Nominations for the Irish Blog Awards are open. Go nominate your favourite blogs. Info on the nomination process here.

The Irish Sentinel is back. I’m told there might be a paint job forthcoming too.

My first dictionary.

iNudge

Just back in the door from a fine night down in Cork. I have a hangover to beat the band (hopefully Coldplay) and I need a good poo.

Sweary won at last, well done to all the winners, (especially those whose attempts to try and give an acceptance speech were noisily and consistently interrupted by people roaring and shouting bollocks from a section near the front) and big congrats to Suzy who won the overall award as well as Best News and Current Affairs blog.

The whole event was good fun, hosted in fine style as usual by Rick, musicked up by Brian Greene and organised by Damien Mulley. Who introduced me to his folks. Which went something like:

“This is my father”, says Damien.

“Hi there, nice to meet you”.

“And this is my mother”, he says.

“Hi there, nice to meet you too”.

“This is Twenty Major”.

“Oooh”, gasps Mrs Mulley, as if she’s just met the Scarlet Pimpernel.

“Haha”, I say.

“Otherwise known as ‘Cunt’!”, says Mr Mulley.

Heh.

Lots of other good folk around, too many mention, and much beer, whiskey and gin and tonics and double gin and tonics were consumed. Well done again.

Until next year so.

Click for slightly bigger.

On a serious note he might need a Ninja or two around him. I’m sure there are more than a few people who wouldn’t mind kicking Brian Cowen’s head in right now.

I will admit that I’m not the most patient when behind the wheel of a car. I find myself unable to contain myself at the stupid and inconsiderate nature of … well, pretty much everyone else on the road.

I shake my fist, flash my lights, from time to time I’ll parp my horn, and I will swear at them in such a manner that all the sailors in all the world would blush if they heard me.

I feel I should probably be a little calmer, do that whole count to 10 thing people do before they respond or react to something.

This morning, driving down Westmoreland Street, I was rudely cut off by a driver who didn’t indicate and swerved right in front of me.

‘BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP’, went the horn, up went two arms in ‘Hey, what the fuck are you doing?’ gesture before I slapped them onto my head in a ‘You are a stupid ape’ gesture, and the dulcet tones of Tom Dunne were drowned out by me shouting ‘WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING YOU STUPID WANKER. YOU NEED TO BE CUNTED RIGHT IN THE BASTARD! DIE FUCKER, DIE!’.

It was only after all the shouting, gesticulating and hoo-ha that I noticed it was a Garda car.

Luckily for me he simply raised a hand in an apologetic fashion and didn’t haul me into Pearse Street for a good talking to which may or may not have resulted in my suspicious death sometime tomorrow morning.

I should be calmer, I realise that. But this has left me feeling in-fucking-vincible.

Out of my way, suckers.

The Irish Blog Awards took place last night and I’m very happy to have won ‘Most Humorous Post’ and the overall best blog award. That’s three in a row now. I feel like once, twice, three times a lady, let me tell you.

To have been chosen ahead of all the other fantastic bloggers makes me very proud. The amount of people there last night, at least 50% more than there were last year, shows how the Irish blogging community has grown in the last 12 months. There are a lot of really funny, clever, intelligent people writing blogs and every year the competition gets more fierce – but a friendly kind of fierce.

Congratulations to all the winners last night and all the nominees. One of the best things about the awards is that it has showcased blogs that some of us would never have found, whether they won awards or not. I know I spoke to people last night whose blogs I’m going to check out over the next few days. The event is a credit to Damien Mulley who has worked so hard at it and his contribution to the blogging scene in Ireland should not be underestimated. We’re very lucky to have somebody who gives so freely of their time for the benefit of so many.

Hosting duties were, as always, expertly carried out by Rick O’Shea who also managed to win the best ‘cock-pulture’ blog. Well deserved on so many levels that one.

The one thing I took away from the night was just how friendly everybody was. I met people I’d met before, I met new bloggers, I met people who comment on my blog and to a man/woman they were all great to talk to. I’m sure the experience was the same for the other bloggers and attendees. Drinks were drunk, hands were shook and all in all it was a fine night, full of smiles and good humour. There were some folk I did want to talk to but couldn’t find or got waylaid talking to other folk – sorry about that. Next year.

Thank you to all the people who read the blog, who comment, who nominated me and the judges who, from a very strong group, selected me as the Best Irish Blog for 2008. I’m sure that in 2009 the competition will be even better but I think perhaps it’s time to introduce some kind of a rule whereby if you win a category three times in a row you have to take a year off or something. Are you listening, Sinead? *cough*

There are loads of great Irish blogs and loads of them that deserve recognition and awards. Most of all though they deserve readers and contributors, people who will enjoy and appreciate their writing or their expertise or their pancake recipes or whatever.

We are blog, heartache to heartache.

Cheers everyone.

Just a quick one to wish good luck to everyone nominated tonight. And remember, it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about getting as drunk as possible and vomiting in people’s handbags.

See you later.

Ahead of the Irish Blog Awards this Saturday George Cook interviews two of Ireland’s top bloggers.

That was good fun last night, wasn’t it?

I’m very proud to have won Most Humorous Post and the overall Best Blog prize for the second year running. The amount and variety of people there is a great testament to the Irish blogging scene. Short, tall, fat, thin, old, young, mohawky, bald, pregnant, not pregnant – they were all there. It showed that it’s not just a pastime for nerds (although there were some nerds there. You know who you are, oh yes).

The way it’s grown in the last 12 months has been remarkable and I’m sure that the awards last year did as much to give it a kick in the arse to help it expand as anything else. Hopefully this year’s awards will do the same.

I think what it’s shown is that anyone can blog (even fucking Grannymar) about anything they like as often or as little as they like. Forget bullshit posts about the ‘rules of blogging’. What’s great about it is that you just make of it what you want to make of it. Fuck convention.

Congratulations to everyone involved last night. To all the nominees, the winners, to Rick O’Shea for his presentation – although I never did get that fucking Um Bongo, you cunt – to the sponsors, Damien (very nice touch by Bernie to give the Best Contribution Award to Damien – thoroughly deserved too) and everyone else who worked so hard to make the night a success.

For me the whole thing was made complete by seeing Tom Raftery dance. That man has some moves, let me tell you.

Well done again to everyone. See you all next year.

Nice to see it’s been picked up and run on some of the big sites. Yahoo has a story here.

However, I am very upset at being referred to as a “four armed midget”. Where the fuck did they get that?

As regular readers know I am not fond of the small person, they make me queasy, so for me to be cast in the same light as those is most distressing.

I shall be seeking legal advice from Thruppenceworth, my totally above board solicitors.

You can see all the shortlisted nominations for yourself right here.

Thanks to everyone who voted for me and now it’s down to the judges. Word is they’re being sequestered immediately and won’t be allowed out until after the ceremony.

What happens if Rick O’Shea wins the Best Contribution category? He’s going to say, “And the winner is…me!”, and nobody will believe him and people will storm the stage and he’ll get crushed to death. A good death is probably what the blog scene needs to kick on in 2007 and if Rick is serious about making a contribution then he knows what to do.

Then next year it can be the Rick O’Shea memorial award. Nah, fuck it actually. That’s way too mawkish. We’ll just stare at the spot on the carpet that they couldn’t get the blood out of.

Anyway, Jimmy the Bollix says he wants to go along this year. Something to do with settling some old scores with some people. I don’t know who though. It’ll just add to the excitement.