The Dublin Community Blog

Ok, so, seeing as most of the Irish Blogging Community is no doubt drunk or sleeping at this stage, and I’m sitting on my balcony in Oz sunning myself, I thought I ought to post the winners from the Irish Blog Awards which took place a few hours ago. Unfortunately, we here at The Dublin Community Blog didn’t win the Best Group Blog award, but at least our own Rick won an award!!

So, without further delay, here’s the winners:

* Best Popculture blog
DZ-015 by Rick O’Shea

* Best Blog from a Journalist
Present Tense – Shane Hegarty

* Best Food/Drink Blog
Italian Foodies

* Best Crafts Blog
A Simple Yarn

* Best Arts and Culture Blog
The Sigla Blog

* Best Political Blog
Irish Election

* Best Group Blog
Beaut.ie

* Best Use of the Irish Language in a Blog
Blag Ghael gan Náire

* Best Technology Blog/Blogger
Robin Blandford’s ByteSurgery

* Best Designed Blog
Sabrina Dent

* Best Sport & Recreation Blog
Arseblog

* Best News/Current Affairs Blog
Joint winners: The Limerick Blogger & Maman Poulet

* Best Specialist Blog
The Voyage

* Best Newcomer
John Braine

* Best Business Blog
Ice Cream Ireland

* Best Music Blog
nialler9

* Special Recognition Award
Simon McGarr from Tuppenceworth.ie & Ryan from Rymus.net

* Best Personal Blog
Joint Winners: Grannymar & Head Rambles

* Most Humorous Post
Twenty Major – Tonight’s Debate

* Best Photo Blog
Gingerpixel

* Best Blog Post
Fatmammycat.com – Fox hunting, horses and a girl’s awakening

* Best Blog
Twenty Major

A garda is in hospital after being shot while on duty in Dublin this morning. The Traffic Corps motorcycle officer stopped a stolen car on Ossory Road, Dublin 1, shortly after 9am.

I imagine some roads around Amiens St, North Strand, Alfie Byrne Rd will be closed. Heres a map of the area. What a scary world we live in.

Further updates from the following links:

RTE

eircom.net

Garda website

Dublin Fire Brigade and the army bomb disposal unit are at the scene of a fire at gates of the Phoenix Park. A pit of chemical phosphorous was exposed on a building site on Infirmary Road. The site used to be part of a military base, I wonder if it is an old British one with phosphorous buried there since World War I? The fire is out now but there is still a risk that more phosphorous could ignite. Traffic in the area is being diverted through the Phoenix Park.

If anyone is in the area with a camera they might get some cool and interesting photographs, if they can get a view of the site, but don’t do anything silly, phosphorous is dangerous.

On top of the major incident in Dun Laoghaire there has also been an unrelated incident at the Natural History Museum where a staircase has collapsed injuring up to 21 people this morning with 10 being taken to hospital. The granite staircase is not usually used by the public.

The incident occurred during a private training course for primary-school teachers in an area at the rear of the museum that is not normally used by the public.

A fleet of 10 ambulances and several units of the Fire Brigade were at the museum and traffic restrictions were in place between the museum and nearby hospitals. The museum is now closed and could take 3 weeks to reopen. A health and safety investigation is taking place.

Update: There were 21 primary school teachers at the event, it appears only 10 or 11 were injured.

15:16
I’ve just received a text alert to let me know that emergency services are currently working on a ‘Major Incident’ in Dun Laoghaire. I’ve no details of what it is just yet, if anyone is around and about and has more info, or pictures, please send them on.

15:20
According to Reports on the incident are unclear with some suggesting a bus carrying children entered the water. Other reports say it was a yachting incident.

15:23
Keeping an eye on these webcams from Dun Laoghaire harbour but so far not a whole lot showing up on them.

15:30
Apparently a school-kids regatta has been affected by some freak weather, and up to 120 children have been blown off their boats into the water.

15:35
It would appear that the webcams have disappeared offline, probably due to the volume of people watching them.

15:38
A further update from ireland.com

According to the Department of Transport four local yacht clubs were taking part in a junior regatta involving 91 boats and 110 children when weather conditions worsened sharply at around 2.15pm leading to the overturning of a number of boats.

The children involved were aged between 10 to 15 years of age.

Lifeboats from Dun Laoighre and Howth along with a Dublin-based coastguard helicopter are involved in rescuing the children from the sea.

It is not yet clear how many of the boats overturned or whether there have been any injuries.

A Dublin Fire Brigade spokesman said numerous units have been sent to the scene, including specialist water rescue units.

15:38

According to this RTE News article, this incident actually occurred at 14:00 today, and that up to 120 children had to be rescued from the sea off Dún Laoghaire after over 90 vessels capsized. According to a spokesperson for Dun Laoghaire, all of the children were wearing life jackets and all have since been accounted for.

The Independent is reporting that election campaign posters around the city are required to come down as of today when fines are supposed to go into effect. Seems that most Dubliners would prefer them down for the bank holiday weekend, but it appears as if the €125 per poster fine will probably not be given out until after the holiday weekend.

Hopefully THIS POSTER will remain up for a while. =)

CLICK HERE for some creative election poster recycling ideas.  (HT: Rick)

Last night on RTE news there was a brief report on the Anti-Social Behaviour Orders recently put into effect here in Ireland to legally punish young people for non-criminal acts.  ASBOs will supposedly be a “last resort� for 12-18 year olds who “act out in an anti-social way� and could result in fines of up to €800 if not complied with.  (CLICK HERE for the RTE report.)

While living in England, I worked with young people through schools, NGOs and churches and I was very unimpressed with the overall attitudes of British people towards teenagers.  I remember one BBC news report in which various shop owners and their customers were complaining about young people hanging out on the corner, spitting, and being loud.  Yet, surprisingly, there was never mention of any kind of wrongdoing or criminal act or even “anti-social behaviour.�  Essentially, these were young people just being young people.  The news report kept referring to “the youth problem� in the UK.  From my perspective as a foreigner coming in to the country, the problem seemed more to do with adult attitudes than with young people themselves.  (Having said that, I also saw some great examples of youth work and resources in the UK, like Connexions and LCET, just to name a few.)

I’m not as clear on the history of this issue here in Ireland and young people don’t seem to be looked at as “a problem� nearly as much as what I saw in the UK, but I wonder if these ASBOs are the best option for government intervention.  I’m not as familiar with what government sponsored programmes there are in Ireland, but I would think that if there aren’t positive efforts to invest in young people and give them opportunity to participate in society in healthy ways, reactionary efforts alone like ASBOs could communicate the wrong things to young people (eg., “You’re a problem until you get to be adults and here’s what’ll happen if you step out of line until then.�)

So, what do you think?  Are ASBOs a good idea?  Will some young people just consider them an opportunity to build street cred, seeing it as a game (as mentioned in the RTE report)?  Does the government need to invest more in “diversion schemes� first?  Are there already quite a few schemes/programmes in place to encourage and train young people in life-skills?

More on ASBOs:
ASBOWatch.ie
Youth.ie
Irish Penal Reform Trust

(NOTE: Recently, it was reported by the World Health Organization that Irish children are among the happiest in the world.  CLICK HERE for more.)

BEFORE I start, I know it’s been an absolute age since I posted here (work literally crazy) but I haven’t forgotten about the writers or readers here and check in regularly.

When the nominations for the Irish Blog Awards began I nominated this blog as Best Group Blog because of all the hard work and dedication that has gone in to keeping it up and running from Daragh and everyone else. (Perhaps others nominated too, hopefully, as it’s a great blog)

So while I personally have fallen by the wayside, I still thought this blog deserved a mention so I’m delighted to report that we’ve made the long list for Best Group Blog and now all we need is for our readers to vote for us, to ensure we make it to the short list and be in with a chance to go before the judging panel.

We need your help. Please visit http://www.awards.ie/vote/ and vote for us in the Best Group Blog category. Whatever you do, don’t spam as that will result in your votes being discounted and us getting into trouble with Mr Mulley. Keep it to one vote each and everyone will be happy. The writers here all have ‘day jobs’ and so fit this blog into their spare time so I think they deserve some acknowledgement and I hope you’ll agree with me. If you’ve found this blog helpful, amusing, interesting or even just plain good then get your clicking finger out and vote for us.

While you’re there check out the other categories such as Best Personal Blog, Best Photo Blog and Most Humourous Post where some contributors here such as Red Mum, Rick O’Shea and myself (links in the sidebar) have also been nominated. If you could see your way to voting for us as well as this blog, that would be great.

As always, everyone is welcome to attend the Irish Blog Awards which will take place on March 3 in the Alexander Hotel. More details from www.awards.ie and www.mulley.net

Many thanks for your support and help over the past year and hope to see you at the Blog Awards. For now though, get a-voting – or I’ll send Twenty Major around!

EDIT: Also, could you maybe drop us a comment here when you’ve voted, so we’ll have an idea how well we’re doing? Cheers!

(Note to other contributors: The techies among you might be able to stick up an oul Blog Awards button or something? It’s beyond me but it might help to have it up in the corner there where the polls usually are. Cheers!)

Breaking News.ie is reporting that the water supply cut off which was taking place this weekend is to be reconnected this evening. No doubt to the delight of the 35,000 households affected if it is actually restored.
I called to a pal’s house last night in Kilbarrack where there was much flurrying around looking for containters not to mention the phonecalls to all her relatives to make sure they also knew. More details can be read here .

 

An investigation by the BBC has apparently unearthed exiled Islamic cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed making a call for Dublin Airport to be attacked.

The BBC News website says:

During an online question and answer session a Vigil member asked Omar Bakri Mohammed if Dublin Airport should be a terrorist target because US troops transit there on the way to Iraq.

The cleric replied: “Hit the target and hit it very hard, that issue should be understood. Your situation there is quite difficult therefore the answer lies in your question.”

Not that it makes a difference to the impact of the story but we know the troops actually go from Shannon and there is an ongoing campaign against this. More on this story on the new look Irish Times website (now with free Breaking News), along with Breaking News.ie, Twenty Major, Fat Mammy Cat, MacDara in the Leb and TCAL.