Dramatic Wind Power Solution to Irish Economic Crises

Copy of Press Release...

www.spiritofIreland.org Leading Ireland’s Bright Future

7th May 2009 – A breakthrough national project is being launched today by the Spirit of Ireland Group. Broken into two phases - Step 1 promises Energy Independence for Ireland within 5 Years with a €10 billion stimulus to the economy. Step 2 will see energy exports from Ireland in years 6, 7 and 8 of €3 billion to €5 billion per year or up to €50 billion over the following 10 years. Both phases will seek to help secure Ireland’s financial future.

A national awareness campaign is running across the national print media today to inform the public and precipitate a national discussion in order to develop social consensus around this exciting opportunity with respect to Ireland’s future.

Over 90% of all the electricity we use is generated from imported, fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. We have no control over the fluctuating costs of imported fuel leaving us strategically naked and resulting in Ireland having the most expensive electricity in Europe. Over the past six months a team of very experienced Engineers, Academics, Architects, Geologists, Hydro Geologists, Environmental Engineers, Construction Experts, Consultants, Legal and Finance professionals have been working intensively on ideas proposed by Professor Igor Shvets of Trinity College. The results of this work have stunning implications for our country.

The Problems with Wind
It is essential to deal with the challenges presented by wind energy:-
Its volatility as a fuel source – it is difficult to predict, intermittent and variable in strength.
Costs involved in harvesting the wind and connection to the power network.
Instabilities created in the power network and dispatching difficulties for network operators.
Lack of energy storage capabilities.


The Solution
Hydro Storage Reservoirs resolve these difficulties by storing excess wind energy and providing more generation capacity when required. The Turlough Hill facility is a well established example of this principle.

Professor Igor Shvets has identified suitable valleys on the West Coast, which are ideally shaped. Basic rock dams in a few valleys, will provide Hydro Storage Reservoirs at modest cost. Positioned close to the sea, water volume is not an issue. Japan’s J-Power had built a successful sea water storage facility in Okinawa over 10 years ago. Senior executives and engineers from Japan visited Ireland and confirmed the validity of this approach. Filling the reservoirs with wind energy and using it when needed means that the intermittency of the wind problem is resolved. International Consultants from Canada, the US and Norway contributed to other aspects of the design.

The basic plan proposes to:
· Locate wind farms in suitable areas to harvest energy
· Save the resulting energy in Hydro Storage Reservoirs
· Natural energy released from Hydro Storage Reservoirs is instantly dispatchable and is ideal for both domestic use and export
· Secure energy supplies and save up to €30 billion in hard cash over 10 years on fossil fuel imports

As well as harnessing excess energy for export, the project will create jobs on a local and national level and lead to huge investment in throughout the country. We will have a massive impact on carbon dioxide emmissions.

Social Consensus for a Secure Future
To build a secure future for Ireland, we will have to construct the Hydro Storage Reservoirs, Wind Farms and Collection Networks and connect these to the grid to supply Natural Energy countrywide. Social consensus in the construction of these facilities is essential. Every effort will be made to ensure this is done in an ecologically sensitive manner by using our most talented experts, architects, environmental and civil engineers. We need to achieve consensus and support from everyone to ensure a secure future for Ireland and a better global environment. Local communities play a key role in the success of this project. The principle will be to improve the economic standing and environment of the areas containing the Hydro Storage Reservoirs.



The Costs
To achieve energy independence and save €15 billion in fossil fuel imports over five years, the country will need to build two Hydro Storage Reservoirs at a cost of €800m each. Wind farms will be connected to these reservoirs via a collection network. The cost of adding a MW to the network is €1.3m. Graham O’Donnell, electrical engineer with 20 years International Power Grid experience and spokesperson with Professor Igor Shvets for ‘Spirit of Ireland’ is asking people to now consider the role that we can all play in improving the state of our nation, ‘We want to get people talking about this initiative and realising that there is much we can do to determine our future. We must decide, as a nation, if we want to take this route to prosperity. We can be the controllers of our country’s financial and environmental destiny. If people want to “have their say”, we want to hear them. The purpose of the national press campaign is to actively encourage the public to register their opinion at www.spiritofireland.org’.

Mr O’Donnell continues, ‘By harnessing our wind energy resource, we have the potential to become energy independent and self reliant as a nation. As a result, we will cut our carbon emissions, our energy bill and create jobs and wealth for the future good of the country. Our people, pension funds and Government can invest in and support this initiative. This has potential to be of huge economic benefit to our country’.
The Spirit of Ireland is our people using our talents working together for our country.
Let us begin.

We invite You to register your opinion, please visit www.spiritofireland.org

‘The answer, is blowing, in the wind’ – Bob Dylan (copyright 1962)

- Ends-
For further information please contact:
Ann Corcoran / Eavan Breslin / Lynne McCormack
limetree, 20 Fitzwilliam Street Upper, Dublin 2
Office 01-6432303/01 6432304
Ann’s Mobile 087-6175411
Eavan’s Mobile 087-6086960
Lynne’s Mobile 086-2261881
ann@limetree.ie / eavan@limetree.ie / lynne@limetree.ie

Notes to Editors
Research work to date
The project team brought in expertise from J-Power (Japan), leading international consultants Knight Piesold (Canada) and Devine Tarbell (US). Rainpower (Norway) and Kema (UK) were also consulted. Major equipment suppliers Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Siemens and Toshiba provided detailed equipment specifications and costs. Geographic surveys of potential glacial valleys were undertaken.

Detailed computer models were implemented to assess storage capability of preferred sites and size of required dams. Network designs were considered and cabling options costed by quotation from large scale European suppliers/contractors. Potential power dispatch models were designed.

SIAC construction under the leadership of Managing Director Finn Lyden, evaluated the costs of dams and civil works. SISK confirmed that their costs would be similar. SIAC confirmed the feasibility of tower, penstock and component manufacture in Ireland.

Architects prepared provisional designs of the generator building and visitor’s centres and these were costed by a firm of very experienced quantity surveyors.

Environmental impacts are being assessed with assistance from senior academic colleagues from Trinity College and independent consultants. Consultation is being sought in Brussels.

Energy Independence
To replace €30 billion in imports over 10 years, a peak load of approximately 7000 MW and base load of approximately 3500 MW could be served by an additional 2500 wind turbines and two Hydro Storage Reservoirs. These could be on line in five years. Existing and presently planned Wind farms would also play their part.

Spirit of Ireland
Spirit of Ireland is a volunteer group of Engineers, Academics, Architects, Geologists, Construction, Consultants, Legal, Finance, Students, Writers, professionals and interested people from all walks of Irish life. Your opinions and participation are very welcome. By embracing this initiative, the Spirit of Ireland group believe that Irish people can play a part in deciding their own destiny and the future economic security of the country. The group is a voluntary group and are not involved in this process for any financial gain but rather the knowledge that the future of our country will be financially secure.


Graham O’Donnell - Biography
Graham O’Donnell is an Electrical and Electronics Engineer with over 20 years in control and communications of international power networks. He holds an Honours Diploma in Electrical Engineering from DIT Kevin Street and is an Honours B.Sc.(Eng.) graduate from Trinity College Dublin. He also won a Post Graduate Scholarship to the University of Paris to study Applied Systems.

Graham worked on project management of water, gas and energy projects in Ireland, Europe and Asia before founding his own company in 1988, which specialised in control of power networks and high voltage substations. His company was responsible for design of 400kv Grid Synchronisation equipment for National Grid UK, remote Substation Grid Control for Scottish Power and other large power utilities in the UK. He developed power network control systems in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

In 1988 Graham also co-founded Orbiscom, a company which developed unique technologies for Controlled Credit and Debit Card Payment. The company holds US, European and world-wide patents, which are cross-licensed to Microsoft.
Graham is a widower and proud father of four children.

Professor Igor Shvets – Biography
Igor Shvets (46) was born and grew up in Ukraine. He graduated from MFTI, one of the leading Soviet Universities in 1986 with an MSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, with a Certificate of Excellence. He completed a PhD in 1990 specialising in materials science.

Prof Shvets arrived in Ireland in 1990 and has been based at Trinity College since then teaching science and engineering students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In 2007 he was promoted to a Personal Chair, the highest university academic position. The chair is entitled Professor of Applied Physics. He leads one of Ireland’s most active and productive research groups, enjoying excellent international recognition. Prof Shvets leads the Energy theme within the School of Physics and has also established the Cleaner Energy Laboratory within Trinity College. He also regularly publishes papers in world’s leading Applied Physics journals.

Igor Shvets is probably Ireland’s most prolific inventor at present with over 50 patents and patent applications. From his academic research Igor has initiated two spin out companies, Deerac (http://www.deerac.com/) and Cellix Ltd (http://www.cellixltd.com/). Both companies are export-orientated high-tech ventures producing products invented in Ireland, excellent examples of knowledge-based economy in action.

Igor Shvets is an Irish national. He has been married to Irina, a software specialist with IBM, for 22 years and is a dedicated father of three children.


End.

Ireland CAN PROSPER within 5 years!!

"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for for your country"


I quote JFK's immortal words because I need the help of the Irish blogging community to spread a vital message and create a debate on a proven natural energy solution which will make Ireland energy independent and an economically strong nation.


In recent months I've personally worked in a very small way on this solution with a purely voluntary team calling itself Spirit of Ireland. The team is composed of Irish people who include skilled engineers, architects, academics, geologists, construction consultants, finance specialists, legal experts and many others.

You may have noticed the full page adverts in today's newspapers and interviews on Pat Kenny's RTE radio program this morning with two of the Spirit of Ireland's key people. Various Government Depts. have already had meetings with the Spirit of Ireland and early feedback is already very encouraging.

Please go to http://www.spiritofireland.org/ to learn more and get involved in a national debate. You will find a red button with "PLEASE, PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!"

So what I really need Bloggers to do is to spread the word virally through the blogging community and get Ireland as a nation to debate this idea. This is truly a YES WE CAN opportunity for your country!

Also see copy of today's press release... http://earthanduniverse.blogspot.com/2009/05/dramatic-wind-power-solution-to-irish.html

Thoughts on US Masters and Golf Generally

I'm increasingly enjoying watching major golf tournaments on TV. Over Easter I was well tuned in to the four days of the US Masters in Augusta, Georgia. BBC had coverage in High Definition via the Sky HD box and the golf course looked glorious on our 50 inch HD plasma TV. Taking in the many panoramas of this beautiful location (example photo on left) sometimes made you forget about the golf and agree with the spirit of the sentiment associated with Mark Twain...that roaming a golf course is a beautiful walk - but spoiled by having to hit balls!

Personally, I only play golf once per year at a nice annual event organised by a company whom I do business with. I don't even own a set of clubs and I've a hopelessly short golf swing - spawned from my youth of playing short pitch and putt courses. It's just as well that the yearly event is in a team scramble format as I would not be allowed near a golf course otherwise. Thankfully my putting is average enough to escape total embarrassment. Overall I find golf a very frustrating game to play and I'm a great admirer of people who can play it properly. As an active tennis player I'm used to hitting the fast moving target of a tennis ball. In a golf drive the ball is a pleasingly stationary target and there is plenty of time to prepare for the shot.....yet it is still so hard to do it right!

So, I'm a keen golf watcher rather than a golf player. But I'm beginning to think I've been watching too much of it recent years. This fact just dawned on me because by middle of the third day of the tournament by some miracle I actually successfully picked Angel Cabrera to win the Masters. Why? Well my reasoning was twofold. During Saturday two average guys who had never won a major before were leading the tournament (Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry). I also noticed that Angel's score was creeping up to get nearer. I had watched Angel play and win the 2007 US Open. His demeanor always gives me the impression of a guy who is relaxed and doesn't tighten mentally on big occasions. So I felt...well Angel might not be as skilled as the best in the game but he should be mentally better than Chad and Kenny when it comes to the crunch on the final day.

On a slightly different subject, an observation stuck me when it got to the exciting 3-man playoff. The three finalists were all technically overweight with varying sized bellies! Kenny Perry is 48 years old and could have made history by being the oldest winner of this - or indeed any - major tournament. Both he and to a lesser extent Chad Campbell had visible paunches. But Angel Cabrera (photo left) is even more overweight and at 40 later this year he is not exactly in the flush of youth either. His shape and mannerisms on the course reminded me fondly of my late father (who was a keen golfer himself). The three of them were such a contrast to the superbly trim, athletic and toned Tiger Woods. It all re-enforces the commonly stated joke that playing golf well is 50% mental....and the other 50% is mental too!

There were plenty of other interesting players to watch in this years Masters. Tiger Woods was coming back, we had the great Phil Mickelson and of course the wonderful Irish interests with Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and the exciting new force of the teenager Rory McIlroy.

Looking forward to the US Open in June!

Rome and Vatican at Night

Rome and Vatican at Night
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

A view along the river Tiber towards St. Peters Basilica. Taken during our August holiday. A challenging shot as it was hand held at 1/4 sec and 1600 ISO.

The haunting Pantheon

The haunting Pantheon
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

When we visited Rome in August one of the buildings which had a profound affect on me was the Pantheon. In the bustle of a colourful city square with modern restaurants and buildings was this sepia toned ancient hulking and somewhat disturbing Roman ghost. It totally dominated the square in such a silent and eerie way...the history of 2,000 years etched on its scarred profile. It seemed to exude a menacing boast that all our modern architecture in this square could never match the majesty and longevity of this amazing building built by the bare hands of thousands and thousands of workers with the most basic of tools.

Love Story

Love Story
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

In February I had a Flickrmail from a young Californian man called James. He told me that his girlfriend Emmi was studying in Ireland and he was about to travel over to Ireland to meet up with her on St. Patrick's Day. James said that he was planning to propose to Emmi during his visit and wanted my advise on a nice quiet and scenic coastal location in Dublin for the proposal. Wow, talk about putting me under pressure, LOL! After a little thought I suggested the above elevated location in a large parkland at Killiney Hill and gave him detailed directions.

I didn't think I would hear from James again. However late last month I got another Flickrmail from a very happy James. He told me that the proposal went very well on Killiney Hill and that they both loved the location! So I'm sure you will all join me in congratulating James and Emmi on their Irish engagement.

I took the above shot a few weeks ago as a little tribute to the happy couple while I was up for a regular walk on Killiney Hill. The inserts are photos from James and Emmi which they took themselves on Killiney Hill just after the successful proposal. Yes I know the blended image is probably a bit mushy and sentimental...but I'm an incurable romantic, LOL!

You can visit James and Emmi's Irish proposal page photos at www.flickr.com/photos/jamesemmi/page22/

The Arrival of Columbus

The Arrival of Columbus
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

This is my attempt to interpret the essence of one of my favourite short poems "The Caravels" written in about 1918.
It's such a simple yet powerfully descriptive poem from the viewpoint of a Native American. I love the man's shock and lack of understanding of how the huge ships are moving - only having been used to little canoes with paddles or oars. But in particular the line "His fallen hands forgetting all their shells" is what I focused on in the image. The forgotten shells of course are a physical symbol of the change about to take place from his old way of life. This is why the shells are emphasised a bit brighter and translucent to the sunlight. Also we are told Columbus landed in morning time - hence the low Sun from the east.
Methodology...
The seashore is not the West Indies but a shot I took in Donegal last year!
The Indian is me in silhouette - with a Halloween mask/wig! Taken indoors recently and added to original.
The shells were collected in Sandycove beach and added later with some computerised movement effects.
The three caravel images were found on the Internet and blended in.

The Caravels - by J. C. Squire

There was an Indian, who had known no change,
Who strayed content along a sunlit beach Gathering shells.
He heard a sudden strange Commingled noise: looked up; and gasped for speech.

For in the bay, where nothing was before,
Moved on the sea, by magic, huge canoes
With bellying cloths on poles, and not one oar,
And fluttering coloured signs and clambering crews.

And he, in fear, this naked man alone,
His fallen hands forgetting all their shells,
His lips gone pale, knelt low behind a stone,
And stared, and saw, and did not understand,
Columbus's doom-burdened caravels
Slant to the shore, and all their seaman land.

Spring-Time!

Spring-Time!
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

My youngest daughter Shona (18) enjoys a few jumps around the garden on Sunday afternoon.

What a Turkey!

The Irish national song contest to chose a song for the Eurovision usually bores the hell out of me and I haven't watched it for years...and I didn't watch it this year either. I must admit that initially I cringed on hearing that we had selected a glove puppet - Dustin the Turkey.

I watched the video on the net today and I felt a bit better. I've always said over the last few years that what we needed was a good punchy visual stage extravaganza. This act pulled it off fairly well. It's a crap song and Dustin can't sing but the words are funny and I also wouldn't underestimate the hypnotic effects on the voting masses of the regularly repeated words... "Irelande douze pointe"! He looks funny too and there's dancers and colour etc. The Eurovision is now a money sucking operation aimed at the millions of fools who pay to vote on instant impact entertainment...it is unfortunately no longer an outlet for exposing great music - which often has to be listened to repeatedly to fully appreciate.

I saw also a video of Dustin being interviewed on Sky News....an ideal exposure for him...the TV equivalent the Daily Mirror for instant appeal sugar coated stories. One big thought came to me from watching the Sky interview...ironically it shows we have grown up somewhat as a nation. Twenty years ago we would have been far too embarrassed to put such an act together. We had an inferiority complex as a nation....we would be afraid that other countries - especially Britain - would laugh AT us.

Now it's different. We are confident in ourselves, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the best nations and are better off and more skilled than most of them. We've won the Eurovision seven times - more often than any country. If we want to do something different and put on a light hearted fun show at the Eurovision - then why not!? If it does very well (as it might) it will be the perfect statement of what the Eurovision has become.

Go on ya good thing!

"Am I Walking into Eternity...

"Am I Walking into Eternity...
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

...along Sandymount Strand?" (Stephen in the novel Ulysses by James Joyce)

I went for a walk along Sandymount Strand, Dublin at dusk this evening. It's truly a massive expanse of beach when the tide is out. I thought about the character of Stephen in the novel Ulysses and his philosophical musings as he walked on the same strand in 1904.

Yes it's a timer self portrait and yes the camera got dirty with sand!

"Brooding Darkness...

"Brooding Darkness...
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

...spreads his jealous wings, and the night raven sings". (John Milton from start of the epic poem L'Allegro).

Spotted in Blackrock Park last week during full daylight and given a bit of Moonlight treatment in Photoshop. This general approach was often used in old Hollywood movies - filmed in daylight but darkened and tinted to give a night look - also called "nuite americaine" effect.

Friends

Friends
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

My daughter Shona (right) and her pal Alannah enjoying their dual 18th birthday party last August.

I like this shot because of the way their good friendship is so obvious and the gentle way Shona holds Alannah's hand. I always think that friendships made at school at that age can last a lifetime, even as they go on to lead different lives.

The Old Man and the Birds

The Old Man and the Birds
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

I look this photo last Autumn in Stephens Green Dublin. I've often noticed elderly people taking a interest in being near birds and feeding them etc. So maybe it's something I need to watch out for as a sign as I get older!

Oasis

Oasis
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

Water dispenser in a remote part of Donegal, Ireland.

I played on the computer with selective colour as you can see.

Go Forth My Child

Go Forth My Child
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

Sorry I've been quiet for awhile on the Blog side. My main hobby in the last year has been photography and related interaction with the Flickr photographic web site. Tennis also occupies my time.

I haven't thought of much to say in the blog lately so when I'm feeling blank maybe I'll just post the occasional photo which I've been uploading to Flickr. This shot was taken at home with flash photography of a pose by my eldest daughter Amy and I. The background was added later in Photoshop. It's loosely based on the "Creation of Adam" painting by Michelangelo.

Two Books on Martin Cahill - aka The General

I wrote recently on people's attitudes to the human sides of criminals. This was prompted by Frances Cahill's appearance on the Late Late Show last month to talk about her new book Martin Cahill - My Father. I found myself subsequently buying and reading her book. Given that it was a daughter writing the book I felt it prudent to get an overall balanced view, so I simultaneously purchased and read the book The General by crime journalist Paul Williams.


Surprisingly to me, there was a reasonable amount of consistency about the human side of Martin Cahill in both books. I certainly came away with the view that the man was clever, imaginative, witty, full of ironies and indeed caring for family and friends. He wasn't involved in the drug business and although he certainly injured, terrorised and robbed many people, it clearly seems true that he didn't kill anyone (although there is much evidence on a few cases where it seems he may have tried). Oddly too perhaps for an underworld figure - Cahill neither drank alcohol nor smoked and was not a high social flyer or casual womaniser.


I found both books good reads but there was much more weight and substance in the Paul Williams book. Incidentally the Williams book also inspired the movie The General - in which actor Brendan Gleeson played a great part (and does have a good resemblance facially to photos of Martin Cahill). Having said that, Frances Cahill put together an interesting inside view of Martin Cahill the family man. It's possible by reading both books to unravel a little the areas which may be a daughter's natural tendency to glorify her father. One noticable feature was also Frances Cahill's bitterness to the authorities and the policing service. In spite on the many factual consistencies between the books, there is much left unsaid in Frances Cahill's book (she claims not to know about many things her father was allegedly up to) and there are also some differences. Frances, for instance, doesn't seem to like or accept the notion of her mother and her mother's sister both being lovers of her father. Williams treats this area quite sensitively, claiming that the sisters both loved him and shared him in full understanding with each other and that both had a number of children by him. A kind of happy ménage-a-trois. Williams claims that Martin Cahill was very respectful to women and was indeed very family oriented - as Frances claims too of course.


I've also spoken to a few of my friends who knew the General - one who was a neighbour in the middle-class Cowper Downs area of Rathgar and another who was a detective at the time. From all I've learned on the man my attitude to Cahill has weaved through all sorts of thoughts. My final overall impression is one of a fairly detestable and dangerous individual to most outside his circle of friends and family, but a nonetheless complex and interesting figure. He certainly was very different to other underworld people in his era and in spite of all the ugly activity there is much ironic humour and even warm humanity in evidence. I really would recommend reading the Paul Williams book. It's quite rivetting and actually seems to come across with a balanced treatment on The General's positive and negative traits. The Frances Cahill book does offer some additional internal family insight and certain other information - but it does not present anything like a full view of the General's alleged activities (and indeed to be fair it doesn't claim to). I would certainly only recommend it as a read after having read the Williams book.

1913 Rural Ireland...stunning colour photographs!

I visited the In Search of Ireland exhibition in Temple Bar recently. I would highly recommend it.

It's a fascinating story. Two French ladies, Madelaine Mignon-Alba and Marguerite Mespoulet, aged in their early thirties visited Ireland during May and June of 1913. They were equipped with camera equipment and the newly invented autochrome colour photographic plates. They were destined to capture the first colour photographs of Ireland and it's people. The women were recent graduates of the French based Albert Kahn foundation which aimed to document and photograph the people and places in remote parts of the World which were likely to be subject to irrevocable change in the near future. The women travelled from the Galway area gradually eastwards through the midlands and ended up on the east coast around the Meath area. They seem to have avoided Dublin city and other large towns and were concentrating on the rural people, their appearance, lifestyle and landscape.

When we think of the rural Irish people in the early 1900s the images we have are invariably in B&W. To see the faces and garments of the local people in full colour gives a whole new dimension. I was completely blown away by the exhibition for number of reasons....

The notes and observations made by the French women were just as impressive as the colour images. What came across to me very much was that although many of the country folk were shy of the visitors with their cameras they still warmed to them. I think that being women and French made a difference. They were not a threat as part of any landlord system and the French were traditionally friends of Ireland at least in their common opposition to the British (the enemy of my enemy is my friend!). The intended photography was not part of any oppressive agenda. Nobody photographed was trying to either impress or be obstructive. Indeed - in spite of the 10 second exposure requiring people to be a bit still and stiff -the people appeared really natural in their genuine daily lives.

Madelaine and Marguerite noticed some women with a very dark haired and Hispanic look and postulated that the strong past Spanish Armada connections with Ireland would have produced this genetic feature. I smile to myself at this as we Irish today often think that the recent arrival of settling immigrants is unique in our history.

One of the photos which really wowed me was that of the young dark haired woman with the bright red shawl. On first glance at the girl's features in this amazing colour photograph she could easily pass for a Leaving Cert student in Ireland today. On closer inspection of the photograph the life of hardship does show...her hands and fingers are toughened and nails are grimy from hard manual work and indeed the same could be said about her bare feet. Her teeth look yellowy and in need of modern care!

Although the photographers were in Ireland in the summer months they were greeted with very high winds and much rain throughout their visit which was a painful parallel to the tough, bleak and often tragic lifestyles which they encountered. Some of the notes mention the baron nature of Connemara and the often wide separation of tiny isolated dwellings a well as the presence of typhoid and other sicknesses. They do however also mention some of the stories of the people and their simple optimism. One little story about stones and a cure for headaches stuck a personal reminder for me of the type of tales and cures my paternal granny (who was from a rural background) used to tell me when I was a child. We really are not so far separated from this type of Ireland..and seeing colour photographs of the early 1900s does bring this to mind even more.


There are 54 photos in the collection and plenty of interesting accompanying notes. I would dearly love to read all the notes that these ladies took on their visit, it would make for a great publication. It was not possible to buy any copies of the photographs and photography in the exhibition was not allowed. I did however naughtily sneak a rushed and blurred phone camera shot of the wall print of the girl with the red shawl. It was poor quality.

Update 28 Feb 2011: An Italian visitor to the same exhbition took a much better photo (shown above) and as he kindly said in comments below - this photo should belong to the Irish people. So thank you Gianni, your photo is wonderful. It is terrific to share an image of the first ever colour photo of a young rural Irish girl in 1913. From another comment on my blog it seems the girl's name was Mian Kelly, then aged about 15. Mian passed away in 1973 aged 75. Mian was also a grandmother of another commenter below.

I've since then purchased the full book "The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn: Colour Photographs from a Lost Age". It's available via bookstores or on Amazon. It includes great photos from around the World at the time and a fascinating selection from the Irish visit - including the above.

Do we want to hear about the warm human side of major criminals?

I watched Pat Kenny's TV interview on Friday with Frances Cahill - daughter of the late notorious Dublin criminal Martin Cahill who was also known as The General. Frances has written a book about her father. From what I can gather she has written it from the perspective of a child's view of her father as she was growing up.

Seemingly Martin Cahill was a loving father and Frances' has very good memories of him as she growing up. So the book was an attempt I suppose to show another side of the much hated criminal. Predictably, the messages sent into the show were almost entirely very negative about giving any airtime to a book that showed a warm side to this nasty criminal.

I'm not in a position to offer any useful specific comments on this new book as I have not read it. However, the barrage of negative comments coming in (presumably from people who had not read the book - as it is just published) set me thinking a little of how society view people who do evil. I think we often view criminals as inhuman monsters who have no right to respect for any positive human qualities. We do not want to hear about the side of an evil criminal who loves his daughter and reads her a bedtime story. We fear that by airing such notions that the criminal could be wrongly made to look humane and therefore lessen the evil of their crimes.

Life is never black and white the way we would like it to be. People are never pure 100% evil. But if my own life had been ruined by somebody like the General then I'll admit that my initial tendency would be to winch at the thought of listening to his kind human qualities.

On a bigger scale this attitude also applies in dealing with political dictators and terrorist leaders. Very often democratic leaders cannot accept that such people are anything but psychotic lunatics. No point at all in negotiating, listening and learning how to work such people around to more sensible ways. But like it or not, evil dictators are often lovers of art and music and are tender with children and families. At fundamental levels they are not as different to you and I as we like to believe. They become obsessed on a particular negative track and correcting inputs get ignored or dismissed. But there are many examples of people being persuaded to turn their back completely on violence and evil and leading normal productive lives.

A big subject and I'm not a psychologist, but certainly food for thought. By understanding people better at all levels maybe we have some of the ingredients to approach correction. Closing our ears to the full person seems wrong.

What were you doing when President John F Kennedy was shot?

Without even checking a calendar I can recall that 22nd November 1963 fell on a Friday. I was eight years old. My parents did not yet have television at the time. However my Uncle Paddy and his wife Sheila did have a television and at the end of the school week on a Friday night I was often allowed to watch some TV with them. Their house was right behind ours and accessed from our back garden into their back garden. So that evening I was merrily enjoying some interesting movie on RTE (Telifis Eireann as it was called then) in the inglorious days of snowy black and white reception. The movie was interrupted and a newsflash came up. A rather stunned looking news presenter - the famous Charles Mitchel - came on the screen to say that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas and had been rushed to hospital. Even as an eight year old I was more than a little shocked. Kennedy was adored in our household and had only been over to Ireland in summer of the same year.

My Aunt Sheila's mother Mrs O'Brien was watching the newsflash with me and she was quite upset about it. She carefully told me to rush home and tell my parents about this shocking news.

I ran out the back door and across to our house. I told my mother that President Kennedy had been shot. To my surprise she just laughed and told me that I was confused. Mum knew I'd gone over to watch a movie and she announced to my Dad and I that I must have been watching the movie "PT109" which was about the young JFK and his adventures in the US navy during the Pacific war with Japan. It took me quite a bit of explaining to convince her to turn on the wireless. Our old valve radio seemed to take longer that usual to warm up. Eventually the radio confirmed my version of events and the household went into turmoil. I recall that initially there was hope that Kennedy might live but they speculated that the head wound could render him useless. Not long afterwards the death was confirmed.

I've written before on how important a figure Kennedy was to Irish people. It was almost as if a family member had died and the mood in the house descended into a deep sadness. I remember Mrs Farrell next door coming into our house and bawling her eyes out. Most households had Kennedy photographs on the walls and mantelpieces at the time which had equal status to religious pictures.

The death of Kennedy was really like a personal loss to Irish households in a way that I have never since witnessed in my long life by the death of any public figure. To us he was our proud son who reached the pinnacle. He had pure Irish lineage on his mother and father's side all the way back to the dark days of famine emigration. He was the leader of the most powerful nation on earth and he was ours! People in Ireland in the 1960s were still very introverted in looking out at our status in the World. But Kennedy gave us - myself very much included - the belief in ourselves that anything we dream was possible.

Dublin can be Heaven.

Enjoying Autumn
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

I had an opportunity to pop briefly into St. Stephens Green yesterday in early afternoon while on business. It was a lovely sunny Autumn afternoon and the place was like a paradise of nature within the busy city. I'm sure so many city workers de-stress briefly in this wonderful park on a daily basis.

Country road..take me home!

Goodbye Mountain!
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

Dublin's M50 orbital motorway encloses a warm womb within which I am nurtured. Inside these castle walls I am spoiled with good straight roads, lights at night, slow traffic and low speed limits. Considering the volume of cars, bad car crashes are infrequent and fatalities very rare. I drive down straight wide roads where speed limits of 50kph are enforced with vigour and I feel I am driving at pedestrian pace.

I venture outside the safe womb on to secondary country roads and the feeling changes. Winding narrow roads, blind bends, pitch dark at night. But the speed limit says 80kph or even 100kph. I barely feel safe doing 50kph winding these roads. A representative and well known example to many on the eastern side of Ireland is the very winding road by the river leading from Enniskerry village in Wicklow to the N11 dual carriageway near Bray. Technically it is feasible to weave enthusiastically down this rally driver's paradise at the designated 80kph speed limit. But by golly it is not a safe exercise. If anything unusual happens you are a goner. And of course speed checks never seem to happen on such roads...ironically the police probably feel it too dangerous to attempt.

Something is seriously wrong with this logic. Predictably, most of the almost daily rituals of road deaths seem to be on secondary country roads. Very often it is a single vehicle accident where the driver crashes into a tree or goes off the road at a bend. Young drivers probably feel like wimps if they can't keep up with the message on the ridiculous speed limit signs.

It would seem to me like a no-brainer decision to reduce the speed limit on secondary country roads and enforce it properly.

The Famine Statues

Ireland - past and present
Originally uploaded by John of Dublin.

As with many Irish people, there is one view in Dublin which never fails to emotionally affect me. It is the vista of the iron Famine Statues along the river Liffey quays when seen against the backdrop of the modern glass pyramid shapes on the Ulster Bank HQ. My heart races from commingled emotions of pain and pride. If ever there was a single place which crystalizes Ireland's emergence on many levels then this is surely it.

The mid 19th century famine was a huge event in more ways than we Irish today even consider at a fully conscious level. It is still Freudianly lingering in our subconscious like a genetic imprint. Yes, I know it wasn't a famine in the clinical sense. The rural Irish were over-dependant on the potato with it's big food value per acre for poor families with small fields. I'm not getting into the blame game here as it is possible to throw shots at the British authorities, landlords and the Irish farmers...this is a separate debate. But over a modest period the event contributed to unbelievable misery and the population of Ireland was more than halved through death and emigration.

Many of us have stories in our families which are passed down from the famine. Stories of death and disease and loss of dignity abounded. My father came from a rural background and I always noticed that his family had an irrational fear of hunger. They had enough food of course but they did worry about the potential of going hungry. My mother was from a city background in Derry but they also had memories of the great hunger through Donegal connections. I know other intermediate factors played a bigger part such as shortages in the war years, generally poor pay, etc. But I'm absolutely convinced that the famine was still imprinted in the dark corridors of their brains. They passed similar irrational fears on to my generation. It manifests itself in subtle ways. Have we enough food in the house? What happens if we run out of something? Ilogical hoarding is still present in small ways and we don't even realise it. We hate to see people hungry. The Irish give more generously to Worldwide famine relief per capita than almost any nation on Earth. Even mention the word famine and it still hurts Irish people.

Volumes have been written on Irish emigration from famine times and beyond. It still amazes me how many people Worldwide have Irish roots and who have since then given something back in so many diverse ways. From careful study of the finer points in history it also touches me how many poor nations from various parts of the World were generous with contributions to Ireland during a time of bad communication in the mid 1800s famine years. Even native American Indians and Mexicans for instance. Little to give...but gave a lot.

The famine statues...surrounded by prosperity...a time gate...a tangible reminder of what we came from and where we are. Go there...reflect.

Rocky IV

Okay, following on from the last two posts, we had the tennis championship finals on Saturday. My main physical preparation was a medium 350 calories treadmill run on Friday followed by some sit ups. Oh, and plenty of deep heat for my poor tennis elbow before the match!

So the finals match took place in good conditions for tennis - cloudy, no wind and around 15C. My opponent at 6'2" was 4 inches taller, as well as younger, thinner and faster. He likes to sneak into the net and use his long arms to play volleys or hit overhead smashes. Not a massive hitter in terms of power and a very average server. So my plan was to put him under pressure right from the serve with power shots. As we got going my plan was working like a dream. I got to 3-0 and then he got better but I still managed to get to 5-3 up. I was rifling shots past him as he came to the net - which was part of my plan. However he eventually read this situation well and started to stay back at the baseline much more. I found it increasingly harder to put him under enough pressure and I even started to make more unforced errors. He played a bit better himself and pulled off the first set 7-5.

This was rather frustrating having been ahead by so much. It had been a long one hour first set. My tennis elbow was getter sore, my muscles were tiring. But I just gritted it out and again went off into a 3-0 lead and then continued to a 5-2 lead. After this he creeped back into the match. I can't fully put my finger on it, I think it was a combination of him slightly improving, me slowing slightly and either not hitting hard enough or making too many unforced errors. Either way we ended up at a tiebreak at 6-6. I went ahead in the tiebreak as well but I got a bit sloppy in my shots and ended up losing the set and the match. So he won the finals 7-5; 7-6. It was over two hours long and we were told it was a great match for the spectators. I guess I should be happy that I gave this talented guy a great fight and in truth I certainly had all the chances to have won it. But c'est la vie!

Well it was fun and we had a great spirited party afterwards in the clubhouse. As my youngest daughter wisely said to me later...there are always people better than you in sport...all you can do is keep improving your personal best. It's certainly nice to feel an ability to be competitive in sport when older. Fun and fitness can't be a bad combination!

Rocky III

So from last post you can see that I survived a tough three-setter last Saturday to get to the semi-finals of the club tennis Plate championships. It was so tough that I aggravated a mild tennis elbow pain somewhat into a more painful injury. The semi-finals were scheduled for tonight.

On Sunday I had a usual Sunday morning doubles fun match and it was obvious that the tennis elbow was sore and also my muscles were still aching generally. Yesterday I did a medium 300 calorie workout on the gym treadmill to help my aerobic fitness and also some mild sit-ups. I avoided any arm exercises and later got some deep heat and other cream to help the tennis elbow.

So tonight I had the semi finals. The guy I was playing had just wiped out a fairly good player in the quarter finals (6-1; 6-2). My opponent was older than me (for a change!) and his style of play is very much error-free tennis and great placement. Certainly not a super fast guy or even a big hitter. But he would frustrate the soul out of you by keeping rallies going forever until you would make a mistake, tire out, or he would place the ball very well to beat you. He is notorious for giving good players a lot of trouble.

Anyway my plan was to hit harder and come into the net when appropriate to volley and shorten the rallies. After rubbing plenty of deep heat cream into my sore elbow we got going. The first set was tough and long but after a lot of concentration and effort my strategy largely paid off and I took the set 6-3.

I was feeling good now and that's not always an ideal emotion. He took a nasty lead in the second set to go 3-1 up. Mentally I was now struggling with self belief. I had to try to psyche myself that I could successfully hit big shots. I knew raw power with good placement could trouble him. I gradually got a bit better and went into a 5-3 lead and I was serving for the match. I blew that opportunity and he was serving at 4-5. With a bit more self belief and effort I managed to break him back and won the match 6-3; 6-4. It was long for a two setter at about 90 minutes.

So, I'm in the finals on Saturday...yippee!!! I don't even care if I lose the finals now, it's a great thrill to get this far. But I'll give it a good try anyway!

I also know who I'll be playing in the final...a very tall and fast lean guy who is about 6 years younger who loves to volley at the net. He's not a very big hitter and his serve is quite average. He is very tough though with his long arms at the net and his mobility and good placement. We shall see! At least I'll have a bit of finals glory with spectators watching and a party afterwards!

Rocky II !!!

From my last post you will see that I was whipped in the first round of the club tennis championships by the classy No. 2 seeded player.

BUT......the club had organised a Plate competition for all the first round losers. Mmmmh...rebirth?

So I had my first round match in the Plate competition today. Up against another much younger guy, who is also a fast fit gym rat and a big hitter.

We played in today's hot midday Sun for well over two hours. It was gruelling. I felt I needed to win the first set to have a chance as my fitness is not too high lately due to pure laziness in avoiding the gym and I reckoned I wouldn't last a three setter. Well I made the worst of starts, I LOST the first set 4-6. Not good news!!! I was a bit dejected. But it was a close match and I felt I'd room for improvement.

I won the second set 6-2. But I was tiring, the games were long and close. We then swapped games in the third set to get to 3-3. At this stage I was very burned out. My legs wouldn't respond as well, he was firing shots past me. The age and fitness difference was catching up as we now were about two hours into this marathon match. I was looking down the barrel of defeat.

My mind picks up interesting messages when I'm in trouble. Another idea from boxing came into my head....your punching power stays longer than your legs....a puncher always has a chance. I decided to hit harder shots, go for it more, if I can put him under pressure I might have less running to do! It was pushing myself to the limit but I gave it a go. It was risky and even sloppy at times, but it did start to slowly make a difference. I pulled it off to win the final set 6-3.

So, I'm heading into the semi-final of the competition, yay!! Stay tuned for more!

Stand up and fight until you hear the bell!

When do you know that you're licked, past it, a has-been? I've trouble admitting it sometimes and it was very tangibly manifested to me recently in a tennis match.


Now I'm a late-comer to tennis. I only joined a tennis club in my late 30s and at the time I couldn't hit an overheard serve to save my life! I've improved a lot since then and today I win singles matches more than I lose them against good quality club level players. So it has almost been a flush of youth seeing myself getting better and better at tennis even as I visibly aged....like a good wine or the picture of Dorian Gray in the attic!


However, being realistic, I'm 52 and overweight and I've no right to expect too much from my tennis skills. Recently I entered our club championships and in the first round I was unlucky to be up against the No. 2 seeded player in the club! Now this guy grew up on tennis courts, coached all the way. He's also half my age, fit and athletic. Listing our statistics side by side you would laugh and Paddy Power would make you a millionaire from a €1 flutter if I were to win.


The sad part is that I genuinely thought I had a shot at beating him. I even hit the gym for a few days before the encounter to improve my speed and fitness.


An optimistic start took place in the match. We had two long opening games and we each held serve. After that it was all downhill! I tried really hard and we had loads of very close games where I reached deuce or my advantage. I kept him really busy for an hour and twenty minutes. Sadly, but hardly surprisingly, the score ended 6-1; 6-1 in his favour. He complimented me afterwards and said he had to really concentrate to win.


I do recall several thoughts flashing into my head after each point which this great young tennis player won....


There was something Muhammad Ali had said after his loss in his last ever fight against Trevor Berbick..."I could sense his youth during the fight!"


Or the reply from the mother in the movie "The Goodbye Girl" when told after a tough rehearsal that the local dance group were looking for someone younger...."Okay" she panted. "I'll work on it!"


Why did I beat myself up thinking I could win this match? When I'm out on court a competitive streak kicks in and I just give it everything. I get annoyed with myself if I play badly but I never get annoyed with my opponent.


So when do you decide that you are past it? I'm not ready yet to admit it I'm afraid. I'm tempted to go back to the gym and get ready for next year!!


I'll borrow another quotation from boxing, this time from George Foreman who was knocked to the canvass during a fight against Ron Lyle in the mid 1970s. He told himself as he lay on the ground..


"What are you doing on the ground, George? Get up and win!"


He did get up and then knocked out Ron Lyle in the next round to win the fight. In fact George Foreman went on and on to prove what older athletes could achieve by regaining the World title when aged in his forties.


Get up and win! What a simple and effective motivating phrase to repeat when you seem down and out. It's a phrase I've tried to use all my adult life.

A tale of two 35 year old Irish fathers

On Sunday I watched with elation as 35 year old Padraig Harrington reached the pinnacle of his profession in golf by winning the British Open. It was heartwarming. He embraced his son and his wife. Happiness and warm positive feelings everywhere.

Meanwhile another tall well groomed 35 year old Irish father was spending his first day of a lifetime sentence in prison for the brutal murder of his wife. Joe O'Reilly had potential of achieving for himself and his family the positive happiness sensations of a Padraig Harrington. I wonder if he watched the TV and reflected. Two personifications of the zenith and the nadir of the human spirit.

John F. Kennedy's Irish visit...a brief reflection.

I'm possibly one of the youngest people alive who has a distinct recollection of John F. Kennedy's visit to Ireland in the summer of 1963. I was eight years old at the time. Today marks the 44th anniversary of Kennedy's departure from Ireland at the end of his visit.


One very representative memory actually came from my eighteen year old cousin who was staying in our house as a student in Dublin. She set off on her bicycle to Dublin airport to try to see the President. She left late and was warned by my mother that she would see nothing due to all the crowds. In any event she returned home after a few hours in a high state of excitement. My cousin related to us how she had been peddling along the road on the way to the airport when to her shock she saw the presidential cavalcade approaching up ahead. Stumbling off her bicycle she stood as a lone isolated figure on the roadside and began waving at the big limousine. To her utter amazement President Kennedy spotted the tall attractive lass with the bicycle on the roadside and waved back to her! Well I don't think my cousin could have felt any better if she had been given a personal autograph from the four Beatles!


It's hard to get across today to people how hugely important the Kennedy visit was at the time. Kennedy helped to teach all age groups in Ireland to stop being shy and introverted as part of a small nation. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a great grandchild of Irish emigrants. In many ways he remained a very pure Irish figure from both his paternal and maternal roots. Here he was coming back to Ireland as president of the most powerful nation on Earth. And he was one of us. Plus he was charming, full of humour, young, tall and handsome and had time for everyone he met. It's often a dull cliche when Americans say they love Ireland but there is ample evidence that Kennedy's love was genuine and heartfelt. Personal stories abound of him making time to mingle longer than scheduled with so many local people during his visit.


All his speeches including the address to the Irish Parliament were powerful and easy to follow - even for me as an eight year old kid. He was a great motivator, he respected everything Ireland had achieved and showed us we can reach any goals we dream of. Kennedy himself was living proof of this.

Some of you will remember the idolatry the man enjoyed in Ireland in the 1960s following his visit and indeed his assassination that same year. In our house and most others there were pictures of Kennedy on the wall which enjoyed a respect and reverence only narrowly beaten in intensity by the Sacred Heart of Jesus picture. There was open weeping when Kennedy died and everyone in Ireland from my age upwards can tell you exactly what they were doing when they heard of his shooting.

I don't think it is any exaggeration to say that Kennedy's presidency was the genesis of considerable tangible American commercial interest in Ireland coupled with a growing self-belief that we Irish could stand tall with any nation.

A new Government with a rub of the Green.

Some brief comments....

1. I'm very pleased for Brian Lenihan being made Minister for Justice. He has impressed me a lot in recent years. He is a calm intelligent man of barrister background who never gets caught out in any tough debates. Something about the man's demeanor makes me wonder if he could be Taoiseach material in the distant future....post Biffo (Brian Cowan) I guess. It's also nice to see him carrying the torch of his late father and namesake.

2. The Greens in Government. It can only do good for us all. I think they might be maturing as a party. I've been impressed by Eamon Ryan in debates. John Gormley less so, but let's see what happens. But it's clever how roads were taken out of Environment (Gormley's gig) into Transport and also Roche signing the M3 as his last act. All prearranged with the Greens in the recent hot talks - I've little doubt at all on this.

3. It's a major achievement for Bertie Ahern and assures him of a unique place in history. The tribunal is the only thing which could tarnish him now. However it's looking less likely as Tom Gilmartin's credibility as a witness is fading somewhat following recent retractions etc.

FG and Labour must be as sick as parrots. FF have the numbers, flexibility and clout to do deals with anyone to stay in Government. I've said this again and again in previous Blogs...FG must get bigger organically on their own, they've made a good recovery from the last election and I'm sure their day in the sun will come. As good as Brian Cowan might be as a vote getter and his nice Santa Claus budgets, I don't think he has great personality, nor he is ideal Taoiseach material in the wake of Bertie Ahern. If Biffo leads FF into the next election and FG have Enda Kenny and strong candidates - they could beat FF.

Anyway, a good Government seems to have been formed in my opinion.

Another daughter turns 21!

Our middle daughter, Jill, turned 21 today. It's a nice feeling for us as parents. You think back to her day of birth.

9th June 1986 was a lovely sunny day in Dublin - just like today was. Jill was born at 6.55 am. She was 24 days late and maybe that helped her to turn out to be nearly 9 pounds at birth!

I'll never forget walking down Grafton Street afterwards in the sunshine to buy flowers. It felt amazing. You would think that having experienced the joy of out firstborn, Amy, that a second birth would be getting routine. That was so far from the truth. Maybe because we had been through confusion and fear etc. with a first time experience it was now a time to focus more on the wonders of it all this time. And now there was Amy at two and half years old to be told about it all and be part of it. It was brilliant bringing Amy in to see her new little sister. The start of a lifelong friendship.

Jill has already had her party, so today we had fun with her opening presents. As I type this she is enjoying Beyonce in concert at the Point in Dublin with a pal.

Life ain't too bad at all!

Sgt Pepper taught the band to play!

A bit of deserved publicity yesterday for the Beatles with the Sgt Pepper album's 40th anniversary. I was only twelve at the time but I recall all the hype. It was a big transitional album for the Fab 4 and it got me more and more interested in the Beatles. I think this album was a big artistic break for them and moved them on to being much more than a good pop band with catchy music. What a great album cover too.

I loved Sgt Pepper, The White double album (I recall listening to every single track of it live on radio the night before release - on Radio Luxembourg or Radio Caroline - Grandad on Head Rambles might recall which!), Let it Be and my personal favourite album Abbey Road. I love singing or quoting some mad Beatles lyrics when I'm in a good mood, they are so retro and typical sixties pseudo philosophical. Some examples include...

* Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly, a girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

* It's wonderful to be here, it's certainly a thrill, you're such a lovely audience we'd like to take you home with us, we'd love to take you home.

* What would you think if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me?

* You should see Polythene Pam, she's so good looking but she looks like a man!

* Hey Bungalow Bill, what did you kill, Bungalow Bill?

* When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom

* She came in through the bathroom window, protected by a silver spoon

The latter line was used wonderfully to title a great mad photo done my a young Leaving Cert student in Dublin I've noticed that even many young people still enjoy the Beatles.

Live long and prosper, may The Force be with you!

People whose voices I like...

Blankpaige wrote an interesting piece about some radio presenters whose voices she liked and disliked.

I've tried to think of 10 male and 10 female voices that I've liked listening to over the years. Note that I'm purely judging the sound of the voice, I'm not necessarily a fan of the person. They are also not in any particular order of favourites, nor have I put long thought into this (I'll probably think of others afterwards or regret some of the ones I've chosen!).

Men...

1. Vincent Price - I loved his unique clear, haunting, slightly aristocratic mellow tones.

2. Anthony Hopkins - great clear distinct poetic voice. "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti...fffhhh fffhhh fffhh".

3. Richard Burton - similar reasons as for Hopkins. They are both Welsh of course.

4. Gay Byrne - great intonation and expression, impossible to lose interest in what he is saying.

5. Ian Paisley - a passionate and decisive voice. I love mimicking him (I'm told I do it well!).

6. John F. Kennedy - nice positive delivery, smooth and easy to listen to Boston accent.

7. Ronald Reagan - could inspire and move in his speeches with his soft yet passionate voice

8. John Cleese - great stiff upper lip voice with so many interesting characteristics.

9. Pat Kenny - probably has the clearest diction and best delivery of all Irish broadcasters

10. Terry Wogan - distinctive, laid-back and easy to listen to.

Women.....

1. Hilary Clinton - clear and positive.

2. Mary Robinson - throaty and deep, but pleasant and distinctive.

3. Meryl Streep - soft and wide ranging in expression.

4. Julia Roberts - good clear and pleasant American accent.

5. Audrey Hepburn - sophisticated, friendly, fragile, nice mixture of English/Continental tones.

6. Barbara Stanwick - a bassy voice with good delivery.

8. Jodie Foster - slightly nasal, distinctive and easy to listen to.

9. Grace Kelly - soft and regal.

10. Jennifer Lopez - quite smooth and warm NY accent.

If I was to pick a voice I've personally loved more than any other...it would be that of my spouse. She has a nice soft blend of her parents Derry/Donegal accents peppered with south east Dublin tones. But I'm biased!

Michael McDowell's exit from politics

The actor John Cleese starred in a series of hilarious sales training videos in the 1980s. In one such video Cleese was a weak salesman who nevertheless was warm and friendly to his prospective clients, and they in turn loved him. In one scene Cleese is sitting in an office with one of his prospects and the client is enjoying a big cigar given to him by Cleese. The client tells Cleese how much he enjoys his visits and loves chatting to him. The phone on the client's desk then rings and he takes the call from reception. He seems irritated. After hanging up he says to Cleese:

"I'm really sorry, I'm afraid I'll have to take leave of you now. It's so annoying, you are my favourite visitor. But I've got to see a right bastard down at reception who keeps selling me tons of stuff!"

If ever there was a summary of Michael McDowell as a political creature it might be that he was similar to the successful but detested salesman at reception in the above video. McDowell was not always liked, he could be arrogant, aloof, egotistical, impulsive even. But he was visionary, skillful, single minded, and he got results.

Michael McDowell successfully tackled the insurance compensation culture in Ireland, created conditions for reduced insurance premiums, started the Garda Reserve, added many tough laws on crime and the gangland culture as well as anti social behaviour measures. Not all in the conservative legal World agreed with his tough measures, but McDowell came from a strong legal background himself and knew what could be achieved. I've also written before on how right he was to try to extend the licensing laws to provide many more cafe bars in Ireland.

Even in defeat and departure from politics McDowell was controversial and impulsive. An all or nothing man in many ways. I had thought he would be a great leader in the PDs but in truth he was a lone but skilled maverick. He was not always good at warming to and motivating people, both in his party and with the electorate. He did seem conscious of this as time moved along and I detected he was slowly working on improving his image. I still believe he achieved more in his post as Minister for Justice than anyone before him. Irish politics has lost a powerful, energetic and colourful character who also indeed provided much entertainment for the media.

To borrow from Theodore Roosevelt "...his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Proportional Representation - enjoy the ride!

Many Americans, British and others are confused by the PR voting system and even Fianna Fail many decades ago hated it and tried to get rid of it. But in the last few elections FF in particular have been getting good at vote management with their supporters using the PR single transferable vote (STV) system .

On Friday and Saturday it should be fun studying all the voting patterns, surpluses, transfers on 2nd, 3rd preferences etc. And with manual counting it's going to offer plenty of slow suspense!

Our PR system offers each voter a chance to help elect several candidates who are considered compatible with the voter's desires. With good knowledge of people in the constituency there are many clever possibilities.

For example, if one person is likely to smash the quota (e.g. a popular party leader or a powerful local person) then their surplus can help drag in second weaker candidate with 2nd preferences. This depends on party or pact loyalty being strong.

In another possible case, if one candidate is likely to be elected, but without a useful surplus, then it might make sense for some supporters to vote for a weaker compatible candidate as first preference. If the weak candidate gets elected than that's good. If they get eliminated - well at least your second preference can usually go to helping the prime candidate. If the prime candidate is already elected at that stage of counting by reaching the quota, then the 3rd preference can even help a further compatible candidate. In this case if too many voted for the moderately prime candidate as first preference and they barely reach the quota - then your 2nd preferences for the weaker candidate will not even be counted.

These are just examples of the logic that might be applied and every constituency will have it's own special features. As you can imagine - this vote management game needs careful co-ordination to get the best effect - it could easily go badly wrong if the numbers and estimates are not balanced right. In the end it's the people's choice and there is only so much that parties can attempt with working the system.

Let's get ready to rumble!

Internet fame?

I was in the local Off License this evening. A nice lady approached me and said...

"Hello, John, isn't it?"

Who is this person I thought? I hate when I forget people I've met before. She looked a lot like a neighbour we knew from a previous address, but seemed a bit taller.

"Ah, Eleanor! I haven't seen you in ages", I offered.

"No, I'm Esther" she said.

This was getting weird. Senility is setting in. But at least I got the first and last letters right! I surely don't know an Esther...do I!?

"I'm Claire's mother".

Mmmh, maybe a mother of one of my daughters' friends?

I struggled to think of a Claire. This friendly lady could see I was having difficulty.

"Gingerpixel's Mum! I saw your photograph on the Internet from the photo shoot on Killiney beach".

Ah, the penny dropped! Esther did indeed look like my blogging/photography pal Claire/Gingerpixel. We then exchanged a few pleasantries.

I can safely say that this is the only time in my life that a stranger has identified and spoken to me based on a photo on the Internet. The World is changing!

I'm voting for Fianna Fail and PDs

I don't think I've read one pro Government blog for so long in the election run-up. It's far cooler to be anti-establishment. But I'm brave. Forget all the silly media hype of scoring on individual events, who-said-what and Bertie's modest personal transactions etc. Here's the real deal...

The current Government is a coalition. It works well and has been stable for so long because FF and PDs have similar ideologies and the PDs are of course an original FF offshoot. Plus the PDs are very small but make a useful contribution. There is much hype about McDowell. He has arguably an irritating personality - but by golly he is the best Minister for Justice I can recall in my lifetime. Exactly the right decisive man for the job.

We have largely forgotten about how bad coalitions can normally be. FG+Labour+Greens is quite a bizarre cocktail of ideologies and has a high chance of failure when difficult choices come about. It may not always be apparent at the top table but you can be sure that grass roots in the respective parties will cause hell when it gets hot on policy implementations.

I don't trust this inexperienced Rainbow coalition to do any better on health or spending. It's much more likely they will squabble and argue and waste more time and money. Much of the problem in health is in sorting efficiencies in hospital management, sorting out consultants, increasing services and improving and balancing public and private care. It's certainly not to do with shortage of funding. The Government have a plan in place, it's slow and difficult but it is making progress. Do we really want to tear it all up and start again with a new government of very mixed colours? Can't you imagine FG and Labour arguing over private/public? Not apparent now? Everything sounds rosy when your just talking from the sidelines. Just wait to see them in Government making real and tough decisions.

The bottom line is I like stable democratic Government (which we have taken for granted in the last ten years) - the Rainbow simply don't convince me that they have the ideologies or experience to achieve this.


Footnote....

I wrote this before lastnight's Ahern-Kenny debate. I thought I'd hold back posting just in case I learned something interesting from it. All I learned was that Kenny sounded loud but inexperienced and full of individual anecdotal cases, but Ahern had all the big answers. In theory it's easier for opposition to attack the sitting tenants. This didn't happen - Kenny had his figures muddled - got worse as the debate went on - and just fired out good sounding individual cases when he was being cornered. He couldn't even be clear on economic figures nor be consistent on his Justice spokesman's figures. Can't you imagine how more muddled Kenny would be with Labour and the Greens at his side? Kenny isn't a bad politician but he and his party are still lightweights. Until they get much bigger with better players and can stand a good chance in Government without far left wing parties support, they simply don't have my vote. We may perceive that there are problems in the country now - I sure as hell don't want them getting worse.

Sorrows and lessons from little Madeleine McCann

I hadn't intended to write on this subject but Twenty Major raised a few important questions and we found ourselves in total agreement in our respective comments. His brief article has provoked considerable healthy debate.

As parents who have three daughters who were once Madeleine's age, my wife and I are filled with sadness and sympathy for the parents and the little girl. It's a living nightmare for each one of them. What form of humanity is out there to do this? Whoever did this were once children themselves but must have had a bizarre upbringing.

Having said the above, I cannot help but comment on the fact that it is highly irresponsible to leave children this age unattended in any dwelling. Especially in a foreign holiday resort with such a huge mixture of non-locals and easy access to all sorts of further places to take kidnapped children. I think of the sacrifices so many of us parents make as the kids are small to ensure they are safe - it is a tiny price to pay in reality. They grow so fast and when they are older they don't want to go on holiday with you anyway - as we ourselves have discovered.

If your small daughters are pretty and look different to the locals, they do attract attention. I've noticed this in the past on our own holidays abroad. An example we had was in Turkey when our youngest was just 11. She was getting a lot of looks and friendly comments from some local men. It seemed innocent and I'm sure most of it was. I actually found the Turkish people very nice, but holiday places also attract different types of local people and foreigners. One guy serving us in a restaurant called my daughter a little princess and patted her head a lot. Another guy jokingly offered me a camel for her! I carefully avoided the quip I might have used at home that she was worth at least two camels. You must be careful in these places. The notion of us leaving her in the apartment without trusted adult supervision in these foreign holiday places would be beyond comprehension. I don't buy this checking her every 20 minutes idea. It's not remotely enough and 20 minutes is a very ill-defined term when you're chatting and having drinks.

Madeleine's parents will not read this article and even if they did I'm sure they already now know the lessons privately anyway. The media have - understandably I suppose - not made a major factor of the non supervision of the child in order not to hurt the parents more. This has the side effect however of almost implying this practise as acceptable. So if by speaking the raw truth I can somehow encourage anyone with small children to be very careful on holiday abroad - then it's worth me saying it.

I deeply hope for a good ending to this horrible episode and all other similar cases.

Ireland and UK in Eurovision

In coming last Ireland did really badly on Saturday's Eurovision. I thought the standard was quite high this year from nearly all countries.

In recent years we seem to forget again and again that Eurovision is now big visual , big impact entertainment. It must have instant appeal for public voters all around Europe. It needs major professionalism put into the song, presentation and promotion. It's not near enough just to have a reasonable song. Both UK and Ireland and now increasingly insular remote places to the expanding Europe and it is no coincidence that we both made good company for each other at the end of the voting table. We need much more wow factor and imagination to get even noticed.

Anyway. It's just a bit of fun. Nobody died as they say! Well done Serbia.