One of the satisfying upsides to having a blog is that you get to share the cool stuff that’s going on in your life with the world. I caught up with an old friend recently. Richard Needham is his name and his family were my next door neighbours when I was growing up in the West of Ireland. We…
Tag: Ireland
Be genuine with questionable haircuts
As my stretch of employment in Camden Town comes to a close, I can’t help but get a little reflective about my time spent here. When I first started working in this famously rowdy district three years ago, it would not be a stretch to say that I was far from keen on the area. However, as I’ve…
Everything is awesome
Strange though it may seem, the only thing I enjoy more than going on some wild and drunken travel adventure is the returning home. No matter how brief the journey, I get a real kick out of seeing what’s changed in my absence and I’m certain that this partiality can be traced back to my…
Some news and thanks #LWIBloggies2016
I wasn’t going to post again today, but I just received an email informing me that Critical Dispatches is now a finalist for the 2016 Blog Awards Ireland. Thank you everybody who voted for this blog! I am both flattered and eternally grateful for the efforts made to push this site through to the final…
The changing of the guard
As much of a disappointment as it was to see last month’s mural in Stucley Place being defaced almost as soon as it had been painted, it looks as though that unfortunate piece has been succeeded by this work by Australian artist James Reka: Just a short post today as I have quite a lot…
Do the Truffle Shuffle!
I’m back in work after some time off due to a wicked case of that damned Optic Neuritis. I went for a walk at lunch to see if anything has changed in the neighbourhood and was pleased to discover a few new pieces of street art, including a rendition of Chunk (from the 1985 movie…
Saint Patrick’s Day Parade London 2016
On Sunday morning, thousands of revelers gathered in Central London to celebrate the annual Saint Patrick’s Day festival and parade. Patrick may be the patron saint of Ireland, but it’s not so well known that the man mythology claims to have driven the snakes from Irish shores was actually born in Britain. In light of…
A Very Quick Story
I’ll tell you a quick story while you’re here and I have the time to spare. I have a good friend who worked as a barman for the years he was seeing his way through his tertiary educational commitments. No-one who knows an honest day of work would ever challenge you in saying that tending…
Is this photograph of the Irish Coast the #Dressgate of 2016?
Last year, it was an argument over the colour of a dress. This year, it’s whether or not the image itself is even real. On 2nd February, Irelands Hidden Gems.com posted this striking photograph of Malin Head in County Donegal by the photographer Michael O’Brien to their Facebook page. Since then, the site’s comments section…
Conor McGregor’s head is totally the same shape as Ireland.
Conor McGregor is an Irish mixed martial artist and current UFC Featherweight Champion. I recently noticed that in just about every photograph taken of the Dublin born fighter, the shape of his head is strikingly similar to that of his homeland. What do you think?
Impressions of poverty – A Dublin Story
If you’ve ever listened to the song Running to Stand Still from U2’s Joshua Tree album you will have heard about the Dublin neighbourhood of Ballymun in the lyric, “I see seven towers but I only see one way out.” Located on the northern periphery of Dublin city, Ballymun was at one time Ireland’s largest and…
A hump like a snow-hill
Caught in a downpour, I rounded a corner on my way through town and was greeted by this beauty. It brought me right back to my home off the coast of County Mayo, Ireland. Every few years a whale will wash up on the shore and it’s always a spectacle for the locals. Some families will…
Blog Awards Ireland 2015
In a very interesting turn of events, I have been long-listed for the Blog Awards Ireland 2015 under the Best Diaspora Blog category. This is cool news, I must say. Thanks go out to Tenderness on the Block for the nomination.
A Rural Idyll in Steady Decline
The people of that plainly built farming town led simple lives and were proud of the hardship and forfeiture rural existence assumed of them. They knew their place in that world and – as is customary in such isolated surroundings – they conducted themselves with the same sheltered constancy as so many of their forebears had done for generations before.
Some Time Off On Achill Island
The good people of Achill will always ask how you are fixed for a drink, be it a water, a jar of stout, or a whiskey to warm you after a walk in the rain. There’s always a relation or a friend visiting from abroad and the people who live here want to show a…