Archive News
Jedward Fans Respond
Date Published: 13-Jun-2012
We have received many emails in response to the TV Watch column in yesterday’s Connacht Sentinel which we also carried here on www.galwaynews.ie.
They all complain about our reviewer’s comments on Jedward’s ability, style and integrity. Many acknowledge that a reviewer is entitled to express an opinion even though they do not agree with it. Some were abusive.
Below are excerpts from some of the correspondents addressing the points they found contentious. More will be published in next week’s Connacht Sentinel.
While reading this I got so annoyed. I couldn’t believe someone could be so immature and mean about two of the most genuine and kindest guys in the industry…They’ve helped me through problems at home and in school. Because of them i wake up with a smile on my face every day. They’ve given me so much confidence. They work SO hard. (Alana)
I am not about to write you a ranting email about how "disappointed" we are and how we "will sue the bones of you" etc… no, I would rather correct your way of thinking and put right your understanding and speak/type to you as human being to human being – because despite common belief, us Jedward fans are human beings too…
Jedward are different. So they don’t have the traditional boy-band look like JLS or The Wanted, but what a shame that in this world which is already full of misery and prejudice that we should judge them on their success just because of that? Just like those footballers that were unsuccessful in their match, it doesn’t make them any less professional.
So addressing your point about how the TV show was all an act – to some extent yes, it was – but the fans running after the bus, the random rabbits in the hotel room, the costume, the designs, even the hair washing that is all real. That is them, and whether or not you are inclined to believe it when they are working they are in front of cameras so I suppose they don’t really have any choice but to play up to them do they? (Becky)
John and Edward ARE as hyper as they are portrayed on television, if not even more! They love what they do and get a kick out of meeting fans, singing and dancing and just having fun! I have no problem at all with your writer not liking John and Edward, everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but making them out to be horrible, when they are so innocent and never did anything wrong is atrocious and Mr. Tierney should be ashamed of himself for bullying two young men.
As for saying their fanbase is ‘naïve’, this is clearly not the case. John and Edward have a huge fanbase all around Europe because of their success in Eurovision, fine we didn’t get points. But we all know that was because of block voting! John and Edward were victorious anyway because they gained large numbers of fans from participating in the Eurovision. (Becka)
Suggesting that they are only ‘playing up to the cameras’ is absurd and if you ask anybody who has met the twins or works with them they will tell you that that is John and Edward, they give everything 110% and they work tirelessly to achieve their dreams. They aren’t playing up to the cameras, that’s who they are. Comparing them to other 20 year olds saying "There is no way in the world that two 20 year old could spend every day of their lives as hyper as we see them on screen.” is also wrong.
They are not like other 20 year olds, they are amazing role models to their fans encouraging us that we don’t have to drink and smoke and do drugs, like society generally perceive our generation to, to fit in. (Alison)
We welcome comments, letters or emails on any articles published in our newspapers or online and will publish relevant excerpts where space and time permit. We will not publish abusive correspondence.
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People’s living conditions less than 100 years ago were frightening. We have come a long way. We talk about water charges today, but back then the local District Councils were erecting pumps for local communities and the lovely town of Mountbellew, according to Council minutes, had open sewers,” says Galway County Council archivist Patria McWalter.
Patria believes we “need to take pride in our history, and we should take the same pride in our historical records as we do in our built heritage”. When you see the wealth of material in her care, this belief makes sense.
She is in charge of caring for the rich collection of administrative records owned by Galway County Council and says “these records are as much part of our history as the Rock of Cashel is. They document our lives and our ancestors’ lives. And nobody can plan for the future unless you learn from the past, what worked and what didn’t”.
Archivists and librarians are often unfairly regarded as being dry, academic types, but that’s certainly not true of Patria. Her enthusiasm is infectious as she turns the pages of several minute books from Galway’s Rural District Councils, all of them at least 100 years old.
Part of her role involved cataloguing all the records of the Councils – Ballinasloe, Clifden, Galway, Gort, Loughrea, Mountbellew, Portumna and Tuam. These records mostly consisted of minutes of various meetings.
When she was cataloguing them she realised their worth to local historians and researchers, so she decided to compile a guide to their content. The result is For the Record: The Archives of Galway’s Rural District Councils, which will be a valuable asset to anybody with an interest in history.
Many representatives on these Councils were local personalities and several were arrested during the political upheaval of the era, she explains.
And, ushering in a new era in history, women were allowed to sit on these Rural District Councils – at the time they were not allowed to sit on County Councils.
All of this information is included in Patria’s introductory essay to the attractively produced A4 size guide, which gives a glimpse into how these Rural Councils operated and the way political thinking changed in Ireland during a short 26-year period. In the early 1900s, these Councils supported Home Rule, but by 1920, they were calling for full independence and refusing to recognise the British administration.
“I love the tone,” says Patria of the minutes from meetings. “The language was very emotive.”
That was certainly true of the Gort Rural District Council. At a meeting in 1907, following riots in Dublin at the premiere of JM Synge’s play, The Playboy of the Western World the councillors’ response was vehement. They recorded their decision to “protest most emphatically against the libellous comedy, The Playboy of the Western World, that was belched forth during the past week in the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, under the fostering care of Lady Gregory and Mr Yeats. We congratulate the good people of Dublin in howling down the gross buffoonery and immoral suggestions that are scattered throughout this scandalous performance.
For more from the archives see this week’s Tribunes here
Date Published: 23-Jan-2013
SLIGO 0-9
GALWAY 1-4
FRANK FARRAGHER IN ENNISCRONE
GALWAY’S first serious examination of the 2013 season rather disturbingly ended with a rating well below the 40% pass mark at the idyllic, if rather Siberian, seaside setting of Enniscrone on Sunday last.
The defeat cost Galway a place in the FBD League Final against Leitrim and also put a fair dent on their confidence shield for the bigger tests that lie ahead in February.
There was no fluke element in this success by an understrength Sligo side and by the time Leitrim referee, Frank Flynn, sounded the final whistle, there wasn’t a perished soul in the crowd of about 500 who could question the justice of the outcome.
It is only pre-season and last Sunday’s blast of dry polar winds did remind everyone that this is far from summer football, but make no mistake about it, the match did lay down some very worrying markers for Galway following a couple of victories over below par third level college teams.
Galway did start the game quite positively, leading by four points at the end of a first quarter when they missed as much more, but when Sligo stepped up the tempo of the game in the 10 minutes before half-time, the maroon resistance crumbled with frightening rapidity.
Some of the statistics of the match make for grim perusal. Over the course of the hour, Galway only scored two points from play and they went through a 52 minute period of the match, without raising a white flag – admittedly a late rally did bring them close to a draw but that would have been very rough justice on Sligo.
Sligo were backable at 9/4 coming into this match, the odds being stretched with the ‘missing list’ on Kevin Walsh’s team sheet – Adrian Marren, Stephen Coen, Tony Taylor, Ross Donovan, David Kelly, David Maye, Johnny Davey and Eamon O’Hara, were all marked absent for a variety of reasons.
Walsh has his Sligo side well schooled in the high intensity, close quarters type of football, and the harder Galway tried to go through the short game channels, the more the home side bottled them up.
Galway badly needed to find some variety in their attacking strategy and maybe there is a lot to be said for the traditional Meath style of giving long, quick ball to a full forward line with a big target man on the edge of the square – given Paul Conroy’s prowess close to goal last season, maybe it is time to ‘settle’ on a few basics.
Defensively, Galway were reasonably solid with Gary Sice at centre back probably their best player – he was one of the few men in maroon to deliver decent long ball deep into the attacking zone – while Finian Hanley, Conor Costello and Gary O’Donnell also kept things tight.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Date Published: 23-Jan-2013
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