Dublin Photographer, Angela Halpin

I took a triip to the world music festival in Dun Laoghaire in Aug
And i was privileged to see Rahani Belly Dancers preform... What an amazing act, they looked both stunning and elegant There was a sence of magic to it!

What is tribal belly dance?
Tribal style is a mixture of both choreographed and largely improvised dance performed by a group of dancers.Tribal style is a mixture of both choreographed and largely improvised dance performed by a group of dancers. There is usually a "chorus" of dancers, often forming a half-moon shape, and from the chorus one, two or three dancers emerge to take centre stage. One dancer leads and, using a learned vocabulary of moves, they improvise their dance. They rely on cues indistinguishable to their audience, the phrasing of the music, the "chemistry" between themselves and eye contact to create a seamless transition between moves. Each dancer has to remain alert and "connected" to fellow dancers. The overall effect relies on all dancers, not on a particular soloist.
Read more about Rashani here

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Trim Castle, the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, was constructed over a thirty year period by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter. Hugh de Lacy was granted the Liberty of Meath by King Henry II in 1176 in an attempt to curb the expensionist policies of Richard de Clare, (Strongbow).

Construction of the massive three storied Keep, the central stronghold of the castle, was begun c.1176 on the site of an earlier wooden fortress. This massive twenty-sided tower, which is cruciform in shape, was protected by a ditch, curtain wall and moat.

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The Carrowkeel/Keshcorran Megalith complex is located west of Lough Arrow just outside the little town of Castlebaldwin and is the sight of the largest concentration of passage tombs in Ireland. These passage tombs (fourteen in all) are sunken burial chambers made of large limestone slabs, topped with huge piles (cairns) of rocks. These tombs are most usually located high upon hills and mountains and dot the landscape around Sligo County, forming a larger network of ancient sites whose mysterious origin is still largely debated.

The Carrowkeel complex, believed to have been constructed between 3000 and 2000 BC, remained in use until 1500 BC. The cairns, built of limestone with interior chambers roofed with large limestone slabs, range in size from 25 to 100 feet in diameter. The site was used in Christian times as a burial place for unbaptised children. Carrowkeel was rapidly and very poorly excavated in 1911, often with the use of dynamite, and each of the cairns was assigned an identification letter.

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Glendalough, with its famous round tower is one of the most enduring images of County Wicklow. You can see the tower in the picture above with the lakes behind. A truly beautiful location which is steeped history.

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The English name Glendalough comes from the Irish Gleann Dá Locha which translates to "The valley of the two lakes".

It was here that St. Kevin founded a monastery in the sixth century. From this beginning the site grew to become famous as a centre of learning throughout Europe. Indeed, Ireland was known as the "Island of Saints and Scholars". Standing amid the remains of this monastic settlement, one can feel a powerful sense of peace and tranquility.

The settlement continued to expand for 600 years and was destroyed in 1398. The buildings which survive date from the 8th and 12th centuries. The most famous is, of course, the round tower which is 34m high and 16m in circumference at the base. A cathedral, stone churches and decorated crosses also survived

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I took a trip across the Bolivian Desert last Christmas, it was a tough but enjoyable experience. The poverty in bolivia was a total shock to the system. It really makes you see what we have and don't appreciate it here in the modern world!

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