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Mariah gets a lot of flack these days in the memes, but her Christmas tune is still a banger. Shane always made a good run this time of year and this year even more so with his unfortunate passing.

Let's see your favourites - even the obscure ones:

Baby it's cold outside - well they've tried to cancel it but it's still gonna be one of my favorites - particularly this version with Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews

IMO 2000 miles by The Pretenders is a criminally underrated Christmas banger

Happy Christmas GAABOARD.

Well,

Herself has always wondered what this Gaaboard Melarky is but tonight asks me what an American couple invited to a traditional Irish Wedding should offer as a financial gift, as they have no time to use the online registry. So, I need some help.

Disclaimer: it's my brothers wedding and the question isn't for me. I'm breaking the bank for the f**ker. He's getting a new pair of Levis.

TIA

Puck.

Anyone having trouble staying logged into the board from iPhone? Or any other mobile platform?

I have to input my password every time now for about the last 3 months.

Folks,
I have a friend who is flying into Ireland in a couple weeks, and taking in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Belfast. They have a big interest in Irish politics particularly the early 20th Century.

Can I get some advice for them on things to check out in Cork and Galway specifically from the board?

Cheers,
Puck.

P.S. I'll be directing them to this thread so let's keep Olly in his box O'Neill?!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2013/04/26/karl-berry-player-dies-snake-bite_n_3165114.html?utm_hp_ref=sports

Sad story out of Australia. Guy thought it was a python. Picked it up to move it and got bit. Didn't think anything of it so he went on a training run which moved the poison through him pretty quick.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/14/shooting-reported-at-connecticut-elementary-school/?hpt=hp_t1

Breaking news. f**king heartbreaking.

Folks,
I have a family member who is at rock bottom and needs some kind of help (we don't know what, or from whom) - and so as a last resort I'm putting this out there to see if I can get any shred of a lead to help for them.

The synopsis.

The girl was always small but was very very badly bullied by bigger girls at a number of different schools - just a case of an easy target. As a direct result of the bullying this person is in their 20s now and unable to engage with anyone. Strangers, family, employers, work colleagues (the last two relationships don't last much beyond 6 months). Simply freezes when anyone at all talks to them. Has a total inability to deal with any social situation at all. Won't walk into the town for all manner of irrational fears "People would be looking at me wondering why I'm walking around by myself" etc etc.. It seems to be that there is an inherent distrust of people that this person cannot get over at all.

Would barely order their dinner if you're out for a meal and if they did suffer up the courage to order their own food couldn't make eye contact at all with the person taking the order.

This person cannot function at all when one specific member of the family is not around all the time. Needless to say this leads to huge amounts of stress for the entire family. It's been going on for years, and was allowed to go on for years which was the incorrect path - but there seems to be absolutely no avenue for help with this kind of social dysfunction/deep rooted health problem. Counsellors and therapists all just seem to come out with the same nonsense of "you got to engage with people" - but that to me is like telling a cancer patient they have to stop having cancer. This person is incapable of dealing with anyone (and I think maybe even dealing with themself), and somehere inside of me I feel like they are not getting the proper help they need.

They cannot be the only person in the world with this kind of a problem and somewhere there has to be someone who has dealth with this before. We just cannot find anyone, or even a link to anyone who could maybe help.

Any pointers in the right direction for professional help would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Puck.

Conor Macauley would get a lash with the rubber piping if he climbed my grandfathers gate's in the middle.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18324716

BBC Newsline's Conor Macauley went bush for the day to track down the elusive marsupial
Mystery surrounds the appearance of this little fellow in a field in County Tyrone.

He looks like a wallaby - which is used to much warmer temperatures - but seems right at home in the grass in Brantry near Eglish.

The little creature has created quite a bit of a stir among passers-by.

Many people have been stopping to have a look - but no one knows just how he managed to make it from Oz to his new surroundings.

Fergus McAnallen who took photographs of the creature said there was a "steady stream" of people trying to see it.

"I don't think anybody has any idea where it has come from," he said.

Sinn Fein councillor Phelim Gildernew said he had seen the 'wallaby'.

Continue reading the main story
"
Start Quote
It didn't just come from Australia on its own"
End Quote
Phelim Gildernew

Councillor
"It was in the lane way up to a farm," he said.

"It stayed there for quite a while, maybe half an hour or so. It hopped about back and forward up and down the lane.

"It didn't seem to be in any distress."

He said the 'wallaby' was creating a bit of controversy in the area.

"A lot of people are very sceptical when you tell them there's a kangaroo or a wallaby or whatever, they take it with a pinch of salt, but I can assure them it's true, it's there," he said.

He said the animal seemed to be fairly confident around people.

"I assume either somebody lost it or dropped it off, it didn't just come from Australia on its own," he said.

So I just had the old biometrics appointment with US immigration and citizenship services for the green card application and I really couldn't give the fella an honest answer to his question.

He noted that all my forms say IRELAND for place of citizenship, and for place of birth (and have done since I first came here 10 years ago). He also noted I carry an Irish passport, but when he asked me directly if I was born in Northern Ireland I had to say yes. I kind of urged him to keep IRELAND as my entry for place of birth to avoid the application being held up on administrative charges and he was grand about that - but he was thouroughly confused as to why I am born in Northern Ireland yet carrying the Irish passport and not having Northern Ireland as my place of birth. Then he asked me what flag is it that he sees on the golf channel when GMAC is on, and we kinda left it at that.

Is it incorrect to have Ireland as my place of birth, given I was born in Omagh, Co Tyrone in 1980? It is what I have always put down and have not really ever been pressed on it until today. If I was to make the news tomorrow (maybe for winning the 640$million mega lottery tonight), would I be described as Irish, Northern Irish, UKish etc, or just a lucky ballox?

There's some amount of them floating about these days.

Is the boul 5ive Times still the biggest one we've had - or is some of the recent Dog-with-a-boner carry on going to edge him out of top spot?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16787121

A positive move from an environmental standpoint - will certainly take some getting used to and preparation (I still forget the re-usable bags most of the time) - but fair play for bringing it in.

Tax on plastic bags introduced in April 2013

Single use plastic bags will cost five pence Continue reading the main story
Environment Minister Alex Attwood said the levy, which applies to single use bags, will rise to 10 pence in April 2014.

It is the first time a plastic bag levy has been introduced in Northern Ireland.

Mr Attwood also said there would be no charge for multi-use bags in 2013 - but they will cost 10 pence a year later.

"We want to demonstrate that the Northern Ireland government is dedicated to the clean and green agenda," he said.

"One way to do that is to reduce the 160 million plastic bags that are used in Northern Ireland every year."

He added: "There is no doubt that carrier bags are a scourge on the environment.

"Evidence from other countries demonstrates that a bag levy is a simple and effective means to reduce substantially the negative environmental impact of carrier bag consumption.

"However, I recognise that consumers will need time to change their behaviour and adjust to bringing their own bags when they shop. I therefore propose to discount the charge to five pence in the first year.

"This will ensure a phased approach to charging."

Mr Attwood said the scheme would be extended to includelower value reusable bags in April 2014.

The minister said 10 civil service jobs would be relocated to Londonderry to administer the levy.

However, an organisation which represents some retailers warned that introducing such a tax on plastic bags could be harmful for some businesses in Northern Ireland.


Glynn Roberts of the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) said: "We are concerned that this is a tax on hard-pressed working families and will add to the burden of red tape particularly for small shops who will become tax collectors for this new scheme.

"It's unclear if it is intended to discourage plastic bag use or if it is a revenue raiser. It has to do one or the other - it can't do both."

A charge for plastic bags was first introduced in the Irish Republic in 2002 - it is currently 22 cents per bag.

Authorities there estimate that, following the introduction of the charge, consumption of plastic bags fell by 90% from initial consumption on 1.2 billion bags per year or around 328 per person.

The charge has also raised over 173 million euros for the exchequer in the Republic.

Mr Attwood said the charge had worked "extremely well" in the Republic.

He said the measure would raise up to £4m a year in Northern Ireland, which would be used for environmental causes.

Wales also introduced a similar plastic bag tax in October 2011.

More than 200 million bags are currently used in Northern Ireland every year.

I got talking to my mother this morning and we somehow ended up in a discussion about exorcism, satan, and the occult. She told me there was a fascinating interview on the wireless this morning with the author of a new book about this particular incident. Does anyone remember this at the time? Or anything in the aftermath? Very strange that there was no death certificate issued at the time.

The boy who committed the crime works for/with the church in Britain now.

http://www.herald.ie/news/new-inquest-into-1973-satanic-killing-of-boy-7-2656788.html

AN inquest has been held into the death of boy (7), it's claimed was killed by his teenage satanic neighbour in Dublin almost 40 years ago.

An brief inquest into John's murder was held at the County Coroner's court yesterday where his death certificate was issued, four decades after his killing.

The inquest detailed the brutal murder of the young boy who was found tied to rafters in the attic of a neighbour's house surrounded by religious objects.

John was found in a house adjacent to his family's home at Hollyville, Lucan Road, Palmerstown in Dublin on June 14, 1973.

The untold details of the horrific murder of John Horgan are set to shock the nation when they emerge later this year.

A book entitled The Boy In The Attic, by David Malone, due is to shed further light on the grim tragedy, it's author says.

"Ireland 1973, a very different world. But the tiny village of Palmerstown was about to lose its innocence forever," the author writes on his website.

"On a bright sunny June afternoon, a seven-year-old only child was left in the care of a teenage neighbour.

"No one knew, or would even have dreamed of suspecting, that the older boy was a Satanist.

"The two went out to the fields to look for rabbits. The seven-year-old was never seen alive again."

The mysterious murder of young John -- who was missing for eight hours before his body was discovered -- still has the power to disturb four decades later.

A silver cup and three hosts were discovered with his body, and then State Pathologist Dr Maurice Hickey found he had died from a fracture of the skull.

County Coroner Kieran Geraghty took the step to briefly open an inquest and recount the details of the tragedy after his office was notified that a death certificate had never been issued.

Custody

It is a legal requirement that every death is recorded and registered with the State.

The Irish Independent dating from September 14, 1973 reported that a 16-and-a-half year old Palmerstown boy attended Dunshaughlin District Court where he was kept in custody and returned for trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of John.

At the brief inquest yesterday, Detective Inspector Richard McDonnell said a male was later charged with the crime and served a sentence.

Det Insp McDonnell, from Lucan Garda Station, contacted the Horgan family after he was asked in February of this year to prepare an inquest file for the issuing of the death certificate.

"I contacted the family of John Horgan who indicated they did not wish to revisit a very traumatic period in their lives and reopen old wounds," the detective said yesterday. "However, the memory of their son is always with them."

The Horgan family was not present at the brief inquest.

The coroner revealed that the perpetrator was now living out Ireland and said it would be inappropriate to call a full inquest without the consent of the family.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44547891/ns/world_news-americas/

Brazilian police have released X-ray images of an Irishman they allege swallowed dozens of cocaine capsules in an attempt to smuggle the drug out of Sao Paolo.

PhotoBlog: Irish national caught with cocaine in Brazil
The 20-year-old was arrested Monday at Sao Paolo's Congonhas airport as he tried to board a flight to Lisbon, the Irish Independent reported Friday. He was en route to Brussels, the paper said.

The medical images show 72 bags packed with the drug in his gastrointestinal tract.

Police were alerted after authorities noticed his nervous behavior, according to media reports. They said the drugs would have been worth around 150,000 euros ($206,780).

The man, who has only been identified as P.B.B., was reportedly taken to a hospital where the capsules, weighing a total of about two pounds, were removed from his body. It was unclear how this was achieved.

He has been charged with international drug trafficking and could be jailed for up to 15 years, the Independent said.

http://www.google.com/

Best Google page in a long time.

Thought there might be a thread on this already. One of the strangest and saddest tales I've ever heard. Mother found not guilty of murder.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/07/05/florida.casey.anthony.trial/index.html?

Folks,
Does anyone on the board have experience with carrying a UK/ROI drivers license and wanting coverage to drive in the USA? I know that rental cars come with insurance, but this instance is somewhat different.

The younger brother is coming out for the summer, needs to be mobile. I have no problem giving him the car, but I want him insured as he will be transporting junior, and well - it's just the right thing to do, and I'd rather acknowledge that now than in hindsight.

Do I get him insured with my American insurance company, if they offer such a thing, or is it better (or even an option), for him to get insured at home on his own license (UK) to travel and drive?

All and any help appreciated.

Well ladies and gentlemen - she's just around the corner. Summer - the best time of the year.

Time to throw the golf sticks in the boot and keep them there til late november, so they can be ready at a moments notice that the boss is leaving the office.

Time to pack away the snow boots, the scarves and wolly hats - and the big heavy jackets.

Time to take the ice scrapper of the floor of the passenger seat and back into the boot where it belongs.

Time to get the grill scrapped down and ready for another 5 months of charring marinades and juicy steaks. Or just buy a new one  .

Time to get the fridge re-stocked with plenty of beer and stuff for the cocktails in the summer evenings. Maybe even time to devote an entire fridge to beverages.

Time to get the money on Tyrone for the AISFC, get the trips to the lake organized - maybe a new speedo and plenty of suncream.

Bring it on.

Anyone else periodically getting redirected to this website the last couple days while browsing the board?
Driving me nuts.

Funny mental screw up from this chick. Reports that she had a stroke not true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNUuJrMt4YM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Jesus I know there are some reprehensible actions going on world wide recently - but this one has to take the biscuit (if you'll pardon the pun) in my opinion.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12264415

Carer ate food meant for patient with Alzheimer'sClick to play
Click to play

AdvertisementPatricia Young ate food intended for Mrs McCluskey
Northern Ireland's South-Eastern Health Trust has apologised after a care assistant admitted abusing a 70-year-old woman with Alzheimer's Disease.

The family of Ivy McCluskey, who were worried about her dwindling weight, secretly recorded Patricia Young eating food meant for her patient.

Mrs McCluskey died 12 weeks after Young stopped caring for her.

The 54-year-old of Mandeville Avenue in Lisburn, who has admitted two counts of abuse, will be sentenced next month.

The secretly recorded footage has been obtained by BBC Radio Ulster's Stephen Nolan Show.

Mrs McCluskey's daughters have described how their mother rapidly lost weight in the weeks before her death.

"We were really baffled. Mummy was declinling, losing all this weight, but we did not know why," Mandy said.

"At night, when she was put down to bed, her belly was rumbling. She was actually starving with hunger."

Diane said she was feeling "an awful amount of guilt" about what happened to her mother.

"Even though you have the carers in there to take the pressure off, then you're feeling we should have done it all ourselves and then we wouldn't have to live with this."

The South-Eastern Trust has said it is sorry for the unacceptable standard of care received by Mrs McCluskey.

A spokesperson added that as soon as they became aware of problems, they took immediate steps to ensure Mrs McCluskey's safety.