The Limerick Blogger: latest Limerick news and Limerick events

I took the day off yesterday, so a belated election Diary today. There were no statements released on Wednesday, well at least not to us anyway, so you didn’t miss much. The weekly papers have started coming out though, so here is a brief run down.

• “NO FIANNA FAIL OR GREEN CANDIDATES HERE. Public Servant living here – you voted for the levy, now we’re voting you OUT OF OFFICE (and we’ll be back for the general election)”.  That is one of the messages which appeared on houses throughout the city asking government party candidates to leave their occupants alone in the run up to the election.  The warning was featured in the Limerick Independent on Wednesday.  Full story here
• Fianna Fail candidates are being met with anger in both the City and County, according to this report in the Leader.
• Richard Smith, the man who was earlier this year convicted of animal cruelty, and who is running in the Adare electoral area as an independent, has criticised the animal rights group AFAR for failing to attend a public meeting in Adare where he promised to respond to their recent press statement calling on the people of Limerick not to vote for him.  Members of the Limerick Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals did attend however.
• The full list of candidates in the City and County elections are availible in the Leader and Post for anyone who wishes to view the list.

“I’ll nick it while you keep lookout” – Local election candidate Pat O’Sullivan with European election candidate Dr. Alexander Stafford

Just some of the goings on from the last 24 hours.  I’ve got a number for Pat McCarthy, I hope to call him when I get a chance, thanks to the person who passed the number on to me..  And now for the round-up

• Independent local Election candidate Pat O’Sullivan believes that the people of Limerick should make the Limerick Poem work for the city. see statement below
• Those who missed the Ireland South Election candidates on Vincent Browne on Monday can now watch the video on the TV3 website

Unedited press statements received today are below the fold

(more…)

Limerick School Of Art and Design are wrapping up their degree with an end of year show and as always it is open to the public. On exhibit will be final year projects from all departments within the college, Printmaking, sculpture, painting, graphic design, ceramics and fashion.

Where: Limerick School of Art and Design Clare Street Limerick.

When: Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 6:00pm 3PM

Until: Friday, June 19, 2009 at 5:00pm

This is also the official opening of the newely refurbished college, please note times and dates are subject to change so please keep an eye on this posts for any updates.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE: 

Please note time change, its on at 3Pm :)

After a relatively quiet weekend, our political hopefuls are back in headless chicken mode in the run up to the Elections next month.  Am still looking for local and European candidates to interview, any interested parties should mail me at editors@limerickblogger.org.

So here is what has been going down over the last 24 hours.

• Fianna Fail leader, Brian Cowen was in the county promoting the local election candidates.  He took time out from the campaign to sympathise with the family of former mayor Paddy Kiely, who died over the weekend.
• Kevin Kiely of Fine Gael has cried shenanigans, accusing Fianna Fail candidate Joe Crowley of dirty tricks, removing his posters and replacing them with his own.  Crowley claims that he simply wanted to move the Fine Gael posters so that he could put his own adjacent to Brian Crowley’s posters.  Brian Crowley is running for Fianna Fail in the European Elections.  The incident is said to have happened on the Ennis Road.  Limerick Leader story.
• Following all of Fianna Fail’s guff about Libertas not declaring their financial contributions in a propper fashion, we find they are guilty of the same offence.  Shenanigans of a financial nature revealed on Irish Election
  
• Sean O’Neill, who is running as a candidate in Limerick South, is calling for Limerick City Council to address the issue of dangerous driving in the Ballinacurra Gardens area of the city.  See statement below
• Rugby star, Peter Clohessey has rowed in behind Alan Kelly in the European Election.  He posed for photographers as part of the Labour Party’s campaign today.  A shame they gave us just under two hours notice though.
• Sinn Fein’s Toireasa Ferris launched her campaign officially today.  Stating that the time had come for change, she said “My generation is the one hit hardest by the collapse of the Irish economy.  We are the ones who are most likely to loose our jobs and our homes due to the ill thought out policies of others.  We are the ones left wondering at what future awaits our young children.”
• It is matters on Mainland Europe which have the attention of Kathy Sinnott however.  Responding to a French newspaper report that France is wiling to ditch the European Parliment soujournes to Strasbourg in exchange for an EU military headquarters, she said that while she is in favour of the former, she was strongly opposed to the latter.

As always, unedited press statements received today are below the fold.  If you are a politician and are feeling left out, add us to your press release mailing list.  Our address is editors@limerickblogger.org

(more…)

It’s getting to the end of the study year, and no doubt thoughts are of finding summer work, or for those in their last year of college, finding a career.  But, for one night, they are being asked to forget the recession for a night of comedy at one of the LCAD end of year events.

From the blurb

As part of LSAD end of term celebration Schnitzel are bringing us Daniel Kitson for a show set to be not good but great! Tickets from LSAD students union or on the door on the night!

As well as stand up, Kitson has written and performed “story shows”. The first was A Made Up Story at the Edinburgh Festival 2003, followed by Stories For the Wobbly-Hearted at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2005. The latter show opened at the Traverse Theatre for the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and won a Scotsman Fringe First Award. In 2006, Kitson took Stories For The Wobbly Hearted to the Brits Off Broadway Festival in New York.[2] In June 2006 the story show made up one half of his Regents Park Open Air Theatre appearance, where Kitson’s stories were accompanied by songs from Gavin Osborn. His story show, C-90, opened at the Traverse for the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe. It was awarded both a Fringe First and The Stage Acting Award for Best Solo Show.

In 2007, Kitson toured It’s The Fireworks Talking and the story show C-90 in the UK, Australia, New York and Paris. There was a second Open Air Theatre show in June 2007. Kitson also complemented his Australian tour of C-90 with a stand up show titled At 10PM, Daniel Kitson Will Be Drinking Tea and Blowing Minds, a reference to a line from the movie Dazed and Confused.

It’s The Fireworks Talking that won Kitson the Barry Award – named after veteran Australian comedian Barry Humphries – at the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. C90 was awarded an Argus Angel Award at the 2007 Brighton Festival.

Tickets are 8 for students or 12 for non students and can be got from the Clubhouse LSAD SU or on the Door on the night and include an afterparty!

This is the new coat of arms for Limerick City, due to be confirmed at City Hall at the end of the month.

Aparantly, the current coat of Arms, are not Heraldically correct, and thefact that it was unregisterd since it was first used in the 17th century, meant that it was not protected from unofficial use.

The officially registered coat of Arms will be formally confirmed by Chief Herald, Fergus Gillespie, at a ceremony at City Hall on 28th of May.

The city’s motto, “Urbs Antiqua Fuit Studiisque Asperrima Belli” or “An ancient city, versed in the art of War.” now surrounds the red shield, where as once before it was located below.

Senator Dan Boyle promiced to say something controversial on his Twitter account, and something controversial he did say. After he described some government policy, mostly that linked to Fianna Fail, as a disaster, it caused speculation that the Greens were less than happy about staying in government. Both leaders of Fianna Fail, and the Greens have since denied that we are in danger of facing a General Election in the not too distant future.

Meanwhile, while London’s parliment is reeling over scandal after scandal relating to expenses, Ireland South MEP Kathy Sinnott has announced that she has put her expences online for the world to see.

Only one press release was received over the weekend, and that was from Ms Sinnott on Saturday. This is below the fold.

(more…)

We may not be in the final, nonetheless, the party goes on for the Eurovision final tonight at Scotts.

You can hhear the Sheila Fitspatrick interview from Spin Southwest below

It is my intention to have another interview with a candidate up in the next couple of days.  After I sent out a call to a number of the County Councillors and County Council hopefuls, I got just one response.  I am also interested to know if there would any interest in me trying to get interviews with Connaught-Ulster candidates, seeing as those immediately north of the City boundary will be voting in that constituency.

Anyway, a short one today.

• A poll to be released in the Irish Times later today shows that the last seat in Ireland south will be a three way dogfight between Kathy Sinnott, Toireasa Ferris, and Alan Kelly.  Brian Crowley looks to retain his seat in the constituency.
• They say all politics is local, and it is a local problem which Sinn Fein’s Tom Colopy wants to raise the profile of.  A large concrete slab in a green area in Garryowen appears to have become a magnet for anti-social behaviour, and he would like to see the Council remove it.
• The Greens yesterday launched their campaign manifesto and website.  Details below the fold.

Uneditedpress releases are below the fold

(more…)

A traffic accident on the N24 near Palasgreen has left a man and a woman dead.

The single vehicle accident happened at approximately 0700 hrs yesterday morning, The woman, who was in her 20s died at the scene of the crash, while the male person travelling with her died early yesterday evening at the Midwestern Regional Hospital from his injuries.

Gardai at Bruff are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.