Le buíochas do Ghráinne Ní Bhreithiún, Oifigeach na Gaeilge, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Baile Átha Cliath.
Ag an am seo den bhliain le Lá Fhéile Pádraig ag druidim linn, tá suim i gcultúr na hEirinn ag scaipeadh ar fud an domhain. Tá Seachtain na Gaeilge faoi lán seol agus is sárseans atá inti do chuid Gaeilge a chleachtadh. Laistigh de DIT, tháinig ceoltóirí áitiúla ar an Máirt go dtí Gráinseach Ghórmáin, is eagraíodh lón trí Ghaeilge i Sráid Aungier ar a haon a chlog inniú. Seans a bhí ann do dhaltaí agus múinteoirí Ghaeilge araon meascadh agus d’éirigh go maith leis. Ar an Déardaoin beidh Pauline Devine ag seoladh leabhar nua do pháistí i nGráinseach Ghórmáin ag a dó a chlog. Bronntanas deas b’fhéidir ar son iníon nó mac, nia nó neacht. Críochnóidh na himeachtaí ar an Aoine le brioscaí agus comhrá i Sráid Bolton ag a haon a chlog.
Tá imeachtaí ar siúl thar timpeall na cathrach agus b’fhiú d’éinne le roinnt ama le spáráil acu freastail ar ócáid nó dhó.
Tá liosta de na hócáidí foilsithe ag Tuairisc.ie agus is cinnte go bhfuil éigin ann do ghach éinne. Tá léir mór imeachtaí le teacht, rudaí neamh-comónta ina measc, leithéid ceardlann dearadh pláta nó cupán agus drámaí puipéad i nGaeilge. Ní chríochnóidh na hócáidí go dtí an naoú lá déag den mhí seo agus níos déanaí sa mhí beidh turas trí Ghaeilge timpeall Reilg Glasnaíon, ceardlann leis an údar Aine Ní Ghlinn, ceolchoirm, lá Gaeilge sa Dáil agus Oíche Fhilíochta i measc go leor rudaí eile. Má tá iphone nó Android agat, ná déan dearmaid an ‘app’ le haghaidh Seachtain na Gaeilge a íoslódáil. (Itunes nó Google Play). Agus ag deireadh thiar thall a chairde, ná bí imníoch bhur n-ócáidí féin a eagrú. Bí ag labhairt as Gaeilge amháin ar feadh 24 uair a chloig nó déan cumarsáid ar facebook trí Ghaeilge ar feadh na seachtaine. Eagraigh oíche amach trí Ghaeilge. Pé rud a dhéanann tú bain sult as!
– Super Madonna, tearing apart one poster from the Front National – Illustration by Defné Cetin
Madonna was invited on a French TV Show a few days ago and shared her point of view concerning the Front National. For those of you who have never heard of the Front National, they are an extreme-right party which bases their political agenda on extreme-nationalism, on the fears of the population, on racism etc … But without doing it in too obvious a way. They are carefully choosing the words they use in order to gain more and more popularity without people being too suspicious. And if you are honest, you might admit they are kind of succeeding.
And for those of you who live under a rock and have not heard of Madonna, she is an old Pop Icon who somehow manages to keep her popularity in the music industry.
In 2012, Madonna gave a performance in which a picture of Marine Le Pen (Head of the Front National) appeared with a swastika drawn on her forehead. Yet, when she was invited to talk to Le Grand Journal, she stated that she would like to have a drink with Marine Le Pen in order to listen to what she would have to say about human rights. Madonna also explained that quite often, when she was talking to people, she managed to change their point of view on things. How nice!
If the solution to end such hateful political parties was to send them Madonna, why did associations not think about it earlier? We can not deny that Madonna has good intentions, but they somehow appear to be deeply unrealistic.
The Front National is a political party that was created in 1972 by Jean-Marie Le Pen, which is now chaired by his daughter, Marine Le Pen. When Jean-Marie Le Pen was at the head of the party, there was no doubt for the population that the Front National was an extreme right political party. Jean-Marie Le Pen was well known for making shocking statements about nearly everything.
“I am not saying that the gas chambers did not exist. I couldn’t see them myself. I did not specifically study the topic. But I think that it is only a detail of World War II ‘s history.”
(Jean-Marie Le Pen on the 13th September 1987)
“Homosexuality is not a crime, but it is a biological & social anomaly.”
(Jean-Marie Le Pen on the 13th February 1984)
The statements made by the creator of the Front National left no space open for any doubt about the political party’s main preoccupations. It is a party of intolerance, racism and homophobia. But since his daughter arrived at the head of the party, she managed to clean up the image given by her father. In France, we talk about the Dé-diabolisation of the Front National. Which means that the party is being de-diabolised. Marine Le Pen worked on a vast campaign to rehabilitate the name of the party. And since she arrived, it worked.
According to a survey made by the Huffington Post in the end of November 2014, Marine Le Pen managed to gain 300% of adherents. Augmenting the number from 22,000 adherents in January 2011 to 83,000 in November 2014.
Marine Le Pen managed to polish the image of the Front National, and people seem to believe that the party really changed its views on the society.
According to a survey released today in Le Parisien, concerning the departmental elections, – France is separated into several areas called départements – 33% of the voters will chose the Front National, in front of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (27%, right party) and the Parti Socialiste (19%, left party).
Some French people are worried about their future and do not see the differences between the main political parties that are the Parti Socialiste (left, current president François Hollande) and the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (right, previous president Nicolas Sarkozy). They want some change and think that the Front National might not be that bad.
But did the foundations of the political party really change? When checking Twitter statuses from Front National politicians, one will notice that nothing really changed. Many candidates to be elected representatives of the Front National are repeating the same kind of atrocities than Jean-Marie Le Pen.
“Marriage=A man and a woman. Those gays always want more.”
Roger Dohen, candidate FN in the Pas-De-Calais, 23rd September 2012
No, the Front National did not change that much. Yes, the roots of the Front National are still the same as 40 years ago, they are just well hidden under the ground.
Even if this morning, Marine Le Pen accepted Madonna’s offer, I highly doubt that this meeting would have a successful ending. Or maybe she should bring a spade to destroy the roots.
We all are aware of the mystery and bravery of a woman, how she works hard and protects her family in times of need but I wonder if women really reap what they sow?
As hundreds of events will take place around the world to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD), which falls on 8th March 2015, it is an opportunity to celebrate all the achievements and battles of women along with recognising the challenges they face and the hard work that remains to secure equality.
In Ireland, events range from a women’s rugby open day at Middleton RFC, Co Cork, to the “International Mott’s Day Party” at Dublin’s Sugar Club while Accenture’s IWD event will be held in the Convention Centre in Dublin on Friday. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Make It Happen’.
Up to 1,000 delegates, both women and men, are expected to attend what is stated to be the biggest IWD get-together in the country.
Various Diasporas in Ireland will also celebrate and identify their own International Women’s Day theme, based on their local context and interests.
There are among them, Rwandan diasporas where over 100 Rwandans and friends of Rwanda will be gathering in Dublin 9 this Saturday 7th March to celebrate women’s achievements and all the efforts towards rebuilding the Rwandan nation. This comes two decades after the genocide which left 1,000,000 Tutsi dead, and where around 500,000 women were raped, hundreds of thousands of them left widowed and traumatised.
Because most of those killed during the Genocide were men, and many male perpetrators fled to neighbouring nations, with others jailed, some 70 percent of Rwanda’s post-genocide population is female. This means many women have been left playing a double role.
Faced with raising their families alone and sometimes dominated by grief, some have been taken in by organized support groups for widows. These umbrella organisations have helped grieving Rwandan women to form cooperatives as well as providing financial and psychological support.
Many Rwandan widows started earning a living for themselves post-Genocide, even though in the past men typically provided for their families. Women were not allowed to work, they remained at home to do housework. Now they are running businesses and farming, amongst other things.
Efforts to prevent Genocide happening again are helping to break down barriers. As many girls and boys now receive a primary and secondary education, meaning a new generation of women are taught about the genocide at school. ‘I am a Rwandan’ is taught in each part of the country where women, men and children are helped to understand their common heritage as Rwandans.
One thing is certain, Rwanda has the highest proportion of female representation of any parliament in the world, with 64 percent of parliamentarians being women. This far exceeds the USA, for example, which ranks 83rd with 18 percent. Women in Rwanda have been given the right to inherit land, they share the assets of a marriage, they can obtain credit, they have many of the same rights as men. Women are making decisions in their families, in the government, and they are involved in every aspect of the country, things which never happened in the past.
Women also played key roles in Gacaca (traditional community courts), as part of the truth and reconciliation process after the Genocide. In the Gacaca, perpetrators of relatively “lesser” crimes faced the families of victims, who benefited from the opportunity to have their grief aired. Women served as the national director, as judges, and as key witnesses in Gacaca. By 2012 nearly two million perpetrators had come before these tribunals.
The Association of Rwandan Female Journalists has become a voice for women, raising strategic issues that help empower women and promote gender equality by helping Rwandans change their mindsets on issues related to gender inequality.
Although some recent reports hint at a darker picture behind the success stories; some claim that the country’s women have ‘a monopoly on poverty’ but there is a fall in poverty and agriculture has been a key contributor to poverty reduction in Rwanda. According to UN figures, the number of people living in poverty in Rwanda has fallen from 56.7% in 2006 to 44.9% in 2011; in rural areas the poorest citizens tend to be women, often genocide survivors.
Some reports say domestic violence remains common and widely accepted in Rwanda in what Rwandans called ‘that’s how marriages are built’; while behind closed doors they claim the apparent empowerment of women means little.
Work and no gains
George Monbiot, environmental and political activist, says “if wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire.”
So, if there is an increase of poverty and the poorest are women then we can simply say it is like a vase of flowers in a living room where it is seen by everyone looking and smelling good but it ultimately does nothing?
Especially in most rural areas of Rwanda there are so many poor who cannot eat and most of them are women. Many families, especially in rural areas, are still struggling to put one meal on the table.
Farming is a major livelihood in Rwanda, with 75 per cent of Rwandans depending on subsistence agriculture, in this industry it would seem women work harder than men.
Women’s returns are excessively poor: they grow crops but they are not allowed to reap or ask about their harvest because all the money tends to go into men’s pockets. In this regard they have to rely on their husbands to cater for their needs. Women spend many hours working in the field, starting at 5am until 4 pm or so. After this, they go back home and continue doing different domestic activities like getting water, preparing food, cleaning the house and washing-up while men go out to chat and socialise with other men. It is known that men’s duties are to look for firewood; build the houses, cultivate and shield the crops, and this habit has been there for many years.
Even though Rwanda still has some way to go, one can say that Rwanda is currently one of the most stable nations in Africa, it has been on a transformative journey, travelling very far, and many countries come to learn from Rwanda’s rebirth.
women cultivating in marshland in Southern province of Rwanda . Photo by Seraphine Habimana
Attention all Breaking Bad fans, everyone’s favorite lawyer is back! The spin-off series airs every Tuesday and is available on Netflix. The series has been hotly anticipated, so has it lived up to expectations so far? In a word, yes. In fact if anything Better Call Saul has exceeded all expectations.
Although it is a spin off series, anyone who has not seen Breaking Bad (yes, there may still be some of us living under a rock) can easily view Better Call Saul as it is an independent series. In fact, as impressive as Breaking Bad is, this series is really too good to be seen as a spin-off. High praise after only four episodes right? Well Better Call Saul deserves all these plaudits and more.
The series centres around Jimmy McGill, a down on his luck public defender trying to build his own law firm from the ground up. Jimmy is living in the shadow of his reclusive brother Chuck’s law firm, now run by Jimmy’s arch enemy, Hamlin. As cunning and devious as he is resourceful, Jimmy is literally willing to do whatever it takes to make his way to the top and this makes for extremely entertaining viewing.
In Breaking Bad Jimmy (known as Saul) is an entertaining and mainly humorous character. This led to many people predicting Better Call Saul would be mainly a comedy. However, while there are many comedic elements to the show, to label it purely as a comedy would be limiting the series. In truth it is more of a drama, thus far anyway.
We are to expect expect some cameos from the Breaking Bad characters with one show favourite already a constant, Mike (Jonathan Banks). We meet Mike as a disillusioned parking attendant in Better Call Saul, but he undoubtedly has a bigger role to play as the series develops.
Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have definitely got it right again after their highly successful production breakthrough in Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul differs from Breaking Bad as it is very much Jimmy’s story (so far anyway) whereas Breaking Bad had two protagonists in Walt and Jessie. but this is a good thing, and the show looks like it has massive potential. Bob Odenkirk (Jimmy) has flourished in the main role after his bit part character in Breaking Bad. For those of you who haven’t started watching yet, I have three words: Better Call Saul.
Since the beginning of January, Antananarivo has faced massive floods. According to the BNGRC (office in charge of dealing with natural risks & disasters), there are 60,000 disaster victims counted and 19 people were found dead after the disastrous floods.
Due to unusually heavy rains, rivers and lakes overflowed on to roads, reaching habitations and ruining a large amount of paddy fields. While the authorities are trying to evacuate the victims of the areas affected, some people refuse to leave.
People are afraid to leave their shelter because thieves may advantage of the situation. If no one is there to look after their goods, who will prevent them from stealing?
But that’s not what Malagasy fear the most. Rice is one of the most important elements in Madagascar’s society. It is at the base of their alimentation, each inhabitant consumes approximatively 200 Kg of rice per year.
Rice plays a huge role in the country’s economy. “Here, [growing rice] represents about 90% of our professional activity. We’re farmers.” stated Marcellin Andriaherisetra, one of the numerous victims in an interview for TV5 MONDE (Francophone Media)
Moreover, if we take into account that 65% of Malagasy households are farmers, there is a lot to fear for the population. People will face a lack of food and it will be complicated for them to earn enough money in order to feed their family.
If the paddy fields are ruined, it means that farmers will not be able to use their production to feed their household. If there is no rice, it also means that farmers will not be able to earn enough money to buy food. Moreover, as Madagascar is an island, buying imported food would be way too expensive for the vast majority of the locals.
The floods will certainly have a huge impact on the country’s economy and will diminish drastically their food resources.
Once one of the most well-known critical theorists Theodor W. Adorno stated that culture was important to manipulate the audience. For him, films provide easy pleasure to people, giving them a false sense of reality. This theory has some valid points. Undoubtedly, some films can broaden our minds, portraying a different viewpoint than we are used to seeing in everyday life. However, we are tired of being in front of the screen, spending hours watching special effects, cheesy comedies and predictable happy-endings, all of which is far from representing our reality.
With this years Oscars, we were able to see a little bit of everything, including an off-beat, innovative film: Birdman or the unexpected virtue of ignorance, which won three golden statues. To understand a little more about it, I had a conversation with Donnchadh Tiernan, who is a filmmaker, stand-up comedian and journalist, so he knows what he is talking about. As we sat in the cafe of the Irish Film Institute sipping our americano coffees, TIernan said:
“I do not think that the Oscars has changed over the years, Birdman won because it was appealing to the masses and they have Michael Keaton. No matter how unusual the film was, the director Alejandro González Iñárritu cast Michael Keaton so he always remains in the mainstream. It is a big idea to be ignored.”
I was about to ask my next question when the outgoing actor added another comment: “What that mainstream appeals to is easy to understand. If you take it at a very basic level it is easy to understand what happens in the film. In Birdman, the events can be very funny but I think that it has something for everybody so that’s why people reacted so positively to it.” He liked the film for being “unusual” and “innovative in some ways”, but in his opinion many good films were completely left out.
Donnchadh believes that foreign language films can open our mind but, unfortunately, big producers are not interested in innovative narratives, only predictable stories which they can make lot of profits from. He says: “If each country that doesn’t speak English got to put forward two, three or four films every single year on the Oscars, obviously they would have a high quality and most of the films nominated for best foreign language would be better than any films nominated in any category.”
When Donnchadh left, an elderly man beside me had been listening to our conversation and said, “I am sick of seeing films from the Oscars, everything is so predictable.”
I did not hesitate to agree with him. It appears, the mainstream films have not changed over the years, but many of viewers are expecting something challenging.
Terry McMahon has brought Irish audiences a stunning piece of work that continues to push the boundaries for Irish cinema. The piece comes after a hugely successful 2014 for Irish film with the likes of John Michael McDonagh’s dark comedy, Calvary, and Lenny Abrahamson’s quirky hit, Frank. The pressure is on this year for films that live up to such predecessors.
Patrick’s Day certainly sets the tone for Irish film in 2015 and grabs your attention from the first scene. Irish actor Moe Dunford gives a stunning and heartbreaking performance as schizophrenic 26-year-old Patrick Fitzgerald. Patrick’s world takes on new meaning when he meets a depressed air hostess Karen Prescott (Catherine Walker), but his mother Kerry Fox refuses to loosen the tight grip she has on her adult son.
Following the development of Patrick and his first real experience of love, sex and independence, his controlling and protective mother does everything in her power to break up the union, with the help of a jaded garda, John Freeman (Philip Jackson). Dunford’s portrayal of a naïve and troubled young man living in a mental institution is truly breathtaking and devastating. The supporting cast adds to the rawness of the film.
The striking cinematography by Michael Lavelle captures the essence of the story and brings it to life. Patrick’s journey is one that will make you laugh, cry and inspire you. Patrick’s Day brings mental health issues to the forefront and does so in a respectful, realistic and highly emotive manner. The message of this film certainly comes to life.
It is safe to say the bar has been raised for 2015 Irish film and I urge you all to see this spectacular film this year.
Daniel Pim looks ahead to the upcoming season of the hit political drama as it makes its long awaited return.
House of Cards returns to our screens this Friday. The Netflix series is back for its third season and with it comes the return of everyone’s favourite Machiavellian character; Frank Underwood. Season two left viewers salivating when they saw Frank finally reach his lifelong ambition of becoming President. Now that he’s the most powerful man in the world, the burning question is: what direction will the show take? Will Frank rule with an iron fist or will all his scheming and lies come back to haunt him?
This article is going to look at some of the best rumours being circulated about season three to give fans a taster of what is in store:
In an interview with E-news, Spacey talks about how both writer-producer Beau Willimon and producer David Fincher “have a desire to see just how dark that well is and how deep does it go.” What exactly this means for the show and its characters remains to be seen. But it’s incredibly exciting news!
Russia will play a large role in the upcoming series. International relations with China played a huge role in season two and now it seems that the focus has shifted. Lars Mikkelsen has been cast to play the Russian president. From the above trailer we see Mikkelsen’s character refusing to shake Frank’s hand. He’s also seen kissing Claire in front of Frank at some type of function. While fans don’t quite know how large of a role Mikkelsen will play just yet, it’s fair to say that he will cause Frank some serious problems during the infancy of his Presidency.
Increasing tensions between both Frank and Claire seems to be a theme for the upcoming series. Now that they have finally achieved their goal and become the most powerful couple in the world, what more is there left to achieve? Well, quite a lot apparently. The internet is loaded with rumours of Claire’s ambition and a role with the United Nations seems to be gaining traction with each sliver of information being leaked. Netflix released a very interesting preview about the newest season: “Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright return to Washington with the stakes now higher than ever. President Underwood fights to secure his legacy. Claire wants more than being First Lady. The biggest threat they face is contending with each other.”
In the original BBC series Francis Urquhart (Underwood) is killed by his wife, who hires an assassin to kill him. Elizabeth’s (Claire) reasoning for doing this is that Francis’s legacy will remain intact. Can we really see Claire killing off her Frank like in the original? Hell yes, she is the most interesting and complex character in the entire show. Impossible to read, viewers would agree that she certainly has enough ruthlessness to order Frank’s execution. Will the President meet his untimely demise? Will it follow the original and finish up at the end of season three? One of the co-executive producers Rick Cleveland divulged that as long as the lead actors Kevin Spacey (Frank) and Robin Wright (Claire) agree to keep coming back, the Netflix series will continue.
Any morning that begins with a flute of expensive champagne handed to you can’t be a bad start. Last Tuesday I had the immense pleasure of being an audience to food and wine writer for the Guardian, Fiona Beckett. As part of ’Febvreuary’, a month of wine events hosted by national wine distributor Febvre, I had the unique opportunity to sit in on a seminar of food and wine pairing.
Fiona shared with the group her six rules for pairing wine with food, all of which are very useful for both everyday dining or within the hospitality industry.
Rule 1. Analyse your dish. Assess the flavour combinations, the ingredients and how they are going to be cooked. Delicate cooking methods such as steaming will not match heavy flavoured wines. The same goes for raw foods or ceviche (raw fish cooked through acidity, i.e. vinegar or citrus): light tasting dishes, therefore light beverages.
On the contrary, roasted, charred or barbequed meats will be complemented by a deeper flavoured wine. Pasta sauces should be taken into consideration under this point also, a neutral white will match a creamy carbonara whereas a robust red will be paired better to a lasagne.
Rule 2. Bear in mind dish accompaniments and sides. Many dishes come with chutneys, relishes, pickled and fermented sides which will all affect wine choice. Breads served with courses often include a variety of seeds, malt, grains, molasses, all of these additives swirling in the palate will affect accompanying beverage choice.
Rule 3. Drink like you cook. Build up a memory of flavour combinations and recall pleasant matches for your future consumption. Cultivate a palate memory.
Rule 4. Respect the terroir, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Classic examples of matching food and wine according to location would be Guinness and oysters or a deep Tuscan red wine with a bean stew. While travelling try local wines and beers of the region and match them to regional dishes.
Rule 5. It’s not just about the food and wine. The dining out or eating in experience is not made up of just the consumable components but also the atmosphere and setting. The warmth of the welcome into a restaurant, the atmosphere, time of year, season and weather will all have an effect on the dining experience. Occasion and expectation should also play a key role. If hosting a large event such as a wedding or birthday bash it is not a good idea to take risks or select wines for your own agenda. Choose a crowd pleasing wine rather than showing off with an obscure vintage.
Rule 6. Play a wild card. Don’t be afraid to play around with flavour combinations. Often combinations you wouldn’t traditionally match will work beautifully.
Food and wine matching audience, Photo by Aoife Lawless
Along with these six gems of wisdom for pairing wines with food, a really interesting point Fiona made regarding non-traditional matchings really struck a note with me. So called ‘bad foods’ tend to get overlooked when it comes to matching with wine and for no good reason.
A delicious burger or plate of wings has just as much right to a fine wine accompaniment as any other dish. A burger, depending on extra topping,s can usually be matched to the wines you’d have with a juicy steak. A big red, such as Chianti or Shiraz, will complement the beefy flavour and meaty texture superbly. For a plate of chicken wings a chardonnay can be a good match, the creamy chardonnay picking up the elements of spice and enhancing the flavours.
Another important factor to remember is the effect salt has on the palate and how this will alter the perception of wine. Salt tends to make the taste appear fuller and enriches the sweetness of the wine.
Be conscious of the weight of flavours too: a heavy wine will not necessarily blend with a heavy dish. For example a rustic ragú will be drowned by an equally robust red wine. In this case it is a good idea to dial back your chosen wine to a lighter variety. A fresher wine will have a more positive impact on the meal as a whole.
These and more tips for food and wine enthusiasts are available on both of Fiona’s blog (links below) along with her weekly contributions to the Guardian.
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