17 March

ANNA LIVIA PLURABELLE IS BETTER KNOWN AS THE FLOOZY IN THE JACUZZI

March 17, 2023 by infomatique

ST PATRICK’S DAY 2023

Anna Livia is a bronze monument formerly located on O’Connell Street in Dublin.

Designed by the sculptor Eamonn O’Doherty, the monument was commissioned by businessman Michael Smurfit, in memory of his father, for the Dublin Millennium celebrations in 1988.

The monument is a personification of the River Liffey which runs through the city. Anna Livia Plurabelle is the name of a character in James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake who also embodies the river.

The river is represented as a young woman sitting on a slope with water flowing past her. She is familiarly known by the people of Dublin as the Floozie in the Jacuzzi, or the Whore in the Sewer (pronounced hoo-er to rhyme with sewer) among other names. Both nicknames were encouraged by the sculptor himself.

The monument was removed from its site on O’Connell Street in 2001 to make room for the Spire of Dublin.

I have been told that in Birmingham in the UK there is a somewhat similar statue and that the public there have adopted the same nickname for it.

A LOVELY DAY FOR A GUINNESS

March 17, 2023 by infomatique

ST PATRICK’S DAY 2023

When Guinness is poured, the gas bubbles appear to travel downwards in the glass. The effect is attributed to drag; bubbles that touch the walls of a glass are slowed in their travel upwards. Bubbles in the centre of the glass are, however, free to rise to the surface, and thus form a rising column of bubbles. The rising bubbles create a current by the entrainment of the surrounding fluid. As beer rises in the centre, the beer near the outside of the glass falls. This downward flow pushes the bubbles near the glass towards the bottom. Although the effect occurs in any liquid, it is particularly noticeable in any dark nitrogen stout, as the drink combines dark-coloured liquid and light-coloured bubbles.

A study published in 2012 revealed that the effect is due to the particular shape of the glass coupled with the small bubble size found in stout beers. If the vessel widens with height, then bubbles will sink along the walls – this is the case for the standard pint glass. Conversely, in an anti-pint (i.e. if the vessel narrows with height) bubbles will rise along the walls.

A LOVELY DAY FOR A GUINNESS - SAINT PATRICK'S DAY 2023

ST. PATRICK’S FESTIVAL QUARTER AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND

March 17, 2023 by infomatique

17 MARCH 2023

For many years I had a media pass to for the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin but in recent years I have decided to give the parade a miss mainly because security became mote and more restrictive to the extent that I impacted on my photograph. This year I was not going to undertake any photography during the festival mainly as I was scheduled to travel to Kilkenny this weekend. However, I cancelled my trip to kilkenny.

Today, 17th March, I had lunch at Eatokyo on Capel Street and as I was finished by 2PM I decided to wander around and take some random photographs using my iPhone. Up until today I had not realised that I had a Lightroom App which allowed me to take .DNG [RAW files] images so I decided to experiment but when I returned home I discovered a number of unexpected problems which I will not discuss here.

The grounds of one of Ireland’s most spectacular and historic heritage sites in the heart of Dublin will feature Tent Mór and Tent Beag, an outdoor Main Stage, performance spaces, relaxation areas, a mini-funfair and the Irish Food and Craft Village.

All daytime events will be free of charge, along with the full day and night programme on St. Patrick’s Day, supported by Dublin Airport. Night time events on the 16th and 18th of March will require a pre-purchased ticket that will be valid for the full evening’s programme.

Festival Quarter will be open to all ages throughout the day, and will be reserved for adults only from 6pm to 10:30pm. Just a short walk from the city centre, easily accessible by Luas and bus, and adjacent to Heuston Station, Festival Quarter will be a bustling hub for locals and visitors alike, from March 16th to 18th.