Author Archives: Bodger

Holt McCallany

On The Ray D’Arcy Show…

….Rayna Connery writes:

Mindhunter actor Holt McCallany will join Ray to talk about the success of the series and his back catalogue of Hollywood hits..

As she nears retirement, much-loved Nationwide presenter Mary Kennedy will be in studio to look back on her 41-year-long illustrious broadcasting career…

Broadcaster, author and academic Emma Dabiri will speak to Ray about Dont Touch My Hair, her book about growing up in 1980s Ireland as a young black woman.

Legendary voiceover artist Redd Pepper will drop by to shoot the breeze about his journey from tube driver to movie trailer superstar.

And Ray will be joined by Michaela Boehm, intimacy coach to A-list stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Will Smith.

The Ray D’Arcy Show on RTÉ One at 9:45pm.

Pic: Antoine Verglas/Hollywood Reporter

Retro Vision

A night of VHS and comedy and ‘our’ Emily

Caroline Swords writes:

Come along to Anseo on Camden St Dublin 2, on Sunday December 1st 8pm for an evening of great comedy and terrible movies at Retro Vision – Ireland’s last remaining VHS-only video rental store.

Your host, comedian Brian Cheatle will be joined by funny man Brian Gallagher and comedy promoter Emily O’Callaghan as they return long-overdue videotapes and discuss some of the worst movies you’ve probably never seen.

Tickets are FREE, get ’em on Eventbrite now before they’re all gone!

Every ticket holder will get a free Retro Vision membership card (top) on the night, to use in any of our ONE stores nationwide!…

In fairness.

Retro-Vision at Anseo, Camden Street, Dublin 2 on Sunday December 1 at 8pm.

This afternoon.

Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Hunger striking granny Patricia Devlin from Extinction Rebellion surrounded by tykes from Belvedre College and Loretto St Stephen’s Green, Dublin who skipped lunch to show solidarity with Patricia’s protest for ‘Climate Justice’

Tuesday: Not Eating For Two

 Sam Boal/Rollingnews

Meanwhile…

Stop that.

We’re all going to die.

 Sam Boal/Rollingnews

Good times.

Previously:: “The PSC Targets Those Who Can Least Afford To Fight It”

PSC Card on Broadsheet.

This morning/afternoon.

Fáilte Ireland has defended Dublin from criticism by Mumsnet readers, who have laid into the capital since a thread was opened on the parenting forum on October 20.

Via The Irish Times:

Dublin is drab, expensive and with very little to do for a city purporting to be a major tourism destination, according to readers of one of Britain’s most influential websites.

Mumsnet claims 10 million unique visitors per month clocking up around 100 million page views. Most of its readers are British women.

The tones of the comments were set by the thread header: “Short break: Why is Dublin so bad?”

Fáilte Ireland has disputed the tone of much of the criticism and says that research carried out by the city’s Chamber of Commerce found Dublin has a “strong international reputation” and an “excellent reputation among British people”….

Some 483 responses later and the responses will give tourism interest in the city pause for thought. As any reader of TripAdvisor will attest, there will always be those who grumble even at the best-run tourism attractions, but the volume of complaints about Dublin on Mumsnet is significant….

Dirty, dreary, expensive, nothing to do: British parents give their verdict on Dublin (Ronan McGreevy, irish Times)

Meanwhile…

Dublin-based, French-Canadian Louis Le Fronde writes:

The truth hurts, but let’s be frank…Dublin doesn’t really have any great attractions. The city centre is full of beggars, the refurbishment of the Grafton Street “Quarter” is unfinished…for no discernible reason.

The people who run the city are devoid of taste, and utterly lacking in imagination. The shops are rubbish, particularly Brown Thomas which has handed over its menswear department downstairs to lads who bring a brick of €5 and €10 notes to pay for the garish clothes last seen in Compton [Los Angeles, California, USA].

The Book of Kells is about as interesting as watching paint dry, and the Guinness Factory as low rent as a second-hand pair of crusty underpants, I could go on…

You’ve said enough.

FIGHT!

Pic: Rollingnews

Hungover?

Read on.

We all know the perfect hangover cure. It doesn’t involve anything intravenous, costs £5 and is easily accessible: The Full English Breakfast. Or perhaps more accurately, the All Day Breakfast (affectionately abbreviated to ADB) because any breakfast that isn’t served after 11am is hardly better than useless. What if one only crawled into bed at 9am?

However it appears on the menu, the breakfast has to abide by certain edicts. It must be hearty. It must have a revitalising slow rise of steam – like thermal springs in Nordic countries – but not be so hot as to be mouth-burning. It must be some combination of eggs, beans, hash browns (non-negotiable), toast, and for the non-vegetarians, sausages, bacon. Not black pudding, which should be illegal (I have a petition; I’ll send you the link).

In fairness.

Hic.

’Tis the season of hangovers – and I’ve found the perfect cure (Hannah Jane Parkinson, The Guardian)

Pic: Alamy

Siteserv; Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy; Denis O’Brien

You may recall the Siteserv sale back in 2012.

Denis O’Brien owed Anglo Irish Bank hundreds of millions.

Siteserv owed Anglo Irish Bank €144 million.

Denis bought Siteserv debt-free for €45 million.

You will find a detailed background to the deal here.

Since then a Commission of Investigation, led by High Court judge Brian Cregan, has been tasked with investigating the sale of Siteserv to Denis O’Brien, and other matters.

In 2017 Catherine Murphy, of the Soc Dems, submitted a 300-page statement to the Commission detailing her research into the sale.

The commission later wrote to Ms Murphy saying, if she doesn’t reveal her sources, “it may not be possible to advance some of the issues raised” by her.

Further to this…

This morning.

In The Irish Times.

Jack Horgan-Jones reports:

Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy will not appear at the Siteserv inquiry as she fears she will be forced to reveal the sources of her information about businessman Denis O’Brien’s finances, The Irish Times has learned.

In a 10-page letter to the Cregan commission, parliamentary lawyers acting on Ms Murphy’s behalf argue that if she were to attend, she would be cross-examined by lawyers acting for other witnesses on “the source or sources of information” she relied upon when making statements about Mr O’Brien and the deal that saw him buy infrastructure company Siteserv.

“The commission is unable to afford any reassurance to Deputy Murphy that such cross-examination will not be permitted or that she will not be required to answer the questions put to her in the course of such cross-examination,” the letter, seen by The Irish Times, states.

Catherine Murphy will not appear at Siteserv inquiry (Jack Horgan-Jones, The Irish Times)

Previously: [REDACTED]’s 1.25% Interest Rate

What The Commenter Said

Cregan Commission on Broadsheet

The Stena Horizon at Rosslare Europort last night

This morning.

Rosslare Europort, County Wexford.

Via RTÉ:

The 16 men found in a container on board a Cherbourg to Rosslare ferry yesterday morning are understood to be of Kurdish origin.

The men – who are all believed to be aged between 20 and 40 – have been transferred to an immigration reception centre in Dublin, where they are being given accommodation and food.

Most, if not all, of them are expected to claim asylum in Ireland and were processed under immigration legislation by gardaí and members of the National Immigration Bureau.

Men found in ferry truck believed to be of Kurdish origin (RTÉ)

Yesterday: En Route

Rollingnews

Gulp.

From filmmaker and Broadsheet regular Rory Bradley.

An unofficial, octopus-based ‘ad’ for Dutch Gold.

As you do.

More here.

Previously: Rory Bradley on Broadsheet