Category: Uncategorized
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Casablanca
26 November 1942 saw the premiere of the movie ‘Casablanca’. Play it Sam. Set in World War II in the Moroccan city of the same name, ‘Casablanca’ starred Humphrey Bogart (Bogie) and Ingrid Bergman. Bogie plays Rick, the cynical nightclub owner. Bergman plays Ilsa, his former lover who reappears unexpectedly one evening in his club.…
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Bob Geldof
On this day, 25 November, in 1984, a Dublin native by the name of Bob Geldof rounded up 44 friends and fellow musicians to record a pop song entitled ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’. Band Aid was born. Geldof grew up in the middle class Dublin area of Dun Laoghaire. He first came to prominence…
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Sunday mornings in the city
Ever since I had the temerity to pop out of the womb of The Kilkenny Lady many moons ago, My Good Self has resided in The Fabulous Fair City of Dublin. I’m a Dub. A northside Dub. Having said that, on occasion I have been known to venture forth to the more affluent southside of…
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The perils of journalism
The world needs many things in order for it to keep ticking along. Marks & Spencer’s Food Hall is one of them. Brave journalists is another This week saw the detention of a man by the name of Yorgen Fenech in Malta. He was arrested in connection with the murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana…
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JFK
Many people remember where they were on 22 November 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. My Good Self has no recollection whatsoever of that particular day. I had yet to emerge onto the world stage. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was born on May 29, 1917. His family was not short of money…
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Bloody Sunday, 1920
There have been two Bloody Sundays in Irish history. The more recent one took place in Derry in 1972. The original of the species occurred on 21 November, 1920, a violent day in the history of Dublin. It was a time when Ireland was fighting for its independence from Britain. A man by the name…
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Diana
On this day in 1995, the BBC current affairs programme ‘Panorama’ aired an interview between its reporter Martin Bashir and Diana, Princess of Wales. It was riveting television. Diana Spencer, born 1 July 1961, grew up near the royal estate of Sandringham, in Norfolk, England. She moved to London in 1978 and three years later…
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Oscar Wilde
This week saw the recovery of a stolen golden ring given as a present by the renowned Irish writer Oscar Wilde to a fellow student in 1876. Taken almost 20 years ago from Magdalen College, Oxford, where Wilde studied, at the time the ring was valued at over 40,000 euro. Oscar Wilde emerged onto our…
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Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney
Today marks the 91st birthday of Mickey Mouse. He’s looking good on it. On 18 November 1928 Mickey made his first public appearance in a cartoon by the name of ‘Steamboat Willie’. Created by Walt Disney and his fellow animator Ub Iwerks, Mickey’s regular dress code is red shorts, yellow shoes and white gloves. He…
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The Dalai Lama
On 17 November 1950, 15-year-old Tenzin Gyatso was enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is seen as the spiritual leader of Tibet. 1950 was an interesting year in the history of Tibet. It gained a new Dalai Lama. It also lost its independence. Not content with looking after over one billion of…
Blind light 