ILLUSION
Envelopes lie unopened on the table
That runs the length of the hall.
Logos on the outside
Reveal the utilities call.
No greeting cards contained within,
Nor cheery offers of a prize
Sharp demands in angry prose
Are all that inside lies.
No need to open the missives
When denial provides some comfort
And optimism offers advice; like a friend
Naively not wishing to inflict hurt.
Failure to invoke the plain reality
The demoralising truth unvarnished,
Preserves the dubious veneer that leaves
Your precocious esteem untarnished.
It was all so good back then:
Two cars in the drive, shiny and new,
Holidays three times a year,
The parties every month you threw.
Bling of course was the wrong term for
The little black numbers, so exquisite
The emerald and ruby creations
The discreet salon you used to visit.
This was an envious word, coined
By those who lacked the ability
To match what you could achieve
They dreamt; you made the possible reality.
Why not push the limits of his expense account
To provide personal gratification;
A small reward for the ruthless toil
Extracted from him by the corporation.
Now by order of a cold calculation
Made three thousand miles away:
His career dismantled, talents unwanted,
Responsibilities evaporated, all gone astray.
The corporate God provides the opportunities
Allows you construct your invincibility illusion
Then scatters as dust the castle of sand
That morphed into your sad delusion
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
CONFIDENCE - two years ago
The following was written in October 2007. Don't say I didn't tell you!
It is amazing what confidence can do for a person in any walk of life. It can lead them to incredible achievements and allow them surpass their wildest ambitions. It is also infectious and can lift the spirit of those who are around them.
Translate that confidence into an economy and you have what Ireland has become since the so called “Celtic Tiger” effect commenced in the early nineties. Economists differ as when and why it started. Some say that the devaluation of the Irish pound in 1992 was the kick start; others have radical and far fetched opinions that it was the success of the Irish soccer team in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups that gave Ireland Inc. the confidence to step forward and perform on the world stage.
Whatever the reason, and it is surely a myriad of factors, the Irish economy took off and when it did start to have an effect confidence soared. All the positives kicked in to bring the country onto an economic plateau that heretofore was considered unattainable.
Inflation lowered, interest rates dropped, banks started lending money again and allowed the entrepreneurial flair of the sixties “baby boomer” kids to flourish. Confidence created the property boom and the dot com mania that Ireland was so well placed to take advantage of with an educated workforce and the attraction of Ireland to American multinationals anxious to get a foothold in Europe. Add in the enlightened tax policies of Charlie McCreevy who with the bold stroke of halving the dreaded Capital Gains Tax (CGT) to 20% unleashed a wave of equity release from property owners and you had all the ingredients of the perfect economic storm.
And so it proved to be and even when the dot com crash of 2000 occurred, Ireland just picked itself up, dusted down and carried on. Fuelled by immigration, the property market roared forward and the penal 9% stamp duty on property filled the Government coffers to such an extent that budget surpluses became the norm in successive budgets with estimates always being exceeded. We became the envy of the world. We were in the economic equivalent of what is known in sport as “the zone”. Confidence propelled us up and up into the stratosphere and we could not see the fall ever coming.
This is October 2007. Mark the calendar! For this is the month that the dream starts to die. Confidence is an uneasy mistress, and when love turns to hate, the effect is catastrophic.
This week confidence walked out. Truth is, she was not faithful for the last year and Ireland, loves struck as it was, refused to acknowledge it.
The revelations this week that a number of high profile lawyers cum property developers were hoodwinking the banks by taking multi mortgages out on the same property has caused panic in legal and financial circles. Nobody knows how many more will surface. Added to the sub-prime lending time bomb that started in America, the complete collapse in Irish house sales, the drop in value of foreign holiday homes funded from ghost equity in Irish residential property and a big budget deficit looming together with the banks closing their umbrellas at the first drop of rain and now you have all the ingredients of that other perfect storm – the very nasty one.
George Lee was right after all. He had to be sometime. Leave now or forever perish!
And the last one to leave will not have to put out the lights. There will be no lights!
It is amazing what confidence can do for a person in any walk of life. It can lead them to incredible achievements and allow them surpass their wildest ambitions. It is also infectious and can lift the spirit of those who are around them.
Translate that confidence into an economy and you have what Ireland has become since the so called “Celtic Tiger” effect commenced in the early nineties. Economists differ as when and why it started. Some say that the devaluation of the Irish pound in 1992 was the kick start; others have radical and far fetched opinions that it was the success of the Irish soccer team in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups that gave Ireland Inc. the confidence to step forward and perform on the world stage.
Whatever the reason, and it is surely a myriad of factors, the Irish economy took off and when it did start to have an effect confidence soared. All the positives kicked in to bring the country onto an economic plateau that heretofore was considered unattainable.
Inflation lowered, interest rates dropped, banks started lending money again and allowed the entrepreneurial flair of the sixties “baby boomer” kids to flourish. Confidence created the property boom and the dot com mania that Ireland was so well placed to take advantage of with an educated workforce and the attraction of Ireland to American multinationals anxious to get a foothold in Europe. Add in the enlightened tax policies of Charlie McCreevy who with the bold stroke of halving the dreaded Capital Gains Tax (CGT) to 20% unleashed a wave of equity release from property owners and you had all the ingredients of the perfect economic storm.
And so it proved to be and even when the dot com crash of 2000 occurred, Ireland just picked itself up, dusted down and carried on. Fuelled by immigration, the property market roared forward and the penal 9% stamp duty on property filled the Government coffers to such an extent that budget surpluses became the norm in successive budgets with estimates always being exceeded. We became the envy of the world. We were in the economic equivalent of what is known in sport as “the zone”. Confidence propelled us up and up into the stratosphere and we could not see the fall ever coming.
This is October 2007. Mark the calendar! For this is the month that the dream starts to die. Confidence is an uneasy mistress, and when love turns to hate, the effect is catastrophic.
This week confidence walked out. Truth is, she was not faithful for the last year and Ireland, loves struck as it was, refused to acknowledge it.
The revelations this week that a number of high profile lawyers cum property developers were hoodwinking the banks by taking multi mortgages out on the same property has caused panic in legal and financial circles. Nobody knows how many more will surface. Added to the sub-prime lending time bomb that started in America, the complete collapse in Irish house sales, the drop in value of foreign holiday homes funded from ghost equity in Irish residential property and a big budget deficit looming together with the banks closing their umbrellas at the first drop of rain and now you have all the ingredients of that other perfect storm – the very nasty one.
George Lee was right after all. He had to be sometime. Leave now or forever perish!
And the last one to leave will not have to put out the lights. There will be no lights!
What economic downturn?
In a time when many travel companies are finding it hard to keep their heads above water, www.LateDeals.ie has just recorded their best month ever. Both the volume and value of sales for August 2009 were 38% higher than the same month in 2008.
Many of the travel operators significantly reduced capacity this year and as a result the number of cut price last minute deals on offer was considerably less than last year. As Juan Cullen, Founder and Managing Director of LateDeals.ie commented, “While many customers expected to find huge reductions on prices this year, there were in fact a lot less bargains out there. The larger Travel Operators all reduced their inventory considerably and, as such, were able to charge full price as availability was limited. The benefit to our customers is that they can access offers from all operators, however small, all on one site. As the top website for last minute holiday offers, we received many exclusive price offers from operators who had excess inventory to sell at the last minute”.
Analysis of the bookings showed that the Canary Islands and Turkey were the leading destinations with the average booking value being €1,412 and the majority of holidays being booked for two people. One week was the most common duration selected.
Latedeals.ie made two important additions to the site this year. The inclusion of Belfast departures greatly increased the choice of accommodation and availability to customers. Republic of Ireland holidaymakers are also benefiting from weaker sterling rates and securing some great deals. In July LateDeals.ie added a Hotel Booking Engine catering for customers who want to book their flights and accommodation separately. Juan Cullen commented, “The package holiday market has been in decline over the last few years. The increase in low cost carriers servicing popular holiday destinations has led to many people booking their own packages instead of with a tour operator. It seemed an obvious move to introduce an accommodation booking system where customers can select the destination of choice and see all offers on accommodation in their chosen location.”
And so it would seem, as more and more travel agencies are closing their doors, that online is the way forward in the travel industry.
Visit www.LateDeals.ie to see the best special offers from Ireland’s tour operators. Sign up for the weekly newsletter to ensure you are kept up to date and check back on a regular basis as offers tend to be short-lived and availability is limited.
Many of the travel operators significantly reduced capacity this year and as a result the number of cut price last minute deals on offer was considerably less than last year. As Juan Cullen, Founder and Managing Director of LateDeals.ie commented, “While many customers expected to find huge reductions on prices this year, there were in fact a lot less bargains out there. The larger Travel Operators all reduced their inventory considerably and, as such, were able to charge full price as availability was limited. The benefit to our customers is that they can access offers from all operators, however small, all on one site. As the top website for last minute holiday offers, we received many exclusive price offers from operators who had excess inventory to sell at the last minute”.
Analysis of the bookings showed that the Canary Islands and Turkey were the leading destinations with the average booking value being €1,412 and the majority of holidays being booked for two people. One week was the most common duration selected.
Latedeals.ie made two important additions to the site this year. The inclusion of Belfast departures greatly increased the choice of accommodation and availability to customers. Republic of Ireland holidaymakers are also benefiting from weaker sterling rates and securing some great deals. In July LateDeals.ie added a Hotel Booking Engine catering for customers who want to book their flights and accommodation separately. Juan Cullen commented, “The package holiday market has been in decline over the last few years. The increase in low cost carriers servicing popular holiday destinations has led to many people booking their own packages instead of with a tour operator. It seemed an obvious move to introduce an accommodation booking system where customers can select the destination of choice and see all offers on accommodation in their chosen location.”
And so it would seem, as more and more travel agencies are closing their doors, that online is the way forward in the travel industry.
Visit www.LateDeals.ie to see the best special offers from Ireland’s tour operators. Sign up for the weekly newsletter to ensure you are kept up to date and check back on a regular basis as offers tend to be short-lived and availability is limited.
Open House Dublin
The Irish Architecture Foundation is understandably delighted to announce the return of Open House Dublin for it’s fourth annual architectural outing considering the past success of the event.
It is a simple and powerful idea where over one weekend, running from the 8th to 11th October 2009, buildings selected for their architectural quality and interest open their doors to the public.
Open House Dublin has become Ireland’s largest architectural event with an estimated 15,000 people taking to the streets at almost 140 events, ranging from building, walking, and boat and cycling tours, to explore their city architecture. This year the spotlight is on innovative ‘next generation’ buildings, including buildings from Tallaght’s new Cultural Quarter.
Educating children and young adults about the value of architecture is a particular focus of the Open House Dublin programme and the organizers have developed with their partners a series of exciting workshops, such as the (”My Place” series of family and school workshops from the Arts Office of South Dublin County Council.)
All Open House events are free of charge. A full programme of events is available in print and by web.
It is a simple and powerful idea where over one weekend, running from the 8th to 11th October 2009, buildings selected for their architectural quality and interest open their doors to the public.
Open House Dublin has become Ireland’s largest architectural event with an estimated 15,000 people taking to the streets at almost 140 events, ranging from building, walking, and boat and cycling tours, to explore their city architecture. This year the spotlight is on innovative ‘next generation’ buildings, including buildings from Tallaght’s new Cultural Quarter.
Educating children and young adults about the value of architecture is a particular focus of the Open House Dublin programme and the organizers have developed with their partners a series of exciting workshops, such as the (”My Place” series of family and school workshops from the Arts Office of South Dublin County Council.)
All Open House events are free of charge. A full programme of events is available in print and by web.
West Cork Success
Proven Fine Food from Ireland West Cork’s Woodcock Smokery achieved another resounding success in the annual Great Taste Awards held on Monday 7 September in Fortnum and Mason’s Food Hall. Owner Sally Barnes not only won Best Irish Speciality Award for her wild smoked salmon but also gained a Special Commendation from the judges.
In 2006, Woodcock Smokery was awarded Best Speciality Product, Best Fresh Product and Supreme Champion in the Great Taste Awards, the ultimate recognition for food producers in the UK and Ireland and the most prestigious award in speciality food and drink.
Sally Barnes is also the Ambassador for The Taste of West Cork Food Festival 2009. This annual festival celebrates the range and quality of food produced in West Cork and its artisan producers in the County Cork area.
The Great Taste Awards is organised annually by the Guild of Fine Food with more than 100 leading chefs, cookery writers, retail buyers and other food & drink specialists judging thousands of foods in a process lasting several months.
The best products – most of which are available in delis and farm shops – are awarded one, two or three gold stars in a scheme that echoed the Michelin star scheme for restaurants, with regional and national awards also being presented. September saw the final judging of the “best of the best” at Fortnum & Mason, which also sponsored the Supreme Champion trophy. A three-star gold is the highest level of award any producer can aspire to and is recognised as the definitive independent accreditation of quality.
The chefs, cookery writers and celebrity foodies on this year’s final judging panel included TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson, restaurateur Mark Hix and former Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers.
A surprise addition to the panel was Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans. On the day the BBC revealed he would be taking over Terry Wogan’s breakfast show from next January, Evans raced to Fortnums after his Drivetime show to take part in final judging. The judges’ deliberations were broadcast live on TV screens to an audience of over 400 food producers and buyers as they sampled some of 2009’s Great Taste
Awards three-star gold-winners on display in Fortnum’s famous Food Hall.
Chairman of judges Simon Burdess, Fortnums’ trading director, announced a special commendation for Woodcock Smokery’s wild smoked salmon. Owner Sally Barnes collected the Supreme Champion title in 2006 but was nearly put out of business by the closure soon after of Ireland’s wild salmon fishery. Sally has rebuilt the business on wild-caught Scottish salmon and came within a few votes of winning her second Supreme Champion title this year.
The awards also generate huge business for those who achieve the gold standard. Over the past five years, they have generated over £2.6 million additional sales and 19,900 new listings.
Last autumn, news about gold winning foods reached a massive 35 million consumers. Reports appeared in The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Independent. Winners featured on The Alan Titchmarsh Show, UKTV’s Market Kitchen and on BBC Radio 2’s Chris Evans Drivetime Show.
Irish online travel guide, www.lookaroundireland.com, congratulated the company on their remarkable success.
In 2006, Woodcock Smokery was awarded Best Speciality Product, Best Fresh Product and Supreme Champion in the Great Taste Awards, the ultimate recognition for food producers in the UK and Ireland and the most prestigious award in speciality food and drink.
Sally Barnes is also the Ambassador for The Taste of West Cork Food Festival 2009. This annual festival celebrates the range and quality of food produced in West Cork and its artisan producers in the County Cork area.
The Great Taste Awards is organised annually by the Guild of Fine Food with more than 100 leading chefs, cookery writers, retail buyers and other food & drink specialists judging thousands of foods in a process lasting several months.
The best products – most of which are available in delis and farm shops – are awarded one, two or three gold stars in a scheme that echoed the Michelin star scheme for restaurants, with regional and national awards also being presented. September saw the final judging of the “best of the best” at Fortnum & Mason, which also sponsored the Supreme Champion trophy. A three-star gold is the highest level of award any producer can aspire to and is recognised as the definitive independent accreditation of quality.
The chefs, cookery writers and celebrity foodies on this year’s final judging panel included TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson, restaurateur Mark Hix and former Masterchef winner Thomasina Miers.
A surprise addition to the panel was Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans. On the day the BBC revealed he would be taking over Terry Wogan’s breakfast show from next January, Evans raced to Fortnums after his Drivetime show to take part in final judging. The judges’ deliberations were broadcast live on TV screens to an audience of over 400 food producers and buyers as they sampled some of 2009’s Great Taste
Awards three-star gold-winners on display in Fortnum’s famous Food Hall.
Chairman of judges Simon Burdess, Fortnums’ trading director, announced a special commendation for Woodcock Smokery’s wild smoked salmon. Owner Sally Barnes collected the Supreme Champion title in 2006 but was nearly put out of business by the closure soon after of Ireland’s wild salmon fishery. Sally has rebuilt the business on wild-caught Scottish salmon and came within a few votes of winning her second Supreme Champion title this year.
The awards also generate huge business for those who achieve the gold standard. Over the past five years, they have generated over £2.6 million additional sales and 19,900 new listings.
Last autumn, news about gold winning foods reached a massive 35 million consumers. Reports appeared in The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Independent. Winners featured on The Alan Titchmarsh Show, UKTV’s Market Kitchen and on BBC Radio 2’s Chris Evans Drivetime Show.
Irish online travel guide, www.lookaroundireland.com, congratulated the company on their remarkable success.
New insulated plaster compound launched in Ireland
New insulated plaster compound launched in Ireland
Dublin based home improvement product distributor Igoe International Ltd has announced the recent launch of Thermilate Eco Insulating Plaster in Ireland.
Managing Director of the company Brendan C Igoe said “Thermilate Eco Plaster has been developed by UK based Thermilate as an offshoot from technology discovered initially during the NASA space programme where this reflective material was designed to cut down extreme heat build up on shuttles etc. The plaster is applied like any normal plaster but its reflective properties has the effect of ‘bouncing back’ a significant amount of the room’s heat which would normally escape out through the walls or ceiling.”
The company claims the product can reduce actual room heat loss by up to 50% depending on the plaster thickness applied. It can be applied to walls & ceilings and also external without any major invasion of living space.
A big benefit is you can switch off your heating possibly an hour sooner or reducing the thermostat by two or even three degrees while maintaining a comfortable room temperature thereby saving on heating bills as well as reducing your carbon footprint. With the expected introduction of additional carbon taxes, Igoe added the timing is perfect for anybody upgrading their overall insulation situation.
Igoe added “Thermilate Eco Plaster is especially effective in older homes where wall insulation is poor or even non existent like old solid stone walls etc. Another benefit is the fact that it reduces and in most cases eliminates ‘cold wall’ condensation and subsequent mould problems because when the warm moist air touches the wall, the Eco Plaster makes the wall feel warmer thereby reducing condensation and formation of water droplets on the wall”
Mr Igoe also stated “Thermilate Eco Plaster can be a cost effective substitute for conventional insulation methods such as dry lining, polystyrene etc, it does offer a huge improvement in ones home comfort factor with minimal reduction in room space.”
Thermilate Eco Plaster retails at €47.38 per 15kg bag, which covers 4 sq metres at 10 mm thick or pro rata.
The development is welcomed as being a positive one in reducing costs of home heating. the development as being particularly attractive or anybody considering doing up old houses on doing attic conversions.
Dublin based home improvement product distributor Igoe International Ltd has announced the recent launch of Thermilate Eco Insulating Plaster in Ireland.
Managing Director of the company Brendan C Igoe said “Thermilate Eco Plaster has been developed by UK based Thermilate as an offshoot from technology discovered initially during the NASA space programme where this reflective material was designed to cut down extreme heat build up on shuttles etc. The plaster is applied like any normal plaster but its reflective properties has the effect of ‘bouncing back’ a significant amount of the room’s heat which would normally escape out through the walls or ceiling.”
The company claims the product can reduce actual room heat loss by up to 50% depending on the plaster thickness applied. It can be applied to walls & ceilings and also external without any major invasion of living space.
A big benefit is you can switch off your heating possibly an hour sooner or reducing the thermostat by two or even three degrees while maintaining a comfortable room temperature thereby saving on heating bills as well as reducing your carbon footprint. With the expected introduction of additional carbon taxes, Igoe added the timing is perfect for anybody upgrading their overall insulation situation.
Igoe added “Thermilate Eco Plaster is especially effective in older homes where wall insulation is poor or even non existent like old solid stone walls etc. Another benefit is the fact that it reduces and in most cases eliminates ‘cold wall’ condensation and subsequent mould problems because when the warm moist air touches the wall, the Eco Plaster makes the wall feel warmer thereby reducing condensation and formation of water droplets on the wall”
Mr Igoe also stated “Thermilate Eco Plaster can be a cost effective substitute for conventional insulation methods such as dry lining, polystyrene etc, it does offer a huge improvement in ones home comfort factor with minimal reduction in room space.”
Thermilate Eco Plaster retails at €47.38 per 15kg bag, which covers 4 sq metres at 10 mm thick or pro rata.
The development is welcomed as being a positive one in reducing costs of home heating. the development as being particularly attractive or anybody considering doing up old houses on doing attic conversions.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A bit different from the Rose of Tralee!
Tralee in County Kerry is going to be the home for what surely will be Halloween’s sickest and scariest event this year, with the creation of The Nightmare Realm. Running from October 14th to November 1st next, The Nightmare Realm is being billed by its creators as a cross between a lunatic asylum and a live show. Rather than the usual show format where audiences are safe sitting in their chairs watching from a distance, the audience of The Nightmare Realm are going to have to ‘walk-through’ this house of extreme horrors.
Blue-Box Displays and Tobin Leisure, two Kerry based company’s, have combined time, money and resources to bring to Ireland a craze that has been sweeping the US and Europe for years, but to date no one in Ireland has been brave enough to tackle - the extreme scare and shock market.
Billed as being a strictly over 16’s attraction, the 30minute experience (if you can last that long) promises to frighten off even the hardest customers. Underlining their point Karl (Blue Box) and Ken (Tobin Leisure) are issuing an open invitation to any member of the Kerry Football Team to come and try their attraction for free, to see how tough they really are.
The two Kerry promoters are hoping to that all the College Students and adults in Munster, primarily, visit their attraction, with special offers and promotions available in the build-up to the opening night on Oct 14th. The two are very much aware that an event like this will draw people from right across the country who fancy themselves hard enough not to break down with the extreme scares planned. They also note that this sort of event will be a huge draw for Stag and Hen nights, but have issued a warning to anyone attending to head straight to the pub afterwards to settle their nerves.
The Nightmare Realm, scare house event will be located in the Mileheight Retail Park in Tralee, County Kerry, and starts on October 14th at 8pm, tickets can be bought on the door and further information is available on the Nightmare Realm pages on Bebo and Facebook.
Seems very original and is in sharp and welcome contrast to the mundane Rose of Tralee Festival.
Blue-Box Displays and Tobin Leisure, two Kerry based company’s, have combined time, money and resources to bring to Ireland a craze that has been sweeping the US and Europe for years, but to date no one in Ireland has been brave enough to tackle - the extreme scare and shock market.
Billed as being a strictly over 16’s attraction, the 30minute experience (if you can last that long) promises to frighten off even the hardest customers. Underlining their point Karl (Blue Box) and Ken (Tobin Leisure) are issuing an open invitation to any member of the Kerry Football Team to come and try their attraction for free, to see how tough they really are.
The two Kerry promoters are hoping to that all the College Students and adults in Munster, primarily, visit their attraction, with special offers and promotions available in the build-up to the opening night on Oct 14th. The two are very much aware that an event like this will draw people from right across the country who fancy themselves hard enough not to break down with the extreme scares planned. They also note that this sort of event will be a huge draw for Stag and Hen nights, but have issued a warning to anyone attending to head straight to the pub afterwards to settle their nerves.
The Nightmare Realm, scare house event will be located in the Mileheight Retail Park in Tralee, County Kerry, and starts on October 14th at 8pm, tickets can be bought on the door and further information is available on the Nightmare Realm pages on Bebo and Facebook.
Seems very original and is in sharp and welcome contrast to the mundane Rose of Tralee Festival.
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