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Waterford Independent Alliance TD John Halligan

Friday night.

On the Late Late Show on RTE One at 9.35pm.

Gareth Naughton writes:

Extreme adventurer Bear Grylls will chat about his wild life and putting Barack Obama through his paces… Waterford TD John Halligan will tell us how far he’s willing to go as the stand-off between him and his partners in Government continues… Dr Quinn Medicine Woman and Wedding Crashers star Jane Seymour drops by for a chat about life on- and off-screen…

…We’ll hear from Anna May McHugh about what’s in store for punters [at the Ploughing Championships] this year and Ivan Scott, world record sheep shearer, will demonstrate his skills live in studio.

…Entrepreneur Enda O’Coineen will talk about his passion for life on the waves as he prepares to take part in the Vendée Globe, a single-handed non-stop race around the world… BP Fallon talks about his rock ‘n’ roll life with the great and good of the music business including David Bowie and… he performs alongside Emmy Lou and the Agenda.

There will also music from Michael English and Vladimir & Anton.


Previously: Halligan’s Ball

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The Artane Boys’ Band en route to America in 1962; the image was on an album in 1969

Last week, it was reported that Dublin City Councillor Mannix Flynn, a former resident of the St Joseph’s Industrial School in Artane, was putting a motion down calling for the Artane Band to be renamed.

The original Artane Boys’ Band was established by the Christian Brothers at St Joseph’s in 1872 and started to become involved with the GAA in 1886.

Mr Flynn was reported as saying:

“It’s an absolute insult to those of us who are still trying to recover. When you go to Croke Park and that band marches out, we are constantly reminded.”

Further to this, two days ago, Mr Flynn released a statement that he is changing his motion and, instead of asking for the band to be renamed, he’s calling for the Artane School of Music to be disbanded.

In his statement, he said his new motion is as follows:

That this monthly meeting of Dublin City Council, mindful of the shameful legacy of institutional abuse in industrial schools documented in the Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse, call on the Artane School of Music to disband as a matter of human rights.

The School of Music is an establishment jointly run by the Christian Brothers and the GAA, yet encompasses the original and traditional insignia and uniforms that hark back to an age of chronic sexual and physical abuse at the hands of the religious.

The Artane Boys’ Band was used as a front to hide the gross inhumanity that took place at St Joseph’s School in Artane and other industrial schools run by the Christian Brothers at home and abroad.

The harrowing memories of these institutions for abuse victims are regularly flaunted without care or recognition at national sporting events in Croke Park in the form of the present Artane band.

A disbandment of the trust would sever all ties with the former industrial school and its brutal history and in doing so, would acknowledge the ongoing collective suffering of so many.

Further to this, the Lord Mayor of Dublin Brendan Carr has released the following statement this afternoon, ahead of this weekend’s All Ireland Football Final:

“Congratulations to The Artane Band on their 130 years of proud association with the GAA and Croke Park. I urge all Dublin fans attending the big match on Sunday to show their support and appreciation for the ‘other’ boys and girls in blue, as they entertain us all and march in front of the parade of both teams at Sunday’s final.”

“Please show your support by giving them a special cheer of appreciation for their unwavering and dedicated service and commitment to the GAA and the fans over the years.”

Statement: Disband the Artane Band (Mannix Flynn)

Call to rebrand Artane Band due to ‘trauma’ (Mark Hilliard, Irish Times)

Artane School of Music

Pic: Mannix Flynn

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Countess Markiewicz

On October 2, ten female sound artists will converge on Richmond Barracks in Dublin, where 77 women were remanded for their involvement in the 1916 Rising.

Mean Time is  a collaborative improv project marking the end of Dublin Mean Time, as strenously objected to by Countess Markiewicz.

In recently-discovered correspondence with London-Irish solictor JH McDonnell, Markiewicz saw the change, cited for reasons of railway building and telegraphy as yet another sign of British colonisation, of “public feeling… outraged by forcing of English time on us”

Mean Time writes:

Up until the 1st of October 1916 Ireland was on Dublin Mean Time which was 25 minutes and 21 seconds behind Greenwich Mean Time.

On that day when England put its clock back by an hour for Winter Ireland put its clock back by 35 minutes and ended the historic time difference between the two countries.

(The artists) will perform a unique improvisation based on especially commissioned pieces on the theme of these lost 25 minutes for the anniversary of the abolition of Dublin Mean Time.

The event will combine contemporary music, performance art, radio art and electroacoustic composition, ‘clawing back’ time lost and imagining many possible future Irelands.

The programme will be hosted by Bernard Clarke and broadcast live on RTÉ lyric fm’s Nova. The participating artists are Daria Baiocchi, Fiona Hallinan, La Cosa Preziosa, Vicky Langan, Úna Lee, Olivia Louvel, Jenn Kirby, Claudia Molitor, Gráinne Mulvey and Rachel Ní Chuinn.

A lineup you can set your watch to.

We’ll get our shawl.

Mean Time

Topaz. Emmet O'Neill. Photo Chris Bellew / Copyright Fennell Photography 2014

Emmet O’Neill

Red balloons (out of picture).

Ciarán Hancock, in today’s Irish Times, reports:

Irish businessman Emmet O’Neill [and nephew of Denis O’Brien] has invested €500,000 in local online publisher Lovin Group, The Irish Times has learned.

This has secured a stake of just below 40 per cent for the former Topaz chief executive and will be used to support the company’s expansion both here and overseas.

…It has turnover of more than €1 million, generating revenue for branded content from a range of advertisers, including Guinness, Samsung and Visa.

In fairness.,

How does that make you feel?

emmett

Stop that.

Please?

Ex-Topaz chief O’Neill secures 40% stake in Lovin Group (Irish Times)

Previously: Lovin’ It

Pic: Shelflife

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The latest video from Aunties GeekEasy Comedy.

In which George Fox talks about the Netflix series, Stranger Things, an American supernatural horror-science fiction series set in the 1980s, and looks back at other 1980s movies and their themes.

*Spoiler alert

Stranger Things

Aunties GeekEasy Comedy

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Another week.

Another delayed Golden Discs voucher giveaway.

Last Friday, we asked you to pick your favourite male/female duet.

You responded in your dozens.

But there could only be one winner.

After much deliberation Sonar wins for for this ‘speedy’ 1980s denim jacketed, duel gender cover of a 1959 classic.

Sonar writes

‘The greatest man/woman pairing in music is Headgirl, featuring Motörhead (all the boys) and Girlschool (all the girls), owing to the sheer brilliance of Please Don’t Touch, and also the multiples of men/women pairings – mega tune for a grey day’

Runners-up:

Scottser: “The greatest man/woman pairing in music is Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris owing to their heart-wrenching, heart-warming. heart-pounding harmonies. Like all beautiful things it lasted all-too short a time and their music is the one thing that reminds me to value the moment now before it disappears forever.”

AnPreachan: “The greatest man/woman pairing in music is Jack and Meg White, owing to the crazy good albums they made, and their commitment to their ideals (well probably Jack White’s) ideals about how music should be made.”

Ouch: “Kirsten Hersh and Michael Stipe – Your Ghost is still as amazing as the first time I heard it on Dave Fanning”

Serval: “The greatest man/woman pairing in music is PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke owing to the fact that they are two of the greatest songwriters and singing voices of all time.”

Badatmemes: “I checked the weather forecast for Monday morning at 10am. So I suggest Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – Isn’t This A Lovely Day?”

Thanks all.

Golden Discs

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This morning.

At the European Parliament.

A direct appeal to the President of Ireland Micheal D Higgins from German satirist MEP Martin Sonneborn, of parody party Die PARTEI (“Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroot-Democratic Initiative”) – in relation to the Apple tax ruling.

From around 45 seconds, Mr Sonneborn said [in English]:

‘Dear Mr President of Ireland. If you still believe that Apple will create some jobs in Ireland, forget it. Apple only ever had one Jobs. But he is dead. He will not come back. So, please take my advice: take the money and run. 13 billion euro will buy you many, many iPhones. This will generate more tax income for Ireland. Then you can buy even more iPhones. It’s a win, win, win situation. Think it over with a good bottle of whiskey, sláinte.’ “

In addition, Mr Sonneborn said [translated from German]:

“The EU has changed. When I took up this job I wanted to fight for a core strong Europe. And we now find the numbers committed to that have gone down after Brexit and the current situation in Hungary, we now see other people being shown the door. A government which actually refuses to take the taxes from the Apple firm, for example, could actually give the impression that what we’re really talking about is a Europe of business and not of citizens.”

Thanks Simon M

Broadsheet.ie