Two years ago today I attended the third Electric Picnic in Stradbally, Co Laois. It was my first ever music festival and my only one to date. After I passed through the festival security checks I arrived at the gates to the campsite. It was here that I was fitted with a trendy colourful armband for me to wear for the weekend signifying that I was a fully paid-up attendee of the event. The armband was made of some kind of cloth which was the first of its kind I’d ever seen. Normally at events like this you get an irritating plastic armband which you can’t wait to rip off you as soon as it’s no longer needed. Once I arrived back in Dublin after the festival I decided to leave the armband on for a bit as it looked pretty neat.
I guess I never really thought about how long I would keep it on for but time went on and one day I realised I had been wearing the thing for a year. I decided at this time that it was now a challenge to keep the armband on for as long as possible. Soon after the one year anniversary, however, the armband began to go downhill. The colour rapidly faded and the whole thing in general went into a state of decay. Friends and family began to moan about how unhygienic it was but they just didn’t understand. This was my trusty armband that had stuck by me for an entire seven month round-the-world trip.
I remember one particular occasion when I was in hospital having an operation. I was about to go under general anaesthetic when the nurse advised me that no loose jewellery or accessories were allowed in the operating theatre and I would have to remove my armband. I stared at her in disbelief and protested that once the armband was off, it would remain off.
“Well”, she retorted. “It will just have to come off then.”
“Over my dead body”, I thought. I argued with her for about ten minutes and when she realised that I would literally rather not have the operation than to part with my beloved armband, she compromised. I was allowed to keep it on as long as it was taped up with about six layers of masking tape.
However, I was conscious of the fact that the armband was gradually becoming more and more flimsy and so a few months ago I made the decision to cut it off on the second anniversary of the day I was shackled to it. I would like to have seen how long I could keep it on for but I fear that it might get ripped off some day when I wouldn’t notice. What an unfitting end to our journey together that would be! And so, today, the first day of September 2008, the second anniversary of Electric Picnic ’06, I am removing my best friend from my wrist. Below is a list of some of the more memorable moments we’ve shared as well as a couple of pics from the detachment ceremony. May the armband rest in peace in Electric Picnic memorabilia heaven.
Memorable moments shared with the armband
A holiday with 5 friends to Bodrum, Turkey where I took my first scuba dive and danced in drag on a stage in front of several hundred English holidaymakers
The aforementioned operation to have pilo nidal sinus removed from my lower back under general anaesthetic
Riding a horse up a dormant volcano in Banos, Ecuador
Trekking the four day Inca Trail through the cloud forests in Peru to the ancient city of Machu Picchu
Journeying three layers deep into the Cerro Rico mountainside to visit the silver ore mines, the walls of which were thick with asbestos
Exploring the tropical wetlands of Brazil known as The Pantanal
A trip to Ushuaia, Argentina – the southernmost city in the world
A visit to the weird Moai statues of Easter Island, one of the world’s most isolated inhabited islands
Diving to a depth of 18 metres to explore the underwater life of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia
Hiking along a portion of the Great Wall of China
Taking the famous Star Ferry in Hong Kong
Investigating the ancient Temples of Angkor in Cambodia
Struggling to reach the top of highest peak in Indochina – Mt Fansipan, Vietnam
Tubing down Nam Song River in Vang Vieng while enjoying a bottle of refreshing Beer Lao
Partying at the world famous Full Moon party on Haad Rin beach, Ko Phangan, Thailand
Travelling an approximate total distance of 88,975 km (55,287 miles) around the world in seven months
Being part of the great sporting moment that was the Heineken Cup Final 2008 - Munster 16, Toulouse 13
The many trips I took to London in ’07/’08 to visit my girlfriend Aileen
Cruising the River Shannon for three nights with my housemates
Countless booze-fuelled nights out on the town with a variety of very agreeable people
I guess I never really thought about how long I would keep it on for but time went on and one day I realised I had been wearing the thing for a year. I decided at this time that it was now a challenge to keep the armband on for as long as possible. Soon after the one year anniversary, however, the armband began to go downhill. The colour rapidly faded and the whole thing in general went into a state of decay. Friends and family began to moan about how unhygienic it was but they just didn’t understand. This was my trusty armband that had stuck by me for an entire seven month round-the-world trip.
I remember one particular occasion when I was in hospital having an operation. I was about to go under general anaesthetic when the nurse advised me that no loose jewellery or accessories were allowed in the operating theatre and I would have to remove my armband. I stared at her in disbelief and protested that once the armband was off, it would remain off.
“Well”, she retorted. “It will just have to come off then.”
“Over my dead body”, I thought. I argued with her for about ten minutes and when she realised that I would literally rather not have the operation than to part with my beloved armband, she compromised. I was allowed to keep it on as long as it was taped up with about six layers of masking tape.
However, I was conscious of the fact that the armband was gradually becoming more and more flimsy and so a few months ago I made the decision to cut it off on the second anniversary of the day I was shackled to it. I would like to have seen how long I could keep it on for but I fear that it might get ripped off some day when I wouldn’t notice. What an unfitting end to our journey together that would be! And so, today, the first day of September 2008, the second anniversary of Electric Picnic ’06, I am removing my best friend from my wrist. Below is a list of some of the more memorable moments we’ve shared as well as a couple of pics from the detachment ceremony. May the armband rest in peace in Electric Picnic memorabilia heaven.
Memorable moments shared with the armband
A holiday with 5 friends to Bodrum, Turkey where I took my first scuba dive and danced in drag on a stage in front of several hundred English holidaymakers
The aforementioned operation to have pilo nidal sinus removed from my lower back under general anaesthetic
Riding a horse up a dormant volcano in Banos, Ecuador
Trekking the four day Inca Trail through the cloud forests in Peru to the ancient city of Machu Picchu
Journeying three layers deep into the Cerro Rico mountainside to visit the silver ore mines, the walls of which were thick with asbestos
Exploring the tropical wetlands of Brazil known as The Pantanal
A trip to Ushuaia, Argentina – the southernmost city in the world
A visit to the weird Moai statues of Easter Island, one of the world’s most isolated inhabited islands
Diving to a depth of 18 metres to explore the underwater life of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia
Hiking along a portion of the Great Wall of China
Taking the famous Star Ferry in Hong Kong
Investigating the ancient Temples of Angkor in Cambodia
Struggling to reach the top of highest peak in Indochina – Mt Fansipan, Vietnam
Tubing down Nam Song River in Vang Vieng while enjoying a bottle of refreshing Beer Lao
Partying at the world famous Full Moon party on Haad Rin beach, Ko Phangan, Thailand
Travelling an approximate total distance of 88,975 km (55,287 miles) around the world in seven months
Being part of the great sporting moment that was the Heineken Cup Final 2008 - Munster 16, Toulouse 13
The many trips I took to London in ’07/’08 to visit my girlfriend Aileen
Cruising the River Shannon for three nights with my housemates
Countless booze-fuelled nights out on the town with a variety of very agreeable people
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