Category Archives: Entertainment

The Raising Ireland Interviews Are Back!

I love an oul chat, which is why I developed ‘Chitter Chatter’, the video interviews with Amazing Parents for Raising Ireland. There has (naturally) been a bit of a hiatus while I was having that adorable little baby Eva and all, but I’m slowly getting around to getting them edited and uploaded (you can see I was heavily preggo when we did these last few recordings!)

First up is Siobhán Boyce, who tells us all about losing her mum almost seven years ago, and how she guarded her daughter’s feelings at the time. Siobhan is also a nurse, who has put herself through college and calls Clodagh (now 11) her driving force..

Street Harassment in Dublin

I totally get that video of the woman walking through NYC, being verbally mauled by a pack of weirdos who have nothing better to do with their time. That guy who just walked beside her for ages? Creepy. As. Fuck. The whole time, I was willing her to break the silent bit and just let her arm extend swiftly & sharply to the left and knock the fucker out.

Not that it’s as bad here as in the States but you know, some days you’re just not in the humour for unwanted attention. I recently phoned Apple Support for a problem I was having with my iPhoto application on my laptop. I got through to India and the first thing the guy does is deliberately open up Photo Booth so that he can see what I look like.

‘Oh berry bootifool’ says he, in that ‘whispery’ voice that creeps use. Is that supposed to be sexy? (vomits)

I had just had Eva a couple of months, I hadn’t yet washed that morning, I was harassed because I had to pick Jacob up and just wanted my laptop fixed and this cheeky fucker was the last thing I needed. I wasn’t in the mood and I cut him off.

Then there are other days…. when you’ve just had your baby a couple of months, you haven’t washed yet that morning, you are harassed because you have to pick your toddler up and you just want your laptop fixed….ahem… and you’d nearly love someone to say ‘Hey beautiful! You’re doing great. Your ass looks great. Just brush your teeth before you pick the kid up and you’ll be fine’. Of course, if that someone was Hugh Jackman, then all the better.

Anyway, we have to take the serious things very seriously, and we have to take the not so serious things not too seriously. If some happy fucker in, say, a fire truck wants to flash his lights at me and honk as I am walking down the street, I am giving that happy fucker a wink back AT LEAST. Maybe even a little wave. (Sidenote: if some criminal-looking dude starts walking beside me for an indefinite period, I am locating the nearest hurling stick).

Creative Nation and I made a parody of the original video this week in Dublin. It’s just me, and my military coat, and my Ian Browne-like walk (why didn’t anyone ever tell me I walk like a man WTF?!) and all the fabulous street vendors in Dublin City.

We shot it over a few hours and I didn’t get hit on ONCE. Scarleh.

Enjoy x 10 Hours Of Walking In Dublin As A Woman

Dedicated To The Vagina I Love…

That’s the closing line of my acceptance speech at the glitzy awards ceremony when the Raising Ireland blog wins an Irish Blog Award this year. Good, innit?!

Except, I still kinda need you to help me get there. Please click on ‘Raising Ireland’ from the list HERE and if the blog post gets into the Top Ten, I promise I’ll get pregnant again straight away*

Cheers mates xxx

*There is no effing WAY I’m ever getting pregnant again. Are you for real?! ;o)

Golf Camp For Kids At The K Club!

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOSTERING YOUNG GOLFING TALENT AT THE K CLUB!

The K Club: synonymous with golfing champions, venue to the Ryder Cup in 2006 and several European Opens. The resort has played host to some of the world’s most legendary golfers. Now an opportunity has arisen to foster new golfing talent with the launch of The K Club’s Junior Golf Camps.

The Michael Dixon School of Golf at The K Club will run Junior Camps over several weeks during the summer months for young golfing enthusiasts aged from 6 – 16 years. The school uses the latest ‘Snag Golf Learning Equipment’ and the teaching is adapted for two age groups children aged 6-10 and from 11-16.

The Golf Camps are the ideal way to kick start an interest that is sure to last a lifetime, or to improve the skills and talent that are already showing. The camps take place on the Smurfit Course Driving Range and also incorporate the Smurfit Course Practice Facilities.

Each day will cover technical aspects of the game built around self-learning and awareness exercises which will also create team building, fun and increased confidence in each individual.

The groups are small with a coaching ratio of 1 coach to every 7 students so individual attention is assured. The camps are great value and cost €100 per child per week with three hours of coaching per day. Healthy snacks and drinks are also provided.

Dates run from the 30th of June to the 8th of August. Limited spaces are available and early booking is advised. To book your child into one of the weekly camps call The Golf Shop on (01) 601 7321 or email golfshop@kclub.ie

-ENDS-

For further press information please call Aileen O’Brien, O’Brien PR (045) 446422 aileen@obrienpr.com (086) 8403624

Camán & Play

We just love hearing from cool and innovative parents who are setting up and running new resources that are absent and needed in their communities.

So take a look at ‘Camán & Play’ – gaelic football and hurling lessons for pre-schoolers, with some Irish lessons thrown in so cleverly, that your kids won’t even realize they are learning!

http://raisingireland.com/caman-play/

Camán & Play!

‘Captain America’ attacks

Ecstasy hit the streets of Dublin sometime around the time that I turned 16 or 17 years of age. I don’t remember my parents ever talking to me about the dangers of drug taking, but thankfully I was too much of a chicken shit to take any. Plus, I was really vain, liked to show off on the dance floor and didn’t like the way people looked when they were marouavih.

Loads of my friends took drugs at the time; some have left this world because of addiction, some have health issues today due to drug taking in the past and some are absolutely fine.

Still, I worry about the advances in the manufacturing of drugs now, how I’m going to approach the subject with my kids when they’re experimental teens. It’s news stories like the ones this one this week, when there’s a ‘bad batch’ that could potentially kill our kids, that keeps me awake at night.

Review: ‘Bee The Book’

‘Bee The Book’ is a huge hit in our house. Jacob and I were lucky enough to meet creator Debra Tobin at the recent BabyTalk Festival, and we ran home with her book to try it out. What a cool innovation, to not only have fun & educational short stories to read, but to have mammy or daddy’s ACTUAL HEAD in the pages of the book as the storyteller?! FANTASTICO!!

Jacob is a fun-loving kid at the best of times, but he really laughed his ass off when Alan popped his head through the pages of the book to read to him. The photos that we took of him should be enough to convince you – JUST LOOK AT HIS FACE!!

Debra has been kind enough to offer all readers of Raising Ireland a 15% discount if you’d like to buy the book online. Just use the discount code RAISING when you check out at: The Bee The Book Website

Can’t recommend it enough,

Sharyn x

Review: ‘Where’s Larry?’

For years now us Irish, and lovers of all things Celtic alike, have had a fascination with leprechauns. These funny little fellas with mischievous grins and a penchant for divilment have filled us with wonder for centuries, heck there’s even a leprechaun museum. I watched Darby O’Gill And The Little People as a child, and have felt slightly uneasy about these cheeky little chap pies sever since.

Larry the Leprechaun by Philip Barrett (O’Brien Press) is a great book for kids and adults. In the vein of ‘Where’s Wally’, Larry is a lost leprechaun who must be located among a sea of amusing characters – mostly hilarious Irish stereotypes including hurlers and historical figures. There are lots of random characters in the crowd; mime artists, aliens…the list is infinite. Each page sees Larry in a different scene such as the St Patricks Day Parade, and Irish heritage sites such as Newgrange. The illustrations are incredibly vibrant and detailed so huge kudos to the artist.

Rather than have an oul’ wan like myself to solely review the book (or my 2-year-old with the attention span of a goldfish), I gave it to two of my wonderful students from Kidcast Theatre School, Sophie Fagan Barry (9) and Tori Dillon (10). Here are their thoughts on the book:

Our excellent reviewers, Sophie & Tori!

Describe the Book;

Well it’s a bit like Where’s Wally but it’s better because it’s more entertaining and there are more characters to find.

What are your favourite parts of the book?

We like the book because if you like finding things, it’ll be good. It’ll keep you entertained for a long time. If you have some free time to fill, this book will keep you amused for ages and well… Because it’s just really good.

Who do you think this book would appeal to?

We think this book would appeal to all ages as there’s something for everybody. If you’re bored just pick up the book and it’ll keep you busy for ages.

What are your favourite characters?

We loved the clown, the witches…who was the fella with the hurling stick…oh yeah, Cuchulainn and of course we loved Larry.

Rate this book out of 10

We rate this book a nine out of ten because it’s just very fun.

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Well you can’t get more honest than that!

I think that this book would be a great gift to send away to all of those Irish nieces, nephews and loved ones living abroad. It is a warm and humorous homage to all things Irish and all in all, a great book.

**You can order this, and other children’s titles from O’Brien Press at: The O’Brien Press Website

Competition: Win ‘Celtic Names For Children’ from O’Brien Press

We have a great prize for anyone who is, or knows someone who is, expecting a baby and just can’t come up with the perfect baby name!

Celtic Names for Children is a dictionary of over 2,000 Celtic names from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany, which contains origins, meanings and pronunciation.

To enter our draw to win the book, please send your name and address to: info@raisingireland.com before midnight on Sunday the 8th of March. We will announce our winners on March 9th.

REVIEW: A Rosette for Maeve and Colm’s Lambs by Anna McQuinn

Written in association with the Irish Farmers Journal, these two books – set in the fictional Glenmore Valley – offer a glimpse into what life is really like for a child growing up in a small Irish rural community. A Rosette for Maeve tells the story of nine-year-old Lisa O’Sullivan, who lives on a beef farm with her family. When Lisa is given the exciting task of showing a new calf at the Glenmore Valley Show, she has just a few days to learn how to train, groom and handle a Belgian Blue called Maeve, a boisterous bovine who fancies herself as a bit of a supermodel. It’s a sweet, simple tale about how a young girl deals with responsibility and is dotted with educational facts about calves which knowledge-hungry kids will enjoy.

While A Rosette for Maeve is light-hearted, Colm’s Lambs has a darker edge. It is lambing season on the O’Connor sheep farm, and eight-year-old Colm is helping his farmer Dad deliver the babies. When one of the lambs dies, Colm remains pragmatic yet pensive, whereas two visiting children from Dublin are utterly distraught at the notion of an animal dying. The reality of farming life is laid more bare in this book – Colm’s Dad is exhausted after pulling lambing all-nighters, and one poor newborn is abandoned by its mother – so it would be a good choice for a child who is bored of sugar-coated stories and fancies something a bit more emotionally challenging.

Both books are illustrated with charming watercolours by Paul Young and my three-year-old daughter, while too young to understand the content, really enjoyed looking at the pictures and making up her own story! Boys and girls from the age of six upwards will enjoy the Glenmore Valley series – be they from the country or a city – and will look forward to finding out more about the valley’s other residents, from Geraldine Brosnan the vet to the art-loving Caffrey family who run the local cafe.

To order either of these books, please visit the O’Brien Press Website