Ní Nach Ionadh Nár Éirigh Liom!

Technorati Tags: Ireland, culture, blogging, Irish Blog Awards, Gaeilge, cultúr, blagadóireacht

Shelter from the Storm

There’s a chill wind a blowin’ through the Irish blogosphere as the Recession Christmas looms. Sarah Carey is gone. Irish Flirty Something is gone. Twenty Major, awarded the prize for the Best Blog at the Irish Blog Awards since what seems like forever, is gone.

An Spailpín Fánach, however, is going exactly nowhere. I’m staying right here. Don’t all cheer at once.

An Spailpín Fánach got an idea of his influence when Jo’Burger in Rathmines won the award for best restaurant this year. The same Jo’Burger to which An Spailpín devoted a 642 word hammering in these pages back in August. It’s like driving a DeLorean, or drinking that white porter. A man feels so out of step.

But just because people are looking down snouts at you doesn’t mean you should stop doing what you’re doing. Perhaps being thankful that you’re not sporting a porcine proboscis yourself is the first step. Irish Flirty Something, for instance, didn’t care for ladies in the city noticing that she spoke with a "country" accent. Baby, that’s not a bug; that’s a feature. So many things are matters of perspective.

And as such An Spailpín Fánach shall continue to wear a green and red heart on his sleeve, and live and die with the Mayo County team. No bones shall be made about enjoying the singing of Mrs Cole and her friends and Anna Netrebko equally, even though they till different fields. You could be a prop forward or a flying wing, but your team still needs you.

The mysteries of the city of Dublin and my repeated inabilities to find an escape route from same will continue to get coverage, and you’ll also get your spot of Gaeilge every now and again, because it’s good for you and good men took bullets for it.

An Spailpín knows very little, but I do know it’s very hard to even know your own mind, and to be comfortable in your own skin. To try to know other people’s minds, and to try to please them as well, is a bridge too far. So I’m happy enough to rant along happily to myself here by fire, and all are welcome that want to come along. If the opera bores you, call back some other time and please God we’ll be on the football, or vice versa. And if you don’t like it all – sure bejapers why did you bother your head coming down this far at all? Isn’t life short enough?






Technorati Tags: Ireland, culture, blogging, Irish Blog Awards

Guth Nua / New Voice

Tá guth nua tagtha ar an bhfód blagadóireachta, guth Fiche Focal. Is sean-chara an Spailpín é an Tomaltach, an fear taobh thiar an blag nua seo, agus, cosuil le bhur ndialannaí dílis, scríobhann sé sa dhá theanga, Béarla agus Gaeilge.

Fear líofa léanta léite is ea an Tomaltach agus, cé nach n-aontaímid le roinnt cúrsaí polaítíochta, tá meas an-mhór agam ar thuairimí an Thomaltaigh, agus is breá liom iad a léamh i mblag nua, in ionad go néamh-rialta i gcólúnaí litreachtra an Irish Times. Cuireann an Tomaltach gach rud faoi cheist, agus sin é an rud ceart a dhéanamh ar gach aon bhealach a thógtar. Fáilte is fiche romhat, a Thomaltaigh uasal, go máire - agus go scríobha - tú an céad.

All of which means that an old friend of An Spailpín Fánach is now blogging away happily, as well as firing up the Letters page of the Irish Times every now and again. An Spailpín and An Tomaltach - the man behind this brave new blog, Fiche Focal - do not always agree on political topics, but I hold all his opinions in the highest regard. An Tomaltach always asks the right questions, and while there are still those that do that I retain some slight flicker of hope. Welcome Tomaltach, and may your reign be long.





Technorati Tags: Ireland, blogging, blagadóireacht, Fiche Focal

Irish Blog Awards

An Spailpín Fánach is quite flattered to be nominated under two species at the Irish Blog Awards, to be held in a fortnight’s time or so. The process is interesting, in that one is shortlisted by public vote, but the eventual winner is decided by a judging panel – the reverse of the Academy Awards, for instance. It’s an un-named judging panel, I also note – poor Decimus Junius Juvenalis wouldn’t fancy them onions, but I don’t suppose anyone is reading Juvenal anymore. Sic transit gloria mundi – Latin for “that’s showbiz, toots.”

The categories are interesting – your faithful scrivener is not nominated for sports, even though I would hazard a guess that at least half of the posts here have been about sports. It also stings a little to find myself not nominated for the best humorous post, despite having written two epics last year – one of what was could even be sung to piano accompaniment. I loved those two pieces. Sniff.

But not to worry. I’m so grateful to be noticed that not only do I plan to turn up for the night but I’ve even dropped – for this one post only – my habitual use of the third person. It’s a relief to think that there’s somebody on the other side of the wall reading this stuff, and maybe even liking it now and again.

So to anyone that voted for me for either the Best Use of Irish in a Blog or as the Best News/Current Affairs Blogger, a sincere thank you very much. I’ll try not to let you down and, to echo an icon for a moment, I’d like to thank you all for voting and I hope I’ve passed the audition.

Technorati Tags: Ireland, culture, blogging, Irish Blog Awards