A few magnets, a battery and some copper wire. It’s no Hornby Flying Scotsman, but it’s still pretty impressive.
Irish made items.
For the kitchen dweller in YOUR house.
Ursula Celano writes:
I am extremely grateful for being included on your Christmas stocking fillers list last year. It was the best thing and made my christmas. This year I have a new range of Dublin made gifts such as lined a5 notebooks for €9 perfect for stuffing a Christmas stocking. Even better: 20% off all orders of anything on my site [link below] for Broadsheet readers until December 5th using code BROADSHEET14. Happy Christmas.
Twenty per cent.
irish-made stocking fillers to broadsheet@broadsheet.ie marked ‘Irish-Made Stocking Fillers’. No fee just a warming nuzzle.
Leinster winger Mick McGrath
Finally.
The launch of Decembeard by the Men’s Cancer Alliance in The Dean Hotel, Dublin
What!?
A month-long initiative to raise funds and create awareness of bowel cancer among men.
Leinster rugby beard Mick McGrath sez:
“My grandfather was diagnosed with bowel cancer some years ago and so I am happy to support a campaign that creates awareness of this disease and encourages men to look after their health”
Pic: Richie Stokes
Trudging slowly over wet sand
Back to the bench where your clothes were stolen
This is the coastal town
That they forgot to close down
Armageddon – come Armageddon!
Come, Armageddon! Come!
A stunning, literally barking ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday by Morrissey last night in the 3Arena.
Still has it.
Thanks KD
Arts Minister Heather Humphries (top)arriving at government buildings this morning. Above: An ad for ‘pro-bono’ board appointments from the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht
Where does working for nothing mean nothing at all?
In October 2012, the then Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan announced a set of reforms pertaining to the 12 organisations that are funded by the department.
Namely the National Gallery of Ireland, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Crawford Art Gallery, National Archives of Ireland, National Museum of Ireland, National Library of Ireland, Irish Manuscripts Commission, Culture Ireland, Chester Beatty Library, the Heritage Council, An Coimisinéir Teanga (Irish Language Commissioner) and An Coimisiún Logainmneacha (Placenames Commission).
Under these reforms board members of certain institutions would operate on a pro bono basis {volunteer their services]- specifically the board members of the National Gallery of Ireland, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Heritage Council and An Coimisiún Logainmneacha.
He also announced that, in regards to the National Archives of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland and the Irish Manuscripts Commission, that a new National Museum and Library Advistory Council would replace existing boards and this work would also be carried out pro bono.
Since this announcement, positions have been advertised stating that they are ‘pro bono’ positions. One of those advertisements included positions at the Arts Council.
However,the following exchange took place during the Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht meeting last Tuesday between Fianna Fáil’s Seán Ó Fearghaíl and newly appointed Arts Minister Heather Humphreys.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl: “The Minister referred to the Arts Council, which is of enormous importance. Its budget for this year is €56.9 million. A new chair and members of the Arts Council were recently appointed. Those appointments followed an announcement by the then Minister, Deputy Deenihan, in March 2013 when he addressed the Royal Irish Academy that he would look at the boards of the cultural institutions. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has probably heard more than she wants to hear about the cultural institutions; she will forgive me for raising such a matter again. The then Minister said he would reduce the membership of these boards and streamline them, with members serving on a pro bono basis. An advertisement was subsequently placed for those boards, including the Arts Council. Have things changed? Are the members of the Arts Council being remunerated? If they are being remunerated, who has approved their remuneration? Is their remuneration in addition to expenses they are being paid, if they are being paid expenses? If this has happened, was there any public announcement of the change of position by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, or is it something that has happened quietly behind the scenes?”
Later
Heather Humpheys: “Members of the Arts Council are being remunerated because new members get the same as the old members. If we want to change that, the legislation must change.”
Later
Ó Fearghaíl: “I understand the positions on the Arts Council were advertised by the Minister’s predecessor and were described as being pro bono positions. If people did not apply because they understood the positions were pro bono and it has now transpired that the members are being remunerated, how can the Minister reconcile that? Is the Department, the Minister or the Arts Council at risk of legal challenge from somebody who might have applied had he or she known the position would be remunerated and now finds that the successful applicants are being remunerated? There seems to be a significant inconsistency in that situation.”
Later
Humphreys: “I understand that board vacancies were advertised on a pro bono basis. It could not be on a pro bono basis until the legislation was changed because all members of the Arts Council had to be treated the same. I did not see the advertisement at the time but it was on the basis that the Government’s intention was that it would be pro bono. However, we cannot treat board members differently, so until the legislation is changed, they all get the standard remuneration.”
Good times.
Transcript via Oireachtas.ie
Deenihan outlines reform actions for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht organisations (October 10, 2012)
A Homeless man in Molesworth Street, Dublin
Dan Boyle writes:
The death of homeless man a stone’s throw from Leinster House will give many pause for thought. No doubt it will be raised there as the political football of the day. That may create some rethink on releasing some small additional resources, but soon again, I fear, the issue of homelessness will be as intractable as it has ever seemed to be.
While a member of the Oireachtas I was aware of about a dozen similar perches within five hundred meters of Leinster House. It wouldn’t be fair to suggest there was or has been there any indifference. When being lobbied, speaking with homeless charities, their frustration was obvious at the lack of any co-ordinated approach to the issue.
Each homeless person lives a unique life. There may be factors in common such as addiction, mental health or economic need but all combine differently to define the circumstances of each homeless person.
The homeless man I remember on Molesworth Street (given the length of time I hope not the same person) would spend his waking time at the same spot shouting abuse at whoever passed by. It didn’t really matter who was being shouted at, on the law of averages by walking down that street you had to be a person with some influence and a certain degree of responsibility.
Then why the passivity of the political system? Why because to those to whom the political system is the narrow mechanism of getting and staying elected, it is not seen to be an issue ‘that had votes in it’.
That observation may add to further cynicism in which politics itself is held, however, it does reflect a sentiment that is found in wider Irish society.The political agenda is set by those who shout loudest and produce the largest numbers. It is an agenda that has been largely untouched by the issue of homelessness because it is believed that for most people, it has been put into a metaphorical box marked ‘It Doesn’t Affect Me’.
Each of us not only has a responsibility to give homelessness the importance it deserves, but also to further question how we have developed a society where issues of homelessness have been kept on the periphery, while issues of far less significance have preoccupied us.If we are to be angry let us be angry at this.
Dan Boyle is a former TD and Senator and member of the Green Party.
Previously: Less Than 50 Metres From The Dáil
(Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)
Full credit to fucreddit.
Prison Tatts
at
Brightening up our streets .
For a quarter of a century.
Frank Carroll writes:
I am a Signwriter at Freeney’s Graphics in Tallaght, Dublin (you’ve featured some of our work on this page under ‘Dublin Bus porn’) we are now launching a book about our work over the past 25 years of painting buses.
It’s full colour, 256 pages and coffee table sized (10 x 11.5 inches) and is a part of Dublin’s transport history. Judging by the interest shown already we think this book will be very popular with anybody who has an interest in Art, Signs, and Buses. As a thank you to Broadsheet we are giving your readers a chance to win a signed copy of this book .Just send in your best/worst/funniest story about a Dublin Bus journey….
Lines MUST close at 12.45 1.45 5.45