Mixer which means at this stage, I throw my bananas into the mixer and add my oil and egg mixture and I flick on switch and let my machine take it from there… however, if you do not possess such a machine then simply mash your bananas, add them to your dry ingredients and mix. Then add  your oil and egg mixture to your dry and banana mixture and combine thoroughly. Then pour into your prepared tin and bake at 170 o centigrade for 45 minutes. I do check it after 35 minutes as depending on the weather I may need to loosely cover it with piece of tin foil or baking parchment as it may be in danger of overly browning.

Once cooked (and you can be sure of this by sticking a skewer into the cake and seeing if it comes out clean), I allow it to rest for a few minutes before turning it out onto a wire tray to cool.

This cake is delicious eaten warm with or without butter and washed down with a big glass of milk or a decent cup of tea. It could keep in a tin for a week if only it would last that long!

I have come to China as director of Irish International Youth at the Ireland Pavilion Shanghai EXPO 2010.

On our first day these twenty young performers were filmed by TG4 for a television documentary which will be broadcast in the autumn. They performed on the streets of Shanghai in the unique setting of the Antiques Market. An audience gathered. People peered out windows. The market place came to a standstill, excepting of course, the cyclists and moped-drivers who deftly weaved their way through the girls’ performances. As a mark of respect they refrained from overly using their horns. We were in China. We had landed and in a mere matter of hours, we would be representing Irish International youth arts at the Ireland Pavilion at Shanghai EXPO 2010. What a wonderful reality.

We arrived at the Ireland Pavilion – familiar and welcoming, fresh and contemporary, we were right at home. The girls embraced their new setting. They were brimming with excitement. They were on top of the world. Rehearsals began and the girls attracted quite a following. Spectators gathered. They were beginning to feel like celebrities. During their break, the girls circulated flyers around EXPO. This was their performance after all, and so they were responsible for rallying their own audience.

In all, they gave four performances at the Ireland Pavilion at EXPO over two days. With each performance they gave all that they were to the people who had gathered to witness them. They attracted much attention, Chinese national media photographed, interviewed and recorded them, however, the highlight had to be their very own 3D film shoot complete with take boards and dolly!

From the EXPO and the Ireland Pavilion to greater Shanghai – the girls enjoyed shopping and bargaining, early morning Tai chi in Fuxing Park, impromptu performances, an evening stroll on the Bund, morning coffee and donuts, a temple visit, student life at the Shanghai University, and a celebratory night out at the Party Palace in their very own private karaoke suite. They exchanged performances with their peers at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Jian Qing Experimental School. They were Irish International Youth out and about in the world representing themselves, their communities and their country and returning home wiser, more worldly and with a greater appreciation and understanding for what it is to be Irish.

I did not initially design Irish International Youth in Chorus EXPO 2010 with a student documenter role in mind, however, when I met young Jessica at an open-audition, I was struck by her passion and enthusiasm for this project and I began to consider how she might use her ‘voice’ in another way.

She wanted so much to be involved. I could not involve her in the chorus and yet it didn’t feel right to say ‘no’. She had expressed to me her love for China and all things Chinese. She had told me how taking China Studies as part of her school’s twinning programme had captured her imagination and helped her in her schoolwork. She wanted to play her part, to make her contribution.

And so it is with great pleasure that I introduce Miss Jessica McKenzie as the youth voice of Irish International Youth in Chorus EXPO 2010. From this comment-space, she will tell you her story and our story with her personal introduction, preparatory observations and on-tour diary.

So why not view the comments below and allow Jessica to keep you posted!

Irish International Youth’s artistic endeavour is supported by a professional creative team which includes artistic director, vocal director, mezzo soprano, conductor, Irish traditional harp, choreographer, costume designer, concert manager, stage manager, and photographer, each supporting ARTlifeCULTURE’s remit of social inclusion through quality youth arts initiatives.

Meet Irish International Youth at the Ireland Pavilion Shanghai EXPO 2010 in association with ARTlifeCULTURE, supported by Culture Ireland and the Ireland – EXPO 2010 project.

Nineteen young Irish singers and one young Irish dancer will will perform at the Ireland Pavilion at EXPO on Tuesday and Wednesday, 22 and 23 June 2010. Supported by their professional creative team, this group of Irish children, representing a cross-section of modern-day Irish society, will perform music from the Irish traditional and Irish classical repertoires.

During their stay, they will relate to Shanghai as no tourist ever can. They will connect with their chinese counterparts through shared performance at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. They will meet their peers through schools’ visits. They will experience life as third level students through their university campus stay. They will engage with the local community through their impromptu public performances. They will present themselves to the world at EXPO 2010 as Irish International Youth. They will enjoy their Shanghai adventure and will return home changed by their experience. They will be stronger in their world view, more culturally aware, more globally alert.

This international youth programme is enabled by an experienced Irish / Chinese management team on the ground in Ireland and Shanghai. It is supported by Culture Ireland and the Ireland – EXPO 2010 project. This international youth programme has a youth-centered approach with a clear emphasis on quality of process as well as excellence of artistic product fulfilling ARTlifeCULTURE’s remit of social investment through quality youth arts initiatives.