"The number of people who buy books in Ireland would not keep me in drink for the duration of the Sunday opening time" Brendan Behan

I’ve always loved this quote by Brendan Behan, Ireland has always been a place where writers have flourished, however like other arts it’s not always the most fruitful endeavour.  

I’m not entirely sure how blogging compares to the great writers who have gone before us, or to the hard working journalists who toil for minimum wage despite uncertainty of job security. However what I do know is that there are a lot of great Irish bloggers out there and it’s good to be recognised as part of that community for Bloggies 2018.

This year TCV has been nominated under the personal blog category of Best Current Affairs & Political Blog. The other nominations include:
 

1. 1169 And Counting: On the go since 2002 and blogging about Irish History and Irish Politics
2. An Sionnach Fionn: Last year’s gold medal winner in this category, an Sionnach Fionn or “The White Fox” supports the restoration of Ireland’s indigenous language and culture through the peaceful establishment of a pluralist, all-island Gaelic Republic, with regional government for the Six Counties.
3. Ciaran Tierney: Last year’s silver medallist Ciaran Tierney has taken to blogging and freelance journalism after working as a staff journalist for the Connacht Tribune for over 22 years.
4. Cinders Magazine: Ireland’s newest free online magazine, discussing the big ideas that are on teen girls minds from mental health to feminism, while all the while talking fandoms, books, movies and television.
5. Disordered World: Silver winner in the commercial category in 2017, disordered world slots into the personal blogger slot this year. Written by author Ian Hughes, the blog explores the possibility that a small proportion of people with dangerous personality disorders are responsible for most of the violence and greed that scars our world.
6. Jessica Thompson: Another blogger with a huge cv, Jessica Thompson is a journalist and entertainment editor at the Longford Leader. Her blog explores all things Connaught and serves as a great example of freelance journalism. Although I would imagine it needs some updates to make the shortlist this year.
7. Jtonmostlypolitics: This blog is written by labour party spokesperson Joanna Tuffy and covers social debates on housing, equality, and party events.

The full list of bloggers and categories is available from the blogawards website, best of luck to everyone involved.  

Earlier in the week the greatest Rose of all time, Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabháin tweeted:

“I entered @RoseofTralee_ with a tongue piercing, physics degree & a willingness to represent my county on a national stage. I understand that not everyone agrees with it, but it is a hugely important network for the diaspora&Irish culture. I loved my year as Rose”

The Rose of Tralee means different things to different people, for some it’s about heritage and culture, for others it’s about bumper cars and glow sticks. One thing for sure is that The Rose of Tralee differentiates itself from swimsuit pageants and goat ceremonies.

Exceptional women from across the globe enter the competition with the chance of being crowned the Rose of Tralee, some have tongue piercings, some recite poetry, some even campaigned for abortion, and yes they are all lovely girls.
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Sadly not everyone gets the chance to see the pale moon rising above the green mountains, here are some of this year’s fantastic entrants who didn’t makes it to the final stage of the competition:

1. Ahed Tamimi – Palestine

​Sponsored by Mary Black in the earlier rounds but unfortunately Ahed Tamimi couldn’t make it to Kerry because she was in jail for slapping an Israeli soldier. On 24 March 2018, Tamimi agreed to a plea bargain with prosecutors whereby she would serve eight months in prison and pay a 5,000-shekel ($1,437) fine.

2. Israa al-Ghomgham - Saudi ArabiaSaudi (only confirmed photo is from when Israa was a child)

Arabia’s entry couldn’t make it as she was arrested for offences including calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to anti-Shia government discrimination. She has been sentenced to death for political activity and is likely to face a public execution by beheading under Saudi ‘anti-terrorism’ legislation.  

3. Atena Farghadani – Iran
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​Atena was imprisoned for drawing political cartoons which satirised the government, in effect drawing Iranian leaders as monkeys and cows. After her sentencing Atena was subjected to a 'pregnancy test' and a 'virginity test' for shaking her lawyer's hand. Amnesty International considers her a prisoner of conscience. More than a year and a half after she was first arrested, and after a huge international campaign for her release, Atena was freed from prison on 3 May 2016.

4. Berta Carceras – Honduras
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​Berta Carceras was a Honduran environmental activist, indigenous leader, and co-founder and coordinator of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). Cáceres was shot in her bedroom just before midnight on 2 March 2016, a year after winning the prestigious Goldman Prize for leading a campaign against the Agua Zarca dam on the Gualcarque river, considered sacred by the indigenous Lenca community. 

5. Wu Rongrong – China

​Wu Rongrong is best known for being one of China’s “Feminist Five” – a group of women arrested in 2015 for planning a campaign to tackle sexual harassment. The arrests, which coincided with International Women’s Day, led to an international outcry, garnering support from the likes of Hillary Clinton. Although the women were released, the “Feminist Five” have remained under surveillance. Prior to her arrest, Wu Rongrong was a leader of the Women’s Rights Action Group, whose bold, creative stunts have drawn public attention to gender inequality and sexism. The group have shaved their heads to protest against discriminatory higher college admission requirements for female applicants, and worn wedding dresses spattered with red ink to protest against domestic violence.

In January the president of the United States announced his fake news awards which got me wondering, do the Irish media get enough credit for challenging the establishment?

I decided to chronicle some of the ‘Real News’ stories that challenge the narrative. I haven’t updated this since February, so here are my list of media awards from March to July.

The March real news award goes to Jody Corcoran for his article in the Independent called “Civil Service ‘politicisation’ a real concern over Leo’s spin unit”. The article criticises ‘Project Leo’ and highlights the failings of The Strategic Communications Unit. 

Also credit to The Irish Times for carrying a story titled ‘UN report says Israel a ‘racist state’ and ‘apartheid regime’. The article informs that the report concludes ‘Israel has established an apartheid regime that dominates the Palestinian people as a whole’.

April’s award goes to Pat Flanagan (@patflanagan1) for his article in the Irish Mirror called “Owning a home is being pushed out of reach of ordinary people”. Another really honest article on the crisis Pat writes “This social catastrophe did not occur by accident. What is unfolding before our eyes is a physical manifestation of Fine Gael’s neo-Thatcherite policies.”

The Real News Award for May goes to @christinafinn8  who writes for the Journal. In the aftermath of the Repeal The Eight result Christina writes “Fianna Fáil, which has spent decades in power since the foundation of the State, appears to have lost touch with the public mood” in her article “Ireland shedding its old skin, but will that include Fianna Fail?”

The June award goes to @UnaMullally for her opinion piece in the Times called “Direct provision fits with our history of incarcerating the innocent” in which she calls for all of us to stand up and demand that direct provision be dismantled. 

The final award on offer for July goes to @Ste_McDermott  who also writes for the Journal. His article called “Child Homelessness rises 35% during Eoghan Murphy’s first year in office” demonstrates the extent of the problem and also how inactive the government have been in solving the crisis. The fact that numbers are increasing should be causing outrage.  

Picture used in this post is from hostilehand.com by @GerMangan