Since early 2010 David has been capturing a moment just before Irelands young and talented become voluntary exiles, and set in Dublin at night they make for striking images.

Each background has a particular significance for the subject, and in his own [...]]]> The ‘Leaving Dublin’ project is an inspired work-in-progress by photographer David Monahan.

Since early 2010 David has been capturing a moment just before Irelands young and talented become voluntary exiles, and set in Dublin at night they make for striking images.

Each background has a particular significance for the subject, and in his own words “the idea is to make a heroic shot, to celebrate the person, to say they’re full of pride, full of dignity, they’re going out to do something, and they’re going to do it well.”

David recognises the differences between this and previous waves of emigration, and at the same time acknowledges that the quest remains the same – the search for a better life. He honours the courage behind the decision, and the fact that moving to a different country can dramatically shape the future lives of those who leave.

Emigration is tinged with all sorts of emotion, the sadness of seeing loved ones go, the anticipation of those who leave – sometimes uncertain, other times full of confidence – and Leaving Dublin reminds us of the intensely personal nature of such a decision.

This project is an important recording of modern Irish history, and it’s a visually artistic masterpiece. David is looking for new participants and if you’re leaving Dublin you can contact him via his blog or viewpage:

A Photographic Blog For The Small World
David Monahan Photographer – Viewpage

From Stage To Street is an absorbing journey back to the times when what was happening on the Irish stage was also reverberating out on the streets. From [...]]]> There’s a great account of Irish theatre history running on RTÉ Radio 1 at the moment, and it’s a world full of riots, protests, and high drama..!

From Stage To Street is an absorbing journey back to the times when what was happening on the Irish stage was also reverberating out on the streets. From the Playboy riots of 1907 to more recent controversies, it’s a fresh and entertaining look at key moments in Irish theatre.

Why did Lady Gregory’s nephew lead a drunken chorus of ‘God Save Our King’ at the Abbey in 1907? And why, 50 years later, was Brendan Behan leading a drunken chorus of ‘The Auld Triangle’ outside Dublin’s pocket theatre, the Pike?

Why, in 1926, was an actor in Sean O’Casey’s “The Plough and the Stars” the victim of an attempted armed kidnap? and was it really that unpatriotic to fly the tricolour in a public house?

Tennessee Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo” at Dublin’s Pike theatre saw it’s director Alan Simpson hauled from the stage and arrested for bringing indecency to the theatre when a condom fell from the pocket of an actor during the play.

Presented by Colin Murphy the series captures these events and more, and it’s very enjoyable to listen to. Each week there’s talk about the players and passions at stake in the most provocative moments in Irish theatre history, and each story is brought back to life in a colourful reminder of the vibrancy of the times.

A delightful education and you can enjoy the latest playback here. There’s also a Stage To Street Facebook page with video, photos, soundtracks and archive material so plenty to delve into if it’s caught your imagination.

Happy New Year all. It ‘ll probably be another tumultuous one so I thought i’d post this video by Johnnie Lawson just for one of those quiet moments.

Enjoy…

The full might of the organisation has been on ‘red’ alert over the last few hours as they monitored unusual airborne [...]]]> NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) is probably the most technically advanced tracking facility in the world. If someone wants to know what’s happening in the air, or in space, NORAD provides the answers.

The full might of the organisation has been on ‘red’ alert over the last few hours as they monitored unusual airborne activity – the worldwide delivery of Christmas presents by Santa himself!

Here at diaspora headquarters we managed to break through their defence systems and download data about Santa in Ireland! Here is what we found…

Timecheck : GMT – 00:20 – Santa arrives in Ireland from Iceland having delivered 1,362,948,863 presents so far….

Timecheck : GMT – 00:21 – Santa leaves and heads off towards the Azores having now delivered 1,363,054,183 presents…

We fed these figures into our super-dooper data analysis machines and can confirm that Santa brought 105,320 presents to our little Island. He’s a lovely man, but we’re a bit confused as to why he dropped them all off in Shannon! Only NORAD and Santa himself can answer that one!

Update: NORAD have confirmed that some of Santa’s Elves worked tirelessly through the night visiting all the houses in Ireland – so hopefully lots of happy little people this morning (and some big ones too!)

Merry Christmas all – and a happy new year.