Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

June 16th is Bloomsday, the day in 1904 on which all the action of James Joyce’s novel Ulysses happens. This is celebrated each year in Dublin when Joyce enthusiasts dress up in period costume attend readings, eat breakfast including fried kidneys, tour Dublin City visiting various places (mainly pubs!) mentioned in Ulysses.
A great time is had by all for the week leading up to 16th of June and for anyone vaguely interested in Joyce or Ulysses it is a wonderful experience.
Why not stay in Blooms Hotel in the heart of Dublin’s cultural district for the Bloomsday celebrations – but book early because the hotel is likely to be booked out well in advance.

Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys is at the O2 Dublin on
21st May 2010 (Time to be confirmed)
Tickets €44.20 – €65.70 from Ticketmaster.
Hotel accommodation near the O2 can be booked at Clarion Hotel  Dublin IFSC
or The Holiday Inn Dublin City Centre

Legendary former Dire Straits Guitarist is to do a concert at The O2 Dublin on
19th May 2010 at 8.00 p.m.
Tickets: €54.89 – €59.80 from Ticketmaster
This is part of the Get Lucky Tour which encompasses 60 shows in 20 European countries.
Accommodation near the O2 for the show can still be booked at The Clarion Hotel Dublin IFSC
or The Maldron Hotel Cardiff Lane Dublin

The disruption caused by the volcanic ash has brought home to us our dependence on aviation. Holidaymakers stranded abroad, holidays cancelled, business meetings abandoned, hotel bookings not filled are among the consequences – costing millions to the airlines and other businesses.

But hopefully this is a relatively short-term and rare disruption.

And what of the long-term future for flying?

This would seem to be largely dependent on the availability of relatively cheap oil for aviation fuel. Estimates of when the world’s accessible oil reserves will run out vary but many experts put it at about 40 years. The demand for oil is increasing at a phenomonal rate especially in China and India, so that 40 years may be an optimistic estimate.
As oil gets scarcer and harder to extract it will get much mre expensive.

Alternative sources of energy are available and are being developed and there is a good chance that the world will have alternative transport systems based on electrical power sufficiently developed.

But where is the development of alternative technology for aviation? What is the alternative to the jet engine and aviation fuel?
Researchers in both military and commercial aviation have been working on developing alternatives. Bio-fuel and hydrogen are among the possible alternatives but experts say that these alternatives are unlikely to become a reality for decades at least.

Perhaps we should enjoy flying while we can.

The EC, the IMF and Greece seem to be near completion of a deal which is likely to cost European countries about 100 Billion Euro over the next two years.

This follows on the spending of tens of billions to bail out banks in Ireland, Spain and other European countries.

One of the consequences of this is that the Euro is now weaker against the US dollar than it has been for a number of years. Therefore European exports will be more competitive and also Americans will be more likely to visit Europe, stay longer and their dollars will be worth more.

As I said before, it’s an ill wind……

Stevie Wonder is scheduled to perform at The O2, Dublin on 24th June 2010.
Tickets will be on sale from Thursday the 29th of April through Ticketmaster and other usual outlets throughout the country.  This is part of a European tour.

Stevie Wonder has had 49 top 40 singles including 32 number-one singles,

One of his best-known hits is “I Just Called to Say I Love You,”

This event is expected to be very popular so early booking is advised.

For those travelling from outside of Dublin there are many hotels, bed and breakfasts and hostels in the vicinity of the O2.
See here for booking accommodation, dublin hotels etc,

Dublin fans of Rock Star and celebrity Bret Michaels are shocked at the recent collapse of the star from a brain haemmorhage. There have been concerted efforts recently to get Michaels to do a gig in Dublin soon but this is less likely than ever as he remains in a critical condition in intensive care in an undisclosed hospital.

His condition is said to be caused by a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which causes bleeding in the spaces around the base of the brain.

Doctors say that about 10 percent of people don’t survive this event.  About another 25 per cent don’t make it through the first couple of days in the hospital and 30 percent make a full recovery.

Doctors remain hopeful for a full recovery but it can take several weeks or months of intensive care and rehabilitation.

So, Dublin fans will have to wait a little longer.

Will Ireland’s economy return to growth through international investment or through the efforts of local small industries?

With the lack of credit available for the foreseeable future it is going to be difficult for indigenous industries to make any substantial impact soon.

The office letting market is still very challenging in Dublin but was eased somewhat last year by the takeup of office space by companies such as Facebook (1,050 sq. m at Hanover Reach) and Amazon (1,300 sq. m at Kilmainham Square). It is encouraging that International on-line operators are continuing the lead of Microsoft and Google by locating substantial parts of their business here.

Ireland offers many advantages to companies as an international headquarters location. As well as our  tax advantages, we  have a large, well-educated labour pool, vacant office space at competitive prices, and improving communications infrastructure.

There has been some haemorrhage of business relocating to cheaper labour markets of eastern Europe and Asia but Ireland is still an attractive location for many companies.

Whitney Houston was determined to fulfill her engagement at Dublin’s O2 Arena despite the fact that her flight was grounded because of the volcanic ash cloud.

Appearing at the O2 on Saturday 17th, Sunday 18th and Tuesday 20th  of April Whitney drove from Birmingham to Holyhead and got on the ferry for Dublin.

This tour has been dogged with problems. She was forced to cancel her first three engagements because of health concerns which landed her in a Paris hospital.

Well, here’s what we’ve all been waiting for- it’s the bank holiday weekend, and a richly deserved chance to relax and recharge. And with the off-licenses closed for business, in theory we should all be having a healthy evening in.

Realistically, there’ll probably be more drinking done tonight than most other nights of the year, judging by the queues to stock up on ‘refreshments’ last night. And maybe its time to ask, is there really any point to this Good Friday ban? At best, the absent minded may find themselves without a drink for a night. At worst, it encourages nationwide binge drinking. (Forbidden fruit and all that).

I may be biased though. I didn’t make it to the shop myself, and I’d love a frosty beer.