Update on Dublin Ireland

Last night in Tallinn, Estonia the Irish soccer team beat Estonia 4-0 in the first leg of the Euro 2012 playoff qualifier. There were goals from Keith Andrews (13) , Jon Walters (67) and Robbie Keane (71) (81pen). Estonia had 2 players sent off for 2 yellow card offences and this helped Ireland to their largest away win for some years.

Ireland Celebrate their 2nd Gaol Last night

 On Tuesday next the 2nd leg will take place in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and this should be a celebration of qualification for the European Championship for only the 2nd time in history, the previous time was Germany 1988. There should be a full house for this game.

Also yesterday Michael D Higgins received the seal of office to become the 9th president of Ireland, in an inauguration ceremony in Dublin Castle. At the ceremony yesterday were the two previous office holders, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese and this is the first time in the history of the office of President that there has been more than 2 living Presidents past and present. Here is a short video which captures some of the ceremony from yesterday.

 

The following link is to a short video which captured the ceremony of the inauguration of the first president in 1922. (This clip is shared courtesy of British Pathe with credit to Commentary: Sean O'Sullivan, Photography: Gordon Lewis, Produced for the Institiuid Naisiunta Na Scannan Eire - The National Film Institute of Ireland.)

THE INAUGURATION OF IRELAND'S PRESIDENT - UACHTARAN NA HEIREANN ( aka IRELAND or IRISH STORY ) - British Pathe

Amazing how much has changed yet stayed the same in 89 years.

Different Stuff

Sorry it has been a while since I posted but I have been looking for information to fill my blog with the end of the Irish Presidential election. Michael D Higgins won the election and will be made the president in about 2 weeks time in a ceremony in Dublin Castle. Higgins won just over 40% of first preference votes with Sean Gallagher in second place with just over 20% of the vote. The reason for the sharp increase in Higgins's vote from the previous polls appears to be the Martin McGuinness attack on Gallagher on the Front Line Debate last Monday.

Michael D Higgins.

This attack was in relation to Gallagher collecting money in envelopes for the Fianna Fail party while they were in Government. People want to see their President as somebody who had no secrets to hide and I think the Higgins fitted this bill. Following the vote counting Higgins ended up with just over 1 million votes so the mandate from the people is strong and hopefully he will play a major role in making Ireland a better place to live in the first 7 years of his term.


The 7 billionth person living in the world was born today in Australia. The world population is growing at a rate which means that when I was born nearly 47 years ago I was the 3,295,347,831st against the 7 billion now which means the world population have more than doubled in this time. I was also the 77,172,136,406th person born into the world. Use the following link to find your position in the world http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15391515 . 
India is due to take over from China soon as the most populated country in the world, the UK has 246 people per square km against Australia which has just 3 people per square km, for Singapore this is 7,272 people.


I have a lot of space to fill up now that the election is over and as the blog is about Dublin from a Dubliners view I have decided to do some posts about Dublin's in other countries. There are cities, towns, an island and some townlands with Dublin in their name and I will be looking at them over the next few weeks. I have also tried to contact people from these locations to gain a better insight into their lives. I have enjoyed doing the investigation and information gathering so I hope that you find the blogs interesting,

Quotes

Found this today on the Irish Times Web site http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1020/breaking34.html and thought it was interesting.

Mary Davis:"What I’m more interested in is the people who are airbrushed out of society" - responding to a question about airbrushed images from Pat Kenny.

"I would like the Áras to be a very open home. In fact, I would be interested in changing the name to Áras na Daoine" - making the pitch for the people's presidency.

“I knew the campaign would be hard, but it got to be very negative. I’m the best candidate. I speak the truth all of the time."

“For example, the fact that I had only served on three State boards, and there was nothing about the 18 voluntary organisations that I had given my time and commitment to and giving opportunity to people who are marginalised” - expressing frustration that her integrity was being called into question.

Seán Gallagher:

"I'm sure I'm probably the only candidate who ever had their own herd number."

"I have never used the word 'condemnation' in my life. It is not in my vocabulary" - explaining why he had not been harsher on Fianna Fáil during a television debate.

"I was asked to condemn Fianna Fáil, and the first thing that came into my mind was the thousands of ordinary decent men and women who are the grassroots of Fianna Fáil . . . and I didn't want to condemn them because they weren't in government, they weren't in Cabinet."

"It was an accounting procedure really in terms of which account the money went into," - declaring that his receipt of a large loan that breached company law was "an honest mistake".

Michael D Higgins:

"You know even in the old days, I never liked champagne for a start" - when asked about Gay Mitchell’s warning to voters not to elect a president who will sip champagne and recite poetry in Áras an Uachtaráin (see below).

“I think it’s time we stopped the nonsense of suggesting that somehow or other that if you have served in every elective office in this country, if you have been lord mayor twice, been president of the Council of [Arts] Ministers, that all of that counts for nothing."

"I have the stamina and the energy . . . I'm running a very rigorous campaign."

Martin McGuinness:

How do you square, Martin McGuinness, with your God the fact that you were involved in the murder of so many people? - Miriam O’Callaghan questions the Sinn Féin candidate during the 'Prime Time' debate.

"I think that’s a disgraceful comment to make" - the candidate responds

"I was accused of being a murderer. That was wrong . . . Miriam went round all the other candidates and asked each and every one of them if I was suitable to be president. She didn’t ask me if I thought any of them were suitable to be president of Ireland."

"I could count on the fingers in one hand the number of people in the North who have said to me - when did you leave the IRA - so it's not an issue for ordinary people."

“I wouldn’t even attempt to pitch myself against any other poet. I do it for fun" - denying he was set for a poetry battle with Mr Higgins.

Gay Mitchell:

“I will work with them [the Government] and the network I have to restore the confidence of this country so those children in Buncrana and Sligo and Dublin do not have to become part of a Skype generation, while we sip champagne in the park reading poetry."

"I've been speaking to friends this morning who've said they haven't made their minds up yet" - discussing his friends' voting intentions.

“Seán Gallagher is not going to be Minister for Innovation and Jobs. That is the problem. The job is a different job to the one Seán is applying for. This is a political job."

"It’s a political job. I travelled with Mary Robinson abroad more than any other minister. I know this job. I want to contribute to the recovery of my country. I believe I am the best qualified person to do that.”

Davis Norris:

“But you are not running for election in ancient Greece. You are running for election in modern Ireland” - "Morning Ireland" presenter Áine Lawlor to the senator as he sought to explain the difference between paedophilia and pederasty.

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better” - pulling out of his initial bid for the presidency.

“I am tempered steel; I have been through the fire” - speaking on radio in the aftermath of controversy over clemency letters he sent on behalf of his former partner.

I’ve been told by my lawyers that these letters are subject to professional legal privilege, and I’ve been told I cannot publish them” - on those letters.

“While other candidates may wear the badge of independence for political gain, I am the only one who has never been a member of a political party, never been appointed to a State board or never had my political campaigns backed by those with vested interests" - claiming to be the only true “24 carat” independent candidate.

"We would have different views but Pope Benedict shares certain things in common with me. . . . Pope Benedict has put his foot in it once or twice and got slapped, and I share that experience with him."

Dana Rosemary Scallon:

"I'm a very fast learner."

“It has come to my attention that yet further allegations, this time of a most untrue and malicious, vile nature have been levelled against a member of my family. Let it be known that lawyers have already been instructed to forensically investigate a particular communication that spread this vile, false allegation which attempts to implicate me and destroy my good character" - reading from a statement at the end of the "Prime Time" debate.

“I am going to leave it behind me. I am standing by my statement” - expressing her determination to stay in the race for the Áras following the controversy that surfaced surrounding a family member.

“I’ve never been on a board. I’ve never been invited to be on a board so I won’t be able to put that forward, and I haven’t been on the Council of State, but I have been on a council estate."

“It was very scary to look at. I think we are all very lucky to be here today. I never start a journey without saying a little prayer and I think we are all very lucky" - commenting after her campaign car suffered a tyre blowout while travelling on the M4.

The Newest Addition to Dublin

The Little Museum of Dublin:
Earlier today 21/10/2011 a new tourist and indeed a local Dublin attraction opened it doors for the first time. the following is a press release by the Little Museum.

Items in the New Museum

October 21, 2011: Dublin is about to get a museum of its own. This evening a new museum of the city will be formally opened by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Andrew Montague. “This is a very exciting day for Dublin,” says Trevor White, the director of the museum. “All great cities have a museum that documents their history, and now – at last – Dublin is no exception.”
This new non-profit museum is housed on the first floor of a Georgian townhouse at 15 St Stephen’s Green. Over 400 Dubliner's have donated artefact's for the collection, which chronicles the social, cultural and political history of the capital in the 20^th Century.
Among the highlights of the collection are the lectern that JFK used to address the Oireachtas in 1963; the first English edition of Ulysses; the original Wanderly Wagon that was used for the flying scenes in the famous TV programme; James Joyce’s death mask; the menu from Jammet’s restaurant; and a postcard from George Bernard Shaw.
Some of the artefacts have a nostalgic appeal (‘I saw Santa at Switzers’) while others relate to famous visitors such as Marlene Dietrich and Muhammad Ali. “We hope the collection will appeal to Dubliners as well as tourists,” says the curator of the museum, Simon O’Connor.
With a decade of major centenaries upon us, this new community museum will host many public debates, as well as regular lectures and an outreach and education programme. Finally, the museum will also serve as the headquarters for City of a Thousand Welcomes, a remarkable project to boost tourism and civic pride.

Item from the Museum

This new attraction looks to have something for everybody and for locals will invoke memories of years gone by.

Priory Hall Update:
In the High Court today the Judge informed Dublin City Council that it also had to be responsible for any costs incurred by the residents to ensure that they are not out of pocket for this fiasco. He also asked that the banks who have given mortgages to residents act with compassion when dealing with residents of Priory Hall.
The judge also instructed Dublin Fire Service to maintain a presence on site until the repairs have been completed as "it would be the ultimate disaster if having gone through all this, the development then burned to the ground".
The Developer Tom McFeely and his team must report every Friday to the High Court detailing their progress to pre defined deadlines. Failure to meet these deadlines on the fire safety will be classed as a breech of a court order.
Mr McFeely also lodged a statement of means with the court this morning but this was rejected as being incomplete and he had until 2pm today to lodge a statement that was acceptable.

The Presidential Election: All the candidates have been on tour and trying to drum up support, Dana Rosemary Scallon had a tyre blow out on a motorway the other night and suggested that there was interference with the tyre while the car was parked in Town where she was campaigning, no proof of this.
David Norris is being questioned on interviews he gave 10 years ago and claims that he never said what is being reported so now audio proof has been released.
Gay Mitchell has stated that no agreement on vote transfer has been made between his party, Fine Gale and their government partners Labour who are backing Michael D Higgins.
Mary Davis had had second thoughts on building societies issuing 100% mortgages even though she was a board member of the ICS Building Society who introduced this practice in 2005.
Michael D Higgins has disowned a statement that remarked about David Norris in regard to his voting on the Bank guarantee which was sent in an email from his campaign office.
Martin McGuinness has stated that he would be outspoken in a positive and constructive way if elected President and would speak out for people who cast heir vote in this election.
Sean Gallagher is under pressure about his fundraising activities for Fianna Fail in 2008 and how he personally invited donors to a secret corporate fundraiser.

There will be 3 pre election polls over the weekend which should indicate who should be the next President of Ireland but at this stage it appears to be a two horse race between Michael D Higgins and Sean Gallagher.

All Kinds of Everything

Guinness:
 1759 was a land mark year for Dublin. 34 year old Arthur Guinness signs a 9000 year lease on a brewery in St James Gate in Dublin. The yearly rent on the site is £45. Good business. Over the next 250 years Guinness is to become one of the most recognised brand names associated with Ireland.
There are over 10 million glasses of the black stuff drank every day in over 150 countries worldwide.

In 2000 the Guinness Storehouse was opened and this has gone on to be the biggest tourist attraction in Dublin and Ireland. The Storehouse is an experience that details the history of Guinness in Dublin and also the brand through the ages, there are exhibits of past advertising campaigns, and the Gravity Bar. The experience is spread over 7 floors and starts at the bottom on the largest pint shaped glass in the world. To call this a pint glass is incorrect as it would hold over 14 million pints of Guinness if it were filled. Your journey will end in the Gravity Bar which offers a 360° view of Dublin while sampling the delights of a Pint of Guinness.
A must see place any time you are in Dublin.

Presidential Election Music?
Galway Bay FM a radio station in the West of Ireland has taken a novel approach to the candidates of the Presidential Election by trying to find out what music each of the 7 listen to. Martin McGuinness refused to reveal his favourite selection and it is probably best if we try not to suggest one just in case.
Dana Rosemary Scallon opted for a Dusty Springfield classic of "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"

David Norris picked the excellent track from Dublin's own Imelda May, "Big Bad Handsome Man"

 

Gay Mitchell choose "Where do You Go To My Lovely" sung by Peter Sarstedt.

Michael D Higgins picked another good Irish tune "Ordinary Man" by the peerless Christy Moore.

Mary Davis choose the Rod Stewart song "Maggie May"

The final choice is by Sean Gallager who picked "The River" by Garth Brooks.

These music choices give another view of the candidates and what they like to do when relaxing during their trips around the country. The election takes place this day next week and we should know the outcome based on tally counting sometime Friday with the official result either Friday or Saturday depending on the speed of the count and if there are any recounts needed.

Things to See..

The Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The Royal Hospital in Kilmainham on the outskirts Dublin City was built in period of 4 years from 1680 to 1684 for a cost of £22,500. The site where the Hospital was built was the location a medieval hospital founded in 1174 by Strongbow. Strongbow had been one of the leaders of the Norman invasion of Ireland and had married Aoife who was the daughter of the then King of Leinster, Diarmait Mac Murchadha (Dermot MacMurrough) and eventually inherited the throne himself.

Royal Hospital Kilmainham.

The hospital was actually a home for retired soldiers over 250 peopled lived in the Hospital at any one time. Queen Victoria of Britain visited the hospital on two different occasions the last being 1900 before her death in January 1901. In 1922 the Hospital was handed over to the Irish Free State and went on to be the Headquarters of the Garda Siochana (Irish Police Force) between 1930 and 1950.
In 1991 the Hospital became home to the Irish Museum of Modern Art and is a wonderful place to visit if you are in Dublin.

While in the Kilmainham area, another site well worth a visit is Kilmainham Gaol or Jail. Built in 1796 the New Gaol or as it was officially known, County of Dublin Gaol was used as a place of incarceration and execution of many Irish leaders during times of rebellion or insurgence over the years. The last prisoner in the jail was Eamon DeVelera who went on to become Taoiseach and President of the country.

New Gaol or County of Dublin Gaol

The jail is one of the largest empty prisons in Europe and is currently the Irish History Museum following a restoration in the 1960's. For years the building was left idol as it possibly had too many ghosts of the past history of the Irish struggle. The jail have been used as a site in many films over the years including The Italian Job in 1969, In The Name Of The Father in 1993 and  Michael Collins in 1996.

Presidential Election: In a RedC poll for the Sunday Business Post on Sunday last , 16/10/2011 we saw swift change in how the country expect to vote on October 27th. The poll topper was Sean Gallagher with 39% of the vote which was up an incredible 18 points from the previous poll 10 days earlier. Michael D Higgins was in 2nd place with 27% of the vote which was up 2 points. Martin McGuinness was at 13% down 3 and Gay Mitchell was down 5 points to 8%. David Norris had half of his previous vote at 7% and Mary Davis had gone from 9% to 4% while Dana Rosemary Scallon  received just 2% of the vote down 3 points.



Caricature of Candidates Tweeted by Niall O'Loughlin

The spending limits for this election is €750,000 per candidate of which €200,000 can be reimbursed by the state, which means the the bottom 4 people in the poll with a collective total of 21%  of the vote are to claim €800,000 from the state for wasting their time.

Yet Another Debate.

In the presidential election we had another TV debate last night which was hosted by Miriam O'Callaghan on RTE's Prime Time slot. The following is the view of Pat Stacey of the Evening Herald on the proceedings. ( Taken from the Evening Herald 13/10/11)
Sick and tired of presidential election debates? We were until about 10.50 last night, when Dana dropped her "vile and malicious allegation" bombshell.
Or was it a smoke bomb designed to distract attention from the emptiness of her campaign and garner a little sympathy - and maybe a few votes? Or perhaps Dana just dropped an egg that will send her skidding even further to the margins of irrelevancy. After all, her CV includes Something's Cooking In The Kitchen.
Whatever, it brought what had been a largely muted and fractured debate in which none of the candidates exactly covered themselves in glory to an electrifying surreal and chaotic end.
Dana nearly broke down. David Norris went off on a rant. Miriam O'Callaghan was bemused. "What are you talking about?" she asked "What is the nature of the allegation?"
We don't know yet, but we do know how The Somewhat Less Than Magnificent Seven performed on the night. It's ratings time.

Michael D Higgins: A texter to Tonight With Vincent Browne on TV3 later wryly remarked the Michael D had taken the Ronan Keating approach to the debate: " He says it best when he say nothing at all". And that was about the size of it.
Spared the intense grilling Miriam O'Callaghan meted out to some of the others, Higgins kept his foot and mouth well apart, and said nothing likely to stall what is increasingly looking like a slow, if not always steady-in-his-gait, amble to the Aras. RATING 6.5/10

Gay Mitchell: Once again, Mitchell demonstrated his inside-out, upside-down knowledge of the Constitution and ho the job of President fits into the political structure. But this was still another dull and uninspired performance unlikely to alter the perception of him as a bit, well, cold and superior.
He can's seem to let his Martin McGuinness obsession go, either, taking digs at McG whenever the opportunity arose - and sometimes even when it didn't. Some commentators believe that tactic has backfired. And besides, as we'll see in a moment, McGuinness doesn't need any help tarnishing his own campaign. RATINGS 4/10

Martin McGuinness: Basically, he didn't handle Miriam's questions well. Her suggestion that his Catholicism would be difficult to reconcile with his involvement in murder was met with a snippy, "That's a disgraceful comment"
He accused her of making "a stupid statement" when she pressed him on his knowledge about who murdered David Kelly's father and suggested uncomfortable encounters would be a regular feature of a McGuinness presidency. This was the closest we've seen to McGuinness losing his rag, and while it won't change the minds of his hardcore republican supporters, it's likely to have an effect on the second preferences. RATING 2/10

Sean Gallagher: Healthy options poll signs and woolly waffle about creating jobs (which, as Miriam reminded him, is not the President's job) aside, Gallagher seemed to be the The Candidate Who Stands For Nothing In Particular. Until last night , when it appeared clear that he stands for: Fianna Fail.
The crucial damage was done when, at Miriam's prompting, he couldn't bring himself to state that the party he'd joined as a teenager, but now claims he's no longer involved with, had screwed up the country. It was a damaging performance. The ties that bind may be the ones that drag him  down. RATINGS 2/10

Mary Davis: "How can you be on so many boards and not be an insider?" Miriam asked the woman who claims to be the ultimate outsider. Davis pointed out that she was on three State boards. Miriam had suggested 25.
Davis is recovering well from the fuss over that particular subject.
And more impressively, she kept her cool when others around her were losing theirs under Miriam O'Callaghan's relentless grilling questioning. RATINGS 5/10

David Norris:Though he escaped the kind of grilling Vincent Browne gave him, there was nothing here to suggest Norris can recover an inch of lost ground. Miriam wondered if he had "the right judgement" for the job. He protested he'd been the victim of "a media firestorm, the like of which had never been seen".
The disability benefit issue? It had all been "legal". And the letters?. He has already "answered that comprehensively". It's all on his website, apparently. Her questioning of him seemed almost perfunctory; so, now, does his campaign. RATINGS 2/10

Dana Rosemary Scallon: The bombshell aside, this was another dismal performance that highlighted Dana's poor understanding of the role. Miriam went relatively easy on the American citizenship angle which has been done to death and instead targeted Dana's "right-wing fundamentalism"
She responded that if she was a right-winged fundamentalist (and she doesn't think she is) then "the Constitution is right-wing fundamentalist". Ah, so that's that cleared up. RATINGS 1/10

Where to go Today

Places of Interest: Dublinia is an exhibition of life in Dublin during Viking and Medieval times.
The Viking Exhibition takes you back to Dublin in the Viking times where you can see what life was like on a longboat, what a viking used during war and you can even become a Viking Slave.
Next it is on to the Medieval section of the exhibition where you are given a glimpse of  what life was like in Dublin and also learn to play games and what the latest toothache remedy was 700 years ago.

St Michael's Tower

There is the History Hunters Exhibition which show you how archaeology and history and science are used to piece together history.

Christ Church Crypt

There are also tours of the 96 step St. Michael's Tower where you can have a panoramic view of Dublin and Christ Church Cathedral where 1000 years of history and worship come to life while visiting the crypts. This is another way to enjoy the History and sights of Dublin.

Presidential Election Update:
On Tuesday Oct 4th 2011 we had the 2nd debate among the 7 candidates on TV3 with Vincent Browne and the following link will give what Breakingnews.ie thought about the debate directly after the finish. Candidates face off in TV3 debate | BreakingNews.ie .

As I did not see the debate it would be unfair for me to comment. There is one more debate to happen which I think is with Pat Kenny on RTE so hopefully I will get the chance to have a look at that one. According to a poll in tomorrows Irish Times the following is the % vote each candidate would receive.
David Norris                       11%
Dana Rosemary Scallon      6%
Martin McGuinness            19%
Michael D Higgins              23%
Gay Mitchell                        9%
Sean Gallagher                   20%
Mary Davis                          12%

The surprises in this poll are the Gallagher is so high at 20% and the both Norris and Mitchell are loosing ground.

Dublin Facts: the Oldest Pub in Dublin and indeed Ireland is The Brazen Head where there has been a pub sine 1198.

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.

Presidential Race update, Place of Interest, Facts

Dublin Facts: Dublin city is twinned with 3 different cities across the globe.

• Barcelona in Spain
• Liverpool in the UK
• San Jose, California, USA

San Jose is in California in the United States of America and has a population of 952,612 in 2010 of which 716,086 are eligible to vote in county, state and national elections. San Jose is also known as the Capital of Silicon Valley.

San Jose Tower and Rotunda

St. Josephs Cathedral

Barcelona is the second city of Spain and the capital of the Catalonia area of the country. Barcelona  has a population of 1.6 million for the city area and 4.2 million for the full administrative area.

Sagrada Familia Cathedral

Port Vell and the Columbus Monument

Liverpool is a city in Lancashire on the western coast of England. Liverpool is 135 miles or 218km from Dublin. The city of Liverpool is the home of The Beatles and had a vibrant music scene through the years.

The Beatles Tour

Liverpool Cathedral

                                                          



                                                                                                                    
Dublin fact 2: Dublin has been named as the safest Capital city in Europe with only 7 road deaths so far this year down from 13 for the same period in 2010. Thankfully there have been no fatalities on our roads since June of this year.

Places of Interest:
Dublin Zoo in the Phoenix Park in the city is worth a visit and especially since the current president officially opened a new gorilla rainforest area there yesterday Sept 28th which is open to the public from today. Our president did not have far to travel as her home is also in the Phoenix Park which is one of the largest enclosed recreational areas in any european captial city

One of the troop to move to their new surroundings is a female baby gorrila who was born on Sept 16th in the Zoo. Dublin Zoo have yet to name the baby gorilla and have invited people to suggest a name based on her West Africian origin. Your suggestion should be posted to the Dublin Zoo facebook page www.facebook.com/dublinzoo

Presidential Update:
Seán Gallagher has suggested that rather than all 7 canidates sending information leafleats to every voter in the country that only one leaflet with information about all 7 should be sent which would save around 10 million euro for the Irish tax payer in postal charges.

What is this Blog

I am new to blogging and this is my first attempt. I have started this blog as part of an assessment I need to do for the course I am doing in Web Technologies at the National College of Ireland.

In this blog I hope to be able to give you a taste of Dublin life and the people who live here. I will try to give an insight into Dublin through the years and also what life is like now in these new times of austerity and recession.

I will have links to sites which I feel are worth visiting to get information and also a list of things to do if you ever happen to visit this lovely city.

There is also the important issue of the election of the 9th President for Ireland on October 27th this year and I will have a section of the blog that gives information about the race to Áras an Uachtaráin (House of the President). The current President is Mary McAleese who is in office since November 1997 and is just finished her 2nd 7 year term as President and therefore can no longer hold office as per the Irish Constitution

The information and the facts that appear will be hopefully interesting and useful, if there is anything that you would like me to include that you think may be of interest please pass it on to me.