Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THEY’RE THE EQUIVALENT of the Oscars for the London theatre world, and last night’s Olivier Awards were a big moment for the Irish.
At a ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London, Irish actress Denise Gough won the Best Actress award for her role in People, Places and Things, while Irish theatre company Fishamble: The New Play Company and actor/writer Pat Kinevane also won a coveted Olivier for their play Silent. Playwright Martin McDonagh won an Olivier for Best New Play for his work Hangmen.
Ennis-raised Denise Gough has starred in a number of films and TV shows, including Jimmy’s Hall, The Bill and Silent Witness.
In People, Places and Things, she stars as Emma, a woman with an addiction problem who goes to rehab.
The play has been called “bold, timely and searching”, with Gough singled out for being ‘electrifying’ and “stunning”.
Kinevane and Fishamble’s award was presented for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, for their production of Silent which was presented at the Soho Theatre last year.
Silent is the story of the homeless man McGoldrig, “who once had splendid things. But he has lost it all – including his mind”.
Artistic Director of Fishamble, Jim Culleton said:
We are so thrilled, honoured, and delighted to have won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for Silent. It’s especially thrilling to have been awarded this honour immediately after Dame Judi Dench, and for it to have been presented by Juliet Stevenson – two amazing performers.
Silent has previously been awarded The Scotsman Fringe First, The Herald Angel (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011) and The Argus Angel (Brighton Festival 2012).
President Michael D Higgins said that the awards “are a great recognition and tribute to Irish theatre” and congratulated the Irish winners.
I wish them every success – may I also convey my best wishes to the countless actors, actresses, directors, stagehands, playwrights, designers, choreographers and many others that make up Irish theatre.
Their work reminds us of the vitality and indeed importance of culture and of theatre in the life of our nation.
He said that theatre “offers us the opportunity to dream, to question, to learn, to experiment and to experience”.
Theatre offers a critique and a mirror onto the society we have created.
Minister Heather Humphreys also congratulated the winners, saying:
“When we see Irish successes on this scale at ceremonies such as the Olivier Awards, it underlines the importance, and indeed the benefits, of providing funding to Culture Ireland, which helps Irish artists to bring their work overseas and helps to showcase Irish talent internationally.”
Great I will have loads of porn stars trying to contact me!
Time to start ditching it…
The NSA has to make some claw back out of its enterprise
No such thing as a free lunch with these corps.
Google and Microsoft have been doing this for years. Nothing new here. Interest based advertising is actually a good thing. You get to see ads that are at least relevant to you. You’re going to see ads, they might as well be something you can stomach and that may be useful. Like with Google and Microsoft, if you want to opt out, fine.
You are the product. You should have known that when you signed up. If you don’t like that, opt out or stop using these services.
We should be thankful that at least they’re disclosing that they’re tracking us.
Dave,
Advice like that could do a lot of damage to Facebook. We need assurance about privacy, not the “if you don’t like it, don’t use it” line.
Facebook is a useful tool, and they should be allowed make their money where they can, but only if they are doing so with full disclosure.
An iPhone, for example may block location services for the Facbook App but I’m not holding out much hope for similar security on Google developed android…
The issue of how consent is obtained for this will be interesting. Without a clear opt out, users might request their details and posts to be removed before closing their accounts – as it appears they now have a right to be forgotten.
Three words. Data protection officer. Surely this can be challenged?
As long as there’s an opt out, doubt there’s much can be done.
There will be some interesting adverts on people’s profiles so :)
Wall to wall porn.
I was wondering why the journal was advertising transexual escorts!!
Delighted I never joined that stupid website.
On the one hand this makes me feel squicky for privacy reasons. On the other if I HAVE to see ads, I’d rather they cater to my interests. Currently Facebook assumes I want to see ads for wedding dresses because I’m female and in a long term relationship. Like god Facebook! Do you even know me at all!?
Id rather not have my privacy invaded though.
It’s not Facebook that decides that. It’s the advertiser.
Big data is a scary thing. Good story on this in Freakonomics to do with JC Penney in USA. Their EPOS data (club card points etc.) allowed them to profile people that shopped there and were registered with them.
An (irate) father contacted them about his 15 yr old daughter because they were sending direct mail to do with deals for pre-maternal products based on her purchase history. Turns out irate Dad was eating humble pie before too long and big data was right.
If you’re getting wedding dress ads it’s based on your profile. Once they include browsing history it will become very intrusive. I left FB about 4 yrs ago. I could see where it was going.
Nobody “has to see ads” simply install Ad-Blocker on your browser or smart device, it’s used by millions and personally I am always shocked when seeing how much invasive clutter assaults ones eyes when not using it. Have been for 3 or 4 years and it’s an absolute godsend..
Adblock plus, block the ads
No, Facebook does not know you at all. But then, nor does RTE. Presumably you don’t take offense at tv adverts for fertiliser.
For a start, it’s not Facebook that decides to give you ads for wedding dresses, it’s the advertiser, who may or may not be knowledgeable about selecting an appropriate audience in Facebook’s advert manager. There are some dumb advertisers out there, and right now many small businesses are just starting to get their head around Facebook.
Faced with the traditional option of advertising to, perhaps, buyers of Cosmo, they’ve decided that it’s cheaper or more effective to advertise to “females in long term relationships” (and probably a few other demographics that you didn’t guess – Ireland, English-speaking, an age-range, perhaps a certain education-level). It doesn’t mean that anyone has looked at you personally, and it doesn’t mean they think all females in long-term relationships are about to get married. It’s just a better focused demographic than was available to them before.
That’s a relief. Perhaps now they will cop on that I don’t drink, don’t gamble and have no interest in football. Neither do I use men’s cosmetic products particularly Lynx. And I don’t drink any kind of Cola. In fact I barely use any products at all. It is a waste of time targeting me fir anything. I am the ad man’s nightmare. :)
So the working class can be exploited again.
So you would have the working class without nice clothes and shoes and holidays , comrade , why do we work if not to enjoy the spoils, or is that just for the ” top pigs , who are more equal “than the rest .
Because these will convince working class people to take loans from the middle class elite bankers to pay for these ‘nice’ clothes. The circle of corruption and exploitation will go on.
You can’t describe bankers and elites and middle class at the same time.
A chara. I just did, because they are.
elite or élite (ɪˈliːt Pronunciation for ; eɪ-)
Definitions
noun
(sometimes functioning as plural) the most powerful, rich, gifted, or educated members of a group, community, etc
middle class
Definitions
noun
Also called: bourgeoisie. a social stratum that is not clearly defined but is positioned between the lower and upper classes. It consists of businessmen, professional people, etc, along with their families, and is marked by bourgeois values
Clearly not the same thing.
Yes they are. I wouldn’t expect you to understand though. They earn more then the working class. They are elite to is.
*us.
Surely this will affect middle class exactly the same as it’s going to affect the working class
No as the elite middle class are protected by their banker mates.
The banks don’t have much of a say as to whether or not Facebook wants to access out internet history
Don’t be so sure. They are all in the hands of corrupt government and business and middle class elite.
No I am pretty sure
Well you are wrong.
PLANS?? Ha, this has been happening ages now..
Companies like Google and Facebook have been doing this for years. Nothing new here
That headlines definitely misleading.
You’re better saying, “facebooks adverts now use web browsing cookies to help better targeted adverts.”
At absolutely no point does facebook share your information ever
Plans to ? They already do as far as I can see
For the past while everything i Google search has been coming up as Facebook ads almost straight away, this is especially true with hotels, etc..
When i booked a hotel for Belfast recently, i started seeing ads for certain hotels and even Visit Northern Ireland ads.
Is there any way of stopping this, other than deleting my cookies constantly?
have your say