cwrex

@Bambiethug Please add Waterford?

Nothing like a bit of AI to kickstart the afternoon.

Last orders please folks: the end of an era today as the owners of The Munster in Waterford city (the Fitzgeralds) close the doors after 72 years of the family-run pub; it might be leased to others in time (hopefully) but from tomorrow all will have changed, changed utterly…

How did an Italian masterpiece "The Taking of Christ" by the murderous hellraiser Caravaggio end up hanging in a dining room in Leeson Street? The iconic scene depicts the event in holy week, when Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane by identifying him to the Roman soldiers with a kiss. The work was commissioned by Ciriaco Mattei, a Roman nobleman in 1602. The genius artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571 – 1610) had a life as full of shadows and violence as his paintings. The Italian master of baroque was a notoriously violent criminal. His signature technique of manipulating light and shadow, utilising tenebrism and chiaroscuro, made his style unmistakable. When he wasn't in exile or prison for assault or murder, he was one of the most famous and sought-after artists in Rome. Whether you are a Christian or not, the masterpiece has an astonishing power within it. The vividness of the moment, the chemistry of the interrelationships depicted, has a universal quality. And of course, that mesmerising play of light and shadow. Incidentally, the man on the right holding the lantern is believed to be Caravaggio himself! Perhaps it takes a sinner to truly capture the drama and betrayal of such a moment. The masterpiece was lost and presumed destroyed for centuries. In 1786, a renaissance scholar called Giuseppe Vasi misattributed the painting as one of many Dutch copies. So when the Roman Mattei family reacquired it in 1793, the erroneous label followed. The family eventually sold it on in 1802 to a William Hamilton Nisbet, who hung the "copy" in his Scottish home where it stayed till 1921. The unacknowledged masterpiece finally reached our shores in the 1920s when Marie Lea-Wilson, an Irish paediatrician, bought it. Dr Lea Wilson later suffered a family tragedy when her husband Capt. Percival Lea-Wilson was shot by the IRA whilst acting as a District Inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary in Gorey. During this horrendous time, she received comfort and support from the Jesuit Fathers of Dublin. With the Jesuits unwilling to accept a financial donation, the doctor donated the religious painting to them as a sign of her gratitude. Father Noel Barber of the Jesuits invited the Senior Conservator of the National Gallery, Sergio Benedetti, to examine some old paintings in their possession. The Caravaggio was extremely dirty and discoloured and required restoration. We can imagine the giddy incredulity and excitement when experts Francesca Cappelletti and Laura Testa authenticated it as an original. The University of Rome grad students didn't only use their skilled eyes and material analysis. They followed the centuries-old paper trail, which even included the actual commission and payment paperwork for Caravaggio, in the Mattei family archives. The painting is on indefinite loan to the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin.

@elonmusk Mmmmh. I’ve got Beer.

Modern Western civilization has extraordinary empathy compared to its power. This is also arguably its greatest weakness. With the nuclear bomb, America could have subjugated every nation on Earth with ease. Hitler and Stalin would certainly have done so. Instead, America helped rebuild Germany and Japan! There is no historical precedent for a nation with so much power helping, rather than destroying, its defeated enemies.

@Stocktwits Same as Trump or visa-versa.

🚨 SBF gets sentenced to 25 years

***Bed Share Available*** Luxurious penthouse bunk bed in Dublin City centre available from 7am to 5pm every weekday for €2k per month. Deposit plus 6 months rent upfront only. Tenant must have own ladder and not weigh more than 80kg.

@OccupyDemocrats Poisoned? Eaten by a Shark? Give in to his preference- the Electric Chair.

BREAKING: Former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson spills even more embarrassing beans about her former boss by revealing his strange paranoias. According to Hutchinson, Trump has turned into something like a mad Roman Emperor — constantly terrified that someone might try to poison him. "He does have a very potent fear of being poisoned," Hutchinson told Jimmy Kimmel on his late night show. "So he uses and prefers the small Heinz glass ketchup bottles, because he likes to hear his valet or whoever’s serving him his meal, he likes to hear the ‘pop,’" she added. Of course, if Trump weren't such a monstrous, cruel creature he wouldn't have to worry about such things. He has surrounded himself with the lowest forms of life in politics: fascists, theocrats, and sexual predators. Not exactly the kind of people you want preparing your meals. This serves him right. A man like Trump deserves no peace of mind. Please retweet and ❤️ if you think Trump has lost his mind — and consider joining the growing exodus to Tribel, a “woke” new Twitter competitor that is exploding in popularity because it banned Trump for life and because Elon Musk banned Tribel’s Twitter account — but he forgot to ban this link to download the new Tribel app: tribel.app.link/okwPIHYCIqb

@RpsAgainstTrump It looks like Ireland?

What do you notice in this video, posted by Elon Musk?

@NoelBrowne5 @welovewaterford @RTEwaterford @rtenews @CarlowWeather Great photo!

The sun came out to greet Storm Agnes to Tramore, Co.Waterford tonight at high tide. @RTEwaterford @rtenews @CarlowWeather #StormAgnes

Absolutely brilliant video as well known “dog kicker” and anti immigrant knob jockey Philip Dwyer is handed his arse by a true proud Irishman 😂 WELL DONE THAT YOUNG MAN 🇮🇪

Music Grant application workshop tomorrow (Thursday 28th) at 3pm in the Waterford Gallery of Art, 31/32 O’Connell Street, Waterford City. This is aimed at BANDS. Btw - the deadline for grant applications is Monday next. Ta - Conor Nolan

#2thingsimissaboutIceland Strawberry Nesquick and Pre-cooked Chicken breast pieces.

From The Archives

Cartoon for The Washington Post

On sale this Friday!! So excited to announce that Moving Hearts will play 2 nights next Jan. with the much-loved lineup including Donal Lunny, Davy Spillane, Keith Donald, Eoghan O’Neill, Noel Eccles, Anthony Drennan, Liam Bradley, Graham Henderson & special guests.

My vinyl from ⁦@SwimmersJackson⁩ just arrived. Lovely packaging and sounds great. Buy it from his Bandcamp page, people!

Blas – University of Limerick Traditional Music and Dance Summer School waterfordarts.com/blas-universit…

DRAW WITH NATURE – NATIONAL DRAWING DAY AT WGOA waterfordarts.com/draw-with-natu…

NATIONAL DRAWING DAY AT GOMA waterfordarts.com/national-drawi…