The Limerick Blogger: latest Limerick news and Limerick events

According to figures released by the Central Statistics Office, 1,190 people joined the live rejister in June.  The figure went up from from 19,810 in May to 21,000 in June

There was an annual increase on the overall Limerick City and County figure of 96 percent..  This would indicate that the rate of job losses is slowing down a little..

In Kilmallock, the figure increased from 2,336 in May to 2,487 in June.  There was an annual increase of 104 percent in the Kilmallock live register figures.

In Newcastlewest, the number jumped from 3,329 in May to 3,476 in June.  There was an annual increase of 122.3 percent in Live Register figures for Newcastlewest.

In Limerick City, the figure increased from 14,145 in May to 15,037 in June.  There was an annual increase of 89 percent in the city.

Met Eireann has issued a weather warning for East Munster and parts of Leinster, worth noting if travelling over night or early in the morning.

Issued at 01 July 2009 - 21:00
Rain warning
Rain extending northwards across many parts of the country Wednesday night and Thursday will turn heavy or thundery in places, with a possibility of severe downpours and of localised flooding (Leinster and east Munster most at risk). It will then clear away northeastwards again during the day.
Warning valid from 02:00 to 16:00 Thursday 2/7/2009

Weather Radar
Live Lightning detector

Gardai have taken in for questioning a 24 year old male in relation to the murder of James Cronin from Ballinacurra Weston.

The male, who was arrested at 0805 hrs on Tuesday morning, is being held under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act at Roxboro Garda Station, and can be detained for up to seven days.

Mr. Cronin’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave in a field near Calidonian Park in Prospect two days after another man, Mark Moloney.

It has been suggested that Cronin was murdered by members of a criminal gang fearing that he was about to turn himself in to Gardai in relation to hte Moloney killing.

More detail from the Leader.

UPDATE: LimerickNewswire.com reporting that a second male, aged 22 has also been arrested in relation to the Cronin murder.  The man was arrested on Wednesday morning, the site reports.

It is a busy couple of days ahead for those planning a night out in the city.  Here are the events which have been passed on to us.

Trinity Rooms 6th Birthday Celebrations

The Trinity rooms have laid on a number of events to mark their sixth birthday.  With an invite, which can be picked up from the Clubhouse at any time, and a €5 charitable donation, punters will have a choice between 90s dance icon, Snap!, or live music in the Clubhouse.  More info can be found at TrinityRooms.ie

And the weekend in the clubhouse has a number of acts.  From the blurb

This Thursday and every Thursday in July its Live Jamacian Ska band Skazz in the Clubhouse from 10pm! No entry charge and Drink Promotions all night long! So if you love your ska or even if you don’t , These guys are going to keep you entertained right through the night!

This six piece are the embodiment of the ska movement starting out as a swing and jazz outfit and converting in early 2007 to pure ska vibes. In keeping with their jazz roots,s. Having already shared stages with the likes of The Skatalites, Prince Buster, The Pioneers, Syramip, Dennis Alcapone, Winston Francis and Delroy Williams, and with dates this year including the Cork Jazz Festival,Electric Picnic, the Bray Jazz Festival,the Kippertronix Festival in Wales and Ska Splash 2009 their clearly on their way to stardom!

Down at Trinity Rooms Its all about Free Stuff ! Direct from San Francisco,  Damon and the Heathons swing by on Sunday night for yet another great night to round up the clubs birthday weekend! Damon and the Heathons combine the sounds of New Orleans brass bands with Detroit garage rock, blues, jazz, and funk to create a sound best described as horn-fueled Oakland grit. The San Francisco Herald called them “Disco Punk with a fantastic horn section!” Don’t miss this one it kicks off from 9pm.

‘99 Problems’ are Ireland’s premier live hip hop covers group, who bring together a unique blend of live performance and the best of popular hip hop & rn’b tunes. This energetic and vibrant group are a six-piece band, who perform tracks by artists, such as the Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and Rihanna, as well as many others. The band is fronted by vocalists, Leon and Sarah, who simply live and breath hip hop music, and have been performing individually on front of large crowds from a very young age. Their harmonies, rapping and on-stage interaction creates an exciting spectacle, which must be witnessed. The music behind these two is provided by the professional musicianship of Liam (keyboards), Colm (guitar & synth), Marcin (bass) and Ken (drums & percussion).  This week they will be joined by legendary Irish Dj Glen Brady aka Dj Wool, Back in Limerick from his US Tour as one half of Band the Glass. Together, this blend of freshness and energy will certainly provide a show, which truly cannot be missed! 99 Problems play every Saturday in the Clubhouse at Trinity Rooms this July from 9pm with free admission before 11pm including late club!

Confessions

Don’t forget, as mentioned a couple of days ago, Confessions launches downstairs at Scotts just off the Dock Road (Alandale) on Saturday 4th of July.   The nwe LGBT night kicks off at 2330 hrs and will be launched by Madonna Lucia, who was one of the organisers of the first ever Eurovision party to be held in Limerick.  That proved to be a success and we wish them well with this new venture.

More rugby related than Limerick related, well it is the 2009 Lions, so I guess it is more Limerick related than most tours.

We’ve been asked to give a mention to the Chasing the Lions site which Hector and Riostard from RTÉ are updating during the 2009 Lions tour of South Africa

From the blurb

Following the success of Chasing the Lions in 2005, Hector and Risteárd will bring exclusively to members, unique daily on-line broadcasts from South Africa with all the latest breaking stories, interviews and rugby coverage. Membership is €25 and includes a free limited edition DVD at the end of the tour and a free €15 Paddy Power bet – plus all the unique daily online content.  The content will supplement the current Sky coverage – by providing greater insight into what is happening on the ground in South Africa.
The site can be viewed by clicking here.

Some new opportunities for gay, lesbien and bisexual members of the community to meet and get in touch have been launched in the last week.

First up, is a web-based community GayLimerick.com. The online community is based on the GayCork.com model, which, in it’s seven years in operation, has proved to be very successful.

Another LGBT related launch due this week will see an end to Gay nights out being a bi-weekly event.

On alternative weeks to the La Boutique” which is held in Dolans, Confessions, will run from downstairs at Scotts off the Dock Road.

From the blurb:

Madonna Lucia is an established Drag Queen performing artist who along with her partner Sheila Fits-Patrick has appeared at numerous venues around the country. She has performed at Dublin pride and at the Alternative Miss Ireland in the Olympia theatre in Dublin. Both Sheila and Madonna are active in their local community and enjoy attending events and supporting causes in aid of the LGBT community. She is currently hard at work with the Limerick Pride festival which has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2007. Madonna is an active canvasser for the visibility and equality of LGBT people and is proud to represent Limerick as an inclusive community where being gay is just part and parcel of everyday life.

“This is a wonderful place to live and work. Whether you are a sportsman or a hairdresser people hold you in the same high regard,” said Madonna. “It is of course my hope that ‘Confession’ will become a crucial part of the scene in Limerick, and the wider community of Clare, Tipperary and indeed Cork. Many people travel to Limerick for a night out and will plan around venues. If you provide a reputable venue and a good clubbing experience people will come, and more importantly they will return.” Madonna emerged as a performer out of the Alternative Miss Limerick pageant in 2005. The AML and La Boutique are run by Nicole Dunphy in Dolans. The Warehouse hosts the AML every October and donates proceeds to HIV charities here in Ireland.

“‘La Boutique’ is one of the best nights in the country and it is my hope that ‘Confession’ will compliment it. ‘Confession’ will run opposite to ‘La Boutique’ so that on any given weekend there will be a club venue to cater to the LGBT community. We believe it makes more business sense to cross promote our venues in tandem with ‘Riddlers’ gay bar so that we can build the gay scene in Limerick. This is one of the best towns for a night out and it is in our customers’ interest that we all continue to thrive and grow.”

Confession is in a location that is ideal for individuals who appreciate discretion and safety when meeting others. “Lots of guys in particular are using the internet to meet up. For young people this can raise all sorts of concerns especially if they are in the ‘closet’, preferring not to disclose their sexual preference to family and friends. Even though its 2009 people can still be treated badly and homophobia still exists. I always prefer to see people meeting in a public place; it’s safer if it doesn’t work out and it gives you other options!”

The club door policy is over 21’s with smart or club dress essential and right of admission is reserved in line with equality legislation. This is a straight friendly venue open to all. Entry to the club is a recession busting 10 euro before 12.30 each night and 15 thereafter. A VIP area is in place which can be booked in advance by mailing confessionatscotts@gmail.com.

Madonna will be hearing confessions from 11.30pm on July 4th.

While we are in a nostalgic mood…

This was found on Cheebah, who subsequently found it on YouTube

The person who owns this film reel discovered it recently, and is hoping members of the public might be able to identify the people in it.

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