The Rambler

E3 2016: Highlights - Part 3: Nintendo and the Rest

2016-06-17T07:18:00.001-07:00

Where as the other two console manufacturers showed off plenty of games and even some hardware, Nintendo appears to have been like the lethargic schoolboy rushing to put something together to show that they've done something by turning up to E3 with little more than a new Legend of Zelda game and yet another Pokémon game. I can't say I blame them however. In terms of E3 and the audience that follows it, Nintendo don't need to be too concerned about what to bring to the party. After all, their market is families and parents, not hardcore gamers and the media that serves them.

Nevertheless, gamers are still wont to buy Nintendo products for certain first-party gems among the family and child-oriented games. Knowing this, Nintendo dedicated the best part of their conference to showing off the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game looks stunning and Nintendo says that players will get to roam freely around a sprawling open world.

Nintendo also spent a significant amount of time showing off the new Pokémon games: Sun and Moon for the 3DS. Compared to the most recent entries, it's hard to see how much has changed. There are new Pokémon of course, but other than that, there's a better battle camera. I'm sure there'll be many minor improvements and additions that Pokéfans will love but personally, I've left the series behind a long time ago and couldn't imagine finding the interest now to return to it.

And that was about it for Nintendo. They showed off a few other games but nothing special or wow-inducing. Aside from the Big Three however, we did get some juicy footage from the likes of EA in the forms of Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2, Mass Effect: Andromeda and FIFA 17. Battlefield 1, set during WWI looks to play about as you'd expect for a Battlefield game now at this stage with a few new additions such as large blimps that rain down terror upon the battlefield, a greater level of destruction and a dedicated Tank class.

Titanfall 2 on the other hand promises to address the issues that made the first game suffer in spite of a popular beta and slick gameplay. The trailer shown at E3 looked great. Developers, Respawn Entertainment have said that greater customization and more ways to play with new mech types and a greater focus on infantry combat should address the concerns players had with the first game. In addition to the multiplayer improvements, a single player campaign is present this time around but it has yet to be seen if it will be little more than an on-rails experience or something greater. I'm betting on the former.

Mass Effect Andromeda was further shown off with some in-engine footage of the new locations players can expect to visit once the game releases at the end of this year. Bioware have side-stepped the issues with Mass Effect 3's ending by throwing the player into a new galaxy to explore and have promised an all new story separate from that of Commander Shepard and his crew.

EA also surprised a few people by announcing a story-driven single player campaign for the new FIFA 17 featuring a young footballer rising the ranks of football stardom. For a series that has often been accused of being little more than an annual release with an updated roster and better graphics, FIFA 17's story mode could set it apart and bring new players to the already hugely popular series.

The last game to catch my attention came from Ubisoft in the form of Watch Dogs 2, which like many games shown off at E3, promises to address the concerns players had with the previous entry. Only time will tell if it truly will or if, as was the case with the first game, Watch Dogs 2 will fall flat in comparison to the hype that surrounds it.

And that's all folks! E3 had plenty more on show worth checking out so hit up your favourite gaming site to delve deeply into all the news from the convention. I hope these highlights however gave you some idea of what to expect over the next year or so of gaming.

E3 2016: Highlights - Part 2: Sony

2016-06-16T15:41:00.003-07:00

While Microsoft came to E3 showing off new hardware, Sony took a different approach, left Playstation Neo at home, and went all out with new game announcements and a live orchestral score underscoring the entire event. In the opinion of many gamers, their conference at E3 trumped the rest thanks to high quality games and plenty of juicy gameplay footage.

The highlight of the Sony conference and possibly the entire convention was probably the announcement of a new God of War game. The new game, simply called God of War, appears to be a reboot for the popular series. Perhaps taking influence from the popularity of the TV show Vikings, the new God of War ditches Greek mythology to place Kratos (or whatever he'll now be called) deep in Norse mythology. The footage they showed was spectacular with crisp textures, smooth gameplay, and tons of action. If any game from E3 is going to be a system seller, it's probably the new God of War.

Not content with wowing audiences with a new God of War, Sony showed off the tense, open-world zombie survival game Days Gone. The gameplay trailer is non-stop in terms of action with the intensity level turned up to 11 thanks to an endless horde of the fast and vicious zombies of the game.

The fun didn't stop there though, Sony also took the time to debut the trailer for Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima's first game post-Konami starring Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead and Boondock Saints. far from the action-packed affairs of Days Gone and God of War, Death Stranding held back on gameplay footage and opted instead to deliver an emotional and enigmatic teaser. The question remains however whether Kojima will deliver in the long run, free from the chains of the Metal Gear series that made him such a behemoth in the industry.

Then there's the reveal of Detroit: Become Human, the new brainchild of David Cage and Quantic Dream, developer of the critically-acclaimed Heavy Rain. The trailer promised a game that builds upon the formula that Cage used for Heavy Rain and with a bit of luck will mean a more meaty gaming experience than its predecessor.

Another stand-out title came from Killzone developer Guerilla Games in the form of Horizon Zero Dawn - a post-apocalyptic, open-world game set a thousand years after the fall of civilization in a world that eschews the wastelands of many post-apocalyptic worlds for one filled with verdant plants and wild animals. Also populating the world, aside from the surviving humans are the robotic creations of the bygone civilization. The game itself looks like it takes some influence from the Monster Hunter series of games with the developers making nods to both GTA and Skyrim in describing the type of game it will be.

Finally, for all you horror fans out there, Capcom revealed Resident Evil 7 which looks set to not just scare the proverbial shite out of you but very likely scare the actual shite out of you with its first-person VR focused perspective. A teaser demo for the game is now available from the Playstation Store.

Now I leave you with the live orchestra opening up the Sony conference for your listening and viewing pleasure. Come back tomorrow for highlights on the rest of E3 where we'll see the new Zelda game, Battlefield 1, Watch Dogs 2 and more!

E3 2016: Highlights - Part 1: Microsoft

2016-06-15T08:19:00.001-07:00

Every year in the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is held. Publishers, Developers and Hardware Manufacturers from around the world come to show of their latest games or pieces of kit for the media and gamers everywhere. For many gamers, E3 is the event of the year, eclipsing the European Gamescom convention and the Asian Tokyo Game Show. This is the event where the console manufacturers unveil their consoles and provide us all with what we can expect from them in the year to come.

E3 2016 was no different. The big three put on their shows and the biggest publishers showed off their upcoming games. Here now are my personal highlights from the convention; What stood out and what piqued my interest. Take note however that this is in no way a comprehensive collection of what E3 had to offer. There was so much on display and so much to talk about that I can only direct you towards dedicated Video Game websites for more information and a full accounting of the convention.

Microsoft

The first of the Big Three to take to the floor was Microsoft. With Sony recently having announced a new, more powerful PS4 model, codenamed "Neo", Microsoft hit back with their own upgraded Xbox One in Project Scorpio. Project Scorpio will feature a new GPU that allows for playing games at 4k resolution and an increase to 12GB of GDDR5 memory. Early reports hint at the GPU being based on a cut-down version of AMD's Vega architecture and pumping out 6 Teraflops with a clock speed somewhere around 800Mhz. The memory supposedly has a throughput of 320GB/s so the assumption is that we'll be seeing 12GB of GDDR5 on the board. All in all, Project Scorpio, when it launches, looks like it could be on track to beat the Playstation Neo in terms of raw performance. Whether Microsoft can compete with Sony on the games front however, has yet to be seen.
Oh yeah, and there's a new slimmed down model of the standard Xbox One on the way.

Speaking of games, Microsoft showed off some shiny new exclusives for XBox One. But they also revealed just how exclusive they would really be with the announcement of Play Anywhere which will ensure the release of Xbox One exclusives on PC and allow gamers to buy one of the supported games for Xbox One and play it for free on PC and vice versa. Of course, when I say PC, I really mean Windows 10 so if you're still (like me) hanging onto the great Windows 7, you'll be shit out of luck.

The exclusives they showed look promising and while stalwarts such as Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3 were to be expected, they did show off a new game from the makers of Limbo called Inside that looks to be an evolution upon that game and could well be as great and introspective of an experience as it was.

Another game that looks like it could be a lot of good fun is Recore, a charming yet challenging looking platformer from Keiji Inafune, the man behind the classic Mega-Man. Being the character designer on those games certainly seems to have paid dividends for Recore and the art style and designs look superb. Meanwhile, the combat and platforming seems set to be action-packed and full of interesting ways to play.

Yet another noteworthy exclusive came from the critically-acclaimed Platinum Games in the form of Scalebound, a co-op action adventure game that I can best describe as the child of Digimon and Devil May Cry.

The last title that stood out to me, but certainly not the least was Sea of Thieves. Developed by Rare, Sea of Thieves looks to be a return to old form for the developer as they rise from lackluster Kinect titles to produce a multiplayer game about pirates that promises to be a rip-roaring favourite for online play.

Finally, Microsoft showed off their new custom controllers, that allow for gamers to professionally personalize their gamepads and stand out among their friends. The controllers will retail for $79.99 so expect the EU and UK cost to be a little higher.

Come back tomorrow for a highlights from Sony's E3 Press Conference where they showed off a child killing their first animal and a naked Norman Reedus!

#GE16 Hangover Edition

2016-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

In the chaos and aftermath, nine things have been on my mind since the election of “change” where nothing changed.

1. We are reaching political crisis levels.

But only because we cannot seem to replicate the status quo. We cannot build a Dáil majority through coalitions and deal making, so we are now at panic levels. This is a waste of our first opportunity in a generation to get the most sorely needed political reform of them all: Separating the executive of government from the legislative nature of the chambers of the Oireachtas. In our heads, there is no Government without a Dáil majority. This is a product of our political culture. Breaking with this idea may be the best thing to happen to the chambers since it was formed. For decades, Government has controlled and dominated our parliament. In doing so, the Government has:

Been allowed to lose the run of themselves.
Stifled debate and oversight.
Given us an executive incapable of being accountable to the Dáil.
Facilitated the emergence of the EMC.
Produced a generation of expendable and bored backbenchers.
Locked opposition politicians out of any influence despite their mandate from voters.

To us, the Dáil is not the Dáil unless it is a neutered spectacle; Its votes a mere drama to rubber-stamp the pre-decisions of the top brass of cabinet, enforced by whips armed only with the threat of making the disobedient a political nobody in the political wilderness. This must stop. Lets take the opportunity to end it. Why not facilitate Fine Gael as the largest party to lead the Government in the absence of an alternative? If Kenny wants to abolish USC as promised, let him build a majority for it on the floor of Dáil Eireann. Let him talk to Fianna Fáil and/or Sinn Féin about it. If they refuse to play ball, it is on them. The record will reflect that. If Kenny is serious about reform of the 8th Amendment, let him go and talk with pro-choice parties with similar intentions. Let him talk to Sinn Féin, Soc Dems, AAA-PBP (basically everyone except Fianna Fáil and Matt McGrath).

If the opposition and smaller parties can build support for their own ideas and pass them with a legitimate majority, then why not? They were elected to legislate. Not to howl at the moon while one of the big boys had “their turn”. Is this idea any less desirable than a passive Dáil with a constant majority that allows the Taoiseach to feel like a king. This is not a perfect idea, and it is not original, but it is surely better than asking the electorate to vote for a second time. My strong suspicion is that the parties will not want to set this precedent, as it will come to haunt them when they are in a stronger position down the line. But is now not the perfect opportunity to strive for an inclusive Dáil that represents all of those given a mandate by the people last week?

2. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have more in common than the left of Labour has with Sinn Féin or even the Social Democrats.

There are probably more arguable differences between the Socialist Party and People Before Profit. The modern nuanced take by supporters is that Fine Gael is a more liberal party on social issues (which is fair and evidenced by votes in the last Dáil) while Fianna Fáil is closer to the centre on economic policy (also fair if you judge them by the rhetoric of their election campaign). But even this doesn't stack up in the long run when the leader of Fianna Fáil is a more liberal man than many re-elected Fine Gael backbenchers, and when a potential future leader of Fianna Fáil is more eager to downsize the state and gut public spending than many in the FG parliamentary party. The only reason these parties cannot get it together is down purely to their own arrogance and ego. That is the only thing that stops a Programme for Government. If a deal fails to materialise, it is because tribal nonsense takes precedence over the responsibility to form a stable government.

3. Regardless of party affiliation or who one voted for, the Greens having a presence – weak or strong – in Dáil Eireann is a good thing if you value the climate movement or are concerned about climate change.

Consistently breaking the hottest year on record seems to matter not in the heat of election seasons. One wonders if the entire cryosphere of the planet would have to melt away before it became a central issue in the General Election. The worst part of this is that it is not even ignorance. Ignorance, we could forgive. Yet the media and major parties accept the science – as do, likely, the majority of voters – it is just 20th on the list of Top 10 Priorities for campaigning. They are aware, just not concerned enough to take the hard steps. It is a miracle that out of this, we even have a comeback of sorts for the Green Party. We should welcome it and continue to welcome it until something is done. The system needs to be nagged. The Greens will nag until the issue is back on the agenda. It is what they do.

4. The Social Democrats had a good election.

The three leaders all traveled different journeys to their position now in national politics. Murphy and Donnelly were elected as Independents and Roisin Shorthall was elected as Labour. They have now all been re-endorsed (and handsomely so!) by their constituents as SocDems. This is the real start of their political project, the real work starts from here. To say that the Social Democrats is in its infancy is generous. It is only the embryo of a party. Founders, colours, and a logo. It is all growth from here. What happens from here is up to them. Having a joint leadership has done them no harm either. And why would it? I want to have it explained to me why the Social Democrats MUST have a single leader. Because the others do? Why would they want to be like them for the sake of it? The Social Democrats are in a position to emphasise their “team” over their individual leader in marked contrast to Fianna Fáil and Renua. I don't see why that is a bad thing unless in some distant future, they must draw straws to decide which of them becomes Taoiseach. If they are at that point, then clearly the co-leadership has done them no harm.

5. I hope this is the last time I have to really think about Renua.

As a socialist and a republican, Renua's ideology was the characterisation of everything I viscerally dislike. If the SocDem's election campaign was an endorsement of the new roles of the founding members, then Renua's was the opposite. The voters who elected Creighton, Timmons and Flanaghan as Fine Gael TD's decided not to endorse them as Renua TD's. This should be the end of the matter. Renua appeared to consciously shift themselves to the right – losing sight of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil until running off the political pitch all together. Their rhetoric on tax, spending, law and order was similar to that of US Republicans at their worst. The difference being that a gap largely exists for the GOP in the USA. No such gap exists here. From inside the Law Library or Dáil Eireann, even an intelligent young person like Lucinda Creighton can become out of touch and disconnected from the reality of life in modern Ireland – this was reflected in her political project. Creighton has trouble escaping herself. She evolved (like we all did) on marriage equality during the referendum. But we never lost the image of her as a conservative's conservative. This campaign - which should have been Renua's breakthrough against a stumbling, bumbling Fine Gael - did little to dispel the notion of her being too right wing for Irish politics. Three Renua seats lost. Or to quote their crime policy: Three strikes and you're out.

6. Speaking of political consolidation, AAA-PBP are among the winners.

Together, they fought a harmonious campaign and are now more or less the same size as the Labour Party in Dáil Eireann - Thirty years after Joe Higgins was expelled from that same party, formed Militant Labour and planted the roots of the modern AAA. This is vindication for a half decade of campaigning and fighting on behalf of causes and constituents. There is no group as small which makes as much noise. AAA-PBP are purists. This brings them in for a lot of criticism from other parties and those in the media (One can be too principled apparently!). But as we see from Bernie Sanders in America, it is not about winning: It is about making the weather; changing the political dialogue in a more progressive direction and mobilising and organising people on behalf of change. What has to change – and is likely a huge necessity in light of a FFG alliance – is the relationship between all the left-wing groups. The left in the Republic of Ireland has never been bigger. But it is a broad spectrum of colours and people, policies and traditions. Left-Republicans, social democrats, democratic socialists, ecologists, feminists, youth activists, independent leftists. We do not need to sing off the same hymn sheet going forward on all issues. That would be ridiculous. But the 32nd Dáil needs to see better relations and respect on all sides if we want to build an alternative to FFG. If this can be done in other countries with longer histories and more nuanced political scenes, then we can achieve this in progressive Irish politics.

The price is quite high: A generation of dominance by FFG.

7. The Media and Twitterverse need to give over bashing the Healy-Raes.

First of all, it plays exactly into their hands. We all sound like the Donnybrook set waving our finger at Killarney and Kilgarvan and Killorglin. Secondly, the people of Kerry have the democratic right to elect whoever it is they wish. And what is so unbelievably maddening about who they have chosen? The Healy-Raes are obsessed with public service and that is reflected in their vote. They work hard for their constituents and they've secured funding for a part of the country which traditionally had been neglected. There is a distinct lack of focus on the national picture, but is any person giving their number one in Dingle and Tralee in any doubt about that? Michael and Danny are commuting up to Dublin to get as big of a piece of the pie for Kerry as they can manage, at any cost. That's basically why they've been elected. Criticising them or Kerry voters for not voting as we would like them to is begrudgery and elitism. It also misses the bigger picture. The Healy Raes are a product of capitalism. In our economic system, we make individuals compete with each other and degrade themselves for the crumbs of available resources. The Healy Raes embrace that. Kerry must compete with Clare, Mayo, Limerick County, rural Galway, Sligo, Roscommon, and West Cork for the meagre investment coming from central government. They have a TD (now two) who do that exceptionally well, while degrading their reputations. The investments for Kerry won by Jackie Healy Rae from Bertie Ahern has us questioning “gombeen politics”, when it should be asked why it takes holding a Government to ransom to get these roads and schools and hospitals built in the first place. Fine Gael and Labour candidates in my area circulated leaflets with a litany of investments they were responsible for. All big sums of tax payer funded investment. All in the Carlow-Kilkenny area. All done for the purpose of re-election. All to their supposed credit. Not a single finger wagged by the chattering classes. And why? Because the difference between that and gombeen politics is flat caps and better suits.

8. Shane Ross and his Independent Alliance was a big deal last Summer.

An alliance, not a party. Not a party. Did you hear us? Not a party. Just to clarify. Ross had positioned this non-party as being ready in a position where it would be able to support a Government in return for reform on a number of key measures to do with cronyism and political procedure. They were the least talked about group in the General Election coverage, and have not even figured into the post-election arithmetic of potential deals. This is despite having more seats than the Labour Party. Yet Enda is calling Michéal and Shane Ross is left to wonder if he'll ever get a call. It wasn't supposed to be this way at all. Ross and Company are not licked yet. They were always better Dáil performers than campaigners. This was evidenced from the last five years where his technical group figured very seldom during referenda and votes, but always found their way onto Six-One or the Oireachtas Report. There is no reason why this would not be the case in the new Dáil. However, it looks like they will be making those impacts from the opposition benches as FFG carve up the resources of the state, and embarrass themselves with political appointments and judgeships for supporters, failed candidates and nephews. #newpolitics

9. There is little celebration in the annihilation of the Labour Party when it means a FFG government. That is no win for progressive politics.

As the moderate left in Irish politics falls away during our drawn out European realignment, Labour must choose whether it wants to continue to be the liberal wing of an anti-worker, anti-union conservative party – or worse still, often their messenger and hatchet man – or whether they can radicalise to fit the needs and aspirations of their working class supporters. Standing still is irrelevancy for the Irish Labour Party. Making peace and opting for co-operation with the broader left (instead of hyperbolically demonising them) to achieve shared goals is a good start. A better start would be ruling out forever a coalition again with Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil. The pressing dilemma is that that the left of their party slipped out the door at grass roots level budgets ago. Back when Gilmore was struggling his way through Foreign Affairs and Ruaírí Quinn was still at the “Sure give the Minister a chance” stage with the teachers unions. Former young, strong and left-wing Labour activists find themselves scattered among Sinn Féin, the SocDems, AAA-PBP and the Independent Groupings on many County Councils nationally. It is all well and good to get in the “new blood” and rebuild. Labour has been gushing pints of it for a while now. Their election pitch was essentially that Fine Gael were an evil party, and only Labour could truly keep them contained. This fails for a raft of reasons. Anyone who truly believed Fine Gael were as bad as Labour claimed would never vote for the party that was running to re-elect them together. Anyone who was satisfied enough with Fine Gael to want the Labour Party to go into coalition with them again would likely cut out the middle man and vote for Fine Gael. It is also an appalling way to talk about the party that is running with Labour as part of a pact. Not to mention, damaging to the feelings of Fine Gael voters who could have given Labour a second preference. It is hard to be harsh on Joan Burton's result here. Much like Michéal Martin in 2011, the damage was likely done before they were appointed to save the day. But Burton is the wrong person to take the party forward for other reasons. Her aggressive and combative style in debates has burned bridges with those who she may now need to work with to move forward. Her credibility as the leader of a radical Labour Party is diminished by her central role in Austerity Ireland. She must move on for Labour to grow. And replacing her with Alan Kelly is not the answer either.

Five Reflections on #GE16

2016-02-24T12:32:00.000-08:00

If you are like me, you probably feel like screaming. And if you do, I recommend you instead treat this week as a time for reflection on the way forward. You only lose when you lose the lesson – and, I hope, hoping to learn. Here are my 5 reflections on the General Election.

1. If not now, then when?

From the first debate until the final day, the narrative has narrowed around a familiar theme – the choice between the leader of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil for Taoiseach.

Whether you agree with Sinn Féin or oppose them, they were due to be in a historically unique position of overthrowing the old order of things in Dáil Eireann. Sinn Féin stormed in the 2014 Local Elections and gained local seats in every local authority. They found themselves pushing forward into second in national polling behind Fine Gael, and that same party declared that the 2016 General Election would be a straight battle of ideologies between themselves and Sinn Féin.

This has failed to materialise.

Breaking 35 seats was not an outside possibility. Now it looks closer to being around the 20 mark. A gain of just six on 2011.

This will be a crushing disappointment to some – but is a dizzying high compared to when Mary Lou McDonald lost her European Parliament seat in 2009. A lot of this will be blamed (and not unjustifiably) on the dismissive attitude of Independent Newspapers, RTE and other media to their campaign.

But we must ask how a new progressive force can now break the mould and push aside the old order? When will there ever be a better opportunity given the high level of cynicism and public anger with not only the Government but also the main opposition party?

We live in a furious country – we all see it every day. The duopoly in this election on offer does not represent that at all. What hope is there that that will change the next time?

2. No party for new parties.

We were told for a year and a half in countless Op-eds and blogs that the cynicism and hopelessness among the public would be solve by a “new” and undefined political party. We got two high profile ones with considerable media attention.

One to the left of Labour (led by one of their former Ministers who resigned on an issue of conscience) and one to the right of Fine Gael (Led by one of their former Ministers who resigned on an issue of conscience).

Despite promising debate performances and traction for policies, both parties have a combined national support of 5%. And look set to only re-elect their respective top brass to Dáil Eireann.

Is this a failure of communication from new entities? And if dissatisfaction with the political parties cannot be solved by new entities with no legacy issues, then how will we heal the deficit in public trust in politics?

3. Red Card for Green Issues.

A friend of mine – A committed ecologist, but not a Green Party member – voiced concern in 2011 over the implosion of the Green Party after their term in Government.

His worries were that without Green voices in Dáil Eireann, that pressure on the powers that be to change and reform our environmental efforts would fall away, leaving the entire ecological movement locked outside of the Dáil.

The classic argument in response to this was two fold: The first being that progressive parties like Labour and Sinn Féin would fight the corner with greater numbers, the other being that even Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil would accept their environmental responsibilities.

This has proven conclusively to be false. My friend was right. He takes no pride in being correct.

Mentions of climate change issues in the media have fallen dramatically and the existential challenge of our lifetime has featured barely in the election campaign and in the manifestos of all the political parties.

Green issues are not the only issues that have been ignored or marginalised in this election, but where will we be by the time that changes? Will we be abandoning Cobh and Tramore? Will we be evacuating Salt Hill and Cork City?

4. Labour Pains.

Many of us on the Left will likely take great pleasure in the punishment Labour will almost certainly face when polls close. We are at a point where a return of 7 or 8 seats will be considered a great success.

Labour will be a point where it only have slightly more TD's than the AAA-PBP Alliance (who are set for an important breakthrough and consolidation of their efforts) and with likely a third of the Sinn Féin representation.

Let us not spend our time celebrating Labour's demise on the day when Fine Gael return with 60 or so seats. There is no victory for progressives when FG and FF join forces to carve up the resources of the state in a firmly right-of-centre government.

Labour faces a difficult choice when they return to Opposition. Stand still, and face almost certain irrelevancy in the eyes of their former constituency. Or move to the left and be a real alternative to the Establishment many have felt they have become unforgivably a part of.

There is no more moderate Left in European politics. Irish Labour will not be the exception. Radicalise or perish.

5. Is it our fault?

An army of us every day take to social media in all forms and voice our disdain, discomfort and dissatisfaction with the status quo. We are a mobilised and powerful generation of young people who have always been political engaged and aware. Dáil Eireann will not represent that.

Enda Kenny referred controversially to “whingers” in his own constituency. Obviously this was a gaffe, but maybe there is a deeper nuance we can take from it.

I like many on my news feed post about homelessness, inequality, injustice, deprivation, penal taxes and charges, emigration and lack of services and investment. Facebook is a fantastic way to spread ideas and organise people – especially our fellow youth - for change. But how many of us go beyond sharing and ranting into something more tangible and real?

Are we doing enough to make sure that action online translates to action on the streets? Do we need to log off and log back into our communities and parishes?

I have to change if I want to see change. I hope you'll join me in this

Interview : Darrell Drake - Author of A Star-Reckoner's Lot

2015-09-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today, we are in the company of an author that has chosen the brave path of self-publication. Darrell Drake is the author of The Flameforged Saga, a fantastical adventure set in the magical world of EverAutumn. He's now set to publish his next novel - A Star-Reckoner's Lot. The tale is set in a world analogous to 6th Century Sassanian-Iran and is filled with drama, magic and adventure, with great attention paid to historical accuracy. Darrell Drake was kind enough to sit down with us and discuss his new book and the hardships of self-publication.

Declan : Thanks for taking time away from working on your novel. I know you're busy so let's get right to the questions! First up, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself.

Darrell : Thanks for having me. Well, I'm a Canadian by choice, not birth. I've never been fond of hot weather—you can only take so many clothes off. Most of my days are wiled away playing games, watching the birds I've coaxed onto my balcony (which is now covered in a fine sheet of seeds), and reading of course. But nothing comes close to sleeping. As far as I'm concerned, that's the ultimate past time.

Declan : We can both agree on that! So where does writing fit into your life? Is it something you always enjoyed?

Darrell : It's been around for a while. Reading is great, and it without it writing hardly has a spine to stand on. But I think I'm more disposed to bringing characters to life than getting caught up in someone else's. Not that I'm at all averse to it or avoid it. I'm reading A Promise of Blood at the moment, and it's truly captivating. There's something about realizing a world of your own, though: a drive to do so once it's taken shape in your head. It's nagging at times, almost frustratingly so, as if you're compelled to get it out before something catastrophic occurs.

Declan : Ah! The Powder Mage Trilogy! I'm not long after reading it myself. It's a great story, and a great example of a unique world brought to life. Using the great analogy of Brandon Sanderson - There are two types of writers in the world: There's The Gardener that plants the seeds, lets their flowers grow themselves and picks out the weeds, and then there's the Architect that plans everything in meticulous detail and only changes their plans once they're forced to do so. Would you consider yourself a Gardener or an Architect? Or if you don't identify with either, how do you go about crafting your characters and the worlds they inhabit?

Darrell : Yeah, I'm looking forward to the next two books and I haven't even finished the first. I've answered this as "archener" in the past, meaning somewhere in between. Generally, I spend a great deal of time visualizing what's going to happen before I put it to paper, but still letting characters do as they will. While that definitely had its part in A Star-Reckoner's Lot, I'd say this one was written much more from an architect's perspective. Weaving the fantastical characters into history called for a more precise approach than I'm accustomed to.

Declan : That makes for a good segue into discussing your latest novel and the approach you took with it. On the Kickstarter page for the novel, you say that you spent a significant portion of time on researching Iranian/Sassanian history and lore. Did this change your original outline much? What drew you to that particular region and history?

Darrell : Going in I mainly had the idea of the character, her lot in life, and where I wanted it to take her (in addition to some secondary roles). What Sasanian Iran, One Thousand and One Nights, and the Shahnameh did was help bring clarity to the details. The core of the story was the same, but through the history and legends I was able to forge something . . . better. Ashtadukht's character was rounded out, and her path was illuminated. This was mainly a result of the national epic, the Shahnameh. With its wonderfully fantastical account of history, it set me on the path to Sasanian Iran. Not solely through the narrative, but because I discovered the supernatural elements best suited where I wanted to take Ashtadukht's role as a star-reckoner.

Declan : Tell us a little about the story of A Star-Reckoner's Lot. Who is Ashtadukht and what makes her a star-reckoner?

Darrell : Ashtadukht's the daughter of a nobleman, a decorated general, who's been having quite a rough time of it. Her husband was murdered by a div (an otherworldly, mischievous, often evil creature). She's brooked a debilitating illness since birth. What's more, she's looked down on by her peers for her unusually unpredictable star-reckoning. A Star-Reckoner's Lot is told through glimpses of her trials as a star-reckoner, and what becomes of her after that path becomes something more.
As far as star-reckoners are concerned, that's more complicated than it might seem. I did a write up on it here , but for the sake of an answer . . . Star-reckoners are trained to attune themselves to the war of the luminaries. Up there, the planets and the stars wage endless battles, and star-reckoners are taught to redirect portion of the glory exuded from those battles to performing feats of magic. They use star-reckoning in many ways, but their prime objective if so rid the world of the divs mentioned earlier.

Declan : It sounds like Ashtadukht's world can be a dangerous place to live. What sort of experience can reader's expect from A Star Reckoner's Lot? Would you recommend it to younger readers or would the content be more suited to a mature reader?

Don't let the themes of a book, whether through maturity or unseemliness, turn you away from a good story.

Darrell : It's a grim world. Not grimdark by any means, but Ashtadukht's role as a star-reckoner inevitably takes her to some of the darker places. As servants of the lie, divs seek to spread chaos and corruption, so in her dealings with the creatures it is unavoidable. At the same time, it's regularly magical—don't mistake divs for the demons of the West, as they're much more varied in their methods.
As far as the audience is concerned, I've always thought younger readers should have unlimited access to books. But there are a few mature scenes that may classify A Star-Reckoner's Lot as unsuitable for younger readers.

Declan : I believe I'm of the same mind. Granted, I don't think that a young reader should be reading Fifty Shades ( for more reasons than just its content) but stories like Malazan, Book of the Fallen are so superbly written and insightful that the more mature content within is overshadowed by the richness of the world Erikson created.
Speaking of which, I'd mark Stephen Erikson out as an influence in my own writing with his ability to handle multiple characters and realize each one. From where and who do you draw you influence from?

Darrell : Maybe I'm a bit more liberal where books are concerned. Good or bad, let them go at it. I agree with the overall sentiment, though. Don't let the themes of a book, whether through maturity or unseemliness, turn you away from a good story.
Erikson is without question a beast. I believe it's nearly impossible to pick out any one person. We're all affected in some way by everything we've read, even if we didn't particularly care for it. I will go as far as saying Lewis Carroll is one of the first to come to mind. His imagination is wonderful, and surely seated deep in my mind. The same goes for Nabokov and Sapkowski.

Declan : They're noble influences to draw from. Nabokov has a great way of luring the reader into a story while both Sapkowski and Carroll are masters of skewing reality and making the fantastical seem commonplace. As you rightly say however, we're affected by everything we've read, so with that in mind, what's on your reading list at the moment aside from A Promise of Blood?

Darrell : Lots and lots of Pratchett. Working on Men at Arms at the moment. I put that down for Promise of Blood, but I'll get back to it afterward. I should have mentioned Pratchett in my last answer. His creativity knows no bounds. Also some academic papers relating to Sasanian Iran. I tend to follow what's new on that front through Twitter. Hoshruba was suggested during my AMA on r/fantasy, so I need to pick that up at some point.

Declan : I never heard of Hoshruba until now. A quick search has piqued my interest - the world's longest fantasy? I do like an epic!
All your novels so far have been self-published. What made you decide to go this route and how has it served you?

Darrell : While traditional publishing certainly has its benefits, I don't like the idea of kowtowing to a publisher or literary agent in hopes of being represented, much less the odds of not getting lost in the slush pile.
Self-publishing gives you so much more freedom. Unfortunately, that's at the cost of connections, clout, and acceptance by all sides of the literary community. Unless you're one of the fortunate few they've embraced, it's tough goings.

Declan : Sticking with the topic of self-publication, you've chosen to use the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to help cover the costs to get A Star-Reckoner's Lot published. What made you decide to try it?

Darrell : A simple answer to that one. An author and game designer friend of mine who's had some success on Kickstarter convinced me.
I wasn't really leaning that way until he did.

it's a matter of having an established following beforehand. And not setting your goals too high.

Declan : How do you feel about it now? Was it the right choice? At the least, do you think it's increased your exposre?

Darrell : At this point it certainly seems like the wrong choice. I guess I overestimated the support I'd receive from a few pivotal communities. As far as exposure is concerned, it's hard to tell. Maybe. Marginally. If the current state of the campaign is any indication, then not by much.

Declan : That must be disheartening. Have you any advice for anyone else thinking of turning to kickstarter to fund projects? Is there anything you would have done differently?

Darrell : My advice would be to seed yourself in as many relevant communities as possible. I followed the suggestions of authors who ran successful Kickstarters before me, and that certainly helped, but I should've worked my way into some communities. It may sound disingenuous, but it needs to be done. And that's what I would have done differently.

Declan : I suppose it shows that crowd-funding isn't the guaranteed success that it's sometimes made out to be - the run-away successes are few and far between.

Darrell : Yeah, I think it's a matter of having an established following beforehand. And not setting your goals too high.

Declan : Nevertheless, your Kickstarter campaign isn't over yet so there's there's still time to drive it home. Here's you chance to convince our readers on pledging their support - Give us your most unmodest, unabashed sales pitch. Why should we pledge?

Darrell : Because you aren't small-minded scum who hate other natio—I mean because it's a great chance to get to learn about the rich history of a country that just happens to be topical without poring over history books. It's a bracingly tragic journey of fantasy inspired by Arabian Nights and the Shahnameh that doesn't get so caught up in its own tragedy to explore the wonder of the time or have a laugh along the way.

Declan : Finally, what's next for Darrel Drake? Anything else in the making? Can readers expect more from Ashtadukht in the future?

Darrell : While there is room for a short story here or there covering her many travels, A Star-Reckoner's Lot covers Ashtadukht's tale in its entirety. I've been so focused on getting this book research and written, then getting the Kickstarter prepared and off the ground, that I haven't really considered much of what's next beyond perhaps a short story starring Tirdad, one of the secondary characters who travels with Ashtadukht. But there's always something on the horizon whether I know it or not, and I'm sure it'll come out once I've given A Star-Reckoner's Lot its due attention.

Declan : And right you should! I'm looking forward to reading my hard-cover edition of A Star-Reckoner's Lot in the near future - Knowing your focusing all your efforts on it is comforting.
That just about wraps it up, I think. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we part ways?

Darrell : I'd just like to say thanks for having me. I hope I can get A Star-Reckoner's Lot in your hands, and the hands of anyone who'd enjoy it.

Declan : Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Best of luck with the remainder of the Kickstart campaign and all the best with anything else you put your pen to!

There you have it, folks! Darrell Drake, author of The Flameforged Saga and the upcoming A Star-Reckoner's Lot. I hope you enjoyed reading the interview as much as I enjoyed conducting it!

Before we go however, I'd like to ask you all to visit the Kickstarter page for A Star-Reckoner's Lot and make a pledge. It only costs you if the campaign is a success and in such an event, you'll get a copy of the finished novel and whatever else your kind donation to the project grants you. Personally, I'd recommend the EARLY BIRD CORVUS tier which nets you a hard cover copy of the book, complete with dust jacket - Just look at the sweet mock-up!
For anyone interested in learning a bit more about Sassanian-Iran, Darrel did a picture-filled write-up on it here.

Also, don't forget to like and share this interview across your social network and help Darrell become the Kickstarter success he deserves to be!

Drink and Draw - Arts Week Exhibition

2015-08-14T03:24:00.001-07:00

The Drink and Draw Exhibition is now open in Billy Byrnes on John Street. The display won't be up forever though. The exhibition ends next tuesday so you only have a few more days to check out some of the best work of the group's members.

The opening night went great. The night kicked off with some live Jazz and plenty of people turned up to catch a glimpse of the work on display. The group even had a visit from Don Conroy, the man that first thaught many of us to draw as we were growing up watching The Den. In total, there are 61 works on display.

Unable to make opening night, I recently dropped into Billy Byrnes to have a gander at the member's work. It's no exaggeration to say I was blown away! The art on display is amazing and it's great to see how some of the early members have grown and improved.

Virginia Black is a South African artist and has produced many wildlife themed works in acrylics. Since founding Drink and Draw, she has branched out into using charcoal and pastels on black card. Virginia loves depicting animals and people because of the expression of emotion that can be found in the eyes.

Kevin King is a Dublin-born artist living in Kilkenny. Kevin creates stunning works full of fine detail portraying monsters, aliens, superheroes and more. He has recently has moved his focus towards recreating Irish landmarks, such as Kilkenny Castle and Kells Priory in his unique style. Viewed from afar, his work is fantastic but his use of depth and perspective draws the eye in and before you know it, the viewer has their nose against the glass examining the fine details of his works.

Ciaran Hyland is an Irish art student who has been creating art for the past three years. Ciaran likes to work in a variety of different styles and mediums and has just recently started experimenting with digital art. The art featured by him at the exhibition is some of his more realistic work.

Kersty Evans is originally from London but has been living in Kilkenny since 2006. She enjoys pencil drawings and painting in a variety of themes from landscapes and townscapes to animals and dreams. In her words: "My pictures have their own unique style, showing a place the way it should be, not always the way it is."

Patrick Neary, is a local artist that uses iron/oak gall ink (created with reference to a medieval recipe from the 14th century) to explore themes of darkness as suggested by a variety of human experiences and emotions, including death, anxiety, fear, depression and inertia.

Laura Moran is a self-thaught artist based in in kilkenny that produces works that are both personal and emotive. The pieces she has on display during the exhibition were created during significant events over the course of the past year and express the emotional impact that those events had upon her.

Sonja Horgan has been living in Ireland for 6 years where she has been working as a professional artist and art teacher. She originally hails from Novi Sad, Serbia where she graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from the Art Academy University. Sonja has been developing her style in figurative and mixed media abstract art by using vibrant mediterannean colours in her landscapes and an earthy colour pallete. Combining various martials of collage and decoupage, she likes to experiment with various textures by layering colours and various other materials into her painting to create an added 3-D impression. Her paintings are currently on show in Gallery @ no.6 on South Anne Street in Dublin.

Aimee O' Neill is an Inistioge native, now living in Kilkenny city. Aimee has a love for all things Disney and likes to use bright and vivid colours. This come across in her work in which she recreates classic Disney characters and adopts a Disney-esque style to create her own original pieces. She enjoys using coloured pencils and ink to create beautifully clean drawings but has recently started experimenting with painting where she brings her steady hand and good sense of colour to bear. The works Aimee has on display at the exhibition includes a dream-like rendition of Princess Ariel from The Little Mermaid and a psychadelic canvas painting with flowing rainbow-like colour.

Reminder : Drink and Draw Arts Week Exhibition Opening Night

2015-08-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

A quick reminder to anyone in Kilkenny tonight that's looking for something to do. The Kilkenny Drink and Draw group are opening their Art Exhibition for Arts Week tonight from 7:30pm onwards in Billy Byrnes on John Street.

Pop down and pay them a visit! They're very friendly people and quite talented to boot!

If you don't know what Drink and Draw is, check out my recent article on the group here.

Flight - III : The Demon Storm

2015-08-06T07:03:00.001-07:00

This is the final part of a three-part short story. Be sure to read Part One and Part Two first!

Beneath the shelter offered by the large boulder, Ainé slept in Calder's arms, her head rested on his shoulder, his arm holding her tight. The storm overhead had begun to recede and the clouds broke to reveal twinkling stars. In the distance, the first amber hues of dawn filtered through the sky.

They had survived the treachery of the night and remained free from the clutches of Ainé's father. When she had slept enough, they would set out to find the road and finally be off to start their life anew. The thought of the future they would spend together comforted Calder and with the gentle pitter-patter of the rain upon the leaves and rocks, he too found himself lulled into dream.

'Thievery is evil.'

Calder was shook awake by the voice. It was gruff and accusatory and seemed a distant thing. Had he imagined it? He looked around and saw no sign of who it came from. The sun was still rising lethargic upon the horizon so he figured he hadn't been asleep for long. Was it one of the Baron's men, come to take Ainé home, to kill Calder in the process?

'Thieves should be punished.' Closer now, more vehement.

'Show yourself!' he yelled. 'Are you one of DeLane's men? You won't take her! I won't let you!' He looked about once more, still no one.

Ainé woke abruptly at the shout and looked to Calder with fear in her eyes.

'What's going on?' she asked. 'Who is it?'

'I don't know. They're hiding.' he said, 'Get up. We should go. Now.'

Calder made to stand but as he did the large outline of a man appeared from beneath the shadows cast by the the trees. He held his arm out protectively in front of Ainé. If he was to die here, he would at least give the one thing that mattered to him the time to flee.

'The first step in repentance is to feel guilt.' said the mysterious man. His long shaggy hair hid half his face. His tatterdemalion attire ancient in appearance. The man walked forward in slow, plodding steps dragging a pegged leg behind him through the soft earth.

'You're not one of the Baron's men! Who are you?'

The man continued as if Calder had never spoken. 'The next step is to confess.'

'We have nothing for you, stranger! Leave us be!'

Calder could feel Ainé's white-knuckled grip on his arm shivering with fear, found he too was unsteady on his feet. The large man lumbered on, dragging his pegged leg behind him through the brush and rubble. It made a painful screeching sound that grated Calder's ears and he fought his instinct to cover his ears and faced the man with as much will as he could muster.

'Then, one must beg forgiveness, for the wrongs they have done and the evil of their ways.' The man began to smile gleefully and bared sickly yellowed teeth sharpened to points.

What could Calder do against this mad man? Fool that he was, he had never equipped himself with anything more than a knife better suited to peeling apples than fighting off foes. Hell, now that he thought of it, he had no idea if he still had it, what with the chaos of their escape. He slowly pushed Ainé away, loosened her grip upon his arm, and felt around his waist for the blade. The cold metal of the knife granted him brief comfort, but it was quickly lost as he looked back into the eyes of the stranger walking towards him.

The man seemed to be growing larger, his one visible eye darting about wildly. Calder could swear it was even changing colour, slowly turning orange in reflection of the amber-lit sky of dawn. Then he was sure of it as the pupil became oblong and the eyes became undoubtedly animalistic; wolf-like in appearance. The man's muscled popped and bulged. His shoulders, arms and legs expressing a deeper strength than they had before. Fur sprouted from his body in thick tufts and his face elongated to form a grotesque snout. The pegged leg became a sinuous limb ending in a cloven hoof, the other a monstrously muscled leg ending in a paw. A spectral wind swept back his hair and wrapped about his amplified form as he bent over, his back crooked in a painful arc, and a long, muscular, and reptilian tail surged from his lower back.

The thing howled to the brightening sky and Calder could see that the eye previously hidden behind unkempt strands of hair was missing, no hole visible to ever mark its presence. If he had felt fear before, it was a paltry thing and now felt true terror, magnified to new heights. Ainé shrieked behind him and it came distant against the deafening bass of his thumping heart. His death was nigh. He knew it. He could fight against the inevitability all he liked but he knew he would die here.

The monster straightened and in his hands there formed a long-handled wood axe, its head huge and fearsome. 'Restitution must be made!'

The beast resumed his advance and picked up pace, charging Calder with a snarl. Drool flew from his gaping maw like a rabid dog. Calder struggled against his belt rings to free his knife but the beast was too fast, Calder's fingers too clumsy with fear.

The monstrosity raised his axe high above his head as he closed on the young man. He drove it down with overwhelming force towards Calder's head. Calder dived, rolled haphazardly across the uneven ground. He regained his feet as quickly as he could manage and saw blood streaming down his tattered sleeves. The sharp rubble of the earth had scored his arms raw and only as he looked at the damage it had done, did the pain of it sink in. He screamed like a child, stricken by fear and pain and woe and emotions so mixed together that he could neither tell or conceive from whence they came.

Another scream from Ainé brought him back to the world and he became horridly aware of her proximity to the monster. She was backed against the boulder, making every effort to melt into it, to use it as a shield to protect herself. Yet whatever dark magic brought this beast to plague them had no mercy for a frightened and senseless girl.

Strangely, the monster seemed transfixed only upon Calder, as though Ainé did not exist. Calder struggled again against his belt and finally won the knife free, a faint glimmer of hope sparking in his chest. Then he looked to it and dismay washed over him anew. He would be lucky to trim a nail with the thing, let alone kill a beast such as this.

'Quick!' barked the monster. 'Not smart. That thing won't save you. Try this! Try me, boy! Justify your crimes! Your right to forgiveness.'

A heavily ornamented sword appeared at Calder's feet, formed in wisps of red smoke drifting slowly away. Calder threw the knife down and grasped the foul gift. It was lighter than he had imagined and seemed oddly suited to his height and build. Of course, he was no more than a tailor's son. His only experience with playing the warrior came from childhood games with sticks and stones. Still, he had to try, had to hang onto some hope of getting out of this alive; getting Ainé out of this alive.

He had only just steeled himself against the crippling fear when the beast charged once more in his direction.

'Calder!' screamed Ainé, but it was too late. The beast already had the jump on him.

'Repent!' he growled.

Calder just barely had time to raise the sword up to block the powerful blow the beast launched on him. Sparks flew as the steel blade ground against the head of the axe. The blade flew from the axe and and sent it thudding to the ground. Calder felt the harsh vibrations of the clash rush up his arms and threaten to steal the blade from his hands. His grip tightened and he tried in futile mockery to mimic the stance of a swordsman, as he had seen from the tournaments held at the Baron's enclave. He felt fool enough holding the sword and more fool now that he pretended talent. Yet this was his only chance, as bare as it was. He leapt forward, slashed and thrust with crazed, ungraceful motions at the monster. The thing dodged his pitiful attacks effortlessly then lunged at Calder with a foray of his own. Calder narrowly avoided the deathly blows with impotent efficacy and meekly checked a handful of slices, each one sapping ever more strength from his tired and injured arms.

The beast bound backwards and stood tall. He let out a roaring laugh that echoed through the clearing. 'You seek to outmatch me, boy? Very well, be your head upon it!'

He came on again, faster this time, strafing swiftly from side to side. Calder had no time to react before the monster was looming over him, its breath driving him to dizziness with its cadaverous stench. The beast pushed into him with the handle of his axe, its inhuman strength driving Calder back at breakneck speed until his retreat was arrested as he slammed against the rough bole of a tree. The blunt end of the axe head pressed up against his neck and into his throat, cutting off his supply of air. He coughed and spluttered, tried with all the might he could muster to remove the beast from him. It was all in vain.

Calder's vision blurred and darkened. He was on the verge of passing out. He had been right. He would die here today and Ainé along with him. At least, they would meet the gods together. At least, they would be hand in hand as they reached the shores of Tír nÓige. His arms slackened and the grip on the sword loosened. The weapon dropped softly from his hands as he drifted off into amaranthine slumber. It was over. He had made a mistake taking Ainé from her father. He was ready to repent.

The pressure upon his throat softened then disappeared. The pulsating pain left behind telling him he was still alive, could still fight to remain that way. His eyes remained closed as the blood rushed painfully through his head. A monstrous roar broke through the fog of his mind and he opened his eyes. The beast had the axe raised high. He chopped it down with another thunderous roar and dark currents of wind swept up about it as it flew down towards Calder's head, who winced and close tight his eyes once more.

Then a shriek burst through his ears and he opened his eyes to see Ainé before him. Time slowed to a crawl. His lover's dead eyes locked on his before turning back into their sockets. The tip of the axe jutted from her temple, the skull split dreadfully wide. Her severed brain fell into view. Blood streamed down in a tumultuous flood over paling features. Her mouth lay agape in terror.

She dropped like a marionette with its strings cut.

'The price is paid.' said the monster as it pulled free the demonic weapon. A faint tinge of sadness, or calm, seemed to colour the statement. 'Your sins are forgiven.'

Calder stood motionless for a long time, nauseated by the visage of Ainé's limp and lifeless body. Appalled that he could not save her. Disgusted that it had been she who had the bravery to give up her life for his. Horrified that he had made it all happen. He looked to the beast, his face still paralyzed in shocked disbelief by the horror he had witnessed.

'Be glad she is gone, boy.' said the beast, his arms upon crossed legs as he sat on the ground. The bloody axe lay at his feet, slowly disintegrating and burning all life from the grass about it. The monster seemed almost human again. Some animalistic qualities remained but a sort of gentleness seemed to wash over and stain the thing.

'She will not see what is to come.' he continued. 'Won't see the justice my kind must take. The terror we must inflict. The lies your gods will spread. They have become weak and indolent. You humans; too arrogant and bold. It is time for Balor to return.'

Calder sought his voice against the pain and terror that assailed him but could only croak: 'Why?'

'Because one must die. And one must live. The tale needs telling. The horror needs spreading.'

'But why us?'

'Convenience, boy. Nothing but banal convenience' Then the monster vanished in thick black smoke. All that remained was a reddening patch of grass, a bloody trail, and the inanimate form of Ainé at Calder's feet.

There was a rustling in the brush and the bark of a dog. Calder leapt to his senses and turned to face the disturbance. A man, armoured and panting, broke through the trees, a snarling hound pulling at the reigns held tight in his hand. One of the Baron's men. One of...her father...but she...He could not even speak her name now, all thoughts of her choked him.

'Ey!' shouted the guard back into the trees. 'I've found the lad! In the clearing, not twenty paces from me.'

He turned back to face Calder. 'Don't move, lad. I don't wanna have to hurt ya. Where's the—' The guard's eyes now dropped to Calder's feet then back up to his face as he drew free his sword.

'What have you done, lad?' he said confused. Anger began to boil to the surface. 'You'll face more than the rope for this!'

The guard ran towards Calder, his grip on the reigns forgotten and the dog following with bloodthirsty conviction. Calder just dropped to his knees, took Ainé in his arms, and closed his eyes.

A Bark of Hope : ACS Withdraws From Dog Shelter Contract

2015-08-05T15:30:00.001-07:00

Many years ago, back when I still had more hair than sense, my father was in the market for a new house. By the time he approached us, his children, he had rattled down the options to one village and two properties.

The village was Paulstown and the first property was a small bungalow with one bedroom and a large garden. The other: a two-story, somewhat ramshackle building on a busy road with a galvanized roof and nary a front lawn. Both properties would require some hard labour and sweat before they became somewhere we could live in comfort, he said, before asking us to choose which one we preferred.

Both had their charms but there was something in that ramshackle old place that awakened in my young mind a vision of what it could become. Today, with more sense than hair, I couldn't tell you what I had imagined but what I can tell you is that my father chose the bungalow and it became a beautiful home filled with happy memories. And the other property?

That became the Carlow-Kilkenny Dog Shelter. Clearly someone had envisioned a better use for it than I had! What a great location it was for it too. Just far enough outside of the city to give its four-legged residents some piece and quiet and large enough to keep them contained in relative safety and comfort.

For many years, the shelter was presided over by the ISPCA but earlier this year, the ISPCA relinquished their duties and the shelter was put up for tender. Many people in the region began to worry about the future of the shelter and the possibility that whoever took over its running would not have the best interests of the dogs housed by the shelter in mind.

The Dog Shelter is always looking to rehome its residents so if you think you have what it takes to give a dog a loving and caring home, check out their website for a list of dogs ready for a new home here.

In the wake of the uncertainty, peaceful protests and an online petition that garnered 13,000 signatures, a committee was set up to oversee the running of the local shelter. The intent of the committee, chaired by Cllr Andrew McGuinness and including local politicians and members of animal welfare groups and the IFA, was to ensure that whoever received the new contract to run the shelter would have the interests of the community and the animals at heart.

However, before long the contract to operate the shelter was awarded to the carcass disposal service ACS. The fears of the community seemed to have become incarnate. Public opposition to the decision increased and the fate of the shelter and its inhabitants was more precarious than ever. A new petition was signed by over 16,000 people and a protest was held last Saturday at the shelter opposing the awarding of the contract.

Thankfully, opponents to the controversial decision to award the contract to ACS can take small solace and brief respite as the company have withdrawn. The Dog Welfare Committee can now focus on finding a new operator that better fits with the desires of the community and do justice to the role in which they'll play in re-homing and caring for the lost and forgotten pets.

For now, the future of the shelter is still uncertain. Yet with all eyes on the story and keen interest from the public in finding a suitable operator, that future is beginning to look a little brighter. I can only hope that what once was a possible home to me and my family can remain a welcoming home to our favourite four-legged friends.

The Dog Shelter is always looking to rehome its residents so if you think you have what it takes to give a dog a loving and caring home, check out their website for a list of dogs ready for a new home here.

A Fine Cycle

2015-07-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today sees the rollout of seven fixed fines of €40 for cyclists breaking a range of offences in Ireland. These offences include breaking red lights, cycling in pedestrainised areas and having no front or rear lights when cycling in the dark. These fines mark the continuation by the government to force cyclists into better obeying the rules of the road. They come after years of cyclist bashing from members of the Irish media and the public alike at a time when exaggerated claims of the sins of cyclists are often accompanied by "Sure I have a bike in the shed myself".

Source: Department of Transport - www.dttas.ie

Some questions spring to my mind as I envisage George Hook laughing gleefully at these new measures. Firstly, how fair are these new fines and offences to cyclists? It's good to want to make cyclists stop at lights and remain visible in the night but what constitutes reasonable consideration? Does reasonable consideration mean risking injury to yourself because of the snooty pedestrian pushing their buggy down the dead-end cycle-lane? Does it mean allowing the road-raging motorist at the roundabout barrel past you with no regard to your safety or right of way? Is it reasonable consideration to assume that motorists not using their indicators are in the right to do so? No, what it means is that any member of An Garda Síochána can pull you up and fine you €40 because they perceive you're not being reasonably considerate. Nothing to worry about there then! It's not as if there was ever any injustice carried out by that cadre.

When can we expect tighter controls to be placed on pedestrians who choose to use cycle lanes as their personal jogging/dog-walking/buggy tracks and motorists who think it's ok to use them as parking spaces?

Secondly, where is the support for the cyclist from the government and RSA? Surely, we want to be promoting this green form of transport more, not denigrating cyclists to second-class road-users and painting them as the scourge of the modern road. Why do we still have countless cycle lanes that either make no sense or end abruptly at the most inopportune of times? When can we expect tighter controls to be placed on pedestrians who choose to use cycle lanes as their personal jogging/dog-walking/buggy tracks and motorists who think it's ok to use them as parking spaces?

It seems to me, being a lowly, degenerate cyclist that the powers that be have focused on a minority of urban cyclists seldom found outside the confines of large cities such as Dublin and Cork and chosen to tar all of us with the same brush, with no proper consideration for the needs of the modern cyclist, the sins of the modern motorist and the roads that we are all supposed to share.

These seven fines are just the first to be rolled-out from a collection of 36 new offences that cyclists will face. Hopefully, and with any luck, the complete roll-out will be accompanied by a balancing of the scales and a more reasonable, level-headed discussion on how road-users, be they cyclist, motorist or pedestrian, can better get along.

Flight - II : The Calm Before

2015-07-29T11:46:00.001-07:00

This is Part Two of a three-part short story. Be sure to read Part One first! If you want to read more, check out Part Three.

They ran faster than they had before, the threat of the hounds now real at their backs. At times, the cry of the dogs sounded louder, then they would be but a brief utterance in the bellowing thunder, the roaring wind, and the lashing rain. After a time, the baying hounds were out of earshot and the young couple began to slow. They were utterly unrecognizable now as the tailor's boy and baron's daughter that they had begun the night as. Scratches and bruises covered their arms, legs and faces. Their clothes now barely hung on by a thread and their hair was a matted, muddy mess.

As they continued on, the forest began to open out and soon they came to a place where large boulders began to replace the trees. One boulder lay at an angle, large enough that crawling under it would grant them some break from the storm. Calder walked over to it, Ainé's limp wrist in his hand and she in tow with plodding steps.

'Here' he said, beckoning her towards the sparce shelter. 'At least we can dry off a bit. I don't think the dogs are still on our trail, it's been a while since we heard them.'

Ainé crawled silently beneath the rock and lay her head down on her hands. No care remained in her for creepy crawlers, or the cold, damp earth on which she lay. Calder could take little more this night and as he watched her maudlin form curl into a tight fetal ball, he imagined his heart shattering into a thousand tiny pieces and he slumped to his knees.

'I'm sorry. I should have never taken you away. If I were more of a man, I'd have accepted my fate.' Ainé watched him with a lonely dead eye. 'I was selfish. I had no right. Tomorrow, when the sun is high and the sky is clear, I will bring you home and return you to your father.'

Ainé sat slowly up at that, her face to the ground. 'Don't.' she said and Calder felt his heart piecing back together. 'Don't leave me alone. Not now. I love you, Calder.' And his heart filled once more with blood. 'I love you so much that it hurts when you're away. I love you, Calder. And I'll follow you anywhere, wherever it leads us.' And the flames that drove him to this madness reignited, fiercer than ever before.

'Thank you.' he said. 'I don't know that I deserve such words, but thank you.'

They watched each other in silent conversation for a while, the pitter-patter of the rain a lullaby washing their terror away.

'I knew you couldn't stay mad at me for long.' said Clader with a satisfied grin. He sat beside her and out of the rain.

She punched him in the arm once he had made himself comfortable.

'Idiot' she said, 'Just shut up and hold me.' and the irritation was gone as soon as it has appeared, the smile that melted Calder's heart without fail once more upon her lips.

The storm had started to ease; the clouds began to clear, the wind reduced to a whispering gust, the rain to a light drizzle, and the light of the gibbous moon began to shine down through the canopy of leaves. Ainé and Calder sat content beneath their paltry refuge in each other's embrace. Ainé's head rested on Calder's wide shoulders, her golden waves of hair flowing softly over his chest.

Their escape was merciless, as if the gods had put their love to the test, but they were safe now, happy even. Once the first rays of sun began to peek through the leaves, they would find the road and safety more assured.

'What will we do now?' asked Ainé. 'We have no coin, or home to call our own.'

Calder returned his most winning smile. 'Who said we have no coin?'

Ainé lifted her head to face him in shocked disbelief, her mouth open wide, her eyes sharp and questioning.

'You didn't!

'Well I never said you were all that I took from your father!'

'Calder!'

He shrugged his shoulders. 'What? I knew we'd need something to keep us going. It was just lying there. I doubt he'll miss it much considering the taxes he levies.'

Ainé settled her head back onto his shoulder. 'You always were a bit of a rogue.' she said, then she giggled and held him tighter. Soon after, she was sound asleep.

Drink and Draw - Arts Week Prep

2015-07-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Some years ago, I was introduced to a small group of people engaging in an interesting activity. They were creating art. In and of itself, this wouldn't be something out of the ordinary, yet combined with alcohol and carried out in a pub, it became something special.

The artist is often thought of as a solitary person, and art a lonely pursuit but Drink and Draw turns that concept on its head and encourages its members to exercise their talent in a social setting where they can explore a variety of themes, sharpen their styles and learn from one another in a friendly environment. Oh, and get merry while they're at it!

You don't have to be a Picasso or Pollock to join us. It's free! Just bring your own art supplies and buy your own drinks.

Now, the Kilkenny Drink and Draw group are preparing for their Arts Week exhibition and I joined them last week to check in with them to see how they were getting on. Their answer is all over this page in the form of the pictures they were working on. We have everything from the Master Sword to Ian McKellan, a Disney Princess and beyond.

Drink and Draw meet up every Tuesday night in Billy Byrnes pub in Kilkenny and new faces are always welcome. In their own words - "You don't have to be a Picasso or Pollock to join us. It's free! Just bring your own art supplies and buy your own drinks." This Tuesday, it's business as usual and the regular members will be hard at work finishing up the pieces they hope to display during their Arts Week Exhibition. The Exhibition itself will begin on Friday, August 7th and the work of the members will be on display in Billy Byrnes for the duration of the festival.

You can find information and more over on the Drink and Draw Facebook page and you can show your support for the group by paying a visit during their Arts Week Exhibition.

Flight - I : The Woods at Night

2015-07-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is Part One of a three-part short story. If you enjoyed this, check out Part Two and Part Three.

The old willows groaned with the weight of the wind at their backs, their branches creaking and cracking beneath the pressure. Rain lashed down as forks of lightning soared across the sky and thunder shook the sodden ground below. A young couple trudged hurriedly through the forest, their clothes covered in mud, tattered and dishevelled.

‘Run, Ainé!’ said the boy, throwing back his arm for the girl lagging behind.

Ainé held her hand out to grasp it, struggled through the soft earth to reach it and stumbled over a hidden root, falling to the ground. She lay disheartened, her arms slack at her sides, and began to weep.

‘We should never have left! My father would have seen sense! He would have known that I'd not wed another!’ she said. ‘Why now, Calder? Why tonight?’

Calder came to a suddent stop. He turned about and saw the woeful form of Ainé in the mud, her once stunning figure now covered from head to toe in blood, sludge and scratches.

‘Because there can be no other!’ he said. ‘My father has sold me to the pig men. He couldn't pay their tithe! If we didn't run tonight...’

He paused to wipe away the soggy hair that clung to his face and looked around. With the heavens hammering down upon them and the forest stealing all but the faintest of light from the world , Calder was, for all intents and purposes, blind. Only the frequent flashes from the storm overhead allowed some glimpse of his surroundings, yet even then, all the young man could glimpse was tree after tree stretching out across the horizon.

Had he made a mistake in fleeing? Had there been a better way? He knew now that there was no going back. They had ran swiftly into the night, knowing Ainé's father would have the hounds at their heels before too long. He had never planned to go so deep into the forest. Swept up in the burning emotions of their flight however, they paid no heed to any path.

‘If we didn’t run tonight,’ he said ‘then we’d be lost to each other forever.’

Ainé continued to cry, unmoved from the spot where she fell. Her hands splashed into the ground and spattered her once brilliant hair with muck.

‘Bring me home, Calder’ she said. ‘I just want to go home.’

‘I can't.’

Calder had never seen Ainé like this. The loving smile she had always given him was nowhere to be seen. He felt his heart wrench as her sobs grew louder.

‘Why? We can find another way! A safer way! You can hide! I can hide you! We’ll die out here! We'll drown or be eaten by wolves!’ said Ainé between tears, her desperation plain to see.

‘The wolves are gone from this land, Ainé. There’s no reason to be afraid. All we need do is escape this storm. If we go a little further—’

Several barks broke out in the distance, silencing Calder and prompting Ainé to gasp and rise to her feet, hugging her breast tight. Was he wrong? Did wolves still prowl these parts? He steeled himself for Ainé’s sake. It would not do either of them any good if they were both cowed by fear.

‘Ainé, if we go a little further, we'll be free of this place and back on the road. Please. Ainé, just a little further.’

‘Just get me home!’ she said. Her desperation turned to anger and she spat the words at Calder. ‘Get me out of this wretched hell!’

‘I can't!’ screamed Calder. ‘I’ve lost the way. We've been running too long!’

Ainé said nothing and Calder too remained silent, afraid that if he said anything else, that the imperceptible attraction that lay between the two would be broken. They stayed like this for a long time, their eyes locked on one another as the rain and wind soaked and chilled them to the bone. Then barks broke through the dead air that hung between them and they were moved to action. Those were no wolves, Calder realised. Those were the hounds of Ainé's father, locked onto the lover's scent trail.

'Run!' cried Calder, grabbing Ainé harshly by the wrist and forcing her to move with him.

They ran faster than they had before, the threat of the hounds now real at their backs. At times, the cry of the dogs sounded louder, then they would be but a brief utterance in the howling wind and lashing rain. After some time, their baying could no longer be heard and the young couple began to slow. They were unrecognisable now as the tailor's boy and baron's daughter that they had begun the night as. Scratches and bruises covered their arms, legs and faces. Their clothes were barely hanging on by a thread and their hair was a matted, muddy mess.

First!

2015-07-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

Greetings Reader! Welcome to The Rambler. In this first post, I'd like to convey my vision for this blog and give you an idea of what you can expect over the coming weeks and months. On this humble corner of the internet, I hope to deliver interesting articles, engaging stories, opinionated reviews and even more opinionated editorials from myself and other writers.

Along with some short fiction and various other writerly pursuits, I hope to post articles on a multitude of other topics - from PC maintenance and software development to art, politics entertainment, cooking, and so much more. To that end, I've set about gathering authors to form the backbone of the blog and help to make that vision a reality. My hope too is that you, the reader, can and will contribute to the blog with your own articles.

As we move forward, we'll be setting up a procedure for submitting your articles to us for review and if those articles are something that we feel other readers might find interesting, we'll publish it.

Those of you that fear your writing quality isn't up to snuff for the general public need not be hesitant either as I'm more than happy to pick over your writing with a fine tooth comb and improve its quality while maintaining your personal charm and ultimate point.

All that is yet to come and what we have for now is a child. It looks like a blog, it works like a blog but it still has to grow and it will falter and crawl before it succeeds and runs. To that end, I want to ask for your patience and understanding as links go nowhere, changes are made in quick succession and content remains thin on the ground. But that isn't to say that you shouldn't stick with us! Bookmark the site or follow us on your preferred social media platform (or all of them!) and come back often.

For now, I'll sign off with a thank you. Thank you for taking the time to click whatever link led you here. Thank you for reading this first of many articles and thank you for any comments and feedback you have.

Since you're here, have a read of the first of a three-part short story: - Flight: The Woods at Night. It tells the tale of two lovers in the midst of eloping. Things don't go quite as planned for the young couple however and they slowly start to think that running away may not have been the best decision.

About the Author

Declan is a software engineer and creative writer. In 2015, he established The Daily Rambler to deliver interesting articles to an interested audience. With vim and gusto, he attacks the world with his searing wit and dashing good looks.