Photo owned by Môsieur J. (cc)

The blogging year that is (the rest of it was great too!)

252 posts this year which is my busiest blogging year yet since I began in 2005. I thought like loads of others I would post a few links to some highlights in a very rapid recap as it’s been a very long year and the last few days of reading back over the posts has been fun!

January brought Michael Lynn’s greatest hits.. and a bit of fun releasing different tracks and getting him some airtime on radio (Never thought I’d become an A&R woman!)

The search for Ireland’s Eurovision entry was my first foray into live blogging this year – McGarr and Golez trapped me into further ventures later in the year including Questions and Answers, the budget and US election coverage. I also joined lots of other Irish bloggers in surviving the Irish apprentice in 2008. There is huge potential in this for 2009.

March was the month of the blog awards and this lovely piece of glass!

April saw the publication of the Devine report into matters concerning Niall McElwee and who knew what and when. Dr. McElwee guest posted on the blog in response to the report, something which did not occur in the mainstream media. Dr. Francis Finnegan also came forward with her views in a guest post on the blog.

Eoghan Harris blamed bloggers on Bertie’s downfall.

Brian Cowen became Taoiseach in May and we got a new cabinet including the Minister in charge of equality who wasn’t very equal in his thoughts about the gays 15 years ago.

July saw the beginning of the end of properly funded independent equality and human rights infrastructures in Ireland and for the rest of year I’ve been keeping an eye on the twists and turns in budget cuts, resignations and political machinations.

The month of September exhausted me as a blogger and human being thanks to my curiosity about Sarah Palin’s ‘trip to Ireland‘ and a scoop about Irish Rail enforcing discrimination in terms of same sex couples and travel passes by means of crude notices to staff.

October continued with far too much US election coverage and not a lot of blogging just too much pointing out and electoral pop culture overdosing!

I met Commissioner McCreevy for lunch in Brussels in November and got a lot of briefing on things EU on a press/blogger trip to Brussels. I intend looking westwards a lot more during 2009 and sure won’t we have Lisbon II to keep us intrigued. (Scrapes bottom of barrel for an adjective there!).

Throughout 2008 I tried to chronicle the campaign (!) (and my commentary on it) for same sex partnership recognition I have a feeling I might be doing that in 2009, 2010…..

I’ve enjoyed meeting many new bloggers this year and getting to know others a whole lot better and I’ve been inspired by their energy and commitment, respect, support, sense of humour and friendliness. I’ve also met a few of my non blogging readers on my travels and been a bit embarrassed sometimes by their knowledge of the inner workings of my brain…:)

Happy New Year all!!