In the news
Irish stories of the day, from breathalysers to politics.
Irish Voters Reject Lisbon Treaty, Threaten EU Future
Irish voters have, as expected, voted down the so-called "Lisbon Treaty," which would have made several significant changes to the way the European Union is governed.
Irelandlogue has a birthday
Hard to believe, but it's been a year since I started writing the 'logue. 847 posts later I have to say I can't believe I've been doing this 2-5 times every day for 12 months.
Irish Times digital archive online
The Irish Times has just finished digitizing its microfiche archive and has released 150 years of Irish news online.
United Ireland by 2027? What are the odds?
Ten to one by the year 2027, according to Paddy Power. Yes, one of the many cultural twists that still befuddles me is the legality and casual practice of gambling in Ireland.
The 2008 DeLorean - buy your own Irish time machine
Fire up your flux capacitors, folks. The DeLorean Motor Company has announced that the Irish car made famous in the Back to the Future movies will be going back into production this year with new…
A rose by any other nationality
Lisa Murtagh of New York has been named this year's Rose of Tralee. The festival, now in its 48th year, has been held annually since the 1950's.
First black Irish mayor wanted back in Nigeria
You may recall my post a while back about Ireland's first black mayor . Portlaoise elected Rotimi Adebari as mayor, making him the first black man in Ireland to hold such a position.
The Guardian praises Irelandlogue
Benji Lanyado, a writer for the Guardian.co.uk, has dedicated an entire article to a very positive review of Irelandlogue. Read it here. Whoo-hoo!
R.E.M. in the midlands?
Do you recall back last October when rumours that Michael Jackson was in Ireland to do some recording with Black-Eyed Peas Will. I. Am. were floating about (rumours later confirmed )?
Romans invade Ireland for Chernobyl??!
But I thought they stopped at Hadrian's Wall?" Yes, yes they did. What you see depicted there to my left are some of the costumed riders involved in Athlone's Nuts About Chernobyl Charity ride .
Drinking in the streets?
I was just listening to the radio and, apparently, Tullamore has decided to rescind the ban on public drinking for their Phoenix Festival this weekend.
Saviors or scam artists?
Imagine that someone had defied the laws of physics and created a perpetual motion machine; a machine that created energy out of thin air.
Dublin riots, take 2?
Remember the riots in Dublin last year ? Well, the people who brought that particular flavour of parade fun intend to give it another go . Seriously, I don't get it.
Baby ducks!
Babies! Yes, just in time for tourist season the waterfowl of the mighty river Shannon have started to bring their nestlings out for a swim. Swanlings, ducklings and loads of fuzzy peeping cuteness.
Songwriter's night is TOMORROW! (Sunday, April 29 at 9pm in Athlone's Palace Loft)
After months of preparation, tomorrow is the annual midland songwriter showcase . I'm really pleased with the acts we've got lined up this year, it's another great mix of new and established…
Rossport Five man gets "Nobel" Environmental Prize
I'll tell ya, there's something special about San Francisco and Ireland this week.
Ten-Minute Toilet
This is pretty awful. Some poor sap was having digestive issues and rushed into a pay toilet in Galway. After 10 minutes the door popped open, exposing him to the folks in the street.
Eurorail for Paddy
It's such exciting news for European residents. For years them bloody tourists have been able to purchase this thing called "Eurorail" wherein the holder can travel with impunity across sovereign…
Don't drink the water in Galway
Ah, Ireland west - where the sun shines, the sea sparkles and the cryptosporidium makes folks who don't boil their tap water very, very sick.
Please, Taoiseach, don't hurt 'em!
People, I want you to take a very good look at that photo there. For our friends stateside who aren't certain what this handshake means . . . .welcome to the crowd.
Slovenly Ireland?
Well, it's all about how you say it, isn't it? On one hand, Ireland are at the top of their group in the World Cup Qualifying matches.
Wogan whoopsie
So, who gives a toss about eurovision anyway? Well, apparently Christi Almouzni does.
Sometimes boats sink
It's said that a boat is merely a hole in the water that you throw money into. That phrase certainly came to mind when I spotted the 4-story sized industrial crane out the back of Sean's Bar.
Donna and Joe!
I opened up a paper today and saw Donna of Donna and Joe eurovision fame . Donna and Joe are a brother and sister from Athlone who represented Ireland in their failed eurovision attempt in 2005.
M50 bypass opens
Anyone who has visited Ireland can tell you the roads leave a lot to be desired. The word "terrifying" is often used.
Big-ass Irish storm
Yep. Big winds. Hail. I was almost blown straight off the bike yesterday. Someone rang RTE and claimed it was snowing heavily in Dublin.
Irish Blogs welcomes Irelandlogue.com
That's right - we're now on the Irish blog roll!! *insert the sound of trumpets here* irishblogs.ie , the definitive listing of Irish blogs, has listed irelandlogue as one of the few, the proud . . .
Flaming Hooliganism
What is it about the new year that sends people mental? Judging by the local area, setting cars alight is on several people's new year resolutions list.
New Irish Soccer league
Irish soccer has long been the red-headed stepchild of Irish sport. It's not that Irish people don't follow the sport - far from it!
Breathaliser Compensation?
So there has been a lot of talk about the Irish Vitner's association (this is sort of a publicans' union here in Ireland) demanding compensation from the government for the new random breath test…
Worst winds in a while
RAINY IRELAND: One of the local roads that flooded. I was almost blown over this weekend. I thought perhaps it was worse here in Athlone, as the Shannon often creates a kind of micro-climate.
Northern Irish deadline a line in the sand?
Soooo . . . I mentioned in a previous post about how the UK has threatened the Northern Irish leadership with a revocation of their salaries and positions if they could not agree to work with Sinn…