Any excuse

Also any reason.

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Behold the Lazareth LM-847, a quad wheeled, 4.7l, 470bhp conceptual überhog by French automotive designer Ludovic Lazareth –  a monstrous block balanced with the modified tail end of a Ducati Panigale.

It may never go into production. But it really should.

ohgizmo

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The Irish Mail on Sunday at the weekend

You may recall a post from yesterday about Fine Gael’s Brian Walsh.

It explained that, if the former TD’s application for early retirement – on grounds of ill health – was granted, he could start to receive his pension now, instead of waiting until he is 66.

This is despite Mr Walsh, who didn’t contest the general election, previously promising that he wouldn’t draw down the pension before he reached 66.

Well.

The Irish Mail on Sunday reported at the weekend that Mr Walsh has already been granted permission.

John Lee and Valerie Hanley reported:

The Oireachtas this week refused to say if the early retirement on grounds of ill health pension had been granted. But a source this weekend confirmed that it had.

Ordinarily, the former TD would be entitled to a pension at 66 years of age, calculated on the basis of his service. As he has served five years, this would amount to around €900 a month.

Under the early retirement scheme, as well as getting his pension 23 years early, he has been credited with ‘notional service’. This is based on the assumption that, but for his retirement due to illness, he would have won at least one more election. As a result, he will receive 10 years’ service – that’s around €1,800 month. Over 23 years this amounts to a pension fund worth about €500,000.

There you go now.

Previously: The 43-Year-Old Pensioner


For the day that’s in it.

The tale of Margaret Kehoe, fatally injured on April 24th, 1916, while helping the wounded during that day’s rising effort.

Jane Lawrenson writes:

The video was produced by bigOmedia for the Ireland2016 team. It was directed by Kate Dolan and had an almost all female creative team working on it. It was made for International Women’s Day and for the launch of the 1916 Women’s programme.

Olga Wehry [1916] and Amy DeBhrún [2016] are the featuring actors. The video focuses on the differences and similarities between two women 100 years apart. It honours the women of 1916 while celebrating the women who are creating the Ireland of tomorrow.

Thanks Sinéad McCarthy

Women of Ireland 1916|2016

Big O Media

Earlier: Defiant Women

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Imlé – Fún Orm

Here’s what you may need to know…

01. Decent Irish(-language) hip-hop brought to you by Imlé, a Gaelgeoir collective of musicians and creatives led by Raidió na Life/Wild Promises man Cian MacCárthaigh, and flanked by numerous guests and collaborators, including, on this track, Gaelgeoir wordsmith MC Muipéad.

02. Part of a resurgence of the mother tongue in Irish independent/contemporary music, it seems: as well as appearing on The Gloaming‘s reconstructed versions of trad standards, an Gaeilge can be heard these days in the works of bands like West Cork black-metallers Corr Mhóna, as well as via various compilation/rearrangement projects over the past few years.

03. Imlé formally kicked off last May at Féile na Bealtaine, and swiftly followed up with the launch of their debut single Pádraig. They’ve since appeared at Electric Picnic’s Puball Gaeilge stage. Not just dealing in hip-hop, either, as you may gather from listening to Pádraig, their work explores the contemporary music landscape.

04. 2016 looks to be a busy year for the boys, as they launch their debut full-length later this year, via Irish-language gatekeepers Gael Linn. Production comes from The Frames/Ham Sandwich desk-man Karl Odlum.

Verdict: Ceol den scoth. More contemporary music as Gaeilge, please (suggestions are more than welcome in the comments), and ways to put it into the curriculum, while we’re at it.

Imlé

Broadsheet.ie