Pat Ingoldsby’s new book ‘I Thought You Died Years Ago’

I was only delighted to be wandering down Westmoreland Street on Saturday and see that Pat Ingoldsby has a new book out. His latest collection of poetry (with some prose) is called I Thought You Died Years Ago and though a smaller book than his usual, it’s still packed with poems and thoughts that made me think, laugh and smile. From the back of the book: “People often say to me “I thought you died years ago!” in an accusatory sort of way. Almost as if I have let them down by not doing so. I always apologise and promise to try harder next time”. This collection, his 20th of poetry features some wonderful works. The book is a lovely addition to my already full collection of his work. Certain poems made me laugh out loud, certain ones make me realise just how much Pat knows, loves and laments Dublin … There’s more

Snark. What the Internet Was Made For

Snark n. Biting, cruel humour or wit, commonly used to verbally attack someone or something. Combination of “snide” (critical in an unfair and nasty way) and “remark”. There are of course two variations. The commentators who attack without reason, and the trolls. The Internet has always been filled with trolls, people who go out of their way to be snarky in an attempt to goad, hiding behind the veil of wit and looking down their nose at those who trip up online. Be it bad spelling, grammar, a newbie who breaks rules or flails over the unwritten etiquettes. Taking it a step further are blogs such as Lamebook, dedicated solely to screenshots of dim-witted facebook updates and the subsequent snarky commentary from friends. You may remember the recent facebook screengrab (far right - click it to open the full image) that made the rounds (I even received this as a … There’s more