StatusIreland

Here is the electric picnic line up for 2010 so far. The festival takes place on 3rd, 4th & 5th September. at Stradbally Hall, Stradbally village near Portlaoise.

ireland

In total, €27,200,000,000 (€27.2 bn) in bad loans has been taken from banks and put into NAMA. NAMA in turn paid €13,000,000,000 (€13 bn) for these loans. That is a total discount so far of 52.3%.

The banks are Allied Irish Banks, Bank of Ireland, EBS Building Society, Irish Nationwide Building
Society and the worst of the worst Anglo Irish Bank. €11,900,000,000 (€11.9 bn) of the €27.2 bn belongs to Anglo. Separately, Anglo will be receiving a total of €24,500,000,000 (€24.5bn) in recapitalisation from the Irish state.

The total tax revenue in Ireland for 2009 was €33,043,000,000. The budget for the Irish health system is €14,830,000,000. The budget for education and science for 2010 is €8,888,000,000.

Ireland’s national debt stands at around €87,000,000,000. In order to just service this debt we will need to spend around the same as we spend on education.

Finance, ireland Allied Irish Banks, Anglo Irish Bank, bank of ireland, budget, EBS Building Society, education and science, Irish Nationwide Building Society, l tax revenue, nama, National debt

We all know the X Factor is about as sterile as Simon Cowell’s milk-man trusting father but there’s nothing like a good punt to perk it up. Paddy Power are offering the following bets on the first exact phrase said by one of the judges on the first Live X Factor studio show 2010:

I loved it
8/1
Let yourself down
18/1
I have to admit
10/1
Little Miss Showbiz
40/1
Got the X Factor
16/1
You shouldn’t be here
40/1
Nobody deserves it more
25/1
Is it Cole or Tweddy?
50/1

More available here: http://www.paddypower.com/bet/novelty-betting/tv-specials/x-factor/Cliche-Betting-1904626.html?force_racing_css=N

ireland 2010, bet, paddy power, simon cowell, tweedy, x factor, xfactor

Bebe signs for man utd

Tiago Manuel Dias Correia as he isn’t known by his friends was signed by Manchester United for an estimated £7.5million on 11th August. It was an impulse purchase, Alex Ferguson admitted, after recommendation by former Utd Assistant manager Carlos Queiroz. Bebe was raised in an orphanage and spent much of his childhood on the streets (playing the type of football Wayne Rooney and Sky one like).
Bebe played in the 2009 European Street Football Festival scoring 40 goals in 6 matches. That’s the type of record that they like at utd.

ireland

I never really got the Rose of Tralee thing but only recently found out that it is all based on a song of the same title and that the winner must be “lovely and fair”.

Here are the lyrics for your pleasure:

“The pale moon was rising above the green mountains,

The sun was declining beneath the blue sea;

When I strayed with my love to the pure crystal fountain,

That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee.

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,

Yet ’twas not her beauty alone that won me;

Oh no, ’twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,

that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

The cool shades of evening their mantle were spreading,

And Mary all smiling was listening to me;

The moon through the valley her pale rays was shedding,

When I won the heart of the Rose of Tralee.

Though lovely and fair as the Rose of the summer,

Yet ’twas not her beauty alone that won me;

Oh no, ’twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,

that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.

In the far fields of India, ‘mid wars dreadful thunders,

Her voice was a solace and comfort to me,

But the chill hand of death has now rent us asunder,

I’m lonely tonight for the Rose of Tralee.

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,

Yet ’twas not her beauty alone that won me;

Oh no, ’twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning,

that made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.”

..and the 2009 Rose of Tralee winner, all lovely and fair:

It’s all mad stuff really…

Humour, ireland 2009, 2010, father ted, kerry, rose of tralee

Have a look below at google trends showing the amount of searches for “House Prices” done within Ireland. Over the years it has dropped slightly but not by very much.

We also seem to be more mad about land prices too:

“Divorce” seems to be something that took a big leap during this year (obviously too expensive in 2009 & 2008)
I have a suspicion that christmas 2009 was the toughest for many people in years..

ireland divorce, house prices, ireland, killing, land prices

Dublin bus has stopped all services in Dublin City due to the severe weather conditions. There website says:

Dublin Bus wishes to advise customers that due to the recent heavy snowfall there is serious disruption to most services. There are dangerous driving conditions on all main city arteries and we are waiting for roads to be made safe before resuming services. We will have more up to date information available here as soon as possible.

The last of the buses can be seen leaving the city via Dublin City Council cameras:

http://www.dublincity.ie/dublintraffic/

ireland bus, cold, dublin, dublinbus, ice, ireland, snow, traffic, weather

It’s good to see some passion on Irish media and I think this guy even has a point to make somewhere. Pat Kenny however didn’t seem to see the funny side. The man was brought away and Pat Kenny now uses his skull as a tea cup.

ireland 11 hours, abuse, Alan O'Brien, audience, front line, frontline, man, mary hanafin, minister, panel, Pat kenny, pay, RTE, work a week, €600000

As the Unions position their members for some cold nights outside it’s sure to be a tough time for businesses, workers and the government over the next few months.

Looking at the figures for the first half of this year however and compared to the previous years it seems that things are might not be as tough as the were in the 80’s and 90’s. It seems also that there are many people willing to strike but not for long. It is working out as just over an hour for each person in the first half of 2009. Compare that to 2008 where the average per worker was nearly 12 hours.

The second half of 2009, particularly the last few months, may help to level these figures out. Time will tell.

Jobs, ireland 2009, government, industrial action, siptu, strike, Unions

The winner of RTÉ’s recent Storyland competition is gaining quite a following online. Set in the fictional town of Castletown, Co. Mayo ‘The Hardy Bucks’ follows the lives of a group of twenty-something locals who spend most of their days doing as little as possible. Hopefully RTÉ will give this show the air time it really deserves. It would be a rare thing for them!

MORE HERE

ireland castletown, hardy bucks, Mayo, RTE, storyland