Oasis at Slane Castle 2009

Oasis are set to perform to around 80,00 music fans at Slane Castle this summer. The Manchester 4-piece are set to headline the prestigious event on the 20th June with support from electronuc powerhouse The Prodigy as well as Glas Vegas and The Blizzards.Oasis, who released their seventh studio album "Dig out your soul" in October last year, previously played at Slane Castle when they supported REM in 1995

Oasis' lead songwriter, Noel Gallagher, speaking at a recent press conference, said; "It'll be nice for us to finally headline Slane. I'm looking forward to playing for our own fans."
Acknowledging his Irish roots Noel said; "Ireland is a massive part of my youth, I spent six weeks of my life every summer over here until I was 16."
Lord Henry Mount Charles added; "Slane's roots are in rock 'n' roll - so I see having this marvellous band headline this year as carrying on a great tradition."
Slane began in 1981 with Ireland's own Thin Lizzy headlining the event. It has ran, largely uninterupted, since and has boasted such internationally acclaimed stars as Bob Dylan, U2 and Queen.

This years Slane Concert will be a welcome return to many music fans, as it was not held last year. The concert has proved to be less of an annual certainty in recent years.
It was cancelled in 2005 due to rapper Eminem pulling out of his headlining slot. The concert did not continue until 2007 when the Rolling Stones headlined, returning 25 years after their first headlined slot in 1982.
With Oasis playing Slane and their 1990s rival, Blur, headlining another major Irish music festival, Oxygen, it is safe to say it will be a Britpop summer for Irish music lovers.

Hillsborough Tragedy

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy in which 96 people lost their lives.
On April 15th, 1989 inexcusable overcrowding was allowed to happen during an FA Cup final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield.
On that day mounting numbers of Liverpudlians tried to make there way through the Leppings lane entrance and were met with total gridlock. Eventually, in an attempt to resolve the lack of movement, the police opened an exit gate which allowed 2,000 fans to flood into the stadium.
Naturally, the Liverpool supporters looked to stand behind their teams net. This meant that the pen behind the nets became overcrowded while many fans ignored the lesser populated pens to the side. The police did not try to disperse the crowd evenly throughout the stadium and so the crowd was allowed to build up in this one particular section. One man, Eddie Spearitt, who lost his 14 year old son in the tragedy commented “They’ve said it was a surge but it wasn’t. It was a slow, constant build-up of pressure, like a vice getting tighter and tighter until you couldn’t breathe.”
Although there was visible overcrowding and many fans screamed at passing police to resolve the problem the perimeter gates remained locked. At 3.04pm Liverpool striker Peter Beardsley hit the crossbar which caused a surge in the crowd. It wasn’t until two minutes later, when security precautions had been taken by the police that the game was called off and security gates were opened to allow hundreds of fans, 750 of which were injured, to spill onto the pitch.
Despite the large number of fatalities and injuries only one, of the 42 ambulances waiting outside the ground, went into the stadium itself. Its driver, Tony Edwards, recalled “A policeman came to my window and said, ‘You can’t go on the pitch, they’re still fighting.’”

What followed the event was numerous scandals, falsehoods and cover ups which outraged the public. Police blamed the tragedy on football hooliganism. British tabloid The Sun even claimed, under the title “The Truth”, that drunken football fans urinated on police trying to resuscitate bodies and even robbed the dead. To this day, however, not one of the security forces in operation that day has been held accountable for their lack of decisive action on that day.

Liverpool’s home club, Anfield, became a focal point of mourning in the days that followed the tragedy. The pitch was partially covered in flowers, scarves and messages of support in what is one of the worst football tragedies of all time. Of the 96 who lost their lost their lives, over half were 21 years of age or under.
Last Saturday, before Liverpool faced Blackburn, a minutes silence was held in Anfield in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the Hillsborough tragedy. Tomorrow, on Hillsborough’s 20th anniversary, a 90 minute memorial service will be held in Anfield, followed by a two minute silence, to be observed across Liverpool, Nottingham and Sheffield.

New Era for The Late Late Show

Pat Kenny sensationally announced his plans to leave The Late Late Show during the programme’s broadcast last Friday. He plans to leave the show, which he has hosted for the last ten years, to front a new current affairs programme on RTÉ. Kenny will leave the show at the end of the current season, which is in eight weeks time.



Watch Pat Kenny's announcement here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW0V3vpG9Js


Arguably The Late Late Show is the most important television show to ever be broadcast in Ireland. It has been running since 1962 making it the longest running chat show in the world. It has been broadly argued that The Late Late Show introduced Ireland to such controversial topics as; sex, divorce and contraception. The show, it seems, made Ireland a more open and liberal society.


Gay Byrne was the charismatic presenter of the show when it was introduced as a summer “filler” in 1962. He subsequently hosted the show for the next 37 years, apart from a brief stint from Frank Hall in the 1968-1969 season. Kenny received much criticism upon becoming Byrne’s replacement. The Sunday Independent’s Eilis O’Hanlon commented “what replaced it [The show featuring Gay Byrne] bore a superficial resemblance to what had gone before, but it was no more the Late Late Show than Bull Island wasa comedy.”


While the dust is still settling from such an announcement speculators are already gossiping about who could fill such prestigious shoes. Paddy Power bookmakers tipped Tubridy Tonight host Ryan Tubridy as the favourite with odds of 2/1. He is closely followed by Miriam O’Callaghan with odds of 3/1. Less likely candidates include Bertie Ahern (100/1), Podge & Rodge (250/1) and Colin Farrell (500/1).


Gerry Ryan was originally topped to be the most likely candidate to replace the shows current host. He presented the show in October 2008 when Pat Kenny was unable to attend due to the death of his mother. However, an RTÉ source revealed in The Daily Mirror last Sunday that Gerry Ryan would be unlikely to be considered because of his pay disputes with RTÉ officials. The source said: “You simply cannot bite the hand that feeds you and then expect to be rewarded for it. There’s a lot of speculation about who will become the new Late Late host but you can be guaranteed it won’t be Gerry Ryan now.”

It may be easy to draw similarities between The Late Late Show’s current host: Pat Kenny, and it’s prospective host: Ryan Tubridy. Tubridy’s Saturday night show, Tubridy Tonight, is the main competition to Kenny’s Friday Night slot. This a near mirror-image to the situation when Gay Byrne was the host of the The Late Late Show and Pat Kenny was his main competition with his Saturday night show Kenny Live. Unusually Tubridy’s show was brought in by RTÉ bosses as a replacement to Kenny Live. Both hosts also have extensive experience in radio, with Tubridy previously hosting The Full Irish on RTÉ 2fm and Kenny currently hosting Today with Pat Kenny weekdays on RTÉ Radio 1.

Another RTÉ source revealed, in today’s News of the World, that Miriam O’Callaghan is a firm favourite to replace Kenny in RTÉ’s flagship programme stating “ Miriam is a strong, modern woman - she’s sharp and sexy will bring a fresh, fun approach.”
Whoever is to become the new host has the responsibility, and the privilege, of hosting RTÉ’s most popular and influential show.

"There will be no return to the old days."

Life in Ireland is beginning to resemble the 1980s once again. With dramatic job losses, swelling dole queues and U2 releasing yet another successful album. The recent shootings in Northern Ireland are also a poignant reminder of the horrors of Irish life in the 1980s.

On Monday last, 48 year old Police Officer Stephen Carroll was gunned down in his unmarked police car while responding to a call at Lismore Manor in Craigavon. He became the first member of the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) to be murdered since its formation in 2001.

A dissident group, the Continuity IRA, have taken responsibility for the killing and released this statement via a coded message “As long as there is British involvement in Ireland, these attacks will continue.”

There has been a unified response to the killing. PSNI Chief Constable, Hugh Orde assured the Northern communities “This [shooting] will not put me off or any officers delivering the service we do to the communities we are paid to protect.” Talks have already been held, over the phone, between Taoiseach Brian Cowen and British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, in which they confirmed joint commitment in dissolving this issue. Gordon Brown added; “There will be no return to the old days.”

Northern Ireland First Minister, Peter Robinson and his deputy minister, Martin Mc Guinness, who postponed a planned trip to Washington following the shooting, also showed their disgust with the attacks. Martin Mc Guinness said; “These people are traitors to the island of Ireland. They have betrayed the political desires, hopes and aspirations of all the people who live in this island.”

The shooting of Constable Stephen Carroll follows the shooting of two British soldiers; Patrick Azimaker, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23 by another dissident group, the Real IRA, outside the Massareene Barracks in Co Antrim last Saturday.

This sudden outburst of attacks is the first from dissident IRA groups since the Omagh bombing in 1998 in which 29 people were killed. The Good Friday Agreement put what some thought was an end to the vicious killings in Northern Ireland which claimed over 3,500 lives over three decades of feuding.

Is it possible that Northern Ireland could once again plunge into the chaos that had claimed so many lives in the past? With a (generally) unified Government, a mixed police force and a more accepting and tolerant majority it would be difficult to imagine Northern Ireland ever falling to such brutal levels ever again.

As Gerry Ryan pointed out in his broadcast this morning, the one positive response that has come from these brutal attacks; it has shown the strength and unity of Northern Ireland in the Noughties.

We must only look at the recent demonstrations held throughout Northern Ireland in response to the shootings to see that Northern Ireland is much changed from the bleak 1980s. Silent demonstrations took place in Belfast, Lilburn, Newry, Downpatrick and Derry. A special vigil was also held in Craigavon, near the site of the recent shooting. “There was probably in excess of 10,000 people” said Eugene McGlone, of the Unite Union whom helped to organise the rallies. If anything this shows the united response of the people of Northern Ireland against recent violence. Surely such a united modern Northern Ireland could not revisit the horror tales of their past?

No line on the Horizon; Where are our Irish stars?

Last week U2 visited New York, to launch their 12th studio album “No Line on the Horizon”, in the USA. In recognition of this visit part of New York’s 53rd street has been temporarily renamed “U2 Way”. In a special ceremony, held March 3rd, the band alongside New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, unveiled the “U2 Way” street sign where it was also announced that band members; Bono, Larry Mullen, Adam Clayton and The Edge had become honorary New-Yorkers. Mayor Bloomberg added, at the event; “No wonder everyone in the city including me considers these four Dubliners honorary New Yorkers”. The renaming of the street also coincides with U2’s week long stint on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in which the four Dubliners became the first band to perform on five consecutive nights.

"What a thrill for four Irish boys from the northside of Dublin"

U2 had a similar honour earlier in the year when they performed, alongside such prestigious acts as Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor, at the inauguration of Barack Obama as US President. Speaking before the event Bono commented; “What a thrill for four Irish boys from the northside of Dublin to honour you sir, Barack Obama, to be the next president of the United States.” Indeed, it would seem that their current status is a million miles away from their Irish roots. As Shane Hegarty, of The Irish Times, points out Bono has “a fascination with America that displays itself as a cloying neediness”. One must wonder which country U2 considers its home: Ireland or the bright lights of the USA?
Then again, if we look at Irish celebrities, how many can say they still reside in Ireland? Emigration amongst our celebrities is at the same level of the jobless masses in the mid-1980s. Colin Farrell, for example, lives in Los Angeles. Cillian Murphy lives in London. Liam Neeson in New York. The same is the case for Irish comedians; Dara O’Briain and Ed Byrne live in London, and Dylan Moran in Edinburgh. What is so unattractive about the emerald isle to these Irish stars?

"My Irishness is in everything I do. It's the spirit of who I am, as a man, an actor, a father. It's where I come from."

Surely all these stars do not detest Ireland? Pierce Brosnan, who became an American citizen in 2004, has expressed the importance of his Irish heritage; “my Irishness is in everything I do. It's the spirit of who I am, as a man, an actor, a father. It's where I come from”. The more likely answer is that these Irish stars simply follow where they can get work. This shows, if anything, the dire state of the Irish arts.
Irish films, for example, are generally low-budget and, with a few exceptions; notably “In Bruges” and “The Commitments”, have failed to receive international success. The situation with Irish music is not much better, with many Irish bands needing to emigrate to the US or England to receive recognition for their work, such is the case with Irish pop-trio The Script. Some of the recent home-grown Irish talent; like The Blizzards and Fight like Apes, have failed to broaden their horizons beyond an Irish market. The Irish music and film industry seems to have a great reliance on US and English markets. With this reliance is it any wonder that Ireland is losing its brightest and best to country’s that can support their careers? This brain drain will have to cease if Irish arts are to have any standing on an international basis.

Jade Goody: Life and Death in the Limelight

Last year we were introduced to Craig Ewert, 59, in a controversal Sky television feature. Mr Ewert, who was suffering from motor-neuron disease, became the first case of euthanasia (assisted suicide) to be broadcasted on British television.

The programme itself recieved much criticism for its controversal content. Responding to the isssue British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said "I think it is very important that these issues are dealt with sensitively and without sensationalism and I hope broadcasters remember that they have a wider responsibility to the general public." However, how else could such a controversial and intriguing topic have been presented? Is death in the public eye a betrayel of human dignity? Or, does it add potency and awareness to life threatening issues? Undoubtedly this is one of the ethical questions that will arise in the case of Jade Goody.

It think it would be naive to presume that Jade Goody's death would be anything other than a media frenzy. Her rise to fame was on the wave of success of reality television. Her life, since that moment, has been the object of scrutinious media attention. She used this success to sell her fragrances, books and various fitness DVD's. However, it now seems that she is using this fame to sell her death. "I've lived in front of the camera's, and maybe I'll die in front of them" she told a documentary crew.

There are two arguements which can be made in an attempt to justify such an invasion of privacy. Firstly, as Jade Goody herself has claimed, the media attention which now surrounds her helps to raise funds for her two sons. The various deals, interviews and exclusive photograph oppertunities which she has sold since her diagnosis last August has raised her sons' inheritance to a staggering £1.5m (almost €1.75m) A noble cause, some may claim, but more important than financial assistance during these difficult last moments must surely be emotional support? How can her two sons properly grieve and come to terms with their mothers death as their every reaction is broadcast to the masses?

Another arguement is that her condition has significantly raised awareness of ovarian cancer which has prompted a further 21% of women to get themselves examined. Similar to how "Slumdog Millionaire" has helped to raise much needed charity for Indian charities. Although this, undoubtedly, is a positive by-product of Jade Goody's death it is questionable how long this heightened level of awareness will last. Out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps the awareness of ovarian cancer will die with Jade?

As the days continue, we will see more and more pictures of Jade's crying portrait pasted on the front of various red-tops, it is becoming difficult to remember that Jade Goody is a person. She is 27 years of age, she has two sons and a husband. As her dying day approaches perhaps the media should have a more reserved approach to such a delicate issue. Although looking at Jades life it would be difficult to imagine her meeting the end any other way.