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Slaney Entertainment
View From The Nosebleeds New Year, Wha? The kids from sandy hook went back to school last Thursday. Alarm bells rang, mothers fretted, fathers grunted and reached for the paper, bread was buttered, cereals were wet with milk, shoelaces were tied, buses were chased, boarded and stopped at their destination, sandy hook Elementary school, where just a month earlier twenty pupils and six teachers were needlessly gunned down by Adam Lanza. Gunned down as they attended school, I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it was to go back to that place, that place that would have been full of laughter, finger paints and scraped knees. Now it will forever be associated with a monumental loss and a damning indictment of the gun law in America.
When news broke of the killings, I was physically disgusted. And my mind went back to the killings outside that cinema in Chicago around the time of the release of The Dark Knight Rises. I remember the cry of the ignorant and the right wing that a fictional character, a hero to many of the kids that lost their lives ironically, was responsible for their deaths. A character that does all he can to avoid death and gun violence in his crusade for justice and peace. Yea, it was his fault. Damn you, Bats. The media whipped up a frenzy again after the incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School, looking for a scapegoat to pin the senseless loss of life on. No it wasn’t Superman, it was video games. Yes, those pesky pixilated devils. Adam Lanza was “obsessed” with first person shooters, namely Call
8 January 2013
www.slaneynews.com
Of Duty and Medal Of Honor. Senator Joe Lieberman said, “The violence in the entertainment culture – particularly with the extraordinary realism to video games – does cause vulnerable young men to be more violent.” There are two obvious arguments to this quote. One, if the issue of mental health was more prevalent in the media and in health matters in general, would these young men be so “vulnerable”? And secondly, Senator Joe must not have access to a television set in his little bubble world. I watched Sky News for ten minutes yesterday and I saw four people blown to smithereens in a van bomb and a mother searching for her dead son in the rubble. At 4 o’clock. In the day. In real life. Hey Senator Joe, the world is violent… As stated earlier, the pupils and staff returned to some sense of normality last Thursday. A traumatic enough experience, so how do you help these peo-
ple settle back in? A group in a neighbouring town, Organisation SOS, were offering gift vouchers in exchange for violent video games. These games were then subsequently burned, now to be fair the group did not say the games were directly responsible for the deaths, but they argue that “violent games and films desensitise children to acts of violence.” Turn on your television. So they are burning what they believe are adding to the problems of violence, crime and unnecessary deaths in the land of the free. I begrudgingly commend them, personally I think they are a mile off, but they are entitled to their beliefs and maybe it will bring some comfort in the wake of the tragedy. Surely the US population would put some effort into a gun burning or ban on firearms? Ha, think again. The number of FBI background checks required for buying a gun in the US has set a new record in the month of December. The Feds recorded a massive 2.8m background checks during the month, an increase of two million since November. Someone who passes a check is officially deemed “able to possess a firearm.” I wonder if one of the questions is “Do you own an X Box?” God Bless America…..
Riverside Park Hotel Wedding Fair
The four star riverside Park hotel has just announced their upcoming Wedding Fair on sunday March 3rd from 2pm to 5pm with a unique fashion show by Prima Model Agencies. This is a great opportunity to view this spectacular hotel and its stunning setting, one of the most envied in the south East. The hotel has an extensive range of menus for you to choose from, their team has a wealth of experience and their reputation for food and WEDDINGS Enniscorth service is second to none. The hotel’s stunning bridal suite is a luxury two storey suite surrounded by spectacular views and designed to reflect this romantic event. Should you wish your nuptials to be a more intimate affair, their private Linden Suite is the perfect alternative for you to choose for a smaller wedding party or a civil ceremony. The upcoming Wedding Fair on Sunday 3rd March is in association with South East Wedding Collection, which is a team of professionals working together or individually to help arrange your special day. They have sourced and are bringing together a huge number of local wedding suppliers from suppliers of Cakes, Flowers, Stationery, Cars, Dresses, Grooms Wear, Photography, Jewellery, Event Planning, Accessories… the list is endless. n
RIVERSIDEPA ★★★★
The Magic of St. Aidan’s i am so glad to have attended st. Aidan’s Christmas Concert at the Cathedral in aid of the organ restoration Fund on Friday 14th december, not only to enjoy a most varied and entertaining night and support a good cause, nor indeed to witness remarkable local talent, nor to be permeated with an incredible sense of pride in my own place, my real gratitude is for the wonderful Christmas feeling that this inaugural recital evoked in me. In these times of rush and run, grasp and grab, haste and waste, I was searching for that special Christmas experience – you know the one – that mystical moment that uplifts the soul and gives
you a sense of something beyond yourself, something beautifully spiritual and I have to say that search was somehow sated on that Friday night. As I sat in the Cathedral with my mother beside me, surrounded by merry melody and glorious aria, I was fantastically transported back to all the magical Christmases of my youth and innocence in Enniscorthy and St. Aidan’s. Songs have a way of doing that to you - they can take you right back to the moment with amazing clarity and as I heard Ted Quinn`s beautiful rendition of White Christmas I was back again in my family home on all those Christmas Eves long ago with Bing Crosbie crooning on the
telly and the saintly strains of O Holy Night wafting from the choirs brought me back to so many happy and excited Christmas mornings in St. Aidan’s with my parents and siblings. Michael Dunbar eloquently introduced the artists from the pulpit with his usual dash and panache as both the Cathedral audience and those listening to South East Radio were treated to a veritable festive feast. The gifted individual performances from Stephen Murphy, Lorna Mahon, Ted Quinn and Roisin Dempsey were spellbinding, coupled with the seasonal repertoires of the Silver Tones Choir and the Enniscorthy Choral Society
filled me with such admiration for the flair and ability that is Enniscorthy. It was my first time to hear the dulcet tones of Adamstown man Tomas Whelan and to hear Ted Quinn and the Children`s Choir sing Christmas 1915 - a most special and poignant piece further adding to the nostalgia of the occasion. Most sincere compliments to the organisers and a very personal thank you to all involved for creating a most special evening of reminiscence and childhood memories and for providing me with that joyful sensation of home - in St. Aidan’s among those I know and love at Christmas. – Maria Nolan
for lots of other great local pics check out Liz wildes on facebook - www.facebook.com/LizwildesPhotos
L-R: Joan Chapman, Peggy and Patsy Carthy at the St. Aidan’s Cathedral concert. pic: liz Wildes
L-R: Orla Quigley, Fiona Keegan and Aedin O Tiarnaigh. pic: liz Wildes.
Pic: Liz Wildes Michael Mahon and Fr Richard Lawless in St. Aidan’s.
Ted Quinn accompanies the young singers in St Aidan’s. pic: liz Wildes.
Fr Billy Swan and Eddie Nangle. pic: liz Wildes.