This is the newsletter that was sent out on the 26th July, 2005. For the latest news, check the News Page.
Welcome to Edition #26
Hello, and welcome to the 26th newsletter! We have a few changes to the site, and the way in which this newsletter is prepared to tell you about. However, rather that tell you about it myself, I’m going to hand the newsletter over, temporarily, to my colleague, Ian , who’ll explain it all better than I will…
“The Irish Sci-Fi News website has been going through some changes over the last few weeks, and this might be a good time to give a quick rundown of what has changed and what will be changed in the next few weeks.
Apart from the obvious cosmetic changes in the look of the site, the main developments are:
- News items are now being posted to the site between editions of the e-mail newsletter. If you are already getting the Irish Sci-Fi News by e-mail (and at last count, that was almost 300 of you) -, fear not. The e-mail version will still be sent to you on a regular basis.
- Stories from old newsletters are being posted to the site, and you will be able to search for particular stories. At the time of writing, stories back to March 2004 have been posted, with the remainder of stories (back to 2002) to follow. However, the archives of the actual newsletters themselves are still available on the site.
- We have an RSS feed. If your immediate reaction to that statement is “Huh?”, then you have been missing out on one of the best things to hit the Internet ever. In very simple terms, an RSS feed RSS standing for Really Simple Syndication lets you keep an eye on the latest additions to websites. In real terms, it’s a lot more versatile than that. For more information, check out our What is RSS? Section.
As for what’s happening next on the site, the next main focus will be work on the links and features sections, which have got outdated and need a good spring clean.”
In other words, instead of hoarding up all the news stories, and writing up the whole thing once every month or two, which always meant I missed a few things that came and went between one newsletter and the next. Now, as I can have a news story written and online within less than twenty-four hours, it means that we can get a lot more news on the site. However, as Ian says, this won’t stop us sending out the regular email newsletter. Actually, if anything, we’ll probably get them out more often, as all the stories will already be written up, so all we’ll have to do is copy them into a mail, rewrite some a bit, and off it goes.
So, go look at the site. It’s at here
The news section is at here and the RSS Feed is athere.
There’s even a LiveJournal feed for those of you on LJ, here
(Actually, there’s also a LiveJournal feed for the P-CON RSS feed, available here )
And now, on with the news...
Octocon Announces Guest of Honour for 2005
Octocon, the National Irish Science Fiction Convention, has announced Charlie Stross as their Guest of Honour for the 2005 convention, which takes place in the Glenroyal Hotel in Maynooth over the weekend of the 15th and 16th October, 2005.
Charlie is certainly no stranger to Irish conventions, having been a guest at Octocon previously in 2002, and at P-CON in 2003 and 2004. He is also one of the most honoured science fiction writers of recent times, with virtually everything he had written being nominated for the top awards in SF, including The Concrete Jungle, which is one of the finalists for the 2005 Hugo for Best Novella; Iron Sunrise, which is in this year’s Best Novel shortlist; and Singularity Sky, which was nominated in the Best Novel category in 2004. He’s also an accomplished con panellist and all-round good egg.
Other guests at this year’s Octocon include Michael Carroll, Roger Gregg, Harry Harrison, Anne McCaffrey, Juliet E. McKenna, Michael Scott, and John Vaughan.
Octocon had been running a competition to guess the Guest of Honour, and apparently there were a number of correct entries, so they will all go into the hat at the next Octocon committee meeting, and the winner will be announced thereafter. In the meantime, they have another competition. Briefly, as con chairman Randall Shepherd says, “I want to know "why" you go to Octocon and other conventions, so write me at chair at Octocon dot com. The winning essay gets a prize. As big as Vince will allow, but probably at least something like a membership to next year's Octocon.” So get writing!
As ever, more information about the con is available at the Octocon website: www.octocon.com/2005/ .
New Irish Comics
There are a number of new Irish comics out in the past few weeks. The second offering from 20000 Leagues , ‘The Early House’, a very Dublin tale of vampirism, is now out, after having debuted at the Bristol Comics’ Expo a few weeks ago. This time around it’s written by Derek O’Connor, with art by Alan Nolan, who also did the art for ‘Sancho’s Last Case’. There’s also a quite delightful little tale of Hercule Poirot, both written and drawn by Nolan. All good stuff, and should be available in a comic shop near you soon.
As well as that, there’s the pocket-sized ‘The Shiznit’, from Bob Byrne’s Clamnut Comix (http://www.clamnuts.com/ ). This is actually a free comic, and should be available all over Dublin. I should warn you, however, that it can be a little robust betimes, and may not necessarily be to everyone’s taste…
Both the above are from Dublin, or thereabouts. I’m really delighted, however, to have received a copy of a new comic from Belfast, called ‘Small Axe’ (presumably from the Bob Marley song of the same name). This is an anthology comic, and really is full of marvels, all strongly flavoured by their city of origin, and, although the copy I have in front of me is numbered #1, there was an earlier issue, which is archived on their website at www.smallaxeonline.org. I particularly recommend you have a look at ‘Communion Money’, ‘The Sinners’, and ‘Feathers’, the last of which has simply the best artwork I’ve ever seen in an Irish comic. Whoever John Ball is, he draws like a cross between Bryan Talbot and Gary Spencer-Millidge, and is surely destined for great things. You really need to search this comic out, because these people really know how to do what they do, and it’s a joy to behold.
So, what with the recently launched ‘Malsaine’ from Imprint Comics , the ongoing success of AtomicDiner’s ‘Freak Show’, now up to it’s eighth issue, and both ‘Sancho’s Last Case ‘ and ‘The Early House’ from 20000 Leagues, , as well as the wonderfully good ‘Small Axe’ from Small Axe Comics, I really imagine that that’s actually an indigenous comics’ industry, don’t you?
Comic and Toy Mart in July
Emmett Taylor is running another of his popular and successful comic and toy marts, this time on a Sunday, as opposed to a Saturday, as was previously the case. Although he doesn’t have a special comics guest this time, there will be lots of dealers with comics, toys, movies and related memorabilia, many of them taking more tables than last time, due to the overwhelming success of previous marts.
Like previous marts, there will be free goody bags for early arrivals, and draws for desirable signed items and original artwork. There should also be a strong showing from Ireland’s growing community of comics’ creators, like Aeon Press, Imprint Comics, 20,000 Leagues, Small Axe, Wolfman Productions, and others. Emmett may even have a preview of his own forthcoming comic in time for the event.
If you’re there, I’ll see you there, as I’m taking a table myself, to sell a few secondhand books, and publicise Irish SciFi News and P-Con, so come up and say hello.
What: Dublin Comic & Toy Mart
Where: Wynn’s Hotel, Abbey Street, Dublin 1
When: Sunday 31st July 2005, 10 AM 5 PM
How Much: Free Admission
Website: Click here for Comet Comics Website
Contact: comicartist at oceanfree dot net
Latest Newsletter from James P. Hogan
The most recent issue of James P Hogan’s newsletter is just out, where he holds forth on the difficulties of booking a hotel room for Interaction, and bemoans the idiocies of automated switchboards. There’s also information on his panels at Worldcon, as well as information about his recent books.
James is now living in the wilds of County Sligo, having been born in London and then lived in the USA, before moving to various locations in Ireland. As well as attending Worldcon this year, James is a regular attendee at P-Con in Dublin.
You can read the latest newsletter here, and you can receive the newsletter by going to the relevant page on his website at www.jamesphogan.com
.Irish Anime Convention in DCU in November
EirtaKon is a convention devoted to ‘Anime,’ or Japanese-style animation, and will be running from Friday the 11th to Sunday the 13th of November this year, in Dublin City University on Collins Avenue in Dublin 9.
There will be six screens showing anime through the course of the weekend, including some international premieres, along with a dealers’ room, anime enthusiasts from all over Ireland, related gaming events, table quizzes, a Japanese Bazaar, a charity raffle, and much else.
Entrance is 6 Euro for a day or 10 Euro for a weekend. Entrance will include a free con t-shirt, a con pack, free refreshments for the entire con and a special 'goodie bag.'
More information from the EirtaKon website here
Bookshops Open Late for Harry Potter Launch
You can hardly have failed to notice that there’s a new Harry Potter book out from the prolific pen of J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was be available from one minute past midnight on the 16th of July 2005, as Friday merged into Saturday. A number of Irish bookshops stayed open for the event, with Eason’s in O’Connell Street, and Hodges Figgis and Waterstone’s, both in Dawson Street, all being open in Dublin. Waterstone’s also opened their Belfast and Cork branches especially for the launch, and no doubt other bookshops all over the country did so also.
While the whole world will know about the launch of this book, another Harry Potter volume may have passed them by. This was the launch, in October 2004, of Harry Potter Agus An Órchloch, the Irish language translation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The book was launched on the 9th of October 2004 in Kenny’s Bookshop in Galway, and the translation was by Máire Nic Mhaoláin. It was published by Bloomsbury, and is available to buy from Kenny’s here.
Irish SF Short Story Anthology from Aeon Press
Irish small press publishers Aeon Press, who publish Albedo One, Ireland’s SF short story magazine, are to publish a collection of Irish SF, fantasy, and horror stories. The collection, which will be available in time for Interaction, the 2005 Worldcon in Glasgow this August, will contain eighteen stories from both well-known and new authors, all of whom are born in Ireland, the solitary exception being Anne McCaffrey, who has been resident in Ireland since the sixties, and who is now an Irish citizen.
The anthology contains stories from well known names like, as mentioned above, Anne McCaffrey, as well as Bob Shaw, William Trevor, and James White, as well as more recent Irish talent like Mike McCormack, Mike O’Driscoll, David Murphy, and John W Sexton. Stories range from the mordant black comedy of Mike McCormack’s ‘Thomas Crumlesh - A Retrospective’ to the charm and dignity of James White’s favourite of his own stories, ‘Custom Fitting,’ and all points in between, and comes with a fine cover from Denise O’Moore, whom I predict we’ll hear more about. The collection is edited by Frank Ludlow and Roelof Goudriaan, runs to 293 pages, and received funding from the Meath Leader Project. The cover price is Euro 9.99, and will be available from the Aeon Press website, as well as through bookshops throughout Ireland.
All in all, the collection is an important contribution to the publication of genre fiction in Ireland, and I commend it to you all. Go order a copy from them now!
More information from the Aeon Press website.
Irish Actor in Batman Begins
Although you might miss it if you blinked, Irish actor David Murray had the screen all to himself for a few moments in the most recent Batman movie, Batman Begins. If you’re wondering where he was, he was the character identified in the titles as ‘Jumpy Thug,’ and is seen shooting a submachine gun wildly in the air in the docklands, shouting “Where are you?” just before Batman’s head appears, upside-down, in costume, saying “Here.”
David Murray is actually no stranger either to interesting bit parts in the movies, or to Irish SF audiences. He was Merlin’s assistant in the 2004 film King Arthur, and also had parts in Cowboys & Angels and Hunted. He is, however, probably better known to Irish SF aficionados as First Officer Hoax Minstrel, the puffy-sleeved shirt wearing romantic male lead from Crazy Dog Audio Theatre’s Big Big Space radio series, along with many other roles in Crazy Dog productions.
For more about Crazy Dog Audio theatre, have a look at their website.
Joe Sacco at Galway Arts Festival
World-renowned journalist and graphic novelist Joe Sacco appeared as part of the 2005 Galway Arts Festival, which also includes an exhibition of his work. Sacco is justly famous for works of political cartooning such as Palestine, Safe Area Gorazde, and his 2002 book about the Bosnian conflict, The Fixer. Although you’ve missed his talk by now, his artwork is still on show. The exhibition of Sacco’s work is being held in the Aula Maxima 1 in NUI Galway, is free to view, and runs for the duration of the festival, which is from the 11th to the 24th of July. More about that here.
.You can find out more about Joe Sacco here , and more about the Galway Arts Festival in general here.
New Irish Sci-Fi News Links Section Now Online
And one more thing about the Irish SciFi News site.The new Irish Sci-Fi News links section is online, albeit in a truncated version. It’s availablehere.
More links will be added soon. If you wish to submit or correct a link, feel free to contact us by using the Contact Form, but do read the guidelines on the Links page first.
More sections will be added and current sections will be expanded over the coming weeks. We’ve put up a list of Dublin comic and sci-fi shops, with a lot more to come, from all over the country, and we’ll be putting up an Irish comics section within the next few days. Don’t be afraid to let us know about stuff you think should be on the links page!
And that’s our lot for the moment. Don’t forget to keep checking back on the site, as there’ll be a lot of changes there over the next while.
Good luck to everyone who’s going to Glasgow for Worldcon. Deirdre and myself won’t be there, sadly, but our thoughts will be with you. Good luck especially to anyone who’s representing Irish SF fandom, on any level. And especially to David Stewart and his team, who are bidding to hold the 2007 Eurocon in Ireland. Good Luck!
Best wishes.
Pádraig Ó Méalóid
Irish SciFi News
