People: Writing of age
Friday, August 19th, 2011For 21 years the Rathmines Writers’ Workshop has been meeting every few weeks to give poets and prose writers a chance to share their work. Some of its longest serving members tell Stephen Dineen, a fellow member, about its journey. One doesn’t usually find much nostalgia at a 21st, but listening to James Conway, Mary Guckian and Christine Broe trade memories of the twenty-one years their community of writers has had together there is plenty of nostalgia for the experiences they’ve had and the people they’ve met. Whilst much has been said of demise in communities...[full story]
Public affairs: Electing a new President
Friday, August 19th, 2011As Mary McAleese prepares to leave office and a new election approaches, Peter Cheney reviews the history and purpose of the presidency. The first presidential election in 14 years is essentially a decision on the character and values of the best person to represent Ireland. With minimal political influence, the presidency is designed to stay above the fray and promote the nation’s positives, both at home and abroad. Mary McAleese is now nearing the end of her maximum term, having been elected in 1997 and returned unopposed in 2004. Polling day is scheduled for 27 October, alongside...[full story]
Public affairs: An Irish influence
Friday, August 19th, 2011Irish-born Australian Senator Ursula Stephens talks to Meadhbh Monahan about how her Irish roots influence her politics. An emphasis on “hard work, loyalty, justice and sharing your fortune with those less well-off” was honed into Ursula Stephens “at the kitchen table” as she grew up. Immigrating to Australia from Wicklow at an early age also defined Stephens’ future political career and she now chairs the Australian Irish Parliamentary Friendship Group. While her parents did not know whether they and their seven children would be able to return to Ireland in the future, times...[full story]
Public affairs: Solidarity not isolation
Friday, August 19th, 2011ICTU’s Macdara Doyle argues that Europe was wrong in thinking that the debt crisis was contained in peripheral countries and that a European-wide solution is needed, rather than unpayable bailouts. As the deepening debt crisis confirms, Europe is currently suffering from a contagion that is rooted in its banking sector and for which the citizens of Europe have been handed the bill. Some would prefer it was otherwise, not least the ideologues of the right who are using the crisis to attack and downgrade public services – thereby creating more opportunities for private companies –...[full story]
Shannon: Shannon: a regional overview
Friday, May 13th, 2011eolas looks at the demographics and main industries within the region. The Shannon region is located on the west coast of Ireland and covers 10,000 square metres including counties Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary, South Offaly and North Kerry, which together have a population of approximately 450,000 people. The region is named after the country’s longest river, the Shannon (240 miles long). The entire river is popular with tourists who also visit Shannon’s many attractions, bringing €391 million in revenue into the local economy in 2009 (see pages 72-73). The presidential visit...[full story]
Shannon: The sights of Shannon
Friday, May 13th, 2011Peter Cheney sums up what the region has to offer tourists, from the wild West Coast to the quieter river route. Traditionally known as a gateway from the USA, the Shannon region takes in Counties Clare and Limerick, as well as North Tipperary and South Offaly. “Up until the advent of open skies, for a flight that went to Dublin, a corresponding flight had to go to Shannon which in essence meant that a lot of them stopped in both,” Fiona Monaghan, Fáilte Ireland’s head of operations in the West, explains. The region is marketed by Shannon Development and Tourism Ireland. The area...[full story]
Shannon: Limerick turns a corner
Friday, May 13th, 2011Limerick’s Mayor, Maria Byrne is determined to promote the city’s positive attributes such as its great spirit of volunteerism, she tells Meadhbh Monahan. Being appointed as Mayor of Limerick in June 2010 was “the single greatest honour that can ever be bestowed” on Councillor Maria Byrne, who has had “a very busy year.” Her father Bobby was Mayor of the city from 1978-1980 and her following in his footsteps means that they were the only father and daughter ever to have held the role. Compared to 32 years ago, the office of Mayor is “much busier now,” according to Byrne....[full story]
People: A labour of love
Friday, May 13th, 2011Former actor and film director Kevin Allen tells Meadhbh Monahan how he is finding life in rural Ireland and outlines his preparations for this year’s Flatlake Festival. The sleepy village of Scotshouse in County Monaghan, where the Hilton estate has stood since the 17th century, is a far cry from Hollywood, where Allen made a name for himself as a film director and producer. After the Welsh-born film executive pulls up in a tractor (returning from feeding his herd of organic pigs), he tells eolas about his transition from life in Los Angeles to being a full-time farmer and producer...[full story]
People: A commitment to the visual arts
Friday, May 13th, 2011eolas previews the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s upcoming exhibition celebrating its twentieth anniversary. An exhibition celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Irish Museum of Modern Art will feature twenty young Irish artists, whose work is being increasingly viewed on an international scale. With art installations, photography, painting and sculpture, ‘Twenty: New Irish Acquisitions’ will open on 27 May and will feature works from artists such as Patrick Michael Fitzgerald, David Godbold, Paddy Jolley, Nevan Lahart and Niamh O’Malley. A sculpture by Spanish artist Juan...[full story]
