I am going to be studying in Oxford for the next 6 months and was wondering of any sessions in Oxford that I could attend. Or if there are any chiff and fipplers in the area. I will be living on Banbury in the North, any suggestions?
No suggestions, I’m just…jealous.
What will you study?
mostly theology and philosophy - Augustine, Early Christian and Byzantine Art
Know some philosophers, but none of them are likely
to be in sessions. Wombat may help.
But, you know, that info will be
avialable in Oxford. I’m jealous, too.!
Hi Michael,
We lived south of Oxford in a beautiful village on the Thames from 1986-1992, so are not quite “current” on the area. Banbury isn’t part of Oxford at all, but a separate town 25 miles away…accessing Oxford by road via the “functional(!)” Wendlebury interchange…
Irish sessions theoretically at:-
Rosie O’Grady’s, Park End Street,Oxford (Tuesday evenings) (01865) 204060 for more info.
The Elm Tree, Iffley Road,Oxford (also Tuesday evenings)
(01865)244706 for more info.
Jude the Obscure,Walton St., Jericho,Oxford (Sunday afternoons).
There’s also the Oxford Folk Club, and no doubt active clubs through the University.
Trisha
Congratulations Michael, you should have a great time. I studied and taught philosophy in Oxford for nearly seven years, completing a D.Phil (ie, PhD). Lovely place to work and meet people. BTW, who are you likely to be working with, there’s a small chance that I might know them?
I wasn’t playing Irish music when I was there but enjoyed the folk and jazz scene. There are a lot of Irish in Oxford but, since its 20 years since I lived there, my list of contacts is seriously out of date.
If you don’t have a car, Banbury is a bit distant. Distances in England seem greater than in America and Australia for reasons I don’t fully understand.
Same with the weather…extremes of temperature always seem weird here…in other places they just feel normal.
As for the distances - something to do with the number of cars and trucks crammed onto the roads. Now we’re in Wales, I just don’t DO traffic jams…
Trisha
I studied and taught philosophy in Oxford for nearly seven years,
I often wondered. What do you study when you study philosophy? I am a physics geek and it has been a hobby for many MANY moons. I can study postulates from relativity to quantum mechanics but those can be turned into equations.
I am actually living off of Banbury road a little north of Keble College, so hopefully it won’t be a 25 minute travel time as some have suggested. I think it’s in northern Oxford.
I am going to try and meet up with Richard Swinburne while I am there as well as Brian Leftow. Swinburne retired a while ago, but I’d still like to chat with him. Leftow it still teaching (I hear he took over Swinburne’s position). As far as my tutors go I have no idea, I think I will have Philpott as my Augustine tutor I believe thats what he got his PHd in. I will keep you informed.
Banbury ROAD, Oxford being the road in the direction of Banbury town which IS 25 miles North. Now if you’d only said :roll: ! Wombat and I were only trying to be helpful…as always…
hehe, yup, in England it’s important to specify, because there’s not only the town of Banbury (as in the nursery rhyme Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross), but probably Banbury Crescent, Banbury Gardens, Banbury Avenue, Banbury Street, Banbury Lane, Banbury Close, well, you get the idea.
Plus of course you don’t get the simplicity of Roads running north-south and Avenues running east-west (or is it the other way round?), with numbers accordingly.
I now understand the turn of phrase Michael used “on Banbury [Road] in the North”, not the way we’d say it in England and I originally took it for a typo - my apologies Michael, I should have known from your previous posts that you re-read before posting.
You’d think we’d be more inventive with our road names, but somehow the muse left us early. There are at least 11 Princes Roads in London alone, not to mention Princess Road, Princes Gardens, etc. which explains why we are obsessive about postcodes, but doesn’t explain why the postman doesn’t read the postcode (or the name and address) when stuffing my letterbox with other people’s letters. I wouldn’t mind but so few of them contain unsigned credit cards or cash. Moan.
yep, so sorry about the confusion, but I assumed if someone lived there they would know of Banbury (tacit road) in Northern Oxford as it is a major road I am told. Excuse the short hand.
I am originally from Northern Calfornia (way north, Redding) where they pronounce the entirety of a freeway, like “Interstate 5”. The influences of Los Angeles have swayed me into just saying the number of the freeway like “the 5”. I am sure this may have some influence on my diction in other areas.
No probs Michael…just be careful with the taxi drivers…or it could get expensive 
Trisha
I have arived in Oxford recently too. Many of the sessions listed above are not now happening (the 1992 list). There is a one on Sun night at the half moon in St Clements, and one on thur night at the Lamb and Flag. I am hoping to start one up in Jericho soon. If u want to meet for a jam, send me a message, though I am a student on whistle and pipes.
I am SO jealous 
The closest thing we have to philosophical musing up here is the choice between WallMart and KMart.