Barney and Ronan were over from Galway. Senan, Matthew; Lisa, Niamh, Ronan, Caoimhe, Laura and Sarah, along with Barney and Kevin.
Munster also have the challenge of Wasps (last years winners) plus Clermont (big spenders in the pre-season, John Smit World Cup winning captain of the Springboks has just joined) and Llanelli. Ulster started the week-end with a defeat in Ravenhill; this was not a good omen. On Saturday Leinster had a great start - a confident second half performance in the RDS means that they beat Leicester 22-9. The great news is that Leicester didn't get a bonus point which means that a close encounter in Wellford Road could be very valuable. Of course it was at home and it's just the start of the campaign. However the performance was convincing, Contepomi's kicking was superb, the back row defence from Leinster was pretty awesome. You have to say that Leicester were probably at their one dimensional worst and will only get better as the season goes on. In the end it could have been closer and only some great covering back from Horgan catching Geordan Murphy just short of the line saved a try and conversion which would have given the extra point. There was a great atmosphere in the RDS with a sell-out crowd of 18,000. The Dublin 4 crew will never match the passion and intensity of a Munster crowd - but that's as it's always been. Munster had a great away game against Wasps. The intensity of the Munster-Wasps clash was in sharp contrast to the Leinster-Leicester game. Munster nearly stole it and lost 24-23 in the end. It's a very valuable extra point. They now face Clermont at home - a must win match, as all of the rest of the games are now.
and aslo here
I must put our own Regina videos up on YouTube.
There are quite a few Video clips from the Dublin Concert on YouTube
Turns out that Lonesome Pine1 was also at the regina Spector gig at the Tripod at the end of August - same shots just a different angle.
We then had a break for about 20 minutes. The stadium now has a bar! 
When we arrived the support had just started - is was a lady called Donna Maciocia, who is the singer/songwriter of an Edinburgh based band Amplifico. She was very good - she played keyboards and Guitar. She also achieved a very interesting effect using a vocal loop. She was joined on stage by Andy the cellist for a couple of numbers. Her band apparently plan to issue a CD new spring without a recording contract. (A little) more about them HERE That was a pretty good start. KT Tunstall then took the stage with a very lively 4 piece band and 2 backup vocals. So we had a pretty full stage. We have the new album (KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza) around the house - but someone has mislaid it - so we were less well prepared than we should have been. When they started it was surprising how many of the songs were familiar and how many strong songs there are on that debut album Eye to the Telescope. She could talk for Scotland and she certainly had a very relaxed rapport with the audience. Rather than introduce the songs, she told some jokes and made some comments which always ended up being related to the following song in some way. She did a solo piece in the middle which included Horse and a Cherry Tree. She also used of the loop recording on that track and it was quite impressive live, maybe it's cheating but as she sang it solo and recorded the loop live I guess that's ok. 
High Energy
Uploaded by M+MD Check out her website HERE
Don McLean
Uploaded by M+MD It was 1972, it was the year I did my Inter Cert. American Pie made it to number 2 on the Radio Luxembourg charts (that's my recollection).
I've had a copy of the album American Pie (borrowed and copied onto tape cassette) since around that time - I think it was Finian Ryan who lent me the record. That tape is still knocking around - when the girls were young we used to play it in the car on long journeys.
Well last week-end Don McLean was playing in the Olympia Theatre, Dublin - originally for just one night but by popular demand there was an extra concert on Sunday. I remember that he played the stadium a long time ago - I didn't make it - probably too poor at the time! Gerry had 4 tickets which he couldn't use. We jumped at the offer and the girls came too. It turns out that we had a box over the stage - a fantastic vantage point. As you can see I took a lot of photographs - and there are more HERE.The concert was great. Don and his band are getting on now - he is now in his early 60's. The audience were getting on in years too - although there were quite a few younger faces too. He sang quite a variety of material. We had country rock, Percy French (Mountains of Mourne), he sang about 4 songs from the American Pie album: Winterwood; Empty Chairs; Vincent, of course; and before he was asked (ie with perfect timing) we were treated to a 9 minute version of American Pie. "do you know this one" he quiped through the long intro. Then as we raced to join in the chorus he said "stay with me on this".
You can see for yourself. We managed to get almost all of American Pie on video - if you are prepared to watch 8 minutes, 19 seconds and not be too disappointed at the end - it gets cut off at "and the 3 men I admired mo_____" It's a pity but (not surprisingly) the memory card was full!
He finished up with Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" a song that he said "I didn't think I would ever be singing again". I guess he won't be invited to perform at George Bush's next party!
American Pie is one of those analysed and commented on songs. We all know that it is about the plain crash of the 3 men he admired most (once!) Buddy Holly Ricky Valens and the Big Bopper (J. P. Richardson, Jr). But urban legends such as the "fact" that the plane that crashed was called American Pie are completely untrue. "The Levy" may or may not have been the name of a bar that Don frequented in his youth!A timeless artist still on top of his game - although we were accidental attendees it was a great concert and next time he's in town we won't be missing it!
See more on the Don McLean Website
Saturday 8pm, Cardiff - New Zealand V France. Final Score 18-20 New Zealand slipped up - so someone else will take their birthright again. Fabien Pelous, a veteran of France's famous 1999 world cup victory against the All-Blacks said of the game: "We knew we wouldn't play much, we would occupy territory. We got away with it; if we played that match again 5 times out of 6 we would lose it". Crazy Benny Laport picked a team of kickers to ensure that the played the game as much as possible in the New Zealand half. The tackles made statistics of 178 by France to 36 by New Zealand tells a tale of a fierce French Résistance.
Tricolour v Haka
Uploaded by -Muppet Sunday 2pm, Marseilles - South Africa V Fiji. Final Score 30-20 While South Africa managed to hold it together to beat Fiji by 37 points to 20, it took a remarkable piece of individual leadership by their captain John Smit to pull them back from the brink. In the second half the 14 man Fiji team scored 2 tries in quick succession. They then just missed a try to take the lead. Smit called his team into a huddle. He said he could see in their eyes what he had seen in the eyes of the Australian and New Zealand players the previous day. He told them to snap out of it and go win the match. South Africa managed to use their rugby brains and skill to finally grind out a win. But there was no doubt about who had played the better rugby. Can you believe that earlier in the week Jaque Fourie said that Fiji did not merit the respect of the Springboks.
Sunday 8pm, Paris - Argentina V Scotland. Final Score 19-13 It was the poorest of the 4 matches. Argentina won in the end but only just. Scotland made lots of errors and gave limited ball to their outside line. They never took the flat pass from the scrum or ruck, but always passed deep and so often went backwards. Argentina were nothing like the team that beat France or Ireland. The score-line flattered both teams, if that's possible. So having started out this week-end thinking that the semi-finals could be a southern hemisphere tournament we now will have a north south final in the end, when France or England will take on South Africa or Argentina. The money would have to be on France to beat South Africa in Paris - but this World Cup is not one to predict.
© Inpho
It's been a month for Crazy Dreams.
- First that we could beat Namibia by a Cricket Score;
- then that we could get 5 points against Georgia;
- then we could beat France and put them out of the world cup - double revenge for Croke Park and the last world cup;
- and finally that we could beat Argentina by four tries. Well now the dreams are shattered, and it's not just the supporters who feel the pain. I don't hold with piling the blame on Eddie - he is who he is - he is totally predictable - we liked it when he nearly won us a Grand Slam - why should we feel any different now. We might like him to be a bit more adventurous in selection and in the use of subs - but I don't think that was the difference in these performances. 
© Inpho
The reality is that most teams who win the World Cup will do so because New Zealand haven't played to their potential. Ireland can never produce a team to beat New Zealand at its best. We need more than passion, though ironically our passion seemed to let us down this time. Our skill levels are better than in former years, but we need to get it all together - Players Passion; Skill; Commitment; Management - at the same time. Lets be honest we exposed our weaknesses in at least 2 of our 6 Nations games earlier this year. The End of Dreams (for now). Well now we can enjoy some class rugby as the World Cup continues without us. (Earlier France hammered Georgia by 64 points to 7.)
Post Match Reactions
Eddie O'Sullivan
Brian O'Driscoll
Other Players - D'arcy; Wallace; Comteponi; Pichot
The final table for the pool of death looked like this:
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© inpho
On Saturday after our defeat to France Argentina certainly did what we couldn't - put Namibia away convincingly. Felipe Contepomi scores 19 points including one try in a comprehensive rout of Namibia. "It started being a tough match, with very few points in the first minutes. But we showed a lot of patience. The match opened up a little bit and we could find our best game," Contepomi said. Match Report. Formbook makes the Argentina the clear favourites for Sunday.
