tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59134729916950177192011-10-03T06:36:46.196-07:00A collection of arts and movie interviews, feature articles and opinion pieces by Susan DalySusan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.comBlogger2111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-82665023950905998252010-11-24T04:58:00.000-08:002010-11-24T05:09:53.394-08:00

Jeff Wayne was the guy who composed the famous 1970s Gordon's Gin ad jingle that was sampled by the Human League so often (recognise this?). He also happens to be the guy who composed the iconic musical interpretation of HG Wells's War of the Worlds into a double album in 1978. I got to meet him when he was in Dublin in March of this year - today's Indo carries my interview with him as he

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-39716490194775286222010-11-03T14:48:00.000-07:002010-11-03T15:00:57.552-07:00

Sometimes you meet a character so outstanding, courageous and powerful that they make you breathless with humility.One such person is Rose Callaly, the mother of murdered Rachel O'Reilly. Her other daughter Ann - so often seen propping her family up during the subsequent murder trial of Rachel's husband Joe in 2007 - died of cancer in late September this year. Two days after she buried her lovely

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-51902727778654225752010-11-03T14:34:00.000-07:002010-11-03T14:45:56.144-07:00

What happens when an ordinary person gets caught up in the whirlwind of a national news story? With news available from so many different sources these days, perhaps don't stories just don't hang around as long as they used to.I looked at a number of stories that were huge in Ireland in the 1980s onwards and asked some of the people at the centre of them how it felt to be in the

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-36303755963051292172010-11-03T14:21:00.000-07:002010-11-03T14:32:47.414-07:00

Hello! It's been a while since I posted my goings-on - partly because there have been so many goings-on.You might like to look at an exciting new website I'm involved in called TheJournal.ie - a one-stop shop for the day's main news, business, international, sport and off-the-wall news.It gives me a chance to take a slightly skewed view of the day's hot topics like this, this or even this.Keep an

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-32833634597708567302010-10-02T12:12:00.000-07:002010-10-02T12:21:53.473-07:00

My Twitter handle is 'Biddy Early' - I chose it because I wasn't sure what exactly Twitter was when I joined and wanted to depersonalise my account. And I've always thought Biddy Early - a local 'witch' whose name was often invoked to send children scurrying to their beds when I was growing up in Munster - might have been more misunderstood than 'evil'.Here's a little piece I put together for the

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-6549471296747807882010-10-02T12:06:00.000-07:002010-10-02T12:12:12.143-07:00

Olympians, political activists and TV reporters -- people with Down Syndrome are living their dreamsThe condition was recently highlighted when journalist Brendan O'Connor wrote so movingly about his new baby daughter Mary. Here Susan Daly talks to those who have grown up with it, but refuse to be defined by it.From Irish Independent, Wednesday September 22 2010When Declan Murphy moved away from

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-79577414364959169812010-09-22T11:54:00.000-07:002010-09-22T11:57:58.003-07:00

Call me old-fashioned, but a hen party's not a hen party without a good selection of Willies. Oh, unshield thine eyes. It wasn't THAT kind of evening. For one thing, the hen didn't want to be called a hen.There were to be no L-plates, no presents of edible underwear, no undie-cover stripper policemen, no banana splits topped off with provocative balls of strawberry ice-cream. I'm with the hen who

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-55471879735926416512010-09-22T11:49:00.000-07:002010-09-22T11:54:41.936-07:00

By Susan DalyWednesday Sep 15 2010Even the wealthy, the beautiful and the famous need a hand to be happy from time to time. Religion, after all, is not only the opiate of the masses.Tom Cruise gets his jollies from Scientology, Richard Gere found peace with Buddhism and Madonna has embraced Kabbalah.As for those who believe that God helps those who help themselves, the self-help industry is

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-20893769517682092742010-09-22T11:42:00.000-07:002010-09-22T11:49:25.720-07:00

Again, this is a post-dated, er, post. This was printed on September 8 as the fourth series of Mad Men began on BBC4. Looking forward to it coming to RTE in the new year.By Susan DalyWednesday Sep 8 2010Rolling Stone magazine likes its sexy covers and the current issue is very hot off the presses. It features the three lead female actors from TV series Mad Men -- January Jones (Betty), Christina

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-60388324214358667932010-09-22T03:02:00.000-07:002010-09-22T03:08:49.999-07:00

I wrote this piece on September 6 to coincide with the television premiere on RTE1 of Blind Man Walking, a documentary by Ross Whitaker about adventure athlete Mark Pollock becoming the first blind man to reach the South Pole on foot. Events in Mark's life took a tragic turn after the filming of the documentary and this interview was conducted over the phone with him as he lay in his hospital bed

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-48660973091492612742010-09-19T05:19:00.000-07:002010-09-19T05:29:20.140-07:00

This is the cover story I wrote for the Irish Independent's Weekend magazine of September 4 last. Hard to report on, but not half as harrowing as being a relative of any of the parties involved in these cases.MOST parents’ idea of a nightmare would be to outlive their children. No wonder then that when a child dies at the hands of a parent, it provokes outrage and disbelief. When that parent is a

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-33855151274000539062010-09-02T15:44:00.000-07:002010-09-02T15:47:09.869-07:00

During the economic boom, private industry seemed to be the place to earn the big bucks.Now that the Celtic Tiger has slunk away, a pensionable job in the traditional public service sector seems an attractive prospect once again.But has the job of Garda, teacher or nurse really been a steady ship throughout the years of boom and bust?We asked three workers who have been on the frontline of their

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-73870153468018869002010-08-30T02:19:00.000-07:002010-08-30T02:25:57.567-07:00

Last week, a Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman's report on the bombings in Claudy of 1972 accused the Catholic Church and British Government of protecting Fr James Chesney, a local priest suspected of involvement in the massacre. I met some victims of the car bombing for the Irish Independent's Review last Saturday, including Mark Eakin (above) whose 8-year-old sister Kathryn died beside him.The

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-81816894151130549052010-08-23T09:17:00.000-07:002010-08-23T09:19:57.095-07:00

My piece on the vogue for dyeing hair... grey - from the Indo's Weekend mag last Saturday.Elizabeth Taylor, hair still blue-black into her 78th year, has not got the memo that grey is in vogue. Stars such as Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis, Diane Keaton and Emmylou Harris have been noticeably growing old grey-cefully in recent years and earning applause for it.But the appearance of gunmetal and

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-2827988346729366462010-08-23T09:07:00.000-07:002010-08-23T09:15:49.865-07:00

Susan Daly finds out that it's easy to join the wet set in Howth as they gear up for one of the most prestigious events in the world's sailing calendar.Saturday August 21 2010Something big is coming to the salubrious harbour of Howth this week. Huge roadside signs welcome the Etchells World Championships 2010 at every few kilometres on the approach to the north Dublin village. The sailing event,

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-41275605438595079892010-08-23T08:44:00.000-07:002010-08-23T09:01:39.598-07:00

My interview with Michael Cera - star of Juno, Superbad and now, Scott Pilgrim vs The World. From Day and Night mag in Irish Indo.Geek heroSharp-witted Michael Cera breaks out of the supernerd mould and beefs up for his latest role, writes Susan Daly, who chats to him about school, being cool and coping with fame.Friday August 20 2010The first thing you notice about Michael Cera are his glasses.

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-18996750326751426432010-08-19T10:29:00.000-07:002010-08-19T10:34:09.512-07:00

Forget the overcrowded, glitzy resorts of the Côte d'Azur -- Susan Daly discovers unspoilt charms and affordable indulgence on Côte Vermeille in the south of FranceSaturday August 14 2010You couldn't miss the couple strolling hand-in-hand along the harbourside. They were both decked out in dazzling white, top to open-toed sandal.There is a franchise of popular French boutiques called Blanc du Nil

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-38522305260454458512010-08-18T14:59:00.000-07:002010-08-18T15:01:38.612-07:00

We all make mistakes but some of us are better at admitting them than others. Certain politicians, for instance, are quite incapable of holding up their hands in public. What goes for the most macho of men, goes doubly so for those in public life. Never show weakness. Never say you’re sorry. Never say: I was wrong.This might explain why the ridiculous 30kph speed limit along the north and south

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-33674051169046927112010-08-18T14:55:00.001-07:002010-08-18T14:59:25.894-07:00

The author who found The Secret to success with a best-selling self-help book is about to unleash a new tome on having it all.(I wrote this for last Saturday's Review section in the Irish Independent - The Power was published yesterday)The key to success is apparently now one of the world's worst-kept secrets. When self-help manual The Secret was published in 2006, it claimed to contain a formula

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-19978190820542350332010-08-13T05:35:00.000-07:002010-08-13T05:36:26.576-07:00

You're either a singsong person or you're not. Most Irish people are singsong merchants. At any given gathering of my extended family, you can't clink a spoon against a glass for fear someone takes it as their cue to tune up.This ditty diarrhoea is the one cultural presumption that I don't mind people making about the Irish. Failte Ireland should make a merit of it and get the Yanks back in by

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-62411356036138320482010-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:002010-08-12T08:05:20.491-07:00

By Susan DalyTuesday Aug 10 2010Loneliness is considered a relatively modern affliction. Even though communications technology has advanced beyond our grandparents' wildest dreams, many people feel disconnected. Community and family ties have loosened and it is possible to feel isolation in the most crowded city.Perhaps this is why a service has launched in the UK for lonely people to hire

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-3282760971168731482010-08-12T07:44:00.000-07:002010-08-12T07:56:40.580-07:00

How many lovers in a lifetime is too many?Susan Daly finds that today's world is not as sexually liberated as we think it is.Monday August 09 2010If you thought the dreadful Sex and the City 2 had hammered the final nail into that particular coffin, think again. For Christina Saunders, the SATC-inspired empowerment has only just begun now that she has reached her target of sleeping with 1,000 men

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-16072616925546858912010-08-12T07:16:00.000-07:002010-08-12T07:22:14.667-07:00

By Susan DalySaturday Aug 7 2010Lady Gaga's cartoon-style eyes have sparked a dangerous craze for the doe-eyed anime look, with teens buying large circular lenses on the internet reports Susan DalyThe outrageous Lady Gaga has set quite a few trends in her brief time at the top of the pops, from metal-spiked shoulder pads to precision-cut peroxide bobs.We didn't see this one coming though: fans

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-82704511209952263232010-08-12T07:02:00.000-07:002010-08-12T07:13:19.584-07:00

As the world's first 'test-tube baby' celebrates her 32nd birthday, Susan Daly looks at IVF in the 21st CenturySaturday August 07 2010Few postal workers have their birthday marked by the media every year. Louise Brown, the world's first so-called 'test-tube baby', is an exception. Now the mother of a two-year-old boy in Brighton, England, she celebrated her 32nd birthday last Sunday, a fact noted

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-6743375815367329772010-08-03T15:01:00.000-07:002010-08-03T15:10:18.563-07:00

WHEN Mary Griffith was a teenager in the 1960s, she never heard the words gay or homosexual. “People would be described as sissies,” she says. “That was the word we used – and I wasn’t even sure what that meant.”Astonishing then that Mary would later become a leading figure in the American gay rights movement - and more astonishing still for the fact that when her own son Bobby told her he was

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-35535258388663321932010-07-27T02:11:00.000-07:002010-07-27T02:19:41.980-07:00

Critics of Big Brother have never been convinced that the reality TV show has any merit as a social experiment. Yet, as the final series draws to a close, it can be credited with teaching us one thing -- people love to tan.While the design of the house, the challenges and the levels of mental stability among housemates have varied wildly across its 11 series, the sunbathing in the garden has

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-38015074650172107232010-07-26T05:16:00.000-07:002010-07-26T05:20:26.831-07:00

The new Criminal Bill allowing householders to use force to defend themselves and their property seems in many ways to unnecessary in as much as the current law already allows that option IF the householder has no way to retreat from the threat of violence. I thought it would be interesting to ask people how they reacted when confronted by an intruder in their home. As the trauma psychologist I

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-17364064659946710642010-07-26T04:59:00.000-07:002010-07-26T05:07:42.198-07:00

By Susan DalyFriday Jul 23 2010THE thrill of the chase is not confined to the track during the Galway Races. While some racegoers admittedly come to watch hundreds of kilos of horseflesh sweating to the finishing line, for many the excitement is all in the heaving throngs of bodies in the course bars.WB Yeats put it plainly in his poem 'At Galway Races': "There where the course is, Delight makes

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-8298599664589812982010-07-26T04:53:00.000-07:002010-07-26T04:59:06.157-07:00

The Galway Races are upon us so for the Irish Independent's special supplement, I got a guided tour of Galway hotspots by TG4 weatherman Daithi O Se:DID you hear the one about the Kerry weatherman who got caught in the rain without a brolly? Dingle native Daithi O Se is used to being the punchline to playful jokes in his adopted hometown of Galway.He has made the city his home base since joining

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-73098890915223687372010-07-21T16:55:00.000-07:002010-07-21T17:00:38.951-07:00

A few years ago, a book title proposed a simple six-word explanation for shoddy male romantic behaviour: He's Just Not That Into You.The book was inspired by an episode of Sex and the City -- of course -- in which Carrie's boyfriend Berger claims that women waste too much time trying to analyse why men turn cold/avoid commitment/don't call when they say they will. Don't take it personally girls,

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-90288538643901675572010-07-19T05:36:00.000-07:002010-07-19T05:48:03.690-07:00

The bride wore white and the groom wore a proud grin from ear to ear.The photograph of Brian O'Driscoll and Amy Huberman in the porch of a church in Leitrim in their finery is shaping up to be the most reproduced wedding pic of the year.The image of a beloved sportsman and his beautiful bride subscribes to all the fantasies. It's easy to imagine this generation of Irish girls studying the picture

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-91710102743870652342010-07-18T05:57:00.000-07:002010-07-18T06:11:01.074-07:00

My review, in 700 words, of Christopher Nolan's Inception from the Irish Independent's Day and Night magazine:INCEPTION (12A, General release) ****Summer season at the cinema is not traditionally a good time to go looking for smart, original films. Expectations have weighed heavily on Christopher Nolan’s Inception to cut a swathe through the sea of insipid sequels and till-ringing remakes.This is

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-53922589629570525072010-07-18T05:54:00.000-07:002010-07-18T05:57:31.527-07:00

My Friday Nightwatch column from the Irish Independent:Friday July 16 2010Surely the surprising thing is not that Lindsay Lohan is going to jail on Tuesday -- it's not even that she had 'Fuck U' painted across her fingernails for her probation hearing.I mean, come on, I've had expletives written on my nails for all my probation hearings, and the judge always finds them hilarious and not at all

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-63251259994448041522010-07-18T05:36:00.000-07:002010-07-18T05:49:42.075-07:00

Women's magazines have always been a competitive market, growing increasingly so as impulse buys at the newsstand dwindle and each has to jostle for attention on the shelves. I had a look at what Irish mag editors believe catches the consumer's eye.Interesting factoid: Women don't like men on their magazine covers, not even Justin Timberlake. Read on....Celebrities are so approachable these days.

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-76149872597065955422010-07-18T05:25:00.000-07:002010-07-18T05:35:24.004-07:00

Published in Irish Independent Review, Saturday, July 10, 2010The decadent antics of Dublin socialites have been a rich seam of inspiration for author Fiona O'Brien this past eight years.A former advertising executive who was born, bred and is still living in the D4 area, she has written entertainingly and with authority on multi-millionaire businessmen, their brittle, stick-thin wives and

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-54789235463696503392010-07-05T03:24:00.000-07:002010-07-05T03:28:02.516-07:00

By SUSAN DALY (from last Saturday's Weekend mag in the Irish IndependentWOMEN who look like Scarlett Johansson, wisdom has it, can pretty much do what they like. But even Scarlett might be pushing it with her latest demand. She has decided that she would be just perfect to play wild woman rocker Courtney Love in an upcoming biopic of Love’s tragic husband Kurt Cobain.Johansson has flirted with a

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-85050165646511585242010-06-30T02:32:00.000-07:002010-06-30T02:35:47.388-07:00

From today's Irish Independent:By Susan DalyThere are days when it's tempting to run away and join the circus but for most the fantasy is rarely realised. Not so for one girl who travelled 8,000km to join the circus -- and found love in the process.Contortionist Wang Dan (Dani) and resident clown Otto currently open the Fossett's circus show with a joint juggling trick. What the crowd don't know

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-10999299337421445382010-06-28T11:29:00.000-07:002010-06-28T11:33:46.366-07:00

This will be a court case to watch when it comes up in the Irish High Court in the coming 12 months. A number of Roaccutane-related lawsuits are also pending in the US (where the drug was sold under the name Accutane).From last Saturday's Review section in the Irish Independent:By Susan DalyLiam Grant was a young man with all of life's advantages on his side. The 19 year old was handsome, popular

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-17992175742979167952010-06-28T11:20:00.000-07:002010-06-28T11:27:12.907-07:00

LIPSTICK, cheap jewellery, drink bottles and household detergents – what does this list say to you? To most folks, it reads like a pretty mundane collection of everyday objects. To more exciteable souls, these items all come dripping with hidden sexual meanings.Since time immemorial, humans have been obsessed with sex and how to get it. Unlike in the animal kingdom, however, sex among we

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-5836313230850956622010-06-21T11:59:00.000-07:002010-06-21T12:05:58.045-07:00

‘Lads, gags and shags’ mags might be falling in sales but, SUSAN DALY asks, have readers’ tastes really changed – or are they just gone elsewhere?WHAT men want is what marketers the world over want to know. Nearly 300 years ago, the first men’s magazine appeared to have it all figured out.The Gentleman’s Magazine was launched in 1731 to great success. It titillated subscribers with a heady mix of

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-39179000329676536442010-06-21T11:56:00.001-07:002010-06-21T11:59:02.602-07:00

My Nightwatch column from last Friday's Day and Night magazine...GUILT is an unwelcome guest on a night out. It is an emotion best saved for the morning after. It's going to come unannounced anyway, letting itself in with the key you meant to get back from your ex.It will sneak up the stairs, stand drooling over your pillow for a moment and then yell in your earhole: 'I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-30183532673293668242010-06-21T11:53:00.000-07:002010-06-21T11:56:15.227-07:00

From last Saturday's Weekend magazine in the Irish IndependentBy Susan DalyRemember that old kiddies' rhyme,"Heads, shoulders, knees and toes"? We didn't know it then, twirling around on our dainty little toes and smooth, youthful pins, but that rhyme was prophetic.In the age of body consciousness, we've come to obsess over every minute part of ourselves. It started with facelifts. The nip and

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-46955385340585190032010-06-16T11:07:00.000-07:002010-06-16T11:18:19.561-07:00

From last Saturday's Evening Herald...By SUSAN DALYTHIS week has been a good one in which to nursing our Celtic Tiger hangovers. The Banks report makes it hard to forget the pickle we’re in and how we got here.But the sulphurous whiff of greedy bankers is not the only stink lingering on. It turns out that there are other bad smells hanging around the country – like the distinctive odour of a

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-38051184020946058252010-06-16T11:04:00.000-07:002010-06-16T11:07:36.395-07:00

TV presenter SYBIL MULCAHY and best friend LIZZIE LYNCHTV viewers are used to the sight of Sybil Mulcahy sparking off her male co-presenter Martin King on TV3’s The Morning Show. But while the pair have been entertaining fans with their on-screen chemistry for the past year, in reality Sybil is all about having a good set of girlfriends.“There are about eight of us who are still close and in

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-68981228087088302282010-06-09T16:37:00.000-07:002010-06-09T16:39:58.728-07:00

My opinion piece in today's Evening Herald based on a very upsetting report about abuse and neglect of the elderly...THERE is a lovely custom in Italy that the eldest family member at the dinner table gets the choicest cut of meat and the most sauce on their pasta. Everyone else sits on their hands until Nonna and Nonno (Granny and Grandad) have had their fill. Considering how much Italians love

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-4136135406300825832010-06-08T08:07:00.000-07:002010-06-08T08:16:56.446-07:00

Fabulous at 40 - how does Naomi do it?It's the veteran supermodel's birthday today and she looks stunning. Susan Daly susses out her secrets and sees how her contemporaries are doing.Saturday May 22 2010Turning 40 is a milestone by anyone's measure. Turning 40 when you're one of the world's most scrutinised models is monumental. Naomi Campbell, who reaches the big 4-0 today, is a rare exception

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-17885437006215248472010-06-08T08:02:00.000-07:002010-06-08T08:05:38.875-07:00

By Susan DalyFriday May 28 2010To the casual observer, the career of Sarah Jessica Parker begins and ends with a tutu. The alpha tutu is the short pink one she wore in the opening titles to the Sex and the City TV series. The omega tutu -- a grown-up, shin-length affair -- was borrowed from the Royal Ballet of London for her character Carrie Bradshaw to wear in the final episode of the show in

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-26945491651691693272010-06-08T07:54:00.000-07:002010-06-08T08:00:15.748-07:00

A few pieces from my Next-of-Kin series for the Weekend magazine were published while I was away, so here's who you (and I) may have missed!Playwright PETER SHERIDAN and son FIACHRAPeter Sheridan has moulded his life around the arts. He and brother Jim founded the Project Theatre Company in Dublin in the early 1970s, Peter going on to become a prolific playwright and author and Jim directing

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-64624520922366209472010-06-08T07:46:00.000-07:002010-06-08T07:51:54.430-07:00

Nightwatch column from Independent's Day and Night mag: By Susan DalyFriday May 21 2010On a night out, it's up there with queuing for the ladies' toilets. The taxi ride home is an unavoidable pain in the ass. But is it getting better? Do you feel the same? I've had an unsettling number of incidents recently where a taxi driver has pressed his little meter gizmo at the end of a trip and said

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-65130228843806909392010-05-15T05:59:00.000-07:002010-05-15T06:08:30.829-07:00

Letting a stranger into your home to mind your children can be a worry, but sometimes it’s the childminders who have to be wary of what lies behind the hall door. SUSAN DALY reports from inside the nanny state.NOTHING about childcare is as simple as A-B-C. In Ireland there is no State register of officially-vetted childminders. The best a parent can hope for is to find a nanny whose role model

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-268848206981581332010-05-14T10:40:00.000-07:002010-05-14T10:47:12.265-07:00

As one man is jailed for spending over e200,000 of other people’s money on his gambling addiction, SUSAN DALY finds the stakes are high for compulsive betters.THERE is a competition currently running on a national radio station that challenges listeners to spend e10,000 in one day. If that sounds like a spree, try spending twenty times that amount in a year. It’s an easy task if you happen to be

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-26498052419591835622010-05-11T09:56:00.000-07:002010-05-12T09:31:20.807-07:00

Self-sufficiency is the buzzword in these challenging times, so Susan Daly gets a few lessons in fending for herselfMonday May 10 2010No-one knows what the future holds, especially now that it's obscured by a cloud of volcanic ash. The view from here, such as it is, isn't brilliant.Turn on the radio and TV and it's all economic collapse and climate change. Take a break and rent a DVD and you can

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-79226574885927676512010-05-09T11:07:00.000-07:002010-05-09T11:15:44.367-07:00

As published in last Friday's Day and Night magazine with the Irish Independent:HOT TUB TIME MACHINE***Does anyone really want to relive the 1980s? The disastrous hair, Maggie Thatcher and Mr Big: there are so many reasons not to go back.Hot Tub Time Machine revels in ’80s nostalgia right down to its ludicrous, neon-lettered title. For Adam (John Cusack) and his estranged buddies Lou and Nick -

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-28039643474777942442010-05-08T12:41:00.000-07:002010-05-08T12:44:04.534-07:00

Restaurateur SALLYANNE CLARKE and her daughter SARAH MAYSallyanne Clarke jokes that she has three children: daughter Sarah May, 20, son Andrew, 14, and L’Ecrivain, the famous Dublin restaurant she owns with chef husband Derry.Sarah May nods in agreement. “The restaurant is 21 years old this year,” she laughs, “It’s like the eldest child in the family.” And a particularly demanding child at that.

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-12694420253301503092010-05-08T12:32:00.000-07:002010-05-08T12:40:18.479-07:00

Even the poshest shops and most exclusive brands are quietly cutting their prices, says Susan DalyIn September last year, an extraordinary party hit the headlines. Around 300 employees of the London branch of Lehman Brothers gathered in a bar near their offices. The bank whose $600bn (€460bn) collapse triggered the global financial crisis then treated its remaining staff to an evening of

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-89932108079000824342010-05-08T12:26:00.000-07:002010-05-08T12:32:50.466-07:00

Film and TV companies are always scouting for new locations and your home, be it a stately pile or a semi-d, could be the perfect backdrop to the next Irish production. Susan Daly reportsFriday May 07 2010NOT everyone has a face for showbiz, but when it comes to providing a backdrop for film and TV, even a modest family home can have real star quality.Andrew Tighe and his wife Dara were

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-18521499340711710142010-05-03T12:17:00.000-07:002010-05-03T12:22:50.937-07:00

NEXT-OF-KIN is a new series I have started for the Irish Independent's Weekend magazine, interviewing some well-known faces and the person closest to them about their relationship.We kicked off with the very happy, very jolly tenor Finbarr Wright and his wife Angela...Singer Finbar Wright has serenaded us with songs of love for two decades – but it was the siren call of his wife Angela that he

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-78394499043901818792010-05-03T12:14:00.000-07:002010-05-03T12:24:05.488-07:00

The following is not my headline, mind...."At 36, could Grainne still make it big on British TV?"By Susan DalySaturday May 01 2010It's a brave person who mispronounces Grainne Seoige's name. From the moment she opened TG4's first news bulletin with her crisp, Connemara enunciation 14 years ago, she has been very clear about it. The name is 'Show-ig-eh'.The male anchor of GMTV's Newshour showed no

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-13008964834954736042010-05-03T12:10:00.000-07:002010-05-03T12:14:31.341-07:00

The day after I had submitted this Nightwatch column for the Indo's Day and Night festival-themed mag, I got a wedding invite for the August Bank Holiday weekend. Mark and Simone, your wedding is OBVIOUSLY excluded from the sentiments expressed here...By Susan DalyFriday April 30 2010Martin King, eat your heart out. I can confidently predict this summer is going to be a scorcher. Of course it

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-90244766232743851642010-05-03T12:06:00.000-07:002010-05-03T12:10:17.780-07:00

Coolmore House, the Donegal mansion that is thought to have inspired the iconic Tara in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind, has been fully restored and is on the market for €850,000, writes Susan DalyFriday April 23 2010WHEN Barry Sharkey first saw Coolmore House about 10 years ago it was "dark, dingy and depressing" and had been uninhabited for several years."I shook my head and walked away,

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-75581750248583583592010-04-14T09:52:00.000-07:002010-04-14T09:57:26.946-07:00

From today's Irish Independent:Honesty is the best policy for job-seekers when it comes to selling yourself, says Susan DalyIt’s an employers’ market out there: too few jobs and too many applicants. In these competitive times, when everyone is looking to get that edge over the next man or woman, is the humble CV worth the paper it is written on?Some embellishments are not so immediately

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-7564383722897266982010-04-14T09:37:00.000-07:002010-04-14T09:51:25.654-07:00

I adore researching these essays on classic Hollywood. From Saturday's Review section in the Irish Independent.Red hot in black & whiteAs Liam Neeson's new film is slammed as 'a porno farce', Susan Daly looks back at Hollywood's more innocent age -- or was it?Saturday April 10 2010The opening of a movie starring Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore should be cause for celebration. So why the tightly

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-41576941519523601112010-04-14T09:32:00.000-07:002010-04-14T09:37:08.152-07:00

Cover story of last Saturday's Weekend mag:By Susan DalySaturday April 10 2010Celebrity culture doesn't sit entirely easy with the Irish. We traditionally take pride in not being too impressed by the rich or famous.In recent years, however, a number of homegrown photo-driven celeb mags have fared well here. This conflict of curiosity and disdain for the high profile goes some way to explaining

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-48947286748099598012010-04-09T10:16:00.000-07:002010-04-09T10:18:31.988-07:00

My Nightwatch column from today's Day&Night magazine: I ain't no Marlene Dietrich but sometimes I vant to be alone. However, the deal with living in a city is you've got to really believe that hell isn't other people. You've got to love the buzz and the bustle.It is okay, though, to occasionaly admit that the packed top deck of the 46a can be purgatory. It's alright to never really mean it when

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-19953412076031459432010-04-09T02:00:00.000-07:002010-04-09T02:02:40.506-07:00

So long, Bebo. I won't miss you -- maybe now I can get to know my friends again in person. (From yesterday's Evening Herald)By Susan DalyThursday April 08 2010IT might sound a bit harsh to call a five-year-old a has-been. In the whizzy world of the internet though, half a decade is a long time. Bebo, born in 2005, has reached its sell-by date.Technology giant AOL paid megabucks -- 850 million of

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-32415545480835720122010-04-07T02:15:00.000-07:002010-04-07T02:25:01.390-07:00

I recently went to see Ireland's first women's roller derby team during one of their hair-raising training sessions and reported on it for the Irish Independent. They might look sexy but, they say, roller derby is not about titillation for a male audience; it's feminism on wheels and, more importantly, a valid sport.See what you think (Pic by Martin Maher).SKIRTS, SKATES AND SCRAPES:The

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-79583400396922397002010-04-01T07:19:00.001-07:002010-04-01T07:50:25.833-07:00

Saviours trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kon_pNs5VXgExtraordinary stories, extraordinary characters and beautifully told. As far as I'm concerned, if you haven't seen this documentary, you've missed one of the most outstanding Irish films made in the last decade. People might now focus on it because one of the boxers featured is the much-missed Darren Sutherland and there is some

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-1390830349272040592010-03-31T06:02:00.000-07:002010-03-31T06:05:18.474-07:00

Check out this list - http://www.rte.ie/arts/2010/0322/irelandsgreatestfigures.html - before you read my thoughts on it, below.DON’T be too concerned if you pass Glasnevin cemetery and hear a frightful high-pitched whine coming from below. That will be the generations of noble Irish heroes and heroines spinning in their graves.They, like me, can’t believe that a country with 2,000 years of

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-48697594308911495782010-03-31T06:00:00.000-07:002010-03-31T06:02:07.261-07:00

The truth about stars who say they're sex addictsYes, there is such an illness -- but many just use it as an excuse for bad behaviour, says Susan Daly Saturday March 27 2010When Eldrick Tont Woods was still the king of clean, Nike deified him in their iconic, oft-parodied, "I am Tiger Woods" TV commercial.Thirteen years later, those parodies could be updated with the addition of those five little

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-43713773171171760752010-03-31T05:55:00.000-07:002010-03-31T05:58:57.148-07:00

Pre-conception planning: The great expectationAs if having a baby wasn't hard enough, today's parents-to-be have to contend with pre-conception planning as well, which means pregnancy is now a 12-month affairBy Susan DalySaturday March 27 2010Human biology hasn't suddenly altered. It still takes nine months to grow a baby in the womb. The fertility industry, however, has different ideas. It is no

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-81402466866579856872010-03-26T07:58:00.000-07:002010-03-26T08:03:19.689-07:00

If you're the type of person who likes to attend the Ideal Home Show and daydream, you'll enjoy this. From today's Property Plus in the Irish Independent.By SUSAN DALYWITH a perceptible shift in the weather, minds turn to spring cleaning and airing out our living spaces. A complete home makeover might be out of the question but it’s amazing the transformation that can be achieved by a good paint

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-50500610745996682942010-03-26T07:40:00.000-07:002010-03-26T07:54:44.211-07:00

From Wednesday's Irish Independent (slightly embarrassing title and pic of me but never mind...)Your house is burning and you can take only one material possession with you. Will it be photographs of loved ones? Granny's recipe book with handwritten notes in the margins? Or will it be, as Jennifer Aniston has just proclaimed, your handbag?The man who thinks that it is a cold, unsentimental choice

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-81892510090827875132010-03-22T03:16:00.000-07:002010-03-22T03:19:57.702-07:00

From Saturday's Herald...They're trendy, they're cheap and they've come for your sole -- it's the Attack Of The Killer Shoes!Suffering for your fashion is one thing. Now we're being told that fake furry Ugg boots can be crippling. They might feel comfy but the cheapo, unsupported versions of the celebs' favourite are supposedly giving wearers a bad case of the flat foot. This, in turn, leads to

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-21473337477624393002010-03-19T06:43:00.000-07:002010-03-19T07:30:25.608-07:00

Talking about Twitter to Tom Dunne on Newstalk this morning

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-40644757344534737902010-03-19T05:30:00.001-07:002010-03-19T05:38:26.795-07:00

Cillian Murphy is down at the Dingle Film Festival this weekend - and so am I. Wonder what our reunion conversation will be like... This is an interview from when I met him in Dublin last week...http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/day-and-night/features/defying-murphys-law-2104305.htmlDefying Murphy's lawCillian Murphy doesn't do TV chat shows because, he says, he'd be no good at them. That's

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-38493364843492173642010-03-18T04:58:00.000-07:002010-03-18T05:00:37.778-07:00

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/rumours-of-sarkozy-and-brunis-affairs-were-just-the-latest-microblogging-windup-says-susan-daly-2102797.htmlSacre bleu! Who is telling tales on Twitter?Rumours of Sarkozy and Bruni's affairs were just the latest micro-blogging wind-up, says Susan DalyJeff Goldblum is dead and so is Kanye West. Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy are having a ménage-à-quatre and

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-28746847230722865652010-03-14T12:26:00.000-07:002010-03-14T12:33:45.061-07:00

Spare a thought on Mother's Day for those with a more complicated, and not entirely positive, relationship with their mum. (As per movie star Joan Crawford and her adopted daughter Christina, pictured left, whose disastrous relationship was chronicled in Christina's memoir, Mommy Dearest).From yesterday's Weekend magazine in the Irish Independent.MEAN MOTHERS realBy SUSAN DALYPeg Streep says she

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-50206333789131008082010-03-14T12:02:00.000-07:002010-03-14T12:22:20.508-07:00

No sign yet of the online link, so here's my interview with Hermione Ross (aka Hennessy), daughter of the late and wonderful singer-songwriter Christie Hennessy, published in the Indo's Weekend mag yesterday. Above is a photograph of Christie as a new, 19-year-old dad, in London with his beloved Hermione as a baby.DAUGHTERS are supposed to adore their daddies. Some fathers do their best to

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-79341763800915502022010-03-14T11:59:00.000-07:002010-03-14T12:02:23.681-07:00

http://www.herald.ie/opinion/sarkozy-and-bruni-have-power-live-in-a-palace-and-are-waited-on-by-servants-when-people-have-it-all-why-cant-they-just-be-happy-2097378.htmlBy Susan DalyFriday March 12 2010IT seems no-one believes in fairy tales these days -- not even those living in one.Take Nicolas Sarkozy, France's pocket-rocket President. He might be a small man at 5ft 5ins but it would be hard

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-3209694206169904502010-03-14T11:48:00.000-07:002010-03-14T11:54:33.182-07:00

My latest foray... into the property pages. Better to write about a place than buy one, I suppose.These girls are aaa-mazing. Check it out...http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/property-plus/take-advantage--its-a--clients-market-2096909.htmlTake advantage ... it's a client's marketArchitects have been among the hardest hit by the property crash, with almost half of graduates unemployed. Now is

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-14524110405589552452010-03-11T10:50:00.000-08:002010-03-11T10:55:33.236-08:00

I was very nearly christened 'Angela' but my mother was put off by my father's insistence that he would call me 'Angie'. Mother hates diminuitives in names, for some reason. So I was named Susan instead (because clearly, Susan, can't be shortened to anything... er... Sue, Susie, Suze etc.?)If you're the type who believes in nominal determinism, you might wonder how differently I might have turned

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-41484310923615802012010-03-09T08:38:00.000-08:002010-03-09T08:44:12.696-08:00

http://www.herald.ie/opinion/susan-daly-our-lucky-little-fighters-are-blessed-with-the-one-thing-money-cant-buy--the-love-of-amazing-parents-2092718.htmlFrom today's Evening HeraldTHE greatest accident of birth is that none of us get to choose our parents. Like it or lump it, they are who they are. Some parents love and cherish their offspring; some never take responsibility for them at all. If

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-80310696598967801702010-03-08T04:57:00.000-08:002010-03-08T05:09:14.642-08:00

For Oscars weekend, I had a look at the fading star system for the Irish Independent's Review section.http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/star-wars---its-the-final--showdown-2090776.htmlActors will battle with computer-animated sprites for tomorrow's Oscars as technology threatens the big names, writes Susan Daly PICTURE three A-lister actors in a room together. Sandra Bullock,

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-11640527810504302662010-03-08T04:56:00.000-08:002010-03-08T04:57:41.175-08:00

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/my-words-are--bigger-than--yours-2090773.htmlMartin Amis and his verbal brawls are no classier than Pete 'n' Kate's split, writes Susan DalySaturday March 06 2010He says he's misunderstood. She says he's a selfish cad. His friend calls her spiteful. The parties involved, all well-known faces, chose to air their dirty linen through the pages of a British

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-1732548749764362862010-03-08T04:50:00.000-08:002010-03-08T04:55:57.277-08:00

(Pic by Ronan Lang)..That was the title of the haunting elegy Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh wrote to her Altan co-founder and husband Frankie Kennedy. A beautiful interviewee, a beautiful spirit and a beautiful voice - here is my interview with Mairead for the Irish Independent's Saturday magazine, Weekend:http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/issues/music-is-a-great-healer-2090907.htmlBy

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-2420070136992514072010-03-05T02:36:00.000-08:002010-03-05T02:39:42.382-08:00

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/day-and-night/columnists/nightwatch-no-fun-at-the-losers-table-2089664.htmlBy Susan DalyFriday March 05 2010The best backhanded compliment I've ever received came from a very drunk RTE personality. "You're a very cheerful person," he slurred, "for someone sitting at the losers' table."Hell hath no fury like an ego scorned. There we were, guests at the

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-85618954562543492952010-03-04T08:13:00.000-08:002010-03-04T08:31:45.555-08:00

This was an interesting subject for the time that's in it - how closely linked are your levels of happiness with the bottom line of your bank balance?Could have written a book on it - and might still do! - but here's a small overview from Wednesday's Irish Independent...http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/issues/can-having-too-much-money--really--make-you--miserable-2086198.

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-57450897050819724192010-03-01T09:37:00.000-08:002010-03-01T09:39:41.172-08:00

Emotional infidelity - as hurtful as a sexual betrayal?http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/love-sex/texts-lies-and-betrayal-2082590.htmlBy Susan DalySaturday February 27 2010There is a tacit code when it comes to admiring a person who is not your partner: look but don't touch. It's probably best not to be caught looking either but, overall, the consensus would be that the

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-78118408185190441972010-03-01T09:30:00.000-08:002010-03-01T10:40:09.760-08:00

My interview with Colin Farrell from last Friday's Day and Night mag. http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/day-and-night/features/the-taming-of-colin-2080713.html THERE was a time when Colin Farrell was as Dub as you could get. He had a house in Irishtown and, for a time, an accent closer to Ringsend than to the affluent suburb of Castleknock where he grew up. Funny then that when Farrell

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-77388671038511206302010-03-01T08:56:00.000-08:002010-03-01T09:27:18.798-08:00

You can almost hear the crack of mother-in-law jokes from here as Ashley Cole rolls out that old misogynistic chesnut...http://www.herald.ie/opinion/susan-daly-of-course-the-motherinlaw-got-the-blame-it-couldnt-be-ashley-coles-fault-could-it-2081222.htmlJUST when you thought Ashley Cole couldn't get any classier -- he blames the mother-in-law.Has Ashley resurrected the comedian Les Dawson to do

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-22452486401164026052010-02-22T02:56:00.000-08:002010-02-22T02:58:44.815-08:00

My op-ed from Saturday's Evening Herald on news that Simon Cowell might be getting hitched at last...WE knew it – the X-Factor’s Simon Cowell is just a big softie underneath it all. A ‘close pal’ has been telling newspaper reporters that Mr Grumpy has gotten engaged to his artist girlfriend. Not only that, but he is thought to have popped the question on Valentine’s Day during a romantic

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-62334285481070185302010-02-19T01:37:00.000-08:002010-02-19T01:40:15.079-08:00

My op-ed in yesterday's Evening Herald about the idiocy of Ashely Cole...IN the history of lame excuses, it’s as lame as a one-legged duck. According to footballer Ashley Cole, there is a perfectly innocent explanation for why pictures of his wobbly bits were sent from a mobile phone that he owned to the phone of a blonde model.He forgot he had taken naked pics of himself before he loaned the

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-71270196977190000302010-02-17T05:39:00.001-08:002010-02-17T05:42:24.676-08:00

The market is demanding plus-size fashion be taken seriously - but what does high fashion think?http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/young--fat-and-fabulous-2066267.htmlBy Susan DalyWednesday February 17 2010Real women eat their dinner. Real women are an average dress size 14. And real women are 'infiltrating' high fashion, gracing catwalks that were previously only stalked by impossibly thin

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-55222134757383434242010-02-15T08:37:00.000-08:002010-02-15T08:43:59.224-08:00

The less-than-sexy truth about filming lurve scenes (from the Irish Independent's Review on Jan 30 last)...http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/grab-her-thigh--now-2040324.htmlGrab her thigh -- nowSex scenes sizzle on screen but Neil Jordan says that filming them is embarrassing for all involved. SUSAN DALY talks to actors and directors about the passion-killing work that goes into

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-14162587909656876982010-02-14T14:54:00.000-08:002010-02-14T15:04:55.767-08:00

As another Valentine's Night draws to a close, I can be pleased with the knowledge that I did not add to the vomit-inducing hearts and flowers fluff in the features pages. Instead, I asked a few well-known Irish faces for their anecdotes about dating disasters and unfunny Valentines.Nothing like a shot of schadenfruende to make the heart grow fonder...From yesterday's Weekend magazine in the

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-53661010739412666812010-02-14T14:47:00.000-08:002010-02-14T14:54:21.469-08:00

Lucky, lucky me - I got to admire Colin Firth in a Tom Ford suit a day before his Oscar nomination for A Single Man was announced...Here is how that goes (with a bonus side helping of Nicholas Hoult)http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/day-and-night/features/colin-firth-firth-class-2060360.htmlBy Susan DalyFriday February 12 2010Men just don't get Colin Firth. Tell people you are going to

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-76206366645259152712010-02-14T14:42:00.000-08:002010-02-14T14:46:18.693-08:00

My books essay in the Independent's Review this weekend:http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/harry-potter-and-the-dead-ringers-2061740.htmlAs the film of the Percy Jackson novel 'The Lightning Thief' opens this weekend, Susan Daly reports on the rush to emulate JK Rowling's spell-binding success Does the name Tanya Grotter ring a bell? She's an 11-year-old orphan who attends the Abracadabra school

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-50024001887138653282010-02-14T14:17:00.001-08:002010-02-14T14:41:12.843-08:00

Charlie Bird and George Lee have been having it tough these past few months - by their own account anyhow. Listening to them whine about life outside Montrose is dispiriting to this journalist who remembers being in awe of them at the ESB Media Awards a decade ago. I was nominated for a colour writing award (and seated at a table with a medical monthly and a agricultural pamphlet, I had a fair

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-83798639330532575402010-02-09T00:45:00.000-08:002010-02-09T01:02:42.382-08:00

For the weekend that was in it, an' all... (oh yes, that obviously isn't Amy on the bike in the picture to the left...)Building brand BramyThe Irish Posh and Becks? Unlikely, says Susan Daly, who looks at the country's favourite celebrity couple and why you won't find this down-to-earth pair sitting on thrones at their wedding or selling the pictures to the pressSaturday February 06 2010Waiting

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5913472991695017719.post-58010034360178672932010-02-05T10:27:00.001-08:002010-02-09T00:56:12.165-08:00

From today's Evening HeraldBy Susan DalyWell, that's just charming. The Swedish embassy is pulling out of Ireland - and breaks the news with Valentine's Day looming.I know we've let ourselves go a bit recently. We're stony broke, heading for obesity and yes, we're still a bit too fond of the drink. We haven't been doing all that well at the Eurovision these past few years -- and God knows the

Susan Dalyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10599263535046963833noreply@blogger.com0