MetaFilter posts tagged with ireland

IgNobility 2009

wendell — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:55:45 -0800

This year's winners of the Ig Nobel prizes are a bumper crop of wild and crazy SCIENCE!, featuring sword-swallowing, knuckle-cracking, benefits of cow-naming, pregnant women NOT tipping over, a household use for giant panda poop (take that, Packham), diamonds made from tequila, a brassiere that can be used as TWO gas masks, "Ireland's Worst Driver", Icelandic banks, Zimbabwean currency, and a 'Peace Prize' earned by hitting people over the heads with beer bottles (and comparing the effects of empty vs. full bottles) (related inquiry)

Utopian Communes in the British Isles

Kattullus — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:45:59 -0800

Utopia Britannica is a collection of stories and a gazetter about utopian communes in the British Isles from the 14th Century up until the end of World War II. There are some incredible tales in here, such as 'Free Love' in 19th Century Somerset, St. Kilda, Death of an Island Republic, Percy Bysshe Shelley's attempted communes, Augustus John, the King of Bohemia and many more.

The 2009 Lisdoonvarna matchmaking festival is now in full swing.

KMH — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:53:49 -0800

How about Irish farmer dating if Internet dating and speed dating are not your thing? An "ancient" (maybe a century, max) tradition of matchmaking, traditional music and "grand craic" are also on offer. Even comes with its own (part-time) matchmaker: Willy. Or... is this the "real" Matchmaker Willy?

Pogue Mahone, ya Nipple Erectors

filthy light thief — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:51:20 -0800

Shane MacGowan is the face and name most often associated with The Pogues. Unraveling Shane's psyche would require a book-length study but the crux of his identity lies somewhere in that conflict between English experience and Irish heritage. The abbreviated story of his life starts with his birth in England, but he was raised in Ireland, and moved back to England some years later. He won a scholarship to the renowned Westminster School, where he was possibly enrolled alongside Thomas Dolby and other notable people. MacGowan was involved with drugs and publicized hooliganery before being in a band, the first of which was The Nipple Erectors in 1977. In the short life of the band, the line-up shifted a number of times, the name was changed to The Nips, and their sound ranged from rockabilly to a punkish R&B, and softer pop. The band in one form or another released four singles, and got as far as to send a demo to Polydor Records in 1980, but the band broke up before the end of that year. MacGowan joined up with another group, The Millwall Chainsaws, who formed in 1979 with Spider Stacy, where Stacy sang and MacGowan played guitar. Inspired by The Dubliners (previously), they renamed themselves The New Republicans, with Shane as the lead singer. "Singing Irish rebel songs was a really good way of sticking up two fingers at the establishment," says Spider. The band shifted a bit, changed their name, and coined their own battle cry: "We are the Pogue Mahone/Fuck The Clash and The Rolling Stones", and began to blaze a trail across the bars and venues of north London. "We just wanted to do something that nobody else had ever done and take it as far as it would go," says MacGowan. "We, knew that people didn't want retro-punk. They wanted fast dance music with good tunes, something they could whoop and scream and cry to. And what fits the bill better than Irish music?" The Pogues had begun. Pogue Mahone initially playing old Irish folk tunes like Waxie's Dargle and Poor Paddy, alongside new compositions like Streams Of Whiskey (here on Old Grey Whistle Test) and The Old Main Drag (BBC Radio Session). In 1984, the band released their first single, Dark Streets of London, and received serious airplay until a Gaelic-speaking producer on BBC Radio Scotland heard the band's name and realized what was being said, and it was banned in Scotland and frozen by Radio 1. The band changed their name to The Pogues, and in October 1984 they released their next single and their first studio album, Red Roses for Me. Their view of The Clash changed enough that they opened from the band's 1984 tour, and Joe Strummer became a friend and accomplice to the band. The band continuing to gain renown, opening for Stiff Records label-mate Elvis Costello in 1985. That same year, Costello produced their second studio album, Rum Sodomy & The Lash, which has been included in a number of "greatest albums" lists. In 1986, band released Poguetry In Motion, a four-track EP that was also produced by Costello, though it was considered "hardly a collection of leftovers." There were strains on the band in this time. The long-time bassist, Cait O'Riordan, left the band and married Elvis Costello, leading to the first major change in the band's line-up, and Shane MacGowan was increasingly erratic and unreliable. The group survived to make their third studio album, If I Should Fall From Grace With God, which came out in January 1988. This effort included more than the Irish folk/punk sound of the past, including middle-eastern influences, a Spanish-inspired party song, and a Christmas ballad (previously, twice), featuring vocal accompaniment from album producer Steve Lillywhite's wife, Kirsty MacColl. The band's fourth album, Peace and Love, is the first to be without a single cover of a traditional Irish song, and includes songs of London, more Spanish influences, even opening with some instrumental jazz of a sort. Unfortunately, Shane MacGowan's drinking and drug abuse worsened, and he failed to turn up for opening dates for the band's 1988 tour, and hindered the band's effort to promote their fifth studio album, Hell's Ditch. This album shifted farther from the Irish folk roots of the past, and included Asian themes and more Spanish influences that were gained in part from the band's time in Spain while shooting Straight To Hell, an action-comedy homage to Spaghetti Westerns (clip). (Director Alex Cox wanted to put on a tour to raise money for Nicaragua, but instead shot this film in Spain and made what one critic called "A Fist Full of Nothing".) The soundtrack includes covers and exclusive tracks. Finally the band dropping MacGowan in 1991, and two Pogues compilations were issued that same year: Essential Pogues and The Best of The Pogues. Another compilation was issued in 1992, The Rest of The Best, as if to mark the end of the band. But The Pogues lived on, with Joe Strummer filling in for vocals until Spider Stacy took over and returned to his old role of lead vocalist, and giving other band members a chance to write songs for the group. In 1993 they released Waiting for Herb, their second album without a traditional cover. Even though the band was without their iconic frontman, they still had their first top 20 single since Fairytale of New York, with Tuesday Morning (YouTube). The band line-up changed dramatically between their 6th and 7th album, Pogue Mahone, which even the band members considered "a less ambitious, rather conservative Pogues album, all in a well-established Pogues style." Reviewers were less forgiving: "No angst. No identity. Nothing memorable." In 1996, the remainder of the band called it quits, but this wasn't the end. Various members of the band went on to their own side projects or to form new groups. In October 1995, Jem Finer (one of the original Pogues) started to work on Longplayer, the one thousand year long musical composition (previously). Spider Stacy, Darryl Hunt and Andrew Ranken formed The Vendetta (initially named The Wisemen, not Stacy's idea), and had half an album written before The Pogues reunited. Ranken also performed with Nigel Burch and the Flea-Pit Orchestra. James McNally released a solo album and joined Afro-Celt Sound System. Jamie Clarke formed Perfect in 1997. Shane MacGowan formed The Popes in 1994 after parting ways with The Pogues, releasing two studio albums in the 1990s, only to reunite the band in 2001 and again in 2004, then in 2006 and 2008, though no new studio material has been recorded. The Popes live on, without MacGowan. They released a studio album from the new line-up in 2000, then released a 2-disc Best-Of compilation and a live album in 2002 from their time being fronted by MacGowan. The Popes released another studio album in May 2009, featuring a more orderly Shane MacGowan. More Pogues Media BBC Radio 2 documentary - Pogue Mahone: The Story of the Pogues Written summary and and streaming in Real Media The Story of Fairytale of New York (2005), from BBC Three 6 parts on YouTube: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, and part 6 The Pogues: Live at the Town and Country on St. Patrick's Day in 1988, one of the official live video recordings (also available via unofficial media, as listed on the highly detailed database of live audio and video recordings of The Pogues and related bands) and YouTube, from the Japanese LaserDisc:

Intro 1. The Broad Majestic Shannon 2. If I Should Fall From Grace With God 3. A Rainy Night In Soho 4. Thousands Are Sailing 5. Fairytale Of New York (with Kirsty MacColl) 6. Lullaby Of London 7. Dirty Old Town 8. London Calling (Joe Strummer vocals) 9. Turkish Song Of The Damned 10. Fiesta 11. The Irish Rover 12. Worms 13. A Message To You, Rudi (Lynval Golding vocals) 14. The Wild Rover and end credits

Demos on YouTube Dark Streets of London (1983 demo version) Fairytale of New York (2nd demo of the song, with Cait O'Riordian dueting with Shane) Playlist with another 10 or so Straight to Hell, the movie, as a 9-part YouTube playlist. Viewable in scaled up HQ, but with a wonky display ratio either way.

Thousands of poems by women writers of the British Isles in the Romantic era

Kattullus — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:28:33 -0800

British Women Romantic Poets Project is a collection of poetry written by women from the British Isles between 1789 and 1832. Over a hundred female poets are represented. Women rarely feature in literary histories of the Romantic period but there is treasure if you search (some poems are, frankly, terrible). A few places to start are Charlotte Turner Smith's Elegiac Sonnets, and Other Poems, Christian Ross Milne's Simple Poems on Simple Subjects and Mary Robinson's sonnet cycle Sappho and Phaon. The oddest works to modern readers may be Elizabeth Hitchener's Enigmas, Historical and Geographical and Marianne Curties' Classical Pastime, which are collections of verse riddles (the answers are at the end of the text).

Everything's Better With Butter

ericb — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:43:39 -0800

'Artisanal butters' are favored and appreciated by cooks and gourmands -- especially those crafted by "garage entrepreneurs" from Maine [video]* and Vermont (churned by Diane St. Clair and favored by Thomas Keller at his noted restaurants, The French Laundry and Per Se). Butters from Canada, France, Ireland and elsewhere are also cherished. In related news:

"With enough butter, anything is good." Nora Ephron Talks About The Joy of Butter. No Michael Jackson Sculpture in Butter at the Iowa Fair.

Ireland Passes Blasphemy Law

milquetoast — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:02:13 -0800

Who asked for Ireland's blasphemy law? Ireland's sweeping new defamation law, passed in the Dáil on the 9th, "introduces a new crime of blasphemous libel." The creators of Father Ted want some clarification. And at their recent AGM, "...Atheist Ireland members voted to test the new law by publishing a blasphemous statement, deliberately designed to cause offence. The statement will be finalised in the coming days." Across the sea, comedian and co-author of Jerry Springer, the Opera Stewart Lee asks: "What's Wrong With Blasphemy?" [40 minute documentary] Ireland is not the only country with a law against blasphemy. As a sidebar, the Oireachtas website is incredibly thorough. Search the Find Text Today box for "blasphemy" in the latest debate, for example, and the site returns every single mention.

Music is Math is Beauty

filthy light thief — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:52:24 -0800

Glenn Marshall is an Irish computer video artist and musician whose recent work has focused on audio visualization programed in the Processing language. Generally the program is left to its own devices, though his work-for-hire has more intentional design, as in his video for the Peter Gabriel song "The Nest that Sailed the Sky." Marshall has also been hired to create video for Guinness for Sky TV and the Rugby Six Nations Tournament, and a looping animation for Hermes of Paris. Marshall discusses his works with some detail on his blog. (More videos inside) The tree-like visuals employ his ZenO process, as seen in following videos: Music Is Math (unfinished) (3:15) first animation in Processing. Inspired by the Boards of Canada track 'Music is Math' from Geogaddi (blog post) The 'Mandela' Variation (3:45) variation of 'Music is Math,' using Nelson Mandela's prison number as the seed value (blog post) Music is Math (final version) (5:24) "I just let the program run till the end of the music" (blog post) Metamorphosis (2:49) based on Boards of Canada's 'Corsair,' also from Geogaddi (blog post) Radiohead - 'Bodysnatchers' (4:11) song from In Rainbows. Marshall's first attempt at music visualization (blog post) Waltz from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake suite (5:45) entirely generative/audio reactive animation, i.e. no keyframing or manual input or editing (blog post) The Nest That Sailed The Sky (test) (5:06) Music by Peter Gabriel, from his album OVO – The Millennium Show (Millennium Dome, London) (blog post) The Nest That Sailed The Sky (final) (5:07) with three extra visual ideas from photos from the original album shoot: single cells, an empty nest, trails of red berries (blog post) Hermes window display animation (1:06) the first of a couple of commercial projects that employed Marshall's 'zeno' animation system (blog post) Other videos: Marbles (1:29) an early study/realism piece - a nostalgic homage to classic computer raytracing (blog post) Landscapes (4:49) a test made with Terragen, music by Ligeti; inspired by Kubrick and Koyaanisqatsi cinematography (blog post) Latte-mation (1:15) a test done with 3ds Max and After Effects (blog post) Butterfly (10:00) Marshall's first short film, commissioned by the Irish Film Board in 2002, which made rounds at film fests (blog post) The Jewel in the Heart of the Lotus (4:45) a short animated guide to Buddhist breath meditation, with narration adapted from a talk given by Ajahn Brahm (blog post) Animated Guinness from Fractals (1:26) "One of my few minor claims in life is the first to animate Guinness for TV, and all using math" (blog post) The Red Rose of Newcastle (2:58) a short film commissioned for a regional BBC series called Days Like This (blog post) Work with Peter Gabriel: The Drop (3:08) first music video, for Peter Gabriel, made in 2003 - made on his own time, but eventually included on an official DVD, and paid for his time. The song is from the album Up (blog post) Quiet Steam (6:27) second video for Peter Gabriel, a b-side track from Digging In The Dirt (blog post) Visuals for 'No Self Control' (live recording) (4:38) which consists lots of Processing work (procedural animation) and sequences from some of ‘Butterfly’ (blog post) Glenn Marshall is now working on two projects: a Graphic Synthesizer program that uses the same principles of wave synthesis but to generate changing images, (blog posts 1, 2, 3 and Graphic Synthesiser Demo (3:51), 4, 5) and an iPhone App (blog post 1, 2 and iPhone App Test #1 video (1:06))

These marks in printer's ink

Abiezer — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:04:59 -0800

The Táin lithographs In 1967 Louis le Brocquy was commissioned to illustrate Thomas Kinsella's translation of the great Irish prose epic the Táin Bó Cuailnge. The resulting collaborative volume is widely acknowledged as the great Irish Livre d'Artiste of the twentieth century; Le Brocquy's "brush drawings merged seamlessly with the text; stark, fluent images, they expressed with great economy of means an epic breadth, evoking the movement of vast masses of people. Individual participants in the drama were also pulled into close focus."

Report of Child Abuse in Irish Industrial School Published

KirkJobSluder — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:03:48 -0800

The Irish Comission to Inquire into Child Abuse published their full report documenting systematic abuses by Catholic-run industrial schools and schools for the disabled. Collecting data from over 1,500 witnesses, including survivors, government officials, and school staff, the report includes more than 70 years of incidents. It also documents the history of the laws that supported the schools. The executive summary damns both Church organizations and government for the abuse, but gives no names and falls short of recommending criminal proceedings. Reactions: Survivors are angry the report fails to name the people involved. Donahue claims distortion. Irish legislators debate a 2002 settlement. Newly-installed English Archbishop Nichols: "And I'm glad it's a scandal. I would be very worried if it wasn't a scandal."

Happy Birthday Seamus!

dbmcd — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:06:40 -0800

April 13th is Seamus Heaney's 70th birthday, and to celebrate, the Irish press have honored him in many ways. A Catholic from Northern Ireland, his early poems reflected his upbringing on a farm, but his later poems (and time in the States) spoke powerfully of 'the Troubles.' I thought he deserved a mention in the Blue. There's the special section in the Irish Times; the many special programs on RTE (a program is also posted). The Independent only gives him one page (?), but presumably most of his countrymen already know of the man. You can read (and hear him read) some of his poems here. I wish I could be more eloquent, but really, his poetry says it all, and far better than I could ever hope to. Ireland is lucky indeed to have such living treasure.

The Naked Taoiseach

Fence — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:07:52 -0800

With threats of strikes and an emergency budget due you might assume the Irish government would be more concerned with economics than artwork. You’d be wrong. After discovering the two “uncomissioned” portraits of Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen the gardaí (Irish police) have gotten involved. The national broadcaster has issued an apology and removed all trace of the original broadcast. (It hasn’t gone away you know). In response twitter is having a field day and now there’s an online nudey-postcard(NSFW) campaign gaining ground. Has the recession stolen Mr. Cowen’s sense of humour (NSFW)?

This should suffice to drive the snakes out

jtron — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:17:29 -0800

"Two hours of Irish punk rock, new wave, underground and just plain rock-n-roll THUNDER" courtesy of Last Days of Man on Earth 2.0

He's a nice, quiet, peace-loving man, come home to Ireland to forget his troubles.

Cool Papa Bell — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:15:22 -0800

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Now watch the greatest fight in movie history (SLYT).

Feck!

Artw — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:01:54 -0800

Eclectic Micks - Irish comicbook artists posting a sketch a day.

Ceol agus Craic

LN — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:35:08 -0800

Here are some of Ireland's current and past crop of Irish traditional singers, for your perusal and enjoyment this fine St. Paddy's Day.

Traitors

tiny crocodile — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:06:31 -0800

"Traitors" - Martin McGuinness' description of those who carried out attacks on a PSNI member in Craigavon and British solidiers in Antrim: "These people - they are traitors to the island of Ireland. They have betrayed the political desires, hopes and aspirations of all of the people who live on this island. And they don't deserve to be supported by anyone." On Saturday, gunmen opened fire on British soldiers at an army base in Antrim just hours before they were due to fly to Afghanistan on a tour of duty. Two soldiers were killed, and four others were injured, including a Polish pizza delivery man. Last night, Stephen Carroll (48), a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, was shot in an ambush in Craigavon, County Armagh. The Real IRA and Continuity IRA - both "dissident" Republican groups, have taken responsibility for the attacks. The attacks prompted both fears that the attacks could destablise Northern Ireland's democratic government and revulsion from all sides of the province's traditionally divided society. The attacks have also prompted Sinn Fein, political wing of the IRA and now active participants in Northern Ireland's government, to back the police forces in Northern Ireland in a manner which was unthinkable just a short time ago.

Rumpy Pumpy

ocherdraco — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:46:29 -0800

You can sleep better at night knowing that one more Irish GP has sworn off using the medical terms "willy bits" and "rumpy pumpy" with patients. Though patients often wish that doctors would speak in a way that puts them more at ease, Dr. Ross Ardill of Dublin, Ireland, appears to have taken that intention in entirely the wrong direction, using what he called "childish language" to make his patients feel more comfortable. What makes this particularly interesting, however, is that we know of Ardill's case because of a recent change in Irish law: medical professional misconduct cases are, for the first time, being held publicly.

Deep Troubles

Grrlscout — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:25:23 -0800

The Consultative Group on the Past released its long awaited report today, discussing strategies to build trust and dialogue between communities and heal wounds in Northern Ireland. Part of the strategy was compensation and inquiries to be funded jointly by the British and Irish governments, to the tune of £300K. The report's presentation was interrupted by deeply angry protesters. Some were upset at the idea of financial compensation for the loss of human life. Some were incensed that families of paramilitary members killed in the Troubles were to receive equal compensation to bystanders caught in the crossfire. Some comments on the report from public figures, and from the Program Director of Amnesty International's NI office.

The Vanishing Irish

homunculus — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 23:11:32 -0800

Ghosts of the Faithful Departed. Irish photographer David Creedon's pictures of dilapidated houses in rural Ireland abandoned during the mass emigration that took place between 1949 and 1989. [Via]

Solstice at Newgrange

homunculus — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:00:11 -0800

At dawn on the winter solstice, the passage and chamber of the megalithic passage tomb at Newgrange are illuminated for 17 minutes by a shaft of sunlight entering through the roofbox above the entrance. The builders of Newgrange achieved this precise alignment over 5,000 years ago, 1,000 years before Stonehenge. You can watch the sunrise illumination on a live webcast between 08:30 and 09:30 UTC on Sunday, December 21st.

Bachall Isa

Skeptic — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:55:11 -0800

The O'Donnell clan claims descendancy (like, dare I say, a significant part of the Irish population), from Niall of the Nine Hostages, legendary High King of Ireland. The O'Donnell clan ruled over the kingdom of Tyrconnell, in modern-day County Donegal, well into the modern age. However, after the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot, Rory O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, fled Ireland together with Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, in the Flight of the Earls. Rory O'Donnell's descendents ultimately found their calling, like many fellow Wild Geese, in military service to the King of Spain. So it was that, over two centuries later, Leopoldo O'Donnell became successively, general, prime minister and Duke of Tetuan. So it is that one of Madrid's main streets is the Calle O'Donnell, and His Excellency Don Hugo O'Donnell y Duque de Estrada, Duke of Tetuan and Grandee of Spain is next on the line to the title of Prince of the Name of O'Donnell.

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.

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

LOLa-Sperma-palooza-toza

takeyourmedicine — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:52:13 -0800

"We need sperm donations... you need festival tickets... wanna strike a deal?" Ireland wants your sperm.