Caped Crusading

Syls u15 Fixture list 2013

2013-01-25T05:25:00.000-08:00

Sunday 03rd February, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	St Sylvesters A	vs	Castleknock
U15 FL Div.6	Castleknock B	vs	St Sylvesters B

Sunday 10th February, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	St Sylvesters A	vs	St Vincents
U15 FL Div.6	St Sylvesters B	vs	Bye

Sunday 17th February, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	Ballymun Kickhams	vs	St Sylvesters A
U15 FL Div.6	St Sylvesters B	vs	O Dwyers

Sunday 24th February, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	St Sylvesters A	vs	Cuala A
U15 FL Div.6	Lucan Sarsfields B	vs	St Sylvesters B

Sunday 10th March, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	Ballinteer St John A	vs	St Sylvesters A
U15 FL Div.6	St Sylvesters B	vs	Ballinteer St John B

Sunday 14th April, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	St Sylvesters A	vs	Fingallians
U15 FL Div.6	Ballyboden St Enda C	vs	St Sylvesters B

Sunday 28th April, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	Raheny	vs	St Sylvesters A
U15 FL Div.6	St Sylvesters B	vs	Na Fianna C

Tuesday 07th May, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	Castleknock	vs	St Sylvesters A
U15 FL Div.6	Good Counsel	vs	St Sylvesters B

Sunday 26th May, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	St Vincents	vs	St Sylvesters A
U15 FL Div.6	St Sylvesters B	vs	Naomh Barrog B

Sunday 30th June, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	St Sylvesters A	vs	Ballymun Kickhams

Sunday 07th July, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	Cuala A	vs	St Sylvesters A

Thursday 15th August, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	St Sylvesters A	vs	Ballinteer St John A

Thursday 05th September, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	Fingallians	vs	St Sylvesters A

Sunday 06th October, 2013
Grade/Div	Home Team		Away Team
U15 FL Div.2	St Sylvesters A	vs	Raheny

We Saw a Vision

2012-12-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Found this today while doing some research - it is an English translation of a poem in the Garden of Remembrance. It's as fresh today as when Liam Mac Uistin wrote it in 1976 to express the appreciation and inspiration for Ireland's struggle for freedom. In 2012 I wish we had a vision.

"We Saw A Vision"

In the darkness of despair we saw a vision,

We lit the light of hope and it was not extinguished.

In the desert of discouragement we saw a vision.

We planted the tree of valour and it blossomed.

In the winter of bondage we saw a vision.

We melted the snow of lethargy and the river of resurrection flowed from it.

We sent our vision aswim like a swan on the river. The vision became a reality.

Winter became summer. Bondage became freedom and this we left to you as your inheritance.

O generations of freedom remember us, the generations of the vision.

Feile Peil na nOg

2012-04-30T03:49:00.002-07:00

Feile Peil na nOg is a national competition held at under 14 level. Each year as many as 25,000 boys and girls take part in this festival across all 32 counties. London and Warwickshire also participate in this festival. The Dublin qualifiers for the National tournament which takes place this year in Laois/Offaly will take place on Saturday next the 5th May.

St Sylvesters have entered 2 teams this year - Our B(est) team is based in Balbriggan - fixtures and details as below:

Div 8 Gr 1 (all in Bremore Pk, Balbriggan)

10.30 a.m. St. Peter's   v St. Sylvesters B   B. Doran, St. Colmcilles
10.30 a.m. O'Dwyers v St. Maurs   D. Gilmore, Skerries Harps
11.30 a.m. Winner Game 1 v Loser Game 2   B. Doran, St. Colmcilles
11.30 a.m. Winner Game 2 v Loser Game 1   D. Gilmore, Skerries Harps
12.45 p.m. Winner Game 1 v Winner Game 2 B. Doran, St. Colmcilles
12.45 p.m. Loser Game 1 v Loser Game 2   D. Gilmore, Skerries Harps

Div 8 Gr 2 (in Parc Ui Tuathaill, Coolock)
10.30 a.m. O' Tooles B v St. Judes B C. McCarthy, St. Vincents
10.30 a.m. Cluain Tarbh B v Good Counsel D. Hoban, Scoil Ui Chonaill
11.30 a.m. Winner Game 1 v Loser Game 2 C. McCarthy, St. Vincents
11.30 a.m. Winner Game 2 v Loser Game 1 D. Hoban, Scoil Ui Chonaill
12.45 p.m. Winner Game 1 v Winner Game 2 C. McCarthy, St. Vincents
12.45 p.m. Loser Game 1 v Loser Game 2 D. Hoban, Scoil Ui Chonaill

Semi Finals
Bremore Pk 3.30 p.m. Winner Group 1 v Runner Up Group 2 B. Doran, St. Colmcilles
Pc Ui Tuathaill 3.30 p.m. Winner Group 2 v Runner Up Group 1 C. McCarthy, St. Vincents

Directions & Map to Bremore Park

What to bring:

1. Football Gear (a special St Sylvester's Hoodie and bag will be provided)
2. A pack lunch - the lads will be hungry between games
3. Drinks
4. As many supporters as you can muster to give the lads encouragement
5. Boots & runners
6. Warm clothes - as anybody who was out in Bridgefield Sunday morning will know it is essential to wrap up well - especially between games.

A social network of my very own!

2008-07-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have created a social network of my very own on Ning. How cool is that?

The Network Manifesto should sort you out just in case you were thinking of joining.

A Week in Provence

2008-06-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Just back from a great week in Provence with the extended family - all 15 of us including 9 adults and 6 children. We flew to Marseille with Ryanair and then spent a night in Avignon before heading about 60kms east to the hamlet of Gargas near Apt and the beautiful l'Oustau des Vanels set in the Luberon region.

Avignon was a very good stopover - it is a charming city with plenty to do and see. We stayed in the Grand Hotel where we were able to book 4 family rooms (aka Superior Rooms) for the excellent price of €149 per night for 4 people w/o breakfast. The hotel was excellent for the price and was ideally situated since a number of our party were arriving by train and the Grand is next door to the train station. In Avignon we saw the Palais des Papes and had a look at the famous Pont (I never realised it did not go all the way across!) - but the highlight for me was the Wall Garden (as opposed to a walled garden) or perhaps they call it a Vertical Garden at one of the theatres? check it out...

Wall Garden

The girls claim to have seen a bridge planted in the same way on their shopping trip to Aix but we have no photographic evidence to present. Incidentally - how do you thing they keep the building in trim - doesn't look like a job for a petrol mower...

sur la pont D'Avignon

In any case before picking up our keys we spent a couple of hours up in Chateau Neuf de Pape which was about 15 mins north of Avignon where we tasted some of the local produce - none of which I found really compelling.

During the week we did some touring, journeying as far north as Sault (with a great ice cream parlour/choclatier straight out of the movie Chocolat), as far west as the very beautiful town of Isle de la Sorgue and east to the truly stupendous Grand Canyon de Verdon. The latter was a highlight for me of the whole trip. Although our drive to get there was long (about 2 hours of twisty roads) and the circuit of the gorge is approx 75km (of even twistier roads) I thought the scenery was incredible and well worth the journey. There are a range of activities available in the area such as hiking, cycling (NOT to be recommended) and kayaking. Unfortunately we had a couple of 5-year olds for whom hiking in 32C is not too much fun so we were more passive observers rather than active participants in the place although we did go for a swim in the lake.

The Grand Canyon de Verdon

Lac de St Croix

My pictures, pretty though they are, do not do justice to the scale of this place. The gorge is up to 700 metres (2100Ft) deep and the drive puts you right on the edge, especially since many of my fellow road users seemed to prefer my side of the road when they were cornering. I have never been to the real Grand Canyon but I have been to Yosemite and I would be equally as enthusiastic about the Gorge of Verdon. What is amazing to me is that this place is not better known. I would definitely go back and spend some more time in this area in the future.

This is a pretty long post - so here are my top recommendations:

1. The Grand Canyon de Verdon
2. Kayak down the Sorgue river from the Fontaine to Isle de la Sorgue (€18 per adult, suitable for children ~€12 from 6 up).
3. The Abbaye de Senanques
4. The town of Isle de la Sorgue
5. The villages of Gordes and Rousillon
6. The Colorado Provencal (near Saturnin)

My top things to avoid would be:

1. Cars on your side of the road
2. Going on a hike without a proper map
3. Getting lost in Marseille
4. Going to the coast - it was too crowded even in late June

You can see more pics on my Flickr

Technorati Tags: Provence, France, Luberon, Grand Canyon de Verdon Avignon

World Street Performance Championships, Dublin

2008-06-16T16:01:00.001-07:00

IMG_1483
Originally uploaded by John Maughan

Major Kudos to the organisers of the street performance championships in Merrion Square this weekend - it was truly an excellent day out - full of exotica and humour. From a Swede smuggling cans of coke in his shoe to the excellent Japanese balancing teapots. From the hilarious mime artist who must have scarred a 5 year-old for life and the incredibly flexible and strong acrobatic act from West Africa. We saw only 4 acts - but felt it was well worth the trip. We did not see to winners of the competition or the runner up - but if what we saw was inferior then they must have been awesome - definitely one for the diary next year!

Technorati Tags: Ireland, Dublin,

Lisbon - crying over spilt milk

2008-06-16T15:48:00.001-07:00

As far as I can see there were 3 reasons promoted for voting no to Lisbon

1. We could not understand the treaty
Our statutes are full of legislation which joe citizen would not understand. Legal documents are, because of the requirement to be unambiguous, quite complex to read. We pay our negotiators to ensure that they understand the detail and that it is not contrary to our national interest. We clearly dont trust them...

2. There is a better deal to be done (a.k.a the government and mainstream politicians cannot be trusted)
Over 90% of the representatives which we, the Irish electorate, voted into the Dail last year favoured a Yes vote in the referendum. However, when they said that this was the best available deal - we chose to believe Sinn Fein and other fringe organisations who took diametrically opposed views and interpretations of the treaty. Somebody was undoubtedly lying and misinforming the public during the debates on this treaty - the electorate seem to have decided that the same people we elected just a year ago were no longer to be trusted, a profoundly depressing conclusion.

3. We can't let foreigners run our country (a.k.a Europe can't be trusted)
They were all out to get us - those EU "Bullies". I mean what have they ever done for us? ....apart from the roads and infrastructure investment? ....access to a huge common market? Sustained peace in Europe for nearly 70 years? While I do not subscribe to the view that we should be brow-beaten to accept any deal because we have benefited from Europe in the past I do believe that Ireland will benefit from a more efficient European executive in the future.

So where do we go from here? - it is clear that the EU is perceived as a remote bureaucracy without a strong identity. It will certainly remain an inefficient bureaucracy in the absence of the reform package in the Lisbon Treaty. The challenge for the EU is to connect with it's citizens. It must reach out to it's regions and deliver strong leadership so that we can share and subscribe to a vision for Europe and so that we can compete with China, Russia and the US. I hope that M. Sarkhozy, and his like, who have arrogantly dismissed the democratic decision of the Irish people will put their efforts into promoting the credibility of the EU rather than undermining the democratic principles that are supposed to underpin it.

Technorati Tags: Ireland, Irish Politics, Lisbon Treaty, European Union

Munster march to greatness

2008-05-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

What an occasion... what a result... what a team...

Munster have confirmed themselves as the best team in Europe and they did with patience, guile and guts. As O'Connell said there seems to be something about the Munster setup and the Munster jersey which makes every individual do special things. The whole is so much greater than the sum of it's parts.

Hats off to Kidney who took a winning team in 2006, rebuilt it and won again 2 years on - with a new back 5; a new 8/9 combination; and without Axle Foley.

One of Munster's most admirable qualities is their ability to have true self-belief without ever appearing cocky or arrogant. I think the team is a reflection of their coach - I look forward to a repeat performance for ireland!

Technorati Tags: Rugby, Heineken Cup, Munster, Ireland

What do you want to be when you grow up?

2008-05-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

I was filling out an online form for motor insurance recently and was asked for my occupation. There were some very interesting options to choose from:

Chicken Sexer - surely they could spare people the ignomony of having to do this maually. Perhaps they could get the chickens to walk down Grafton St. The girls will all end up in the shoe shops, the boys in the pub (patent pending)....
Complementary Therapist - I presume this is somebody who tells you how well you are looking for a fee?
Fish Filleter - But no fish sexers? Thats non-discimination that is...
Fruiterer - I never heard this word before, but it is pretty obvious - someone who sells fruit apparently
Junk Shop Proprieter - Clearly there is a lot of junk out there - there was no such thing as a sandwich shop proprietor, electrical shop proprietor or any other type of shop proprietor - only junk - curious that...
Artificial Inseminator - Luckily no natural inseminators...

My favourite occupation was Independent Means. Where do I apply for that job?

National Aquatic Center, Dublin

2008-05-17T02:07:00.000-07:00

We brought the kids to the National Aquatic Center in Blanchardstown yesterday to celebrate Daragh's birthday. First of all it should be said that the place is great, we spent about 2.5 hours there and all had a good time with the flumes, pools, lazy river etc.

However I cannot help but to feel ripped-off. It cost €58 for the family...2 adults and 3 children aged 10, 7 and 5. The "standard" family apparently consists of 2 adults and 2 children and costs €46 so with my deviant crew we had to dish out an additional €12.I think that this is an entirely unreasonable amount to pay for a leisure activities like this so I decided to compare with other water parks.

A 90 minute session in the Lagan Valley LeisurePlex in Lisburn would have cost my family £18. They have sessions - which means that they do not assume that families will not opt to spend an entire day in the pool. We were all hungry and tired after 2.5 hours at the NAC. Even if we wanted to the operator does not allow people to go out to the cafe area and then re-enter so you go hungry or eat mars bars if you want to spend the whole day at the NAC. Even if you assume we need to pay for 2 sessions in Lisburn it would cost £36 (€45).

At the Olympic facility in Homebush, Sydney - a fantastic facility which I have visited - a family pass costs $20 AUD (€12) and allows for 2 adults and 3 children.

At WaterWorld2000 in the UK our session would have cost £39 (€49) but we would have gotten a lot more variety for our money as they have many more rides.

Even Dublin zoo which is a place where you could easily spend 4-5 hours costs €47.

Anyway I think they have their pricing all wrong. Clearly it is 20% more expensive than the next most expensive option. It does not have a product which is 20% better. They could go with a system which allows people to stay for a limited time. This would easily be enforced by the pool attendants, particularly those who control access to the slides. If it was costing me €30 a visit - I may go 2-3 times a year. As it is I will not go back for at least 12 months or until the sticker-shock fades - whichever comes first.

Technorati Tags: Dublin, Awuatic Center, Dublin Tourism, Dublin Family

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2008-05-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a disturbing look at life in Afghanistan from the 70's to the early noughties. This timeline encompasses the time of the Soviet occupation and the struggle with the Mujahadeen; the eventual victory and subsequent the rule of the tribal warlords; the rise and rule of the Taliban and then finally, mercifully, their overthrow.

The author, Khaled Husseini, was born in Kabul. This is his second book. His first, "The Kite Runner" was an excellent read so when this book was recommended to me I was very enthusiastic about it. My enthusiasm waned significantly after about 100 pages. The story is a stark one, one without warmth or humour. Husseini potrays the life story of Mariam, a country girl who is forced into an arranged marraige with Rasheed, an elderly businessman from the city. Their story is one of unrelenting misery in a country riven by war.

I put the book down at one stage - unsure whether it would ever be picked up again. If the book had been kicked under my bed I would probably have forgotten about it and moved on. However I did eventually get involved with the story and ultimately found the book rewarding and as I said disturbing, if not entertaining.

The turning point came when Husseini started to weave specific historical events into the narrative. I remember for example when the Taliban destroyed the giant Buddah's at Bamiyan to the horror of the West; the defeat and withdrawal of the Soviets; I remember the stories and hidden camera footage of the public executions at Kabul stadium. These events formed the backdrop to the continued story as Rasheed took a second wife Laila, an orphaned teenager.

Rasheed is the Taliban personified. He is a brutal, selfish, mysoginist. He contrasts with Mariam who is a victim of the society in which she lives - she is stoic, meek and powerless. In their midst Laila is the catalyst for change - she has hope. I found Husseini's characterisations to be a little wooden; I cannot say that I really understood any of the characters but one could not help but to empathise with their plight.

The story of the 3 individuals personalises the story of Afghanistan and changes it from being just another awful news story into something more powerful, something which makes you once again marvel at man's capabilty for cruelty and oppression. In the end there is something resembling hope for Afghanistan but I was left with a feeling that the changes are somewhat cosmetic - that the real problems exist in people's hearts - not in their Governments.

Dial2Do - nifty service

2008-05-09T03:19:00.002-07:00

Sean O'Sullivan and his merry band @ Rococo Software have created a new service called Dial2Do. Basically you can use your phone and VOICE to send email, texts and set reminders. Quite handy for those of us who have nearly killed themselves while simultaneously driving and texting or for sending a long text without wearing out your thumbs.

Just dial the access number, it asks what you want to do - say "text", it will ask you who you want to text - you say the name. It will then ask you to record your message. It will look the name up in your Dial2Do contacts and transcribe the message you want to send as a text. Cool.

I have only played with it for the past 15 minutes but I think it has great potential. Good luck to it! Register here for the preview.

Antrim and the Causeway Coast

2008-05-07T03:49:00.000-07:00

Normally good weather and Irish public holidays are allergic to one another. They simultaneously occur at the same rate as solar eclipses in these parts. The May Bank holiday was exceptional and proved for me again that Ireland is a great place to holiday - if only we got the weather; just like Zimbabwe would be great if they did not have Mugabe...

On the spur of the moment we packed the kids into the car and headed for Antrim. To our shame neither me nor Siobhan had ever been there before. But we will be back! The North Antrim coast is less than 3 hours from Dublin and the roads for the most part are excellent - therefore Antrim is very accessible compared with Kerry, Cork, Clare, Galway or Mayo where distances are greater and the roads are considerably crappier.

We stayed in the Ramada in Portrush for £198 B&B for 1 night in 2 adjoining, spacious and pleasant rooms. The only complaint that I would have with the hotel is that there was a (noisy) refuse collection at 7am on the Bank Holiday Monday which is admirably efficient but hardly very customer-friendly. We did not spend a whole lot of time in the town of itself - as with most seaside towns in Ireland it seemed a little faded and jaded but it was a very good base from which to explore the coastline. Everything we did was within 15 miles of Portrush. So what did we do?

Well we arrived "topside" around 2pm on Sunday - the rain had not quite cleared the north at that point so we decided to go with tradition and have our "picnic" in the car. This was not a very auspicious start! Luckily the weather cleared and after checking in we visited the perilously-placed Dunluce castle, the famous Giant's Causeway and then headed west to see the enigmatic and surprising Downhill Estate and Mussenden Temple.

Dunluce Castle

Dunluce is more than just another ruin - first of all it is quite extensive and well preserved, secondly it is perched right on the edge of a cliff - perhaps too close, given that the kitchen wall and some residents ended up in the sea at one point; lastly the views from Dunluce are spectacular. West towards Portrush, Whiterocks and Whitepark beaches, Northeast to Rathlin and East to the Giants Causeway.

Dunluce Castle

Giants Causeway

The Giants Causeway itself is a huge attraction for tourists - I had heard mixed reports of the place in the past - some people have come away with an "is that it?" view of the place. I was not one of them. I found the place very interesting and engaging. The hexagonal columns of rock are highly improbable, despite the descriptions given onsite I am still not sure HOW the rocks ended up as they did - I certainly can think of no other place on this island where you feel more connected to the center of the earth. If you are going be sure to take in the "Organ pipes" to the East - it was only then that it clicked with me that the entire mountain was made from hexagonal columns of basalt, not just the familiar bit which sticks out into the sea. If you are fit it is also worth taking the walk up to the top of the cliff - you get some great views there.

Giants Causeway

Organ Pipes

Mussenden Temple

Before light faded we (just) made it to Mussenden Temple which is the far side of Coleraine and is a little bit further away that you (I) might first have figured due to the Estuary of the River Bann. Nonetheless we found the trip worth the journey. The main attraction at the site is the "temple" which sits right on the edge of a cliff with great views. The site also contains the ruin of a large stately home and a mausoleum. The 3 edifices were build by a clearly very worldly Bishop of Derry. He evidently crossed his fingers when it came to his vow of poverty...

Temple

Carrig-A-Rede Rope Bridge

The next morning after our enforced early start we set out for the Carrig-A-Rede rope bridge. I am not at all good with heights so we approached the place with a little trepidation. Suffice it to say that it was great fun and the place itself is very beautiful.

Jack and Grace on the Bridge

Whiterocks Beach

Whiterocks

Because it was such a beautiful day we decided to skip the Bushmills distillery and we headed for Whiterocks beach near Portrush. This is a terrific beach - it was busy but not over-crowded. The kids loved running and tumbling down the 60ft sand-dune which adjoins the world-famous Royal Portrush golf club. From what I saw of the course it is not surprising that this is ranked as the #12 golf course on the planet.

Grace on the Dunes

Royal Portrush

We decided it was time to head for home - so we packed the kids and about half a ton of sand into the car and drove the "Causeway Coastal Route" stopping off in Cushenden for "Linner" (the kids name for a meal which serves as both lunch and dinner). About 5pm we stopped at Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne. This was a great idea. There was a maze, a walled garden and activities like mini-cars, trampolines and an activity playground to name but a few. It was brilliant to give the place a good run around before the 2 hour journey home.

I would recommend Antrim to anybody. Next time we will go for longer. For more pictures click here

Technorati Tags: Antrim, Northern Ireland, Giants Causeway, Travel

Quick restaurant review - "The House", Howth

2008-04-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

Siobhan and I headed to the beautiful village of Howth on Saturday evening with the kids and ate at The House. I would have to describe the experience as mixed - while the menu was interesting, the service and ambience was good and the prices reasonable (in the context of general Dublin food prices); they badly let themselves down with one of the dishes.

I ordered Mussels with Smoked Pork which was a nice variation on Surf n'Turf and was served with really nice chunky fries. It was both tasty and filling. Daragh, our 4-year old terror had a salmon fishcake which was good and meaty - if just a tad too much pepper. Grace had some very tasty trout.

It was Siobhan's meal that brought the tone down considerably - she opted for a beef and guinness casserole in which the meat was just awful - full of grissle and largely inedible. The owner and/or chef needs to realise that although they can save money buying and serving poor cuts of meat that they will pay with their reputation and failure to attract repeat business. 3 meals out of 4 is just not good enough at these prices.

New and Shiny

2008-04-07T12:32:00.001-07:00

05042008
Originally uploaded by John Maughan

I just bought the Philips VOIP 841 Dual Phone. This baby lets you make calls via your landline or via Skype. Unlike some devices it does not require your PC to be turned on - the base station plugs directly into your wireless router - which looks like a good configuration to me. I have had some teething problems with the setup so far but no real biggies. I will post a more comprehensive review when I get to play with it a bit more.

Technorati Tags: voip, Philips VOIP841, technology, review

Technology Startups

2008-04-07T00:53:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Sarahfor this piece of genius based on the Gartner Hype Curve.

I particularly like the "Wiggles of False Hope"....excellent

The Irish Govt, Shell, Corrib and all that gas...

2008-03-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

I was down west over the weekend and passed the site of the new terminal at Bellinaboy - you could tell you were in the right place because the roads improve dramatically in the vicinity of the site - so +1 for Shell & it's cohorts on that score.

There are a number of issues which tend to be jumbled up together when people talk about Corrib Gas:

The environmental concerns

The tactics employed by Shell and the Irish State in pushing the project forward

The exploration deal which the Irish government struck with the Oil companies

The Environment and safety issues with the project; specifically in relation to the raw gas pipeline tend to grab the national headlines. I personally would not be too impressed if somebody knocked on my door and told me that they were going to pump untreated gas within 50 metres of my home. However, without trivialising the concerns of locals and environmentalists, I think that this is a secondary issue.

Likewise the tactics used to deal with individuals and groups opposed to aspects of the project seem to me to have been high-handed at best but we will not debate them here.

The real issue here is the sweet, sweet deal that the exploration companies have been getting and continue to get from the government of Ireland. This is something that affects every Irish citizen, not just the people of Erris. Apparently we are so keen to have exploration companies look for oil and gas in our territory that we will not charge them royalties; we will not take a stake in their company; we will not oblige them to sell a portion of the oil to us when they find it. We will take 40% (up from 25%) of their "profits" - if they ever make any in our juristiction but only after they have written off 100% of their exploration and development costs. On top of this we will use all of the instruments of the state the planning authorities, the Garda Siochana, the court service and the prison service to protect the oil companies interests.

So why do we do this? The most common argument is that we are "seeking to reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels". Of course since we will have to buy the oil back at market rates and since there is no compulsion on the oil company to sell to us I am not sure that there is any difference between the oil found off west Mayo and oil from Texas, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela or wherever. Our dependence on other people's oil still exists.

Others claim that if we did not entice the oil companies to explore in Ireland that it would not happen at all. Is that such a bad thing? If there is no net benefit in terms of profiting from our own natural resources or securing our supply then why do we bother? Would we not be better off sitting on our hands until oil reaches $150?

For me the oil companies are not to blame - they are businesses that will do everything in their power to drive the best deal and to maximise profits for their shareholders. Unfortunately our government does not do the same for us. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that Tony O'Reilly's Providence Resources was able to sub-license exploration rights which it was granted by the Irish Government to ExxonMobil. In return for this license it was granted a 20% stake in the new venture. If Tony can do it then why can't Bertie?

As ever the problem is of our own making, we have elected successive governments who have dealt with this issue in an incompetent manner which has the all-too-familiar stench of corruption. What is clear is that we, the citizens of Ireland, have been badly served by our government and that we as a nation have stood idly by while our natural resources have been sold from under our feet for NOTHING. We do not need a tribunal to tell us that we need higher standards in public administration. We must take responsibility by actively engaging in our own democracy rather than fatalistically accepting the status quo

Technorati Tags: Ireland, Oil Exploration, Shell, Corrib Gas, Politics

Great technology - but I dont want it....

2008-03-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

A company called Ambient gave a live demo a cool device called the Audeo which enables "voiceless communication". The device is targeted at people who’ve lost the ability to speak due to disorders such as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, cerebral palsy, or Parkinson’s so is potentially very worthy and useful.

They clearly have not optimised the device so there is a very significant pause before the speech is synthesised. My theory on this is that in the demo they are filtering out the flotsam and jetsam of the presenter's thoughts like "Damn - hope this works this time - cos if it doesnt this is going to look really stupid..."

The device seems to be designed to pick up only "voluntary" speech which is a good thing because if they picked up all thoughts you would never be able to converse with members of the opposite sex, your boss and lots of your customers as it could make you like Jim Carrey in Liar Liar or give you advanced Tourette's syndrome++.

I dont think I will take the chance...

F1 - The last shall be first

2008-03-11T03:30:00.000-07:00

I am a lapsed formula 1 fan. I remember a couple of occasions when I synchronised the night-feed of my firstborn to coincide with the grand prix in Adelaide or Suzuka. Not any more ... I am not sure whether it was the decline and eventual demise of the Jordan F1 team which sapped my enthusiasm for the sport or whether it was just the sheer predictability of it all - in either case I lost than lovin feeling.

It seems I am not alone in this regard so the good folks in F1, fearful that their sport could end up like snooker or show-jumping, have decided to get all innovative on us. In a plan taken straight from the old testament the first shall be last and the last shall be first. The proposal is that they reverse the order of the starting grid so that the drivers leading the championship start from the back and have to overtake quite a lot. This could be good! They are already introducing a "Boost" button which gives the cars short burst of power to aid overtaking - even better!

On this track I can think of a few other ideas which would spice up the show:

Allow each driver to carry one box of nails/tacks that they can scatter over the track to slow down their opponents.
Add ben-hur style blades to the wheels.
When the lights go out - have the drivers do a 100m sprint to their car - at least then the speed of the driver would make some contribution to the race - right now it is all about the car.
In a variation of 3 - have musical cars - say 50 drivers and 20 cars at the start. You must claim a car before you can race.

If this happened I would definitely tune in again.

Technorati Tags: Sport, F1, Formula One

It's the hope that gets you - Part 2 - Ireland V Wales

2008-03-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

It came as no surprise to me when Hope once again teased then walked out the door with the other guy on her arm. That she did so demonstrates that she is a discriminating judge of manhood and justice. Wales were by far the superior team on a day when Ireland were mechanical, witless and one-dimensional. We were a team who never really believed in our own ability or our own "colour-by-numbers" gameplan; instead we tried to stop Wales executing theirs.

Wales had ambition, self-belief and courage - Ireland did not. When these fundamentals of rugby (and of indeed of life) are absent the finer characteristics like skill and tactics are largely irrelevant.

And so today I too must join the chorus calling for a change in the Irish Management. Eddie O'Sullivan has done great things for Irish rugby over the past few years, things for which we must all be very grateful. However it is now clear that his growing conservatism, scientific and methodical approach to the game have overthrown the passion, imagination and bottle that characterise successful teams and has thwarted the natural talents of the current squad of Irish players. The IRFU made a mistake awarding Eddie a four-year contract before the world cup debacle - they must not compound that mistake by allowing that contract to run any further.

As for Hope? Well she showed up in Anfield over the last couple of weeks wearing red. She wants me to bring her to Moscow ;-)

It's the hope that gets you - Ireland v Scotland

2008-02-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

An acquaintance I met on Saturday reminded me of one of my old sayings - "I can handle the defeats - It's the hope that gets you".

You see - for my troubles I follow Mayo in GAA, Ireland in Rugby, and Liverpool in soccer. With the notable (but sporadic) exception of Liverpool each of these teams has promised much and then failed to deliver when it mattered most. This would not be so bad if each of these teams did not show flashes of brilliance which make you think maybe ... just maybe ... this is the year, this is the team: Mayo in 1996, 1997, 2004 & 2006; Ireland in 2007 & Liverpool pretty much every year but 2005. They beat the favourites or put in a performance that would beat any team in the competition - they light a candle in your cynical sporting heart - logic is dispelled and you are left with that most fragile and schitzophrenic of emotions - Hope.

Hope has seduced me in the past, she has put on her best dress, winked and beckoned me to come hither. I have bought her drinks and danced the night with her and she has smiled warmly, looked me in the eye and then whispered in my ear to wait while she got her coat .... I have waited many times over too many years only to see her disappearing out the door with her old boyfriends: Kerry, France and Man U leaving me with her ugly cousin - disappointment.

And so I have become parsimonious with hope - I do not buy her a drink nor invite her to sit beside me, I do not seek her out and yet she finds me. She was in Croke Park on Saturday like Salome - alluring and exciting - making promises I know she may not keep and yet when she whispered in my ear I thought maybe this is the time ....

Oracle to buy Salesforce?

2008-02-22T01:25:00.000-08:00

I know I am a bit slow off the mark here - the rumour about Oracle taking out Salesforce started circulating a couple of weeks back but it is still worth commenting on even if it turns out to be a ball of smoke. There are 3 things I find interesting about this rumour:

The borg-like ability of Oracle to assimilate

Mr. Ellison continues in his bid to subsume the software planet. After his purchase of BEA he had spent an astonishing $31 Billion in 3 years on 35 acquisitions. How can any organisation successfully integrate 35 acquisitions in 3 years? Is it possible to align vision, product, marketing strategy and channel at a rate of 1 new acquisition every month, many of which were large organisations in their own right like Siebel, Peoplesoft and BEA? Is it just chaos in there? Or are they adopting a "federated" IBM-like model where vision and product coherence are subservient to good branding? Check out this nice commentary on what should be done with SaaS Acquisitions

The emotional attachment some people get to software companies.

A comment from one salesforcer on the rumour:

"how horrible would that be! I’m not sure I would want to be part of the Saleforce if they sold out!"

I know that some people get attached to inanimate objects like cars, tvs and any piece of technology that begins with an 'i' - but to Enterprise software companies - come on dude get a life!

The impact such a deal would have on Oracle's onsite offerings

The mere rumour of an Oracle bid normally creates a huge amount of uncertainty in their target's sales pipeline. In cases like BEA and Peoplesoft the rumour decimated sales as FUD over the companies future makes customers think twice. In the case of the Salesforce/Oracle rumour I wonder whether the opposite might happen? It is clear that the SaaS model for which Salesforce is the poster-child is gaining increased acceptance even in large organisations - so where does this leave Oracle's onsite offerings? And will customers be asking the same questions?

FAI appoint Trappatoni

2008-02-13T08:01:00.001-08:00

There was an Italian called Trappatoni
Who was brought up on pizza and macaroni
He got a call from the FAI
And said he'd give it a try
If they gave him loadsa their moni...

Let's hope Delaney realises that they dont use lira in Italy anymore....

Ireland v France - same old, same old

2008-02-10T00:57:00.000-08:00

I have been watching Irish rugby for long enough to recognise a glorious defeat when I see one. I for one have seen too many. I don't see this most recent episode one as a step forward - I see it as a step backward but hopefully a short one. Yet again the most talented team that I have ever seen wearing the green left it until they were 20 points adrift in Paris before they woke up, when they did they showed how talented they really are against an inexperienced French side - but it was too late. Defeat again.

Ireland's first half display in defence was abject. The gaps left by the Irish out wide were vast; the combination of Trimble, Murphy, Kearney and Dempsey were like ol' coyotes chasing the French road-runners - Rougerie, Clerc & Heymans. The results were predictably unfunny from an Irish perspective.

We did lots of good things in offense - right up to the point where we won lineouts in the French 22. Then, obligingingly, we passed the ball back to the French while we rigged anvils to ropes and put sticks of dynamite in all the wrong places to stop them. Not good enough. On this showing the Jackman fans (myself included) must be a little quiter this morning as Best did well when he came in.

The second half saw a big improvement from Ireland and a dip in interest for the French that they nearly became their undoing - Ireland were rampant at times with the pack putting in as good a performance as I have seen from them in many years. The sight of a French scrum moving backward required a double-take. However lets not forget that for all the Irish dominance and valour in the second half, we scored only 3 points in the last 20 minutes of the game. Too little too late.

There was merit in this performance and comfort to be drawn from it - but we cannot go back to the bad old days where getting within a score of France was considered a victory. We had - and spurned - an opportunity to beat France in Paris for only the 2nd time in my living memory. Ireland must start, and finish off games like this. Starting late and falling just short does not impress me much.

All out of miracles...

2008-02-06T03:55:00.001-08:00

IMG_0494
Originally uploaded by John Maughan

The saint had reached the end of his tether. What was he supposed to do? - just stand there while birds continually crapped on his head? He prayed and prayed, summoned all his power, raised his cross, closed his eyes and POOF - just a puff of smoke. Perhaps he should have worked for the opposition....