In the mid-1960s controversial Irish nun order The Sisters of Mercy commissioned Sybil Connolly to design new habits and what have you for their 30,000 members.

Several designs were contemplated, including this waist-nipping ensemble (above), which the order considered “too stylish”.

The sisters settled on this compromise.

Set off with gunmetal mesh stockings and cuban heeled pumps, the outfit’s skirt length was a daring 12-14 inches off the ground (depending on height of nun).

“I had thought in terms of 10 inches,” said Syblil, “but they didn’t want to take half measures.”

The designer remarked that it was the older nuns who wanted a more radical break from their all-enveloping, Rome-endorsed Burka.

“They [younger nuns] felt they had married into the church and wanted to keep their wedding dresses,” she said.

Good times.

Quotes via Montreal Gazette, November 25, 1965

Sybil Connolly

Thanks Sibling of Daedalus

In tales of the gun a whisper is a bomb
This face, disgraced, no place to belong
Wouldn’t join the gang as it seemed odds-on
If everyone’s right, then everyone’s wrong.

Colin Hassard’s High Flying Words – We Who Have No Flags

Colin writes:

Sane people still exist upon this island of ours. This is an anthem for the peaceful souls who feel disillusioned and let down by the rioters and the politicians.One mob destroy our streets and our image, the other mob destroy everything else from the economy to healthcare.

Video directed and produced by: James McAnespy and Colin Hassard

But .

Una W writes:

My bike was stolen on Tuesday on Harcourt Road [Dublin 2]. .I bought it on the 25th September 2012 so is very new really (especially since I was away for over a month of that time). It is a white (and a tiny bit of red) Giant Dash 4 bike (ladies). Any chance anyone has come across it. That picture was taken in the shop – I changed my seat to a black one (exact same type) & got a carrier added to the back of the bike & put lights on front/back & had a hand pump attached to the back of the bike too.

Dublin based ‘digital agency’ Simply Zesty has come up with a subtle revamp of the Twitter homepage. Unasked for, but prompted by Zesty’s assertion that it:

..feels like the site has been neglected since its redesign back at the start of 2011. In some cases like viewing a profile’s photo collection, parts of the experience can feel rather broken as a result. We understand that Twitter is designed more for mobile, but considering how neglected its desktop site feels – and especially since it is its main source of revenue – we decided to take matters into our own hands and present our vision of how Twitter should look and feel.

The Twitter Redesign We Would All Love To See (Simply Zesty)

(Hat tip: Aaron McAllorum)

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