Irish Media Nation

Irish eyes on China, a Chinese man eyes Ireland (VIDEO)

While Irish eyes follow the official visit of Taoiseach Enda Kenny to China, a little gem of an Irish film has surfaced on YouTube tracing a more humble trip in the opposite direction.

Made ten years ago, but gaining viral traction now, Yu Ming Ainm Dom (or My Name Is Yu Ming) sketches in a scant 13 minutes the story of a bored Chinese clerk, who, with a leap of faith and a spin of the globe, sets his sights on Ireland, where his research tells him the language is Gaelic.

"Hunger Games" High for Irish American Artist

You see the work of illustrator Tim O'Brien on the covers of TIME, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Harper's, in advertising and on book jackets.

Thanks to one series of book jackets, an expanding universe of people are enjoying his art, especially starting today, opening day for the film, "The Hunger Games."

Tim wrote:
 "The artwork for the Suzanne Collins novel, "The Hunger Games" was an illustration done in 2008. Since then I did all three covers for the series and now my artwork/design is featured on the movie poster and as a pin IN the movie "The Hunger Games," opening nationwide 3/23/12. It may be the biggest movie of the year and perhaps one of the largest openings ever.
"Seeing it plastered everywhere is amazing and after going to the premiere in Los Angeles and then the after party, I feel I might have just watched my career high point cruise by. Still basking in the glow though."

Who Speaks for Ireland? Rebel voices in “Blood” & “Dancing at Lunacy”

The sign at The Cell Theater entrance warns “TONIGHT’S PERFORMANCE OF ‘BLOOD’ AND ‘DANCING AT LUNACY’ CONTAINS THE SOUNDS OF GUNFIRE.”

Take that as a sign that there’ll be none of the season’s shamrock and leprechaun sentimentality, so brace yourself for a riveting duet of dramas on rebellious Ireland, each built around a trio of all-too-human, and in one case, quite inhuman, revolutionaries.  “Blood” by rocking Renaissance man Larry Kirwan, conjures a likely scenario for a mystery of the history in the run-up to the 1916 Easter Rising, while the aptly named “Dancing at Lunacy” tells of a helter-skelter clash of IRA operatives in an illegal drinking club in Belfast of 1984.