Owner: In Fact, Ah URL:http://www.infactah.com Join Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 09:31:45 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: An Irish blog that discusses life, the arts, politics and anything that's trivial enough to disseminate to the big InterWeb. Irish Blog Awards nominee in 2006, more fact less fiction. Site statistics:Click here
It's only a game! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This week, it's hard to open a paper, turn on the telly or tune into the radio without coming across some discussion of this Saturday's big match in Croker. As in the run up to the French match, little of the talk centred around the game itself. This week the emphasis has unsurprisingly concentrated on the perceived political and social issues surrounding the arrival of the English rugby team and its low-swinging chariot to Croker. You'd almost forget that there is a match to be played at this stage.The arrival of an English team to this hallowed ground and especially the airing of God Save the Queen is a sensitive issue for many in the GAA community, especially relatives of those killed on Bloody Sunday. However the politicisation of the match by A) The British Government's misconceived plans to lay a wreath and B) Republican Sinn Fein's utterly ignorant attempt to hold a protest prior to the game irks me greatly. Both seem to me to be nothing more than political opportunism and
mpfree 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Stones Throw Records, home to such hip-hop luminaries as MF Doom, Madlib and producer Peanut Butter Wolf, have released 'Chrome Children 2', continuing their collaboration with cartoon network Adult Swim. Good news is it's free for download here (scroll to bottom of list and download entire album). Enlisting the production talents of Fourtet, Dabrye, and Yesterday's New Quintet, this release is a good snapshot of where alternative hip-hop is at the moment. The artwork is also worthy of any computer's desktop wallpaper. Go ahead and download it, free of the guilt you feel when dowloading from soulseek and the attendant visions of starving indie artists. And remember, if you don't like hip-hop, you're racist.Record label names don't come much better than Cock Rock Disco, coincidentally home to arguably the greatest name ever for an artist: duran duran duran. CRD have two full length downloadables available on their site. One is a compilation (here) featuring duran duran duran, do
Midweek Techno Tonic 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Wednesday evenings were not traditionally a time of the week I would have looked forward to with any great zeal. With a New Year comes new things (thankfully!) and one of my favourite new finds of 2007 has been Ronan Fitzgerald's show Lonarch on Radio Na Life every Wednesday evening from 9p.m. - 10:30p.m.In his slot, Ronan showcases his distillate knowledge of everything musical that is fresh, electronic and German (as Gaeilge, ar ndóigh!). Much of the music is very hot off the press. There are always some tracks each week captivating enough that they'll compel you to follow up on and thus throw open invigorating niches of musical exploration. What really makes this show even more smashing is that it's available, usually the next day, as a good quality mp3 from Ronan's blog, complete with tracklisting. The shows are archived here.Last week's show was without doubt the best yet of 2007 with a second half in particular which simmered boisterously with bewitching sounds, culminating Read more:Midweek
, Techno
, Tonic
Six Nations Tipping, Part 3 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I think Faz may have someone else on his mind who'll need saving rather than the Queen come Saturday 5:30. I'm sure Messrs D'Arcy and O'Driscoll have a few nice 'Fáilte to Test Rugby' set-pieces up their sleeves. Well, it's almost here. Thankfully. Look at how long we've been waiting for this one!The build up to the game and the furore drummed up over God Save The Queen being played at Croke Park is truly sickening. We can put aside for a moment the fact that the Irish team's chances this tournament have undoubtedly been adversely affected by all the talk surrounding the move to Croke Park, even though that's grating enough for the rugby fans amongst us.The public discourse in the build up to the England game has yet again highlighted that it seems a large minority (I hope it's a minority!) of the public have a long way to go with leaving the unsavoury elements of our past behind almost a decade since a firm template was put in place for achieving re-unification of our isla Read more:Nations
, Six Nations
Quiet before the storm 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Who's That Girl? La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. Yeah, she's back and she's already eyeing up Twenty Major for Saturday night.Ken Livingstone embarks on yet another ambitious plan. Who would doubt that he'll succeed.Adds more weight to my theory that people should have to apply for a licence to have kids. Ask and you shall receive. This girl should really get your nomination for a Brit Blog Award.NewsBiscuit headline - no relation to In Fact, Ah - "Woman accepts afternoon snack without fuss".Nice card trick.tags:links Read more:Quiet
A right funny girl altogether 2007-03-02 22:24:00 Annette's been dreaming of us In Fact Ahers bathing each other the night before the awards ...tags:irishblogawards
DIY - Do it yourself, ring the man that is. 2007-03-02 10:40:00 Whilst at work the other day a colleague of mine mentioned how he was too busy to get time to fix a problem in the house. The problem was fairly simple; a door was catching on his floor. I tried to explain that a little bit of sandpaper applied to the bottom of the door would have solved his woes, but he ventured that he "didn't have time to do those sort of things". I was surprised by his attitude and it got me thinking that he's not alone.We Irish were, not so long ago, a proud nation of DIY enthusiasts. With increasing new home ownership came an increasing desire for that extra garden shed or play area for the kids in the back garden. Home improvement stores like B&Q and Woodies have seen profits climb through the roof as each newly-sprouted retail park is graced with their presence.With the sustained growth in the wealth of our population, money is on hand for many. The thought of trudging to the the DIY store to buy the materials and then go home and actually build or put togeth
Irish bloggers are media whores 2007-03-02 00:22:00 Kidding of course. It's great to see some of the big names taking centre stage in the Irish
MSM coverage of Saturday's Irish Blog Awards. Dave Fanning was cooling his tongue with ice cream this evening from Ice Cream Ireland. Go listen here (tune in around 7 mins 40 sec). Rick was talking to the blooming Sinead Gleeson and Twenty Major on his show this evening too. Today FM were keen to cover it in their interview with Piaras Kelly. And don't forget to watch the Six One news tomorrow (Friday) for a Blog Awards exclusive.Man, this URL'ing is hard work (I'm coining this phrase right now).Anyone up for thrashing the joint on Saturday night?tags:irishblogawardsPS Tag any related posts with "irishblogawards" Read more:bloggers
, media
Straight from the horse's mouth 2007-03-09 01:14:00 Adrian JP Harrington, friend of In Fact, Ah and assorted RTE personalities, attended the second Annual Cheltenham Preview Night and was bursting to tell us all about it. At this stage, I think we've tipped every horse to win at Cheltenham.We're hoping that Adrian can send us back reports from the upcoming cricket World Cup which he be attending. The second Annual Cheltenham Preview Night took place Monday night last in the Royal Hotel, Roscommon. MC was top journalist and tipster Donn McClean. The panel included trainers Dessie Hughes (Hardy Eustace) and Tony Martin (Dun Doire), senior handicapper Noel O'Brien, jockey Ross Geraghty and John Kennelly of Bruce Bookmakers.It was an educated National Hunt panel on paper, but Hughes and Martin were like two school kids hiding sweets from the teacher Noel O'Brien. Geraghty was quiet and slightly flustered when asked a question while Kennelly was well prepared, but he kept reminding us that Bruce Bookmakers were now No Run No Bet.The prog Read more:Straight
, mouth
Cheltenham Part 5 2007-03-07 21:04:00 With less than a week to go to this year's festival, things are gradually beginning to shape up. With rain continuing to fall at the Cotswold venue, the going is likely to be soft. This has seen frantic movement in the betting market, with horses been backed in and also drifting out. The last week has seen many high profile horses having to withdraw; the big two being current Gold Cup champion War of Attrition and In Compliance. I'd already tipped these horses in an earlier post and still feel if either had ran, one would have won.Come race week, log on to In Fact,Ah to get your daily tips. Until then, here's two more ante-post tips. Cane Break in the Gold Cup - this horse has been backed in from 33-1 to 16's in past few days. I also fancy Kings Advocote, 12/1, in Jewson Novices H'cap Chase on Thursday. Both horses will enjoy the soft ground.tags:cheltenham Read more:Cheltenham
Six Nations Tipping, Part 4 2007-03-07 20:46:00 After their brilliant derailing of the Sweet Chariot in a game which passed off without incident, Ireland head to Murrayfield this weekend in search of a second Triple Crown in as many years. In some way, it may make up for yet another Grand Slam less campaign. But the sad fact still remains; Ireland have not won this competition since 1985.So in the absence of our regular tipping poster, who is In Fact, Ah falling down the slopes of the Alps, (he maintains it's skiing he's doing)I'm taking the reins for a week. Can you please leave your predictions for Match Weekend Four of the In Fact, Ah Six Nations
Tipping Competition in the comments?! Read more:Six Nations
Hippie Juice 2007-03-09 13:19:00 Apologies in Advance. The following piece has nothing whatsoever to do with sport.What if I told you that it would cost you around €550 to modify your (petrol engine) car in such a way as to decrease its carbon emmissions by 70%? Which of these figures appeal more to you: the €550 or the 70%? Having touched on this subject before more than a year ago, it has reared its head again i.e. the primacy afforded the economy over the environment.Yesterday's (March 8th) Morning Ireland carried a piece about modification kits for petrol engine cars which would allow them to run on bioethanol. Bioethanol is a mixture of standard petroleum and ethanol at a ratio of 15:85 respectively. The ethanol can be derived from many sources, including dairy production by-products such as whey. Bioethanol is now available in 13 Maxol outlets nationwide, although yet again lonely Connacht has been shafted with not one outlet offering the product in the province. But what if you run out of bioethanol in the Read more:Juice
Cookery for Sons, Idiots and the Malnourished 2007-03-10 12:16:00 If, like me, you have difficulty cooking the most basic of meals, you'd do well to seek help. No, don't call the Mother. That would be tantamount to telling her that a) you've lost your job b) you were arrested for drink-driving and c) the bailiffs have taken your 32" LCD TV. It's fair to say that mothers have turbulent nights worrying about their offsprings' dietary fulfillments. Fatal mistake number two is to buy a cookbook, unless it's a no-frills home economics book from 1965. Otherwise, you get twattish recipes for ingredients and utensils that you don't have and never will have. Jamie Oliver can pukka off if he thinks I'm cooking something that needs to be shipped from the Galapagos Islands. Keep it Essex mate.For me, even scrambled eggs can be a challenge. Too dry, too watery, too tasteless. People never get them right! Crucial point here is not to season before cooking.So, what you need to do is go e-Gastro. Use what Web 2.0 was intended for. Below, Gordon Ramsey shows Read more:Cookery
, Idiots
Cheltenham Day 1 2007-03-13 01:27:00 Every day of the festival, I'll give my tips for each race. Ignore at your peril.Tips for today:14:00 Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle - Hide The Evidence.14:35 Irish Independent Arkle Chase - Fair Along.15:15 Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle - Asian Maze. (each-way)16:00 William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase - Cornish Rebel. (each-way)16:40 Sporting Index Handicap Chase - Spot The Difference17:20 Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle - Silver Jaro. Find another comprehensive review of each day of the festival over at Punting for Profits Read more:Cheltenham
, Cheltenham Day
Cheltenham Day 2 2007-03-14 01:01:00 After some of my fellow bloggers enlightened me of the fact that In Fact, Ah could actually be considered as a strong contender for this year's Pulitzer Prize and that my plagiarism gaffe yesterday had seriously endangered this lofty dream, I have realised that my recent foray into the world of journalism is still a little rough around the edges. And so, in relation to the whole "CopyPasteGate" scandal that has engulfed In Fact, Ah , I can only offer my sincere and humble apologies to my fellow bloggers and In Fact, Ah readers - my only feeble defence being "imitation is the greatest form of flattery". Now that I think of it, that also explains why you don't see too many Cahony-esq hairstyles round these days.Okay. Enough of the small talk; lets get down to the real business. Day 1 at Cheltenham
was one for our bookmaking friends. With winners coming in at 40 and 50/1, it wasn't a good day for most punters, especially me. Not one of my tips came in yesterday, something I hope wonâ Read more:Cheltenham Day
Cheltenham Day 3 tipping results 2007-03-15 18:33:00 A some what disastrous days tipping
, only saving graces been High Cotton and Adamant Approach placing in the last two races of the day. Having put a hefty bet on Black Jack Ketchum earlier i was thoroughly disappointed with his fall at the first. A basic early error saw him depart a fence one. With one day to go, I'm very tempted to go against my gut feeling and try and recoup my losses with a big bet on Kauto Star in the Gold Cup. Hopefully I'll have a visions of him crossing the line in front of the field in my dreams tonight, a sure fire sign he'll win!!1400 Jewson Novices Chase – Kings Advocate - 6th1435 Ryanair Chase - Racing Demon - 5th1515 Ladbrokes World Hurdle - Black Jack Ketchum -fell1600 Racing Post Plate - Nycetos (each way) - 20th1640 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup - High Cotton (each way) - 4th1720 Pertemps Final - Adamant Approach (each way) - 3rdtags:cheltenham Read more:Cheltenham
, results
, Cheltenham Day
Six Nations Tipping, Final Round 2007-03-15 12:05:00 Ciaran Fitzgerald salutes the crowd during Ireland's last Championship winning campaign. That'd be 1985 then.So, here we are approaching the final weekend of an extremely schizophrenic Six Nations
. For us poor souls trying to predict scores in the compeition there is no doubt a feeling of having been put through the grinder over the past 7 weeks. Of course that unpredictability makes for a great tournament though. What surprises may the final weekend bring? Leave your predictions in the comments below this post please.Standings after round 4 (Lower is better):Tom 225PMC 227 (Closest prediction Eng -v- France Round 4, -10 Points)Jap 269Da Rossie 278The Salmon Of Knowledge 279Cahony 281Egardoo 289 (Closest prediction Italy -v- Wales Round 4, -10 Points)Dae 295Francie 296Colm 314 (Closest prediction Scotland -v- Ireland Round 4, -10 Points)Incognito 335Gib 386Barabus 436Murray 467Bull 529The Slippery Orange Ballcock 562Lorenzo 564Tom and PMcC are out in front, but now is the chance for Read more:Final
, Six Nations
, Final Round
I'm Back! 2007-03-15 10:08:00 Well, what a time to be away. Congrats to my co-contributors here at In Fact, Ah and to all the other award winners at the Blog Awards which took place while I was away snowboarding in Italy.As for my holiday I can highly recommend Livigno. I went with a group of sixteen mates and we had a ball. Watch out for the long coach transfer time from the airport (4/5 hours) and after that you'll be fine. DirectSki.ie were very helpful right through from booking to after we got back when they got one of their reps to bring home a forgotten snowboard a few days after we returned.In Livigno itself the nightlife is of the cheesy music variety and the single nightclub in the town is best avoided. In many of the bars we had great banter and craic with some Italians and other Europeans. Despite all the tourists being a captive market up there eating out is extremely good value for money. The food on offer is really great and the prices are mind boggling. A Fillet Steak in posh surroundings comes to
Cheltenham Day 3 2007-03-15 01:01:00 Two days down and two to go. Thursday is easily the weakest day for championship races in the festival, having been built in to accommodate an extra day for the new modern Cheltenham
. Thursday's two big ones are the Ryanair Chase and the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. In the latter, much has been made of the current form of Black Jack Ketchum, but I feel tomorrow with the ground continuing to dry out that this horse will be back to his best after his dire run in testing ground last time out, and I fancy him to win in the same fashion as Denman did yesterday. If punters are looking for a bit of value, I’d recommended an each-way bet on Lough Derg in the same race. Also Hi Cloy offers a bit of value in the Ryanair Chase.Below is a quick guide to my tips for today.1400 Jewson Novices Chase – Kings Advocate.1435 Ryanair Chase - Racing Demon.1515 Ladbrokes World Hurdle - Black Jack Ketchum.1600 Racing Post Plate - Nycetos (each way).1640 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup - High Cotton (each w Read more:Cheltenham Day
Cheltenham Day 2 tipping results 2007-03-14 19:44:00 Today's tipping
resulted in 2 wins, an improvement on yesterdays horror show at least.14:00 Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle - My Turn Now. (each way) - 6th14:35 Royal & Sun Alliance Chase – Denman - 1st.15:15 Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase - Voy Por Ustedes - 1st.16:00 Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle – Mister Hight - 5th16:40 Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Handicap Chase - Direct Flight (each way) - 16th17:20 Weatherbys Champion Bumper - Fiveforthree (each way) - 5th.tags:[cheltenham] Read more:Cheltenham
, results
, Cheltenham Day
In Fact, Ah Summit 2007 2007-03-16 12:30:00 We'll be going offline for a few days to attend the inaugural In Fact, Ah summit in Dingle this weekend. Strangely enough, it will be the first time that all contributors will get together in the one place, at the same time. Weather permitting, we hope to do a Fianna Fail type photoshoot like the one where the walked the beach in Inchydoney.This post should also serve as a warning to Ice Cream Ireland. At the recent blog awards, I stuffed about 30 vouchers for free ice cream in my pocket as we left.PS. I'll take photos (silhouetted of course) to prove that there are more than two In Fact, Ah contributors.tags:infactah Read more:Summit
Cheltenham Day 4 2007-03-16 10:19:00 Three days down and one to go. And today is the pinnacle; Gold Cup Day. Favourite Kauto Star will be attempting to win £1million for his owners by capturing the blue ribband showpiece event. Much talk has centred around his ability lately, and whether or not he can get away with the jumping mistakes he has made in the King George and other races. Today will tell if Ruby can get him around safely.Below is a quick guide to tips for today.1400 JCB Triumph Hurdle - Degas Art1435 Brit Insurances Novices Hurdle - Ornais (each way)1515 Totesport Cheltenham
Gold Cup - Exotic Dancer1600 Christie's Foxhunter Chase - Sonevafushi (each way)1640 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase - Demi Beau1720 Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle - Made In Japan (each way)Find another comprehensive review of each day of the festival over at Punting for Profitstags: cheltenham Read more:Cheltenham Day
El Miraculo! 2007-03-20 14:39:00 Spotted by Cavs.tags:[Ronaldo Dive]
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right 2007-03-21 00:07:00 All sorts of learnings can be reaped from our recent break in Dingle. In Fact, Ah learned that a) wavin pipes are deadly dangerousb) Francie has the foulest tongue in Irelandc) it is possible to fit in the smallest of cupboardsd) barbecuing outdoors is overrated. It's all going indoorse) renting nice houses is so much better than hostelingf) re-enacting scrums at 6am is not clever. You can break innocent bystanders' headsg) Maidhc Danín Ó Sé is still a celebrity in the west of Irelandh) the Irish rugby should take a leaf out of the Irish cricket team's booki) some friends are for lifetags:infactah
Twenty Major snags book deal 2007-03-22 21:06:00 In Fact, Ah had to do a double take today when we were sent a press release from the Hodder Headline publishing house. April Fool's day is just over a week away and it was assumed that some were getting ahead of themselves. But no, it's true. Twenty has been given a deal that will see him placed on bookshelves up and down the country alongside literary greats such as Cecilia Ahern.In a way, it's no surprise that Ireland's most celebrated blogger has hit the big time. Anyone who writes consistently and with purpose will be successful, whether this means landing a book deal or simply having a following who look forward to reading the blog.Up until recently, very few people knew the person behind this nom de plume. His recent outing at the Irish Blog Awards meant that the public finally got a glipse of the face behind the blog. Many questioned his motivation for revealing himself. However, the spoken and unspoken rules of the night ensured that his photo remained unpublished. That was Read more:Major
, snags
Keano on Gift Grub 2007-03-23 14:48:00 All credit toooo Roy Keane's solicitor Micheal Kennedy for giving us permission to broadcast the interview 'Real' Roy carried out with Gift Grub's Roy Keane yesterday morning. Obviously as we've said before like we're big fans of Roy and we urge Stan to do the decent thing and step down as Ireland manager so the Roy-Fridgerator can take over.In the mean time listen to the real Roy on Gift Grub by clicking heretags:Gift GrubRoy Keane
Rrrrrrugby 2007-03-23 13:42:00 I'm gonna hang on to the results of the 6N tipping contest until Monday when I'll have a few words to say about the 6N and the months ahead for Ireland. I'm still digesting and musing on recordings of matches and column inches. That was one heck of a tournament.In the meantime, I think you'll really enjoy this. From London Irish -v- Wasps last weekend. It was the 67th minute and the scores were locked at 13 - 13. Then this happened:It kinda spoils it, but in the end Irish went on to win 16 - 13. What a pity!tags: rugby
Let's Go Poker Crazy 2007-03-24 14:10:00 Once a game confined to the corner of a back room in a pub, or a game organised in a mate's house, the growth of poker over the last number of years has brought the game into mainstream entertainment and culture. Having learnt the basics of poker from an uncle many many years ago, I have always been intrigued by it and lately have indulged in it a lot more. This recent surge in popularity is mainly due to Texas Hold 'Em, now the most popular of card poker games played in most casinos and online across the world. The objective of Texas Hold 'Em is to win pots of money bet by oneself and other players in a hand.A dealer button is used to show which players acts as the dealer for each hand, while the button rotates clockwise after each hand, changing the position of the dealer and blinds. Hold'em is played using blinds as the minimum bet to play, the player to the left of the dealer pays the small blind (normally half the big blind) whilst the player to the left of the small blind pay Read more:Poker
, Crazy
Galway councillors urge citizens not to chance a fart 2007-03-26 22:53:00 Seriously, what's going on with the water situation in the West? I have a theory that the supply has been contaminated by politicians cacking themselves in fear that they'll be found out and end up like The Stroke, Michael Fahy.Sydney set to stage a blackout for an hour to highlight concerns over global warming.Sinead Gleeson takes over the late morning slot at Phantom FM for the week. Apparently, she's wearing stripy pyjamas while presenting. Well worth a listen.Google's acquisition of YouTube may not have been the best investment since after all. Personally, I mainly use it to view traditionally produced video content.I had the pleasure of hanging out with JoePaolo and the Sunshine Brigade this weekend. Check out their MySpace page. I just dare you not to tap your foot to 'Kilim'.tags:sunshinebrigade Read more:Galway
, chance
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