The Limerick Blogger - latest Limerick news and Limerick events

Calaiste Chiarain in Croom, County Limerick is accusing the Department of Education of victimising them after they were being refused funding for a €12m expansion.

The school, which is noted for the fact that all the students do their school work using laptops, has expanded from just under 100 students in 1999 to 700 this year, is hoping to move from its current location to a new campus next to the orthopedic hospital in the town.

A site has been purchased and planning permission has been granted, Now the school is waiting for the green light from the Department. The school is currently overcrowded and students have their classes in portacabins.

It is believed by parents and staff at the school that schools in the city are trying to stop the school’s growth as students are chosing to go to the Croom college rather than attend schools in the City. The Irish Examiner reports that one unnamed school, is trying to have the number of students attending the school capped at a certain level.

Declan Garvey, who is on the school’s board of management is quoted in the paper as claiming that the school has become the victim of schools politics.

The school has become popular amongst students from the city after it went into a partnership with Dell Computers, where both students and staff purchase their own laptops at a discount from the computer manufacturer. Michael Dell himself has visited the school and described it as one of the finest of its kind in the world, during his visit in September 2004.

The Department, through a spokesperson told the Examiner that the move for the school would be considered as part of its Schools Building Modernisation Scheme for 2006 - 2010.

The man who died when his motorcycle collided with a car over the weekend has been named locally as Finbar O’Keeffe. He was 24 years old.

His death brings the number of dead on Limerick’s roads to 6 and the number nationally to 162.

The incident happened in the Kilmallock area of County Limerick.

The funeral of murder victim Keith Ryan has taken place today at St. Munchin’s church.

Speaking at the funeral Mass, Canon Michael Liston, spoke of the shock within the local community as a result of the 25-year old’s death.

Two men have been charged in connection with his death.

I may not be famaliar with all this Web 2.0 malarky, however it has made Cork the centre of the blogosphere of late and the discussion has spread to one or two of the blogs around this neck of the woods. A brief history. In 1999 some guy came up with the term Web 2.0. But in 2003 some other guys decided to claim it as their own by putting a patent on it, They wanted to turn it into their own Service Mark. (SM). Anyway, all of a sudden, they decided to send angry letters to a non-profit group called IT@Cork and all hell broke loose after that. (see comments in linked post) Two things that riled people up is (a) the goons that sent the solicitors letter did not come up with the term “Web 2.0″(see previous link) and (b) The whole idea of Web 2.0 is that the internet should become more accessible to everyone. Sticking a service mark on the term Web 2.0 would allow only one company use the term when organising events, exhibitions and conferences.

If one could explain it in three or so lines, Web 1.0 was a time when you just surfed pages on the internet, whereas Web 2.0 was the internet of user interaction, blogging, podcasting, and encyclopedias where the ordinary man on the street could write an entry.

And if I am completely wrong in my understanding, it won’t be long before I am corrected.

Anyway, that is a brief explanation of the history of Web 2.0 as I see it, the Advanced Technology Products Interactive Blog, based in Limrick is following the developments, as is most other blogs who write about technology. Anyway, just also to let those interested know that said local blog has been added to our list of permenent links to Local bloggers.

Other stuff on the local blogs today:

• The NewsWire is following a story of a gangland shooting in Dublin City.
• Irish weather - in Irish from Braz.
• The Dossing Times voises is distain at a story on abortion which appeared in yesterday’s Sunday Times.

Limerick rail passengers hoping for a direct train from Heuston Station in Dublin to Colbert Station in Limerick found themselves dumped on the platform of Limerick Junction on Sunday after Irish Rail failed to inform the driver that he was to make an unsceduled stop at Thurles to accomodate hurling fans attending the Clare versus Cork match in the town.

The GAA fans were hopping mad when, as they prepared to allight from the train, they watched Thurles station fly by without even slowing down.

The fans, created a comotion and the train was forced to stop at Limerick Junction to offload it’s Limerick bound passengers so the driver could take the eighty hurling fans back to Thurles.

It turns out that the fans purchased their rail tickets for the 1330 hrs train from Dublin after assurances that the train would stop at Thurles. After the driver was confronted at the Junction, he was ordered by Irish Rail to take them back to Thurles. The hurling supporters were ordered back onto the train while the driver moved from the front engine to the rear one.

Limerick passengers had to wait for another train to take them to Limerick. Irish rail apologised to all those who were inconvenienced.

Full Story from the Irish Examiner

A cyclist in his 20’s was killed this morning when he collided with a car on the Herbertstown road in Ballybricken, County Limerick.

The collision occoured at approximately 1100 hrs this morning. The man has not yet been named.

Meanwhile, Gardai in Abbeyfeale are seaking information on a hit-and-run incident which occoured in the area at approximately 0400 hrs this morning.

From NewsWire blog:

A 23 year old man was hit by a red car which then went in the direction of Athea.The incident happened around 4 am. The man was taken to Limerick Regional hospital where is injuries are not thought to be serious.

Abbeyfeale Gardai can be contacted by anyone with information on this incident at (068) 3 11 00