Yearly Archives: 2016

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Kurdish Peshmerga display antique weapons used against well-equipped Isis fighters on the Bashiq frontline, approximately 18km from Mosul

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Kurdish Peshmerga Forces on the Bashiq frontline

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A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier holds what he claims is a German Luger from World War 2

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A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier standing on the Bashiq frontline against Isis, with Mosul on the horizon

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A 63-year-old Peshmerga figher Mamuri Purida at a Kurdish frontline post near Makhmur, 3km from Isis-held territory

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Mamuri Purida points to a picture of President Masoud Barzani beside a map of greater Kurdistan at a frontline post near Makhmur

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Kurdish Peshmerga driving between outposts on Bashiq frontline

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The Isis-held town of Bashiq, northern Iraq, seen from the Kurdish Peshmerga frontline with Mosul on the far horizon

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A ruined bus stop on the road to Qayyarah with burning oil wells in the distance

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Qayyarah, a town of 15,000 people engulfed in smoke from burning oil wells lit by retreating Isis fighters in August

Photographs from Dublin journalist Ruaidhrí Giblin, who has recently returned from Iraq.

Ruaidhrí spent six weeks reporting on the build-up to the military offensive by Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi special forces towards Mosul which is seen as the de-facto capital of Isis.

He toured several frontlines with the Kurds and Iraqi forces.

On Sunday, he will broadcast a report on the Kurdish Peshmerga on RTÉ’s World Report.

Ahead of this, Ruaidhrí writes:

Iraqi Kurds don’t have a country, they have a Regional Government. They don’t have a regular army, they have an irregular militia, whose name the ‘Peshmerga’ literally means those that face death.

They don’t have modern weapons, advanced technology or heavy artillery and often appear in button down shirts and traditional Kurdish trousers.

They’ve gone months without being paid because Iraqi Kurdistan is overwhelmed with two million refugees from Syria and other parts of Iraq.

Yet, they, along with their Syrian counterparts, are the most effective fighting force against Isis since the terror group emerged on their doorstep in 2014.

All they want, they say, is recognition from the world – to be able to put their flag on the international map. The story of the Kurds deserves attention.

World Report is on Sunday at 8am on RTÉ Radio One.

Meanwhile…

Kurdish peshmerga and Iraqi special forces have advanced to within around six miles of the city of Mosul, after launching a major three-pronged attack early on Thursday against dug-in Islamic State militants.

Hundreds of armoured vehicles including tanks and humvees began a large-scale offensive at around 6am local time, the Kurdish peshmerga general command said in a statement. Their target was a series of villages to the north and north-east of Mosul held by Isis fighters.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces close in on Mosul after making quick gains (The Guardian)

Photographs: Ruaidhrí Giblin

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 Dr. John Buckley, Bishop of Cork and Rosswith schoolgirls from the Secred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty at the careers fair

Tuesday.

With ordinations and trainee uptake on the floor Bishop John Buckley and other representatives of the Diocese of Cork and Ross showed up at a careers’ fair in Cork’s Rochestown Hotel, run by the Institute of Guidance Councillors.

From the Cork Evening Echo:

Teenagers at the fair expressed their concerns about the priesthood, like the lack of women and the celibacy vow, but Bishop Buckley said that he was not sure what impact changes to Church policy would have.

“Celibacy is a regulation of the Church,” Bishop Buckley said. “Certainly, in the years ahead, people might look at that, and I wouldn’t see any difficulty, if they see that it’s absolutely necessary. But whether it would help increase the number of vocations, I’m not sure.

“Other denominations, which allow ministers to marry, are seeing a shortage of vocations,” Bishop Buckley said.

Speaking at the fair, one girl said that the Church should consider allowing women priests, if it really wants to connect with people.

“If a woman became a priest, I would have no problem in confiding in her, or anything like that.I think a lot of girls, maybe, would be more comfortable in confiding in a woman than a male priest,” she said.

Bishop Buckley says celibacy is not the problem (David Linnane, Cork Evening Echo)

Pic via Cork Evening Echo

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“For Ben, the secret to success has always been a good tie…”

This just in..

The fourth episode of the weekly web comedy series created by Dublin writer/performers Kelly Shatter, Luke Benson and Kevin Handy,

Long Dark Twenties

Previously:

Long Dark Twenties: Episode 3

Long Dark Twenties: Episode 2

Long Dark Twenties: Episode 1

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From top: Buttercrane Shopping Centre, Newry; Nike Air Jordans

Anything good in Bloomberg?

From July to September, the number of Irish registered cars visiting the Buttercrane Centre in Newry, in Northern Ireland, rose 62 percent from the year-earlier period…

It’s easy to see why they would make the journey.

On Friday, a men’s wool jumper cost 35 pounds, or 38.75 euros, at Marks & Spencer’s in the north, compared with 47.50 euros on the company’s Irish website. Nike Air Max sneakers cost 85 pounds, or 94 euros, at JD Sports in Newry, against 110 euros in the south….

Meanwhile…

Egan now runs a cafe in Dundalk, on the other side of the border from Newry. He says he now pops across to buy the ingredients for his wife’s favorite tipple, the Negroni cocktail, made of gin, vermouth and Campari. The combined cost of buying a liter of each is 33 pounds, or 36 euros, compared with as much as 70 euros in the south, Egan said.

While Northern Ireland is traditionally cheaper than the south, the plunge in sterling now more than offsets travel costs involved in heading across the border.

“When I go up there, I hear a lot of Dublin accents, ” Egan said. “The closer to Christmas, the worse it will get. ”

Ah heyor here.

Pound Drop Takes 15% Off Air Jordans for Irish Border Shoppers (Dara Doyle, Bloomberg)

Pics: Trip Advisor; Sports Direct

Thanks Nelly Bergman

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Gadget and the Cloud – Leeside beats and pieces

What you may need to know…

01. Gadget and the Cloud is the nom-de-beats of music journalist and student activist Kelly Doherty.

02. A former blog editor herself, she currently writes for the Belfast’s The Thin Air, inbetween study and her duties with UCC’s SU.

03. Venturing into composition last year as Gadget and the Cloud, she quickly assembled an extended-player, October 31st, for release late last year. Ambience was the name of the game, albeit with drone/sound-art overtones.

04. Streaming above is 3600 Seconds, released last week via her Soundcloud page, and continuing Doherty’s foray into electronica, using cheapo ’90s beats as exposition this time around.

Verdict: Progressing quickly from a subtly evocative debut, Doherty’s explorations of/reflections on various electronic sub-genres are the spirited, impatient noises of an artist experimenting and figuring the next step out.

Gadget and the Cloud