A quick look at NYC’s gay ballroom dance scene… “My dad said you have three strikes against you in this world. Every black man has two, that you are black and you are male. But you are black, you are male and you are gay – you are going to have a hard fucking time. He said if you are going to do this, you are going to have to … Read More
Sunday Screen: Charles Haughey Parading
Here’s an old documentary of Charles Haughey parading around Ireland like the top notch prick he was. It’s a sure fire way to ruin that Sunday morning. We’d advise watching with extreme care. This video nasty came to us via Conor McCabe. He had this to say on it. “Charles Haughey’s documentary on how fabulously wealthy he was. Made in the 1980s it has Haughey flaunting his wealth while telling … Read More
Your Household Tax Is Going To Good Use.
Ah right, so that explains the urgency around the household tax. And just in case you forgot what Big Phil said about its introduction back in July: “It is internationally accepted that local services are administered by local authorities and financed by local service charges. Ireland is now moving along a path to a local and sustainable funding base for local government. Effective local governance requires strong local decision … Read More
Carers – We can’t take anymore
There are an estimated 180,000 carers in Ireland today. The government’s latest budget has seen a 19% cut to the respite care grant. We went to the Dáil today to speak to those demonstrating against these cuts; carers, their loved ones, a politician and a carers’ representative.
New History Group For The Batter
Just came across this over on Facebook. A new people’s history group being established for Smithfield and Stoneybatter. Some of us rabblers get all wet with any mention of people’s history. Who we are…. The aim of the Stoneybatter & Smithfield People’s History Project is to foster an interest in the local history of our area. We believe that history is a cultural resource that grows in the sharing. … Read More
Democracy comes visiting
‘The right of the citizens to assemble peaceably and without arms.’ Article 40.6 Irish Constitution. As your rabble roving reporter was walking down a drizzly Dame St. this evening Gardaí came running through traffic to intercept two men with Palestinian flags in front of Eddie Rockets, pulled them across the street where one of them was arrested and taken away in a Garda van. 100 yards further up the street pedestrians … Read More
Return of the Booze Cruise
The increase on excise duty in today’s budget puts us in mind of the great holiday jaunts of pre-boom Ireland. The booze cruise was a strange phenomenon in pre-Ryanair days whereby your mates would nick a shopping trolley from Quinnsworth and £7 foot passenger ticket for the ferry to Holyhead, fill up with duty free tobacco and alcohol and divvy it up on return that night. Great Days. Our British … Read More
An Interview With Come Here To Me.
We started CHTM! at a perfect time when blogging, social media and the idea of User Generated Content (UGC), I think, really exploded in popularity. Blogs began to be taken more seriously, Facebook offered the chance for websites to set up their own ‘pages’ for their fans to engage with and people working in history and archives began to see the benefits of utilising social media for crowdsourcing etc. We also appeared at a time when more and more older people, whether Dubliners or ex pats, started to use the web and digitize their old photos and vinyl records. At the start of 2009, there were 400k Facebook users in Ireland. It’s close to 2.5m now.
Enter the Void: Macronite and Limerick Scene Report
Welfare visits Limerick’s Dolan’s Warehouse for Macronite and comes away impressed. Here’s his scene report on the night. When I heard last July that the always-forward-thinking Macronite crew had booked the Manchester pairing of Indigo and Biome I instantly marked the date in my diary. Indigo,(real name Liam Blackburn), has been one of my favourite producers for years, providing me a steady flow of varied and intricate bass oriented releases … Read More
Foetal Attraction at the Dáil
rabble is down at the Dáil for yet another protest. This time there’s a fierce whack of incense and baby powder. Thousands have turned up for a Life Institute organised rally complete with large mobile screens carrying Youth Defence videos. Your reporter would like to note that I have never been challenged so often at any demonstration as this evening as to whom I ‘represent’, which paper, and do … Read More