People: A golden age for Irish cinema
Tuesday, April 9th, 2013Irish citizen Daniel Day-Lewis has just made Oscar history, becoming the first male to win the award for Best Actor for a third time. Despite our current economic woes, the future for the Irish in cinema is more than promising. Some very talented Irish individuals, both in front of and behind the camera, are invading the Hollywood film scene. Fiona McQuade profiles some of our more established names, and some to watch out for. Robert Sheehan Not your typical 24-year old from Portlaoise, Sheehan is creating something of a name for himself. Having quickly achieved success across both Ireland...[full story]
People: Leading the world: Jason Smyth interview
Monday, October 29th, 2012An excellent London 2012 performance confirmed Jason Smyth as the world’s fastest Paralympian this summer. The athlete recalls his achievements and shares his hopes for future success with Peter Cheney. Crossing the finishing line twice to win gold, Jason Smyth symbolised Ireland’s success at London 2012. His two medals count among the island’s best hoard of gold since the games began and contributed to Ireland’s most successful Paralympics since 1988. Personally, those achievements fulfil years of hard work and dedicated support from family, friends and coaches. “To...[full story]
People: Presidential seminars: Being young and Irish
Monday, October 29th, 2012Eager to encourage active citizenship, President Michael D Higgins has gathered young people’s views on a vision for Ireland. President Michael D Higgins has asked young people for their views on the state of Ireland and its future, in a major consultation. Public submissions for ‘Being Young and Irish 2012’ were accepted from May to September from 17-26 year old Irish citizens, whether on the island or overseas. They will feed into a presidency seminar later this year and a report on their views and proposals. The President hopes that the initiative will open up...[full story]
People: The Gathering: A preview
Monday, October 29th, 2012Businesses, families and voluntary groups are putting considerable effort into The Gathering 2013 to entice visitors to Ireland. Stephen Dineen reports. According to Damian Stack, who is organising the Stack clan gathering from 19-22 July next year, the Stacks were Normans (now claimed by some historians to have been originally Vikings) who became more Irish than the Irish themselves. After arriving at the time of Strongbow, they settled deep into Ireland, particularly Kerry. Some dispersed with the Wild Geese, others through emigration. Stack is inviting their descendants to...[full story]
People: A taste of Spain at the Black Pig
Monday, October 29th, 2012The Black Pig is Ireland’s first specialist Spanish food and wine shop and opened earlier this year in Donnybrook, Dublin 4. The shop, named after the iconic Iberian black pig, Pata Negra, is the brainchild of former Dáil press officer Paul Walsh. Owen McQuade finds out more. On leaving university, Paul Walsh entered the world of communications and media, firstly as a press officer in Dáil Eireann and then in a public relations agency, before setting up his own new media company. In 2003, Paul decided that the world of communications was not for him: “I was putting on my tie...[full story]
People: Winner all right: AP McCoy interview
Monday, October 29th, 2012Champion jockey AP McCoy talks to Stephen Dineen about winning over 3,700 races, changes to the sport, and life after racing. It’s been a long, successful day for AP McCoy. Up at 6.30am, he rode a few horses in the morning that he will race in the coming weeks, then had a hot bath for an hour to lose weight for afternoon racing. The journey to Wetherby took three hours, two-and-a-half of which he slept. Before the first race he had to go to the sauna for half an hour to lose more weight. At Weatherby, he won in two of three races. Afterwards he ate some chicken, his first food...[full story]
People: Music across the generations
Friday, August 31st, 2012From “being the only game in town” to competing with a plethora of radio stations which are doing similar night-time shows, Dave Fanning still loves his job but laments the death of the golden era of rock and roll. He talks to Meadhbh Monahan. Music and movies have always been the iconic DJ’s passions, but with less work available than in the last decade, the 57-year-old is itching for more excitement. An exclusive interview with David Bowie would be the ultimate goal. “He’s the biggest enigma in music: where is David Bowie?” Fanning wonders. The ‘Fanning Sessions’ began...[full story]
Ireland's Olympic opportunity: Olympic boxing bronze medallist Hugh Russell
Monday, May 28th, 2012Peter Cheney meets Olympic medallist Hugh Russell to hear his recollections of Moscow 1980 and hopes for Irish athletes this summer. Nearly thirty-two years on from coming home with a flyweight Olympic bronze in boxing, Hugh Russell’s enthusiasm for “the biggest show on Earth” has not faded and he’s eagerly anticipating London 2012. The Belfast man has since had a long career as an Irish News photographer and is currently the paper’s deputy picture editor. “Back in 1980, if any country in the world thought they had a boxer good enough, they sent them to the Olympics,” he...[full story]
Euro 2012: Kevin Moran
Monday, May 28th, 2012As Ireland prepares for Euro 2012, Stephen Dineen talks to former Ireland international Kevin Moran about his footballing career and player management in the modern game. “It was all new for us, you know,” Kevin Moran reflects on the glorious summer days of West Germany ’88. “We went there with no expectations from us,” he tells eolas. “Jack Charlton did have a game plan. We knew what we had to do,” he remembers. “He made it very simple and straightforward. It mightn’t have been everybody’s cup of tea. I think in some ways we could have done with a little bit more...[full story]
A Titanic legacy: Cobh’s centenary plans
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012Stephen Dineen discovers the array of commemorative events planned in Cobh this year to mark the centenary of the Titanic’s fateful maiden voyage. On 11 April 1912 the Titanic anchored off Cobh to collect mail, food and 123 passengers. It was the last stop it made. Four themes were chosen for the ‘Titanic 100 Cobh 2012’ project: remembering, connecting, imagining and believing. Project director Marc Anderson tells eolas: “We chose those themes because we thought that they related as much today as they would have, in our opinion, 100 years ago.” Remembrance is about the Titanic,...[full story]
