Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
Blog
In which I Google my own name
Of course, it’s not something you should do too often. And when you must, it’s not something you should publicly admit to. But what the hell? Last time I googled the words “Eoin Butler”, I discovered that my friend and I were listed as problem tenants on a website called LandlordSolutions.ie. (Our crime? Taking a case to the PRTB four years ago, which had ruled 100% in our favour.)
I managed to get our names removed, but not without using (for the first and only time in my life) the utterly cringesome phrase “I write for the Irish Times, you know.” Time before that, I discovered that I’m reviled within the Ultimate Frisbee community. Which caused me to soil myself pretty badly, as you can imagine. So this is a task I approach with no little trepidation.
But fuck it, I’m bored. So here goes nothing…
1. I’d almost completely forgotten about this. Newswhip rounds up an actual Twitter spat I had with Reading and Republic of Ireland striker Noel Hunt. Long story short, it was all settled amicably. Sorry!
2. Naomi McArdle has a bit of a rant about something I wrote on this blog last year. I don’t mind her having a go. But I should point out, in my defence, that articles in The Slate were all published anonymously. So Naomi couldn’t possibly know what I did, or didn’t, write about Sinead O’Connor in that magazine almost a decade ago. (Which was pretty mild as it happens.)
3. Finally, and I’m a very modest type, so I’d been hoping to keep this quiet: The Munster Express lifts the lid on the pioneering work in the field of particle physics I’ve been carrying out at the CERN nuclear research centre in Geneva. What can I say? I’m a chameleon!
March 13th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
Interesting to read your reaction. Mine was a reaction to your apology to Sinead and had nothing to do with the articles in The Slate. I agree it was a rant and she was very unpredictable. Slagging someone off for being weird is not a crime but apologies should be sincere. I’m sure you meant every word but the ‘we all thought she was nuts’ excuse just seemed a bit feeble when you take into account the massive step Sinead took as a young Irish woman at the time…I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have not just your homeland but entire world turn its back on you for making a stand against something that ruined the lives of children. The fact that people actually manipulated her into a figure of ridicule is appalling but enough’s been said about her in that respect and the point of the article was to draw a line under that, right? Maybe then, rather than more humorous observations she would appreciate the trouble you took if the apology focussed on the facts of the Church’s involvement instead of skirting over the matter by referring to it as a “dodgy scandal”, the US media interest lending a defeatist finish that read like you were finally relenting in the face of indisputable evidence. Which I guess you were.
It pissed me off a lot at the time.
March 14th, 2011 at 1:07 am
Sinead O’Connor contacted me the day that piece went viral and thanked me for writing it. The music promoter Buzz O’Neill, who put her in touch with me, can vouch for that.
Beyond that, it’s late at night, I’m on a deadline and there are too many instances there where I’m not sure I entirely understand the point you’re making. So let’s just agree to disagree, shall we?
March 14th, 2011 at 10:27 am
I’d like to wish Noel well on his Boy Hunt quest I hear many are called few are chosen and alll that..
March 14th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Why does the Munster express say you’re from Ferrybank, co Waterford. Ashamed of your Mayo roots I dont blame ya!
Ps – are you back updating daily now? we lost you for a while
March 14th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
She says you’re insincere and it was a sham apology but she’s sure you meant every word you said. Glad you’ve cleared that up Naomi.
March 14th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
@ Massey – Jesus, long time mate. How ya been?
Re: Waterford thing. Just slipped that in to throw them off my tail.
@ Sarah – Ah, leave it now. Sure all’s well that ends well.
March 14th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Didn’t Stephen Ireland tweet for a while as Daddy Dick and then say something stupid even for him and then come out and say that he wasn’t Daddy Dick at all. Or am I just inventing new Stephen Ireland scandals as if we didn’t have enough?
There was definitely a Daddy Dick in there somewhere!!
March 15th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
@ Dec, yes Stephen Ireland definitely was Daddy Dick.
@ Eoin, grand good to have you back-ish.