This is the archive of the website for the first Phoenix Convention, held in September 2003. The website for this year's convention is available at www.slovobooks.com/phoenix/. The 2003 website featured the Phoenix logo designed by Donal Casey

As this is available purely as an archive, not all the features of the site are operational. If you want to contact us, or if you want news of the 2004 convention, go to the P-Con II site and follow the links.

Added by Ian 06/04/2004.

This is the last pre-con update to the site. All systems are apparently go.

The programme has emerged relatively unscathed from the version posted earlier in the week, with the exception, alas, of the belly dancing, which due to unforseen circumstances on the part of Wendy, will have to be postponed.

Although this is, as I said, the last pre-con update, we will still be updating the site after the con, with photos and reports from P-Con I.

So that's about it. See you there. Can't think of anything else, except maybe this.

Added by Ian 27/09/2003.

So were you wondering what exactly we were going to be doing in a Dublin hotel for an Autumn weekend? Well the P-Con programme is here and available online. Panels, discussions, comedy ... it's all here. All liable to change, of course, but only small changes. This is pretty much it.

Click here for the Saturday schedule

Click here for the Sunday schedule

Added by Pádraig & Ian 21/09/2003.

We are very sorry to have to inform you that Ian Watson will be unable to attend P-CON.

Ian Watson says, "I'm afraid I realise I'm going to have to pull out for various reasons. One is that I'm chairing my own local one-day convention the following weekend and I need to be on hand here to pay attention. Another is that I'm very likely to be going to Poland and/or Hungary and because the taxman has just robbed me blind I should earmark my spare baubees for that/those trips."

He goes on to say, "I'll really regret not being there because I have so much enjoyed the two Irish cons I've been at. I know that the Phoenix Con will be enormous fun and friendly and stimulating."

We will miss his witty and genial presence, but are sure that he will be over here for another convention before too many years have passed.

Regretfully, Ian McDonald is unable to attend P-CON, due to being involved in filming a feature for Channel 4 that weekend. He sends his apologies and best wishes for the con.

Added by Pádraig 01/09/2003. Updated 11/09/2003.

The latest Newsletter/Progress Report has been added to the site. Just click here.

If you want to sign up for the newsletter, you can use the form on the right of the page.

Added by the webmaster 30/07/2003.

Peter Morwood and Diane Duane have turned in their four-hour live-action miniseries "The Ring", a retelling of the Nibelungenlied, to Tandem Communications in Munich.

The miniseries starts principal photography in mid-September 2003 in South Africa, with Uli Edel directing.

A shorter theatrical version of the miniseries will be released in the UK in early 2004. (The present title will probably be changed to avoid confusion with a recent horror flick.)

Added by webmaster 30/07/2003.

We are happy to confirm that Gerry Hunt will be attending P-Con. Gerry is the author of "In Dublin City", the wonderful comic that ostensibly chronicles the story of a poker game in Smithfield, but is also an evocative and funny trip through Dublin.

If you think we are rather shamelessly plugging it, we are, as all the proceeds of the comic go to the Simon Community.

Gerry's profile will be on the site soon.

Added by webmaster 30/07/2003.

We have revamped the application forms, and we now have the group application forms on the website.

The new Application Form, only available in Adobe PDF format, gives a few more details of the convention and the Group Application Form is to make life easier for those who are joining as a group. Dial-Up users should allow a minute or two for the Application Form to download.

More details in the Join P-Con section.

Added by webmaster 01/06/2003.

Apologies for the paucity of updates to the P-Con website in the last few weeks, due, unfortunately, to circumstances beyond my control. However things are rolling again, and you can expect new items on a regular basis, including the oft-delayed Group Rate forms.

You might also notice that the webmaster has overcome his aversion to banner ads, and lurking somewhere at the bottom of this page, you will find randomly generated links to some of the great and good people and groups that are providing assistance to us in our endeavours.

Anyway back to the news, and here is something that we are only a month late in announcing.....

Added by webmaster 20/05/2003.

Congratulations to Diane Duane on winning the Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize in Children's Literature for outstanding contribution to children's fantasy literature, for her Young Wizards series.

The commendation said, "The Committee congratulates Diane Duane's Young Wizards series for its courage in tackling moral and emotional issues set on the frontiers of magic. In addition, the author's diverse worldview enhances the appeal of the series."

Thanks to Dave Stewart, LostCarPark and ISFN for keeping us up to date.

Added by Ann M Kletcha and IFS 20/05/2003.

We are happy to announce the introduction of group rates, which are as follows:

Groups of 5 or more:    €22.50 per person
Groups of 10 or more:  €20.00 per person

These prices apply between now and the convention, but the option to pay supporting memberships doesn't apply for group rates.

Groups can be almost anyone that wants to pay together. Obviously college and university societies are one group who can avail of this, but any group of 5 or more (or even 10 or more) are eligible, as long as they pay as a block.

Special Group Application forms will be available within the next day or two. Stay tuned for details.

Added by Pádraig and Ian 15/04/2003.

Just to let you all know that the attending membership rate for P-CON officially rises from €25 to €30 as and from the Easter weekend, so if you want to join at the lower rate, you should do it now!

Seeing as we are nice people, mind you, we are going to hold the old rate until the end of April, but no later.

More details, including lovely downloadable application forms and Sterling prices, are available in the Join P-Con Section.

Don't forget that a supporting membership costs only €10, and freezes the price at the point it was at at the time you pay.

Added by Pádraig and Ian 15/04/2003.

Fans of good old-fashioned steam radio might want to look at Crazy Dog Audio Theatre's website, which now features a Masterpiece Gallery, a round-up of what they consider to some of the greatest audio productions of all time, from both sides of the Atlantic.

From the heyday of American radio to more modern BBC productions, from The Shadow and War of the Worlds to On the Hour and Knowing Me, Knowing You, and covering all manner of science fiction, comedy and mystery greats, the page also covers less well-known productions that are well worth following up.

Cheers to Roger Gregg for passing that on.

Added by the webmaster 25/03/2003.

The latest Newsletter/Progress Report has been added to the site. Just go to the Newsletter/Progress Report section, where you can also find the first newsletter.

Better still, you can sign up for the e-mail version by using the form on the right, and get it a few days before it reaches the website.

Added by the webmaster 22/03/2003.