One Big World - One Country out of Step

Courtesy of Cmdr Hadfield via Google (OK?)

I'll be honest, I hadn't twigged the name Chris Hadfield before the David Bowie cover in space, what a sublime performance. I'd heard of a guy tweeting in Irish from space but I didn't take it seriously seeing as I'd got all this landlady stuff to figure out. As I've become acquainted with Twitter since the Pat Kenny interview, I'm one of Commander Hadfield’s avid followers. What a guy! I mean, other than the moustache, he has it all, brainy, kind, witty, talented, great dad, really good to his wife, gives her five months off from putting the dinner on the table and doing his washing, and she knows EXACTLY where he is at all times. My kind of hero.

Boy, was I relieved when they landed safely, coup for Kazakhstan, in a good way. Heroes all.

It's amazing what you can pick up on Twitter and yet I see how you could get totally lost in random, senseless stuff and waste precious writing hours, very easy. Caitlin Moran really goes to town on the fuck word. India Knight is quite racy. Camilla Long is just as I expected, acerbic and pithy, no lengthy links to be followed.

There's a lot of stuff by Irish people about #Vinb, I'll get the hang of it by next Monday when I've been invited to a training session with Athena Media, they can see I am behind the curve in spreading landlady word. Then there're the Irish politicians, whom we do our best to avoid listening to, but they tweet so you can't get away from them. And this week I've been trying to infiltrate them. Despite the efforts of my local TD Shane Ross, Jerry Buttimer is adamant I'm not to be questioned. I will be sitting there though, every day. I met Mary Mitchell O'Connor at the Global Diaspora Forum yesterday at the County Hall in Dun Laoghaire where they put on a finale of Kila and Dublin Gospel Choir - and Guinness and canapés - to send the delegates away happy. Best dressed prize goes to Georges Alaba from the Nigerian embassy and a near neighbour, lovely man. Mary is on the Health Committee and would have been very happy to question me, but has organised my place in the gallery anyway. So, next post from the Oireachtas...

I’d like to give you an informed review of the Global Diaspora Forum but I was only invited to that bit. However, by all accounts, it was a resounding success and a great tribute to Mr Network himself, Kingsley Aikens.