From John McGuirk, no fan of Fianna Fail… A little harsh, but fairly middles it with a sweeping bat… 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
Via the Professor. Some fundamentals about “the Kaboodle” from Betsy Phillips’ blog The people who come after the blog post? They are commenters. They are not bloggers. Calling them bloggers is like calling everyone on a bus the bus driver. No, there are entertaining people who ride the bus and scary people who ride the bus and annoying people who ride the bus. There are even people who will try to make the bus go some place the driver doesn’t …
From the Irish Times “Jared was hit several times during the first two songs. On the third song, when he was hit in the cheek and some of it landed near his mouth, they couldn’t deal any longer,” the Nashville band’s publicist, Any Mendelsohn, said in a statement. “It’s not only disgusting – it’s a toxic hazard. They really tried to hang in there.” Drummer Nathan Followill apologised on Twitter to fans of the Grammy-winning band which is made up …
As predicted by Paul, the ‘psychic’ octopus, Spain overcame an impressive German team via a single goal from the head of Puyol. RTÉ match report here. Sunday’s FIFA World Cup Final will now see the Spanish side take on the Netherlands. Here’s RussiaToday’s report of that prediction. On rumours that the eight-tentacled wonder had gone into hiding following reported death threats, The Spoof tells us that residents of Newby, Isle of Wight, have been sworn to secrecy… And I, for one, welcome our new cephalopod overlords… …
At the very least. As identified by the observant Miriam Lord Quote of the week from former Republic of Ireland manager, Brian Kerr, discussing the massive salary paid to England manager Fabio Capello with Vincent Browne on his TV show. Brian, who is in charge of the Faroe Islands, joked that he pulls in twice as much money “and free puffin thrown in for me dinner every day as well!” Heh. Pete Baker
So far as I know it is still in the realm of speculation, but newly minted fan of Splintered Sunrise, Damian Thompson has this to say on the rumour that Ann Widdecombe is to be the next UK ambassador to the Vatican: A former Telegraph colleague of mine thought she was a jolly good thing until he sat next to her at a formal dinner and she alternately blanked him and lectured him. Now, actually, she is a jolly good thing, …
It’s Bloomsday! And not just in Dublin, Ireland, as Frank McNally points out. The Irish Times archive is now locked up, but the digested read I posted last year is still available. And this is still an excellent video. Those of a sensitive disposition are duly warned, again, that James Joyce enjoys the language in all its fecund nuttiness. Adds Via Crooked Timber’s Maria Farrell, here’s an Irish Times article from the weekend on the real people immortalised in Ulysses. Pete Baker
Well Harry was right… And we’ve not seen the end of it yet, by a long way… This evening ten (out of 17) Fine Gael front benchers have walked out and looking in no uncertain way for the head of Enda Kenny… The Emergency have the shorthand below: 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 …
In the Irish Times Miriam Lord reflects, briefly, on Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s Skibbereen Eagle moment in the Dáil yesterday Yesterday, the party leaders discussed what Kenny described as “an outrageous act of aggression on the high seas”. The attack by Israeli commandos on a humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza was roundly condemned, but minds were focused on the fact that an Irish vessel, the Rachel Corrie , is still on course for Gaza. Hence Cowen’s Skibbereen Eagle moment – although at least …
Gun fire, burning buildings and a sense of impending social and political chaos… For the genuine Belfast circa 1970 experience, come to Bangkok… Where the past is not simply drawn up on murals, it is very much present… Thanks to our Stephen for the photo… 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 …
Sheer class from @ShaneHegarty on Twitter: That UK coalition deal in full: David Cameron to be PM; Nick Clegg to be his fag. 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
Moochin PhotomanPhotographer and visual artist based in Belfast. I have facilitated community based workshops with groups as diverse as visually impaired individuals in Dungannn, Travellers across Northern Ireland, Young Offenders and many community groups across Belfast. My work has exhibited extensively here in Northern Ireland in group and individual shows and has been shown in North America and i had my first solo international exhibition in New Zealand. I have been the recipient of a number of grants from the …
At the Guardian’s sports blog Dara O’Briain reflects on the outcome of the most important sporting event of the week – the rain-affected World Twenty20 clash between Ireland and England. From the Guardian blog Well, where do we begin? Generations of division; the Dark Burden of History; all this to be finally addressed with the use of willow and ball. Or it would have been, but there was some rain and according to the rules, that meant England went through. Now, …
At the Guardian’s CommentisFree, Michael Portillo reflects on the prospect of another cabinet minister losing his seat In the last two weeks my name has been in headlines for the first time in years. Will a cabinet minister suffer the humiliation of losing his seat in the full glare of national publicity, as I did in 1997? Will he (oh please, please yes!) endure “a Portillo moment“? My name is now synonymous with eating a bucketload of shit in public. I …
It struck me the other day that, in Britain at least, we’re witnessing something of a Wizard of Oz election… Now please forgive the crude charaterisations here, it’s certainly not intended to wound or make light of profoundly serious matters, but it seems to me that the three party leaders roughly approximate to the characters of scarecrow, the tinman and the cowardly lion… So for starters, you have Gordon Brown as the lion wishing he had the nerve… Then Nick …
Heard in Fermanagh South Tyrone… Martin Ferris (TD, Kerry) catches up with Ferghal McKinney and informs him, “You don’t even live in the constituency”… 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
Jon Stewart on why the UK debates don’t matter after the first one… He absolutely hammers UK politics for its triviality… It’s over five minutes, but the end is worth waiting for… 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
Whereas in 1990 a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, “The High Ground”, boldly posited Irish unification by 2024, in 2010 the second episode of the new series of the BBC’s Doctor Who, “The Beast Below”, has featured the “Starship United Kingdom” – “Britain and Northern Ireland” as the Doctor says – in the 29th Century. Apparently Scotland wanted, and got, their own spaceship… ANYhoo… At The Guardian Dan Martin has been blogging the appearances of the latest Doctor, Matt …
Nice skit from Squinter on Slugger today… And so the latest offensive in Operation Bury Gerry never made it out of the landing craft, although floating in the breakers are many casualties. One of them, through Squinter’s rear-line vantage point at least, is the political and cultural website Slugger O’Toole, which, sad to say, in recent months has been utterly unblushing in its obsession with the Bearded One, to the extent that it makes the Sunday Tribune look like An …
