Author Archives: Admin

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_x9D91CJY&feature=youtu.be

Earlier this afternoon.

During Leaders’ Questions, Independents 4 Change TD Mick Wallace named other Garda whistleblowers.

He also claimed that, in early 2014, a journalist contacted Supt Dave Taylor, to tell him that he had been in contact with the family of the girl at the centre of the false abuse allegation against Sgt McCabe.

Mr Wallace said the journalist told Supt Taylor “he had a great story and that it was going to be really damaging for McCabe”. Mr Wallace also said, following this conversation, Supt Taylor contacted both Martin Callinan and Noirin O’Sullivan.

From Mr Wallace’s speech in the Dáil…

“Taoiseach, I think the public inquiry should have a disciplinary, a criminal investigation running in parallel, run by people, policed from outside the country. A lot of bad things have happened.

“You said there Taoiseach that everybody has the presumption of innocence. You’ve a short memory. For several years, according to the Fine Gael government, Maurice McCabe was guilty until proven innocent.”

“Noirin O’Sullivan talked yesterday of a campaign of false accusations against her. Is she saying that Maurice McCabe was lying? David Taylor? Keith Harrison? Nick Keogh? Sinead Killian? Eve Doherty? Dermot O’Connell? And others? Are they all liars?”

“If she genuinely didn’t know how whistleblowers were treated. If she genuinely didn’t, she’s not fit for the job anyway, if she didn’t know what was going on in the force.

“With the O’Higgins inquiry, she instructed her legal team to give false evidence to the inquiry until Maurice McCabe’s tape turned it upside down. If she was innocent, why didn’t she sanction or discipline the two guards involved? Why? It’s a long time ago?

“How can you explain how Nick Keogh – when he reports Garda involvement in the heroin trade in Athlone, how come he faced five internal investigations in that same year and none before that? Why?”

“And the superintendent that Nick Keogh accused of bullying and harassing him, why was he put on the promotion list? Why”

“In 2014, the Garda Commissioner appointed an Assistant Commissioner to look at Keith Harrison’s complaint and the Assistant Commissioner leaked information back to the Superintendent that the subject of the complaint.

“And then, on foot of a different complaint, involving the very same superintendent, the same Assistant Commissioner was asked to carry out an investigation.

“And, if all that wasn’t bad enough, when GSOC, following its investigation into the second matter, asked for disciplinary proceedings to be taken against  An Garda Siochana, who does Noirin appoint over it? You’d never guess: the same Assistant Commissioner.”

“A journalist contacted David Taylor in early 2014. He was press officer. The journalist told him that he’d been to the family of the girl at the centre of the sexual allegations of Maurice McCabe. He told her that he had a great story and that it was going to be really damaging for McCabe. Taylor texted [Martin] Callinan, texted [Noirin] O’Sullivan and told them the good news.”

“Callinan texted him, to welcome it. Noirin decided to ring him and have a good chat about it. A good chat about it. Now minister, Taoiseach, this is the woman who said, a couple of weeks ago, on the Sean O’Rourke programme, ‘I’ve absolutely no knowledge, nor was I privy to any campaign to undermine any individual in An Garda Siochana’.”

“The press officer, David Taylor, who was given back his job yesterday, said, this is a quote, ‘everybody in headquarters knew about the campaign against Maurice McCabe’. Everybody, seemingly Taoiseach, except Noirin. What do you think?”

Earlier: Back To Work

Yesterday: Cleared

goldendisc

Last week, with a twenty five euro voucher for Golden Discs on offer, we asked you to complete this sentence:

‘The greatest non-ballad love song ever is….”

You did so in your dozens.

But there could only be one winner:

Tomboktu takes the voucher with an Irish-made, Dublin-based swoon choon:

Under Clery’s Clock by the late Phil Chevron and performed by The Radiators, because not only is it a genuinely gay Irish song (‘last bus to An Lar’), and not only did it capture the anxiety of being gay before decriminalisation (song: 1989; law change: 1993), and not only because it recounts an honesty that we don’t talk about in polite society (‘Burgh Quay at night/In this dark and stinking place’), but also because in those dark days it was so, so visionary, looking to a day of equality long before even gay activists were thinking about it (‘to hold him and embrace/Just like other lovers do/Without disgrace’).”

Runners up:

Penfold: “The greatest non-ballad love song ever is ‘Fell in Love with a Girl’ by the White Stripes because it’s a great manic song that comes in under two minutes, which is more than enough for any love song or associated acts! The video Is pretty class too which just enhances the song.”

Odockatee: “‘Whatever’ by Liam Lynch. He puts up so many barriers but shows his true love for Zaphron by the end. Maybe its friendship, maybe its more. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll kiss 1 minute and 29 seconds goodbye. MWAH!”

Mike: “The greatest non-ballad love song ever is Love Machine by Supermax because how could you pick anything else with a lyric like ‘If you need a one day lover just call 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 1 day lover. If you need a two day lover just call 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 2 days lover‘”

Ivan: “The greatest non-ballad love song ever is I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing by Pet Shop Boys because it’s sounds daft as a brush, looks dafter, has an ace descending bassline, you can dance to it and it references the Rite of flippin Spring.”

Bertie Blenkinsop: “I don’t know if this is considered a ballad but I absolutely love the way Alicia Keys sings thisI’m no music critic but i often thought it may be because it seems to be slightly out of her vocal range so it seems like she’s reaching for the notes and so seems to be yearning even more. Anyhow, don’t listen to it if you’re mad for someone and can’t have them, you’ll have to go off and stand on a cold square of lino to get yourself back on track :)”

Deluded: :The greatest non-ballad love song ever is “Hey Boy, Hey Girl” by the Chemical Brothers because it is so joyous and high-energy and Paul Oakenfold opened a set with it which still gives me goosebumps.”

Smith: “The greatest non ballad love song ever is “This is not a Love Song” by PIL. Throbbing [Jah] Wobble bass and wailing anti-capitalist /neo-liberal sentiment delivered by Lydon. The title says it all.”

Serval: “The greatest non-ballad love song ever is F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. by Pulp because the lyrics are astoundingly brilliant and the melody and arrangement perfectly match the wildness, craziness and uncontrollable urges of love.”

Thanks all

Golden Discs

Last week: This is Not A Slow Set

 

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Taoiseach Enda Kenny taking Leaders’ Questions this afternoon

“Now, I do, I do hope, I do hope – and I want to make this clear – as Minister Zappone pointed out, that when she informed me that she had spoken to the McCabes, that the discussion that she had with them was about allegations, false allegations, made to Tusla.

“She did not indicate to me any issue of the detail of the discussion she had with the McCabe family or, indeed, the existence of any content of a file which you mention. Obviously, this was, this was, this became very public knowledge on the relevant Prime Time programme.

“And Minister Zappone is very clear, that the discussions she had with Sgt McCabe were of a confidential nature, that she had to respect his privacy, that these things were not in the public domain at the time that she, that she met with him. And I say mea culpa here. Because I did say, I’m guilty here, of, of, of not giving accurate information.

“I understood, from thinking myself that I had, perhaps that she had asked me about meeting Sgt McCabe in the first place. It actually was her office that consulted with my officials, who told me. So, she, she is very clear that she did not tell me that she intended to meet Sgt McCabe. But she did tell her official to tell my office. So I regret that. I regret that. I regret that. I regret that… So, I didn’t actually, I didn’t actually… She didn’t tell me herself and she’s really sorry she did…She did tell me before the Cabinet meeting last Tuesday that she had met with him and they had discussed allegations that were false in respect of, given to Tusla.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny speaking in the Dáil this afternoon – in response to questions from Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin.

However.

Later, in response to questions from Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy, Mr Kenny contradicts himself:

“When you come to the house of the people, in this position, and you actually tell the truth, that you get pilloried also. There are many people who’ve been here before me who, for many years, who’ve made mistakes. I stand here and I say the information about the minister’s meeting with McCabe family, that, that I had spoken to her about that, she notified my office. My office told me of that information. And I put that in the public domain and I regret that I shouldn’t have.”

“The minister did not refer to any of the details of the discussion with the McCabes or the existence of a file in Tusla or the information contained in that file. It is not true to say that I had any information about the existence of that, prior to the Cabinet meeting in Government Buildings here.”

Readers will recall how on Sunday, Enda Kenny told Colm Ó Mongáin, of RTE’s This Week, that Ms Zappone told him she intended to meet Sgt McCabe and his wife Lorraine “in a private capacity”.

Mr Kenny said:

“That’s all I knew. I said to her, ‘well, if you do have a meeting, make sure you have a thorough account of it’. So, when we had our [Cabinet] meeting on Tuesday, I wouldn’t have been aware of any of the details of her discussions.”

Asked if he asked Ms Zappone what the meeting was about, he said: “No, because she was meeting him in a private capacity which she’s entitled to do.”

Dáil proceedings are under way and can be watched live here

Previously: ‘Why Are Nine Garda Whistleblowers Out Sick?’

‘Dealings With Tusla And Other Garda Whistleblowers’

‘Somebody Has To Go To Jail Over This’

Rollingnews

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Colm Roddy

This afternoon.

Government Buildings, Merrion Street, Dublin 2

Activist Colm Roddy, a constant presence outside the Department of the Taoiseach, posts his feelings on the treatment of whistleblowers.

This afternoon’s Dáil proceedings are live here

Previously: The Man Who Can’t Be Moved

Rollingnews

aineandgary

Stop that.

All the matches from the current season of First Dates Ireland.

Melanie O’Connor writes:

There’s nothing First Dates Ireland enjoys more than sharing the love!

It’s been a great start to the new series with cupids arrow striking the mark 14 times already with couples hitting it off.

And on this very special Valentine’s Day we would like to send our congrats to Áine and Gary, from episode two, who have make it official and are going steady!

Fight!

First Dates Ireland on RTÉ2 on Thursdays at 9.30pm.

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Text Me Love

A digital narrative project that traces a relationship from first flutters to goodbye.

Leon writes:

This is a series of haikus and digital animations that trace the life cycle of a relationship, from first meeting to end-ish.

Read the series here

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Last night.

In Cork.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was in the Clayton Silver Springs Hotel in Tivoli, to take part in a public meeting about Brexit.

Comedian Ross Browne was also there pretending to be a sign language interpreter.

FIGHT!

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Above: David Axelrod (top); DJ Jus’Me (bottom-right)

Influential composer and producer David Axelrod died (at 83) last week, leaving behind an astounding legacy, including a crucial role in the development of hip-hop via the sampling of many of his works.

Cork cutman Justin O’Donnell, a.k.a DJ Jus’Me, has lovingly assembled a mix for those new to his body of work. He writes:

It’s about 40 minutes worth of classic and massively influential music from the man himself as well as some of his productions for Lou Rawls, David MacCallum, Cannonball Adderly etc. There was a lot more I could have put on here but its a good intro to his music if you’re not familiar. Have a listen… I’m very proud of it.

JusMe on Mixcloud

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More wonderful audiovisuals from Spud Murphy’s Guerrilla Sounds studio, home of Ray Wingnut’s Guerrilla Sessions for his show on SPIN FM.

This time: Seán Zissou of Irish-artist webseries The Practice Tapes catches psychedelia duo Xylouris White in full flight. He writes:

“Psychedelic is formed from the Greek word ‘delos’ meaning manifesto, and the Australian word Psycheywolla meaning ‘far out’ and is a perfect metaphor for the fusion of the glorious Cretan lute explorations of George Xylouris and the mesmeric drumming of Jim White.”

Filmed in October of last year, prior to their now-talked about excursion to the Bello Bar in Dublin while on Irish tour.

Previously: Guerrilla Position

Fixity of Tenure