Mention earlier this week of the Morris tribunal reminds me of one of the minor riddles that inquiry left in my mind. In June 2005, the tribunal apparently learned that it’s website had been ‘hacked’. The Sunday Times later reported that ‘rogue computer software known as spyware was attached to the server used to “air”… Continue reading »
Aug
28
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27
Thatch
Donegal has been more badly served by it’s planning policies than anywhere else in Europe, a consultant in vernacular architecture told a Heritage Week meeting in Glencolmcille. Dr Greg Stevenson is the Honorary Research Fellow in Vernacular Architecture at the University of Wales. “It’s a great shame. The planning policies are there to serve the… Continue reading »
Aug
26
Partial Record
Something rather odd happened to the Morris tribunal recently. It disappeared. Blogger Gavin Sheridan noticed something awry when he went looking for a transcrpt on the site about eight weeks ago. He prepared an Freedom Of Information request to find out what was going on. ‘If we are to learn any lessons from the Morris… Continue reading »
Aug
25
Spider Spider
On Tuesday morning, the nation awoke to the news that killer spiders were on the rampage in Leixlip. Mike Carter, a tourist from Australia staying in the town, identified the deadly arachnid as an immigrant from the antipodes. ‘It could have come in in a crate if something was imported from Australia,’ he told Morning… Continue reading »
Aug
21
Depressing Thoughts
Over a year ago, I wrote about reluctance the use of the dreaded R word when discussing the Irish economy: Recession. That was then, this is now. Recession is yesterday’s news. Today’s news is NAMA, bank bailouts, Liam Carroll, and John O’Donoghue’s expenses. But at least we’re not in a recession any more. It’s not… Continue reading »
Aug
20
Missing Link
Experts have confirmed that a stone circle on the southern side of the Gleann Cholm Cille valley most likely dates to the Bronze Age, ending a riddle that has puzzled archaeologists for decades. The structure, a ‘ring cairn’ made up of ‘two concentric stone circles, with cairn material between them, the outer circle lower than… Continue reading »
Aug
19
Junk Watch
On the final day of my holiday in Donegal, I passed by a health food store. In the window was a handwritten notice offering “herbal swine flu remedies”. Then today, the Mayo News used their twitter account to promote the same idea. ‘Beat swine fly naturally with herbal remedies.’ Oh dear! Pseudoscience has been a… Continue reading »
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