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With a mixture of music and a running “boot camp” on the menu, a mixed group of Dublin athletes descended on the County Clare village of Quin last weekend to take part in the Seisuin na hEireann weekend, organised by our own Eileen Hassett, a mainstay of the Kiely’s “seisuin” in Donnybrook. By the time […]

Yes, I’m back! Not quite sure how I did it, but it involved downloading Firefox on to my iBook. Suddenly the blog appeared again as I wanted it, and the buttons allowing me to post new entries re-emerged at the top of the page.These pictures are from the adidas Dublin Half Marathon in the Phoenix […]

Things which have kept me sane here: 1 My iPod. Thank you especially Kathryn Tickell, June Tabor, Lucinda Williams, Randy Newman, Richard Thompson, Francis Cabrel, Damien Dempsey; musicians for every mood. 2 My guitar. Though have failed entirely to “get” Clapton’s “Signe”; and I know it’s simple. Can sing Martha Wainwright’s venomous “BMFA”, though whether […]

Time is now flying – just one night left here. It’s very warm and humid. Toughest time of the day is the half hour when you go to bed, attempting to ignore the unrelenting drone of machinery. For some reason, they are really getting to me again. I’m sure they cause deep neurological damage. It’s […]

Time is now flying – just one night left here. It’s very warm and humid. Toughest time of the day is the half hour when you go to bed, attempting to ignore the unrelenting drone of machinery. For some reason, they are really getting to me again. I’m sure they cause deep neurological damage. It’s […]

The boys are back from Bahrain, where they spent a night, making the most of a need to exit the country and then return for visa reasons. Had I not been upgraded, I would have had to do the same, since I will have been three continuous months here on September 7, apparently. We pay […]

Workers resting at midday on the fourth floor of a city centre building siteHere is an excellent report, giving a graphic description of life for ex-pats on the building sites: WHILE several construction sites in the heart of Doha continue to flout the orders banning labourers from working outdoors between 11.30am to 3pm – regarded […]

Workers resting at midday on the fourth floor of a city centre building siteHere is an excellent report, giving a graphic description of life for ex-pats on the building sites: WHILE several construction sites in the heart of Doha continue to flout the orders banning labourers from working outdoors between 11.30am to 3pm – regarded […]

The recent raids by inspectors of the Labour Departments on labour camps in the Industrial Area outsiide Doha, the capital of Qatar, has prompted several employers to upgrade accommodation facilities of their workers while redressing problems such as poor hygiene in kitchens and toilets. Workers in the Industrial Area have called upon the Labour Department […]

The recent raids by inspectors of the Labour Departments on labour camps in the Industrial Area outsiide Doha, the capital of Qatar, has prompted several employers to upgrade accommodation facilities of their workers while redressing problems such as poor hygiene in kitchens and toilets. Workers in the Industrial Area have called upon the Labour Department […]