15 January 2023

Dublin Time Lapse

dublin timelapse panoramic

Take a look at the Fair City in a different way. This time lapse by Richard Twomey (his first, believe it or not) captures the capital of Ireland beautifully.

The feeling of depth in many of the shots such as via clouds and stationary objects in the city shots paired with the camera movement is wonderful.

Although this will entrance you if you live in Ireland perhaps it is only fitting that we dedicate this to the Irish diaspora.

Wherever you are in the world I think this may fill you with homesickness.

27 November 2022

End of a Scarer


Sometimes you just have to accept that your time has passed. Or do you? The good old fashioned Hollywood monster featured in End of a Scarer will simply not admit that he is past his scream-by date and is determined to prove (at least to one little boy) that he still has the capacity to make him yell out in terror!  After all, how can the star of such classics as King Kongo simply step out of the limelight?

Whether he succeeds is up to you to find out!

This very funny animated short was created by Chris O’Hara and served as his animated graduate film from D.L.I.A.D.T (Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art design and Technology in Dublin). 

8 July 2018

Sunrise, Bull Rock, Cork, Ireland


A few times of year during the summer, the sun is lined up perfectly to rise through the natural tunnel running through the Bull Rock. This is a short video showcasing this amazing rock and its neighbors, the Calf and the Cow by landscape photographer Peter Cox.  It is a powerful and immediate piece of film which I have to say made me feel almost like I was there – but my strongest feelings are, however, a need to really be there!

11 June 2017

The Wonderful Barn: Ireland's Spiralling Storehouse

The Irish are often the first to admit they have an inclination to exaggerate. So, when a corkscrew-shaped barn built was built on an estate in County Kildare near the town of Leixlip in 1743 the locals quickly called this extraordinary structure The Wonderful Barn – note the use of the definite article. Yet in this instance their hyperbole was not unwarranted. This is indeed the most remarkable of barns.

12 April 2015

Super Mario Busker Plays 8bit Medley


This is Super Mario playing 8bit music during the intermission of Video Games Live International festival of video game music held recently at the Convention Centre in Dublin, Ireland.  If you have played Super Mario then you will recognize the tunes featured in this very cleverly put together medley.  No doubt past triumphs will flash through your mind!  The full playlist is below.  The video was created by Emlyn Lewis.

00:00 Super Mario World OverWorld Map
00:06 Super Mario World Yoshies Island Map
00:16 Super Mario Bros. 3 Map 4 Big Island Theme
00:28 Super Mario World Forrest of Illusions map
00:42 Super Mario World "Thank you" Ending Theme
01:06 Mad World 8bit
01:56 Super Mario Land 2 Turtle Map & Mario Toy Zone Map
02:14 Super Mario Bros. Underworld & Star man theme
02:32 Luigi's Mansion Level Clear Theme
03:00 Super Mario World Swimming & Player Down Theme
04:00 Chop sticks 8bit
04:30 Sonic Drowning
04:40 Amilie Theme 8bit
05:15 Super Mario Bros. Ending Theme

29 March 2013

23 Degrees 5 Minutes, Starring John Hurt and Stuart Townsend


An explorer becomes lost in the wastes of the Arctic and realizes that he will soon die. He recounts the events of twenty five years before, the events which had led him, inexorably through the years, to this point. As he begins to perish from the cold he remembers his student days at Trinity College in Dublin, studying under the mysterious and inscrutable Professor Orit who had been driven to the point of borderline insanity by his life’s preoccupation – the pursuit of the unified theory…

Directed by Darragh O'Connell, featuring the voice talents of John Hurt (who will be starring in the 50th anniversary Doctor Who episode in November) and Stuart Townsend and produced by Colm Tyrrell, the film was scripted by Darragh O'Connell based on a short story by Austin Kenny. Nominated for an IFTA in 2012, '23 Degrees 5 Minutes' was funded under the Frameworks scheme from the Irish Film Board, RTE and the Arts Council of Ireland.  There is also a very cool blog which describes how the film was made.

26 March 2013

Origin


This didn’t make it online in time for the recent St Patrick’s Day celebrations (which would have been the ideal date to share this with you) but here it is nonetheless.  Origin tells the (visually metaphorical) tale of a young man, who due to Ireland’s straightened circumstances, has decided to leave the country in search of pastures new.  Yet when he realizes at the airport that his passport is still in his flat the dash back to retrieve it stirs an ancient spirit within him.

Created under the marvelous Short Shorts scheme funded by the Irish Film Board, Origin was scripted by Matthew Darragh and James Stacey, with an original score by Rónán Ó Snodaigh of Kíla. It was directed by James Stacey and produced by Sean Smith of Souljacker.

17 March 2013

The Terms


A father and son live alone in the wilds of Ireland. We might call their small family unit dysfunctional in this day and age but perhaps that wouldn’t be putting too fine a point on it. The son has just burned down the family home and the father gives him the terms of his escape. A shotgun aimed in his direction, a head start and some money to make is way in the world: a chance to live, a chance to die. That is all he is offered but events do not transpire quite as either had anticipated.

The Terms is based on the short story by Irish writer Mike McCormack, starring Gary Lewis and Ciaran Flynn. It was written and directed by Jason LaMotte.  If the Irish brogue leaves you struggling to follow the action then you can see the short film with subtitles here.

16 March 2013

10 Strange and Fun Facts About Ireland

With St Patrick’s Day coming up on 17 March, it is appropriate that we share with the world some fun and interesting facts about Ireland.

30 June 2011

The Euro Crisis: Who is Rescuing Whom? And Why?


Are you confused by the recent financial and economic events in Greece? Do you wonder what exactly happened to cause the financial crisis when the Euro had seemed so strong for so long? And how come it affects countries like Greece and Ireland but not Germany or France?

This animated short film by Bertelsmann Stiftung will explain everything simply and concisely for you. It goes back a few years to show what precipitated the current crisis and why opting out of the Euro is probably not a good idea for those countries that are suffering at the moment. Seems a little dry? I thought so too but the animation here is crisp and clear and I really feel like I understand the situation a little better now! OK, I am still never going to be an economist but then again – neither are the people running the show, so it seems!

The Crannog of Loch Tay

It is possible that one of your ancestors called something like this home.  It is a crannog, a free-standing wooden structure which was a popular form of dwelling place for over five millennia.  Most were built on lakes and rivers and a crannog afforded a deal of protection to the better off members of the population.

Although the reproduction here is on the shore of Loch Tay in Scotland the word crannog derives from Old Irish and means young tree – a term which first appeared around the twelfth century.  It has other meanings too, such as crow’s nest and pulpit which seem almost more appropriate than the most common translation of the word.

The word has been adopted in to the English language and broadly refers to any structure which has been created as a partial or complete artificial island. There are close to four hundred crannogs in Scotland but the crannog capital is Ireland, which has over a thousand examples.

This wonderful replica is based on a defensive homestead in Scotland called the Oakband Crannog which, it is estimated, was built about two and a half thousand years ago. This was at the time Confucius and Pythagoras were alive and the population of the world was around only 100 million people.

The crannog was built by the Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology to discover more about how and why the ancient people of Scotland and Ireland built their homes in or near water and for people to directly experience how they survived without any sophisticated technology.

Crannogs served as more than just a homestead for farmers.  They were, it is thought, considered status symbols for those who we might call middle class today.  Refuges in times of trouble they were also used as non residential hunting and fishing stations.  Some were even made as holiday homes – a place for well of Stone Age families to get away for the weekend!

The reproduced crannog is unique in Scotland and was constructed by a painstaking process of rediscovering the antique technology used to create the originals and using the same timber as that found in the Oakband example. The thatched roundhouse stands on stilts and it is accessed by way of walkway of alder logs.

The walls of the crannog are made from hazel, which was wovern and then stuffed with fleece from sheep and goat fibers. Bracken was also added to keep out the piercing Scottish winter wind and to help insulate the house. Inside corn would be ground and cloth made on a loom.

Animals would share the crannog with their human owners, but were segregated in to one part.  The space for people too was separated in to two, one part for living in and the other for storage.   No artificial materials were used in the construction of the crannog so it is as authentic as a reproduction is going to get.

The result is something quite special which casts a light on an ancient yet sophisticated culture of the past.

Like to visit? Instructions on how to get there here.

2 December 2010

Snow in the UK - in Pictures

If you live in a colder climate you may scratch your head and wonder why, every time there is a sprinkling of the white stuff, the UK grinds to a halt. Well, it has happened again but this time it is a little different. The UK has had the most snow over the last few days than it has had for a generation - for this time of year. At least it gives people a good reason to take pictures. So, we thought we would put together a selection.The above is from Meath in Northern Ireland.

For many the snow means a day off work.  However, just because you can;t get to work, it doesn't mean that you can't get out in the snow closer to home and enjoy yourself.  Certainly, Wollaton Hall in Nottingham had no shortage of visitors wanting to try to tobogan down its slopes.

For some, however, the show must go on - rain or shine or snow.  The Royal Mail, for instance, must get through.  However, from the expression on the face of this postman in Otley, West Yorks, it could have waited a day or two really.

At Westgate School, someone left a message for the children in case that they got there. The wags.

The weather isn't completely without the opportunity for a little irony.  In fact it is ripe with ironic possibiities.  The above window cleaning service van in Sheffield (one of the worst hit places) certainly has a certain irony to it.  Perhaps the owner could have ensured the windows were uncovered.  Yet sometimes, the intervention of the human hand is not needed.

The Sphinx in Crystal Palace Park has been given a new hair style, thanks to the snow.

If you do manage to get out to take a walk, you may not be able to have a rest if you tire. These park chairs in Sheffield need a little clearing.

If you were hoping to use alternative transport then you might have to reconsider, particularly if you live in Bradford.  In general the media has been telling people that unless their journey is completely necessary then the safest thing to do is to stay indoors.  However, people are already asking about what happens if the snowy weather persists?  We may just have to get uesed to it.

Shops are opening but if you want to make a call or have a cigarette break then you still have to go outside.  At least with the plethora of snowmen that have sprung up you have some company.  However, don't expect to get far in your car.

Unless.....
Now, that's what I call winter transport!


No need to tell you where this is but you are probably best not to go there.  Of course, going by the stereotype that all the British ever talk about is the weather, imagine the conversations and text messages that have been occurring throughout the snow bound British Isles!

Yetdespite the moans and the groans about the snow (and the weather in general) there is a beauty to it which cannot be denied.  Edinburgh Castle (above) looks magnificent in the snow.

There may not be (m)any shopper on Lewes High Street but with the added festive cheer of the Christmas tree is looks lovelier than usual.


The view of the river Thurso is beautiful. Yet there is a certain desolation to many scenes.

In many places it looks as if a zombie apocalypse has happened - many roads are deserted.  The only sign that there are survivors, possibly, are the tracks in the snow.  Yet they look like they may have been made by a certain undead shuffle.

Yet there are many living beings still around.  Children are everywhere, some experiencing their first large snowfall.  Yet it is still a matter for debate whose behaviour is the dafter - the kids or the parents!

One group which should not be forgotten are those who do not necessarily have access to warm homes and central heating.  Many have spared a thought for the birds and other animals, making sure that the little creatures have something to eat.