Last March I embarked on a photographic quest to depict the essence of our much-derided domestic football league.
Historical, sometimes dilapidated but always characteristic, League of Ireland clubs’ stadia still retain a quintessential flavour of the game in its simplest form, something that is regrettably absent in the new generation of modern super-stadiums which have come to prominence around the globe.
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan – TD for Roscommon/South Leitrim – has put forward a private members bill in the Dáil for the decriminalisation of cannabis – similar to the line that many U.S states have taken in recent months.
I took to the streets of Dublin to find out what the general public view on the bill was, and whether they wished to see the law on cannabis amended.
Audio extract from ‘Dracula in the Cathedral’, Saturday 26 October 2013 in St Patrick’s cathedral, Dublin. Performance by Gerard Lee (Jonathan Harker) and Michael James Ford (Count Dracula).
Almost 14500 people ran in the Dublin marathon on Monday.
The men’s race was won by Irishman Sean Hehir with a time of two hours, 18 minutes and 19 seconds with Dublin’s Maria McCambridge winning the women’s race in two hours, 38 minutes and 51 seconds.
Liz O’Brien, Irish Girl Guides leader, completed the Marathon in eight hours 30 minutes, making her the first Irish woman to complete a marathon on crutches.
Below is a series of images from the finishing line at the marathon.
The Dublin Web Summit hits Dublin again with the party kicking off tonight. Tomorrow we get down to business with everyone from tech, design, and start ups to advertising and music, pouring into the RDS from around the world.
Now if you haven’t gotten a ticket, there’s a limited number left, but for the 10’000 attendees who have, we have a list of what’s going on and where.
The Web Summit has grown exponentially over time and is now more than just a Web Summit with intentions of rebranding themselves as just the Summit, taking on music, food, among numerous other endeavours. This is the place to network and see potential giants in the industry before they truly kick off.
First off, registration starts early, with the doors opening at 7am, and there will be a queue, these things are inevitable.
Along with some engaging speakers, the Web Summit plays host to the Night Summit and the Food Summit too. With the Night Summit taking place around Dublin showcasing some of the best acts on the Irish Music Scene including Le Galaxie, The Cast of Cheers, Tieranniesaur and many more.
The Food Summit takes place in Donnybrooks own Herbert Park showcasing over 60 Good Food Ireland approved businesses.
One focus of the Web Summit is social interaction and meeting people you’d never normally meet, as well as checking out what companies are up to now, and what we can expect from them in the future.
But let’s be honest, the main focus of the entire event this year is who’s talking what.
Unfortunately Tony Hawk has had to pull out last minute due to a family emergency, a real shame considering the greatest skateboarder that ever lived is also the curator of Tony Hawk foundation which has donated more than $4.4-million to 529 communities in all 50 States.
But alas there are many more to take the stage over the two days.
Dropbox is probably the most common replacement for the USB key ever. Dropbox was a game changer which completely revolutionized how we store our data on the web. If you’ve ever seen an interview with this man you’ll understand he’s incredibly smart, make sure to catch him the Web Summit this year.
Casey is only 13 years old, and is a self taught programmer who has created several games at his tender young age. He’s no stranger to taking to the stage either, he has showcased at numerous other events and the Web Summit is just another notch in his belt. Impressed? You should be.
Shane Smith is the founder and CEO of Vice, the global media youth brand. A respected visionary and acclaimed journalist, Smith launched Vice in 1994 and since grown it into an international network of digital channels.
Kevin Rose is a Partner at Google Ventures, where he primarily focuses on early-stage and seed investments. He previously founded Digg among numerous other endeavours. Don’t miss this man speak.
David Carr has never invented, launched or run anything of consequence. As a reporter and columnist for the New York Times, he talks to many people who have done all of those things. He serves as a Boswell on the excellence of others. And he’s a genius who spends far too much time on Twitter.
And Finally…
Only added last minute, what hasn’t this man done… Elon Musk, founder of Paypal, Tesla Motors and SpaceX, is to be the closing speaker at the Dublin Web Summit this week. If you don’t understand what any of these things are, you shouldn’t be at the Web Summit. This one will be a tough one to get into.
Paddy Cosgrave Web Summit founder and CEO said “Elon Musk is the greatest entrepreneur of his generation. He is disrupting numerous industries simultaneously in a way that few have ever even attempted.”
Dubbed “Davos for geeks”, the Web Summit is Europe’s largest festival of ideas and events – this year over 10,000 attendees will travel from 100 countries to attend.
As many of you will know, this year marks the hundredth anniversary of one of the seminal events in this country’s history- the 1913 Lockout.
Centred around a dispute between employers and workers about the abhorrent living and working condition that affected one third of the city’s population 100 years ago, the lockout became the largest labour dispute Ireland had ever seen with over 20,000 employees ‘locked out’ of their occupations due to alleged membership of James Larkin’s ITGWU union.
Although defeated after a five-month stand-off, those initial strikers set in motion a gradual change in attitudes amongst employers which would eventually put an end to Dublin’s infamous tenement slums and the squalid conditions which they perpetuated.
With centennial celebrations higher in profile than many expected, artistic and literary tributes have come pouring in over recent months to commemorate the brave stance taken by the Irish labour cause’s trailblazing pioneers.
Prominent among these tributes is the 30-panel 1913 Lockout Tapestry currently on display at the National Museum in Collins Barracks. Devised by artists Robert Ballagh and Cathy Henderson and put together by various community groups ranging from schoolchildren to prison inmates, the tapestry vividly narrates the struggles which strikers went through between August 1913 and January 1914.
A passionate believer in the ideals of the working class, Ballagh, who also happens to be one of the capital’s most revered painters, is delighted to see the revival in attitudes towards the nation’s cultural and historical heritage.
“I found it really encouraging, not just that the tapestry got a good response but there’s been a tremendous reawakening of interest in that period which has always been a period of great interest to me personally,” says Ballagh.
“I’m just one participant in this whole project. It’s an impressive list of volunteers involved in the project, from the Embroidery Guild and Patchwork Society of Ireland to people who’ve never stitched a stitch in their lives before like recovering heroin addicts and prisoners in Mountjoy and Limerick.
“A kind of camaraderie even grew up amongst people who’ve never met and found themselves working together on this project. It reflects the communal struggle in 1913 for justice and for better working and living conditions.”
Hisotrian Padraig Yeates describes the last sequence in the tapestry as “a candle to be passed on to future generations”, and Ballagh is hopeful that this is just how current and future generations will view the exhibition, and indeed the very event which inspired it.
“I hope that our efforts do inspire people to realise that the only way to get what you deserve in life is not working as an individual but to work in a cooperative and communal way to make your demands, and I would sincerely hope that that would become more evident as we move forward in these very difficult times.”
Robert Ballagh and Cathy Henderson’s 1913 Lockout Tapestry will be on display at the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History, Collins Barracks, until November 14th.
Both artists will be joined by historian Padraig Yeates in a seminar at the museum entitled ‘Dublin Lockout- Impact and Objects’ on Saturday, October 26th. A full itinerary of events for the day can be viewed HERE.
Gesaffelstein is a 28 year old Dark Techno DJ who, despite having a name more German-sounding than two Bratwursts in a pair of lederhosen, hails from Lyon in France.
Well known to aficionados of Techno, Gesaffelstein is not quite yet a household name, but having already collaborated with big names such as Daft Punk, Brodinski and Kanye West, I suspect it won’t be long before his name is on everyone’s lips (despite the fact that it really is quite difficult to pronounce).
This is the first time the Techno artiste has graced Ireland with his presence, and so there was a significant amount of buzz surrounding this gig. To be honest when I heard that it was the Button Factory he was to play, I was just a little bit sceptical. This is a big venue, and if enough people fail to turn up for a show, it can leave the room looking a little sad and empty. Like the inside of Paris Hilton’s head.
However I needn’t have worried. Loyal fans showed up in their droves and packed out the standing room area to create an electric atmosphere that was buzzing with anticipation and sticky with the sweat of close to a thousand teenaged techno lovers.
The Japanese Popstars supported, and while I also had my doubts of this choice of opening act, I was once again proved wrong, as the Northern Irish three-piece managed to hold the attention of the crowd quite well, though it was obvious the vast majority of revellers had come there to hear one thing and one thing only: Techno, and lots of it.
When Gesaffelstein finally took to the stage the feeling of excitement in the room had reached fever pitch. As the he began to play, the relentless, thumping, baseline appeared to transform the crowd into one single, bouncing, bumping entity, loosely tethered together by the beat, and, of course, more sweat.
Gesaffelstein played an amazing set, a combination of originals and remixes, dark and light. To say his first Irish gig was a success would be a gross understatement, and I can only hope he’ll be back to us again soon. Judging by the reaction he drew from the audience, I’m not alone in this feeling.
From the leaf filled paths of St Stephen’s Green to the hazy streets of the inner city – here is a collection of photographs showcasing Dublin in Autumn.
On the penultimate weekend of the Airtricity Premier League, there were wins for Bray, Dundalk, Sligo and Shamrock Rovers.
Bray won away to Bohs thanks to a Kieran Waters goal in the 76’ minute. The win was long overdue for the Wicklow men but still might not save them from the drop.
Dundalk coasted to a 4-0 victory over Cork at Oriel Park. ‘The Town’ opened the scoring through Player of the year Richie Towell in the 33’ Minute. Patrick Hoban doubled the advantage on 45’ minutes with a contender for goal of the season.
A John Kavanagh own goal just after the break confirmed Cork’s misery before John Dillion sealed a fantastic season for the Lilywhites.
League Champions St.Pats stumbled to a draw at home to Derry. The Candy-stripes fell behind to a Mc Namee goal in the 34’ minute but Anto Flood rescued a point with his 81st minute equailiser.
UCD suffered heavily to Rovers at home, the Tallaght men opened the scoring through Robinson in the eight minute before Gary Mc Cabe converted a penalty in the 11th minute.
Robbie Benson pulled one back for the students in the 64th minute before Mc Cabe and Stewart put the result beyond doubt.
On Saturday Sligo beat Drogheda 3-1. Anthony Elding celebrated two fine strikes in the 38th and 66th minute, the latter being a spot kick.
Evan Mc Millan made it 3-0 in the 73rd minute before Gavin Brennan pulled one back for the cup finalists albeit from a penalty.
This weekend sees the final round of games in what has been an excellent season for Irish domestic football.
You must be logged in to post a comment.