Men of Action: ‘An Experience that I’ll Treasure’, Daniel Day-Lewis On The Path To Oscar Glory (Again!)

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Photo by chloe004, via Flickr (Creative Commons)

The awards season is well and truly underway, with the annual Golden Globes taking place this past Sunday in Beverley Hills, California.

The Golden Globes are a celebration of some of the movie industry’s top talent and this year was no exception. One performer at the forefront of awards conversations this year has been Daniel Day-Lewis, who left the Golden Globes with the award for Best Actor (Drama).

Day-Lewis’ performance in Steve Spielberg’s latest biopic ‘Lincoln’, sees him play the renowned 16th president of the United States and has been thrilling audiences and critics alike over the in US.

As he accepted the Golden Globe (his 7th nomination at the awards) he thanked Spielberg for ‘an experience that I’ll treasure until the end of my life’.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest actors, Day-Lewis is a true example of what we can achieve with the right level of determination. He currently lives in Co. Wicklow, Ireland and like The Wild Geese, has experienced the majority of his success overseas, and awards like the Globes are testament to how far he has come.

Some see the Globes as an indicator to the Oscar results. Although this wasn’t the case last year for George Clooney, the last time Daniel Day-Lewis won a Golden Globe was for his role in ‘There Will Be Blood’ in January 2007. We all know what happened a few weeks later at the Oscars, so we could soon see this great actor win his third.

 

Men of Action: Young Pretenders For 2013 Grand Slam Titles

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Tennis has been dominated by ‘The Big Four’ for many years now. Names like Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have battled between themselves for the World Number One over the last 12 months.

Although all four are outstanding to watch, the game may be shaken up even more this year with the arrival of a new generation of young pretenders for the tennis throne.

A New Chapter
Jerzy Janowics started 2012 with an ATP ranking of 222, having never played in a Grand Stand tournament. A year later and he is a very real contender for a Grand Slam title in 2013. The Pole has shot to number 26, reaching the final in the Paris Masters final, beating four of the top 20 players in world along the way.

He impressed with victories against Andy Murray, Janko Tipsarevic, Marin Cilic and Philipp Kohlschreiber, and was only stopped by David Ferrer. But this isn’t a case of close but no cigar, and is instead an excellent foundation for all he can achieve in 2013. For Janowics, its about taking one step at a time. But that’s not to say that he isn’t ambitious:

‘I aim to go over 250 km/h [in his serve] and beat every record. With my coach, I’ve already been able to increase the speed of 2-3 km/h thanks to hard work we are doing, but I aim to improve to 10 km/h by the end of this year’

Janowics started training again only a week after his run in the Paris Masters. A positive attitude he is maintaing for the year a head:

‘What happened in Paris is for me a closed chapter. In front of me, there is a new season and new challenges’

The Wild Card
Grigor Dimitrov is another player who has already come a long, long way. The Bulgarian was entered into the Queen’s Club Tournament in 2009 as a ‘Wild Card’. As the world number 361, initially his entry was a shock. But Dimitrov impressed with his elegant style and sheer skill.

Grigor Dimitrov, photo by Ian Gampon (iShot71), via Flickr

Last summer he returned to Queen’s, where he reached the semi finals. This performance has helped to rocket him up the API rankings, where he now sits at number 41! Earlier this month he participated in the Brisbane International Tournament. Beating fellow young pretender Milos Raonic, as well as Jurgen Melzer, Dimitrov was on course to wining his first tournament. He reached the semi finals, where he was beaten by Andy Murray, however, this has got 2013 off to an excellent start.

The Wild Geese Gather To Show Solidarity

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Like many people, we have been touched by the solidarity displayed in the face of Hurricane Sandy. The event devastated one of the world’s most famous cities, but the sense of community spirit has highlighted the best in people.

To further show our support, we provided our whiskey at a special evening hosted by Michael Collins, the Irish Ambassador to the US on the 11th December. The event was held at the Embassy of Ireland in Washington D. C. and was ‘an expression of solidarity with victims of Hurricane Sandy’, mobilising prominent members of the Irish community to work together in relief efforts. It was a good chance for congressional members and members of the American Ireland Fund to raise awareness for these efforts. We’re very proud to have been a part of this.

The night also saw two prize draws, where the winners were presented with The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey Collection. Congratulations go to Mr Joe Monahan and Mr Michael Brennan. Guests were also treated to servings of our whiskey.

A representative at the Embassy thanked The Wild Geese for our support and all contributions went towards helping the victims of the Hurricane.

‘Sincere thanks once again for your kind support towards the event, where two mixed cases of The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey were awarded to our two prize draw winners. All were greatly appreciated and enjoyed and Ambassador Collins also expressed thanks to The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey Collection during his address at the event’

 

*In North America The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey Collection is sold as ‘The Wild Geese Soldiers & Heroes Irish Whiskey’

Men of Action: ‘Wherever there is a need the Irish are there’

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Hurricane Sandy has meant that Christmas will be a difficult time for many families. But once again everyday heroes in New York have been mobilised into helping those affected.

Shocked by the scenes of devastation and humbled by the help the victims have been receiving from volunteers, we decided to take action.

The IrishCentral news group organised a Day of Action, on November 24th, where volunteers came together to help clear the wreckage from the affected areas. On December 15th, they arranged a second and we stepped in to help transport the volunteers to the damaged homes.

The second Irish Day of Action saw groups of volunteers split across the city to offer aid. About 400 volunteers piled onto the buses that we have sponsored and traveled to Beach 95th Street and Cross Bay Parkway. Upon arrival, they split into ‘different task groups’ and started to clear the remaining rubble in the affected areas.

We’re very proud to have had the opportunity to be a part of this day. Supporting these volunteers has meant a great deal to us and seeing these people take action is very inspiring. It reminds us of The Wild Geese and why we celebrate them.

Other volunteers congregated at PS 104 Bays Water in Far Rockaway, where they quickly formed an assembly line to build, fill and wrap shoeboxes for victims of the hurricane. This was part of the New York Irish Center’s shoebox appeal. They packed shoe boxes with toys and treats for children. A Rockaways local Deirdre McShane summed up the feeling of this unity:

‘Everyone was so pleasant and happy. I am still in awe. When you see the goodness in people, it’s amazing’

Irish Consul General Noel Kilkenny, who organised the volunteer task forces, gave the day perspective. As The Wild Geese knew, difficult circumstances are thrown at us, but as Kilkenny pointed out, ‘wherever there is a need the Irish are there’.

You can read more coverage of how we are helping the Hurricane Sandy Relief effort in the link below
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Wild-Geese-Irish-Soldiers-and-Heroes-Whiskey-lend-a-hand-in-Irish-Day-of-Action-after-Hurricane-Sandy-183485461.html

In North America The Wild Geese Irish Whiskey is sold as The Wild Geese Soldiers & Heroes Whiskey Collection

Men of Action: Bradley Wiggins Ends The Year With BBC Award

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The BBC Sports Personality of the Year was awarded to Bradley Wiggins this past Sunday. The Olympian has had a stand out year, racing into the Guinness World Records for being the only cyclist to win an Olympic Gold Medal and the Tour de France in the same year.

For many, his victory at the BBC’s Sport’s Personality of the year was unsurprising, but in a year filled with sports stars, its a huge achievement in its own right.

His award has spurred him on to get back on his bike in 2013 and build on the momentum from this year.

‘You reset your goals, I’m still hungry to do other things, but I’m never going to top this. I don’t mind accepting that’

‘I always wanted to win a second tour,’ Wiggins explains. ‘I want to win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France behind it. It’s a new challenge. People said it can’t be done – winning two tours in one year – so let’s have a go.’

Based on the skill and determination he’s shown this year, we’re excited to see what next year has in store for him!

 

Merry Christmas from The Wild Geese!

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Thank you all for joining us in 2012! We’ve had a great year and to help us share our Christmas wishes we’ve made a brand new seasonal video for you.

Have a fantastic Christmas!

Christmas Cocktails: Hush

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Our second Christmas cocktail – Hush – is perfect for warming these winter nights. Whether you’re wrapping presents or getting in the spirit of things with Christmas movies, this will help keep Jack Frost at bay.

Santa will also certainly be pleased if you leave this out for him on Christmas Eve!

Christmas Cocktails: The Gathering

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The party season is upon us!

This is a time for us all to get together with friends and family and celebrate Christmas! The Gathering – one of our special seasonal cocktails – is perfect to share with loved ones. We’re looking forward to raising a glass with you this holiday season!

 

Men of Action: Daniel Day-Lewis Plans A Heart-Warming Premiere

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There’s already alot of buzz surrounding the new epic from Steven Spielberg, Lincoln. Its already received rave reviews from early screenings and there is already talk of Oscar nominations.

Excitingly, Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays Lincoln, will be leading his cast to Dublin for a premier like no other. The premiere will take place at Dublin’s Savoy Cinema on January 20th and will be followed by a ‘Lincoln-themed’ ball hosted by Day-Lewis. After Day-Lewis lost his mother to cancer in 2009, he was humbled by the level of care she received from the Petersfield community hospital in England. The post-premiere ball will raise money for the Wicklow Hospice near his home in Ireland.

‘She was given great dignity that saw her through to the end of her life. So I was very grateful when Wicklow Hospice made contact with me as I wanted to get involved in nay way that I could to establish something of that kind in my county of Wicklow’

Its inspiring to see such an acting legend take a stance for what matters to him, helping to establish care will help those in the same situation he found himself in.

Men of Action: Remembering A Jazz Legend

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Dave Brubeck is a well known name. Its well known because it is synonymous with ‘cool’ and ‘laid back’. It is well known because it is a name which catapulted jazz from the shadowy scene in Oakland to a global stage. But this week Dave Brubeck passed away. Only hours after his death, he received a posthumous Grammy nomination.

His major hit ‘Take Five’ is recognisable even from the first few bars, and like the music he made, his career took many swerves and unexpected turns.

As a jazz pianist, he formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951, which was famous on the jazz scene before accomplishing worldwide success. Although the faces would sometimes change, the Quartet kept hold of the fiery passion it injected into its music. Perhaps one of Brubeck’s greatest achievements was his partnership with saxophonist Paul Desmond, who composed the hit ‘Take Five’. This was the first jazz record to sell one million copies, along with the album it came from ‘Time Out’.

Brubeck disbanded the Quartet in 1967 and focused on his first love – composing. Now a titan on the jazz scene, he experimented with his talents, creating a musical, two ballets, four cantatas and many works for jazz groups and symphony orchestras.

Brubeck was certainly an inspirational figure, who knew that there are parts of each of us that can go beyond the expected:

‘And there is a time where you can be beyond yourself. You can be better than your technique. You can be better than most of your usual ideas. And this is a whole other category that you can get into’ – Brubeck

This is true of The Wild Geese. It is true of ‘Men of Action’. And it is certainly true of Dave Brubeck.