Dun Laoire: Gay night in Lime April 3rd 2008

Ok for those of you not in the know, Lime is in the main street in Dun Laoire and it also has a fabulous light outside its door which shines the "Lime" logo on the street-If you stand on it, you are (temporarily) in the lime-light-gettit? anybody? *sigh* My jokes are wasted, either that or just really really shit! :-)

Anyway Lime will be hosting their first Gay night on this Thursday 3rd April 2008 with the lovely Mr. Gay Ireland Barry Meegan as the host for the evening. Its great to see something which exists outside of Dublin City Centre! And Lime is a great Venue-nice and spacious and cool and collected all at the same time, Who knew such a thing could exist in Dublin.

You can get more information on their bebo site and I hope it goes well on the night! I may be in attendance we will see how college work is going during the week.

Global Day of Action for Tibet

Only just recieved this now in my email, I would imagine the Peace March is over but the Candlelight vigil will be on later this afternoon.

====

Please don't forget that today, Monday 31st March 2008, is the Global Day
of Action for Tibet and that a Peace March for Tibet and a Candlelight Vigil for
the Tibetan People are being held in Dublin city centre.


The Peace
March begins at 12.30 pm from The Spire in O'Connell Street. Please wear black
and a white scarf (if possible, a white silk Tibetan khatag, but otherwise any
white scarf) - and maybe bring an umbrella! We will be marching to the European
Parliament Office (Molesworth Street), the Dail (Kildare Street), Government
Offices (Merrion Street), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (80 St Stephen's
Green).


The Candlelight Vigil will commence at 5.30 pm at the gates
to St Stephen's Green at the top of Grafton Street. Please bring candles and jam
jars (to keep candles alight inside).

We look forward to seeing you
there - and bring all your friends!!

Time yet again is ticking away...

BBC Radio 4 Broadcaster & the Giggles!

I came across this story yesterday and I just had to listen to it for myself. Charlotte Green, who maintain a decorum voice, as is expected of BBC newscasters for the first part of the clip about a recording of the oldest known recording of the human voice.She however struggled to maintain that decorum after listening to the piece. I can honestly say that I was slightly amused also by the clip and it is nice to see that *shock horror* they are human and not just drones who droll out the news in a monotone voice. Cheers for the Laughs Charlotte.

• You can hear Charlotte's Giggling fit here. Thankfully the BBC allows their broadcasts to go out in both WMP and Realplayer which means if you are behind a HEA server like I am most of the time, you will be able to hear it in WMP. If only RTE offered its broadcast service in WMP, life would be soo much
  
• The Oldest Voice recording story in existence is here.
  

Reminder: Put your Clocks Forward

Just to remind yall that we have an hour less in bed tonight which kind of sucks considering I was out late last night. If I am in a mood, I will be in a mood because of lack of sleep over the next couple of days. But rest assured I will be fine eventually!

Margaret Gill to speak on Late Late Show

For those of you who are not aware of who Margaret Gill is, I can honestly say from personal experience that she is a woman whom I admire greatly for her courage and conviction brought out by unfortunate circumstances. You can see a clip from her Prime Time interview on the RTE website. She is a truly remarkable woman and I look forward to seeing her on tomorrow show. She spoke at the MarriagEquality lunch a couple of weeks ago and she had the entire audience captivated by her frank discussion. A truly inspirational woman.

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Via 100 Days for Equality
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Just to let you know Brian Sheehan (GLEN) has just let us know that Margaret Gill (who spoke so eloquently and movingly about the death of her daughter and need for legal recognition of same sex partnerships) on Prime Time recently is on the Late Late Show this Friday.

UPDATE: 2/4/2008 Linky to Video of Interview

Equal-L: Protest at Polish Embassy, Dublin

=========
Via Equal-L
=========

Please come to the Polish embassy 5 Ailesbury rd Ballsbridge, D4 (01)2830855 this Friday 28th March 12 noon in solidarity with Polish citizens protesting against the installation of American Anti-Missile Defense System in Redzikowo.
Damien

Vigils happening in various locations, e.g. Berlin and Hamburg, Prague, London, Dublin, Washington DC, Fylingdales UK etc.

Equality Public Lecture Series: Doing Business Differently

Public Dialogue with Mick Wallace:Thursday, 24^th

April at 8pm.

Venue: Lecture Theatre Q015, Quinn School of Business, UCD

Doing Business Differently

How do ethical, political or moral obligations combine with business? Can we do business ‘differently’?

Mick Wallace, builder, developer, and philanthropist will be joined by Sara Burke, journalist, for a discussion on the subject of engaging in socially responsible projects and actions in business. This is a public dialogue, and there will be opportunity for audience members to take part in the discussion. The evening will end with a wine reception, to which you are all invited to attend.

This event is jointly run by the Equality Studies Centre within UCD’s School of Social Justice, and the Quinn School of Business.

All are welcome!

DIT Rainbow Week

The Stud.nets of DIT will be having their Rainbow week next week and it is only right and proper to give their schedule a little mention on the Hedgehog.

Ladies and Gentlemen of DIT LGBT Soc., Rainbow Week fast approaches.It's time to break out the shirts and ties, fix the facial hair, adjust your package and that's just the Dykes of Hazard. From the 31st of March to the 5th of April we are on a mission to gay up DIT. The plan of attack is as follows: Monday-Launch Party in Panti Bar(Downstairs) @ 7.30p.m. Tuesday-Guest Speaker('Staying Safe On The Scene') and Movie Night in Mountjoy Square S.U.@6.30p.m. Wednesday-Drinks in The Dragon @ 7.30p.m. followed by The George@9.30p.m. Thursday-Guest Speaker('Mental Health Issues for LGBT People') and Open Forum(Meet in Java City,Aungier Street @ 6.30p.m.) Friday-Dining Out in Odessa(14 Dame Court, D2) @6.30p.m. followed by Q+A! Saturday-Zoo Adventure and Picnic. Meet at The Spire @11a.m. The Phoenix Tigers left this comment on our bebo page; "were holding our annual lesbian 5 a side soccer tournament here in dublin on the 12th of april. its a one day event wit a great nite out to follow. we are inviting teams of 8 to come and participate. doesnt have to be a serious team just grab some mates and come along." Sounds like fun! If you are interested in the effort to save the USILGBTRO then check out: http://www.bebo.com/USILGBT So that's pretty much it for now, if you need anymore information email us at the address below. Viva la resistance! Gillian DIT LGBT PRO www.ditlgbt.com lgbtdit@gmail.com

Nostalgia trip 2

I have been binging on Youtube today. I will have such some bad withdrawals from this tomorrow. However another classic Nostalgia trip and for those of you who used to do Line dancing during that little craze during the mid-90s, just stop and think of what you took part in! (*resists temptation to form a line and do heel, toe, hop, heel toe*)

A bit of a Nostalgia Trip

I just heard my housemate humming this so it reminded me how funny it was.

I have achieved a life's ambition....

Ok well those of you who use facebook are well aware of the situation with Applications (aka Apps) and how they can take over your profile. The 'You are Gay!" app is one which I have on my profile, not for any major apparent philosophical or necessary reason because it is somewhat useless. However life is full of useless things so this one exists for the moment anyway.

Regardless, I have been used to getting the "someone thinks you are gay" email into my account which is fine because well duh, I am. However When I got the email in this afternoon which stated that "someone thinks you are straight", I was most amused. I was also a little puzzled as to what I have done lately which has made this person think I am straight, even a quick glance of my facebook profile has me in a 3.5ft high blue sequin conical hat and a cape from St.Patrick's day with facial makeup.

However i wish to thank that person for reaffirming my belief that I can pull off "straight" every now and then-even in a 3.5ft high blue sequin conical hat and a flowing cape. Now I have to push the boundaries further, anybody got any suggestions?

Just because it is f*$%K*Ng Hilarious.

Ok watch the first video first......





Then Watch this one......

Limerick Bloggers

I forgot to do a link to this the other week, but better late than never, In the Little Smoke has and compiled a list of roughly 50 known Limerick blogs and you can see the list on here. Its cool to see a compiled collection of Limerick Blogs, now all we have to do is watch the rest of the country catchup

Oh and yes the Angry Hedgehog has been listed on this list :-p

erm WTF?

Somebody in UCD must have an idea wTF this bleeding yokes are and where they came from?!

When 2.5inches is not 2.5inches

Well my old laptop finally kicked the bucket. Im guessing it was just the power board that the main issue was with, and the HDD should be fine. so I decided yesterday to remove the HDD and get an enclosure and make it an external HDD, which will be great because it means I will not have to purchase one for some 100eur. This is all well and good if it works. Will find out at the end of the week when the Enclosure I ordered will arrive.

However one thing which puzzled me about this whole recovery thing-usually I leave the HW techy stuff to other people, is the 2.5inch Hard-drive which isnt, coz when it is measured by tape, it is actually 2.75inches. So surely then an enclosure shud be a 2.75in enclosure and not a 2.5in enclosure and the same should apply to the description of the HDD. Anyway Im sure its one of those little mysteries that life has that will somewhere be resolved and nobody will pass on the memo.

So anyway I took some pictures as I was going along of the dismantling process. I might add, I got everything back in the proper position and it looks like a laptop again, minus the Harddrive & the memory, which I recovered. Whether it works or not I dont know. like I said the PWD is gone anyway so it doesn't matter. Hopefully the enclosure will work but we shall wait and see. I will give y'all an update when I get it.

The Sweets I love to hate..

Ok so on my way back to Dublin this evening I stopped in Mountrath as usual for my coffee before getting onto the motorway and of course I picked up a bag of sweets. (yes I have quiet the sweet tooth-Ask my dentist, he stopped me drinking Cola for goodness sake).

Anyway there it was, in its shiny orange, brown and yellow packaging, a big bag of Revels Chocolates. and I purchased it and went on my merry way on the motorway to deal with the madness that was the Bank Holiday traffic. So as I am halfway up the motorway I decide to tuck into some of the Revels.

For those of you unfamiliar with Revels, they have a chocolate outside and a various different styles of centres. These encompass minstrels, malteasers, toffee, orange chocolate, and coffee chocolate.

Now the problem with Revels is not the sheer level of difference between the fillings. The problem instead is that you never know which one you are getting and my personal little grievenance is EVERYTIME i think I am getting a Toffee chocolate, I end up getting a malteaser, or orange chocolate or Coffee chocolate. The problem with this is that I end up using my chew mechanism in my teeth, when I should be using my crunch mechanism.

So heres what I propose people at Revels....MORE TOFFEE please in your packets! I like toffee, and before someone says just go and buy a packet of toffee poppets, I still like Revels, I just would like more toffee!

Council of Europe calls on Ireland to decriminalise Abortion

RTE has reported that the Council has called for decriminalisation of Abortion in Ireland....Interesting timing considering everything that will be happening over the next couple of months Referendum wise.

Council of Europe calls for abortion rights

Tuesday, 18 March 2008 17:57

The Council of Europe has called on Ireland to decriminalise abortion.

The Council's Committee on Equal Opportunities says all member states should guarantee women the right to abortion.

The report calls for abortion be decriminalised, saying a ban does not reduce the number of abortions but can lead to more dangerous and clandestine procedures.

Via RTE.ie

Dame Maggie Smith is fighting Cancer

The Telegraph is reporting that Dame Maggie Smith has Breast Cancer and has had a tumor removed so far. I have first seen Maggie Smith in the Sister Act Series as Mother Superior and I have loved the woman's acting performances ever since. (I am but a little nipper you know). I do hope she gets better soon and recovers from this bout of illness.


Get Better soon Maggie!

Dublin Handel Festival

Came across this during the course of the day. All tickets to the events are free by all accounts so I shall be ringing up tomorrow to try and book some

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Dublin Handel Festival

Sunday 13th April – Friday 18th April 2008
Featuring “Messiah on the Street”,
Old City Temple Bar and other historic venues in Dublin

The Dublin Handel Festival is an annual event that takes place every April to bring to life the connections between Handel and the City of Dublin for Dubliners, Irish people and international visitors, through a week long programme that celebrates the cultural riches of the 18th century in a modern and contemporary context.

For more information visit the website:

The Potato Song.

Its James actually not Henry...

I know this will seem like a fruitless post to some however it amused me, I'm still the one posting here so I am going to indulge myself my amusements. :-) .

James, should not be mixed up with his more infamous cousin Henry, who was caught in the middle of public lewd acts recently. Henry has been out of commission for the last couple of weeks and was unavailable for comment for this post. His solicitor says he has been suffering from emotional trauma after the episode with that Gentleman a couple of weeks ago. For more information on that story, see the Telegraph article on it.

However it turns out that there is a whole series of the Hoover family leasing their services at the moment and Flissy666 tells of her experiences with Hetty.But I digress.

James is amazing and he is cute. Now I do realise it is a hoover and at a risk of bringing undue slagging because of innuendo [sic], but sure anyway, If anybody knows of a good man who is amazing and cute and can cook and clean well send us an email won't ya. Also if anybody sees Henry, tell him its all ok and nobody really cares to much. We all make mistakes and we all unfortunately pick up the wrong men as well.

Irish Times Letters Page: Dismissial of Prof. Carey

Another little gem in the Times today dismissing some of the claims made by Prof. Patricia Casey about a study she has been using to support her assertions about the "necessity" of a father and mother. Perhaps Prof. Casey needs to review (again) her position.....

Madam, - As researchers we are most flattered by the publicity our systematic review on the role of father involvement in developmental outcomes of children has received internationally. However, we feel it is important that conclusions based on our research results are correct and truthful to what the original design of the study allows.

It has come to our attention that Prof Patricia Casey has referred to our article in supporting her views on traditional marriage between biological parents being the best environment for a child to be raised in (March 5th).

Prof Casey's conclusion that the article is one of the "compelling reasons to continue giving marriage between a man and a woman the special support of the State" is not valid based on our findings.

According to our review of longitudinal studies, there is certain evidence that cohabitation with the mother and her male partner (biological father or father figure) is associated with fewer externalising behavioural problems. There is also evidence to support the positive influence of father engagement on children's social, behavioural, and psychological outcomes, although no specific form of engagement has been shown to yield better outcomes than another.

Please note that no comparisons were made with gay or lesbian family constellations in the studies included in the review. Therefore, there is nothing whatsoever in our review that would justify the conclusion that same-sex parents cannot raise healthy children who do well.

The fact that engaged fathers are important for their children calls for policies promoting involved fathering, if anything, such as paternal leave and the possibility to stay home with sick children, when the family constellation includes a father or father figure.

Unfortunately, traditional marriages do not automatically promote father engagement. - Yours, etc,

ANNA SARKADI, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Sweden

Via The Irish Times

Dublin: St. Patrick's Day Parade 2008.

I will do a proper post on this tomorrow but right now I am shattered so You will have to content yourselves with some pictures which I took.

Dublin: Fingal Co. Council to allow Civil Marriages in Town Hall

Well it would appear the Civil Registrations Act 2004 has begun its remit properly with the Green Party encouraging the use of Civic Buildings in order to allow the institution of Civil marriage to take place. Needless to say, this applies to Heterosexual couples only. Oh and any councils out there which wants to start issuing Marriage licenses for Same-sex couples, it would be great if you thought about it, whilst also using your own clout to influence Central Government policy. Funny isn't it though that this comes from a Green Party Cllr when there own party endorses Same-Sex Civil Marriage but kinda gave up on that when they went into Government..

Couples to say ‘I do’ in Swords County Hall

Green Party Cllr Joe Corr has welcomed Fingal County Council's decision to allow civil marriage ceremonies take place in the council chamber of the County Hall in Swords.

Cllr Corr put a motion to the Council requesting the use of the chambers, following recent legislation changes permitting civil marriage ceremonies at nominated locations.

Cllr Corr said: “Fingal County Council’s Swords building offer fine facilities to local couples who wish to marry. The council chamber in County Hall is very beautifully designed and would make a fantastic back drop for a marriage ceremony. There are a number of additional benefits to having a civil ceremony at the Hall. Firstly there is the size of the room and the public gallery to accommodate guests. Secondly, there is the added value of web-casting so that relatives around the world unable to attend the wedding can log on and view it. I also see it as a valuable service provided by the council for the community and in particular for couples who would like to have an alternative to a church wedding in their local area.”

The motion received widespread cross party support and the Council Executive has said arrangements will be made to make the Chamber available when not in official use.

“I consider Fingal County Council to be the most innovative local authority in the country and as a local authority both the management and the elected members are constantly looking for new ways to provide a full service to the people of Fingal,” said Cllr Corr. “I am delighted that the Corporate Service Department will now actively pursue the possibility of having the Mayor of the day appointed as a Soleminister to perform the civil ceremonies, and make Fingal the first local authority in the Republic of Ireland to do so.”

via: Green Party Website.

The Big Yogurt.

Ok I have been resisting the urge to talk about the big "D" in the economy mainly because I subscribe to the view that it is a self fulfilling prophesy and if we keep talking about a "d" then it will eventually happen. So instead of talking about a "d" in the economy or an economic "d" I am proposing that we use the word Yogurt for the rest of this post. Why Yogurt you may ask, well because a)its funny to think of an Economic Yogurt and b) A Yogurt is made in a specific way of blending a series of ingredients in order to get the consistency right.

So what evidence is there to support the argument that the Republic is in the beginnings of an economic Yogurt? Well since the start of 2008, we have seen a decline in the number of houses being built, a couple of hundred jobs shed around the country and a currency exchange rate go up against the dollar which affects our imports and exports. So we are screwed right? I disagree and I'm not an economist or anything remotely associated with the Financial Sector. I am a typical Irish citizen who has benefited from the growth rates of 10-14% over the early 2000s which was great. I have not known a time when I have solely needed to rely on the state. I have been lucky that I have always got what I needed and sometimes more. I appreciate that and I am thankful for it. So whilst I don't believe we will continue to enjoy those growth rates for a long
time to come, because I think that is just unattainable to have that continually, a growth rate of some 4-5% is much more manageable.

So what has prompted this post? Well this afternoon, the Examiner's breakingnews reported that there was a 0.6% drop in Retail sales in February in the U.S. . Ok whilst I am sure it is a potential loss of Revenue in the retail companies in general, there is no way you can sustain the spending which was being drolled out by Consumers over the last couple of years. So what has this to do with Ireland and its potential "yogurt". Well its' simple if the US catches a sneezes, we apparently get a cold if you are to believe the rhetoric of what George Lee, RTE's economic editor, has been saying for the last 4 years. And since the apparent makings of the yogurt last summer, George was assigned off in China. Why? Well he made a good documentary out there but the Lee Prophsesy of Doom and Gloom was coming through in Ireland.

However what I find interesting about the language of the Heading of that report is "Retail Sales Plunge by 0.6 Percent". Ok now seriously? a plunge? at 0.6 percent? I honestly do not think it is a plunge per se. Coupled with the drop over xmas and january, it may constitute a drop in retail sales but a plunge? I disagree. Like I said earlier we are talking ourselves into a bleeding yogurt at this stage!

The problem with yogurt is that it can go off if it is not eaten before its sell by date-pretty obvious. How do you get a good balance. I don't know, But talking negatively does not help anybody. Time to get up and get on with it...

Oh and I will have a Hazlenut Yogurt if anybody is offering.

Well I didnt win the Lotto

Well i didn't win the lotto last night. Damn there goes my plans for World Domination...

€14m lottery ticket sold in Co Kildare

The National Lottery has said last night's winning Lotto ticket was sold at Tesco in Newbridge, Co Kildare.

The single winning ticket, which was a €4 quick pick, was bought yesterday.

via RTE.ie

Gay Clare Disco: 26th April

Gay Clare is pleased to announce that we have secured
a new venue for our next disco. It will take place on
Saturday 26th April next
in the Inisheer Suite of the West County Hotel, Clare
Road, Ennis.
Time 10.00 till late. Admission €10.
As this is our biggest venue to date all support would
be appreciated.

More information is available on www.gayclare.com or
www.bebo.com/gayclare.

Wehave accommodation details on our website.

More details will follow in due course.

Please spread the word and let anyone you know who
might be
interested in coming along.
The night can only be a success with everyone’s
support.

Hope to see you on April 26th

Regards & thanks
Gay Clare

Germany: Boingy Boingy, Trampoline hits Train

RTE reports that a High-Speed German Train had to make a major emergency stop when a Trampoline blew in front of it Today. It stopped some 300 meters after impact down the track. Now if that was a James Bond car, the Parachute would have been at the back of the car so it would capture the air and slow it down well below the 300 meters mark.... Honestly I thought the Germans were supposed to be the uber-efficient ones.

LB: Deaf Communtiy Center Meetings & Events Information

Via lette @ Limerick Blogger

Deaf Communtiy Center Meetings & Events Information

Short notice for some of these I know, only got the heads up on this today.

Citizens Information Evening - Thursday 13th March 7pm

Following on from the success of the Citizens information evenings held in various hotels across the Mid-West region as organised by ‘Sign Information Mid West’ it has been decided to hold some information giving evenings in the Deaf Community Centre, 96a O’Connell Street Limerick.

So if you have a question about your rights and entitlements including Tax, Rights Employment issues, Entitlements, Social Welfare, Money problems etc. and wish to discuss this one to one with an ISL/English Interpreter, please come to the Deaf Community Centre on Thursday 13th March between 19.00 and 20.00.

Pool tournament – Saturday 15th March 12.30pm

We had to make a change in the pool tournament because of the rugby match, so now we will have a Pool tournament is for over 18’s only on Saturday and it is 2 Euro each, we will have a pool tournament for under 18s only during the midterm/Easter break. Ger Boyce will referee and we will go to The Bank pub afterwards to watch the Ireland vs England rugby match. All welcome!!

Mid West Deaf Association St Patricks day social night – Monday 17th March 8.30pm

MWDA will have a social night in the bar in Punches Cross hotel, Rosbrien.

Permission to Marry

Ire: Ambulance Service Strikes

Ok, its kinda a big deal. When an integral part of our primary response teams within the Health network decides it is going on strike, you can be guaranteed that there will be a few more unnecessary deaths within the country because they will not be able to get to an appropriate Hospital in time. SIPTU has served strike notice on the HSE this afternoon. According to the RTE report, it "represents 1200 emergency ambulance personnel" but also admits that if this strike action goes ahead "some 999 services may be affected if the action goes ahead.". The dispute is centered around new contracts for three private ambulance services for "non-emergency patients" signed last December. SIPTU claim its part of a further privatization lesson in the Health service.

Now speaking as someone who has had to avail of an Ambulance service on more than one occasion-most notably last year when I was brought out of the car crash on a spinal board, I can honestly say I was very grateful for the oxygen to calm me down before I got the real drugs! The possibility of 1200 Ambulance drivers going on strike across the country is kind of worrying!

Personally whilst I can see both sides of the argument, and I am tending to go down the SIPTU route and believe that overall it this will probably contribute to the further privatization of the Health service. That argument about the use of Public lands for Private Hospitals otherwise known as "Co-Location" is however, for another day. Whilst some public services can be found in the marketplace, the provision of the Ambulance service is not one which I welcome being privatized. We had a very similar Air Ambulance service up until the mid 1990s. We now only have 3-4 major bases which are operated by the Irish Coastguard now. The rest of the stations are manned by Private operators between a specified time.

Despite the HSE's assertations that this is for non-emergency patients, I don't believe them. If they were serious about their patient tactics, they would have not gone behind the backs of Unions in these talks and would have actually dealt with these issues, instead of having a now plausible situation of 1200 Ambulance drivers going on Strike. I hope that I will not need an ambulance over the course of that strike but unfortunately we know that somebody will. Hopefully it won't be too late for them.

• RTE News.

Seachtainí na Gaelige: Cúpla Amhraní.

Given the week that is in it, I figured that some Irish songs are more than warranted this week.

Ar dtús,

Sean Monaghan agus 'An Dreoilín'

Clancy Brothers agus 'Oro Se do Bheatha Bhaile'

Madonna or Bust!

Lets see if you can guess who this diva Impersonator is?

Bodily Integrity? Whose choice?

Firstly apologies for the lack of posting around here the last couple of days. I am in the middle of doing up my thesis proposal at the moment so that is kind of consuming my life at the moment.

I watched a documentary in Katherine's Sexualities & stigma class last night, Like a Ship in the Night by Melissa Thomson. It is the human story of 3 women from various parts of Ireland-North and South and from very different class backgrounds. However these women have one thing in common, they made a decision at some stage within their lives to have a termination of a pregnancy, otherwise known as an Abortion. It is not your traditional abortion documentary that some of us may have seen in Secondary school religious class, where they talk about the physical medical act of abortion and describe the operation in excruciating detail. I will say now, that whilst I personally may not necessarily like the idea of abortion-and I accept that this is my Catholic upbringing being brought to bear on my morality-I am very much more pro-choice about the issue. I appreciate that this may not necessarily go down well with some people but I will ask you to think about the Hobbesian version of liberty, which entitles you to enjoy your own personal human liberty and do whatever you want to do, so long as you do not affect the personal liberty of another independent human actor. I invariably live my life by that rule.

I decided I needed to do this post because this work affected me. The reason I think it affected me so much was the stories reflected a constant sense of burning shame which was felt by these women who shared their stories. Even when this was made, for some of them some 20 years later, all of their faces were not shown during the interviews.


If I am honest, it was probably the first time in 23 years that I have had to engage with the issue of abortion properly, despite my previous experiences in School. I do remember one of the most memorable arguments I had with one of my grandmothers was in 2002, around the time of the last of the Referenda on the issue. Despite the fact that I was unable to vote on the referenda, I was very much intrigued in the law and how it affected people's lives even when I was 17. I was arguing my point about pro-choice. My grandmother the opposite. Eventually my mother had to interject the conversation and tell her son to relax and go make a cup of tea for my grandmother.

That theme of invisible societal shame, that came with making a decision and going through with it AND enduring the consequences of that decision was almost tangible in that documentary. One of the quotes which struck me completly from the DVD was from:

"And yet spiritually or morally I knew it wasn’t an easy decision. It wasn’t that I was going off reveling in my decision. What happened was it was very complicated. I was in a kind of a climate in Ireland where abortion was a crime, where women were filthy criminals who went to England to have an abortion, and they should be stopped at all cost. And yet I had a huge amount of grief round making that choice. I didn’t want to have had to make that choice. I got pregnant. I had been using contraception. The contraception failed. I hadn’t been irresponsible. I was a young woman where I had my whole life before me and I dearly fervently wanted that life. I wanted to have as much control over that life as I could. And to be forced into a pregnancy against my wishes because a large group of people in the country that I was living in didn’t approve of my choices and my lifestyle, you know what I mean, it was just too much for me. I just decided: “No, his is the life I want to try and give myself a chance to have. I don’t want to be tied at home with child, much as I love children, much as I love my friends’ and family’s children, not right now, hank you very much.” You know, so, it was very liberating, and it was very important."
- L. via Transcripts, They left like ships in the Night(2006)

"where women were filthy criminals who went to England to have an abortion and they should be stopped at all cost" . This statement astounded me. Filthy Criminals, who "should be stopped at all cost". I am sorry but seriously! I know these women had her termination in the 1983 after the first Referenda on Abortion when no information was allowed to be given to women who were in this situation. Whilst information is now given out by the Irish Family Planning Agency & Positive Options campaign, we still export our "problem" to another jurisdiction i.e. the United Kingdom, because abortion is illegal in the North and South.

There is according to these documentary 40-50 women leaving the North every week to go to the UK. It also estimated that there are some 180 women leaving from the South every week to go to the UK. That is some 220 women a week north and south going to have a termination. Roughly 880 people a month. Roughly 10560 women a year. If we take just in the last 25 years(since the first referendum on the issue) that that figure has remained constant, that is 264,000 women who have been unable to defend their right to the integrity of their own bodies because "we" don't want to have abortion on the island of Ireland.

Women have a right to the integrity of their bodies and if we believe in that right, it then flows that they have the decision to terminate or not. I highly recommend that those of you who have your own opinions and hold the moral high ground on abortion to challenge yourself to answer this question, as a defender of that ground, Would you personally stop a women who has made the decision to terminate, based on her own experiences & circumstances? I know, I could not and I would not.

DIT: Senator David Norris to Speak about Civil Partnership Bill.

The DIT Law Society have invited Senator Norris to speak about the Civil Partnership Bill Senator and his own experience of activism for equality over the decades.Details are as follows:

Date: Thursday, March 6, 2008

Time: 7:00pm

Location: Room 5034

Campus: DIT, Aungier St

There will be a wine reception afterwards. Admission is free and everyone's welcome!And for more information, there's a Facebook Event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10693496086

Dáil Records:

Whilst reading through some of the Dáil records I came across this little gem from Deputy O'Connor. He was speaking about the Civil Registrations Bill on 28/1/2004 and was a little bit aphrehensive about his input on the bill. However this is a great piece to have in Dail records regardless!

Mr. O'Connor: "Since I became a Member of the
Dáil I have sometimes considered how I might address the Chamber and contribute effectively to various debates. I learned today that responding to a fire alarm is an
effective way to get Members of the House worked up and excited. Bearing in mind the type of legislation under discussion it was perhaps appropriate and, indeed, ironic.
I am glad we all survived and I hope my colleagues opposite survived it as
well..."

Dáil Éireann - Volume 578 - 28 January, 2004
Civil
Registration Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed).

Classic

Championing Equality: Zappone & Gilligan in UCD

On Thursday evening, I had the delightful pleasure of helping to organise the Equality Society's Inaugural annual lecture with guest speakers, Katherine Zappone & Ann Louise Gilligan. I was going to be lazy and not post about this, but the beauty and love that I felt personally at this event was too much to ignore. I have been following the KALcase since it started in 2004, I even have the breakingnews.ie article on pdf from when it was first announced they would be seeking judicial review against the Revenue Commissioners. I was in the States at the time and remember feeling a sense of immense pride that something, anything was happening finally with my rights. I was only on the process of coming out, and having all those mid-phase hangups, but this happened around the October/November of 2004, and coupled with a number of other factors, I came out to the last of my mates in the Carolina Global Community in USC. I remember commenting at the time to a mate, that I didnt hold any faith in the Irish Judiciary in making a decision of this magnitude, thus far this has proven to be the case. We shall see how the Irish Supreme Court reacts when the case goes before it sometime this year or early next year.

However back to the event, Judy Walsh, chair, opened the talk by discussing the need for further societal acceptance for affective equality which set the tone nicely for the rest of the talk. Ann Lousie spoke first, describing Rawls second principle of Sameness to the gasps of some of us who are not necessarily in favour of Rawls Theories of Justice and his belief in the inherent selfishness of man. She then contrasted this with Iris Young's theory of Difference with this and used these two theories to describe the current debate about Gay Civil Marriage and whether it was assimilationist or not. Speaking about how Katherine and her met, she advised that in 1981 Boston College only had 2 PhD studentships available. Ann Louise got one. Katherine got the other. A Match that has lasted up to this day.

Katherine began to speak then, whilst Ann-Louise looked on, about the beginning of their work in Brittas, West Tallaght and the beginning of their community centre which operated out of their backyard from 1983 up until the late 1990s, when it moved to a purpose built building and was renamed 'An Cósan' and is still in operation providing second chance education in West Tallaght.

Then Ann Louise talked about their relationship and their decision to marry in 2003 in Canada. She described how it was a complete family occasion. To have their commitment to each other recognized civilly through the state, she acknowledged was a beautiful experience. She said that "Some people ask us, if it made a difference to our lives. I can honestly say that it has". Coming home from Canada, they did as all returning newly-weds did and registered their marriage with the state's institutions. And Revenue declined to accept their marriage due to the Oxford dictionary's definition of marriage being a heterosexual institution of "one man and one woman". Rightly they proceeded with a judicial review of their case, and as already outlined it is currently set to be heard sometime by the end of this year or early 2009.

The talk ended shortly after that, but not after they both instilled a sense of the love and Commitment which they feel for each other. Anybody who up to this point had doubted the motives of these two women, as just two lesbians looking for tax breaks, would be severly pushed to hold onto that stance by the end of this talk.

To say that this event has change my life, would be a lie. It has not. However It certainly is one of those events which shall be marked as an important facet of my life (take note you future biographers). I only hope that some day I will be able to enjoy a relationship of such commitment and love for even a brief amount of time.

Thank you.

International Women's Day: Aiming for Maternal Survival: Promoting the Rights and Health of Women and Girls

The Irish Forum for Global Health Invites you to attend their international conference marking
International Women's Day:
Aiming for Maternal Survival: Promoting the Rights and Health of Women and Girls
Date: Saturday March 8th 2008
Time: 9.30 am - 4.30 pm
Venue: Irish Aid Volunteering & Information Centre, 27-31 Upper O’Connell Street Dublin 1

An international panel of speakers will discuss the conditions that underlie ‘the global emergency of maternal mortality.’

International Centre for Research on Women
Rohini Pande “Women Deliver for Development summary - Maternal mortality: the global emergency”

United Nations Population Fund
Azza Karam “Culture, religion and the health of girls and women.”

The Foundation for Women’s Health, Research and Development (FORWARD)
Naana Otoo-Oyoryet “Child marriage”

Girl Child Network Zimbabwe
Hazviperi Betty Makoni “Girl’s empowerment”

International Initiative for Maternal Mortality & Human Rights
Gunilla Backman “Developing an Action Plan”

WHO World Health Organisation

Mario Merialdi “ Inequity and the need for social research”

Options UK
Kirstan Hawkins “Paticipatory ethnographic research in sexual, reproductive and maternal health programs”

NUI Galway and the University of Zambia
Mary Manandhar “Researching socio-cultural and gender contexts of maternal survival in Zambia ”

Speakers from Irish NGOs including AkiDwA, Banúlacht and others to be confirmed.

The event will also host painting from the WHO Exhibition Entitled “ART FOR HEALTH!”

If you would like to register please rsvp by email to info@globalhealth.ie or for more information download the attached invitation and registration form.
Note there is no fee to attend this event
This conference was organised in conjunction with : Irish Aid, The Women's Health Council and Options UK

Banúlacht International Women's Day Conference: Reimagining Women’s Human Rights

Banúlacht International Women's Day Conference

Reimagining Women’s Human Rights

Friday, March 7th 2008
9.00 to 5.30 p.m.
Axis Centre, Ballymun, Dublin

International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day, March 8th, is a day when women throughout the world come together to celebrate women, the gains and achievements made by women through the years in their fight against oppression, prejudice and inequality. Banúlacht conferences aim to celebrate activism and link local and global aspects of the women’s movement and feminist activism.
Banúlacht holds an annual conference to celebrate International Women’s Day. The theme for this year’s conference is Reimagining Women's Human Rights. The conference is for women from community development and community education organisations, non-governmental organisations, national organisations, as well as individual women, feminist activists and all those interested in feminism and development from a local and a global perspective.

The conference will address the questions:
· What are the key women’s human rights issues today for women in Ireland and globally?
· What are the links between community development and human rights?
· What can women in Ireland do to promote and fulfil women's human rights in solidarity with women in the South?

Key note speakers

Valerie O’Carroll—Community activist in the women’s sector, currently working with the National Women’s Council of Ireland as a campaign development worker.

Amanda Khozi Mukwashi—Head of External Relations with Skillshare International and Vice Chair of Akina Mama wa Afrika.

Sarah Mukasa—Ugandan feminist activist who currently works as programme manager with the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF).

Anne Marlborough
Anne Marlborough is a feminist human rights activist, currently working as CEO of Doras Luimni, an NGO which supports migrants in the mid-west.

See our website www.banulacht.ie for:
A full-colour conference leaflet
Conference information in MS Word format
A Booking Form in MS Word format
Directions to the conference venue.