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Irish Independent
39 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Alice Cooper surprise bidder for €55 golf-inspired toast rack sold by Meath auctioneer
The School's Out rocker bought the unusual household item from Matthews Auctioneers in Kells, Co Meath at pre-auction for just €55 and he showed it off ahead of his London O2 gig on Friday, July 25. Damien Matthews, who delivered the item to Cooper, said he had no idea the bidder was actually the US star, when he made the offer. 'He's a bit of a golf nut,' Mr Matthews told the Irish Independent, explaining why the star was interested in this particular toast rack. 'It turns out he's a very nice, funny guy. I thought people would be amused to hear about this. It's a small world now items are auctioned online and smaller regional firms have the same international reach.' Cooper, a pioneer of 'shock rock' has enjoyed a career of six decades. The singer has played golf daily for the past 30 years. During this London gig, actor Johnny Depp joined Cooper's band to perform a cover of Black Sabbath's Paranoid in tribute to Ozzy Osbourne after the metal singer's death. Mr Matthews said he travels to London regularly with big ticket items customers have bought. And curiosity got the better of him, so he decided to drop the budget-friendly toast rack off to Cooper, just to check was it really the star. 'He was delighted to receive it,' Mr Matthews said. 'It was a small value item but I hand delivered it.' 'It was a bargain for sure. But it's a nice thought Alice Cooper, who I believe appreciates the finer things, will take his toast from it each morning.' The toast rack is up to 40 years old and is silver plated.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
New café opening in Galway village aims to bring ‘new lease of life' to Connemara
Spideog Café will open on Friday, August 1, from 7.30am, with coffee lovers eager to get in the door already. The family venture launched by Connemara locals Anne Coleman-Kinnane and Edward Kinnane has been a while in the making, but they are excited to finally open the doors this week. 'I have to say while we do have an amazing community around us, we have been absolutely stunned by the interest and support ahead of our opening,' Anne told the Irish Independent. 'There has been quite a bit of construction work ongoing over the past few weeks in the village and we've had a few locals pop in to have a look and wish us well. 'We live in a beautiful part of Connemara but there's a distinct lack of facilities in the area, particularly for young people or those who are retired so we are delighted to be able to provide this new location for people to chill out and have a chat. 'Overall, the news has been widely welcomed - the rumours have been out there for a while so we've had quite a lot of interest from locals and those living further afield over the past few weeks.' Anne said that, most importantly, they are hopeful Spideog Café will provide a 'new meeting spot' in Carna, and bring a 'new lease of life' to the village. News of the café's opening on social media has brought tonnes of congratulatory comments for the couple, wishing them the best of luck on the new venture. 'Nobody will be able to resist your lovely cakes anyway,' one Facebook user commented – a good sign of what's to come from the new Carna spot.
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Artist creates cling film scene of starving child in Gaza and Irish famine on Grafton Street
The Rio born artist - who goes by the name, Brutto - caused shoppers and tourists to stop in their tracks as they took in the devastating scene. The piece of art, spray-painted on clingfilm, depicts a skeleton Palestinian mother holding her child, whose body is wasting away. In the background an Irish father is showed carrying his dead loved one during the Great Famine. The piece is emblazoned with the words 'This is not history, it's happening right now' and 'The Great Famine Ireland 1845,' 'Famine Palestine 2025.' Brutto told the Irish Independent he wanted to address the trauma malaise some people might be feeling after constant imagery of Palestinian suffering online, by turning the images into art. 'Some people might be tired of seeing the images of what's happening in Gaza. People can swipe by posts on social media, or turn the news off but here, when they're shopping, they can't not see what is happening in Gaza. I want to remind people to keep supporting people in Gaza and the West Bank. "If we just forget what's happening, this could happen anywhere in the world. Some people say they just care about Ireland and not about Palestine but I am reminding those people this happened in the past in Ireland too. 'This piece will only be here for a few hours and then I take it down but people pass by and photograph it and share it on social media. 'That means the message of this piece will go around and stay with people. We need to see expansive aid get into Gaza, we need a ceasefire and for Palestinians to live in peace. 'Sometimes the trauma and pain of what's happening in Gaza makes it hard to go about our lives as normal. Nothing is normal while this is going on. 'I'm a father. I have three kids. Just to realise that this could happen to my kids, how can I not do something. How can I not care. I use my art because it's all I can do to keep raising awareness that we cannot stop talking about Gaza and Palestinians. That we cannot give up and we have to keep shouting for them. "This art is more than about materialism, it's about a feeling and impacting everyone who walks past.' The artist, who lives in north Dublin, regularly creates the cling film pieces of art with a social message. The Gaza piece gathered a great deal of attention on Grafton Street yesterday. Some passers by thanked the creator, as they stopped to take the work in. Brutto regularly creates socio-political art in Dublin. The latest piece is part of a series on Gaza. Brutto first started creating work around Palestinians in 2014.
Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Climate
- Irish Independent
Tsunami waves reach Hawaii and head for US west coast after major 8.8 earthquake strikes Russia
Live | 8.8 magnitude quake hits near city of Petropavlovsk-KamchatskyTsunami of 3-5 metres recorded in Kamchatka PeninsulaWarnings for Japan, Hawaii, US West Coast and other Pacific nationsLargest quake in region since 1952, Russian science academy says A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami waves of up to 5 metres (16 feet) and sparked evacuation orders in Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday. The shallow earthquake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan's eastern seaboard - devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 - was ordered to evacuate. Follow the Irish Independent's liveblog here:
Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Climate
- Irish Independent
Tsunami waves reach Hawaii and head for US west coast after major earthquake strikes Russia
Live | 8.8 magnitude quake hits near city of Petropavlovsk-KamchatskyTsunami of 3-5 metres recorded in Kamchatka PeninsulaWarnings for Japan, Hawaii, US West Coast and other Pacific nationsLargest quake in region since 1952, Russian science academy says A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula triggered tsunami waves of up to 5 metres (16 feet) and sparked evacuation orders in Hawaii and across the Pacific on Wednesday. The shallow earthquake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan's eastern seaboard - devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 - was ordered to evacuate. Follow the Irish Independent's liveblog here:
