RHA Annual Exhibition 2012

Adrian Dunne
From http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2012/0525/1224316645506.html
RHA Annual Exhibition is one of the country’s major artistic events. More than half the works on view are selected from that open submission by a panel of academicians.
All exhibitors are in the running for a prize fund now topping €50,000 and ranging across the categories of work on view: painting, sculpture, print, photography and architecture.
Royal Hibernian Academy, Gallagher Gallery, 15 Ely Place, Dublin Mon-Tues 11am- 5pm, Wed-Sat 11am- 7pm, Sun 2-5pm May 29-Aug 18 01-6612558
More at http://www.royalhibernianacademy.ie/

Orwell prize 2012

The Orwell book prize has gone to Toby Harnden for Dead Men Risen, his account of the Welsh Guards fighting in Afghanistan in 2009.The Ministry of Defence agreed to purchase and oversee the destruction of the entire first print run at a cost to the UK taxpayer of £151,450.

http://www.tobyharnden.com/deadmenrisen/ tells us; "Dead Men Risen is the tale of the Welsh Guards in Helmand in 2009. Underequipped and overstretched, guardsmen from the coal mining valleys and quarry villages of Wales found themselves in Helmand in some of the most intense fighting by British troops for more than a generation. They were confronted by a Taliban enemy they seldom saw, facing the constant threat of Improvised Explosive Devices and ambush. Leading them into battle was Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, destined to be a general. He was passionate believer in the war but was dismayed by how it was being conducted.

2012 Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival!

Mountains to Sea - 4th to 9th of Sept 2012

Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival will take place in Dún Laoghaire from the 4th to the 9th of September and will present the very best of Irish and international writers reading from their work. Alongside a superb programme of literary fiction there will be an excellent poetry strand.

I saw Edna O'Brien as part of this festival las year and she was fabulous. Full programme to come on  http://www.mountainstosea.ie/.

Banana date cake with walnut & honey glaze

Now, this lovely looking cake is on the BBC Good Food website. I don't have one of those fancy bundt tin things but I'm sure you could bake it in a loaf tin. Recipe below and I'll be trying this out pretty soon, but not while the sun's showing it's face in my back garden after so long without it.

175g softened butter , plus extra for the tin

200g self-raising flour

1 tsp cinnamon

100g light muscovado sugar

2 large eggs , beaten

3 tbsp clear honey

2 overripe bananas (about 350g with skins on)

100g stoned dates

50g chopped walnuts

FOR THE GLAZE

2 tbsp clear honey

25g butter

50g walnut halves

1. Heat oven 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter and line base of an 18cm Bundt mould/ round cake tin with baking parchment. Put flour, cinnamon, butter, sugar, eggs and honey in a large mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
2. Mash bananas and chop dates. Stir into cake mix with walnuts. Spoon into prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake for 40-50 mins until firm to touch and a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean( round tin may take 10-20 mins more). Cool in tin for 15 mins, then turn out and cool on wire rack.
3. Glaze; put honey and butter in small pan stirring until melted. Boil about 1 min, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in walnuts. Leave to cool until thick and opaque. Spoon over top of  cake and leave to set.

Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby film remake update.

Story in The Telegraph todayquestions the need for a remake of this film now.

"A Gatsby moment is upon us. The Great Gatsby is by far the most popular novel of F Scott Fitzgerald; it embodies the 1920s, and has attained an iconic status, both for American novelists and for many readers. Still, the flood of adaptations about to pour over us is unprecedented. Is there something in the air? Is there something that makes this most glamorous of novels speak to us with especial resonance?

Later this summer, a new film adaptation of The Great Gatsby will be released, starring Leonardo DiCaprio  and Carey Mulligan, as Daisy Buchanan. (Read rest of story here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9284394/Great-Gatsby-a-story-for-the-modern-age.html

Richard & Judy Summer Reading 2012

Richard and Judy have launched their summer book club. I haven't followed it with any great interest before but their books this year are as follows;



I can recommend The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I started Victoria Hislop's The Thread but lost interest as the plot was rather predictable. I know two seasoned thriller readers who have read and enjoyed Lars Kepler's The Hypnotist.

Jedward in Eurovision 2012

It's stage 1 tonight. I know it's a loose use of the word culture but I love it and will be watching today, Thursday and the final on Saturday. GO JEDWARD!!!

RTE: "It's Eurovision time again and following Azerbaijan's win in 2011 with "Running Scared" sung by Eldar and Nigar this year's contest takes place in the Crystal Hall in Baku. The Eurovision is the world's biggest song contest and every year an estimated 125 million viewers tune in.
Since 2008, the Eurovision Song Contest consists of three live shows, aired prime-time to millions of homes across Europe. During two semi-finals, viewers and juries across Europe determine which countries will be represented in the final. Ten countries from each semi-final will qualify for the final and will be joined by Azerbaijan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The two semi finals take place on Tuesday May 22nd and Thursday May 24th on RTÉ Two. Ireland are the last performing act in the first semi final. The final will be covered live on RTÉ One on Saturday 26 May from 8.00pm.
Jedward were selected to represent Ireland at the 57th Eurovision Song Contest in Baku with their song "Waterline" composed by Swedish songwriter Nick Jarl and Sharon Vaughan.Marty Whelan will provide commentary" http://www.rte.ie/tv/eurovision2012/