Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
Ballyhaunis
MISCELLANEOUS AMUSING ITEMS I’VE COME ACROSS #11
(i) I’m not sure my mother and I will ever truly understand each other. Read the rest of this entry »
PO’ BOY (2001)
Othello told Desdemona, “I’m cold, cover me with a blanket.
By the way, what happened to that poison wine?”
She says, “I gave it to you, you drank it.”
HAVE A HONKY TONK BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND
Alright feck the lot of ye, I’m going for a pint. Enjoy the weekend, fools. On Monday, I’ll be presenting a trophy dedicated in memory of my father to the winners of the Ballyhaunis U-10 football blitz. The above photograph is a loose representation of what a Ballyhaunis U-10 football blitz looks like. There may be a couple fewer Stetsons at our event. Also, we don’t have those fancy sitting bench dealies. Oh, and it usually rains too. But those three things aside, the likeness is only uncanny.
MISCELLANEOUS AMUSING ITEMS I’VE COME ACROSS #10
Roll over Oxegen – and tell Electric Picnic the news…
THE TAYTO YEARS
This week, I’ve been inveigled into writing on the topic ‘Food Memories of the 1980s’. It’s kind of a tall order, given that I was only a small boy during that decade. It was all a blur of penny sweets and Subbuteo as far as I can recall .
Go on, they said. There must be a few special Eighties food memories that stick out… Well, there was that time Duran Duran dropped by my house and we ate Rice Krispie Buns and played Space Invaders together.
Really, they gasped? No, of course not, you idiots. Read the rest of this entry »
THE GREEN AND RED OF MAYO
My friends Samir and Dee are getting married today and I’m sure its going to be a wonderful occasion. But come 5pm, I know that my thoughts will turn to McHale Park in Castlebar and the person I’ll wish that I was there with.
Brendan Thompson getting his mickey caught in his zip in junior infants: a critical analysis
Picture it: a vibrant tableau of rural Irish childhood in the 1980s. Two lines of infants, marshalled by an elderly nun, stand in a freezing corridor, waiting for their turn to use the toilet. There is some perfunctory jostling and pulling of hair. But for the most part, it is a peaceful scene. On the wall behind, a portrait of Pope John Paul II smiles down serenely. Read the rest of this entry »
A NEW HOPE
In these difficult times, the world is crying out for a man with fresh ideas…
Published: Evening Herald, December 2008ASHLING HOTEL
Someone once told me that the longer the pause a person leaves after telling you they need to ask a favour, the bigger the favour they’re likely to ask. A short pause signifies a small favour, such as “Can you pass me that newspaper?”
A longer pause signifies a bigger favour. “Can you lend me this month’s rent?” perhaps, or “I’m going to need that last parachute.” Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Irish Times, March 15th 2008Welcome to Brokesville
Ireland 2008: The champagne has been guzzled. The punchbowl is an ashtray. And there’s a strange girl crying in the bathroom. With analysts predicting the slowest economic growth this year since 1991, it looks as though the party is finally over. There’s no avoiding it. As a nation, its time to locate our jackets, make our excuses and flag a taxi back to Brokesville. Read the rest of this entry »