All-Ireland Chewers League - Page 2

This may not be of interest to some (or, indeed, all) of you, but today is a great day for Ireland. That man O'Driscoll just doesn't know how not to rule. Love 'im. After recent events, I make no bones about enjoying this to the utmost!

Yeah, that was on Hearts and Minds earlier. It's been removed from the RTE website, apparently. There are shades of Marge's portrait of Mr. Burns, though more scathing and metaphoric. Feel sorry for Cowen, hence no link.

One week on from a tremendous Irish sporting triumph comes another. Northern Ireland beat Poland 3-2. It's a massive achievement that puts us top of Group 3, our World Cup qualifying group. Yes, it's likely not gonna last but it happened. Right now, that's all that matters. Well done, lads (especially young Evans and Feeney!)

In a move sure to shock no-one, I'm bringing news of another Northern Ireland win to this sport-tastic tangent. I didn't see this one coming. We hung in there and wee Warren Feeney bailed us out. It's a historic result and one that sees us remain top of the table, one point clear. Once again, very well done, boys!

*hearty chuckle* I was not aware of this.

What are you views on last night and Saturday's events, nappo? (Sickening true story: I got a call from the Bro about 2/3 saying a spare ticket was going; I had to work a Wednesday for the first time in... some time. Gutted.)

Just watched Five Minutes of Heaven starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt. You may remember Devin mentioning it here.

It's alright. Neeson and Nesbitt are reliably solid and easily the best things about it. At times, the script is cloyingly melodramatic. Instead of simply telling the story and trusting the audience to grasp the inherently tragic subject matter, the movie feels bent on drawing sympathy. It's a predictable, disappointing approach and a blow from which it never recovers.

The scenes set in the 1970's are well constructed and, often, quite beautiful. It's even more impressive considering the tendency (beyond just your Blown Away's) to woefully misrepresent Troubles-era Northern Ireland with confused iconography. Mark Davison deserves credit too for not only fitting the bill as a 17 year old Neeson but also carrying off a great performance.

There's a lot here for fans of either of the two stars. Their inevitable showdown, for example. It's very well-staged, not to mention brutal (Liam kneeing Jimmy in the crotch/Jimmy head-butting Liam, anyone?) In fact, they're both so engaging alone that the meager time they do share feels inadequate.

Writer Guy Hibbert lets the side down massively. The makings of a great play are here, but the finished film feels extrapolated, an attempt to fashion enough "cinematic" scenes out of (a lot of) exposition in order to pad out the more than ample running time.

Anyone else see it?

Thanks, stelios! Kind words, indeed. If that proposal comes to a vote, I promise to get behind it. Ireland in sunshine? Sold!

Also, hello Andrew! How's Dublin treating you?

How far outside Derry are you willing to go, Spike? 'Cos depending on your answer (and your interest in museums/natural attractions), I may take the opportunity for a shameless Belfast plug. That's not to say there aren't things to do out West, though. The Giant's Causeway is a sight-seeing must.

All the best with the job search, Andrew. I relate; the market's not good up here.

The predominance of dark clouds over here would make a fine camouflage.

Spike, in all seriousness, I don't think you'd encounter too much (if, indeed, any) hostility, if you were to go drinking, plumy or not. I think you'd be surprised by how accommodating your reception would be.

And, in that case, I'd hit the tourist office when you arrive and look into a tour or two. That way you can enjoy the best of verdant glory/museums and such while still leaving plenty of time for more urban shenanigans. Actually, The Saint Patrick's Trail would be a great way for you to combine sight-seeing across the North with culture. Getting to see his burial site at Down Cathedral might be cool for you.

I know that's a (genuinely funny) joke, but Ed's right. My Dad has something of a collection and even I have one from my "If Joyce wore Converse" days.

Thanks, Spike. That's cool. Do you like Derry? I seem to have a very vague memory of it. Not sure of the particulars. Also, if you swing by Belfast, I'd recommend dropping into Auntie Annie's and Katy Daly's for two contemporary yet traditional Irish pub experiences.

And Ed, if I could get a bottle of:

a) Magners.
b) Lipton Ice Tea (Lemon.)

to fit into that wonderful contraption... joy would happen.

I love America.

No, it's not. Regardless of what part, it doesn't have Hugh (or the honourable Mr. Keyes. Wherever he is?)

How very dare you?! The man's a legend!

Thanks for that, and confirming your continued existence! This is gonna sound like a shameless plug, but feel free to drop into the podcast thread in the Shameless Self Promotion section. That way, I'm happy and Uncle Mitch is happy.

We're red, we're black - take it away, scott!

What do you make of the Glens, then?

As I started the thread off with this, it seems only appropriate to mention that I finally saw Morrissey on Saturday. I'm not here to regurgitate my thoughts on the gig itself from the "Morrissey on Tour" thread, though. I wanted to bring up the Waterfront Hall. Prior to Saturday, I'd only seen one band (Feeder) there (with my favourite nap attack!) That was six years ago and I didn't remember much about the venue - I was distracted by a soon-to-be girlfriend, at the time. Initially, it seemed smaller than I remembered. This was no bad thing, especially given the proximity it allowed to the quaffed one. Once the gig started, however, my focus soon shifted to the venue's other benefits: chiefly, excellent sound and space.

Has anyone else got fond/bad memories or impressions of the Waterfront Hall, a venue that just leaped up my list of favourite Belfast venues with one swift stroke? What are the local Chewers' favourite Irish venues? For me, it's got to be the Limelight, Belfast. Poky, sticky floor, a distinguished roster of signed photos, neighbour to Katy Daly's pub and the Spring & Airbrake... it's quite a place.

I think I heard that the other morning, too. It's been unusually hard to remember every bad bit of news lately, though. Even for local news.

I like keeping abreast of events Stateside, always have. We're pretty well catered, in that respect.

A typically no-nonsense assessment from scott regarding the housing issue! I like it.

Those last two sentences were lethal.

Crusaders won the Irish Cup! Outstanding.

I felt the same way when we beat Slovenia. Prior to that, last year's Champions League Final.

Hey, Raz! I'm grand, thanks. Yourself?

Superb. Superb. Due to their aversion to healthiness, moderation is the order of the day. But they're a bit special, yeah. I'm amused, delighted, and kinda unsurprised that they made it to our Wikipedia page. They're paragraph one in the thesis on why our best contributions to global culture are mostly consumable.