Daily Archives: December 11, 2009

How The Other Side Lives

  By johnmfinn | December 11, 2009 - 9:50 pm | Music, The Culch
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This week I posted my top ten albums of the decade. However in the true Christmas spirit one argument is never enough, so here are some other album of the decade lists that have been published so far. Arcade Fire’s Funeral is the only album to make all six. Radiohead however manage to grab seven spots and are the only group to have more than one album appear. Let us know what you think. Who got it right and who got it horribly horribly wrong? Is there anything blatantly obvious that everyone has missed and most importantly who has the best list of the lot? State 10. Florence and the Machine – Lungs 09. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver 08. Damien Rice – O 07. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago 06. At The Drive-In – Relationship Of Command 05. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, … There’s more →

The Seafarer at the Abbey Theatre

  By Niamh | December 11, 2009 - 6:11 pm | The Arts, Theatre
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Wednesday night, with thanks to David McCadden at the Abbey I was lucky enough to see The Seafarer in the Abbey Theatre. It’s Christmas Eve and Sharky has returned to Dublin to look after his irascible, ageing brother who’s recently gone blind. Old drinking buddies Ivan and Nicky are holed up at the house too, hoping to play some cards. With the arrival of a stranger from the distant past, the stakes are raised ever higher. In fact, Sharky may be playing for his very soul… In the midst of this raucous tale of drinking, craic and card playing, there is a tender story of a family, and of redemption. So, pull up a chair alongside Sharky, Nicky, Ivan and co and enjoy a great story, well told. The Seafarer takes place in the home of Richie on Christmas Eve. His brother Sharky, played by the talented Liam Carney, as … There’s more →

A Decade in Switching Off

  By Ronan | December 11, 2009 - 2:52 pm | TV
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RTE are renowned for turkeys. Their most famous turkey, Dustin, has a new DVD (just in time for Chrsitmas) chronicling his own twenty years on Irish telly. However, some of the turkeys on Irish television weren’t planned that way. So now I present to you the Ten Worst Irish TV Programs of the 00s. It’s not a Top Ten, more like a Bottom Ten. In chronological order… The Cassidys (2001) Before becoming a Perrier-nominated stand-up comedian, Ed Byrne was that goofy looking guy on irish television. He appeared in an episode of Father Ted and presented his own Just For Laughs for Network 2. (Yeah, it was Network 2 or N2 back then.) But his lowest ebb had to be “Ireland’s answer to Friends.” The Cassidys was more like Ireland’s answers to former schoolmates you’ve rejected multiple times on Facebook, yet keep calling over. It was anything but funny. It’s … There’s more →

Vicar Street, Ireland’s Favourite Venue

  By Darren Byrne | December 11, 2009 - 10:40 am | Events, Music, The Culch
1 Comment

Remember back in October I asked you what your favourite Irish Music Venue is? IMRO had just launched their Live Music Venue of the Year Awards and were seeking nominations. Well, last week the awards took place at Irish Music Rights Organisation HQ and for the second year running Vicar Street has scooped the Top Award. I was surprised that the O2 didn’t nab the overall award, being the fresh new colossus on the Docks, but Vicar Street is definitely my favourite place to catch a gig in Dublin so fair play to them. The awards were voted on by more than 6,000 IMRO members and recognise those Irish venues that provide the very highest standards in live music entertainment, both for artists and their publics. There were a number of other awards on the night including the individual provinces awards which went to The Set Theatre in Kilkenny, McGrorys … There’s more →

We are the Connector.ie Tribe of the Year

  By Darren Byrne | December 11, 2009 - 10:07 am | Events, Site News, The Culch
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Last night, at the Connector.ie Christmas Party, Culch.ie was awarded Tribe of the Year. Connector is all about connecting individuals but are equally interested in connecting Tribes, which are communities with shared interests, primarily in the Irish digital sector. The Culch.ie ‘tribe’ consists of volunteer bloggers who use the site to talk about all things pop culture. It’s a fun hobby for us all and I can honestly say it is nice to be recognised for our community spirit. Congratulations to all of the Culchies - it’s been brilliant getting to know all of you. I would go one further and say the reason we have been so successful this year is down to the thousands of regular visitors to the site, and especially our regular commenters, some of which now write for Culch.ie. So, thank you to Conor Lynch and Connector.ie for the award and let’s raise a glass … There’s more →