Visit Ireland the home of Cricket?

The Irish Cricket Team victorious over England

It seems that Michael O'Leary, the CEO of Ireland's budget airline, Ryanair, couldn't resist buying full page advertisements in the British newspapers today following Ireland's amazing victory over the English team in the Cricket World Cup in Bangalore, India. Ryanair does all its advertising in house and in its time has probably offended everybody with its “no holds barred” approach but this time even I had to chuckle at this advert celebrating the amazing win by an amateur Irish team over England on the 2nd March.



So warmest congratulations to Kevin and Niall O'Brien on Ireland's amazing victory over England in the Cricket World Cup. Kevin O'Brien blazed the fastest century in Cricket World Cup history as Ireland pulled off an astonishing victory over England in Bangalore. He smashed 113 off 63 balls as Ireland recovered from 111-5 to overhaul their target of 328 with five balls to spare and three wickets in hand. Earlier, fifties from Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell had driven England to an imposing 327-8. But O'Brien's stunning assault powered Ireland to a famous triumph. Only three days after England's thrilling tie with India, Bangalore's M Chinnaswamy Stadium played host to another of one-day cricket's most dramatic encounters as Ireland produced the highest run chase ever at the World Cup.


Kevin O'Brien doing the business in Bangalore, India

Now, for those who don’t know, and the point of the Ryanair joke Cricket has a very limited following in Ireland as it was traditionally seen as a “foreign game” and is not widely played. I'm proud to point out the O’Brien brothers are sons of my former boss Brendan "Ginger" O'Brien, an Irish Cricket International of some note himself and members of my former club, Railway Union in Sandymount, Dublin.


Sandymount Green with Ryan's Pub. I worked in the office on the left and lived by the DART in Oaklands Park



Sandymount Strand

Indeed I both lived and worked in this charming urban village which is by the sea only 2 miles from the centre of Dublin. Sandymount is a quaint suburban village huddled around an old-fashioned green and despite the encroachment of various multinationals and franchises; Sandymount is still essentially a seaside village full of quirky owner-run businesses.


Jimmy Joyce

For more on James Joyce and Dublin see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/06/james-joyce-and-me.html

James Joyce referenced Sandymount in Ulysses, indeed Bloomsday is meant to be the anniversary of his first date with his inamoratas, Nora Barnacle, on Sandymount Strand. The first official Bloomsday celebration took place in 1954 when Paddy Kavanagh, Flann O’Brien and the publisher John Ryan, among others, met at the Martello Tower to re-enact scenes from the book. The ensuing pub-crawl ended, rather messily, in the Bailey much later that same day. Revellers still come to the strand every June 16th. You’ll also find raucous singing and colourful costumes at the annual Wren Boys celebration at Sandymount Green on December 26th: one of the few remaining enactments of this ancient rite.




The Wren Boys at Sandymount Green on St. Stephen's Day, 26th December


For more on the first official Bloomsday celebration see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/07/on-raglan-roag.html

The local pubs are very much part of village life. O’Reilly’s, established in 1922, is popular with locals and interlopers alike and is a favourite gathering place for barstool sports enthusiasts. Star batsman/wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien used to work here and an enthusiastic bunch of local fanatics took up residence in front of the TV during last year’s Cricket World Cup. Indeed when I lived here Tommy O’Reilly had the pub comprehensively refurbished – nothing too special about that except Tommy was 78 at the time! Ryan’s Sandymount House, with its multifarious nooks and crannies, is an ideal spot for an afternoon pint and I remember Gussie Ryan as a real gentleman, indeed once I bumped into him in Searsons in Baggot Street and after he left the barman sent over a drink “compliments of Mr. Ryan.”




Railway Union's grounds at Park Avenue


Railway Union is a mixed Sports Club which as well as Cricket hosts Rugby, Hockey, Soccer, Tennis and Bowls from its fine base at Park Avenue, Sandymount. Originally set up by Railway workers as the established clubs wouldn't let the working class "scruff" join it is now very much part of the life of this charming seaside suburb where I have many happy memories. Before you get too carried away with my sporting prowess I must confess I was (at Brendan O’Brien’s kind nomination) a mere “Pavilion” member and Railway Union provided an excellent late night drinking den and an alternative banking facility!

http://www.railwayunion.com

A special for all you Tamil speakers!

Visit Ireland the home of Cricket?

The Irish Cricket Team victorious over England

It seems that Michael O'Leary, the CEO of Ireland's budget airline, Ryanair, couldn't resist buying full page advertisements in the British newspapers today following Ireland's amazing victory over the English team in the Cricket World Cup in Bangalore, India. Ryanair does all its advertising in house and in its time has probably offended everybody with its “no holds barred” approach but this time even I had to chuckle at this advert celebrating the amazing win by an amateur Irish team over England on the 2nd March.



So warmest congratulations to Kevin and Niall O'Brien on Ireland's amazing victory over England in the Cricket World Cup. Kevin O'Brien blazed the fastest century in Cricket World Cup history as Ireland pulled off an astonishing victory over England in Bangalore. He smashed 113 off 63 balls as Ireland recovered from 111-5 to overhaul their target of 328 with five balls to spare and three wickets in hand. Earlier, fifties from Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell had driven England to an imposing 327-8. But O'Brien's stunning assault powered Ireland to a famous triumph. Only three days after England's thrilling tie with India, Bangalore's M Chinnaswamy Stadium played host to another of one-day cricket's most dramatic encounters as Ireland produced the highest run chase ever at the World Cup.


Kevin O'Brien doing the business in Bangalore, India

Now, for those who don’t know, and the point of the Ryanair joke Cricket has a very limited following in Ireland as it was traditionally seen as a “foreign game” and is not widely played. I'm proud to point out the O’Brien brothers are sons of my former boss Brendan "Ginger" O'Brien, an Irish Cricket International of some note himself and members of my former club, Railway Union in Sandymount, Dublin.


Sandymount Green with Ryan's Pub. I worked in the office on the left and lived by the DART in Oaklands Park



Sandymount Strand

Indeed I both lived and worked in this charming urban village which is by the sea only 2 miles from the centre of Dublin. Sandymount is a quaint suburban village huddled around an old-fashioned green and despite the encroachment of various multinationals and franchises; Sandymount is still essentially a seaside village full of quirky owner-run businesses.


Jimmy Joyce

For more on James Joyce and Dublin see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/06/james-joyce-and-me.html

James Joyce referenced Sandymount in Ulysses, indeed Bloomsday is meant to be the anniversary of his first date with his inamoratas, Nora Barnacle, on Sandymount Strand. The first official Bloomsday celebration took place in 1954 when Paddy Kavanagh, Flann O’Brien and the publisher John Ryan, among others, met at the Martello Tower to re-enact scenes from the book. The ensuing pub-crawl ended, rather messily, in the Bailey much later that same day. Revellers still come to the strand every June 16th. You’ll also find raucous singing and colourful costumes at the annual Wren Boys celebration at Sandymount Green on December 26th: one of the few remaining enactments of this ancient rite.




The Wren Boys at Sandymount Green on St. Stephen's Day, 26th December


For more on the first official Bloomsday celebration see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/07/on-raglan-roag.html

The local pubs are very much part of village life. O’Reilly’s, established in 1922, is popular with locals and interlopers alike and is a favourite gathering place for barstool sports enthusiasts. Star batsman/wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien used to work here and an enthusiastic bunch of local fanatics took up residence in front of the TV during last year’s Cricket World Cup. Indeed when I lived here Tommy O’Reilly had the pub comprehensively refurbished – nothing too special about that except Tommy was 78 at the time! Ryan’s Sandymount House, with its multifarious nooks and crannies, is an ideal spot for an afternoon pint and I remember Gussie Ryan as a real gentleman, indeed once I bumped into him in Searsons in Baggot Street and after he left the barman sent over a drink “compliments of Mr. Ryan.”




Railway Union's grounds at Park Avenue


Railway Union is a mixed Sports Club which as well as Cricket hosts Rugby, Hockey, Soccer, Tennis and Bowls from its fine base at Park Avenue, Sandymount. Originally set up by Railway workers as the established clubs wouldn't let the working class "scruff" join it is now very much part of the life of this charming seaside suburb where I have many happy memories. Before you get too carried away with my sporting prowess I must confess I was (at Brendan O’Brien’s kind nomination) a mere “Pavilion” member and Railway Union provided an excellent late night drinking den and an alternative banking facility!

http://www.railwayunion.com

A special for all you Tamil speakers!

THE FOOD WE EAT -- PART 5: BOTTLED WATER

Do you know where that bottled water you're drinking came from? Or what's in it?

You might be surprised.

It may have been stolen by Coca-Cola from a farming village in India. Or from Lake Michigan by Nestle. Or it may contain fertilizers that came from irrigation runoff. Or it may have even come straight from a tap.

All of these things have happened significantly in the relatively short history of bottled drinking water.

It is yet another of the great coups of Corporate America -- along with things like stealing our airwaves and profiting from our health care -- that people have been suckered in to paying premium dollar for water. Without knowing what's in it or where it came from. When your own tap water is, generally, as good or better in quality. (And it costs very little to put a filter on your faucet or use a filtered jug if you want to do a little extra cleansing.)

You've got to hand it to those guys: It's quite a con job. But it's also very dirty business.

And don't forget the use of resources and resulting pollution from those millions of plastic bottles. It just doesn't make good sense, does it?

Plus our bottled water could be a far-off community's water shortage. It could literally be causing hardship.

Shouldn't we know where our water comes from and what's in it? Just like we should with any of our food? If you checked out info on the Internet for even 10 minutes, and then made your voice heard, you'd be making huge strides. (see link below)

It's about helping others as well as ourselves. Do you have the time for that? Would you if it was your crops perishing or your family carrying water great distances to drink and cook with? One in six people on the planet don't have access to enough water.

Use this link to read 10 quick points against bottled water from the non-profit group Corporate Accountability International (and maybe you'll want to get behind their "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign):

http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/top-ten-reasons-think-outside-bottle

Or watch this excellent, 8-minute video:

http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/story-of-bottled-water?r=TOTB

Forget about the leafy scene on your bottled water depicting natural springs gushing directly to you. It's a myth. Buy a filter for your tap. Buy a decent refillable bottle from somewhere like Whole Foods (or just use a recycled bottle of your own if you don't care about looking fashionable), and you're set. Money saved, environment helped, corporate scumsuckers not supported.

Take care and keep smiling,
Adrian Zupp

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might like to take a look at CHILD HUNGER -- THE SCOURGE OF THE PLANET.

Volatile India-Pakistan Standoff Enters 11,680th Day

Volatile India-Pakistan Standoff Enters 11,680th Day

Volatile India-Pakistan Standoff Enters 11,680th Day

The threat of nuclear war hangs over the region with no end in sight, just as it has for the past three decades. Ek haath se taali nahin bajati !

Volatile India-Pakistan Standoff Enters 11,680th Day

Volatile India-Pakistan Standoff Enters 11,680th Day

Volatile India-Pakistan Standoff Enters 11,680th Day

The threat of nuclear war hangs over the region with no end in sight, just as it has for the past three decades. Ek haath se taali nahin bajati !