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Irish girl Katie Taylor won her fifth European lightweight title in a row. She won her final showdown 10 -5 against two times world champion Sofya Ochigava from Russia. The finals were held over the past week in Rotterdam, Holland and Katie fought 5 times over the week and won 89 points over the 5 fights loosing just 30 points in the process.

Katie Taylor with her 5th Gold Medal

As mentioned earlier in the blog we were due to have 3 Pre-Election polls over the last couple of days in the national press, the following table indicates the result of these polls including a poll of polls which averages out the position of each candidate and the result of the last poll on October 16th 2011
 

Candidate	Last Poll	Sunday Business Post	Sunday Independent	Irish Times
Sean Gallagher	39	40	41	40
Michael D Higgins	27	26	28	25
Martin McGuinness	13	13	9	15
Gay Mitchell	8	6	8	6
David Norris	7	10	6	8
Mary Davis	4	2	3	3
Dana Rosemary Scallon	3	3	3	3

According to these figures Sean Gallagher is way ahead with Michael D Higgins in a solid second place. In order for Higgins to overtake Gallagher he would need to get about 70% of all transferrs as candidates are eliminated from the election. Currently the transfer rate is about 32% for Higgins against 20% for Gallagher, so it would appear that Gallagher should be elected as the next President some time next Friday.
Voting actually started today in the Presidential election with polling stations opened on the islands around the mainland. These stations will close later today with the voting papers transfered to the mainland and stored in Garda Stations until the count commences on Friday. On one of the islands there are 67 people registered to vote, 65 of them do not live on the island full time so there are only 2 people voting unless the weather picks up. There are high winds and torrential rain throughout the country today so to sail to islands is not the most advisable activity today.

The Tyre following the Blow Out

Earlier in the blog I mentioned that Dana Rosemary Scallon had had a tyre blow out on her way home one evening. There had been up to 15 different puncture holes in the tyre which made some people think that somebody had interfered with the tyre. Following examination by the Garda technical bureau it has been found that there was no interference and the most likely cause was because the tyre was driven on while flat or with reduced inflation.

New Zealand were worthy winners of the 2011 Rugby World Cup beating a gallant French side 8 points to 7 in the final yesterday in Auckland. Richie McCaw, the New Zealand captain picked up the Webb Ellis Trophy for his country for the first time in 24 years.

Richie McCaw receiving the Trophy

Dublin, Home of the Irish Government

As Dublin is the Capital City of Ireland it has the privilege of housing the Irish Government. The Houses of the Oireacthas or National Parliament is made up of the President, Dail Eireann (House of Representatives) and Seanad Eireann (Senate).

In earlier posts of this blog I have given an insight in the President and where they reside but today I will explain the office of the President, the Dail and the Seanad.

   

The President is the Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence Forces and representatives all of the Irish people in official functions both home and away. The president's role in Government is set out in the Irish Constitution but they have no input into policy decisions. The president appoints the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the country who has been elected by Dail Eireann. Then based on the advice of the Taoiseach the President will appoint all the ministers who work in the Government. They also dissolve the Dail on the advice of the Taoiseach at the end of a term or when the government has no majority to govern any more. At times, if the Government has no majority, the President might instruct the out-going Taoiseach or indeed the opposition leader to try to form a Government.

The President is also responsible for the appointing Judges, Attorney General and Commissioned Officers of the Defence Forces bases on advice from the Government.

The President must also sign bills passed by the Dail and Seanad into law between the 5th and 7th day after it is presented to them but he / she can sign it sooner to have the new law enacted quicker. On occasions the President may think that a bill that has been presented to them may go against the constitution and they may therefore ask the Supreme Court to make a judgement to ensure that the law is correct.

   

The Dail or the House of Representatives, consists of 166 members or Teachtai Dala or TD's who are elected in the 43 constituencies of Ireland, of which 12 are in Dublin. There is a review of all constituencies after every Irish Census to ensure that the correct balance of TD to voting population is correct.

Dail Chambers

Constituencies

These TD's are elected by the Irish People in a General Election, after the Dail has been dissolved by the President, or via a bye election, following the death or retirement of a standing TD. In Ireland the vote is carried out using PR STV (Proportional Representation Single Transferable Vote) as explained by ACE The Electoral Network

The first Dail meeting was held in the Mansion House (Home of the Lord Mayor of Dublin) in January 1919 where the Irish Constitution was adopted by the members and the Declaration of Independence was approved.

The 166 members of the Dail meet in the chambers every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday where they discuss different topics and laws and vote on the same to get news laws enacted. Most of the detailed work on new bills and laws are completed by the relevant government departments and are introduced to the Dail as and when ready or required.

   

The Seanad or Senate is made up of 60 senators who are chosen as follows

     

• 43 elected by five panels representing vocational interests namely, Culture and Education, Agriculture, Labour, Industry and Commerce and Public Administration
• 6 elected by the graduates of two universities: - three each by the National University of Ireland and the University of Dublin (Trinity College)
• 11 nominated by the Taoiseach.   

The senators debate and pass bills sent to it by the Dail but have no real authority in determining what laws should be enacted. The current Government has agreed to a review of the Seanad with the possibility that it may be scrapped in order to streamline the political process in the country.

Wales Win

In a qualifier for the 2012 European Championship last night Ireland had a 2-0 win in Andorra and will now face Armenia in the final group match needing just a draw to qualify for a play-off game to make the finals.

   

Earlier today (6am) our Rugby world cup odyessy came to an end with a 22 -10 defeat by Wales. Wales were the better team on the day and they go forward to meet France in the semi-final. Good Luck to Wales next week.

More Facts and Places of Interest

Dublin Fact: Dublin's main street is O'Connell Street and it primarily houses retail and recreational buildings. It is one of the widest main streets in Europe and O'Connell Bridge or Carlisle Bridge linking the north and south side of Dublin has a greater width than length which is unique for bridges anywhere in Europe.

O'Connell Street was originally called Drogheda Street by the then owner of the area on which the street sits. The man in question was Henry Moore, Earl of Drogheda who built roads or streets through his land. Not a vain character he called some of these streets after himself and in Dublin there are still streets called Henry, Moore and Earl and a lane called Off lane (previously of).

The Spire Dublin.

In 1740 or there abouts some of the land was purchased by Luke Gardiner and he modified Drogheda Street to the width it is today. He renamed the street to Sackville Street after the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lionel Cranfield Sackville, Duke of Dorset.

Carlisle Bride was built on a design by James Gandon and opened in 1793 for pedestrians and then for all traffic in 1795.

Following the creation of the Irish Free State in December 1922 Sackville Street was renamed again, this time to O'Connell Street after Daniel O'Connell who was great Irish Catholic leader in the 1800's.

The Dublin Spire which is the Tallest Sculpture in the world was erected in Dublin's O'Connell Street in January 2003. The official name for the sculpture is the Monument of Light and was designed by Ian Ritchie Architects.

Places Of Interest:  In the heart of Dublin just off Dame Street you will find Dublin Castle. Dublin actually gets it's name from a Black Pool (Dubh Linn) which was on the site of the gardens now in Dublin Castle. The site of the Castle has had some form of structure in place since 930 from the Viking era. This is truely a remarkable piece of history and is well worth a visit.

Dublin Castle

On October 7th and 8th this year Dublin Castle will be the venue for the second Irish Global Economic Forum. This forum is being hosted by the Irish Government and according to the Department of Foreign Affairs the primary purpose of the forum will be to

Engage fully with the Irish Diaspora in developing Ireland’s global business and trade relations;

Discuss face-to-face the Government’s priorities for economic renewal with key members of the international business community;

Strengthen ties with the Irish Diaspora as a key part of the Government’s efforts to restore Ireland’s international reputation abroad.

The forum will be attended by people form the Global Irish Network of which there are over 300 members, a small number of Irish based individuals from business and cultural areas, Irish Government leaders and Ministers and also senior pepole form Government Departments and Agencies.
Keep up to date with events form the forum at Global Forum.

By the way Ireland beat Italy in the Rugby World Cup to set up a last 8 meeting with nearest neighbours Wales at 6am Irish time on Saturday next.

Introducing the Candidates

Presidential Election Update:
As mentioned previously in the blog the 7 members of the Irish State who have decided to try to become the president of the country appeared on the long running chat show The Late Late Show. The proceedings started off with an explanation about how the running order had been worked out and this was followed with a 5 minute interview between the host, Ryan Tubridy and each candidate with the exception of David Norris. Norris was not interviewed as he had been on the show 2 weeks earlier and the television station and the other candidates did not think that more air time for him would be fair.

All the Presidential Candidates and Ryan Tubridy.

The following is how Eamon Keane, a radio presenter and newspaper columnist gave his findings in the Evening Herald Paper of October 1st 2011.

Michael D Higgins was Mr President, complete with his new shortened locks. The key his steady body language. no finger waving, hands held together in presidential pose. Listen back to his voice pace, the use of pause to emphasise a point. Higgins scored high on competency. You figure that, of the bunch, he's the one you'd trust to make a tough call on a constitutional issue. The presidency is his to lose. Rating 9/10.

Sean Gallagher, The other candidates should watch his body language, mirrored in his confident walk. He frequently used the questions to set out his own stall. Cleverly, he also used the McAleese bounce, referencing the Presidents ability to inspire. Mary Davis take note. However he got dragges into a head game over being a mere TV celebrity on Dragonss' Den. He will know to avoid that next time. Rating 7/10.

Dana Rosemary Scallon knows how to work TV. She was warm and assertive without being strident. She took a clever line on sovereignty and was the first to directly address the audience. Phrases like 'people felt silenced' over the bank bailout resonated around the country. She handled all Tubridy threw at her and turned the tables on him when he tackled her on mandatory reporting. However she is way too low in the polls to worry Michael D Higgins. Ratings 7/10.

Gay Mitchell His handlers should look at his walk, it's simply not presidential. The turquoise tie promised an X Factor that never materialised. Too much hand movement distracted, and made Gay appear like a stern teacher. However Mitchell was powerful in his attack om McGuinness. Equally, his closing speech wa moving as he spoke of his family background. However it was not enough to put him into our heads as Mr. President. Rating 6/10.

Martin McGuinness was strong, but has a hard edge that won't pull in the floating vote. Tubridy asked a really good question on why he left the IRA and said at one stage 'your not going to answer it are you'. And that is the problem with Martin, as he also avoidedthe simple question about his personal belief on meeting Queen Elizabeth. He would do better to be honest. Rating 5/10.

Mary Davis began well. The bright red dress exuded warmth and she walked in with confidence, However her natural natural grace got lost under pressure. The political interview is unlike any other. She stumbled when asked about Denis O'Brien's involvment in her campaign. I would have advised a different response. The camera caught her at times looking frazzled on the reaction shots. She must remember that you are always on. Rating 5/10.

Alas poor David Norris I knew him well. The last few months have been savage and David appeared tetchy and Tired. He needs to slow down and adopt a more moderate voice tone. Giving out to interviewers - as Martin McGuinness does - is not a strategy. It is an emotional reaction which he needs to drop fast. Rating 5/10.

My take on the debate was that all the candidates have developed ways of not answering questions, some did not know the answer, some did not want to give the answer and most wanted to answer a question that was not asked.That's politics.

On a lighter note the Irish Rugby team are playing their final group game in the 2011 Rugby World Cup in Dunedin, New Zealand at 8.30am (GMT) against a team from Italy. If Ireland win they will reach the quartre finals knockout stages.

Ireland against Russia   Credits INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Come on Ireland.