It’s like talking to a stuffed animal.
Said the red bear.
Matthew Kelly writes:
Footage has emerged of Enda Kenny preparing to raise the tough issues in his meeting with Donald Trump….
Previously: Tribute To Enda
Author Archives: Admin
Um.
Sean writes:
Got an eBay parcel today from the US – this note (above) was enclosed.
Anyone?
This afternoon,
Blacksod Bay, County Mayo
Ministers Shane Ross and Boxer Moran speak to reporters on day two at the search scene for three missing members of the Irish Coast Guard – Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith – whose helicopter crashed while on a rescue mission off County Mayo in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The cause of the crash of Rescue 116, which yesterday claimed the life of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, is not yet known.
Coast Guard crash: Loss of crew ‘unthinkable and unspeakable’ (Irish Times)
Eamonn Farrell/Rollingnews
The Joshua Trio.
It’s been thirty years since the saviours and messiahs of the world, U2, unleashed The Joshua Tree on the world and took up residence in the world’s stadia. They’ll renew their leases for a tour this year, too.
So, the question occurs: will Bono’s most dedicated disciples follow him onto the road to mark the occasion and preach their gospel to a new generation?
Because that would be great.
Just putting that out there.
Last week, in our Friday Golden Discs competition, we asked you who your favourite second-generation Irish artists have been over the years.
To be precise, we asked you to fill in the following blanks:
The greatest example of English-born second generation Irish musical prowess would have to be______________________________________’
At stake was a voucher printed and signed off on to the tune of twenty-five Euro, redeemable at any of Golden Discs’ fourteen locations around the country. The competition was fierce. But there, as ever, can only be one winner.
PMCD with the clincher:
“The greatest example of English-born second generation Irish musical prowess would have to Kevin Rowland of Dexys. Mr Rowland lambasted the stereotype of the Thick Paddy with his first single ‘Dance Stance’: “Never heard about, can’t think about Oscar Wilde and Brendan Behan, Sean O’Casey, George Bernard Shaw. Samuel Beckett, Eugene O’Neill, Edna O’Brien and Lawrence Stern.”
He almost spits out the lyrics in anger – it still sends a shiver up my back 35+ years later. Oh, and his second single ‘Geno’ went to No. 1 and happens to be one of the best songs ever – pop fact! And if all that’s not good enough for ya – the man’s got style!”
Other highlights from the running:
Smith: “The greatest example of English-born second generation Irish musical prowess would have to be John Lydon. Hard to sum up his influence and impact with any soundbite, but this legend firstly under the guise of ‘Johnny Rotten’ with the Sex Pistols was the punk spokesperson for disaffected youth in a time not dissimilar to now in the UK with rising racism and burgeoning neoliberalism. He was both proudly British and Irish and was unafraid to express his views both musically and in person. With PIL, he really found his form and helped to re-shape music with this post-punk brilliance. RISE is a song that encapsulates the man. “Anger is an energy”.”
Jamie: “The greatest example of English-born second generation Irish musical prowess is clearly proud Waterford woman Kate Bush (her mother was from the Deise). Have any of these other people (the comments had) mentioned recorded a song with whipping noises and someone going “OOOOH! OOOOH!” like an owl in the background all the way through? No. No they haven’t. I rest my case.”
Penfold: “The greatest example of English-born second generation Irish musical prowess would have to be both Lennon and McCartney. Both embraced this, evident in their post Beatles ventures, with Wings’ Give Ireland back to the Irish, and Lennon/Yoko’s Sunday Bloody Sunday.”
Bertie Blenkinsop: “The greatest example of English-born second generation Irish musical prowess would have to be The Smiths. TOTP, 1983. I first set eyes on Johnny Marr and it was love at first sight. He’s never put a foot wrong since in my eyes, the coolest man alive. His autobiography is a great read and his solo stuff is not half bad either.”
Daisy Chainsaw: “The greatest example of English-born second generation Irish musical prowess would have to be Mary O’Brien who became Dusty Springfield. A sublime voice who brought pathos to and elevated the songs of Bacharach and David to the classics they deserved to be.”
Zena: “The greatest example of English-born second generation Irish musical prowess, would have to be Siobhan Fahey from Bananarama. She was so much more than a pretty face.”
EightersGonnaEight: “The greatest example of English-born second generation Irish musical prowess would have to be Bernard Butler of Suede.”
Pavlovian
at
This afternoon.
Outside the Pav in Trinity College Dublin.
Yay!
Via Collie Ennis
UPDATE:
Meanwhile…
At the Barge…
Hic!
Via Ireland/Peadar
Inside Out
at
Large scale anatomicals by street artist Nychos.
More of his work here.
Previously: Street Anatomy & Exploded View
From top: Philomena Lee and her daughter Jane Libberton at the graveside at Sean Ross Abbey, Roscrea, Co Tipperary at a private memorial for her son Anthony Lee (Michael Anthony Hess)
This morning.
On Today with Sean O’Rourke.
Philomena Lee and her daughter Jane Libberton spoke to Mr O’Rourke in light of the ‘significant quantities of human remains’ being found at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway.
Readers will recall how, in 1952, Philomena gave birth to her son Anthony [Michael Anthony Hess] at Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, Co Tipperary.
She was subsequently forced to give him up for adoption and he was sent to America. He died in 1995.
Philomena was portrayed by Judi Dench in the movie Philomena.
From this morning’s interview:
Sean O’Rourke: “Jane, good morning to you.”
Jane Libberton: “Good morning, Sean.”
O’Rourke: “And thank you for coming on the line. Now, we know, just looking, particularly, a lot of interesting reporting, invaluable reporting done on this by The Irish Examiner [Conall Ó Fátharta], but in 2011, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart who operated the Sean Ross Abbey, they gave figures to the Health Service Executive [HSE] showing there were 269 deaths at that home between 1934 and ’67 – a period of just over three decades. Now, the paper has reported that some of those buried in the plot on the site, they are not on that register. So, the number may be higher. So I’m just wondering do you support the view that maybe there should be excavations also at Sean Ross Abbey?”
Libberton: “Yes, I do, absolutely. In fact, I think they should be conducted in all mother and baby homes. We’ve been there, to the plot, several times, and we recently spoke to a young man, there was a man, sorry, in his younger days, he was a gardener there. Now, he said that, years ago, him and I think maybe his father, or some other chap, they’d gone to clean the angels’ plot as they call it now. And he went in there and they started to dig the place and they said that they came across bones, you know, not very far down, three or four inches down in the ground.”
“And so, they didn’t know what to do about it, at that time. And I think they didn’t say anything at that time because I think that they wouldn’t have been believed.”
Listen back in full here
Pics: Mark Stedman/Photocall and Adoption Rights Alliance
From top: Department of Finance document urging the closing of a loophole that has cost the exchequer millions; Ken Foxe
Via journalist Ken Foxe:
The PRSA The Personal Retirement Savings Accounts scheme had been introduced in 2002 as a low-cost private pension savings plan, particularly for the self-employed.
However, in the ensuing years, it had become particularly popular among high wealth individuals.
This was explained by a loophole in the original wording, which had been seized on by tax advisers as a mechanism for avoiding tax.
According to Internal Department of Finance documents obtained by Mr Foxe:
“The wording is open to the interpretation that, whilst a PRSA owner who wishes to take benefits from his or her PRSA must do so by their 75th birthday at the latest, there is no compulsion to take benefits at that age (or indeed any age).
“While this may seem to fly in the face of the whole raison d’etre for pension savings – i.e. to provide an income in retirement – for those with substantial pension assets it can provide significant tax planning opportunities.”
For instance?
In one example, they describe how through careful planning, a person with a pension pot worth €2.5 million could avoid €200,000 in tax.
Good times
Euclidean
at
The release trailer for a melon-twisting new MC Escher inspired puzzle game called Fragments of Euclid that you can download here.
quipsolgies/prostheticknowledge