Profile for socaire
Born in Ireland and inhabiting the mythical Republic. Completely opposed to Free staterism, Unionism, West Brits, gombeens and seáininí. Of Druidic persuasion, incredibly witty and incisive and modest.
Latest comments from socaire (see all)
socaire has commented 950 times (40 in the last month).
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Books
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The Imperfectionists (Tom Rachman) – an insight into a newspaper that’s maybe not so fictional
Tweet ‘news’ is often a polite way of saying ‘editor’s whim’ Given the shift from print to online and e-ink, maybe Tom Rachman’s The Imperfectionists was a suitable first first book for me to finish reading on the Kindle. Considering the economic pressures on the newspaper industry, his novel perhaps captures the spirit and soul [...] read our review »
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The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday (Neil MacFarquhar)
Tweet With perhaps the longest title of any book I’ve read this year, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East gives an insight into the lives of people living in Middle East through the eyes of journalist Neil MacFarquhar. MacFarquhar’s father was a chemical [...] read our review »
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Patrick McGinley’s ‘That Unearthly Valley: A Donegal Childhood’: Book Review
Tweet In Bogmail and Foggage, Patrick McGinley sent up the Irish (could he or it be otherwise?) murder mystery genre. He scooped dollops of encyclopaedic wit and mordant satire into these entertainments. A later saga proved more somber and meditative, the Black and Tan War ending as The Lost Soldier’s Song, while The Trick of [...] read our review »
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Comment on Obama strikes a note of realism in making a cautious appeal to open a gate in the peace walls before tearing them down
on 17 June 2013 at 6:53 pm
Hayney (sic) is more correct than Heeney and dam is the correct pronunciation of ‘dame’. Ever been to ‘Keedy’?
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Comment on Obama’s Speech in Belfast…
on 17 June 2013 at 11:15 am
Good on him! He wasn’t afraid to deal with Guantanamo, rendition, drones and collateral damage. Bravo!
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Comment on NI21′s chair Tina McKenzie on why she got involved, party labels and Alliance
on 14 June 2013 at 3:54 pm
Economically? A Romanian busker in Belfast is better off right now than being at home. What about the good old days when we would rather eat grass than suffer the grey skies of an Irish free State?
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Comment on Two new minority language community radio stations on either side of the Bann
on 14 June 2013 at 3:50 pm
People are pragmatic,Joe. Give them reason or advantage to learn it and they will. How about 50% tax rebate for Irish speakers? You would be killed in the rush.
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Comment on NI21′s chair Tina McKenzie on why she got involved, party labels and Alliance
on 14 June 2013 at 3:39 pm
She’s not unionist – just supports the union.
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Comment on Two new minority language community radio stations on either side of the Bann
on 14 June 2013 at 3:24 pm
Am Ghobsmacht. Interesting post, covering a lot of stuff. I would hazard a guess that there are as many – if not more – Irish speakers in the SDLP than in SF. (Teachers etc) and the SDLP do use Irish on their election literature. The odd thing is that I have mixed and mingled with all political creeds in the pursuance of Gaelic and was treated with respect by all. I am never going to vote for a unionist party but that was irrelevant as was religion. Rural people, farmers etc refer to their farms usually by the townland name but never show any inclination to understand the meaning. Say that I wanted to protest outside my local council offices about some issue and I was parading up and down with a placard ‘ poor lighting at my house’, you would categorise me as slightly eccentric because ‘normal’ people don’t usually do that here. But say my placard was in Irish, what would your opinion be? Would it change from harmless nutter to fascist provo b*****d? No matter about planters etc the Irish language – even before 1969 – smelled of taig. When this assumption started is arguable but it goes back to the colonial mentality native bad, planter good which the colonising power will always push. You can’t be too careful because if the tongue is Irish then the heart is Irish and we all know what the Irish do to babies. Before the troubles, it was really only eccentrics/academics who dabbled in Irish but after ’69 classes could not cope with the numbers and Irish medium education really took off. Sorry if I ramble a bit.
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Comment on Two new minority language community radio stations on either side of the Bann
on 13 June 2013 at 3:53 pm
Tá focal amháin i do phost agus is é sin bun agus barr den mheoin atá agat. Agus an focal? ‘utility’
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Comment on Two new minority language community radio stations on either side of the Bann
on 13 June 2013 at 12:51 pm
Lets concentrate on using the scavengers and omnivores of the bird world – starlings? – and neglect/destroy all other useless breeds (ie economically unnecessary). We now have no variety and all bird functions are fulfilled. The English sneered at the Irish language – as all colonists do – and this attitude was passed on via the local running dogs. And as we all know, who better to ape their masters than the Irish. So Irish is tainted as bogtrotting peasant language and falls into disuse. But no answer yet as to the difference between Adams using Irish and McGlone. How does one raise the hackles of the ex-pats more than the other?
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Comment on Two new minority language community radio stations on either side of the Bann
on 13 June 2013 at 11:32 am
How about ‘All state business must be conducted in English’ before partition and post partition lip service to ‘first official language’. This ‘hijacking’ of the language intrigues me. If Gerry Adams speaks in Irish, it is hijacking but if Patsy McGlone does, then it is ‘respect and love for the language’. Anybody who goes to the trouble of learning Irish and then uses it cannot be accused of hijack. Does the use of the English language by scum of all descriptions indicate that they have ‘hijacked’ it and English must then be avoided. Unless a person is insulted in a language it is neutral. Methinks it is a class thing where it is respectable – if a little eccentric – for stoop types to use it but not working class. Imagine people like that knowing a second language?
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Comment on Two new minority language community radio stations on either side of the Bann
on 12 June 2013 at 7:46 pm
Mister_Joe
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