Friday, December 23, 2011

Ross O’Carroll Kelly Named Ireland's Favourite Book


---Press Release---

‘The Oh My God Delusion’, Ross O’Carroll Kelly, tops Eason’s book poll as the nation’s favourite read

Wednesday 21st December: Dublin 4’s best-loved resident Ross O’ Carroll-Kelly has certainly captured the heart of the nation as ‘The Oh My God Delusion’ from the series written by author Paul Howard has been crowned Ireland’s Favourite Book.

As part of their 125th anniversary celebrations, Eason, Ireland’s leading retailer of book stationery, magazines and much more launched a search to find the nation’s favourite read as voted by the people of Ireland. For weeks, thousands have been casting their vote via Eason’s new look website, www.easons.com, from a list of 125 top titles but it was Ross O’Carroll Kelly’s ‘The Oh My God Delusion’ that came out on top, competing with classics as such James Joyce ‘Ulysses’, Oscar Wilde’s ‘Picture of Dorian Gray’ and childhood favourites such as Roald Dahl’s ‘BFG’.

Speaking about Eason’s search to find Ireland’s favourite book, Maria Dickenson, Head of Book Purchasing at Eason said “What a diverse bunch of readers we are in Ireland! Thanks to everyone who voted, it’s been incredibly interesting to watch the votes coming in and gaining an insight into what makes us tick when it comes to reading – we each take away something unique from each book we read. Ross O’Carroll Kelly was a certainly a strong contender throughout and we’re delighted to have an Irish book come out on top. Congratulations to Paul for a great win and we trust Ross will be occupying our book shelves for years to come!”

Commenting on his prestigious win on Newstalk’s Tom Dunne show, Paul Howard, author of the Ross O’Carroll Kelly series said, “I am thrilled that ‘The Oh My God Delusion’ has topped Eason’s poll to find the nation’s favourite book. I’ve been writing Ross O’Carroll-Kelly books for 13 years now and it’s very gratifying that readers still find the books relevant and funny. ‘The Oh My God Delusion’ is the tenth novel in the series, which I began writing as a way of poking fun at middle class rugby culture but which became a means of satirising Celtic Tiger Ireland.

“This book was the first recession era book, tracing the descent of Ross and his circle of friends from affluence to penury. It’s great that readers have stuck with the story and are still laughing. And God knows we need a laugh in these grim times! I’d like to say a very special thanks to Eason, who have huge supporters of Ross since the very first book, and everyone who voted”, continued Paul.

The top ten books included:
1. Ross O'Carroll-Kelly: THE OH MY GOD DELUSION, author Paul Howard
2. To Kill a Mocking Bird, author Harper Lee
3. Book Thief, author Markus Zusak
4. Lord of the Rings, author J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, author John Boyne
6. PS I Love You, author Cecelia Ahern
7. Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini
8. Room, author Emma Donoghue
9. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
10. Catch 22, author Joseph Heller


Individual Counties’ Favourite Book:

Carlow (tied first)
Hunger Games, author Suzanne Collins
Ross O’Carroll Kelly: The Oh my God Delusion, author Paul Howard

Cavan
Lord of the Rings, author J.R.R. Tolkien

Clare (all tied first)
Book Thief, author Markus Zusak
PS I Love You, author Cecelia Ahern
Kite Runner, author Khaled Hosseini

Cork To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee

Donegal (all tied first)
Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown
Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas, author John Boyne
Hunger Games, author Suzanne Collins
Ross O’Carroll Kelly: The Oh my God Delusion, author Paul Howard

Dublin
Ross O’Carroll Kelly: The Oh my God Delusion, author Paul Howard

Galway (tied first)
To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee
Book Thief, author Markus Zusak

Kerry (all tied first)
Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown
PS I Love You, author Cecelia Ahern

Kildare
Ross O’Carroll Kelly: The Oh my God Delusion, author Paul Howard

Kilkenny
My Sister’s Keeper, author Jodi Picoult

Laois
Ross O’Carroll Kelly: The Oh my God Delusion, author Paul Howard

Limerick (tied first)
To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee
Book Thief, author Markus Zusak

Longford (tied first)
Time Travellers Wife, author Audrey Niffenegger
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, author Susan Clark

Louth (all tied first)
Lord of the Rings, author J.R.R. Tolkien
Circle of Friends, author Maeve Binchy
Handmaids Tale, author Margaret Atwood
Life of Pi, author Yann Martel
Twilight, Stephenie Meyer

Mayo (all tied first)
Catch 22, author Joseph Heller
Book Thief, author Markus Zusak
Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown
The Notebook, author Nicholas Sparks
We need to Talk About Kevin, author Lionel Shriver

Meath
Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas, author John Boyne

Monaghan
Book Thief, author Markus Zusak

Offaly
The Alchemist, author Paulo Coelho

Roscommon (tied first)
Ross O’Carroll Kelly: The Oh my God Delusion, author Paul Howard
To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee

Tipperary (all tied first)
To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee
Book Thief, author Markus Zusak
Ross O’Carroll Kelly: The Oh my God Delusion, author Paul Howard

Waterford
Book Thief, author Markus Zusak

Westmeath
Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas, author John Boyne Boyne

Wexford (tied first)
Lord of the Rings, author J.R.R. Tolkien
Ross O’Carroll Kelly: The Oh my God Delusion, author Paul Howard

Wicklow
Ross O’Carroll Kelly: The Oh my God Delusion, author Paul Howard

Monday, December 19, 2011

Axe Wishes You A 'Merry Hot Christmas'


Axe's latest campaign comes in the form of a Facebook application Christmas e-card. I'm not going to say anything, just clickthrough and take a look.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Beer enthusiasts quench their thirst for knowledge


---Press Release---

ThisIsBeer.ie has arrived. Thisisbeer.ie is Ireland’s newest online beer hub built to celebrate the natural goodness of beer. Some of the best beer brands in the world have come together to create a platform where enthusiasts and novices can discuss, learn about and experience beer to its fullest.

Over 40,000 beers worldwide are made of just three natural ingredients; water, hops, and barley, making beer a natural match to food. ThisIsBeer.ie offers up a wide range of beers with delicious recipes, in keeping with the fast growing global trend of matching food.

With regular blog contributions from a wide range of experts in beer, nutrition and food, Thisisbeer.ie is the perfect place for budding beer aficionados to keep up to date on news and facts about beer. Thisisbeer.ie delivers video blogs, true or false beer quizzes and tips on how to pour, store and cool beer for the discerning beer drinker.

David Forde, Managing Director at Heineken Ireland said “This website is a great opportunity for both beer enthusiasts and those who enjoy an occasional beer to get the best out of the most refreshing drink out there; beer. With its natural ingredients, a beer is the perfect accompaniment for food and ThisIsBeer.ie offers the perfect combination of creating a meal to complement your favourite beer, while also showing how beer enhances your food.”

The website is a Heineken Ireland initiative and features the wide range of beers available from Ireland’s number one lager company. Heineken Ireland’s portfolio includes beers from around the world such as Ireland’s number one lager; Heineken, Tiger, Coors Light and a full range of specialty beers which includes Paulaner, Moretti, Affligem and Zwyiec.

Monday, December 12, 2011

ESB Electric Ireland - Tweet 'em Home For Christmas


Last Thursday and Friday saw Twitter abuzz with the ESB Electric Ireland Tweet ‘Em Home for Christmas campaign. The campaign, which was a huge success, saw over 47,000 tweets generated and a total of €80,000 donated to charity!

Concern Worldwide (Team A supported by RTE 2FM's Hector and www.culch.ie) ultimately won with the greatest number of tweets for their hashtag #ESBElectricIrelandTeamA. The team generated over 18,000 tweets and secured an additional donation of €20,000 for the charity.

Following a phenomenal initial response from the general public and Twittesphere ESB Electric Ireland set a new challenge on the second day of the campaign: to reach a target of 25,000 tweets. This target was achieved and an additional €10,000 was donated to each of the three charities involved bringing the total to €20,000 for each charity and an additional €20,000 for the winning charity.

The teams were as follows:
Team A: Musician Mundy and Comedian Joe Rooney, with support from 2FM’s Hector and www.culch.ie
Charity: Concern Worldwide
Hashtag: #ESBElectricIrelandTeamA

Team B: Comedian Andrew Stanley and RTE Presenter Katie Van Buren, with support from 2FM’s Rick O’Shea and www.joe.ie
Charity: Irish Cancer Society
Hashtag: #ESBElectricIrelandTeamB hashtag

Team C: Magician Keith Barry and Rugby Commentator Brent Pope, with support from 2FM’s Will Leahy and www.entertainment.ie
Charity: ISPCCwill
Hashtag: #ESBElectricIrelandTeamC


For further details on ISPCC visit www.ispcc.ie, on Irish Cancer Society visit www.cancer.ie, and on Concern Worldwide visit www.concern.net.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Irish Language Social Media Site


---Press Release---

Abair Leat!, the world’s first social network exclusively dedicated to a minority language – Irish – will be launched on to the Irish market in the New Year.

In the run up to the launch, Abair Leat! is calling on anyone with an interest in the Irish language or interested in learning Irish to become beta testers and try out the new social media site. This will provide the company with useful feedback on the workings of the site. Those interested are asked to log on to www.abairleat.com and create an account with Abair Leat! - to be one of the first people to use the new social network outside the company.

AbairLeat! will be the world’s first social network / user generated content application exclusively dedicated to Gaeilge. The online network has the immediate effect of transforming learners into users. Abair Leat! uses custom made software that checks the percentage of Irish language content in all updates and posts. The network will be extremely useful for student with built in translation and spell check support. The site is also a great way for students to interact with each other in Irish in preparation for their Leaving Cert or college examinations.

Abair Leat! came about when staff of Irish college Coláiste Lurgan in Galway wished to work with new developments in IT to enable students to prepare for a cúrsa Gaeilge on their home PCs. The Abair Leat! project was then undertaken by web designers Block 5 Design to develop a series of online Irish games. Since then, Abair Leat! has gone from strength to strength with a new partnership emerging in 2011 with world renowned US-based online business Fantasy Interactive (FI) to create a unique social media site for the Irish Language.

FI is one of the world’s leading interactive agencies based in New York. Fantasy Interactive specialise in interactive design, mobile and application development and social media for some of the biggest brands in the world such as Google, Red Bull, CNN, and Fox. With such an extensive resume behind them, the team is happy to say they have created something completely unique to the social media world.

Abair Leat! aims to have up to 50,000 users by the end of 2012. Be one of the first to sample this unique IT experience by logging on to www.abairleat.com , create an account and get corresponding ‘as Gaeilge’.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

ESB Electric Ireland - Tweet 'em Home For Christmas


Yesterday ESB Electric Ireland announced that Mike Carey, Liz Cotter and Ian O’Flynn were selected as the lucky drivers who will help Tweet ‘em Home for Christmas. Each of the drivers and their “star navigator” will receive €10,000 from ESB Electric Ireland for their chosen charity and will also have the chance to win an additional €20,000 for the winning charity by competing to generate Tweets using the three team hashtags.

Team A: Musician Mundy and Comedian Joe Rooney
Charity: Concern Worldwide
Hashtag: #ESBElectricIrelandTeamA

Team B: Comedian Andrew Stanley and RTE Presenter Katie Van Buren
Charity: Irish Cancer Society
Hashtag: #ESBElectricIrelandTeamB hashtag

Team C: Magician Keith Barry and Rugby Commentator Brent Pope
Charity: ISPCCwill
Hashtag: #ESBElectricIrelandTeamC

The teams will travel from Dublin to Galway and back again this Thursday and Friday, December 8th and 9th in a Renault Trophy, a DeLorean and a New York yellow taxi cab. The teams will compete in a number of challenges in various towns along the way to earn additional Tweet energy for their cars.

Ken McKervey, Commercial Manager, ESB Electric Ireland commented, “ESB Electric Ireland Tweet Em Home for Christmas is just around the corner now. It gives people the chance to give something to charity this year in a fun and engaging way by simply using social media like Twitter and Facebook. We want to urge everyone to help our three teams by tweeting or by liking on Facebook using the relevant hashtags to power the cars as they drive across the country on Thursday and Friday!”

People can follow the progress of each of the teams in real time using the Facebook App on the ESB Electric Ireland Facebook Page


For further details on ISPCC visit www.ispcc.ie, on Irish Cancer Society visit www.cancer.ie, and on Concern Worldwide visit www.concern.net

Thursday, December 1, 2011

The Saba Cookbook


If you're a regular reader of Digitology you'll know that I love Thai food, and in particular I love Saba here in Dublin. So you can imagine how incredibly delighted I was to hear that Saba have just launched a cook book, The Saba Cookbook. To tell you the truth, this isn't a new idea and has very much been on the cards for Tweesak Trakoolwattana (known as Tao), Saba Executive Chef, and Saba’s owner Paul Cadden for some time. The two have always wanted to create a cook book that would showcase their restaurant's authentic Thai food.

What makes this a particularly noteworthy endeavour, beyond the absolute deliciousness of the offerings therein, is that all proceeds are to be split between an Irish charity, Our Lady’s Hospital for sick children in Crumlin, and a Thai charity, the Thai Red Cross (who help with the recent floods in Tao’s hometown, Bangkok).

The book will offer us budding Thai cooks nearly different authentic 100 recipes and will cover everything from Tao's tasty Thai soups and salads to his now famous curries and stir fries. You'll also find some desserts in there to create the perfect, complete Thai meal.

I definitely recommend this as the perfect gift this Christmas for anyone you know who loves Thai food!