It’s getting quite a lot of coverage since being released last weekend but I enjoyed it so much I think it’s worth another wee push. I was lucky enough to see a preview of it a few months back in the Lighthouse cinema in Smithfield which I think might be just the place to try see it yourself being more cosy and intimate.

His & Hers is a documentary that follows the life of an Irish woman in the midlands from toddler to pensioner but told through the eyes of over 70 different ladies. It’s a really interesting concept for a movie provoking all sorts of questions while being beautifully shot and edited. A film with so many different characters must have been a major challenge to piece together coherently but it is done so excellently and the film flows seamlessly as a complete narrative.

The movie has been receiving a fantastic reaction both nationally internationally, most notably picking up an award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It’s funny, entertaining, moving and something that most Irish people will identify with – after all, between the lot of us we’ve all surely had a grandmother, a mother, a sister or a daughter at some stage of our lives.

It’s on nationwide release since last week. You can find out more about where to catch it here and meet the cast of 70 fun and fascinating ladies here. Thanks to Element Pictures for the chance to see it. Enjoy

We danced home to the sound of this guy last night:

And started the day humming this lovely tune:

“Self Aid was a benefit concert held in Dublin, Ireland on 17 May 1986. The purpose of the concert was to highlight the chronic unemployment problem in Ireland at the time, with nearly 250,000 people unemployed. The 14 hour concert was the largest that had ever been staged in Ireland.”

Via Irish Independent

Or this was the view from your front hallway:

Photo by @Mediaflash

I’ve been listening to the radio on and off all week hearing reports of continued bad weather, the entire Shannon being in a state of flood, bridges and roads being closed, towns, villages and cities all but shutting down completely. I’ve had more calls from my dad in Clare this week than I’ve had all month he’s so shocked at the state of things around him in the west.

It’s almost impossible to get your head around the damage that’s been done since this time last week. Listening to victims during the week talk about how they have had to split their families up and divide children between relations, to others talk about the stench of waste, rotting food and sewage in homes and streets, to people searching somewhere to rent to simply have a roof over their heads was really shocking.

What shocks me further is the apparent lack of support for these hundreds of people. The government have pledged an initial €10m fund (subject to means testing). Some say it’s not nearly enough, some say they can’t wait for means testing.

I remember the fantastic fund-raising that was done all around the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a few years ago. Why hasn’t there been the same response to our own neighbours? Is it the recession? Is it a case of ‘out of sight out of mind’? Or do people just not realise how bad it is in areas like Ballinasloe, Claregalway and towns along the Shannon?

Let’s help them out!

Newstalk have set up a flood victims fund account with AIB. If you go into any AIB branch you should be able to make a donation to the account which has the sort code 93.10.12.

Saint Vincent de Paul and the Irish Red Cross are also accepting donations, be they financial or materials like clothes, bed linen etc.

If anyone else knows of ways we can support those affected, leave a comment or drop me an email and I’ll list it on a new page.

There’s only 4 weeks until Xmas eve – at the very least, let’s try and give the families some comfort for the holidays or some hope for the time ahead – things are in a dark enough state as it is.

Caherlea, Co.Galway via Irish Independent

Parteen Weir, Co.Clare via Limerick News Wire

The Irish Times is reporting how the ASTI are defending their 90-minute picket this morning.

From AA Roadwatch just now:

*MAIN TRAFFIC* *A1/DOWN* Approaching Newry on the A1 there are reports of approx 6km delays from the Dublin side.

* M50 northbound traffic is busy but moving at J5 Finglas and J4 Ballymun off ramps. (That’s Ikea for those who don’t know.)

I heard this song on the radio this morning and have probably listened to it 20 times since. I’d forgotten how much I love his voice, his lyrics, his interpretations of the songs of others and above all his style of guitar playing which happened about when he had to alter his method due to a serious round of tendonitis.

So who is Luka Bloom? Well he’s the younger brother of Christy Moore born Kevin Barry Moore in Kildare in 1955. The stage name is a marriage between Luka from Suzanne Vega’s song ‘My name is Luka’ and Bloom from James Joyce’s Ulysses.

He has released a stack of albums over the years with his own rather unique flavour of folk/soul/jazz running through them. Luka is live in the National Concert Hall this Saturday with Eddi Reader as part of the ESB BEO Celtic Music Festival 09. Check out more of his music on lukabloom.com or say howdy on Facebook.

I happened upon this video below earlier when indulging in some of his live clips on YouTube. It was filmed as part of a documentary about him called ‘My Name is Luka’ a stone’s throw from my house in Ballyvaughan, Co.Clare where he apparently spends quite a bit of time. He talks about how songs can connect people and places even if they’ve never been there before. Got some gorgeous shots of the beach in too – look forward to visiting it at the weekend.

• Virginia Agricultural Show (Cavan) is 68 years old, has over 400 judging classes and €50,000 prize money up for grabs
• Damien has a chocolate allergy but can handle the lower cocoa value stuff
• You can do the local lotto for many GAA clubs in Ireland online at locallotto.ie
• Microsoft will support IE6 until 2014
• Gmail has been putting a lot of genuine emails into the Spam folder lately and it is rather annoying

The blurb goes like this:

“We will turn Dublin’s tallest building into a giant public canvas—and we want you to play with it. Our simple tools allow you to animate your thoughts and broadcast them on the city skyline.”

Today’s article in the Irish Indo says that 330 windows combined with some sophisticated LED lighting will turn Liberty Hall into a huge, electronic canvas as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival which runs from September 24th to October 11th.

Sounds wicked, and I’m loving the really cute n sexy website. Full info will be available on August 24th according to the www.daft.ie/playhouse page. In the meantime you can keep tabs on developments via Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo and Flickr.

U2 - POP

While Achtung Baby remains my favourite U2 album, 1997′s Pop comes in at a very close second. I’ve heard U2 describe it as something like ‘their greatest unfinished piece of work’ and I agree entirely.

I think some of their best work is on that album from lyrics to riffs & beats to the gorgeous artwork.

Mofo – Live in Mexico

The accompanying PopMart tour was one of the most elaborate and iconic stadium shows to tour the world featuring a huge LED screen, a 100ft high golden arch and a huge mirrorball lemon. Similar to the previous Zoo TV tour, the lavish set & imagery were all parth of a theme designed to poke fun at consumerism, materialism & popular culture.

Gone – Live in Mexico

U2 brought the PopMart tour to Sarajevo becoming the first major band to play there after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina following a series of controversial satellite links to aid workers there during their Zoo TV tour.

Do You Feel Loved – Live in Las Vegas

The show was recorded in Mexico City in 1997 and was re-relased on DVD in 2007. If just for the spectacle alone, it’s worth a watch. I can still remember the first time I saw the video for Discotheque on TV & just loving the sound they were creating. I was in my last year of primary school at the time & remember wishing I had an older brother or sister to take me along on the bus trip to Dublin for the concert. I had to settle for watching the PopMart video once it was released & I watched it so often that it eventually wore out! Here’s hoping for one or two Pop classics this weekend in Croke Park

Discotheque – official video

360 stage at Croke Park, taken by @gavreilly

First off, props to Gav for TwitPic-ing progress on the 360 stage construction that’s going on up at Croker – looking epic!

Today I’m picking out another song from Achtung Baby today, which is my favourite U2 album by a mile. When rooting around on YouTube for a video, I learned that the ‘single version’ was quite different and not nearly as raw & punchy as the original. According to U2.com, the single released was the ‘Temple Bar Edit‘. Recorded after a night in Dorans or The Mezz eh lads?

So forgive the visuals and enjoy the sounds, a compromise worthwhile I think you’ll agree

Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses (album cut)