The decreased temperatures throughout the week weren’t the only indicator of summer’s close. This year, the Electric Picnic festival, which is usually held at the end of August, made a premature appearance because of a potential clash with Coldplay’s four-day concert at Croke Park and Kylie’s limited availability, enhancing the imminent back-to-school ambiance. This was accentuated further by the release of Leaving Cert results on Friday.
The Rose of Tralee event also took place, but let’s focus on the podcast I host, which went live from Stradbally during the Electric Picnic on Sunday. We couldn’t quite match the zeal of Kneecap, but we managed to fill our pavilion and received positive feedback. It’s always gratifying to interact with our listeners whom I find exceptionally insightful and smart, although I admit my judgement could be tainted.
We spent a wonderful sunny day in Stradbally. I made an early exit before the Wolfe Tones hit the stage due to not having brought my anti-nausea medication and headed to Kilkenny. There, the city’s art festival was wrapping up with a spectacular performance from Mari Samuelson, the Norwegian violinist, at St Canice’s Cathedral.
As for my weekly reading, it included explosive revelations about Murdoch, a pioneering figure in Irish cinema, the significance of Donald Trump’s speech, the Derry girls in the spotlight, the turmoil in France, and the intricate task of separating artists from their works. Writing brilliance, as per my reading, has a lot to do with minor details.
Upon getting back to work on Monday, we put the final changes to our last episode of our podcast series Charlie vs Garret, based on the legendary political battle between Charles Haughey and Garret Fitzgerald that took place in 1980s Ireland. As the week progressed, we were intrigued by Keith Duggan’s updates on the Democratic National Convention taking place in Chicago and recent reports of childcare providers gradually withdrawing from the Government’s funding scheme.
Historically, this period is characterised by a lull in news stories, although there have been intriguing tales. One striking event was the dramatic capsizing a luxury yacht off Sicily’s coast, leading to the demise of seven individuals, most notably the tech tycoon Mike Lynch.
At a domestic level, the muted sound of an impending general election steadily intensifies and can be discerned beneath any significant political narrative. An example this week saw the inferred postponement by the Government to implement the new residential land tax policy, underscoring the sluggish progression of foundational modifications in Ireland’s housing market.
Following is a roundup of this week’s intriguing reads.
1. Our correspondent in Washington, Keith Duggan, informs us about Michelle Obama, the erstwhile First Lady’s electrifying endorsement of Kamala Harris, which can be cited as a memorable moment in the Democratic electoral chronicles.
2. With the resumption of the English Premier League, Ken Early’s weekly column becomes indispensable. In the latest column, he analyses the turmoil at Chelsea wherein the club’s proprietors have incurred four times the player expenditure compared to Real Madrid, showing no noteworthy betterment.
3. Patrick Freyne brings you an otherworldly perspective of the ‘Rose of Tralee’. One of the highlights includes the themed floats featuring the 32 Roses, ranging from a rainbow, disco, Fireman Sam, Frozen featuring Olaf the Snowman, to a mushroom-themed one.
4. The consumption of alcohol seems to be dwindling among the younger Irish populace with Gen Z seemingly substituting one vice with another, as pondered by Finn McRedmond.
5. Denis Staunton provides insights from Beijing, discussing the steps Chinese authorities are taking to facilitate marriage and complicate divorce in response to an ageing populace and dwindling birth rates.
“Meeting Mrs Robinson: A Close Look at Ireland’s First Female Presidency
In the latest episode, Aideen Finnegan speaks with Mary Robinson, Ireland’s first female president, and movie director Aoife Kelleher about their recent piece, ‘Mrs Robinson.’ The film, narrated by Robinson herself, covers significant periods of her life and career such as her transition from law to politics, the marriage her parents disapproved of, and a few personal and political regrets. Throughout the discussion, Robinson opens up about her initial reluctance to produce the movie, what she hopes audiences will gain from the film, and her journey from an introverted child in Ballina to striding the corridors of Áras an Uachtaráin. Kelleher sheds light on her childhood recollections of the 1990 election, the motivation behind creating the film and her delight in exploring archival footage featuring previously unseen home videos recorded by Robinson’s father.
In other news, Politico makes a scathing review of the EU governments’ behavior including Ireland, heading with ‘Ursula von der Leyen’s EU Commission sausage fest’. It lambasts these governments for disregarding the Commission president’s directive by repeatedly choosing men as their favourite commissioners.
Also, The Atlantic magazine prescribes an advice of caution to Democrats enthusiastic about Kamala Harris’s surge in the polls. It refers to the 2016 election as perhaps the most notorious instance of polling misjudgement ever, while stating 2020 was discretely even more deficient.
In the following week, it’ll be intriguing to observe the repercussions of the highly contentious traffic restrictions, which will commence on Dublin’s quays on Monday, on motorists, pedestrians, and public transport users in the city centre.”