Cork beat Kerry in the Munster Final
Cork beat Kerry in the Munster Final so I created this ode to their result.
Add comment July 8th, 2008
Posts filed under 'Cork'
Paddys Weekend 2008
I have uploaded the Paddys Weekend Pictures to the Gallery. I took hundreds but managed to trim it down to around 85 pictures for the site.
3 comments March 19th, 2008
The Sultans of Ping in Cypress Ave.
Went to see The Sultans of Ping yesterday. I was at them a few months ago in Galway and although the band were good the crowd was very small. So I was looking forward to going to see them yesterday where the crowd was guaranteed to be bigger. Well they didn’t disappoint anyway. Really good gig with a lot of energy. I would definitely go to see them again. The were good craic. The bass player went into the crowd for a few songs for a laugh and the lead singer is a mentalist. A lot of laughs. Oh and the music is good as well!
Add comment March 8th, 2008
Cork GAA Rebellion
Many of you are probably wondering why I haven’t said anything about the Cork GAA trouble that’s happening at the moment. The reason is I was undecided about how I felt about in. I always agreed with the players that the coach should be allowed to pick his backroom staff, which I said to the Examiner when asked at a recent rally about the issue. Otherwise it would be difficult to get the best man for the job.
However I didn’t agree with going on strike and refusing to play.
This morning I heard on the radio that they might be a solution imminent as they are entering into binding arbitration. Which basically means they are getting someone in from the outside who will pick a winner, and both sides have agreed to be bound by his decision.
I hope they find in favour of the coach picking his own team but on the other hand I worry that the players will strike again in the future over something else. They should really ensure that another option is made available to them when there are issues like this in the future. And I believe Frank Murphys powers should be reduced because I personally put the blame squarely on his shoulders for this.
I am a member of 2 GAA clubs and no one has asked me my opinion on this. It is just the County Board (i.e. Murphy) making decisions for the rest of the county.
On a lighter note here are two of the funnier jokes I got on this.
It looks like Pairc Uí Caoimh is up for rent on Daft.ie. Or see a screen shot here if it has been taken down.
And it seems the Cork strike it affecting Corks youngest supporters the most. 
Add comment February 15th, 2008
Underwater Camera
I got an underwater camera from Lorri for my birthday. So come the summer hopefully I can post some nice underwater photos from around the Irish coast. It’s very cheap for an underwater camera. Not the most high tech (it doesn’t have an focus option) but its a great entry level camera. The next cheapest one I could find is around €499. I’ll let you know what the quality is like when I get a chance to use it. You can take it out of the case as well and it’s nice and small so it might be useful in the pub as well.
If you are interested in looking at underwater pictures from Ireland check out the Cork Sub-Aqua Club.
1 comment December 18th, 2007
Rebel Panels officially on strike
I read in the Examiner today that the two panels are now on strike. It is no longer just the footballers!
“As of now, the Cork players are officially unavailable to the hurling and football managers. They have resigned from the panels.”
So what does this mean? Does it mean we are going to give our opponents a walkover in matches, maybe even not contest the Championship in the Summer?
“There is a clear understanding among the group that this could mean opting out of inter-county action for the year. Some have already presumed that.”
I agree with the sentiments of the panel, not allowing the coach to pick his selectors is a stupid move but surely if the clubs voted that was the players should follow it? I mean that is democracy after all. You have to go with the will of the majority, even if the majority are idiots? I mean just look at the Government we’ve had for the last few years.
I don’t know if I agree with them going on strike. Perhaps holding up games for a few minutes or something a little less extreme would sit better with people. They’ll have to be careful now that a new panel is drafted in and they lose their place. I mean it is a team sport. People come to follow Cork and not necessarily the individuals who are playing for Cork. As long as there is a Cork team on the field Cork people will follow it, regardless of who makes it up.
I really hope they County Board and the clubs rescind the ruling for the good of Cork hurling. But they may not because of the strike action. They will probably be worried if they rescind the ruling the players will go on strike for any little grievance in the future.
However the last time they went on strike they came out playing better than ever after it. So maybe it might be for the best after all.
Add comment December 10th, 2007
Yu Ming is ainm dom
I went to to see some Irish Short films made by a company called Filmbase in the Cork Film Fest on Friday.. Some of them were very good. I particularly enjoyed one called Yu Ming is ainm dom. It’s about a Chinese guy who learns Irelands national language (Irish) and then can’t understand why no one has a clue what he is saying when he arrives here. Very true and very funny. But don’t take my word for, watch it for your self below.
Another one I enjoyed was called Buskers about a young Dublin Kid who goes Busking for money. But he has to rethink his locations when an Eastern European kid moves in on his territory. Of course after initial strife they learn to work together. A very smart way of commenting on how Ireland is changing and how we deal with it.
There were also some other films which were quite good but for some reason all of the films seemed to be based in Dublin which was disappointing as it dealt with some social issue unique to Dublin which alienated some of the audience as it was based in Cork.
It would be great to see the same type of short films show next year but with a Cork (or at least Non-Dublin) slant.
1 comment October 23rd, 2007
Plans to increase Páirc Uí Caoimh capacity to 60,000
Read in the Examiner today that the GAA are trying to get planning to increase the capacity of Páirc Uí Caoimh to 60,000. That is badly needed in Cork becuase the nearest place for good size concerts would be Millstreet. I am not sure how many games they could hope to play there though. I don’t think anyone wants the Munster Finals to leave Thurles. Just becuase you have a shiny new stadium doesn’t means games are going to be moved there (look at limerick). But from an infrastructure point of view (Concerts, events etc.) I think it is great! And any money made can go to the local GAA community. Result!A few quotes from the article.
“The extra seating will put the venue on a par with Glasgow Celtic FC’s Parkhead ground, Liverpool FC’s proposed new stadium and Arsenal’s Emirates base in London.”
“Outside Ireland, only grounds such as Manchester United’s Old Trafford (76,212 seats), London’s Wembley (90,000) and Paris’s Stade de France (80,000) have a higher capacity in Europe. “
“If approved by the city council’s planners and leaders, Páirc Uí Chaoimh will also get an ancillary all-weather pitch as well as a 400-space car park and a dining facility. “
“Cork is one of the most progressive counties within the association while the standard of hurling and football is something that can only be admired at a distance by most counties. “
“Cork set a template for others to follow so it’s no surprise that these plans are so ambitious: the city is the second largest in the southern part of Ireland, so it’s important the GAA has an impressive presence in Cork”
It is not yet known if the stadium will be demolished and rebuilt over a larger area, or whether the venue will be replaced stand by stand.
Full story here.
Add comment October 17th, 2007
Why is Cork Airport so Expensive?
I was trying to book a flight from Cork to Rome yesterday as I plan on taking my Mother to the Vatican for her birthday. I was booking a flight in April for 3 people from Cork and it would cost €1,700. The same flight from Dublin only cost €180!
What a huge difference! Why is this? I mean Cork and Dublin are not that far apart, the fuel costs must be the same. The only reason I can think of is because Cork has higher charges than Dublin. Probably because of the debt (€100,000,000) they have been left in by the Government who promised to leave them debt free after they broke away from Aer Rianta.
If I am correct then I feel that is a pretty insane state of affairs. I would love to support Cork airport (as I live in Cork) but it is cheaper for me to travel by train to Dublin, stay the night and then fly out from Dublin airport the next day. Are the government trying to totally kill tourism in Cork? It probably has an effect on business deciding to hold conferences, and maybe even start businesses, in Cork as well.
Areas of Cork (North and West especially) have been marked as severely disadvantaged areas by the EU. People are leaving in their droves and multinationals (such as Molex in Millstreet) are closing down. Surely everything possible that can be done to keep Cork a viable place to do business should be looked at?
Dublin should be able to absorb the debt without much fuss as it is the capital (although not the real one ;) ) and people will always be travelling there for tourism and business. So raising the prices there slightly would have no huge effect on them.
I seem to remember that the Greens signed some contract stating that if they got into power they would wipe the debt. So where is the movement on it?
5 comments October 11th, 2007
