Slugger O'Toole

The University of Ulster is undertaking an independent survey of mass-goers at St. Eugene’s Parish in Londonderry to find how they think money should be raised for the controversial Stewardship Trust Fund. The fund, set up by Irish Bishops, helps compensate victims of abuse by Catholic Priests and to fund child protection initiatives. Fr Michael Canny said he was “prepared to adide” by the findings of the survey. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

This weekend saw the return of the Mela festival to Belfast. The festival which celebrates Indian culture took place yesterday in Botanic gardens. Mumbai dancers flew in to entertain the crowds and artists from across the world took to the stage from 12 noon. Traditional food was also prepared by chefs. Festival organiser, Nisha Tandon, said she hoped the event would become an annual one for Belfast. She thanked the variety of volunteers from the “the Indian, Chinese and local …

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Before it passed unremarked about, the last of the summer’s big Orange Loyal Order marches, took place on Saturday without any significant disruptions, (apart from the Armagh/East Tyrone demonstration) of the Royal Black Preceptories. The ‘Blackmen’s’ Parade in Donegal, the first since the 1930s passed peacefully in Raphoe. Maybe some of them spent the rest of the weekend chilling at the Fleadh Ceoil up the road in Letterkenny? Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

According to author Clare Asquith, in her book Shadowplay, William Shakespeare was a political rebel who wrote in code – his “plays and poems are a network of crossword puzzle-like clues to his strong Catholic beliefs and his fears for England’s future.”.. or as this Washington Post review puts it “Papish Plots”.. although, personally, I agree with Kiernan Ryan in The Guardian – Embedding the plays in the culture that cradled them can teach us all sorts of invaluable things …

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Channel 4 are running promos for a feature-length history special on Thursday 1st September at 9pm – The Year London Blew up: 1974 – and the opening line on the Channel 4 site certainly sounds interesting – “What happens when a city faces a cell of fanatics with a single goal: to bring the maximum terror to the civilian population?” – that’s the IRA cell known as the Balcombe Street gang. Even more interestingly, it’s a co-production with RTÉ.. which …

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As RTÉ put it – “Mandatory evacuations are underway in the city of New Orleans. The city, with a population of about 1.4 million people, is about two metres below sea level.”.. there’s much more here, here, and here.. and we’re sending out good vibes to those in the area.. Update and to those nearby Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

51% of journalists read blogs regularly. 28% depend on them for material on a daily basis! Blogging may still not be considered journalism (though I’d argue that’s a financial constraint more than one dictated by the form), but it’s clearly got a (up till now) hidden (and potentially powerful) role in how the news cycle is generated. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

WRITING in Spiked, Brendan O’Neill casts a critical eye over Mo Mowlam’s tenure as Northern Ireland Secretary. Drawing parallels with Robin Cook, who also died recently, he argues that they were figureheads for the ‘politics of disgruntlement’, “fallen Blairites kicking against the party” after they fell out of favour. He also downplays Mowlam’s perceived crucial role in the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement, where even Mowlam said she felt more like the tea lady than a serious player. O’Neill …

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Irish writer John McGahern featured heavily in the Radio3 Twenty Minutes programme recently on The Committee On Evil Literature.. understandably.. and, as Sinéad pointed out, he is due to appear on RTÉ’s Rattlebag on 1st September. His new book Memoir hasn’t fallen foul of the censor.. and, today, there’s an extract in The Irish Times[subs req].. with an alternative extract in The Guardian Review [no subs req] Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

AFTER the fiasco of loyalist “foot soldiers” escaping jail after they attacked an ice cream van that the UDA wanted protection money from, you might like to compare and contrast court action against similar crimes in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Local rioters rarely (ever?) get more than six months these days, but even after the sentences of some of the Bradford rioters were reduced a couple of years ago, they were still all longer than the …

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THE Hamas militant at the top of Israel’s ‘Most Wanted’ list has released a video in which he issues a statement that bears a striking similarity to another famous soundbite from Danny Morrison in 1981. The BBC reports that Mohammed Deif warned Palestinian officials against ending what he calls the armed struggle, but urges them to resolve internal differences through dialogue. And to the Palestinian Authority he suggests: “We should keep the arms of resistance raised side by side with …

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Sadly today we mark the passing of one of Northern Ireland’s more substantial figures. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

DEBORAH McAleese reports that four men under UDA orders who attacked an ice cream vendor who refused to pay ‘protection money’ escaped custodial sentences. According to Mickey Donnelly, the judge was apparently bound by the constraints of the law (which absolves him to an extent). However, while the four loyalist monkeys are still free, questions must be raised about why the two UDA organ grinders were not facing charges, with Judge Neil McKay stating that “it is most regrettable, for …

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NO-ONE seems to know who is responsible for parades, and the Parades Commission and the police appear to have received conflicting legal advice. I rather suspect that, legally, the Pardes Commission has been suckered on this one… The Tele report: The Government has since said there is confusion over the laws and that its legal advice has suggested forms may be legally completed even if the names of individuals were not submitted. However, at a public meeting of the east …

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LORD (Neil) Kinnock, the former Labour Party leader, has warned that tensions between nations are being fostered by fears of a break-up of the United Kingdom. It was reported that he said the devolution of powers at different paces across Britain would lead to misunderstandings and enmity between the nations and the regions. In the debate over whether the Welsh Assembly should get more powers, the double-jobbing Welsh and Northern Ireland Secretary is against a referendum on the issue. Of …

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Speed-dating hasn’t hit this part of the world (thank goodness) although it has gone techie and has its very own website. Anyone off to Lisdoonvarna this weekend ??? is it true that Irishmen are the most romantic in the world? Something to ponder over the weekend!   Belfast Telegraph Home > News > Features Love is in the air The sap is stirring in the men of Co Clare, where this week’s matchmaking festival awaits hordes of single women. By Katy Guest 26 August …

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After comments from Deputy Chief Constable Paul Leighton that a series of sectarian attacks in Ahoghill may be down to bad neighbours rather than sectarianism, the difficulty the PSNI have in admitting 15yr old Thomas Devlin’s murder was sectarian, PSNI Supt Terry Shelvin getting ‘fed up’ over criticism and wasting his resources dealing (or not) with the attacks, another PSNI officer, Paul Bailey, district commander for Moyle, has joined the PSNI in Antrim finding difficulty defining (or admitting) what is …

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In today’s Independent there is what some of us might regard as a fitting, if belated, tribute to Malthus’ theory of population control. In the 1830’s the population of the larger island to the East, taken as a whole, was 10 millions. That of its smaller neighbour was 8. It’s interesting to speculate what the combined population of both parts of the island of Ireland would have been if there hadn’t been immigration due to the famine ? Population of …

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In today’s Irish Examiner’s Ronan Mullen has spotted Slugger friend Sheila’s blog and, in particular, a great post on the changing face of Dublin, and Ireland – Road Works Ahead – from where he goes on to discuss Rip Off Ireland. There’s a slight breach of etiquette however – he neglects to provide a link to the post, or blog, he’s referring to. Ah well, at least it’s an acknowledgement that blogs and the wider media can complement each other …

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REPUBLICANS have been exploring the possibility of tapping into the growing foreign worker vote in order to strengthen their political position, the News Letter has reported. Sinn Fein MLA for Newry and Armagh, Davy Hyland, said: “There certainly are large numbers of them here in Newry. I passed a house recently where about 50 were having a party and, as they are mostly Catholic, they are more sympathetic to the nationalist outlook.” Who says republicans can’t be prejudiced?! Slugger O'TooleA …

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