Daily Archives: September 20, 2010

Absolut Fringe: The Cappuccino Culture

  By Niamh | September 20, 2010 - 11:32 pm | Theatre
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The Cappuccino Culture - this was a fun show. On entering the Boys School in Smock Alley each audience member is handed a tourist map of Dublin with a colour (your team), a number, and a phrase, place or name written on it. The performance began with each performer welcoming the audience in their own language and I was reminded of the Eurovision results process when everything is repeated several times in quick succession in different languages. Except in Eurovision it is usually just English and French - here we had 14 performers! Next the performers introduce themselves or each other through short little snippets of information in a very lovely and interesting way about what ‘groups’ they belong to - the 80% of people who are afraid of rats, for example or the 0.1% of the population who dislike chocolate. And with that we were off into the game … There’s more →

Competition Closed: Carlton Hotels and The Apprentice Ireland

  By Darren Byrne | September 20, 2010 - 11:00 pm | Apprentice, Apprentice, Competitions, The Culch
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*** Competition Closed *** *** Congratulations to Vinnie who has won the Carlton Hotels competition *** Well, with week one of The Apprentice down, we’ve said a fond fair thee well to Cahal Heapes. Personally, I think it should have been Niamh Humphreys going home, but what do I know? This week’s challenge for the contestants was set by Michael Carney, managing director of the Carlton Hotel Group. In this sales task they were charged with selling Carlton Hotel gifts cards. Team Fusion (consisting of the girls, led by Cahal Heapes) sold €870 worth, while Team Elev8 (the boys, led by Ciara McManus) sold €1,650 worth. A clear victory. For all of Monday 20th September, Carlton Hotels were running a sale offering 50% off all B&B rates. But don’t worry - if you missed out on this opportunity, Culch.ie is here to save the day. With thanks to Carlton Hotel, … There’s more →

Spring Awakening in The Helix

  By Colm | September 20, 2010 - 10:45 pm | The Culch
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Last Friday, the lovely folks over at NYMT brought us along to their inaugural production, Spring Awakening. NYMT was founded earlier this year by many of the same people responsible for last year’s sell out run of Rent at the Olympia. A huge fan of the show, I jumped at the chance, eager to see if this talented group could strike gold twice. Spring Awakening is a musical, albeit one with a difference. Based on the 1891 play of the same name by German playwright Frank Wedekind, Spring Awakening follows the lives of a group of young teenagers on the eve of their sexual maturity. Set in 19th Century Germany, the show juxtaposes an authentic period setting with a contemporary rock score. Banned in Germany for almost a Century due to its explicit and controversial subject material the musical debuted in the States a few years ago and is now … There’s more →

The Apprentice Liveblog Week One

  By Darren Byrne | September 20, 2010 - 8:45 pm | Apprentice, Apprentice
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Welcome to the first of this year’s Apprentice Liveblogs. If you’re unfamiliar with liveblogs, it’s simply a place to chat about the show while we’re watching. It’s one big moderated chat room for The Apprentice. You can follow it below on Culch.ie or you can launch a stand alone window and follow it there. It’s simple and fun, so please come join us. Also, after the show, I’ll be launching a competition in conjunction with Carlton Hotels, who are this week’s challenge sponsor. Carlton are also running a 50% sale across all their hotels for today only. Check out Carlton.ie and go treat yourself. The Apprentice Ireland 2010 Week One Click Here to Launch in a Separate Window

The Apprentice Ireland Contestants 2010

  By Darren Byrne | September 20, 2010 - 5:00 pm | Apprentice, Apprentice, Movies & TV
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Sixteen people began the battle to become Bill’s Apprentice this year. Here’s a brief run down of each. Who is your favourite and who needs to be Fired? Don’t forget to keep an eye on Culch.ie/apprentice every Monday night for the Apprentice Live Blog. From time to time, we will also be running Apprentice themed competitions. And if you need to contact Culch.ie for anything, just drop me a mail at [email protected]. Barry Caesar Hunt (32) Dublin, Entrepreneur Yes, his middle name is Caesar. I’ll give you some more details about him, but chances are, that’s all you’ll remember. Barry had his first job when he was 8 years old, delivering papers in the local area for 50 pence a day. He says he went from there to earning 1 million euro plus per year before losing it all. But he says he has never lost his hunger for business … There’s more →

Quick Movie Review: Savage

  By Jason Roe | September 20, 2010 - 9:25 am | The Culch
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Savage is a portrayal of Paul Graynor, an average loner who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. The wannabe paparazzi walks you through his life and paints a picture of a loner who is detached from reality. You get the feeling that Paul is not all there upstairs. There are glints of light when Paul reveals relationships with his dyeing father and the nurse who looks after him. Set in Dublin city center, Savage looks at the darker side of the inner city. You might relate to some of the more colorful culture that is depicted on screen. This cultural divide is pushed to its limits in depicting inner city “free range teenagers” as undesirables. I couldn’t help feeling that the relationship formed with the undesirables was slightly disturbing from the beginning. Just as Paul starts to let you in to see a bit more of … There’s more →

Bill Cullen

  By Darren Byrne | September 20, 2010 - 9:00 am | Apprentice, The Culch, TV
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This is what TV3′s biography has to say about Bill Cullen. Born in the rough inner city slums of Summerhill in Dublin in 1942 Bill was one of fourteen children. By the time he turned six he was selling items such as fruit, flowers, Christmas decorations and match programmes on the streets of Dublin to help support his family. This is where Bill Cullen honed his sales pitch and learnt how to turn a profit on even the smallest item. At the age of 13 he left school and just one year later in 1956 entered the car industry as a messenger boy for the Walden Motor Company. His background as a trader on the streets proved to be a remarkable training ground as he quickly moved through the ranks to become the director general of the company within an astonishing nine years. He then went on to set up … There’s more →

Brian Purcell

  By Darren Byrne | September 20, 2010 - 9:00 am | Apprentice, The Culch, TV
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Brian Purcell forms one half of Bill Cullen’s trusted team of aides on the show, alongside entrepreneur Jackie Lavin and is a partner with Insight Consultants, a full service public relations and communications company, where he serves as Director of Communcations Campaigns. So says TV3′s biography of Brian. He has over 14 years experience in the Irish Public Affairs/Government Lobbying sector where he has helped clients in the financial, healthcare, leisure, utilities and marketing/sponsorship sectors. As Senior Marketing Communications Director at the Glencullen Group he has become one of Bill’s most trusted advisors and his experience as Bill’s right-hand man will enable him to spot the right attributes needed to be The Apprentice.

Jackie Lavin

  By Darren Byrne | September 20, 2010 - 9:00 am | Apprentice, The Culch, TV
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TV3′s biography of Bill Cullen’s partner Jackie Lavin introduces her as one of his trusted aides on The Apprentice, alongside advisor Brian Purcell. Following a successful modelling career, Jackie forged herself a career in the world of business by running her chain of retail fashion outlets. In 1991, she and Bill Cullen bought the Muckross Park Hotel, an 18th Century Roadhouse in The National Park in Killarney, Co. Kerry. She designed Molly Darcy’s traditional pub and restaurant which won pub of the year in its first year of business and has won the Best Pub in Kerry award for 11 years in a row.