Cork City, Noel's Blog

Ireland Versus Sweden

2006-03-17T15:37:00.000Z

This was the first goal against Sweden that Ireland got (Scored by Damien Duff). Final Score was Ireland 3 Sweden 0. Not a bad way to start off Steve Stauntons Managerial role! Role on Euro'08

Sky News Get it Right!

2005-09-24T17:19:00.000+01:00

I know this is probably in poor taste but couldnt resist putting this pic up.

This Kid will go far…

2005-06-15T23:39:00.000+01:00

This is an actual job application that a 17-year-old boy submitted at a McDonald’s restaurant in Florida; and they hired him because he was so honest and funny!

NAME: Greg Bulmash.

SEX: Not yet. Still waiting for the right person.

DESIRED POSITION: Company’s President or Vice President. But seriously, whatever’s available. If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn’t be applying here in the first place.

DESIRED SALARY: $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz style severance package. If that’s not possible, make an offer and we can haggle.

EDUCATION: Yes.

LAST POSITION HELD: Target for middle management hostility.

SALARY: Less than I’m worth.

MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: My incredible collection of stolen pens and ‘post-it’ notes.

REASON FOR LEAVING: It sucked.

AVAILABLE FOR WORK: Of course. That’s why I’m applying.

PREFERRED HOURS: 1:30 – 3:30pm., Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS?: Yes, but they’re better suited to a more intimate environment.

MAY WE CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER?: If I had one, would I be here?

DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD PROHIBIT YOU FROM LIFTING UPTO 50lbs?: 50lbs. of what?

DO YOU HAVE A CAR?: I think the appropriate question here would be “Do you have a car that runs?”

HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION?: I may already be the winner of the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.

DO YOU SMOKE?: On the job, no, on my breaks, yes.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS?: Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy dumb blond supermodel who thinks I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, I’d like to be doing that now.

DO YOU CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE?: Yes. Absolutely.

SIGN HERE: Aries.

Puzzle 2

2005-05-24T20:29:00.000+01:00

If anyone can spot the difference in these photos can ye let me know because I cant find the 3rd difference!!

Click here for the puzzle. Hope ye enjoy this as much as I did.....

Star Wars: Clone Wars

2005-05-14T21:58:00.000+01:00

With the impending release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, I said I’d do a post about Irelands connection with the Jedi Knights.

The last Star Wars movie was called, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Yes there sure was cloning going on in this movie but this time it wasn’t Darth Sidious behind it all but rather the CGI artists at Lucas Arts.

When visitors to Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, began whispering about the clone-like similarity between the college's Old Library and the largest information repository in the Star Wars galaxy, librarians didn't shush them -- they called their lawyer. Overcome with the dark side they were.

After poking around a Star Wars fan site, library officials were stunned to discover the uncanny resemblance of their Old Library's Long Room to the Main Hall of the Jedi Archives.

The similarities are obvious, from the arched barrel vault running the length of the room to the double height book stacks. Even the busts and statuary of the Jedi Archive mirror the busts of figures from the academic world in the Long Room.

Is it too much of a coincidence that designers at Lucas Films would produce a library with not only a similar book arrangement to the Long Room, but a similar roof? A roof that was not original but added by later generations to solve a specific problem? The original flat ceiling was causing the external walls to buckle, and the insertion of the barrel vault was the preferred option to reintroduce structural integrity to the building. Additional supports were added which run from the floor to the ceiling along the edge of the bookstacks. Each library bay became structural and is vaulted at right angles to the main vault.

Trinity officials initially contacted their lawyers to discuss a lawsuit against director George Lucas, who had not asked permission to use the building's likeness. Lucas Arts commented that the stately architecture and vaulted ceilings of the Jedi Archives room was inspired by "a variety of real-world libraries including the Vatican, and those found in old English estates."

You be the judge:

Trinity College Vs. Jedi Archives

While there are protections in the European Union for architectural works, Any copyright statutes for the library, completed in 1732, have long since expired. In the end the librarians succumbed to the "dark side" and were forced to lay down their light sabers by dropping the case. I guess the force wasnt with them on that one....

What do you think? Rip off or Coincidence?

Puzzle

2005-05-14T17:30:00.000+01:00

If you are bored at work/home and fancy some mental stimulation try this . Wasted half my day trying to figure it out.

Click here to try and crack the puzzle.

There are 13 items hidden in this room in order to let you get out of
this room.

If you found:
0-6 items, your IQ is very low, total idiot
6-8 items, Low IQ, you are an idiot
9-10 items, you are normal
11-12 items, your IQ is high, above the average.
13 items found and get out of the room, there are less than 4000
people in the world can do it.

The only clue I will give you is "1994" - as the URL on the Memo doesn't work!

The Office

2005-05-08T20:07:00.000+01:00

I thought I would pay homage to one of my favourite comedy progammes, "The Office", by having having my top ten tips for working in an office.

1. Never walk without a document in your hands
People with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they're heading for the canteen. People with a newspaper in their hand look like they're heading for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.

2. Use computers to look busy
Any time you use a computer, it looks like "work" to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, chat and generally have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren't exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer revolution would like to talk about but they're not bad either. When you get caught by your boss - and you *will* get caught -- your best defense is to claim you're teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training expenses.

3. Messy desk
Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like we're not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace. To the observer, last year's work looks the same as today's work; it's volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know somebody is coming to your desk, bury the document you'll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.

4. Voice Mail
Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People don't call you just because they want to give you something for nothing - they call because they want YOU to do work for THEM. That's no way to live. Screen all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a voice mail message for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when you know they're not there - it looks like you're hardworking and conscientious even though you're being a devious weasel.

5. Looking Impatient and Annoyed
Always try to look impatient and annoyed to give your bosses the impression that you are always busy.

6. Leave the office late
Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to read but have no time until late before leaving. Make sure you walk past the boss' room on your way out. Send important emails at unearthly hours (e.g. 9:35pm, 7:05am, etc.) and during public holidays.

7. Creative Sighing for Effect
Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression that you are under extreme pressure.

8. Stacking Strategy
It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of books on the floor etc. (thick computer manuals are the best).

9. Build Vocabulary
Read up on some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and new products. Use the phrases freely when in conversation with bosses. Remember: They don't have to understand what you say, but you will sound impressive.

10. Have 2 Jackets
If you work in a big open plan office, always leave a spare jacket draped over the back of your seat. This gives the impression that you are still on the premises. The second jacket should be worn while swanning around elsewhere.

David Brent doing his improvised “fuse of Flashdance with MC Hammer” dance is one of the highlights of the second series.

In the same way that when someone comes up to you on the street and says “stapler in jelly”, you’ll instantly be reminded of Tim making fun of Gareth, if they were to say “David Brent dancing about”, then you’re bound to think of, er, David Brent dancing about.

You can see clip of the dance, compressed into a nice little .mpg file here

Things overheard in Dublin

2005-04-02T20:22:00.000+01:00

Okay I was going to do a post on the passing of the Pope but felt that people are probably getting way too much of it already on TV so I decided to do something lighthearted instead. All of the stuff below I read on a cool dublin website of funny things over heard in dublin.

For those of you outside Ireland, there is some Irish slang in it, so see my previous post about Irish slang first by clicking here

Update: I just realised that I have a download limit in my geocities account for pictures that I am using in previous posts. If some of the pictures don't download, its due to the fact that they are stored in my geocities account which is capped out due to high traffic so try back later. (High traffic for me is anything over 25 visitors which is kinda sad I admit) If any one knows of a place where I can strore non personal pictures that doesnt have a download cap per hour, can ye leave a comment and help me out? Sound! (Irish way of saying thanks)

Bad Planning?

Bunratty Castle
Posted by: noelburke

Two American women talking about the banquet they had experienced the night before in Bunratty castle. Stating what a great night they had etc. However one of the woman turn to the other and stated: "why did they build the castle so near the main road?"

DOH!
Naoibh: "Hello, I just found this phone on the bus, and your number is in the memory under Mam, it must be your son or daughters."

Woman on phone: "Oh that's great, it must be Steven's thanks so much, I'll get him to ring you."

Naoibh: "Ok, thanks."

(.........1 minute later the phone rings)

Naoibh: "Hello?"

Woman on phone: "Steven, they're after finding your phone!!"

Drivers in dublin are Blind??
A friend was standing at the end of the Ha'penny Bridge, waiting to cross the street at the pedestrian crossing. An American tourist also waiting to cross turned to him and asked "Why do your traffic lights make nosie?" referring to the bleeping sound eminating from the traffic lights.
"It's for blind people" my friend replied, to which the American responded "You let your blind people drive over here?!". My friend could only reply with "Yeah"

Education in Ballymun?
Child and Mother on a busChild:(singing) A,B,C,D,E,F,G

Mother to child: Chelsea thats deadly

Child: i kno ma

Mother to child: Jaysus, did your teacher learn ya dat?

Child: yeah, me teacher learnded me it

Dublin Bus Service
Bloke gets on bus and says to busdriver, "€1.10 please", trows money in,
bus driver "1:10 wha are u talkin about, There is no such fare"
bloke replys "sorry I am new to this and its all I have"
Bus driver "yea ejit! go on".

Single Currency?
Girl on the bus, going through her change:"Oh look, I found an American euro!"

ISLAND of Ireland
American woman to friend: "im finally at the home of my ancestors."

Friend: "When we finish here I want to go to see the border between Scotland and Ireland"

Customer from Hell - Smiths Toy Store in Tallaght
Man: "Do you have this in red?"

Cashier: "No, only blue and green."

Man: "Did you have this in red?"

Cashier: "No, only blue and green."

Man: "Will you be getting this in red?"

Cashier: "No, only blue and green."

Man: "So, what colours do you have then?

On the red line LUAS

Dublin: Luas
Posted by: noelburke.

Two americans and an Irish girl on the red line luas, near Red cow roundabout.

American #1 says to Irish girl : "So when does this luas go to St.Stephens green?"

Irish girl : "Um... this is the RED line. You need to get the green line luas."

American #2 : "Oh gee, ok great. So is that like on the otherside of the tracks?"

Irish girl : "No. It's a totally different line. You CAN'T get it here. It's a different area."

Amercan #1: "Oh great, thank you so much. We'll wait and get the next one to Stephens green so."

Italianian Spaniards??
Teenager on bus talking to his friend:"I hate all these spaniards coming over from Italy"--upstairs 25A bus

Vegetarian restaurant in Wicklow St.
Woman: "Have you any chicken?"

Waitress: "eh no, this is a vegetarian restaurant."

Woman: "Oh, i'll just have some tuna then."

Irelands View on America

2005-03-28T12:40:00.000+01:00

On the eve of his sojourn in Europe last year, President Bush had an unpleasant run-in with a species of creature he had not previously encountered often: a journalist.

He did not react well to the experience.

Bush's minders usually leave him in the gentle care of the White House press corps, which can be counted on to ask him tough questions about when his summer vacation starts.

Apparently under the mistaken assumption that reporters in the rest of the world are as ill-informed and pliable as the stenographers who "cover" the White House, Bush's aides scheduled a sit-down interview with Carole Coleman, Washington correspondent for RTE, the Irish public television network

....Unfortunately, it appears that Coleman failed to receive the memo informing reporters that they are supposed to treat this president with kid gloves. Instead, she confronted him as any serious journalist would a world leader.... Did Coleman step out of line? Of course not. You will see in the video below that Coleman was neither impolite nor inappropriate. She was merely treating Bush as European and Canadian journalists do prominent political players. In Western democracies such as Ireland, reporters and politicians understand that it is the job of journalists to hold leaders accountable.

THE White House has lodged a complaint with the Irish Embassy in Washington over RTE journalist Carole Coleman's interview with US President George Bush.

And the President's staff withdrew from an exclusive interview which was to have been given to RTE the following morning by First Lady Laura Bush.

It is understood that both RTE and the Department of Foreign Affairs were aware of the exclusive arrangement. However, when RTE put Ms Coleman's name forward as interviewer, they were told Mrs Bush would no longer be available.

The Irish Independent learned that the White House told Ms Coleman that she interrupted the president unnecessarily and was disrespectful.She also received a call from the White House in which she was admonished for her tone. And it later emerged, that presidential staff suggested to Ms Coleman as she went into the interview that she ask him a question on the outfit that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern wore to the G8 summit.

And here is the video link to the TV interview, which you will not see on American television. Everyone should see this.

System Requirements:
Video: Real Player
Click here to download Real Player

John F. Kennedy was greeted with almost religious fervor in 1963.

JFK in Cork Ireland
Posted by: noelburke.

This is when JFK visited Cork City, Ireland in 1963. The picture was taken on Patrick Street. (Main street of Cork)

When Mr. Reagan came to Ireland, his ancestral village gave him an emotional homecoming and named a pub after him.

Mr. Clinton was celebrated in 1995 by a crowd of 100,000 that brought central Dublin to a standstill.

Bill Clintons 1st Irish state visit
Posted by: noelburke.

This picture was of President Clinton's first visit to Northern Ireland in November 1995 in belfast City for the turning on of the xmas lights. (15 months after the IRA announced its first cease-fire). He would visit Dublin and Belfast three time offically and many more unoffically- three visits more than any other serving US President has ever undertaken. Without him northern ireland would be a very different place today. While people may judge his presidency at home harshly, anyone in Ireland would leap to his defence as he genuinely liked and cared for this country. For his full involvement in Ireland please click here

Mr. Bush's reception was frosty, if not outright hostile, as widespread opposition to the Iraq war and revulsion at the Abu Ghraib prison scandal have turned a large portion of Irish popular opinion against a US president, possibly for the first time in the history of Ireland.

On Friday, June 25th 2004 approximately 20,000 people turned out in Dublin to let George W. Bush know that his policies are not popular in Ireland. Thousands also travelled from all over the country to Shannon Airport and the nearby Dromoland Castle. The Irish State deployed masses of police and military to hide Bush from the protestors while politicians did all they could to play down the extent of the protests.

How can there be so little enthusiasm for welcoming President Bush in as pro-American a country as exists on the face of the earth? Our intelligentsia is pro-American; American popular culture, far from being resisted as it is elsewhere in Europe, has been a precious modernizing influence on the grim patriarchy that dominated Ireland until recent times; our teachers and students work in the United States in the summer, our athletes train there, our doctors and scientists do postgraduate work there, we all have friends and relations there. No wonder Ireland shut down more completely than any other country in the world — schools, pubs, business, transport, everything — on its day of mourning for the Sept. 11 attacks. Style is not entirely irrelevant, and I agree that the Bush administration has sometimes used a harsher style than was needed.

There is another twist: we Irish, in our quarrel with Britain, have relied on American power, and that implicates us in how that power is exercised. The images from the Abu Ghraib prison were especially shocking here. We took the British Army to the European Court of Human Rights for using techniques of interrogation in Northern Ireland much less extreme than were used in Abu Ghraib — and, for all we know, in Guantánamo Bay, in Afghanistan and elsewhere in Iraq. The British techniques were ruled inhuman and degrading. But this is unhelpful; the acrimony was there well before the Abu Ghraib pictures appeared. The problem is that the world is different with the end of the Cold War. She seems to recognize interests, but only dimly.

Ronald Reagan came and protesters against American actions in Central America landed in jail, but on the entertainment side, he was the perfect partner in genial, Oirish leprechaunery. It was also believed that he had leaned on Margaret Thatcher to bring her to negotiations with us on the future of Northern Ireland. And that's what has mattered most in modern Ireland's relationship with America. Its friendliness to us has often been the power behind our dealings with Britain.

The Clinton administration and both the Clintons went further; they put a lot of time and effort into installing a political structure in Northern Ireland that will work, however long it may be delayed by local malice. When Bill Clinton visited the republic the place was brought to a standstill.

And Iraq is only the most lurid in a sequence of isolationist initiatives — the abrupt rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, the imposition of protective tariffs, the hostility to any international court of justice, and above all, the disrespect this administration has shown to the United Nations. Not that anyone has unqualified respect for the United Nations. But small nations, in particular, have to rely on international bodies, and the United Nations for all its flaws is the international body we've got.

St. Patricks Day! : Video and Picture Update

2005-03-17T21:43:00.000Z

To watch all the various Irish St. Patricks Parades click here
(Cork City's Parade is towards the end of the programme

To watch an Irish News report about St. Patrick click here

System Requirements:
Video: Real Player
Click here to download Real Player

Cork City's Saint Patricks Day Parade:

Cork can never be accused of not having enough balls to put on a good St Paddys parade....

Obviously these guys had a bit too much to drink the night before the parade...

That guy must be on steroids...

What the hell was this meant ot be???

The Film "Chernobyl Heart" by Maryann De Leo won this year's Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. This is Adi Roche from Cork, Executive Director of The Chernobyl Children’s Project featured in the documentary.

Click here for my photoblog

Saint Patrick's Day!

2005-03-17T00:07:00.000Z

Sky Fest Fireworks in Dublin for St. Patricks day

"Top of the morning to ye on this gray, grizzly St. Patrick's Day afternoon. Kent O'Brockman live on Main Street, where today everyone is a little bit Irish, except, of course, for the gays and the Italians."
( Quote from Kent Brockman in The Simpsons)

It's that time of year again, when we don the green, parade up and down the highways and bye-ways of Ireland and drink copious amounts of the 'black stuff', all in honour of our national patron, Saint Patrick. Ask any guy drunk in a pub on St Paddys day, it's not easy being green.

St. Patrick's Day is filled with colorful traditions and is also celebrated outside of Ireland, mainly in the United States, Canada and Australia. More recent times have also seen rise of celebrations in other parts of the world such as Japan, Singapore and Russia.

St Patricks Day Parade in South Korea

Falling every year on March 17, St. Patrick's Day takes place during the Catholic tradition of Lent and has been celebrated by us Irish for well-over a thousand years - ever since the death of St. Patrick toward the end of the 5th century. Because of the “festive” nature of Irish celebrations, All resolutions made for lent , such as giving up drink or sweets, are waived for the day and participants dance, drink and feast on the traditional Irish meal of corned beef, ham and cabbage.

In New York, in Savannah, Georgia, Chigago, in San Francisco and in a thousand small American towns, everyday life stops for the parade. Work, in this most industrious of cultures, ceases in honour of an Irish saint. Never mind the fact that Saint Patrick was actually Welsh; his parades are celebrations of Irishness. Thus, across America, St. Patrick is celebrated in churches and fire stations, high schools and smoky bars. From early in March, Patrick's Day cards are displayed in supermarkets and petrol (gas) stations. They're often tacky and embarrassing to the us Irish at home who have long since distanced themselves from winking green wearing leprechauns and top-o'-the-mornin' paddywhackery. But in America, people like them. US citizens everywhere notwithstanding mainland European, Afro, Asian or Jewish roots find, or imagine they find, an Irish grandparent, announce it proudly, wear cardboard shamrocks and drink green beer for the day.

Even Dogs dont escape Being Irish on St Patricks Day!

Why, in multicultural America, are we the only nationality allowed to paint the streets tricolour and dye the Hudson green? Is it because all the New York cops are Micks? The city doesn't stop to celebrate Italy's or Poland's patron saints, the Jewish Passover or Chinese New Year. What is it with us Irish? What has won them such acceptance in American life? St Patrick's Day is second only to Christmas or Thanksgiving in the USA. Why are we so popular, one asks? Is it because Irish immigrants hugely influenced the early culture or simply because us Irish throw a good party that everyone enjoys? Mardi Gras happens only in New Orleans: St Pat's day happens everywhere.

In the mid 1600s, the Vatican made March 17 a holy day; the first St Patrick's Day parade was organised by the well-heeled Irish Protestants in Boston in 1737. As emigration, especially during the Famine, gained pace, our Irish ancestors, wherever they found themselves, honoured St Patrick as the patron of their identity.

In 1700’s America, we Irish were liked, although not by the British Americans at first. Irish labour leaders fought for all immigrants' rights and gained respect. Irishmen built the railroads, mined the Rockies, expropriated the political system, commanded and staffed the police and fire services.

In 1829, when the first Irish American was inaugurated as President of the United States, there was a grand party in the white house house Andrew Jackson was the only President in our nation's history whose parents were both immigrants to America. They came from Carrickfergus, a little town near Belfast. And their son grew up to be a great Democrat and a man of the people. (Laughter and applause.) The traditions continues today with the Irish Taoiseach (Irish for Prime Minister) invited to the White house for St. Patricks Day celebrations and to present a bowl of shamrock to the President.

Irish Taoiseach presenting a bowl of Shamorck to President Bush.

America's Irish story (and by implication, the evolution of St Patrick's Day) was set in stone between the fateful years of 1846-54 when an estimated two million people fled famine-plagued Ireland, transforming the Irish into the biggest ethnic group in America. By 1850, 26 per cent of New York residents were Irish - most of them living in slums on the Lower East Side. Despite strenuous attempts by The Irish Emigrant Society to move the diaspora inland, few had any money. They had come for work and many of them never moved far from the docks where they landed. Perhaps, inevitably, the influx and concentration in certain areas caused resentment among a native population who perceived the immigrants as a threat to their livelihoods.

Although the Irish Great Famine has rightly been seen as the seminal event that transformed the East Coast of America into a virtual 33rd county of Ireland, us Irish were already well represented in The New World. As our numbers grew so did the backlash against us.

We Irish responded to the bigotry they encountered in time-honoured fashion. We banded together, got drunk and fought back. The siege mentality so necessary for survival in Ireland itself under English rule was transferred to the Irish ghettoes of New York, Boston and Chicago. The emigrants took refuge in the Catholic Church, The Democratic Party and organisations such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) which was founded in 1836. When New York adopted a full-time police force in 1845, the Irish influence on local politics and the sheer weight of numbers arriving, ensured the recruits were overwhelmingly Irish.

The most organised anti-Irish platform belonged to The American Party - known popularly as 'The Know-Nothing Party'. Although the name would imply ignorance, the title refers to the instructions given to members not to disclose to the authorities their attitudes to the new immigrants. Founded in 1843, the main focus of the group's anti-immigrant stance was inevitably focused on the Irish who were pouring into the country at an unprecedented rate. The scene was set for a confrontation that would shape the future of St Patrick's Day and of the Irish in The New World.

The New York St Patrick's Day parade of 1853 was a watershed in the history of Irish politics in the U.S. It was the first time the AOH marched under its own banners and the organisation has controlled the event ever since. The following year - 1854 - in response to an attack on AOH members by Know Nothings in the July 4 Independence Day parade, AOH ranks were swelled by Irish units of the State militia who gave it protection. The official sanction given to the parade in the form of police, firemen, political and church marchers every year can largely be traced back to the 1854 parade. By the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, the parade had already grown to be the focal point for Irish activities in New York. In the few years after the conflict ended, the popularity of the day had spread to many other major American towns.

St Patricks Day Parade in New York

In the 1940s and '50s, Goldwyn, Mayer and other Jewish film makers iconised the Irish in modern American myth. They were ideal Americans: Grace Kelly, the squeaky-clean, Catholic-American princess, Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Spencer Tracey, the priest, Jimmy Cagney in Hell's Kitchen, Maureen O'Sullivan in National Velvet, Mickey Rooney in Boys Town. Irish-Americans were cheerful, feisty, essentially decent, family-oriented examples of American success. They were the prototypes, physically and culturally, for the Kennedys, for Camelot, for the American Dream. (I almost sound like Don King there) American sporting heroes also came of Irish stock Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, the Fighting Irish football teams of Notre Dame.

The symbolic importance of St Patrick's Day in garnering the Irish vote was publicly recognised by the White House for the first time in 1948 when Harry S Truman became the first American president to attend the New York parade. John F Kennedy's accession to the Presidency in 1961 was seen by many as the culmination of a defiant Irish political march that began more than a century beforehand.

We Irish have enjoyed success in all walks of American life. The Irish vote is still considered crucial in any election. There are an estimated 40 million people of Irish descent in America and their political cohesion remains nothing short of remarkable despite the generational removal from their ancestral homeland. The ties endure and are strong, despite the strong opposition on the War on Iraq here.

Today we Irish are viewed in a positive light - especially on St Patrick's Day. We have fought and died in other countries' wars, contributed at the highest level to democratic institutions around the world, to America’s judiciary and economic might and not least to its social services such as the fire and police departments.

Saint Patrick

But the question remains, who is Saint Patrick? (you know, that the guy the day and parades are meant to be honouring?!) Although he is the patron saint of Ireland and one of the most famous evangelists in Christian history, St. Patrick's life remains shrouded in mystery. His accomplishments are also surrounded by many unfounded legends, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

Patrick was born in Wales in the UK to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century and was christened as Maewyn. Although his father was a Christian deacon in the Catholic church, it has been suggested that he probably took on the role because of tax incentives and there is no evidence that Maewyn came from a particularly religious family and as a result young Maewyn remained detached from religion until later In life. At the age of sixteen, Maewyn was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, St Patrick began to search for God, a religious quest that eventually led him to change his name to Patricus (or Patrick - a more Christian sounding name) and it is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.

To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation—an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission—to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish people to christianity.

A Celtic Cross (first designed by St. Patrick)

Familiar with our Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish Celtic symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that adoration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish. Although there were a small number of Christians on the island when Patrick arrived, most Irish practiced a nature-based pagan religion. The Irish culture centered around a rich tradition of oral legend and myth. When this is considered, it is no surprise that the story of Patrick's life became exaggerated over the centuries—spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of the Irish way of life.

A traditional icon of the holiday, the shamrock, came about through its use by St. Patrick during some of his sermons. He used the shamrock to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity."

Saint Patrick is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.Today, as a result of his efforts, the population of the Republic of Ireland is now overwhelmingly Catholic (high 90’s in percentage terms). It’s hard to imagine how one man could influence a country, and by default the entire world, in such a significant way with his efforts, yet here we are in 2005 with the majority of the world celbrating Irishness and his influence on us.

For a Funny post about Irish/Cork Slang phrases please click here
Check out my photoblog too!

Growing up in Ireland in 1980's

2005-03-14T22:22:00.000Z

Howdy from the REAL capital of Ireland, Cork...

This is a small look at what growing up in Ireland was like in the 1980's.
(For people reading this who are from outside of Ireland, you will probably not recognise some of the TV programs and games but hopefully the majority of things are probably the same everywhere else)

I'm talking about......

Hide and Seek in the park,
The shop down the road,
Hopscotch,
Donkey,
Skipping,
Handstands,
Butcher,
Piggy back fights,
Stuck in the mud,
Football with an old can,
Dandy,
Beano,
Buster,
Whizzer and Chips
Hula Hoops,
Tayto,
Jumping the stream,
Building a swing from a tyre and a piece of rope tied to a tree, (If you live in Dublin the lampost),
Building tree-houses,
Climbing up onto roofs.
Tennis on the street,
The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass.
Hubba Bubba bubble gum and 2p Flogs,
Macaroon bars and woppas,
3p Refreshers and wham bars,
Superhero chewing gum,
Golf ball chewing gums and liquorice whips,
Desperate dan and roy of the rovers,
Sherbit dips and Mr. freezes,
Marathon bars (now called snickers) and everlasting gobstoppers.
Mars bars
An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tune
Chocolate or vanilla or strawberry or maybe neopolitan ice cream.
Robin hood ice-lollie

Wait theres more... remember...

Watching Saturday Morning cartoons
Short commercials,
Battle of the Planets,
Road Runner,
He-Man,
Swapshop and Why Don't You?,
Transformers,
How do you do?,
Bosco,
Forty-coats,
the Littlest Hobo and Lassie,
Chucklevision,
The Muppet Show,
Fraggle Rock,
MacGyver,
Dempsey's Den
Anything Goes,
Scratch Saturday,
Tom and Jerry,
Worzel Gummidge,
Scarecrow and Mrs King,
Streets of San Fransico,
Cagney and Lacy,
Murder She Wrote,
Matlock,
TJ hooker,
A -team,
Gummy bears
Disney's Snow White was brand new
Captain Planet
Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven,
Staying up for Knight Rider and Magnum PI.
When around the corner seemed far away and going into town seemed like going somewhere.
A million midget bites,
Sticky fingers and mud all over you,
Knee-pads on your jeans,
Cops and Robbers,
Rounders,
Tip the Can,
Queenie-I-O,
Climbing trees,
Spin the bottle,
Walking to school, no matter what the weather,
Running till you were out of breath.
Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt,
Jumping on the bed.
Pillow fights,
Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rodgers was cool
Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles,
Being tired from playing... Remember that?
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
Water balloons were the ultimate weapon
Football cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
And don't forget the Marietta sandwiches we'd make by buttering a cupla Marietta biscuits and stickin' them together.
And that quare oul mixture made in a tall glass with HB ice cream and Taylor Keith Red Lemonade.

I'm not finished yet..... remember...

Eating raw jelly, orange squash ice pops.
Rushing home from school to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters.
When there were two types of sneakers - girls and boys and Dunlop Green Flash and the only time you wore them at school, was for "P.E.", Gola football boots.
When it wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends,
When nobody owned a pure bred dog,
When 25p was decent pocket money,
When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny,
When nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there,
When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents
When any parent could discipline any kid or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
When being sent to the head's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home. Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of muggings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! and some of us are still afraid of them!!!

And finally Remember when....

Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo." Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!"
"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly", the game of life and connect four, atari 2600's and commodore 64's.
Super Mario Bros. was cool
Super Mario Bros. 3 was way cooler.
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs. It was unbelievable that Red rover wasn't an Olympic event...
Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a biro barrel pea shooter or an elastic band. Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better,
Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable vitamins,
Ice cream was considered a basic food group.
Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true..
Abilities were discovered because of a "double dare"
St Patricks Day parades were awesome
Ireland soccer team qualifying for Euro'88 was the best thing ever.
Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

And the award for worst Blog goes to.....

2005-02-28T00:33:00.000Z

Hey Guys,

Seeing as the Oscars are on tonight and no one in Ireland can watch them unless you pay to have Sky Movies (damn you Rupert Murdoch!), I thought I’d post my own little personal mini awards and have a top ten list for different categories of film. Anyone reading this please feel free to add your own top ten Film list in the comments section. (It’s really gratifying to be reassured from time to time that someone actually reads all the stuff I post here)

Top Ten Best Film

1. Shawshank Redemption
2. A Beautiful Mind
3. Untouchables
4. Schindler's List
5. Unforgiven
6. Sixth Sense
7. Gladiator
8. Green Mile
9. Silence of the Lambs
10. A Few Good Men

Top Ten Best Fantasy Film

1. Star Wars Trilogy
2. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
3. Star Trek 7 : First Contact
4. Indiana Jones Trilogy
5. Star Trek 2 : Wrath of Kahn
6. Superman Trilogy
7. X-Men 1
8. E.T.
9. Batman 1
10. Ghostbusters

Top Ten Comedy Film

1. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
2. Groundhog Day
3. One flew over the Cuckoos Nest
4. As Good as it Gets
5. Home Alone 1
6. Snatch
7. Mad about Dog
8. Intermission
9. Meet the Parents
10. The Three Amigos

Top Ten Children’s Film

1. Shrek 1
2. Shrek 2
3. Incredibles
4. Toy Story 1
5. Toy Story 2
6. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory
7. Mary Poppins
8. Finding nemo
9. Babe
10. Lion King.

Top Ten Most Recognisable Movie Musical Score

1. Jaws Theme Tune
2. Star Wars Theme Tune
3. Superman Theme Tune
4. The Godfather Theme Tune
5. Indiana Jones Theme Tune
6. Schindler's List Theme Tune
7. Rocky Theme Tune
8. Mary Poppins (supercalifragilisticexpealidocious)
9. Star Trek Theme Tune
10. Titanic Theme Tune

Don't forget to check out my photoblog too!

Only in Ireland...

2005-02-22T15:28:00.000Z

Alright lads and lassies,

Dying with a sore throat since weekend, probably cos I was walking round Dublin all last week in the freezing cold, with only a shirt and light jacket. With that and the ligament in my shoulder still healing up, I'm like a walking diaster zone! Posted a few funny pics I took last year and linked them below. Anyway gotta head to bed now and try and get rid of sore throat for tomorrow.

Only in Ireland...
Posted by: noelburke.

I took this picture in Castlegregory in Dingle, County Kerry. It was the toilet specially for the aqua club they have there which is located just off the beach. It was meant to read "no wet suits allowed in toilets" but some egit got the sign wrong....

For more blog pictures, click here.

Bar fool served 12:30 -8:30
Posted by: noelburke.

I thought every pub in Ireland had a few of these usually from the hours of 10pm -3am but not 12:30 pm to 8:30pm surely??

I took this in Killorglin in county kerry. Some young guy had scratched out part of the "d" in food....

For more blog pictures, click here.

Eurovision Versus American Idol

2005-02-19T22:03:00.000Z

Four years ago, America was hit with the massively sucessful American Idol. However, the original version of the show was called Pop Idol in the UK in 1999, where Simon Cowell first came to the public eye by being a cruel, but honest, judge. Before that show, in 1998, there was a really disasterously lame show called "popstars", where a boy or girl band was to be formed by the top five contestants. It was here that Nigel Lithgoe (known only in the british tabloids as "Nasty Nick") became the original judge from hell and lead him to develope and produce the programme which would later be known as pop/american idol. He's some wealthy guy now I'd say.

However, while all of the shows mentioned above may seem like new ideas, they're not. In Europe, there has been a song contest called the "eurovision song contest" which has been in operation since 1956.

The Eurovision Song Contest grew out of an Italian competition, the San Remo Song Festival, meant to foster European unity after World War II. The name "Eurovision" originates from the name given to a network of communication channels—founded in the 1950s—that links state TV stations across Europe. In an effort to scare up programming to justify the network, members thought up the Song Contest and the first was held in Switzerland in 1956. Ireland has won an incredible seven times, twice with entries performed by Johnny Logan - the only artist to have won Eurovision more than once. He won in 1980 and 1987 and he wrote the 1992 winning song, which was performed by Linda Martin. Unsurprisingly, Ireland's record is better than any other country - France, Luxembourg and the UK are the next best, with five victories each, none of which are likely to challenge Ireland's tally just yet. Amazingly, Ireland won four contests in five years during the mid 1990s, with songs performed by Linda Martin (92), Niamh Kavanagh (93), Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan (94), and most recently with Eimear Quinn and 'The Voice' (96). While all secured easy victories at the time, none of the 1990s winners are particularly memorable. Rather, Dana's 'All kinds of everything' from 1970, and Johnny Logan's two songs from 1980 and 1987, 'What's another year' and 'Hold me now', are probably Ireland's best known winners. The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most-watched single events, with at least 300 million TV viewers in Europe.

A lot of famous singers started from eurovision. For example, a young songwriting team, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, wrote one of the songs for Britain’s national Eurovision Contest in 1966, while Celine Dion and ABBA got their big breaks by winning Eurovision. Eurovision's biggest success was in 1994 when the competition was held in Millstreet, Cork, Ireland. The success was surprisingly not from a song entered in the competition itself, but rather from an interlude act that was performed while the votes were being counted. The then unknown interlude act was simply introduced as Riverdance......

Below are videos of the Eurovision live event and the offical studio recordings of the songs.

System Requirements:
Video: Windows Media Player
Audio: Real Player
Click here to download Real Player

Irish Eurovision Song Contest Winners:

1970 Dana: All Kinds of Everything

(Video) (Audio)

1980 Johnny Logan: What’s Another Year

(Video) (Audio)

1987 Johnny Logan: Hold Me Now

(Video) (Audio)

1992 Linda Martin: Why Me?

(Video) (Audio)

1993 Niamh Kavanagh: In Your Eyes

(Video) (Audio)

1994 Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan: Rock and Roll Kids

(Video) (Audio)

1996 Eimear Quinn: The Voice

(Video) (Audio)

Other Notable Songs were:

1990 Liam Reilly: Somewhere in Europe (2nd)

(Video) (Audio)

1997 Marc Roberts: Mysterious Woman (2nd)

(Video) (Audio)

2003 Mickey Harte: We've Got The World Tonight

(Video) (Audio)

1988 Celine Dion: Swiss entry
(Video)

If you want to see the rest of Irelands Eurovison Songs, click here.

Getting back to whether eurovision or American idol is better, the eurovision in recent years has strayed from its original purpose to find the best song and is now becoming more a commericalised stage show than a music competition. This is due to the opening up of the voting system to televoting and the inclusion of a substantial amount of former soviet states. (all of which seem to vote for each other even if the song is rubbish). Due to a combination of the eastern block of Europe having more supporting voting power and preferring more ethnic/theatrical music, rather than popular music, the result is that Ireland and other western European states have not even come close in the last few years in winning the competition. So with that in mind, I would have to say american idol, despite it being over commercialised and being glorified karaoke, is the both the better show to watch and results in better music being produced. I wish eurovision would return to its roots and concentrate more on songs that the almost circus like theatrics that have developed over the last 5 years.

In order to try and adapt to the new direction that the eurovision has taken, Ireland started up its own American Idol type show, called "You're a Star". While this years season doesnt seem to be as good as previous years, its still a good watch nevertheless.
To watch all previous episodes of the show click here
Another good site covering the show can be found here

Anyways, we dont need eurovision to make us a famous music country, we already produced U2!!

Let me know if any of the links dont work.

In Dublins Fair City: Day 3

2005-02-18T16:58:00.000Z

Dublin: Four Courts
Posted by: noelburke.

Howdy Doody from Cork,

Finally back home after a pretty long and intensive 3 day course. I checked out of the hotel at 7am yesterday morning for the course and didn't get back home until 11pm, ready for another early start this morning. When I was driving homefrom the train station last night, on passing the Cork City Garda Station (Police station) I saw that a lot of satellite trucks and live news crews from around the world were gathered on the street and blocking up all the traffic. (in Cork thats a pretty unusual event as its normally a pretty quiet place on the news front). When I eventually made my way through all the traffic and got home, I turned on the tv to check out what was going on.

In what is probably the most dramatic political news story of the last few years, significant members of a political party called Sinn Fein (irish for "ourselves") with ties to the IRA, were arrested in cork on charges of money laundering to the tune of €2.6 million in Northern Ireland bank notes.

Last month, a Bank in Northern Ireland was robbed of €26 million and involvement was infactically denied by the IRA and Sinn Fein. What makes this significant is that if the alligations prove to be true, it will mean that Sinn Fein will lose all credibilty and will probably eventually result in Sinn Fein/IRA being excluded from peace talks in Northern Ireland, causing the peace process to either stall or fall down completely. Hopefully it wont come to that but the signs dont look good at the moment. I really hope the IRA and company don't go back to their old ways and that this will scare them into realising that peace is the only way forward. No one wants an Ireland free from british influence more than me , but I just don't see the sense in what they have done to risk so much for so little.....

I added some more Dublin pictures onto buzznet, Click here to see.

In Dublins Fair City: Day 2

2005-02-16T22:11:00.000Z

Dublin: Custom House
Posted by: noelburke.

Click here for more,

Greetings from the secondary capital of Ireland :P
(we all know cork is the real capital),

Well, my second day in dublin is over and done with. Pretty tired now, had to get up at 7 am this morning for work and was at a training course all day, which was pretty intensive. Finished around 5pm so I went into the city centre for a walk round to see the shops etc. All the shops here close at about 6pm on a weekday, so I just went to a few places to take some pictures afterwards.

Click here for my pictures of Dublin

Back at hotel now and I'm bout ready to sleep until the next millenium.
Up again in morning at 7 am, for another day of the training course but at least the breakfast in the hotel is brilliant :) Looking forward to going back to Cork tomorrow though...

Laterz,
Noel

In Dublins Fair City: Day 1

2005-02-15T23:20:00.000Z

Dail Eireann at Night
Posted by: noelburke.

Helloha from Dublin,

Went up to Dublin today on all expenses paid, first class, trip. Staying in a 5 star hotel for the next few days. Its some brilliant service, I can tell ya, totally not used to it. Amazing to see the mixture of Rich people and business people in the hotel, the business people being mostly ok while the rich people being so full of shite! I dunno would I pay all that extra money for a few extra creature comforts if it were coming out of my own pocket plus I kinda like the people in normal hotels better. Gotta love multi national companies though!

Check out my hotel room by clicking here.

Today was the first time this year that the sun has been shining all day and its actually been pretty hot for a change.

Heading to bed now, cos I have to be up at 7 am.

Laterz
Noel

What have HTML, voting and Des Bishop got in common?......

2005-02-12T23:42:00.000Z

Apologies to all the people who have left comments yesterday and today. I have been messing around trying to learn HTML etc. and I lost the comments.

I always thought of HTML as some complicated computer language that only people with 4 years worth of college could understand, im amazed how easy it is so far? (you IT guys are so full of bull, i always knew it!) In just two days, I have added a new voting section, a new Haloscan commenting section which now includes trackback and attached links to my fav sites.

I also discovered a cool blog written by a guy called Des Bishop today. He's an Irish American comedian and is really really popular over here in Ireland at the moment, mainly through his ability to make us laugh at all the dumb things irish people do, without insulting us while hes doin it. How americans havent picked him up yet is beyond me, but i guess USA's loss is our gain, as hes genuinely funny and, above all else, a really down to earth kinda guy. (note how im sucking up incase he might read this) Nah seriously, his american family are originally from a town called Midleton in Cork, Ireland and if theres one thing the irish are good for, its sticking up for one of our own!) I've no doubt that he'll be big in states at some point, so check out his blog here.

Peoples Republic of Cork

2005-02-11T10:02:00.000Z

Cork City (pop. 240,000) may be far smaller than Dublin, but to a Corkman there isn't even the remotest possibility for comparison; Cork is simply superior. Any native corkonian will tell you that his beloved Cork provides all the conveniences of a big city but retains its small-town, leisurely pace of life. There's a thriving arts culture in Cork, where you'll find the Crawford Art Gallery, the most important gallery outside the capital, and the refurbished Cork Opera House, packing sell-out seasons and this year cork has been chosen to be the european capital of culture

For some reason unclear to the rest of the people in ireland, Cork people refer to their city as the real capital. Whether our claim is legitimate or not, we're certainly the most colourful and "unique" folk you're unlikely to ever encounter, and this is reflected in the amount of slang language that has developed here.

We are known for our particularly dry sense of humor. Cork slang is so rich, and so particular to Cork, that it makes even other Irish feel out of the loop. While it's said that kissing the Blarney Stone (at nearby Blarney Castle) gives Corkonians their gift of the gab, in truth, most Corkonians have never kissed it. I always have to laugh when I see all the american tourists getting off the buses in blarney, dressed from head to toe in green tracksuits to show thier "irishness" and shouting at the top of thier voices: O MY GOD WE'RE IN BLAAAARNEY, ARE YOU IIIIRISH! In reality we're looking at them with amazement and amusement. (if there is one sure way of recognising a tourist in ireland its if they are dressed up in green)

You will survive in Cork unnoticed if you're an irish person by placing either the word "boy" or the meaningless word "la" at the end of each sentence. Peppering sentences with "like" or "Like eh" can also help. For example, two corkonians might be overheard saying:"Like eh, did you see the match on the telly last night boy?" To which the reply would come:"I did la." Foreigners outside ireland trying to imititate us could be interpreted one of two ways, as a insult or being funny, so its usually best not to risk it!

The following are the most common slang phrases in cork:
C'mere = Excuse me

I will,yeah = no

What's the story fella? = How are you?

how's the form? =How are you?

how's it hanging? = How are you?

You would yeah =You wouldn't dare

Here la = here you are

there la =it's over there/look over there

State a him la = He looks bad

Ah/awe) now sham = thats good

I claim ya = I would really like to engage in a fight with you.

Pure = very

Like = this word is used at least once in every Cork sentence.

Like eh = Used as a hesitation at the start of a sentence.

Nawful =terrible

Bate = beat uphave a lash off =have a go

Lash into hash =Smoke cannibas

Be wide = be careful

Be dog wide = be extra careful

How bad bhoy = good

Bhoy = man/person.

Brasser/stella/tramp/trollup = prostitute

Jammy Rag = tampon

Wan/bure = female

Young wan = female child

Fella/fein/ feeno/your man = male/guy

Small fella = Male child

Mam, ole laid, ole wan = mother

Sham-feen = macho or hard-man

Snout/gonker/snoz = nose

Gowl(Ghoul) = Stupid person

Gimp = idiot

Shades/law/blue bottles/pigs =Garda

Pig stie = Garda station

Gatch = walk

Gammy =deformed

Jag/doing a line/jaggin/meetin a wan/with = going out with

Gatt/gattin/on the tear/on the piss = drink/drinking

Reef/reefin/mangle = beat up/beating up

Lamp/skanse/la = look

Droppin/Waz = need to go to the toilet/restroom

Wah /Whacker = not a nice person

Norrie = Person from Northside of the Cork City.

If you want a small dose of cork humour and experience what must seem like an almost foreign to people outside ireland click here

Reality TV

2005-02-10T21:17:00.000Z

All day today on sky news (UK's sister channel of Fox news), all that is being covered is Prince Charles' engagement to Camilla Parker Bowles. Its really hilarious to see all the seemingly "close and personal friends" of the couple (most of whom have only met them briefly once) coming on tv to put their two cents in and discuss, in vivid detail, everything there is to know about the couples private lives. I don’t mind being interested, as it is genuinely news worthy but for near 12 hours straight they have covered little else. I just can’t get my head round the fact people in UK seemingly have nothing better to do than just wanting to know every single minute little thing about another person’s life. Are their own lives so boring that they want to live someone else’s?

We see this voyeuristic fascination, manifesting itself almost on a weekly basis in the upsurge of new reality TV programs in the UK and US such as big brother etc. Why is the rest of the world seemingly more interested in other investigating other people’s lives rather than more important news worthy things going on around them? It’s becoming more and more clear that countries that are big into reality TV are becoming less secure and confident in themselves and want to feel part of a community.

A year ago in Ireland, RTE television tired a few versions of reality TV type programs. The majority of the people just found shows like the dire "Celebrity farm", "Treasure Island" and "Cabin Fever" to be totally unentertaining and boring. One by one each show was killed off and producers couldn’t figure out why Irish people didn’t love the shows as much as the rest of world did. Why are the Irish seemingly not caught up in the same reality TV whirlwind as the rest of the world? I'd like to think that we don’t have the necessity of reality TV to feel like we are part of community because we are already part of a real one and therefore can see the TV program for the crap that it is but I admit it could also just be that Ireland hasnt enough celebrities to make it entertaining enough?!. In Ireland, its very unusual if you can go anywhere in the country without bumping into someone you know. Sometimes it feels like everyone seemingly knows everyone here, even though its 3 mill population. It can really go against you especially on nights out!! But for the most part its pretty cool to be able to go into the city and be sure you’ll bump into someone you know. I’m not saying Ireland is perfect cos we sure as hell have other big faults but we do seem to have a good balance between being friendly and interested in others while not feeling the need to judge or know more.

I must admit it’s a bit ironic that I'm putting all this on a blog, where the very concept is to let other people read stuff bout you. My answer to that is while it is ok to have an interest in other people, to me it’s not ok to try and live someone else life which is what the majority of reality TV tries to do...