Men of Action: Daniel Day-Lewis Delivers Speech of a Lifetime at BAFTAs

Posted on February 11, 2013 by aaron

‘And the BAFTA goes to…’ read Sarah Jessica Parker. And we waited.

Seconds later Daniel Day-Lewis has risen to the stage and in front of an admiring audience delivered one of the more amusing, yet still humbling acceptance speeches of the night. For those of you who missed it, the Oscar hopeful made the speech of a lifetime, referencing his famous method acting, while gently making fun:

‘Just on the chance I might one day have to speak on an evening such as this I’ve actually stayed in character as myself for the last 55 years and had a various selection of Bafta sets downscaled, dating from the late fifties, placed in every single room of every house I’ve ever lived in and every time I rise from a chair it spontaneously unleashes a soundtrack of thunderous applause, with a few boos and drunken hecklers’

But there were no boos. Joking aside, his commitment to a character clearly works. Once again, his ability to bring a story to life has been recognised by the industry. Last month he picked up the Golden Globe and SAG awards for the same role. He’s now added his fourth BAFTA to that growing list, thanking Steven Spielberg for his time working on Lincoln and wishing they were ‘still on the expedition together’. Just one more step towards the Academy awards.

George Clooney at Toronto Film Festival 2008 (Photo by Josh Jensen via Flickr)

Another very nice surprise of the evening was when another of today’s Wild Geese turned up. The always dashing George Clooney attended in his producer role on Argo which was awarded Best Film. Sporting a healthy beard, we’re betting guys from London to LA will be growing facial hair to match his style.

Clooney has done some monumental work behind the camera in the past few years, so it was incredibly gratifying to see him pick up the BAFTA for Best Film with director Ben Afflect and co-producer Grant Heslov.

In his acceptance speech Clooney had nothing but praise for his director:

‘You’re smart and you know what you want but more important, you love what you’re doing’

Men of Action: McDowell Wins His Second World Challenge

Posted on December 6, 2012 by aaron

Graeme McDowell is one of the world’s top golfers, earlier this year aiding in the European win of the Ryder Cup. But last Sunday was McDowell’s turn to hog the spotlight when he won the World Challenge in California.

McDowell beat off 18 contenders including the defending champion Tiger Woods and Keegan Bradley, who secured second place. McDowell and Bradley battled it out, and although at one point it became too close to call, McDowell ended the 2012 World Challenge with a laser accurate sure birdie putt.

This is McDowell’s second win in the World Challenge, following a victory in 2010.

Although this is an out of season event, the World Challenge is an important step in preparations for the upcoming season. McDowell will use this momentum to start 2013 on a positive note.

‘This really caps off my season. We try not to put winning on a pedestal, but this one feels very sweet because it’s been a grind all year’

‘Certainly I will draw some confidence from this one’

With this degree of confidence supporting McDowell’s skill and determination, we’re looking forward to seeing what he can accomplish in 2013.

Men of Action: Ireland 46 – 24 Argentina

Posted on November 27, 2012 by aaron

We were thrilled to see Ireland’s victory over Argentina at the weekend!

With many of the star players missing, expectations of the score were anyone’s guess, but the team brought some strong Irish spirit to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The Test game also puts Ireland in good stead as we head into the draw for the 2015 World Cup, which is expected next Monday.

On the pitch was Insider Centre player Gordon D’Arcy, who saw and reacted to the action as it unfolded.

‘I take my hat off to them. It’s a very Irish thing not to tell people when they do stuff well, but I was the first one over to those guys’

He paid particular tribute to Jonathan Sexton who picked up the pace after a missed penalty against South Africa two weeks before. Sexton not only scored vital tries for his team, but added points with his conversions as well.

‘You might take Johnny for granted but we don’t,’ D’Arcy continued, ‘we’re absolutely blessed to have him. His selection of plays was first class and he showed why he’s one of the best out-halves in the world. He controlled the game’

A great game and as George Hook described in the Irish Independent, ‘happy days may be here again’.

Brand New Video: The Exile

Posted on November 16, 2012 by winneras

The festive season is now upon us. At this time of year we come together with loved ones, sometimes fighting time and distance to spend the season with them.

Our latest video draws inspiration from what The Wild Geese left behind. Although these Men of Action stood strong in 1691 and achieved some remarkable things in their adopted communities, many left behind families. The took the name ‘The Wild Geese’ in the hope and belief that they would one day return. Their hearts remained focused on Ireland.

Wherever you are in the world, if you are of Irish descent you are part of this story and entitled to call yourself Wild Geese.

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London 2012: Danny Boyle’s Opening Spectacle

Posted on July 27, 2012 by aaron

This is it! Today is the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, and as of 9:45pm (GMT) the Summer Games will have begun.

People from all corners of the globe have been preparing for this – not just the athletes we’ve been featuring recently, but organisers and fans.

Acclaimed British director Danny Boyle will be beckoning the Games with the final hour of the opening ceremony. Best known for his films Slumdog Millionaire (which won eight Oscars in 2009), Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, Boyle has been tackling a very different beast when putting together the opening stadium show.

Last year, Danny Boyle directed an adaptation of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein at London’s National Theatre. The show quickly sold out and won a lot of critically acclaim. But as well as thrilling audiences in a live-action setting, this was also a good place to try out concepts for the Olympic opener.

Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, described Boyle has having ‘massive conceptual and visual panache and an old-fashioned showman’s flair for the big gesture’. So we’re in good hands then.

Danny Boyle’s heritage is rooted in Ireland, his mother came from Ballinasloe, Co. Galway and in a global event filled with them, he is wearing the badge of a ‘Man of Action’ well. He accepted the opportunity to direct the opening ceremony ‘without any hesitation at all’, and can already see the level of success that all involved have achieved:

‘I believe it’s a success already because I believe the way that it’s mobilised people together’

It’s difficult to place Boyle’s works in a particular genre, which is a quality. One thing is for certain, though, all of pieces share a sense of spectacle and imagination that have captured audiences. And with an expected 1 billion viewers today, that quality will be paramount.

Men of Action: Ireland’s Olympic Boxing Team Gear Up For The Games

Posted on July 12, 2012 by aaron

The London Games are only weeks away and teams all over the world are gearing up for this global stage.

Ireland is no exception and is proving to be a strong contender this year.

Ireland’s boxing team has been assembled and are making their final preparations for the games. The team consists of Darren O’Neill, Paddy Barnes, John Joe Nevin, Michael Conlan, Adam Nolan, and Katie Taylor.

O’Neill, the team captain says the team have a positive attitude going into the games:

‘All of the squad are capable of winning medals if we perform to the best of our abilities. We’re capable of beating anyone, but they’re capable of beating us also, so it is crucial that we perform to our best’

‘A bit of luck in the draw would also be welcome in London, but that’s outside our control. However, we can control our own performances. If we do that the rest will follow’

Making his Olympic debut this summer in the boxing is Michael Conlan, a 21 year old flyweight boxer from Belfast. Conlan qualified for the the games at the 2011 World Championships in Baku, after he beat Nordine Oubaali.

‘It was a great fight. It was a tough fight,’ explains Conlan. ‘I was behind at one stage at the start of the first round, so I was three points down and I pulled it back. I was happy with that’.

He is confident that he is the right competitor for the Olympic games, and like O’Neill is focusing on his performance.

‘Go as far as possible. Win the first 30 seconds of the first round and keep winning the next 30 seconds of each round’

‘Anything can happen at the Olympic Games. You see favourites getting beat. You see unbelievable results happening. You see world records. You see Usain Bolt. You see the unexpected’

And we’re excited to see Conlan and the Irish Boxing Team. With not long to go, we wish them the best of luck and hope you all get behind them!

Irish Talent: Bloomsday Brings Together Ireland’s Best

Posted on June 12, 2012 by aaron

June 16th is approaching.

Thanks to James Joyce’s icconic Ulysses, this has become an important day in Dublin, one which captures the essence of the city.

James Joyce set his famed novel during a single day – June 16th (the day of his first date with his wife) – and intertwines the lives of characters in the city of Dublin. Although it draws inspirations from Homer’s Odyssey, Ulysses is praised as being a significant part of the new modernist movement in 1922.

June 16th has since evolved into ‘Bloomsday’ in literary communities around the world, to celebrate Joyce’s great work. This year writers will read consecutively for over 28 hours.

The event will bring together 111 of today’s literary talents, who will each read for 15 minutes selections of their own works. Organisers will be aiming to break the world record for the most authors reading one after another, which currently stands at 75 authors who read at the Berlin International Literature Festival.

The event has been organised by the Irish Writers’ Centre, who promise a ‘broad range of texts and tastes’. John Boyne (writer of bestseller The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas) will start thing off, reading from his latest work ‘The Absolutist’; and Jack Harte will read ‘From Under Gogol’s Nose’. Inbetween will be many familar faces, including Seamus Healey, but it will also be an opportunity to discover new talents.

Bloomsday shows that James Joyce talent still burns and continues to inspire writers and readers to enjoy literature. You can follow the event at www.writerscentre.ie.

Tag Archives: Irish Talent