Archive Page 2
Obama’s Speech to Gays
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Tags: gay, LGBT, Obama, Speech
Steven Gately
Steven Gately, member of Irish pop group Boyzone, passed away yesterday afternoon while on holiday with his husband Andrew Cowles in Majorca. According to Sky News, police in Majorca have ruled out foul play in his death, claiming that there are no ’suspicious circumstances’ to his death.
The other members of Boyzone are en route to Majorca to visit Andrew, while manager and X Factor judge Louis Walsh will miss tonight’s episode of The X Factor because of the event. Shane Lynch told News of the World’s Dan Wootten that “We just need to get over to where he’s passed and work out what we need to do.”
Steven had a profound effect on the pop music industry in both Ireland and abroad by coming out as gay over ten years ago, and instantly became a role model for young gay people in Ireland and the UK. He will be greatly missed by everyone in Ireland – Ar lámh dheis Dé a anam, may he rest in peace.
Filed under: Ireland | 1 Comment
Tags: Boyzone, Steven Gately
A recent article by Eithne Shortall in the Irish edition of The Sunday Times newspaper caused concern for Irish-language writers, as apparently only “76 copies” were sold between a number of Irish-language writers, despite a total of €74,000 in grants being given to them.
While the article can be read on the Gaelport.com website (with my response available on my Irish-language blog) it seems that the information that Ms. Shortall has was incorrect. Having posted my response on ‘Dialann Scott,’ I soon received an e-mail from Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, one of the writers mentioned in Ms. Shortall’s article. According to Ní Ghearbhuigh, roughly 400 copies of her last publication, Péacadh, were sold within the last 12 months – 80% of the total number of copies published. It is apparent, in this case, that Ms. Shortall did not have all the figures required to write on such a topic.
So, is this a deliberate attempt to put Irish-language publishing in an unpleasant light? Possibly, but I’m going to give both the journalist and newspaper the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Ms. Shortall could not have gotten all the facts, but if this were the case, then the piece should have been neither written nor published. If the intention was, however, to paint Irish-language publishing in a bad light, then it was a very good attempt. Read the article for yourself and make your own decision.
Filed under: Gaeilge, Ireland, Irish, media | 2 Comments
Tags: Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh, Eithne Shortall, Gaeilge, Ireland, Irish Language, publishing, Scott De Buitléir, The Sunday Times
Am I Mr. November??
This is exactly the type of incentive that I needed!
Calendar Men at The Dragon Bar, Dublin 2
I’ve been entered to be Mr. November for the Dragon Bar’s Calendar Men competition! I one the heat for the month last Tuesday, but I am being put to the public vote against the runner-up, Omar, this Friday at Spice @ Dragon.
If I’m selected, it means two things; the first is that I’ll be in with a chance to win €1000 in what’s essentially a beauty content against the other ‘Mr Months’. The second is that I’ll be doing a photoshoot for the calendar in about 6 weeks time. I’ll have to take my top off for both events. It’s a great cause, as all of the proceeds of the calendar go to the Open Heart House, a HIV/AIDS charity based in Dublin.
Now, I’ve written before about my desire to be physically fit, and this is now my incentive to kickstart me into a new fitness regime. I have two weeks until the ‘pagent’ finals, and a further four weeks until the photoshoot; six weeks to have an intense weight-training programme worked out (pardon the pun) to get me looking decent for the camera.
Can I do it? I bloody well hope so! In the meantime, however, come to Spice @ Dragon tomorrow night (October 9th) to vote for me. If I winn the €1000, I owe you a pint!
Wish me luck!
Scott xx
Filed under: LGBT | 1 Comment
Tags: Calendar, Dragon Bar, Dublin, gay, Men, November
New Gay Radio Show for Dublin
From this Friday, October 9th, I’ll be presenting “Out of the Closet,” a new radio programme for the LGBT community in the greater Dublin area on Retro station, The 90s Network.
Broadcasting on 107.3FM, “Out of the Closet” will be presented by myself, while introducing new radio talent, Sinéad Houlihan to the Dublin radio airwaves. The show will be broadcast every Friday evening from 7-8pm and is expected to feature various topics that will be of interest to Dublin’s gay & lesbian community. We intend to have interviewed lined up over the next few weeks, along with providing information on major events on Dublin’s gay scene.
More info on the 90’s music-themed station can be found on its website.
Filed under: Ireland, LGBT, Radio | Leave a Comment
Tags: Dublin, gay, LGBT, Out of the Closet, Radio, Scott De Buitléir, Sinéad Houlihan, The 90s Network
Culture Night ‘09 Performance
As part of Dublin’s Culture Night 2009 (this Friday, September 25th), I’ll be reading a selection of my Irish-language poetry in the Pearse Street Library and Archive, Pearse Street, Dublin 1.
I’ll be reading twice during the night; the first reading at 5pm, the second at 9:45pm. Admission is free and for directions and further information, please visit the link above.
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Fitness à la Gay
What a goal to have, but will I ever get there?
I enter my room with the intention of doing some weight training, by using the exercise ball and 3kg dumbbells that I have been given by my parents. I plug my earphones into my phone and start playing some music that I think will be good to work out to. Then, I like the song so much that I start singing, then dancing, then putting on an entire performance in my bedroom. Ten minutes later, I’m still in my own daydream of being in a music video, and the mirror in my bedroom doesn’t help matters. Soon, my boyfriend calls me, and I’m chatting with him. Afterwards, I take out a magazine and flick through it on my bed. Then, I turn on my laptop and start writing this piece. Two hours ago, I entered my room and wanted to do some weights. It never happened.
I’ve written before about my enthusiasm about wanting to get fit, wanting to get a decent body and wanting to get that six-pack in time for my holidays to Spain with my boyfriend. We leave for Spain on Thursday, and I still look the same – more or less – than how I looked at the beginning of the summer. Despite a few trips to a gym in the city centre, a good few attempts at jogging, I never made exercise enough of a priority to improve my fitness. I’m annoyed at myself, a little embarrassed and very disappointed.
I recently went for a trip to a golf driving range with my Dad, and I quickly realised one thing about me and sports. I’m not crap at sports because I’m gay, but I’m crap at sports because my father is also crap at sports. I never had anyone to learn about sport from, I never had a male role model while growing up who was interested in sport or fitness, and therefore I never learnt about it. When I was five, I shied away from football – the one sport that was played at lunchtime in school – because no-one ever explained the rules of the game to me. So when I once tried to play with the rest of the kids, I got shouted at for breaking the ‘handball’ rule, and it put me off playing because I didn’t understand what I had done wrong. That was one of the key events in my childhood that made me shy away from sport, the effect of which was so influential that to this day, I am still fairly uncomfortable being in the presence of a group of straight guys.
Sexuality shouldn’t come into play (pardon the pun) when it comes to sports, but sometimes it does. Gay guys aren’t known to have an active role in mainstream sport; where are the openly gay football players in the English Premier League? Where are the openly gay Gaelic Football or Hurling players? Are there any gay players on the Irish rugby team? There would have to be at least one gay player on each team, but nothing is heard of it. Why? Because gay guys aren’t known to be great at sports. They’re known to be good at shopping, at gossiping, at dancing, at dressing themselves, and at socialising. That’s about it. Of course, there would be many, many an exception, but ask your Joe Soap and that’s what would come to mind.
It is possible for even the sportiest of guys not to like every sport, however. Bruce LaBruce makes a great judgement of soccer in his column, however;
“There must be something about the pure monotony of it, the endless back-and-forth repetition, that induces some sort of mass hypnosis in the audience.”
I’d have to agree. I could never really get into football too much; there was never enough action in any match for me. Rugby, however, is far more likely to get my blood running. The Irish rugby team have recently proved themselves as one of the greatest national teams in Europe, and I’d easily consider myself as a fan. The Six Nations competition is my favourite sporting event.
I move from LaBruce’s column in Gay Times Magazine to the back pages, where the escorts’ pictures and details are. One always stands out at me – Sean. 22 years old, with a killer smile and a washboard stomach to boot. What strikes me about him, though, is that he seems to be exactly my build; 5’7” and slender – if I were a girl, I’d be called petite – that kind of build.
His picture makes me think; why can’t I have that body? What motivates him regularly enough to work out in the gym to get and maintain that level of fitness, when I’m lucky if I even work out once a week??
Work is part of the problem. If I have any time off from my summer job at the café, it’s usually spent with the boyfriend. I wouldn’t be up for working out with him, although calories may be burnt during certain other activities…! He has asked me once or twice to work out with him using his home gym, but working out beside him would make me feel too inadequate beside his Adonis-like physique.
With that in mind, I’ve heard people say that men ‘let it go’ once they get into a relationship. In other words, they give up on the gym, the fitness etc. once they find a partner. I could have that as an excuse, but my boyfriend’s fitness habits haven’t changed at all since meeting me. He’s still a fitness freak; 6’2”, broad-shouldered with a noticeable six-pack. If I didn’t find him so attractive, I’d kill him out of envy.
But still, I look at the exercise ball in the corner of my room. I look at my dumbbells under my chair. No desire to just pick them up and go for it. That’s the way I always have been; surrounded by sports (mainly while at school) yet without any desire to take part.
As usual, though, I self-analyse unnecessarily. I should do nothing more than turn off my laptop, pick up the weights and get to work on my work-out.
Which is what I’ll do now… hopefully.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 3 Comments
A Righteous Anger
LGBT Noise have grown from strength to strength ever since they established themselves to fight for equality in Ireland. Their most recent protest on Sunday, 09 August 2009, saw more than five thousand people out on the streets of Dublin to show their “righteous anger” – as coined by popular Irish drag queen Panti – at the Irish government.
The Irish ‘Civil Partnership Bill 2009’ was introduced by the Dáil (i.e. Ireland’s lower house of parliament) earlier this year, proposing to give equal rights to same-sex couples in all areas except in the area of adoption and parental rights. This majorly significant exception has enraged a vast number of the gay & lesbian community in Ireland, and many of these were out to show their faces at Sunday’s protest.
But not everyone in the gay community is angered. Some feel that the new Bill is enough, for now. Some feel that it is merely a stepping stone to full equality in the Republic, despite Dermot Ahern (Minister for Justice) stating that this is not and cannot be the case, because of the Irish Constitution.
Despite a certain split in amongst the gay community over this issue, it is an inspiration to see so many people of a minority group taking to the streets to demand equal treatment and equal rights. Such a number of protesters have not been seen from a minority group in Ireland for quite some time, and it is good to see that not all the Irish have become complacent in their post-Celtic Tiger ways. Ireland, despite having developed socially in recent years, is still full of inequalities. Gay people in the Republic of Ireland cannot marry, yet their British, French, Spanish and Nordic neighbours can. Why?
The politicians blame Bunreacht na hÉireann – the Constitution of Ireland. Written in Catholic 1920’s/1930’s Ireland, the Bunreacht apparently does not allow for full same-sex marriage, as it goes against the Catholic make-up of the text. This is highly open for debate, as Senator David Norris has stated on many occasions. According to Norris – and many others – this is merely an excuse from those who are afraid to rock the social boat. What’s ironic is that according to LGBT Noise, the majority of the Irish population are supportive of full gay marriage.
With all of this in mind, one watches and waits to see what the Government of Ireland shall do with their inadequate, unfair and unwanted Bill. It is likely, however, that the Bill will come into Irish law around October of this year.
Filed under: Ireland, LGBT, Politics | 1 Comment
Tags: gay, Ireland
Masculinity and Gay Men
The following is a university paper that I wrote earlier this year, and I thought that some might find it interesting.
How does the Gay Man fit into
Societal Norms of Masculinity?
Scott De Buitléir
University College Dublin
In order for one to understand what is being discussed, certain terms that will be commonly used in this paper must be defined. The aim of defining the term ‘masculinity’ will be the aim of the overall paper, but to give a starting point, the Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines the word as:
“…of the male sex; manly, vigorous; (of woman) having qualities appropriate to man.
The word ‘vigorous,’ I feel, should also be defined, having been used in the above definition:
“vĭg’our: Active physical strength or energy; flourishing physical condition; health growth, vitality, vital force… [et cetera].”
By simply finding the words in a dictionary, the term ‘masculinity’ has been linked to ‘physical strength or energy,’ and somewhat makes the reader presume that if is it masculine to be vigorous, then it might not be a feminine trait.
In fact, the term ‘feminine’ should also be clarified;
“fĕm’ĭnĭne, Of female sex (rare); of women; womanly…”
This seems to be much of a muchness, yet it does show that embedded in language is there a presumption that men are vigorous by nature, or at least enough men are for it to be defined in a dictionary of language. What is interesting, however, is that this trait does not seem to also be in the possession of the feminine. Already, one begins to notice that while one term is defined, the other’s definition is quite abstract and fluid, leaving it somewhat as the ‘other’. Feminine notions can be created or defined as what masculine notions aren’t. If masculinity is vigorous and full of energy, then femininity could possibly be perceived as calm and gentle.
So, what of the role of the gay man in masculinity, and why is it that a man’s category of sexuality could be seen by mainstream society as detrimental to his own masculinity? This paper will attempt to identify why homosexual men are treated as less masculine in society, but primarily by other (mainly heterosexual) men.
Gender and Male Sexuality
It cannot be denied that gender roles are deeply rooted within society, and sexuality inevitably plays its part. Gleitman states that “society not only has different expectations about what the two sexes should do; it also has different expectations of what they should be.”[1]
In a psychological setting, sexual identity is divided into three parts. The first is gender identity; a person’s sense that he/she is male or female. The second is gender role; a set of external behaviour patterns that culture deems appropriate for each sex. A third is sexual orientation; which sex one may be attracted to; be it the same as, or opposite of, their own sex, or both.
Putting these three sections of sexual identity into the context of this paper, gender identity is mostly a question of perception; Gleitman acknowledges that ‘virtually all gay and bisexual men think of themselves as men and are so regarded by others. This clearly illustrates that sexual orientation, gender identity and gender role are in principle independent’[2] (my italics for emphasis).
Gender roles, however, are conditioned almost entirely based on cultural and social conditioning. More than 90 percent of a group of American eleven-year-olds thought that the words weak, emotional, appreciative, gentle, soft-hearted, affected, talkative, fickle and mild were more likely to describe a woman, while the adjectives strong, aggressive, disorderly, cruel, coarse, adventurous and dominant probably described a man. Boys and girls endorsed almost the same gender-role stereotypes (Best et al., 1977 in Gleitman).
Head states that “membership of the boys’ group demands acceptance of certain rules… Rather than risk saying something which is unacceptable, the boys narrow the range of subjects to things which are clearly safe, such as sport. Jokes are valued, but expressions of doubt are not.”[3] With this in mind, if an eleven-year-old boy were to portray personality traits of the first word group, he would be less likely to be accepted into the social group of the other boys, labelled as a ‘pansy,’ or another derogatory term of equal or heavier effect. This lack of conformity to the above presumptions of gender-roles is the foundations of homophobia in later years.
The gender-role labels mentioned above, however, do not apply to every world culture, although it can be accepted that the above does apply to the Western world. Margaret Mead made comparisons of the personality traits of men and women in three separate pre-literate tribes in New Guinea, all within a hundred-mile radius of one another. Among the Arapesh, both men and women were mild, cooperative, and “maternal” in their attitudes towards each other and especially towards children. Among the neighbouring Mundugomor, both sexes were ferociously aggressive and quarrelsome. In the third tribe, the Tchambuli, the sex roles that Westerners would consider as normal were in fact reversed. The women had the role of the ‘breadwinners’ who fished and went to market unadorned. While the women worked, the men gossiped and pranced about, wore elaborate hairstyles, carved and painted, and practiced dance (Mead, 1935, 1937 in Gleitman)[4].
Finally, the Chinese sage, Lao-tse, once said: “he who understands the masculine and keeps to the feminine shall become the whole world’s channel.”[5] All of this shows, therefore, that the perceptions of what role a man should have in Western society do not apply to every human culture in the world.
The Language of Symbols
Wilchins states that ‘Masculine symbols aren’t necessarily masculine. One of the paradoxes of language is that most signs don’t have to have any particular meaning.’[6] For example, there is no tangible connection between the English word “red,” the French “rouge” or the Irish “rua”, and the colour that we perceive as red.
Similarly, symbols – linguistic or otherwise – must be received within a context. For example, the letter combination [f·e·a·r] could mean ‘the emotion of being afraid’ in English, or ‘a man’ in Irish. The mind will read such a letter combination depending on what it is used to (i.e. the language in which the word was first learned) and the context (i.e. the textual environment which the word may be part of).
In a similar way, a personal trait will be interpreted according to what the mind is used to, and the cultural context in which the trait is perceived. For example; on the Continent, men kissing each other on the cheek is a quite common way of greeting one another, especially if they are quite familiar with each other. In the Anglophone world (i.e. Britain, Ireland, North America, etc.), a restrained handshake is the accepted norm, with a brief hug for close friends. A Continental-style greeting in middle-class England or America would greatly surprise and unease men, as it would be deemed too familiar and intimate. Sexual stereotypes, therefore, can vary greatly from region to region, and this shows that they are in no way fixed.
Homophobia, Sex and Masculinity
The final point made in the previous paragraph brings us to the concept that not all cultures perceive masculinity in the same light. Many would know that during the time of Ancient Greece, homosexuality was widely accepted, to the extent that Pericles, an Athenian statesman, was regarded by his peers as odd because he was not attracted to members of his own sex.[7] The most positive role of homosexuals in the past (and still to this day) is to be found in the role of the berdache in Native American and Eskimo villages (Williams, 1986). He is a man who is likely to dress like a woman, has sexual relations with both single and married men of the community, and is regarded as a shaman, therefore bearing a noble and valued role in society. This shows that modern perceptions in Western cultures were not universal. Today’s culture, in both Ireland and elsewhere, is of quite a different story.
One must ask, however; what is it about homosexuality that seems to cause such a threat to masculinity? According to Head, “alongside hegemony, the main characteristic of male groups is compulsive heterosexuality.”[8] Hegemony is certainly a strong factor in the cause of homophobia among heterosexual men, but it is also linked with internalized homophobia.
One answer is that the perception of homosexuality, whether in its physical acts or characteristic stereotypes, is a weakening of the ideals of masculinity. Wilchins states that ‘a man who glories in his masculinity is virile, manly, masculine, macho, studly, hunky, two-fisted, stout-hearted, red-blooded, game and gutsy.’[9] Yet in acts of sex between two gay men, ‘one partner will inevitably negotiate symbolic meanings usually associated with the other sex [i.e. women].’[10] It is this acceptance of the ‘passive’ role during moments of intimacy that men who could be classed as homophobic would find most repulsive, as it would be a direct attack on the dominant power that a man usually experiences and enjoys during sex. For a man to assimilate a passive role during sex that would be akin to a heterosexual woman’s ‘role,’ he is perceived by others (both in and outside of the gay community) as less masculine than that of his partner.
One aspect of the argument against homosexuality relies on religion; and in the Irish context, the Roman Catholic religion. The bible can be seen as one of the foundations for hegemonic masculinity in (Western) modern-day culture, as part of Corinthians I reads;
“…For man is not of the woman, but woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but woman for the man.”
This is a blatant statement of hegemonic masculinity against women, yet because of the publication in which it is written, it is very hard to challenge or even denounce it without greatly offending members of a global religious community. Regardless, the statement subordinates women, and should gay men be perceived as woman-like because of their sexual actions, this statement shows grounds for subordinating them also on grounds of religion.
What is interesting to note in contrast, however, is that both gay and straight men uphold the ‘masculine’ trait of having multiple sexual partners. Until the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, the sexual relations of gay men in Western society tended to be briefer, more casual, and involved many more partners than those of lesbians.[11] This has been claimed by Schläfer[12] to be a biological trait between men and woman rather than between sexualities: A study of 151 lesbians and 581 gay men in West Germany found that only one percent of women claimed to have had sexual relations with more than ten partners, while 61 percent of men claimed the same (Schläfer, 1977). Gleitman argues, however, that “it is perfectly possible that the culture has thought men (no less than their heterosexual brothers) that being manly is to have a lot of sexual experiences…”
Wilchins notes this perception of gender roles within the gay community as she experiments with a group of young gay American men;
‘So I ask them… “How many men in this room are gay?” Every hand in the room goes up.
“How many men in this room are bottoms [i.e. those who generally take on the passive role during sex]?” Every hand in the room goes down. Very quickly. Then they all look around at each other and break out laughing.
Then we have a great discussion about…why it would be so humiliating for a man to admit that, once in a great while, he plays catcher instead of pitcher.’
This forfeit of masculinity is even perceived within the gay community as negative, despite it being necessary for any act of intimacy amongst them. This shows how deeply embedded the perceptions of masculinity based on hegemony are.
In 1993-4, the Wild Justice Company, a theatre production group based in London, presented a play entitled ‘What’s Wrong with Angry?’ whereby its aim was to show the audience about the effect of mainstream homophobia; the amalgamation of peer pressure, the attitude of authoritive figures in education and the attitudes of the media and politics, echoing certain hypocrisies of the Tories at the time[13]. The play represents a cultural response to gay oppression in society, while attempting to inspire change within the minds of the audience. Despite its good intentions, the play failed somewhat in broadcasting its message correctly, as the more obvious issue seemed to lie within the storyline of one of the main characters being under the legal age of consent for sex.
More recently, the Irish activist group, LGBT Noise, staged a protest[14] on April 19th, 2009 in Dublin as part of its campaign to bring in legislation in the Irish Republic for full civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples. During the protest, one of the speakers claimed that according to certain surveys, 61 percent of the Irish people[15] saw no problem with the introduction of gay marriage. One wonders, therefore, how extensive homophobia is, and if it is slowly becoming something of the past. Having said that, it is somewhat of a wonder how much change has happened in Ireland since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1993.
Conclusion
Gay men are perceived by their heterosexual brothers as less masculine, because of the hegemonic ideals of masculinity being dominant, vigorous, and rough. The sexual gender-roles some homosexual men take up, however, are somewhat similar to those of heterosexual women. In being what some call “the wife” in a relationship (be it purely a purely physical one or something more substantial), the gay man is seen to forfeit his masculinity, and therefore becomes somewhat of an exile or even a traitor within the hegemonic concept of masculinity. He is classed with women, and with that is perceived as inferior to men. In an attempt – consciously or not – to regain or retain his own sense of masculinity, he is known to be promiscuous, having multiple sexual partners over a given time period, as we have seen that this is a trait of ‘manliness’ that is taught to all men, regardless of their sexuality. However, Gleitman says that although there’s a widely held belief that homosexual orientation only leads to “brief and furtive liaisons,”[16] especially among gay men, that it does not seem to describe the majority of the gay population. “On the contrary, many gays and lesbians form lasting bonds and become couples, despite that fact that our culture does not offer any recognised route for such relationships.” This would show that the treatment of gay men is somewhat inferior to the heterosexual population.
Johnson claims that ‘one looks in vain for examples of the man of simple consciousness in our complex Western world. We often project this quality onto dark-skinned minorities and women – and then resent them for it.’[17] This statement could quite easily include homosexuals as well ethnic and religious minorities, and subscribes to the concept of hegemonic masculinity. It is only when the problem of hegemony is confronted and tacked in society will the inferiority of some men because of sexual orientation cease.
[1] Gleitman, H. 1995. Psychology (Fourth Edition). New York: W. W. Norton & Co.
[2] Ibid., P.565
[3] Head, J. 1999. Understanding the Boys. London: Falmer Press.
[4] Reference: Gleitman, P. 703.
[5] Goddard, H. 1960. The Meaning of Shakespeare. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
[6] Wilchins, R. 2004. Queer Theory, Gender Theory. Los Angeles: Alyson Books.
[7] See Gleitman, Psychology, P. 565
[8] Head, Understanding the Boys, P. 41
[9] Wilchins, Queer Theory, Gender Theory, P. 37
[10] Ibid., P. 15
[11] See Gleitman, Psychology, P.398
[12] Ibid.
[13] See Field, Over the Rainbow, P. 130
[14] See http://www.lgbtnoise.ie/
[15] In conversation with Senator David Norris; 21 April 2009
[16] Gleitman, P. 565
[17] Johnson, R.A. 1991. Transformation: Understanding the Three Levels of Masculine Consciousness. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
Filed under: LGBT | 1 Comment
Tags: equality, gay, LGBT, masculinity, Men, studies, UCD
It’s Been Too Long!
When I try to juggle a summer job, a radio show and a social/love life, something is bound to be neglected. Sadly, that was to be my writing. You may now slap me on the hand… just there, thank you. To make up for it, however, here’s an update on my life!
First up – career. Things have been going really well for me recently, as I’ve done some professional work for both RTÉ Radio and BBC Northern Ireland, corresponding on the Civil Partnership Bill and also on Michael Jackson’s death (not at the same time, mind you). Today, I lodged my cheque from the BBC into my bank account – I was so chuffed with myself! As a friend pointed out to me today, to be able to have both RTÉ and the BBC on my CV at the age of just 21… well, it’s pretty cool.
Next up – love life! Last week, the other half and I took a mini-break (i.e. 30 hours!) to Cork to celebrate being together for six months. Fair enough, it wasn’t something like a 25-year anniversary, but we felt the need to celebrate! We had a fantastic time, and Cork turned out to be surprisingly romantic!
College/University: I’m returning to UCD on the 7th of September to start my Masters in Irish-language Journalism, or to use the course’s official to start, and I might betitle, MA Scríobh agus Cumarsáid na Gaeilge (Iriseoireacht). I can’t wait to start, and I might be teaching undergrad students as well! I’m really looking forward to returning to the Irish department.
…aaand that’s all for the moment. I’ll return soon (hopefully) with a decent article for you.
Grá,
Scott x
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