No doubt the world of corporate sport is rotten. Witness a corruption beleaguered FIFA and the processes of displacement that unwinds anytime a major occasion sets down anywhere from London to Rio. Yet things can be different. Turlough Kelly chats to Gabriel Kuhn who has uncovered a beautifully illustrated history of activism in sports going way back. The book is full of extraordinary and arresting images, many from the early … Read More
Pathetic PEGIDA.
Above: rabble’s footage of the fascists legging it off can be seen on Youtube. Elsewhere, Flickr user BagelCurry shared an album of gorgeous monochrome shots from the demonstration yesterday too. So, after all their online bluster and hype yesterday saw a pitiful turn out from PEGIDA, while their scattered far-right sympathizers were forced to cower in the side streets of our capital. When it came down to it pathetic PEGIDA were … Read More
Limerick Makes A Move.
There’s far more to hip-hop in Limerick than the Rubberbandit’s codology. It’s roots run deep. Rashers Tierney had a very late night chat with Shane Curtain, he’s the chair of Make A Move – a community arts festival that you should really mark on your calendar. Some of the other rabblers were down at Make A Move last year. Reports were good. Can you give us the low down on … Read More
#Take5: Dublin’s Best Trad Sessions.
FAO all discerning music nerds, acoustic instrument enthusiasts, folkies, traditional culture buffs, or just anyone who’s sick of the forty shades of shite that come spewing in torrents out the doors of every second rate tourist-trap in Temple Bar. 1. The Cobblestone, Smithfield Square. As obvious as it might be, this list would be a big pile of balls without mentioning it. The pub will probably be known … Read More
All’s loud on the Christian Front
In the 1930s a number of religious anti-communist organisations emerged in Irish society. Donal Fallon profiles the Irish Christian Front, a short lived but influential body. In recent months there has been major debate on the role of religious organisations in public life and discourse, though there is nothing new about conservative Catholic organisations attempting to influence decision makers here. If there was a monster under the bed for … Read More
Checkity Check Yo Self.
Harry Browne, Author of The Frontman: Bono (In the Name of Power) gives us the low down on defamation, libel & the almighty power of the litigious. Libel is scary. As professional reporters, editors, presenters and producers, libel haunts us. In our every working moment, and in all too much leisure-time too, lurks the fear that we’ve said or suggested something, or we’re about to say or suggest something, … Read More
#meEjit: Baseball Cats And Dead Palestinians
On Thursday 15th two Palestinian teenagers were shot dead by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank. Kevin Squires reports what the Irish media shamefully ignores. Nadeem Nawara (17) and Mohammad Abu Daher (16) were shot, from a distance, with live ammunition following a demonstration outside the notorious Ofer prison, an Israeli detention centre located near Ramallah. Inside Palestinian prisoners, interned without trial are currently on hunger strike. Neither were armed, … Read More
#clubbersCognotes: Dancing On Narrower Ground
Belfast might not be synonymous with sweaty dancefloors and top-notch line-ups, but a fledgling scene has taken root and is dancing to the beat of its own drum. Tiarnán Ó Muilleoir dishes up the ravey gravy. If your knowledge of dance music and Belfast doesn’t extend further than the live news cycle, you might be surprised to find there’s more to it than dodgy pills and drunken teenagers fighting at … Read More
Pete Seeger – 5 Anthems of Great Movements
Iconic American folk singer Pete Seeger has died aged 94. A long-time socialist activist, Seeger’s music is a history of great American movements of the twentieth century – from industrial trade unionism to the Civil Rights battle against segregation and the protests against the Vietnam War.
Martin Luther King in today’s America
In the final installment of our three-part interview series with Guardian journalist Gary Younge we explore the relevance of Martin Luther King’s politics to today’s America.