The Dubliner Magazine

At last, agreement in the war on terror

A video from the satirical news site The Onion 

The Onion bills itself, satirically, as "Americ'sa finest new source". The sad truth is, it's a pretty accurate description.

Al Qaeda Also Fed Up With Ground Zero Construction Delays

 This is worth watching twice, once for the story, and once on 'mute' just to read the news ticker on the bottom of the screen.

Is it a Bird, is it a Plane.. No.. It's YOU

Can you save Dublin? We all enjoy complaining about the traffic, the prices, the weather, how we've lost the run of ourselves, forgotten our culture, our manners... So if Dublin is going to hell in a hand-basket, are you the Dubliner who can turn this city around?

If you think you know the way to improve the life of the city and have an idea how to cheer up Dublin send an email to editorial@thedubliner.ie. You could be invited to put your proposal to the people at our Old City, New Dreams main event on Wednesday 28th June where we will find the solution to all Dubliners' problems. Or we'll find plenty new topics to phone Joe Duffy about...

Fight the Power?

Ireland is addicted to energy. Decisions made now will decide if the lights go out in the future.

The Dubliner want you to have your say. Come along and have a rant with the decision makers, the scientists and the pressure groups. Cocktail reception at 8pm and a good old fashioned row at 9pm. Click here for your FREE tickets

Join a host of heavyweight industry figures in an explosive debate about the future of Ireland’s energy supply: can we afford to ignore nuclear energy? Or is it just too dangerous to contemplate? Participants include Davie Philip of Temple Bar's Cultivate Centre, CND Ireland founder Patrick Comerford, David Horgan, MD of Petrel Resources oil exploration company, Eamon Ryan TD and Constantin Gurdgiev, the editor of Business and Finance . This talk will be moderated by writer and broadcaster Damien Kiberd

With a ballot paper in one hand...

Personal reflections on last week's election

(15 years ago, Danny Morrison asked:

"Will anyone object if we [Sinn Fein] take power in this country with a ballot box in one hand, and an Armalite [rifle] in the other?")
 

Participating in, and then watching, the election last week, my overwhelming feeling was one of pride.

 

Pride in the evenly-balanced system of proportional representation by which we choose our government.

 

Pride in Joseph McCarthy -- the computer programmer whose expert analysis exposed the appalling loopholes in the government's plan for electronic voting.

 

Pride in the Irish people for sticking with a talented and successful leader, rather than changing him for the sake of change, when nothing better was on offer.

 

Pride in the national spectacle of democracy in action -- with tally men and vote counters beavering away, while people around the country watched and listened with interest to the unfolding drama.

 

Pride in the generations of poor Irish Catholic people who supported Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell and others, so that one day we might govern ourselves in a peaceful, civilised and prosperous island.

 

And, on a personal note, pride in my father for his insightful analysis of what it all meant.

 

My only embarrassment is that the voters in my own constituency cast more first preference votes for two untested party hacks -- Chris Andrews and Lucinda Creighton -- than for experienced politicians of real substance: Ruairi Quinn, John Gormley and Michael McDowell.

 

But the people are sovereign.  And, to quote my father:

 

"Long may we wield power in this country, with a ballot paper in one hand, and a pencil in the other."

Prize-Winning Comedy Videos

James Goldsbury -- a favourite on the Dublin stand-up comedy scene -- recently won first prize  in a competition run by IrishJobs.ie

Click here to check out his winning submissions.

 

click here to check out James's website

Up the Republic!

Max McGuinness gives himself a plug.

If any of you happen to be in or around Oxford next week do come to see my first play, Up the Republic!,  which opens at 9.30 PM on Tuesday June 5th at the Burton-Taylor Theatre and will run until Saturday June 9th.

Up the Republic! is one hour of Fascism, Fireworks and Leather Pants -  a rhymed farce set during the 2005 French riots. Notwithstanding a torrent of bawdy jokes, Up the Republic! munches its way through the meaty theme of multiculturalism. You won't have seen the like of it.

Tickets can be booked online here or by telephone on (0044) 1865  305305. Mention The Dubliner on the door and I'll give you a hug.

Kevin Thornton and Ross Lewis Tells Critics How to Cook

Michelin starred chefs Kevin Thornton and Ross Lewis have joined the panel for the Old City, New Dreams debate on Irish Cooking. Chefs and critics will be talking with the audience in what promises to be one of the most lively events of the week. If you want to book your free tickets to this event click here - Free Tickets
Thursday 28th June

7pm There is no such thing as Irish cooking

A panel discussion, chaired by Trevor White, on Ireland’s so-called culinary heritage. Speakers include Michelin starred chefs Kevin Thornton and Ross Lewis, Ernie Whalley, ex-editor of Food and Wine, Helen Lucy Burke, and Eoin Higgins of the Sunday Tribune. Culinary hero Asheesh Dewan of Jaipur restaurants will also give his perspective.

OMG!! It's Ross O'Carroll-Kelly

It's the publishing event of the year. And we're talking totally here.

Grade-A Ledge and Celtic Tiger icon Ross O'Carroll-Kelly has a new book coming out this summer. Writer Paul Howard introduces this new guide to South Dublin in an exclusive free event for Dubliner readers.

Find out how to get by on only €10,000 a day - and the difference between a Yummy Mummy and a Yummy Drummy - by applying for your free tickets today Free Tickets

Tuesday 26th June
9pm Ross O'Carroll Kelly's Guide to South Dublin

An exclusive audience with Paul Howard, the creator of Ross O’Carroll Kelly, to celebrate the launch of his brilliant new guide to South Dublin.

New Speakers for Fashion Forum

Old City, New Dreams - our week of talks and events at the Mill Theatre, Dundrum Town Centre - gets off to an excellent start with a collection of Ireland's most talented fashion figures. The first night will feature a discussion of the big issues facing the industry and you are invited to join us for the event and a Smirnoff cocktail reception. You can book your free tickets today here - Free Tickets Monday 25th June

9pm Behind the Seams

High end versus high street? The end of haute couture? Fashion designers in the home. And what is Boho Luxe? Robert O'Byrne moderates an insider's guide to the world of fashion, with speakers including designers Helen James, Cha Cha Seigne, Ciaran Sweeney, Helen Cody, Antonia Campbell Hughes and tailor Louis Copeland.

Blair and Sierra Leone

Max McGuinness on some surprising support for Tony Blair.

After Tony Blair's announcement that he would be stepping down next month, I wrote here in praise of the British intervention in Sierra Leone, conceived by Blair and Robin Cook, which put a stop to ten years of nihilistic civil war and undoubtedly saved thousands of lives.

Saturday's Guardian duly included a dispatch from Freetown headlined "I would not be speaking to you if it weren't for the risks Blair took". A paragraph like this ought to put a stop to sniping about Blair's neurotic search for a legacy:

"When his wife gave birth to a boy in 2001, Mr Kamara named him after his hero. Tony-Blair Kamara is six years old. He is quieter and more sombre than his namesake, perhaps a little weary of life as an embodiment of Sierra Leonean gratitude. But his dad insists the sad-eyed boy remains fiercely proud of his name."

It's unlikely that anyone in a small African country will go naming their kids after either Gordon Brown or David Cameron.