Ireland

  • In general, I don’t do blogs pointing out individuals, but sometimes I feel I have to. Regardless of what you think of Ronaldo as a person, if you really love football, especially international football, you have to agree with me that Ronaldo should never ever play again. Of course, most of the players have done

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  • Art competitions were held as part of the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Medals were awarded in five categories (architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture), for works inspired by sport-related themes. The Irish artist Jack Butler Yeats(brother of W.B Yeats) won the silver medal for his painting the “Liffey swim”, as seen above. The

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  • A few weeks ago, I discovered a Jewish Cemetery in Limerick. It was across from a landmark pub in the city called the The Hurlers Pub. There was a small laneway across from Hurlers leading to the small cemetery. One of the graves was of Simon Gewurz. He was originally from Bratislava in Slovakia and

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  • On March 6,1964 Cassius Clay announced that he no longer would be known as Cassius Clay but as Muhammad Ali. Clay had been linked to the Nation of Islam, although they initially had refused him entry as a member due to his boxing career. However when Clay beat Joe Liston in 1964, the Nation of

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  • (updated on March 29, 2024) There are very few regrets I have—but I do regret that I did not buy tickets on January 5, 1995, for Rory Gallagher in my hometown of Geleen, in the Netherlands. The concert was in de Hanenhof, which would not be the world’s best venue, but it could hold a

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  • The Shamefvll ende of Bishop John Atherton. or in modern day English, the shameful end of Bishop John Atherton is probably a good example of”Be careful what you wish for because you may just get it” John Atherton  was the Anglican Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in the Church of Ireland. But prior to that

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  • Captain(Korvettenkapitän)Werner Lott was commander of U-35 from 15 August 1937 until 29 November 1939.He sank 4 ships and damaged one. You often hear about war crimes committed by the German armed forces, but there were also acts of decency. Around 15.40  on 3 Oct, 1939, the Greek freighter Diamantis, although the ship was neutral it

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  • On May 5,2019 on the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. One of the heroes who contributed to this liberation passed away aged 103. Like me he was Dutch and like me he had a love for Ireland and we both ended up making this emerald isle our home. But where I am

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  • Penny Black

    It may sound like a 19th century Gothic novel or the name of an Irish folk singer but neither apply, Penny Black is in fact the name of the first adhesive postage stamp. It was first issued in Great Britain om May 1 ,1840 but was not valid for use until 6 May   it showed

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