Author Archive

Neymar Theatrics Shine Again As Barca Beat Celtic

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Celtic suffered back to back defeats in the Champions League as Barcelona arrived at Celtic Park and departed with three points, though not the easiest they have ever earned. Celtic were unlucky in some ways – Charlie Mulgrew’s header had Victor Valdes beaten in the Barcelona goal, but the Celtic man just couldn’t find the net. Moments later, Cesc Fabregas had put the ball beyond Fraser Foster down the other end with a beautiful header across the face of Celtic’s goal to snatch the three points. In the end, some poorly executed passing and ideas, coupled with indiscipline on the part of Scott Brown, led to the Scottish side’s defeat, and fans will be left feeling they might have had something from the game if things had gone differently.

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Has Anybody Got a Ticket?

It happens every single year. All-Ireland Final day approaches, your local club is fresh out and every single one of your contacts has mysteriously disappeared at the same time. So you have to come face to face with reality – you simply haven’t got a ticket. However many enterprising individuals take their begging to the nation, and this year is no different. Dublin man Ray O’Brien, who has lived in Mayo for the past 12 years has recorded and uploaded his Song for Sam up on Youtube, where it’s already garnered almost 800 views.

And it’s not half bad either:

United Supporters Call For Ed’s Head

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Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward would do well to fly under the radar for the foreseeable future, following a summer transfer window which can be fairly described as ridiculous, by Manchester United’s supporters at any rate. Two acquisitions in three months, neither of them high-profile, wasn’t exactly what the fans would have been hoping for, and it must be galling to have been outspent by Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, whose reputation for refusing to spend large sums was spectacularly shattered through the €50 million signing of Mesut Özil on Monday, the same player who was reportedly offered to United at some stage last week. Newly promoted from his previous role as United’s head of commercial operation, Woodward has spent the summer having a rude awakening as he discovers that handling player transfers is a whole new ball game compared to thrashing out sponsorship deals, and that his own negotiation skills aren’t as fantastic as he evidently expected.

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Business Report Highlights Cross Border Stabilisation

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InterTradeIreland’s quarterly publication, Business Monitor, recently revealed sign of all-Ireland business stabilisation. The report indicated that a quarter of the businesses reported an increase in sales in Q2, 2013, the highest since Q2, 2011. Just over half of the businesses reported their position within the market as stable, while 13 per cent said that they were in growth mode. The news isn’t all positive, unfortunately, as 35 per cent reported a decrease in sales, 28 per cent said they were trying to survive at all costs, while rising overheads continue to be a cause of concern for many.

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Bentley SUV Confirmed For 2016

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In news which will excite and confuse many and have a select few reaching for their wallets, Bentley Motors has announced that it is indeed proceeding with the development of the Bentley SUV, which should look something like the EXP 9F shown at the Geneva auto show last year (not the greatest part of this news). No that wasn’t a typo, those two words are actually going together. Bentley. SUV. Seriously.

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Snowden Breaks Silence for Condemnation

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Ecuador embassy car in front of Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow on June 23, 2013 around the arrival of Edward Snowden. Author: Dmitry Rozhkov.

Former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden, has made a broad appeal for asylum to a number of countries around the globe, including Ireland. The requests were made to a number of countries including Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuala. Snowden recently withdrew his request for asylum in Russia, following comments by Vladimir Putin that he would only be welcomed in Russia if he discontinued “his work at bringing harm” to the US.

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Dublin To Play Host to Euthanasia Workshop

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Dr Philip Nitschke, Founder & Director, Exit International.

A workshop on voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide will be held in Dublin this weekend, led by the Australian doctor, Dr Philip Nitschke, also known in some circles as Dr Death. The workshop will take place this Saturday at Liberty Hall in the capital city.

The workshop is part of a world series by Exit International, the pro-euthanasia group of which Dr Nitschke is a director, and has and will be visiting Europe, the US and Australia between now and the end of the year. Formed in 1997, Exit International exists to provide information and act as an advocacy group on the subject of voluntary euthanasia and workshops offered by the organisation discuss a wide range of topics, including prescription/non-prescription drugs, poisons, suicide notes and autopsies, and only cater to those over the age of 50, or people who are seriously ill.

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Dáil Mourns Tuck Shop Loss

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TD’s and other visitors to Dáil Éireann will now have to stop elsewhere on their way into work to indulge their sweet tooth. Following the latest reports which indicate that Ireland is back in recession, Leinster House is also feeling the squeeze as ‘An Siopa’, the Oireachtas tuck shop, is set to close tomorrow.

The glass structure, located just inside the main gates of Leinster House off Kildare Street, cost around €1.3 million to construct under the reign of Bertie Ahern, €500,000 over budget. The shop was run by Rehab Enterprises as part of its SMILES Newsagents chain, with other locations including RTÉ, Vodafone Headquarters and the AIB Bank Centre.

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Mayor Warns E-Welfare Will Kill Rural Post Offices

Mayor of Clare Cllr Pat Daly has warned that Government plans to move the payment of social welfare in Ireland to a solely electronic system will have a devastating effect on rural post offices in his county. Mayor Daly urged Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton to reconsider the plans, given what he called the “negative social and economic implications” of the move.

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Premier League Fixtures Released

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From Wikicommons, user: russavia.

With just 59 days to go until first kick-off, the fixture list for the 2013/14 season of the Barclays Premier League has been released, and whatever computer the League uses to draw the fixtures clearly hasn’t lost its mischievous side. Manchester United’s new manager David Moyes looks to have his work cut out for him; his side will face Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in their first five games. The clash with Chelsea will be the Scotsman’s first game in charge at Old Trafford and is a mouth-watering prospect considering it will be José Mourinho’s first return to Manchester as a Premier League manager, and Moyes’ first real test at United’s helm.

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