For anyone who is ‘into’ world music I know of two excellent radio stations which play a broad and eclectic mix. An Ghaoth Aniar and An Taobh Tuathail, which plays seven days a week, on Raidio na Gaeltachta are often excellent – even if you don’t have the language. And there’s BBC Radio 3 Late Junction. Tonight Andy Kershaw begins a short series in Northern Iraq, talking with musicians just before the war and the fall of Sadam. Iran and …
Nicholas Wroe with a retrospective on the life and work of Michael Longley, who for 21 years was Assistant Director of the Arts Council and since leaving there in 1991 has finally a poet who is making waves in new places. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Following from a comment by Mick I wanted to raise the issue of the absence of Nationalist leaning publications in a free on-line format. While all the broadly Unionist press is free online, outside the Derry Journal the main players in the Nationalist press are subscription only. We get access to an occasional piece from the Irish News via John at the excellent Nuzhound, we can sometimes read Danny Morrison’s opinion pieces from the ATN but the main thrust of …
We promised that we’d be bringing you a number of innovations this autumn time. First off, we’ll be having English poet and exerienced animateur Dave Wood as a guest blogger over the next three weeks or so. During that time, Dave will be revisiting and running creative workshops in various places around Northern Ireland that he worked in over a ten year up to 1998. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of …
After reading a light hearted discussion on Politics.ie about political graffiti, I came across a story in the Irish News on how the Roads Service is now not only refusing to remove flags from their property but graffiti (subs needed) promoting the Orange Volunteers and the message K.A.T. – Kill All Taigs from road signs in County Antrim. Blank
As a campaign to clear the name of Captain James Kelly takes shape, former members of the IRA in Derry have claimed he fronted an Irish Government offer to ‘eliminate’ senior IRA members in return for cash, guns and training. Blank
David Vance has demonstrated the usefulness of setting up, running and most importantly writing your own blog. His Tangled Web site into gives him the space to articulate his own views and take on those of his critics. I hope others will follow his example (send us yours if you’re doing the same). It also sets up the possiblity of interblog dialogue. So here’s my own response to David’s post on the record high rate of A Level passes announced …
It’s good to see that the “developers” aren’t having it all their own way. Well done Councillor Forde and Sinn Féin for helping to protect our heritage. “Sinn Fein Councillor Killian Forde has expressed concern over the Dublin City Council proposal to delist more than 500 Georgian houses as protected buildings. The proposal to delist these structures has been submitted in the Draft Dublin Development Plan for 2005-2011.” Sinn Féin rejects plans to delist Georgian buildings Ambrose Uprichard
A few international stories today. First up, the discussion site, Open Democracy has just posted an interesting defence of Michael Moore’s latest film Fahrenhiet 9/11, as a form of patriotic art. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Drawing on findings in last year’s Pew Global Attitudes survey, Marcus Noland argues that countries with social tolerance level also prosper economically in an of accerating globalising markets. In particular he highlights the correlation between tolerance of homosexuality and high performance in the economy: It “… echoes similar results obtained previous for US cities, where higher homosexual share of the population is associated with more high technology activity.” He goes on to suggest that other factors count too, such as …
MAEVE Connolly takes a look at the changing face of Ballymena, her home town (subs needed). The prosperous mainly Protestant town was quickly ‘adopted’ by DUP leader Ian Paisley as a political base, and while it has (sometimes unfairly) attracted criticism for its fundamentalist unionist image, the town has a growing Catholic population. So how is Ballymena adapting to the demographic shift? Open doors, or siege mentality? Either way, cross-community harmony isn’t an immediate prospect in some areas. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
In today’s Belfast Telegraph, Anthony McIntyre of The Blanket pulls no punches in his criticism of the “party apparatchiks” who remain determined that a ‘strategy’ “based on an utter falsehood” will not be questioned. Meanwhile Sinn Féin chairman Mitchel McLaughlin, in a manner reminiscent of Monty Python’s Spanish Inquisition, revisits Gerry Adams’ comments to the Irish Times, Success of talks rests on transfer of policing, says Adams to set out the now 4 key areas on which ‘success’ will hinge. …
The Newsletter’s Derry correspondent Ian Starrett, recounts the benefits, both social and fiscal, that have flowed from the Apprentice Boy’s approach to parading in what is a largely nationalist area. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
The conclusion of the latest Devolution Monitoring report from Democratic Dialogue is there is little likelihood of an aggreement emerging in September and that a longer period of billateral rule will continue in the short to medium term, reports Noel MacAdam. In other words not the joint sovereignty talked about by some nationalist commentators in the past, but a political stasis in which the two governments assume effective long term control of local policy decisions. Ironically, the report also notes …
Interesting item on BBC Radio Four this morning on the planned restructuring of government (sound file) in the Republic, an ambitious plan which aims at transfering key civil service departments from Dublin to regional centres. Brigid Laffin makes the point that she believes the plan to be flawed because it a cover to the largely untalked about political decision not to devolve real political power away from Dublin. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on …
This is a bit overdue, since it was published (subs needed) in the Financial Times at the beginning of the month. It’s a short portrait of a man who has been one of the dominant features of Northern Irish politics over the last fifty years. Love him or loathe him (and there’s not been many who’ve found themselves languishing in the grey area in between), the man has been a phenomenon that could not be ignored! It’s a sunny Sunday …
Newshound is looking for patrons to support its invaluable work (7 days a week) in making some of the most important journalistic outputs available. In particular, there are some newspapers that really should feature amongst them – given that John is responsible for giving several of them the only general exposure they are likely to get on the internet. Indeed, it’s worth a lot more than the modest $100 he’s asking for! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He …
The Pope’s next foray overseas is scheduled to be Ireland in the Spring. In today’s Examiner, Rónán Mullen argues that this visit may be more important that his first (and the first Papal visit ever) in 1979. The reasons are, he explains, complex and vary from north to south. “Like the Poles in 1997, the Irish are now ready to hear something about spiritual values and morality. Having tasted riches and scandal, consumerism and cynicism, many want more. Some want …
Satirical characterisation to one side, Mick Hall argues that much of the criticism of Sinn Fein and in particular its leadership from within the wider Republican constituency has focused almost entirely on personality. This, he believes, overestimates the benefits that individuals gain from committment to public life and the party’s need to address the bread and butter issues that preoccupy its core electorate. Longish, but well worth the read. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers …
Stephen Warke, a Slugger regular and Young Unionist activist at the University of Ulster in Jordanstown, has lodged a complaint at the closing of the swimming pool on the campus. As an alumus of the same campus, I have to sympathise. The swimming pool was one of the few facilities readily available to low level non competitive sporty types like yours truly. I note it’s been scrubbed from the sports centre page. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He …
