Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
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About the blog awards
I have no idea who nominated me for an award at the Irish Blog Awards, which take place in Belfast tonight. I don’t know much about the awards, except that I am nominated in the same catagory as David McWilliams, Jim Carroll and Donald Clarke. So obviously, I am extremely flattered.
I’m not deluded enough to think I have any chance of winning. But whoever nominated me, and for whatever reason, I’m sure it wasn’t for thinking things but not saying them. So here are my two cents. When I was in my late teens, I did a stint working in the customer service section of a computer software company called Symantec. There was a Customer Service Awards and the two biggest lick-arses in our department got sent along.
Our chosen nominees won big on the night and, the next morning in work, the rest of us were made to watch their acceptance speech in the conference room. (“This is dedicated to our Tech Support team, because we could never have done it without you guys etc. etc….”) This might explain why I find these sorts of award ceremonies so cringey.
I don’t doubt the motives of whoever is organising this and I know that awards, by their very nature, are subjective.
But as far as I know, the Irish Blog Awards are the same crowd who have given Twenty Major their Godlike Genius award for the last twenty years in a row. I said all I wanted to about Twenty Major in this blog post (and the comments below.)
Sufficed to say that, for me, he epitomises all that is all that is worst about online discourse. He is ignorant, nasty, profane, amateur and anonymous. A YouTube commenter, at best. Yet instead of being shunted away in some dusty backroom, like the embarrassing racist old uncle that he is, he is wheeled out and feted at every opportunity.
This year he is nominated for best blog post for an erudite offering entitled Enda Kenny is a Fucking Dick.
So lookit, I’d hate to appear ungrateful, and I hope everyone making the trip to Belfast has a great night and I doubt too many people give a fuck what I think. But I would query whether to be honoured in such company is to be honoured at all.
March 19th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
I don’t like the guy either but surely the most popular blog gets to win, hes the most popular therefore he always wins – sounds like sour grapes Eoin.
March 19th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
you could have met Jessy Jackson!!
March 19th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
Well said Eoin
March 19th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
If I had a vote I would have voted for this blog. Great stuff Eoin always enjoy hearing your opinion.
March 19th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
Might be surprised how many people give a fuck what you think. I read this blog every day.
March 19th, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Always outnumbered never outgunned
March 19th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
And the persecution complex award goes to…
March 19th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
I would make the comparison with Brendan O’Carroll and Mrs Browns Boys. Theres no accounting for taste.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Butler, I hope you’re not getting bitter because I doubt no one wants to hear it. I read your blog. I don’t read any of the other ones you’ve mentioned there. So stop your bitchin man!
March 19th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
@ Jonathan M – “I doubt no one wants to hear it…”
you’ve double negatived my mind Jonny
March 19th, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Well fucking said Eoin. That blog (twentymajor) is an ugly humourless pox. Embarrassing. I went to those awards once and I never saw such frightfully unmerited circle-congratulating in my life.
BTW what independent committee decides what Irish blog is better than another? I doubt it is even a committee, just that angry fella from twitter damien mulley or to give him his twe-name/webinar/social media handle mulley.net. *shudder*
March 20th, 2011 at 12:02 am
“I have no idea who nominated me”
For what it worth Eoin I didn’t nomoinate you!
March 20th, 2011 at 12:20 am
Ah you didn’t win? Poor fella.
March 20th, 2011 at 12:25 am
But I heard you had a good time in Westport
Say that.
March 20th, 2011 at 12:33 am
@ Sally – And the stalker award goes to
March 20th, 2011 at 7:41 am
It’s my birthday and I’ll drunkenly comment if I want to, comment if I want to.
Good to see a return to more regular updates.
Awards are daft in general really
March 20th, 2011 at 11:36 am
No one ever listens to you Nolan. Alas, alas.
March 20th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
@ Rosie – The photographs are on Facebook
March 20th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
@ Sally – I’m being stalked by a Hank Williams song. That is a first.
March 20th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Sorry, just saw the email address. Okay, that makes more sense now.
March 20th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
*applauds*
March 20th, 2011 at 6:54 pm
And look what you’ve done now; no more Irish Blog Awards.
You’ve broken the IBA goddamit!
March 20th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
@ Evert Bopp – huh?
March 20th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Was Jessie Jackson really at the Irish Blog Awards? Head explosion imminent…
March 20th, 2011 at 9:52 pm
Eoin, I’m beginning to worry that the you & Twenty Major will never settle things Mano-a-mano. Surely the proper way to finish things between yourself & himself would’ve been a fight-club style beatdown in Belfast.
BTW, did you not read his award-nominated post “Enda Kenny is a Fucking Dick”? It was an erudite, informed and deeply insightful profile of the very essence of the man.
March 20th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Alan Moloney, of Wheel Spinning Hamster Dead fame, had a pretty good take on the Irish blogosphere & the self-congratulatory nature of it: http://bit.ly/gmJigz
You get a big shout out in it.
March 21st, 2011 at 1:22 am
Well said.
March 21st, 2011 at 8:34 am
@Eoin Apparently Mulley announced it was the last one and he won’t be doing any more Blog Awards.
March 21st, 2011 at 4:48 pm
You couldn’t have done something like this? Where’s your sense of goddamn stuntcraft, Butler?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QUacU0I4yU
March 21st, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Damnit, really missed a trick there. Although given that I assume I didn’t win, the poor woman would have been sitting their in her poncho for no reason.