Dublin - 4th Dec 2009

[john k]

cant wait for tonight. my 3 yr old is dancing around the kitchen all morning, shouting "more, more" everytime a song ends.

[PaulMcC]

I've spent, some say wasted, 25 years watching various incarnations of The Pogues play live. Last night's show was one of the best. The Olympia is an ideal venue for a Pogues gig. The crowd were good humoured and lively. Maybe the fact drink was allowed in the auditorium removed some of the nastiness I've witnessed at other shows. I was up on the balcony and had a great view of how a Pogues show works. It's fascinating to watch the number of instrument changes and the interaction between the band members. Old age and, in some cases sobriety, has taken none of the energy away. I didn't have the feeling of a band simply going through the motions to earn a few quid which is the case in many reunion shows I've attended.

The band were as tight and talented as I've ever seen. The lead singer's vocals were clear, crisp, in tune, and in time. The addition of 'Metropolis' was most welcome. The rest of the setlist was as expected but I never tire of hearing those songs.

There were a few random things I noticed. Firstly, there were anti-slip mats laid down in the area around the singer's microphone. Secondly, there was a mineral water bottle on Shane's table. I don't know if that contained water and the three glasses of clear liquid contained alcohol, it's none of my business anyway, but the sight of a water bottle touching Shane's lips made me laugh. Three, it was Terry's birthday and they brought on a cake for him. If I'm in as good shape as Terry is when I'm 62, I'll be ecstatic.

I''m having a few health problems, but last night helped me banish them to the back of my mind for a few hours. Thank you, Pogues!!

[PaulMcC]

Just home from Dublin and what a gig. Shane is turning into a total professional

Funny you say that, I remarked to a friend after the show that I've heard many 'P' words used to describe Shane, but never that one!!

[Guest]

"Are there any Priests in tonight?" pause......... "Good, we don't want a criminal element at our gigs"

Of course it was supposed to be a lighthearted joke! But it sounds like a hate speech.
Replace "priests" with "faggots" or "blacks", is it still funny?
Any priest is a criminal?!
"Let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out"

[DzM]

"Are there any Priests in tonight?" pause......... "Good, we don't want a criminal element at our gigs"

Of course it was supposed to be a lighthearted joke! But it sounds like a hate speech.
Replace "priests" with "faggots" or "blacks", is it still funny?

And next thing you know you have a Pink Floyd song.

"...Get 'em up against the wall (against the wall)"

[philipchevron]

"Are there any Priests in tonight?" pause......... "Good, we don't want a criminal element at our gigs"

Of course it was supposed to be a lighthearted joke! But it sounds like a hate speech.
Replace "priests" with "faggots" or "blacks", is it still funny?
Any priest is a criminal?!
"Let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out"

The Priesthood in Ireland, the so-called pastoral leadership of 4.5 million people, colluded for decades in the cover up and even downright denial of the rape and sexual abuse of several generations of Irish children. Their Bishops, the so-called Princes of the Church are even now refusing to acknowledge that far from confronting the issue and bringing the full force of the law to bear on these evil paedophiles, they routinely, as a matter of policy, moved them on to another parish or another county - in the case of hopeless repeat offenders, another country - where the rape could continue with impunity on yet another set of innocent children.

The Papal Nuncio in Ireland, the Vatican's chief diplomat has behaved throughout the now serial investigations with a high-handed arrogance which beggars belief. This corrupt and satanic organisation, the Catholic Church, currently has its previous head honcho, Pope John Paul II, on the fast track for "sainthood". This is a man who deliberately refused to address the problem in his lifetime. His point of view, which trickled all the way down to and was adopted by the lowliest young curate, was that nothing was more important than the credibility and "sanctity" of Holy Mother Church, not even the endemic and institutionalised rape of children. As recently as last week in Ireland, yet another young man, aged 37, took his own life in despair at how the edifice of his Faith and his Humanity had crumbled to ashes.

As long as the clerics of the Catholic Church, in full knowledge of this satanic cult of child abuse, allowed it to continue without resort to law, Divine or Secular - take your pick - as long as they had the sheer gall to quote their spiritual figurehead Jesus Christ at his most tender - "suffer the little children to come unto me" while all this was happening under their noses, then yes, I call these men criminals. Were there "good" Nazis who surreptitiously aided Jews to get to safety in the 1930s? Of course there were. But I'd be surprised if the Irish Catholic Church could produce more than 100 men of the cloth who either genuinely didn't know this was going on or who attempted, against the odds, to challenge this malevolent cult in any meaningful way. The best that can be said about the best of them is that they felt too cowed by ecclesiastical authority to shout "Fire!"

So "Guest", I'm sorry you misunderstood my remarks to be "a lighthearted joke" or in some way "funny", as I can assure you, in my opinion, and indeed in the opinion of the overwhelming majority of my fellow Irishmen and Irishwomen this week, in the wake of the publication of the Murphy report, the judicial sentence has not yet been invented which could see these Priests, their Bishops, their Cardinals and their Popes called to account for their crimes.

Get back to me when the vast majority of "blacks" and "faggots" are held culpable of misdeeds and the suppression of misdeeds on this scale and we'll have that moral equivalence debate you seem keen to engage in.

Hate speech? Bet your ass, buddy.

[Noel Kenny]

What the man said

[Noel Kenny]

Guest, have you been looking at Irish TV, listening to Irish radio or reading the Irish papers for the last year or two?

Or are you living in the vatican?

[Noel Kenny]

Just home from Dublin and what a gig. Shane is turning into a total professional

Funny you say that, I remarked to a friend after the show that I've heard many 'P' words used to describe Shane, but never that one!!

And while I'm in a narky mood.

Colm, Shane was always a professional.

[Guest]

"Are there any Priests in tonight?" pause......... "Good, we don't want a criminal element at our gigs"

Of course it was supposed to be a lighthearted joke! But it sounds like a hate speech.
Replace "priests" with "faggots" or "blacks", is it still funny?
Any priest is a criminal?!
"Let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out"

Why is it that that spurious, contentious and weak accusations lacking any foundation are always made by a
" Guest " ?
My suspicion is that their anonymity is a reflection of their lack of intelligence.
This is reinforced by the introduction of racist and homophobic terms such as "blacks and faggots" into a debate regarding the sins against innocent children by "Men of the cloth" which warrant punishment, derision and exposure from all public platforms.
In addition, Philip's remarks, whilst being both poignant and topical, contained only the accurate adjective "criminal", unlike the ignorant and hateful terms "blacks" and `'faggots" used by his accuser.
in closing ............Guest..........get a life.............oh..........and an education !

[Low D]

Why is it that that spurious, contentious and weak accusations lacking any foundation are always made by a
" Guest " ?
My suspicion is that their anonymity is a reflection of their lack of intelligence.

Sure thing, thanks for sharing, um... "guest"

[flintstone]

its about time the catholic church, around the world gets whats coming to them.

a lot has come out over this last 10 to 20 years, and not just priest, the Magdalene Sisters and for want of a better word GOD know's who else.

And as Phil stated, the abusers have been moved to another parish to hide the issue rather than brought to the front and prosecuted and made an example off.

They have ruined many a young persons life.

so all in all WELL SAID Phil, I'm sure the cheers were for the right reason and not seen as a joke comment.

[Fr. McGreer]

Just home from Dublin and what a gig. Shane is turning into a total professional

Funny you say that, I remarked to a friend after the show that I've heard many 'P' words used to describe Shane, but never that one!!

And while I'm in a narky mood.

Colm, Shane was always a professional.

Meeow

[Guest]

any photos?

best night of my life, seriously. whoever you are, and there were many, that insisted on sharing drinks, i love you. shane, i love you too.

[Fr. McGreer]

any photos?

best night of my life, seriously. whoever you are, and there were many, that insisted on sharing drinks, i love you. shane, i love you too.

Would that be the pint of lager by any chance?