Ambrose Uprichard Socks and ties, booze and sweets. Standard presents. This year I’ll be buying books as presents. While I appreciate that Amazon and the other big companies have revolutionised the purchase of books, I thought it might be useful to share some favourite sites and a useful tool for locating those hard to find books from the past.So three specific small companies, all Irish and all giving excellent service, and a Bookfinding site. One small point. Some US sites only ship …
This one is hard to believe. The Law is an ass and this jockey is a joke. Man given community service after contract shot 06/12/2004 – 11:55:38 A man who fired a sawn-off shot gun at a Nigerian man he was hired to klll for a IR£15,000 fee has been given 100 hours community service by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. John Byrne (aged 21) with a previous address at O’Hogan Road, Ballyfermot, had agreed to carry out the shooting after …
An optimistic appraisal of negotiations from the Scotsman’s Duncan Hamilton who suspects that the participants are playing to their respective galleries. When a great deal of swallowing and lip biting is worth the effortExpect political posturing and sabre-rattling. Those positive words from Mr Paisley came only a few days after his claim that the IRA should be “made to wear sackcloth and ashes” as humiliation for their crimes. There will be more to come as the DUP leader seeks to …
It’s not often Ambrose agrees with the New York Times, but an avalanche of ghastly (and even more parochial than usual) advertisements on UTV recommending naff Shopping Centres and tacky catalogues full of over-priced crud to yokels has driven me close to the edge! Jingle Bell Schlock “If I hear “Frosty the Snowman” one more time, I’ll rip his frozen face off.” With you all the way Maureen!”My equally demonic sister has a whole collection of rodents dressed in holiday …
Brendan O’Connor has an excellent article in the Sunday Independent, High time to bury the dead poets’ society, looking at how we treat our poets and praising a new book by Anthony Cronin, the man responsible for Aosdana and the artist’s exemption. A Sample of Cronin’s writing: The Man Who Went Absent From The Native Literature“IT IS apparently said at Irish wakes that the dead person “would have loved it himself”. And if Paddy Kavanagh had been alive for his …
Pretentious ? Vous ? Tom McGurk injects a little culture into a rather sour and petty attack on “the Good Doctor” by including quotes by Derek Mahon and the late Bertie Rodgers. ( That’s W.R, not W.D. Tom ) High priest of sectarianism eyes ultimate seat of power Ambrose Uprichard
The Sunday Business Post carries a story that Fianna Fáil will organise in the Two Northern Universities.Will this damage Sinn Féin ? Fianna Fail to recruit in Northern universities Ambrose Uprichard
It’s not often I dare read anything in the Sunday Telegraph, but the last paragraph in this piece by Jenny McCartney is worth considering. There are 230 armed gangs in Ulster: is that peace?“One message must run right to the heart of any Northern Ireland deal: that every politician – whether republican or loyalist – must make an irreversible end to links with organised crime and paramilitary intimidation. Why? Because while England was wringing its hands last week over the …
The Winter 2004 edition of History Ireland is out and full of interest. Major articles include a review of the History of Travellers (Sinéad ní Shuinéar), ‘Educated Whiteboyism’: the Cork Tithe War 1798-9 (JG patterson) and most interesting – Bigotry in ‘Bama: de Valera’s visit to Birmingham, Alabama April 1920 ( DB Franklin)- If you thought the sectarian politics of Ulster were bad, they pale into insignificance when compared to Alabama!from page 31 ” The governor of Alabama, Thomas E. …
Quickly rushing past Ulster’s 6th defeat on French soil, Congratulations to teenager Mark Allen, reigning European Amateur Champion from Antrim, on becoming Northern Ireland’s first World Amateur snooker champion! Ambrose Uprichard
Congratulations to Christopher Stalford, regular contributor on Slugger, who is getting married today. Health and happiness to you both. Ambrose Uprichard
From yesterday’s Belfast Telegraph, an article that will infuriate as many as it pleases. “The first history of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Thin Green Line, by historian Richard Doherty looks back over the 80 years of the RUC’s existence and assesses the role it has played in our turbulent history. In this exclusive extract, Doherty recalls how, despite sustaining terrible casualties itself, the RUC held the line between law and order and anarchy. It was undoubtedly, he maintains, a …
The Guardian has to have the best blog entry ever. It’s no good Jim, I’m cracking up, which has a link to William Shatner’s version of Rocket Man by Elton John. Who would have thought that there was worse out there than “Agadoo” ? Ambrose Uprichard
Further to the discussions on language, I received a review by e mail,in the extended entry, of a new edition of A Dictionary of Hiberno-English by Terence Patrick Dolan, reviewed in this link at Bibliofemme.”This is the dictionary’s second edition and there are over 1,000 new entries alone. Calling it a dictionary is a bit off the mark; it’s a sort of dictionary meets encyclopedia with a bit of Schott’s miscellany thrown in. As well as lots of Hiberno English …
Shameful. Ahern says McCabe killers will be released under North deal The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has told the Dail that the IRA killers of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe will be freed from prison as part of a deal to restore power-sharing government in the North. Despite previously insisting that the men would serve their full sentences, Mr Ahern said today that he would be recommending their release as part of an agreement to secure complete IRA decommissioning. Gardai McCabe was …
It is reported in today’s Times Newspaper, Criminal business as usual for IRA’s hard men that Enda Kenny, the opposition Fine Gael leader, raised the issue yesterday during questions to Bertine (sic) Ahern, the Taoiseach, requesting that the remit of the international monitoring commission, which monitors terrorist activity in Northern Ireland, could be extended to the Republic.That naughty co-member of SF, election worker for, and personal friend of SF TD Aengus O Snodaigh, Niall Bennett apparently had a list of …
In light of discussions about sectarianism, this is an excellent piece by the Community Relations Council (2003)that is well worth a read. What Is SectarianismAnti-sectarianism is a very long word – can we spell it? Paraphrasing the childhood word game underlines the strangeness of the word and our unfamiliarity with the concept. For me ‘anti-sectarianism’ is community relations in action – a positive, life affirming concept which promotes the acceptance of diversity in Northern Ireland’s divided society. This paper hopes …
The Times 30.11.04Power and responsibility There are no more excuses for intransigence in Northern Ireland After 40 years of violence and an utterly dispiriting sequence of derailed peace initiatives, the odds against a breakthrough in Ulster in a given week will always be slim. Expectations must nonetheless be managed, and Downing Street has been managing them hard of late. This was the Prime Minister’s task yesterday when asked about talks held in London between Hugh Orde, the Northern Ireland police …
Sinn Fein call for consideration of legislation to limit the advertising of toys on TV Ambrose Uprichard
Ní Chonaill to debate immigration with SF councillor28/11/2004 – 11:48:01 Outspoken anti-immigration leader Áine Ní Chonaill will debate immigration controls with Councillor Toireasa Ferris of Sinn Féin, the daughter of TD Martin Ferris at University College Cork. The debate will be through the Irish language and a professional interpreter will be present on the night to provide Gaeilge/Béarla translations, which will be available to members of the audience through headphones. Ms Ní Chonaill is the leader of the far-right Immigration …
