More action from Halverston CC
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Viewpoint: Terrorism on Twitter, the new reality TV?
Two things used to work against the news multiplier of terrorism — distance and time. When it took days for news of an anarchy to make it to the front pages of newspapers back in the 1800s, for those reading it eventually there was the sense that it was over, and also not in their space. Then telegraph and radio came along and shortened time. The later advent of global TV and soon afterwards Ted Turner's CNN invention of the non-stop news cycle gave us always-on access to anything happening around the globe where a camera and microphone might be sent. Now, the reach of the internet has brought to us everywhere instant global news.
Budget-cost travel also means that if there's a terrorist incident anywhere now, it's likely that we, or someone perhaps only two degrees of separation from us, will be there. Probably filming the event live to social media on smartphones.
Terrorism outrages are the new reality TV. It's almost a full circle from when citizens gathered at the Coliseum in Rome to watch gladiators and animals savage each other as a spectator sport. Now though, we don't have to leave our sitting rooms, or the bars or cafes where we happen to be, to have a front seat view of slaughter of our kind by our kind. To even be shaping that view.
I'm both a working journalist and a longtime student of journalism. I happened to be watching BBC TV News when they broke word of a shooting in Munich, and as an exercise I hit #Munich on Twitter on my iPad. For the next several hours I watched in tandem the various TV news channels and the Twitter feed. It was an education in how professional news coverage is struggling under the deluging waves of social media. It's not pretty. And for all the hype about 'citizen journalism', it doesn't serve us well.
Journalism has never had a pristine record. From Victorian 'penny dreadfuls' right up through the newspaper career of Britain's newest Foreign Secretary, the craft has been riddled with misinformation, propaganda, plagiarism, and downright lying. But most serious practitioners do try to be truthful, accurate, and to tell a story as completely as possible. Doing that takes gathering facts, checking them, and checking again, and then filing copy.
There isn't time for that anymore. Pressures of getting the story out first on 24-hour news TV is playing hell with a fundamental of good journalism — checking the facts. On a running story now, there's a new person around the TV news desk: the one monitoring the social media feeds. When the news anchor runs out of questions to correspondents and 'experts', who are often as much in the dark as he or she is, it becomes time to turn to that 'extra leg' of modern news analysis.
As Munich developed, elements that came from the social media coverage were relevant, though very disturbing. The smartphone video of the shooter calmly levelling his Glock pistol at the people outside the McDonalds restaurant and then firing deliberately at them as they turned and ran. The one of the conversation with the shooter on the roof on the shopping centre, as he paced around the area, clearly more disturbed than coherent. Both were horrible. But they were grist to the mill of addictive television news watching, especially in the constant TV news loops.
At least the TV stations mostly blurred out the terrified people as they tried to flee from the gunman. Many posts of the same video on Twitter did not. The police said afterwards that many of the casualties happened at this point, so it may be that we were watching the last seconds of life for some of those people. And we kept watching over and over, with a prurience analogous to that of the citizens in the Coliseum. That's how we are now.
Watching Twitter unfold the story was essentially reading constant repetition of morsels of information bouncing off each other like atoms in a large particle collider, each impact creating multiple versions of the original pair and fragmenting, changing and adding to the content. So the next time one of the by–products came along it seemed new, but wasn't.
There were also interjections of untruths. Sometimes inadvertent, sometimes through ignorance, sometimes deliberate. These too were caught on the rip–tide of twit and swept wider and further, then rolled back in to us multiplied even more.
Reports of more shooting in a central Munich station went back and forth for hours before being discredited. But not before the city was put in lockdown, public transport was stopped, and people fled or cowered in their homes or wherever places they had been enjoying a normal evening’s activities.
A photograph circulated widely of bodies on a floor, purporting to be from inside the restaurant in Munich. Eventually somebody pointed out it was from an attack on a shopping centre in Nairobi in 2013.
Mug shots popped up captioned as having been released by police as a 'suspect'. Except that they weren't. I deliberately didn't record anything specific or screen grab any of the tweets. I wanted to see how the stream affected my later recollection and perception. But one of a number of ugly ones that sticks in my mind said 'Hey, Deutschland, how do ya like them apples?'
There was also the inevitable input from those who immediately associate such events with Muslims and Islamic terrorism. Incorrectly, as it turned out. The shooter’s inspiration was rooted in right-wing European hate and a crazed wish to be famous.
The police were attempting to clear the scene while not knowing if there were other shooters around, and trying to get a proper handle on casualties. Correctly, they tried not to say anything more than they knew as they carried out their work. News crews were kept at the distance necessary both for safety and for investigation management. But today’s news has to be fed incessantly, with regurgitations of whatever visuals are available, and of talking heads, and the Twitter stream contributed widely to uncertainty, wild inaccuracy, and fear.
I'm no Canute. I know the craft which I started into more than four decades ago has changed, and continues to change even faster, from when I was tapping out my early local stories on a mechanical typewriter. I'm not against change. Indeed, I'm an adopter of it and have in my own small way led with the new technology in local news. I use social media for elements of my current work. But I don't get involved on it, I don’t talk on it. Because it's too quick, too public, and too easy to rant without responsibility, carp without consequence. More seriously, it’s too easy to whip up individuals, and mobs, to extremism and evil acts.
Social media’s success is based on having provided to all of us gossiping at the corner shop, or sitting on bar stools, or commenting at our televisions, an instant and wider actual audience. To feel we’re ‘in’ rather than observing the minute and the major happenings in our neighbourhood and in the wide world. It has also allowed us as individuals, families, groups and whole populations to be targeted for manipulation in a way that even George Orwell didn’t anticipate. We carry the means of that manipulation voluntarily, in our pockets, in our bags. Mostly in our hands, constantly interacting with our Big Brother small screens in case we miss an amusement, or a scandal. Or more and more killings.
I’m well aware of the many good sides of social media, the many positive ways it can and does enrich our lives, and the lives of those we hold close and dear. It has shortened time and distance for globally scattered families. It can and does help bring communities together for good projects. It can and does offer the populace to make its wishes known in national debate. It can aid the election of good local leaders and national presidents. And it can and does help us to learn more about ourselves and our world.
When Gothenburg’s printing press provided opportunity for religious, social and political manipulators to propagate their themes and memes, it also began the process of taking education from the privileged few and offering it to all of us. On balance, it’s fairly safe to say that the benefits begun by his technology still outweigh the downsides. Social media is the latest extension of that process, and we can reasonably hope that the good will outbalance the bad in the long run.
In the meantime though, it would help if we all paused before we hit the ‘Tweet’ and ‘Retweet’ buttons, and asked ourselves are we adding to the truth or the good of the subject of the moment? Because, while our own individual contribution to the stream might be infinitesimal in the babel of the twittering cosmos, it’s like the butterfly flapping its wings in Chaos Theory, we could be helping to build a hurricane somewhere else.
It you’ve got this far, you’ll probably know what I mean. If you gave up after 140 characters, well maybe you are the future come to now.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Lough Derg pilgrimage
A bus will collect those travelling from Charlie Ryan's on Main Street, Newbridge, at 5.45am on the Saturday.
Further information phone 087 6697902.
Lough Derg is an island which has been calling pilgrims for over a thousand years, including St Patrick himself. For many it provides an opportunity to step back from their lives, to take stock and examine the direction which their lives are taking. For many others it is a time to come closer to God through prayer and reflection.
Lough Derg is an island of pilgrimage set in calm lake waters, offers no distraction, no artificialities or interruptions.
'Cholera in Kilcullen' during military exercise
The course at UNTSI — located at the Curragh Training Camp — was geared to military and humanitarian personnel serving overseas in peacekeeping roles, on the subject of Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) in conflict or emergency zones. Participants included military from Nigeria and Argentina as well as Irish Defence Forces members.
A key element of such CIMIC units is to assess infrastructure, social and cultural issues in their area, and to work with the local communities to try and limit the effects on the civilian population of military activities. CIMIC personnel also have to identify and negotiate with local civil, ethnic and religious leaders in areas where they are deployed. In natural disasters, similar skills are needed when military are drafted in to help recover the situation.
"Irish peacekeepers have developed a lot of this kind of experience," says Lt Col Adrian O Murchu, OC of UNTSI. "What we're doing with this course is formalising all of what we have learned during our peacekeeping roles down the decades."
As part of the recent exercises, students on the course were required to visit Kilcullen, Donard and Blessington and establish contact with 'key leaders' to make assessments of the towns, as they would have to do in their Middle East and African peacekeeping locations.
The International Civil-Military Relations Course was devised by and directed by Capt Deirdre Carbery from Naas. It centres on a mythical but true-to-life post-colonial country called 'Carana', where a peacekeeping force is trying to negotiate a sustainable resolution to years of civil ethnic-based conflict. Locations in mid-Kildare and west Wicklow represented communities and groups in the conflict, and the students had to do ‘real-life’ assessments and negotiations, as well as organise a visit from a UN representative.
Your editor had the opportunity to sit in on part of the course, and found it fascinating. A major feature on ‘Exercise Carana’ will be appearing from me in an upcoming edition of the Kildare Nationalist.
Rockin' for the Hospice tonight
Featuring Blackthorn and The Brackets, it rocks off at 8.30pm in the upstairs lounge on Saturday night.
A very worthy cause for a service which most families have cause to use at some stage, so do support it.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Well played, sirs!
The visitors have been coming to Ireland and Kilcullen for some three decades now, and are still well matched with the local team, as the result was, probably again, an official draw.
Afterwards, as usual, both sides repaired to The Mill for some well deserved refreshments. Pictured are Richard Green, Pete Stevenson, Damian McCrystal, John Brown and TP Plewman.
All the pictures of the action are here.
Athgarvan Bridge closure will mean detours
That's because the Two Mile House Bridge at Athgarvan will be closed for that length of time, at some stage between August 15-29. The actual dates will be advertised closer to the time.
This closure is required to facilitate bridge rehabilitation works
Traffic in each direction will go through Kilcullen via Mylerstown Cross.
The limestone bridge was built around 1840, with five arches, and is of considerable historical and social significance in the road network development in Ireland in the mid-19th century.
The illustration is from the pictures taken by Robert French for Dublin publisher William Mervin Lawrence in the latter part of the 19th century, courtesy of the Joe Williams Postcard Collection in South Dublin County Libraries.
NOTE: This story has been revised to correct the date to 1840, instead of the typo of 1940 earlier.
The passing of Mary Keogh
She will be reposing at Doyle's Funeral Home, Ballymount, from 7 o'clock this evening and prayers will be said at 8pm.
Her removal will take place on Saturday at 5.30pm, arriving at the Church of the Sacred Heart & St Brigid, Kilcullen, via Kennycourt, at 6pm.
Requiem Mass will be celebrated on Sunday morning at 11 and interment will follow afterwards in St Brigid's Cemetery, Kilcullen.
May she rest in peace.
Gold stars for Jane in Taste Awards
The Award was for Jane’s Toasted Fennel & Chili Sausages, and is one of 430 awards to food producers in the Republic of Ireland in the UK and Ireland event run by the Guild of Fine Food.
There were more than 10,000 entries across the two islands for the Awards, which were assessed by a large panel of food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, food writers and journalists.
The Irish entries were judged at a session in Clonmel, Co Tipperary. In a tweet after the initial results were announced yesterday, Jane Russell said the company was ‘delighted to be joining in the Great Taste Awards Irish party’. In reaction to the result, food critic Tom Doorley described the product as 'one of the finest sausages on the planet'.
Jane is pictured above busy at the 2014 River Festival, keeping hungry festival-goers happy with her very tasty products.
Brannockstown homes development application
The detached houses proposed are all 4-bedroomed and comprise four storey-and-a-half homes and three dormer buildings, all with detached garages.
The application was lodged on 25 July and is currently at pre-validation status. Any submissions should be made by 28 August and the due date for decision is 18 September.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Want to work in a special place?
An Tearmann is a bright and busy coffee shop and bakery attached to The Bridge Camphill Community in Kilcullen, in many respects the heart of Kilcullen. It is a direct interface between customers and several members of our community with people with special needs.
And we’re looking for full time and part-time staff to help operate the business.
An Tearmann is a special place and we’re looking for special people to work with us.
Don’t think of it if you’re just passing through briefly on a career to somewhere else. We need people prepared to be with us for some time.
Don’t waste your time coming in if you like your life to be just so, with no diversions or unexpected forks in the road. Working with us calls for some flexibility, both in time and in thinking.
Don’t consider us if you’re impatient with other people, either co-workers, customers, or people with special needs. It is a key part of our ethos to be aware of and accommodate the needs of others.
We’d like candidates to have experience in catering and service to the public. An ability to understand people with special needs and to motivate and support them in a work environment is also essential.
If you want to be part of a friendly and committed team, like to learn new skills, are flexible and adaptable, then let’s hear from you. An Tearmann could be your place.
Naturally, you’ll be positive, organised, reliable and self-motivated.
Bottom line, we’re looking for people worth a six-figure salary. Except that we won’t be paying you that.
Come in and talk to us about it. We can tell you a lot more about us, and we’d like to hear a lot more about you.
Please direct all enquiries to Ben Gamble at 045-481597. Full Job Description and Person Specification are available on request.
Applications will only be accepted by email to thebridge@camphill.ie with letter of application and CV attached. Camphill is an equal opportunity employer. All positions will be subject to Garda Vetting. Closing Date for applications will be on noon Wednesday the 17th August 2016. Candidates shortlisted for interview will receive notification by the 19th August for interviews being held on the week of 22nd–26th August 2016.
Fr Niall and the Casement commemoration
Because it was the efforts of his father, Dr Herbert O Mackey, which were largely responsible for the repatriation of Roger Casement's remains to Ireland in 1966.
Dr Mackey was a Dublin dermatologist who became involved in the effort to have Casement's remains brought back to Ireland. From the mid-1950s, he wrote a series of books and pamphlets about the life of the patriot, and was the chairman of the Casement Repatriation Committee. His ‘The Truth about the Forged Diaries’ listed what he believed was evidence of forgery in Casement’s diaries purporting him as a sexual pervert.
“He regularly wrote to newspapers and politicians about Casement’s case, and I have a memory of being sent to post a letter addressed to the Right Honourable Harold Macmillan,” Fr Mackey says. Macmillan was the British premier from 1957-1963.
On 23 February 1965, Casement’s remains were on their way in an Irish plane across the Irish Sea when the fact was announced simultaneously in the UK Parliament and the Dail. They had been secretly exhumed in Pentonville Prison the day before. The repatriation had been assisted by the then prime minister of the UK, Harold Wilson, who believed it would help with improving relations between the Republic and the United Kingdom.
“On the day, my father got a call to come to Baldonnel Aerodrome. There was no explanation. When he got there, he was brought on board the plane to England. It was directed to RAF Northolt, where the coffin with Casement’s remains were put on board.”
Five days afterwards that coffin was driven through the streets of Dublin on a gun carriage, watched by thousands of people, before being buried in Glasnevin Cemetary.
A year later, Dr Mackey spoke at an event in Banna Strand, at the erection of a monument commemorating the 50th anniversary of the attempted landing of armaments from a German submarine, during which Roger Casement was captured.
A British diplomat and humanitarian activist, Casement had received a knighthood and other honours for his work in human rights investigations in the Congo and Peru. Prior to his execution for treason for his 1916 activities, he was stripped of all of these.
In August 1966, Dr Mackey presented a portrait of Casement to Col William J Keane, OC Irish Air Corps, to hang in the Officers Mess at Casement Aerodrome.
At the Open Day on Wednesday, organised jointly by Irish Aid and the Defence Forces, there will be market stalls, picnic areas, play areas for children, a display of military vehicles, vintage aircraft and rare memorabilia. Military capability displays will be given by members of the Air Corps and Defence Forces.
A programme of exhibitions and talks on Casement, his life and legacy, will take place throughout the day.
(Picture of Roger Casement from National Library of Ireland, via Wikimedia Commons.)
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
KBC to host Shuttlefest again
Last year was our first year to run the SWLBL September Shuttlefest which proved to be a huge success for the club with over a hundred players entering in three main events, the Mens, Ladies and Mixed disciplines, ranging for Grade 1–7.
This tournament showcases an array of skills and love for the game, it is a truly energetic event and is fun for all with great prices up for grabs so why not get involved. Shuttlefest really is an unique tournament unlike any other, as you not only get to compete against Dublin players, but also players from all over Leinster, with the odd Munster and Connacht diehard turning up as well!
Of course as with any tournament it is sure to get your heart pumping, pulse racing, feet moving, feathers flying and string pinging so don’t miss out on the September Shuttlefest.
Don’t forget Entries opening soon why not visit southwestleinster.com or email swlbl1947@gmail.com for further information.
Another bollard timpist
But this time, the bollard won, and there's only apparent damage to the vehicle, from the look of the debris left around the barrier pole.
It's only the latest in a growing number of such incidents in the last year. But at least this time, the bollard won't need replacing.
Two attempted break-ins
In the case of Hair by Eilis, they failed in their attempts to jemmy open the aluminium framed door, but caused extensive damage to the lock and frame in the process.
They also tried to get into the store-room of the adjoining Final Furlong restaurant by the top of a window, but the grille behind would have prevented access anyhow.
The laneway which allows access to both sites is locked at weekends and night time, so the would-be burglars may have scaled a fence from an adjoining property.
"They wouldn't have got anything for their trouble anyhow," says Eilis, who has operated the salon there for close on 30 years. "Nobody leaves money in their premises around here, and there's nothing else worth anything except for the running of our business."
KWWSPCA Open Day
The event will celebrate the completion of the ‘Wall of the Five Freedoms’ at the Shelter, and will also offer an opportunity for all those who have supported the ‘Noah’s Ark’ shop in Newbridge are helping animals in need.
Entry is free and there is ample parking. However, please do NOT bring your own dogs. Call 087 2517381 for more information.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Parish Lotto Draw
The winners of the €50 open draws were Anthony Talt (Promoter PJ Lydon), Amy and Holly Egan (Breda McCormack), and Joe & Angela McGrath (Breda McCormack).
The winners of the Promoters Draw were Mag O’Connell and Bernie Kirby and the winner of the Draw for those in the Parish Centre on the night was Ger Kelly.
The Parish thanks all those who support the Lotto.
Alert for car in Baronsland, Gormanstown
The alert asks people to keep a lookout for silver Ford Focus, with a partial registration 11 WW.
Sightings should be notified to the Text Alert number.
Hectic evening for Martin in Philadelphia
As the Chairman of the FG parliamentary party, Martin is one of 400 international guests of the National Democratic Institute at their International Leaders Forum which is part of the overall convention.
The NDI describe themselves as a nonprofit, non partisan organisation working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, open and accountable Government.
His first event last evening was a reception in the Rosenbach Museum hosted by Madeline Albright, chair of the NDI and former US Secretary of State. This was followed by an event organised by the Irish Embassy, addressed by An Tainaiste, Frances Fitzgerald, then the Irish group moved on to the convention centre itself to hear the First Lady, Michelle Obama, open the Convention.
The Irish group includes An Tanaiste, Seanad leader Jerry Buttimer, and Meath TD Thomas Byrne attending on behalf of Fianna Fáil.
Kilcullen canoeists in British National Championships
A Kilcullen Canoe Club duo performed very well in the weekend’s British National Championships.
Aaron Thorpe and Ronan Foley came fourth in the U16 Mens K2, and Ronan came second in the U16 Mens K1.
The races were held in Reading, UK, hosted by Reading Canoe Club.
(Photos from KCC Facebook.)
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