Irish weather isn't always predictable. The majority of the time, the weather forecaster doesn't even know whether it's going to be scorching or snowing.
But seriously, we REALLY want a bit of summer now, it's gone beyond a joke. We had a few days in June that were extremely promising and got our hopes up for a great summer, but that was short lived.
We literally couldn't believe our eyes when we woke up this morning and looked out the window to what seems like a morning in December, does this mean we have to wear a jacket? We are not ok with this!
Some people took to Twitter to express their distain and it has resulted in the hashtag #IrishWeather, trending all over the country.
People are referring to today as Christmas in July, and we certainly agree…
Love Actually, Scrooged and The Grinch were on yesterday, and now comes on the heating #irishsummer#ChristmasNJuly
Music, film, theatre and poetry. Oh yeah, and there’s literature, exhibitions, symposiums and interventions. Not to mention walks, talks, workshops and dance. Or does a spectacular torch-lit parade tickle your fancy?
All of the above – and more – are taking place from today until Sunday week at the celebrated Skibbereen Arts Festival; meaning there are ten full days of fun to indulge in if you’re in the Cork area.
The Mad Pride Family Day, for example, takes place this Sunday, July 26. It will bring together local families with the aim of breaking down stigma surrounding mental illness – and involves a load of fun and entertainment: musicians, puppeteers, circus performers, face painters, arts and crafts facilitators, and artisan food producers will all be there, creating a carnival-like atmosphere.
And movie buffs will be happy to hear that Song Of The Sea will showcase on Monday. An Oscar-nominated Irish animation film directed by Tom Moore, the story is inspired by the mythological Selkies of Irish folklore. It also features the voices Brendan Gleeson, Pat Short, Lisa Hannigan, FionnulaFlanagan, and David Rawle.
Meanwhile, following on from the phenomenal success of last year’s inaugural staging, 4 Plays In A Day returns to Skibbereen – with the town itself becoming a stage for the day with four excellent plays by four different companies taking place in four different venues.
Tomorrow week, there will be an exploration of the life and times of Alan Lomax, one of the world’s greatest song collectors. He is most famous for his work around the Mississippi Delta, but he also travelled to the Caribbean, various parts of Europe, and North Africa.
Saturday, August 1 marks the 100th anniversary of his birth, so the Skibbereen Arts Festival along with host Donal Dineen will celebrate his legacy – in the company of well-known singers and musicians including David Kitt, Cian Nugent, and Liz Clarke.
We feel a little ill even thinking about this – but apparently you can now buy a colossal, mind-boggling 32in pizza in Dublin.
Being dubbed Ireland's biggest pizza (and we believe them), Pinheads Pizza on South Circular Road is seemingly doing a roaring trade.
Ordinarily setting you back €32, if you can polish it all off – along with two of the establishment's milkshakes – you'll be given your dinner for free, as well as a spot on their wall of fame.
"As part of a recent revamp of our store, we decided to come up with some new ideas which included the creation of the Biggest Pizza in Ireland," their website states.
Sadly, at the moment Pinheads don't deliver – they say they simply haven't designed a big enough box yet – but if you're in the area, would YOU be up for the challenge?
It is the video that everyone is talking about: surfer Mick Fanning filmed fighting off a shark attack in the middle of a competition in South Africa.
The 34-year-old only noticed the animal at the last moment; as terrified spectators looked on from the beach, Mick attempted to paddle away from the fish – only to be dragged off his board.
Mr Fanning was understandably shaken following the incident, which took place over the weekend. "I just had this instinct that something was behind me," he said afterwards. "And then all of a sudden, I felt like I started getting pulled under water.
"Then the [shark] came up, and I was on my board and it was like right there, and I saw the whole thing thrashing around."
He added: "I was getting dragged under by my leg [rope], and then I felt like it kicked me off, but it was still there, and I was still attached to my board. I felt like it was dragging me under water, and then my leg rope broke, and I started swimming and screaming."
The New South Wales native also explained that he punched the fish in the back in self-defence – an action which might well have saved his life.
The competition was subsequently called off – with Mick and his rival Julian Wilson (who had been battling it out for first place) agreeing to share the prize money.
Here, we bring you everything you need to know about Mick Fanning…
1) Michael Eugene Fanning was born in New South Wales on June 13 1981 – but his parents both hail from Ireland. His dad, John, is originally from Malin Head; he left for Australia in 1970.
2) His nickname is White Lightning – and he is a three-times world champion. He was just four when he first took to the waves on a board.
3) He is the youngest of five siblings, and Mick and his brother Sean developed a love for surfing together. Tragically, Sean was killed aged 20 in a car accident in 1998.
Mick now has a tattoo dedicated to his late brother, along with another inking of the Fanning family crest, on his inner left arm. After the weekend's incident in South Africa, his mother, Liz, said she believed Sean was looking out for Mick.
4) Mr Fanning has been married to model Karissa Dalton, 31, for seven years. They started dating more than a decade ago and were engaged on October 17, 2006 when he proposed with a square diamond solitaire ring set in white gold.
He describes Karissa saying 'yes,' as the best moment of his life. They married on March 15, 2008 in Queensland. She now works as an events stylist and planner and the couple share a love of dogs: they currently own a chocolate Lab, Kona, and a black Lab cross, Harper.
5) He trains hard out of the water too – regularly hitting the gym and working up a sweat. "I like being in shape," he's said previously, adding: "I like being able to eliminate my doubts by trusting that my body and mind are up to the challenge.
"If I do lose a heat, I don’t like wondering whether I could have done more to get the result I wanted. That’s why I train."
6) Mick is passionate about protecting the ocean environment – and thinks all surfers should strive to do the same.
7) He badly tore his hamstring in the early stages of his career back in 2004. He subsequently had to have it surgically repaired, but Mick bounced back to become one of the world's greatest surfers.
8) He seriously consider retiring at the end of 2011. "I was over it. I was truly over it. I had injuries and I had a lot on my mind that year," he explained. "It was a tough year personally."
However, after taking a time-out and surfing less regularly, he reignited his love for the sport – and found he couldn't stay away for long.
In the space of a single weekend Paul Dunne has managed to become a household name in Ireland, and undoubtedly around the golfing world.
But just exactly who is this mystery man who has experienced a meteoric rise to fame?
Here is what we know so far.
Paul Dunne is a 22-year-old Irish amateur golfer from Greystones, County Wicklow.
He is the only amateur golfer that qualified to play in this year’s widely renowned Open Championship in St Andrews golf course in Scotland.
Mr Dunne is a past pupil of Blackrock College. He also played college golf at the University of Alabama where he obtained a degree in business finance.
The rising star actually qualified for the 2014 Open but was knocked out after his two opening rounds.
Now, he currently sits amongst the best players in the world at the top of leader board.
The Open will finish today and although Paul is in the lead, bookmakers are sceptical that he can pull off the win as he is closely followed by golfing heavyweights including Jordan Speith, Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott.
If Paul does win today, he will be the first amateur to win the Open in 85 years. But unfortunately there is a downside. If Mr Dunne secures the win he won't get to take home the €1.8m prize money because of a rule that states amateurs who win don't get to keep the cash.
But with the his new found success and an inevitable flurry of endorsement deals, we think he'll manage just fine!
Earlier today, as you may have heard, Ireland introduced an official postcode system. Lucky us! We got there eventually.
The system, which has been almost a decade in the making, has cost the country an awful lot of money. In fact, Eircode is reported to have set the nation back €27m.
That’s a lot of new shoes, just saying.
Ireland is one of the last developed countries in the world to adopt the postcode system (oopsies). It is hoped that for those living in rural ares, the introduction of the Eircode system will make it easier for your postman or a courier service to find your house. Hopefully.
Under the new system, your seven digit code is broken into two parts. The first part is the location identifiers and the second four are the unique codes assigned to every property.
It sound quite straightforward and we reckon the good people of this nation wouldn’t have much hassle with the new system.
That does not seem to be the case according to the Twitter users of Ireland. The hashtag #eircode has been trending across the country since earlier today.
Just checked #Eircode – apparently I'm now a small but thriving Souvenir Shop in Montenegro.
Many users are taking to social media to voice their confusion, surprise, disgust, and of course there’s the usual few who can’t help but make a joke of the whole ordeal.
With a little over a month to go until the first round of CAO offers become available, let’s take a look at the direction that the courses appear to be heading in.
With the analysis of the 2015 CAO applications already well underway, the first assumption is that the points for law and engineering are on the rise.
When the first round of offers come out on August 17th, students should expect engineering, technology, law, architecture and other construction-related courses to have risen from last year.
According to The Irish Times, the points for arts, science, social science and primary teaching are most likely going to stay at a similar level to 2014.
As the points for medicine dropped in 2014 because of the reconfiguration of the marking scheme for the Hpat test, there has been a small increase in the number of applications to the field this year. This could result in a small points increase this year.
With the economy looking more stable, construction-related courses are not the only degrees gaining popularity again. Business courses remain prominent with applications up 2.3 percent on last year.
This could mean a 5-10 point increase for the most sought after business courses.
A huge drop has been seen in the number of applications for agriculture and horticulture courses. The number of students choosing them as their first-choice options are down by 19 percent from last year.
Giving evidence at the banking inquiry at Leinster House today, former taoiseach Brian Cowen claims that a few years ago Ireland was looking a lot like Greece is now.
In fact, he says that in late September 2008, the banks were just days away from running out of cash completely – something which would have sent the country spiralling into chaos.
"It was clear that all the banks were running out of cash," he told the hearing earlier today, saying the government then was looking at "days rather than weeks".
"The issue was going to have to be addressed immediately," the former TD went on to say. "Anglo was running out of cash. We were heading into a very dangerous position."
He continued: "I was coming to the view that given what was potentially at stake, whatever we did would have to have an immediate and dramatic impact in stopping the outflow of funds from banks and indeed reversing the trend if possible."
In an opening statement, Mr Cowen said that allowing Anglo Irish Bank to simply go bust was never an option as that would have had "implications for the whole system".
He said he also feared there would be widespread panic, and a "run on other banks," as well as "irreparable damage to the economy".
Following crisis talks with the International Monetary Fund, on November 21, 2010 the Irish government formally applied for a bailout – and was given €440bn in emergency funds.
It has been announced that Waterford is the county in Ireland with the biggest libido.
That’s right, the Crystal County are more up for getting freaky under the sheets than any other in our fair Emerald Isle.
A survey was conducted by EliteSingles.ie who researched the sexual desire of over 30,000 people in our evidently raunchy nation.
Participants were asked to rate on a scale of one to five their own response to the statement, ‘I have a strong desire for sex.’
Coming in second was Wicklow, while our promiscuous capital placed third. Kildare, Cork and Tipperary also proved that they too have a higher sex drive than most, while Galway fell in at tenth place.
Somehow we think that Waterford’s Tinder game is going to be stepping up a notch or two after this!
From Guinness to Ulysses and even Colin Farrell – it is no secret that certain Irish traditions are celebrated around the world, but, there is no export more loved than the Irish pub.
And now it seems that the idea of the Irish pub has been taken one step further.
Last month, Michael McNamara and Eoghan Cahill launced The Paddy Wagon in Boston. The Paddy Wagon is none other than an inflatable Irish pub.
Co-founder Mr Cahill explained to Irish Central just why they thought a blow-up tavern would be a good idea.
“Irish pubs are known all over the globe as being the most fun, entertaining and welcoming bars in the world. So, we wanted to take this one step further and bring this authentic Irish bar experience to people’s backyard.”
The idea was taken from the inflatable pubs that have been gaining popularity throughout Europe in recent months. Michael and Eoghan decided to take this idea and give it a twist from the Emerald Isle – and what better place to do it than the most Irish place outside of Ireland, Boston.
The budding entrepreneurs described the appeal by explaining just how much they have replicated the beloved Gaelic pub.
“The outside of the bar looks like a traditional Irish pub complete with fake brick walls and a thatched roof. We also offer seating for outside and inside.”
The inflatable pub also includes a fake fireplace and a full bar where drink can be served… with no looming calls for last orders either!
“The Irish are hot.” Why thank you Matt Bomer, we think you’re pretty easy on the eyes also.
After college,the Magic Mike XXL star moved to Galway and says he fell in love with the “celtic swagger” they we possess. Can’t say we’ve heard that one before, but thanks all the same Matt.
He says it helped him develop the skills necessary for those stripper scenes.
Matt says that “that city [Galway] changed me.” The 37-year old dad of three (married to Hollywood publicist Simon Halls) had previously been studying theatre before he decided he wanted to get out of the States for a while.
Matt said he had family roots here in Ireland decided this was the place to be. He admitted that he found it a little difficult when he first arrived:
“I was probably a little shy because I hadn’t been out of the States much but [the Irish], they have that self-assurance, that swagger, it’s so infectious and crazy amazing. The Irish are hot.”
At the premiere for Magic Mike XXL in London Matt said that if you were in Galway some 15 years ago he could have been the one serving your drinks. Who knew.
He was a bartender at Busker Brownes and a waiter at Kirby’s on Cross Street. He obviously has some fond memories of his time here as he credits it with helping boost his career.
He says after living in Galway that he “definitely built up more confidence which can’t have hurt my career.”
While he says that he loved his time in Galway in the past and it’s one of his “favourite places in the world”, he’s not the only one in his family with a passion for the Irish nation. His sister married a Galway man herself.
So does this mean Matt could be relocating to our hopeful shores soon? Maybe! Matt told reporters in London:
“I need to get back sooner rather than later. I miss that Celtic swagger,”
We can’t wait for you to show us that Celtic swagger in person next time Matt.
Battling its own financial crisis since 2008, Greece, a country of 11million people, has lately been hit yet more instability – namely because it's fast running out of money.
And, of course, if a government runs out of cash, it means that schools and hospitals can't stay open, and the likes of pensioners won't get their weekly allowance. In short, the country will shut down and likely spiral in chaos.
Greece owes billions to international creditors. But Athens was also been deeply unhappy with the terms of its 2010 bailout from the Troika (made up of the European Commission, the IMF, and the European Central Bank). It claims that its loan-terms are grossly unfair and, with unemployment hovering around the 25 percent mark, that growth and recovery is being severely prohibited.
On Tuesday, Greece missed a loan repayment deadline: it was supposed to cough up €1.5bn to the International Monetary Fund, but never did. It has thus become the very first developed country to miss an IMF payment. This weekend, it holds a referendum on whether it should adhere to bailout conditions or not.
A 'no' vote (oxi in Greek) is being backed by the Greek government and will likely see the return of its old currency, the drachma.
Here, SHEmazing! gives a breakdown of the latest developments from Athens:
Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras
How much does Greece owe and why is it in so much financial trouble?
Greece owes some €323bn to its creditors (Ireland owes €200bn – still considered high internationally). Understandably, its residents are beginning to panic – last weekend ATMs were emptied as citizens rushed to remove their savings from banks. The crisis has been brewing for years, however: the Athenian government spent beyond its means for a long time; it had to borrow heavily (a quarter of a trillion euro, in fact) in 2010 just to keep the country running. And because it is tied into the euro rather than its own currency, it couldn't just print more money to solve the issue.
Does it really matter if a country defaults on an IMF loan?
Yes it does – so much so that countries go to incredible lengths to avoid defaulting. But Greece's ruling Syriza party, which has been in power since January, has long wanted to prioritise domestic obligations – health, education, roads etc – over honouring bail-out installments. By missing its loan payment this week, it joined a less-than illustrious group of defaulters: DR Congo, Iraq, Sudan and Zambia have all been in the same boat. Its debt is beginning to mount too: Greece has to pay the European Central Bank €6.6bn by the end of the summer, and yesterday the IMF said Greece will need another €60bn in loans over the next three years just to stay afloat.
So, who is Alexis Tsipras?
He has been the Greek prime minister since January, when his Syriza party gained power via a landslide victory. A member of parliament since 2009 and a civil engineer by trade, he's still only 40. He's had to dilute some of his more extreme left-leaning persuasions in recent years, but still believes in withdrawing his country's Nato membership, imposing a 75 percent tax on Greece's wealthy citizens, and totally nationalising public services – including the banking sector. Understandably, the European ruling ascendancy (especially Germany) doesn't like him and wants him out; they'd just rather negotiate with a brand new parliament, in fact.
What's happening on Sunday?
Greece holds a referendum this weekend: its citizens are being asked whether to accept the terms of the 2010 bailout or not. Mr Tsipras argues that these austerity measures are "unbearable," and Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, has said that the programme imposed on Greece "is going to go down in economic history as the greatest cock-up ever." But German chancellor Angela Merkel disagrees, stating that the deal is "extraordinarily generous". Essentially, Greece reckons a no vote will allow it to negotiate better deals with its creditors, something the Troika has totally dismissed. Still, latest polls suggest a no vote will be passed.
What is it like in Greece right now?
The country's banks have been closed all week to all but pensioners (many of them don't have ATM cards). Otherwise, all citizens are allowed to withdraw €60 a day from cash machines: the money is released at midnight, prompting long queues to form once evening time comes around. People have been taking to the streets to protest too, though these demonstrations have largely died down now. Tourists (totaling 22.5million annually) continue to visit the country – especially the historical sites of Athens, and its picturesque islands and coastline.
'Grexit': what happens if Greece leaves the eurozone?
Well, no one knows for sure (a country has never left the EU before) – but it's likely to be pretty chaotic. For the Greeks themselves, hundreds of thousands of ordinary people would probably see their life-savings vanish. Further afield, a Grexit would have a ripple effect around Europe, but especially in fellow Troika territories: Portugal, Italy and Spain, and to a lesser extend Ireland and Cyprus. And other countries might consider leaving the euro themselves if their economies take a battering in future years. Finance Minister Michael Noonan reassured Irish people this week that the risk to our economy was small, as direct trade and financial links between the two countries is limited.
