Ireland

A Blooming Mistake: Irish James Joyce Coin Misquotes Author

Krishnadev Calamur — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:43:00 +0000

"A man of genius makes no mistakes," James Joyce wrote in Ulysses. "His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery." Looks like Ireland's Central Bank has taken that message to heart.

The bank announced Wednesday the launch of a limited-edition coin to honor the Irish writer. The coin features a portrait of Joyce and a quotation from Ulysses, arguably his most famous novel. Trouble is Joyce was misquoted.

Chapter three of the novel begins: "Ineluctable modality of the visible: at least that if no more, thought through my eyes.

For Ireland's First Female President, 'Everybody Matters'

NPR Staff — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:21:00 +0000

For seven years, Mary Robinson served as the first female president of Ireland. Yet, she also has a long record of service as a human rights advocate.

After leaving office in 1997, she was appointed as the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations. She now runs The Mary Robinson Foundation — Climate Justice.

Irish Women Emerge From Shadows Of 'National Shame'

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 18:25:00 +0000

In post-independence Ireland, thousands of women found themselves incarcerated in church-run laundries. For the first time, the state has apologized for their treatment.

These women were a diverse group: former prostitutes, unwed mothers, orphans, homeless women, convicts and industrial school transfers put in the care of the Catholic Church.

Nuns ran the facilities, known as Magdalene Laundries, on a commercial basis, doing laundry for the state, private companies and individuals. But the inmates were never paid for the work, and all profit went to the church.

A Bet Or A Prediction? Intrade's Purpose Is Debated

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:25:00 +0000

The popular website Intrade allows its users to bet on the odds of almost anything — like whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will get ousted by a certain date, or whether the movie Argo will win best picture at the Oscars.

This week, Ireland-based Intrade announced that U.S. users will have to unwind their bets and shut down their accounts by the end of the year.

All Bets Are Off: Intrade Shuts Door To U.S. Customers

Krishnadev Calamur — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 23:15:00 +0000

Intrade, the prediction website that accepted bids on, among other things, the result of the presidential election, is shutting its operations to U.S. customers.