Cleggs Coins go on Display

Carrick Coins go on Display Today

The hoard of recently discovered 17^th Century gold coins from Carrick-on-Suir will go on display in the Decorative Arts and History Museum, Collins Barracks.

 Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan will open the display of the gold coins, found at Cleggs Bar, Main Street, Carrick-on-Suir on 14 January  2013.

Those who discovered the hoard - David Kiersey, Shane Comerford, Tom Kennedy, Shane Murray and Patrick Murray during renovations of the bar, will also be in attendence, The coins are reported to have been “in a line together” in the ground and may have been wrapped and held together by some material which has not survived. 

The find consists of 81 gold coins dating to the reigns of Charles II (1660-85), James II (1685-8), William and Mary (1688-94) and William III (1694-1702). There are 77 guinea and 4 half guinea coins present, with the earliest dating to 1664 and the latest to 1701. The Guinea was a British gold coin minted by the Royal Mint between 1663 and 1814. ‘Guineas’ were so-called because the gold used in making some of them came from Guinea, West Africa and they were minted in four denominations (a half, one, two and five).

When first introduced the value of the guinea was 1£ (20 shillings), however the value of the coin fluctuated with the value of gold. In 1717, the value of the guinea was set officially at 21 shillings.  At the time the hoard was buried an agricultural labourer could command a wage payment of 1s per day. The hoard therefore represented in excess of 6 years wages for an agricultural labourer.

The Carrick-on-Suir Hoard probably represents the accumulated wealth of a single family over a number of generations, and was collected in the period following the Cromwellian War down to the end of the decade following the Williamite War. It is not known why the hoard was hidden but it is possible that its wealthy Catholic owner may have considered it necessary to hide his portable assets in response to the imposition of the Penal Laws. Many other scenarios are possible and further research is being conducted to try to establish the historical background of the hoard.

No comparable 17^th century hoard of gold coins has been found in Ireland since the discovery in Portarlington, Co. Laois, around 1947.

The National Museum has offered the coins on temporary loan to South Tipperary Riding Museum, Clonmel for display there in the Autumn. The Museum is also having discussions with the OPW to have a display of the coins in Ormond Castle, Carrick on Suir for an open day in advance of the display in the County Museum. 

Spotify: handle with care

Written byColin Bartley

Apr 09 2013

Spotify founders Daniel Ek & Martin Lorentzon

Spotify is a god damn blessing — and it’s the best present I ever gave myself. For lovers of music and even those who pertain to show more than a passing interest in the stuff, this is manna.

We took pride in our vinyl, cassette and CD collection, and even when Apple or Creative or whoever decided to stick a headphone jack in a hard-drive and stick a screen on the front, it was still hard to imagine music in a magnificent bundle of form like this. Spotify, and doffed caps all-round, has given us music Nirvana, headphone Utopia, and song searching Shangri-La. The days of arguing the aesthetics of vinyl over CD are irrelevant and bygone. This is the music galaxy at your fingertips.

Granted it’s not perfect. Spotify gives the punter so much it is sometimes a disappointment when a specific live version of a tune recorded in Montreux or Newport or SxSW is not there. Then there are times the 1970s original album is usurped by a 2011 digitally re-mastered version. But these tiny imperfections should not matter in the grander scheme of things. Musos should revel in this compendium of tunes and easy access to it all.

Never before has so much been given to so many by so few…

It has its detractors. These are mainly musicians who say it is not the saviour of illegal downloading they thought it would be. They still receive a relative pittance, so we are led to believe. These musicians did sign up to it, however, and the guilt of illegality has been wrestled from our shoulders.

But the inevitable had to happen at some point. Spotify is now a social network – and that brings its own baggage.

Now that users can follow people, musicians, bands and genres on Spotify, the music carrier has officially gone into the realms of a Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and co. It now has decisions to make.

To an extent, until now, social mediums have been a glass maze not too difficult to traverse. Far flung connections were embraced. The world became a couple of degrees of separation less. Tolerance levels towards banality dropped. In the world of virtual interaction, people were happy to be hippies of HTML, loving and embracing all, far removed from their daily real-life interactions. For many, online was a different world. How you acted and reacted had little resemblance to real-life.

Spotify, I fear, will bring this software of love to a shuddering halt.

When it comes to music that’s where the buck stops with most people. Like it or love it, the human race can gauge more from peoples’ tastes in music than possibly anything else. Music gives people an insight into another person’s character, social ability, social standing, creativity and dare say it… intelligence.

Some would argue that’s unfair but others would say a person’s musical tastes reflects their intellectual prowess. Right or wrong, music snobbery exists.

Spotify will show this snobbery in action. Friends, supposed friends, or worse – soon-to-be former friends, will get dropped or unfollowed quicker than an X-factor finalist after a failed first album. The reason for this slight on someone’s personality? Bad taste in music.

People will lose patience quickly if their news feed is full of what is, in their view, sub-par choices of music.

For the first time ever in the short history of social media, individuals will sit back and think carefully about who they choose to follow. Cyber bullying is a big problem, but cyber-snobbery may be the new catchword created by the Spotify users.

More embarrassing than being unfollowed is not being followed at all, snobbery at its pinnacle… Here is where Spotify will truly differ from other social networks. Users will think long and hard about following friends on it. If they feel their friends have bad tastes, they will simply ignore the fact they exist on Spotify. This is a fact too hard to hide and many a friendship is likely to crumble.

People have become too used to the idea of accepting friendships in the virtual world and many will not see how Spotify differs. The simple answer is Spotify is music! For many it’s a refuge, essential for existence and something that defines them. If these people don’t recognise the difference, herein lies the issue.

As with every trend, cyber-snobbery could catch on and transfer into the etiquette and accepted fabric of other social mediums. And here is where the breakdown of relations could be truly seen.

So tread carefully in the Spotify world. If you are a person who takes offence easily, i.e. if you take the hump after some virtual friends unfollow you, steer clear of Spotify. Either that, or make sure your taste in music is impeccable. After all, Spotify is music, it’s not drama.

Old Hat

Old hat

Prepare to FAI - L

Open Letter to the FAI on the disregard towards fans within the Aviva.

Hello John and the Abottstown boys,

Thanks for really taking the supporters for granted. I will start by saying the ticket prices are pretty reasonable and good value, so firstly good work on that.

However I can see where the reduced ticket prices are affecting the whole match experience.

Last night's game v Austria was a triumph of idiocy. Only about half of the concession stands were opened, and those that were were viciously understaffed. 

At the main concession in the Herbert Road side upper tier - three staff were serving at half time in each of the two stands - however there were double making hot dogs, fish, chips and burgers in the back. The issue was despite the amount being cooked, there was nowhere near as many punters being served as to sell them all, or anywhere near. 

Most of the crowd did not get to a stall, most leaving the queue in disgust. Even though I jumped out after Waters second goal just before half time, and was only about ten people back in the queue - the second half had still kicked off before I got back to my seat.

The nice Italian couple beside me did not make it back until the 56th minute and were very unimpressed.

The policy of the staff removing the bottle tops from mineral bottles before handing them to the punters is mind blowing - they cannot cause that much damage. But when (on a freezing night like last) it took one of the staff well over a minute to remove four bottle tops - its crazy. 

This happened on a few occasions while in the queue as punters asked for numerous bottles, then being handed them with no tops on, proceeded to ask for cups. Consternation! This led to the three staff wandering off looking for containers to put them in - causing greater delays and more grumblings.

If all this didn't frustrate enough, the preparation for a glut of customers seemed as a surprise. Who could have thought that thousands would run to the only thing selling anything within radius of the centre circle. Certainly not the people working there.

Not only did the coffee machines run out of coffee, there was no milk or sugar at the condiments stands. This left one of the three staff dealing with irate customers, before luckily finding someone resembling a manager (maybe even more resembling than Trap himself) and came out with a box of UHT (yes that shit!) - leading to a scrum long before the box got to the condiments stand.

Next the tills ran out of change and remember I started off only ten sales back in the queue, however upon reaching the counter I was astonished to be asked for the exact amount as there were no notes or coins! Seriously?

If the FAI's main focus is a bottle top safety issue, those dangerous little blighters, the Abbottstown mafia in fearing fans may throw them on the field in a kind of Iraqi shoe protest- well FAI here ya go, consider this!

Inside the stadium, despite there being an Elvery's merchandising stand at each concessions area , only one was opened if you wanted to find it and it was at the opposite side of the stadium. 

In here all they were selling were the new charcoal jerseys (which will never be worn) and FAI mugs. On a freezing night, the request for a hat was met with laughter; 'no we don't have them here. Scarfs?'

This meant all that could be purchased within the stadium were new jerseys for €60 or a FAI mug for about euro!

The funny thing was there were as many staff in this Elvery's stand as serving behind each concession stand – this trio however were not under as much pressure.

The Elvery’s shop at the main entrance may well have been open - but due to the fact I had to enter the stadium nearly a mile away - and in the wintery conditions, you should not be expected to make a Shackleton-like effort to get some gear. And surely they are losing out on merchandising?

But this gave me an idea!

With a bottle of mineral costing €2.50 – minus the offending cork, and a mug costing a euro, next time I am going to spend my fiver on 5 mugs - which with the weight and size will have a much better chance of laying waste to opposition supporters, something the Irish supporters are famous for, or the FAI fear will happen.

But they are also more accurate than a bottle top and heavier -  so be-ware the flying crockery when Mr  Delaney, if people want to display their displeasure -  buy the cheap missile that is a mug!

And as a final thought, for all the food cooked - it would be interesting to see how many burgers, fish, hot dogs etc were made, compared to how many were discarded, and what went through the tills at the break. It was a massively missed opportunity.

After all at a soccer match, is it too much to ask to get a hat, a scarf or a hot cuppa?
Well at the Aviva the answer appears to be yes.

Colin Bartley

I Could Pee With Anticipation

Biblical. Yeah it’s too often used. Of biblical proportions gets bandied about far too frequently to be relied upon as an authoritative indicator to something’s impact. Commercial media put pay to this mantra many years ago and as such, hyperbole has become a personal turn off.

However is the return of the Stone Roses worthy of this proportionality? The reports from Heaton Park, Manchester suggest so; the reaction of crowd and press points in that direction. And being honest, the Roses have never been one to shy away from idolatry. Never did they declare themselves bigger that Jesus, but it’s an obvious trait throughout the decade they manage to bare each other, that decade that created this clamour.

So on the eve of the floppy four taking to a podium in the Phoenix Park, avid followers are at breaking point in excitement. But for once it’s a weird anticipation, without trepidation. The Roses flourished on hedonism, they fused the dance floor and the festival through a concoction of cheap booze and the evolution of a generation defining cheap drug. The fans wanted euphoria, a tribe to be attached to easily and through the advent of ecstasy all were welcome. 

The fans never cared that they had more issues live than an IMF meeting on Skype, nor were they followers to debate the vocal range. They knew what they had in front of them. They had the Roses, they had the music and the ethos that entailed. We asked for little,  they gave peanuts - and through the haze it was amazing. That is why there is no trepidation, the fact that they are here is validation enough.

The rise of the Roses came at a time when American music had found its voice again. Metal went from theatrical to terrorizing again, rap evolved and house music was bringing a new era of disco. America didn’t need a british band to adore. So the Roses remained quintessentially British. Rather than sort out their issues with a record label through the medium of a  drive by shooting – they destroyed a car in paint. Instead of public publicity seeking feuds, they kept their disputes to themselves within the confines of their own hedonism. It’s an attitude we were more comfortable with. Like cow-tipping being preferable to arson.

The Roses could not be the Roses without either of the four members – anyone who remembers the gig in Feile 95 in Cork  will tell you of an uneasy relationship with the gig, due to the absence of Reni (left) and John Squire (injured), and although  the songs were played the same, to the fans it wasn’t.

Each member brings something whole, without which it leaves an abscess on proceedings. Reni’s drumming is so effortlessly rhythmical it brings that unique flow to the Roses. It’s so intertwined in Mani’s bass it could be accused of being the inspiration for the drum’n’bass generation. Squire, is just authority, his writing and playing simply deserves attention, and then the Ian Brown affair.

We don’t give a shit if the boy can’t sing - we have known this for years and we don’t care. He will never darken the door of a theatre holding auditions for X-Factor et al, yet holds more charisma in one glare than anything that has popped up on a Cowell inspired stage in a decade. He is not out of tune, the crowds’ singing is!  Simple.

So for all of those who have spent the same cash on seeing a trio of sleeping tablets, a dubious dance act and whatever fly by night natured support to assist them, Ye picked the wrong gig!

Even the support for the Stone Roses shadows some of the proceeding headliners – Justice are the Stone Roses first support and anything they have done trumps Finnish Patio Triads by far. The Wailers in one verse champ Florence and her version of the Lion King soundtrack.

So is it biblical? No it’s just music. However, just as God gave Manna to the Israelites to eat while on their 40 year voyage in the desert, we, the baggy jeans brigade, get Mani to bring an end to 20 years suffering. Delicious.

Les Marionettes - for MRU.ie (music review unsigned)

Les Marionette debut EP launch - Workingman’s Club

Thursday, November 17, 2011

On the face of it, it’s a band taking a step back nearly thirty years to sit at the top table of music beside the Gary Numans, Bronski Beats, and Depeche Modes.

The clothes, lights, styles, and general impression give credence to this, but this is a band for musos. Everything they do is a nod to what has come in between now and then, and the show, the music, the energy, the rhythm, as well as the bravery to create an image, is validation enough that Les Marionettes are indeed a breath of fresh air.

To Andy Bell, there is a bit of a Frank Black influence, to Kraftwork - a britpop leveller. It’s pure electro-pop, but not necessarily as your finger-less glove and pleated jeans wearing folks would remember it.

Les Marionettes work and that is down to hard work and no end of talent. They are very far from the Blizzard-type blandness that appears to be the aim of and extent of the music ambition pervading the live scene at present.

All four band members have been on the music scene long enough to know what has to be put in to get anything out.

Keith Farrell and Ger Eaton have been everywhere from a field in Somerset to the Jools Holland’s BBC set, while Lucy Cody and Derren Dempsey have both been in bands that could almost taste the big time.

What has been created is big time music, which really works live. The EP launch at the Workman’s Club is a testament to this. The big crowd that gathered were treated to a throwback.

Neither star-gazing nor shoe-gazing, this music is suited to both. Song’s like ‘Sign your release’ and ‘Hung on you’ are intrinsically constructed, which is no mean feat considering the amount of equipment combined to create their sound.

On occasion it can feel like there is one extreme 80s effects too many for the present time - it having been cast-off along with lolo balls, fat frogs (unfortunately) and leg warmers. However on the odd occasion a double-dum snuck in, just to bring you back to those overly fluorescent days, and memories of Weird Science (check it out on IMBd) et al.

There is a big swell towards early 80s electro music, which will get stronger with the approaching Euro football championships next summer. Don’t believe me? Check out the Celtic, and now Irish, fans devotion to the classic ‘Just can’t get enough’. However I doubted Les Marionettes could produce a terrace trembler to trouble Depeche Mode - that is until Keith managed to get a little ‘Ole Ole Ole Ole’ into their last tune.

Carrick-on-Suir out maneuver Waterford City to keep promotion hopes

Carrick-on-Suir RFC 26- Waterford City RFC 3

The try that sealed the win was as good a try as any ever seen at Carrick-on-Suir’s home ground and keeps the home side in the promotion push.

Waterford City may now find that a more difficult task after losing this Munster Junior League Division 3 clash. In the end Carrick won out 26-3, after a stunning second half display which saw Carrick score two tries, from scrumhalf Ross Cleary and winger David Kiersey.

Charlie Boland added two penalties to the two conversions in the second half, to go along with his two from the first half, in a flawless kicking display where he kicked six from six. Waterford City’s only response, a drop goal midway through the first half from full back Aaron Foskin.

The result may have been a bit heavy on City who were very much in the game with even ten minutes to go, however Carrick’s use of the bench, and ability and growing confidence with ball in hand eventually saw them through.

Cleary’s try came after a massive scrum effort on the City five metre line. Carrick drove over the line and Cleary smothered the ball over the line after great control. This try gave Carrick a lead, but Boland’s two penalties that followed gave them comfort.

With the game heading for the dressing rooms, substitute number 8 William Wallace caught an attempted clearing kick by City on his own ten metre by the sideline. He cut in field where after an intricate double interchange involving both his brothers James and JP Wallace, William passed to outhalf Boland who moved the ball wide to Kiersey wide out on the other wing.

He still had a little to do, but just outstripped the cover to touchdown to awe-struck applause and the certain victory, ensured on the day by good communication and some excellent displays all over the park.

Team – A Murray, N Phelan, S Cuddy, S Fitzpatrick, B Phelan, M Foley, M Carroll(capt), B Slattery, R Cleary, C Boland, D Kiersey, JP McGrath, J Wallace, W Lonergan, JPWallace. Subs: E Barry, J Phelan, W Wallace

The Carrick U-17 girls hosted Clonmel in Tybroughney over the weekend and defeated the visitors 22-0. The Carrick scorers were Sinead Lonergan, Ashling Hahesy, Helena Power 2, and a conversion by Becky O Brian.

*****************************************ENDS*****************************************************

Photo from the Carrick-on-Suir v Clonmel U-17 match from Saturday 19 November. Carrick emerged 22-0 winners.

Myers has to stop attacking single mothers

“The duty of a journalist is to tell the truth.” So why then does Kevin Myers purposely proceed to present ill-informed opinion after opinion as fact in his column yesterday?

If he thinks the lack of a father figure is the root cause behind the riots in the UK he is, and as I have thought for quite a while, badly out of touch with the reality of the world to which he has obviously detached himself from a long time ago.

As a journalist, of which I am supposedly cut from the same cloth as Kevin, he is right. It is our duty to tell the truth so let’s just do that, by actually doing some research and not ranting.

“The most astounding element in the British television coverage of the riots has been the steadfast refusal to mention the race of most of the rioters.” How wrong you are Mr Myers! BBC’s Irish journalist in London Padraic O’Brien was on the scene on Monday night and although saying he did not want to focus on the point you allude to, said there were as many white kids there as other races.

While on Tuesday, this awful attempt at producing any insightful information from British television coverage, the lazy buggers –well the news gave us a full map of London in the form of an aerial photo. On this they outlined each borough where there had been rioting in the Empire’s capita up to that point, broke it down by demographic, percentage of age groups, proportion of inhabitants with university education, percentage ethnicity, typical area of employment by majority of inhabitants etc. and compared them.

Surprisingly, even to the commentators, the areas thought of as leafy, respectable areas with higher proportions of family units and educated inhabitants were as much to the fore as areas previously associated with mob behaviour.

But I suppose you are right, they didn’t come out and tell us that black kids live in these areas. How terribly lax of them!

So doing some research and getting facts and figures, there is roughly seven percent of London homes that are fatherless (2001 census figures, as the 2011 have not been released yet). However according to Irish census figures of 2006, nine per cent of Irish households are fatherless, which is a staggering number, yet a number that does not riot!

It is a shame that Mr Myers did not hold back until the inevitable cessation of rioting in the UK, as an article on page three of the short form paper yesterday contradicted his argument. Tom Whitehead wrote “A future soldier, a graphic designer and a university graduate were among dozens of alleged rioters who appeared in court yesterday.”

Doesn’t sound like the fine Mona Lisa type portrait of a rioter as a young man that Mr Myers is trying to paint. In fact his finished canvas comes across far more abstract and Picasso-esque, his points are there, but just a bit hard to define.

If Mr Myers cannot see that these riots are as simple as an act of opportunism, plain and simple, well I’m not sure we can go any further. We have had social media, race, a botched shooting and now single mums blamed for this.

Like a forest fire started by mishap, should we blame the carbon composition of the trees for escalating the problem. I think not, the fire will spread due to its proximity to fuel. As with the rioting, they spread due to their proximity to luxury goods. With opportunity comes great risk; a risk the youth of London and the UK were willing to take.

There is a debate to be had about fatherless households, however I fear Mr Myers has used this as yet another opportunity to flog his favourite Shergar. It’s a shameful attempt at journalism, and that is the truth!

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/kevin-myers/kevin-myers-feral-rioters-all-have-one-thing-in-common-a-lack-of-father-figures-2844058.html