MetaFilter posts tagged with Dublin

Storyteller in Song

LN — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:35:09 -0800

Frank Harte is considered to be one of the greatest balladeers and song collectors in the Irish musical tradition. He specialized in the songs of Dublin City and saw himself as a "storyteller in song". A scholar, collector and singer, Frank performed regularly at pubs in Dublin such as the Brazen Head and at the Goilin, on radio and tele vision, as well as conducting workshops and group singing lessons at festivals in North America and at home. He lectured at Dublin Institute of Technology. His discography was prolific. He was named Traditional singer of the year in 2004, and has a festival named in his honour, as well as a prize at DIT, where he lectured. A singer, collector and architect, he passed away in Dublin on the 27th of June, 2005. (Warning, many youtube links here)

Viking invasion ends

homunculus — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:25:37 -0800

Viking invasion ends as longship sails home. The Sea Stallion From Glendalough, a replica Viking longboat (previously), is returning to Denmark.

Cluster bombs banned by over 100 countries

wilful — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:35:21 -0800

More than 100 nations have reached an agreement on a treaty which would ban current designs of cluster bombs. Naturally, the most militant nations (USA, Russia, China, India, Pakistan) have refused to negotiate (creating significant interoperability issues for allied nations such as the UK to the USA). The Cluster Munition Coalition is an excellent resource about the issue. The issue of interoperability (.pdf) ensured that Australia remained on the side of the USA in considering this issue. The Australian Democrats proposed the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill 2006, which was defeated in Committee by both major parties. Dissenting report here.

Luke Kelly: The Performer

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:16:56 -0800

Casual fans of Irish folk-punk bands like The Pogues, Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys rarely take the time to investigate the sources of their inspiration. Those who do, cannot avoid coming across the The Dubliners. Although the band has undergone many personnel changes during the last 45 years, but there's a sizeable contingent of fans feel that The Dubliners lost a sizeable chunk of their magic in 1984 following the death of banjo player and vocalist, Luke Kelly. Anyone interested in exploring Luke Kelly's life and work might check out the YouTube posts of superfan kellyoneill, or alternatively, the recent documentary, Luke Kelly: The Performer

This time a welcome on Clontarf's plains.

Abiezer — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 06:23:44 -0800

Longboat! The Sea Stallion, a reconstruction of a ship scuttled off Roskilde will sail from Denmark to Dublin, where tests on timbers from the wreck show the original was built in the mid-eleventh century. (Pillaged from a centre of Irish learning)

It's good for you.

Miko — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:04:54 -0800

What is the air-speed velocity of the unladen golden plover? My goodness, my Guinness! Happy St. Patrick's Day, Metafilter.

"well, it breaks the ice, doesn't it"

funambulist — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 10:19:18 -0800

Having sweated over the origins of the universe and split the atom, academics have finally tackled the question that has perplexed mankind since the dawn of time: what are the best chat-up lines? A study from psychologists at the University of Edinburgh tested 205 people for reactions to 40 vignettes of a woman approached by a man using "verbal signals of genetic quality" in different categories, and found the best rated approaches to be those revealing character qualities, wealth and culture, although the puzzling winning line proved a flop in real life tests. Unsurprisingly, a direct request for sex received a low score. Previous findings by the Japanese proved equally dubious. But there's still hope, as the code seems to have been cracked in Dublin, where since last year "there is definitely more pulling". The secret? A smoking ban, a lot of crowded pubs, and "smirting", an unexpected side effect of the health measure.

Coldplay Rip Off U2... Again

Saellys — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 12:57:40 -0800

Sometimes You Can't Fix You On Your Own. (Quicktime and Windows Media.) If there has ever been doubt about Coldplay's burning ambition to be U2, let it be put to rest.

'Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.'

riviera — Tue, 15 Jun 2004 23:57:00 -0800

'To-day, 16 June 1924 twenty years after. Will anyone remember this date?"

Control Lightshow Over Dublin Sky From A Webpage

tomplus2 — Mon, 26 Apr 2004 11:09:17 -0800

Control Lightshow Over Dublin Sky From A Webpage. (link goes to /. with the story and links)

Hear Comes Everybloom

scody — Mon, 16 Jun 2003 12:31:19 -0800

Did you miss Paddy Dignam's wake? Ah well, there's still time to celebrate Bloomsday -- if you're in Dublin, you can (among many other delights) take a stroll across the newly-opened James Joyce Bridge. Or, if you have a spare $60,000, you could even buy your very own Ulysses first edition. As for me, I'll be hoisting a crystal cup full of the foaming ebon ale which the noble twin brothers Bungiveagh and Bungardilaun brew ever in their divine alevats, cunning as the sons of deathless Leda. (And as for Paddy? -- Dead! says Alf. He's no more dead than you are. -- Maybe so, says Joe. They took the liberty of burying him this morning anyhow.)