Ladies Bicycle Racing hits Ireland

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Here in Ireland, women’s bicycle racing is still in its infancy, but starting to gain popularity. There are a few races,and cycling clubs for both men and women. One of the women (Caroline Martinez) that I know from work is highly involved in bicycle racing. Last week, she mentioned that she was looking for someone to do some photos of of the ladies cycling team sponsored by D.I.D. Electrical and Spin11. So, on Friday, we met up, and the elite ladies team of DID Electrical (it’s a DIY chain shop here in Ireland) were presented with their team car and their self designed uniforms. Only part of the team was able to be there, but we had some fun and got some great pictures to go with the press release and up on the team’s brand new website (Click here).

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DID Electrical is a great sponsor for the group. They are one of the larger cycling sponsors here in Ireland, and are a major promoter of the Cycle for Life Appeal charity event (click here), benefiting the Temple Street Children’s Hospital. The race itself takes place later May 4, 2013, and I’m so pleased to have had the chance to meet the ladies – and Mike, the Cycle for Life mascot – and have the opportunity to get some photos of him with the ladies. (We all love Mike, after all, he’s just a big kid at heart!)

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I think one of the cooler photos of the day is of Caroline Conway.

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Upon seeing this picture,would you want to race against her? If your answer was no, I think we’re in agreement. These ladies are one tough bunch – having melded together from years of bicycle racing into a new team. Their first race was Sunday, over in Drogheda. The race was the National Women’s League,and covered some 56km around Coombes Connor course.

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The great news is that Amy Brice – one of the ladies on the team (not pictured) – took first place. Congratulations to her, and to the entire team on their first win – I look forward to seeing some of your races both here in Ireland – and internationally!

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To see the article on the team launch, check out stickybottle.com’s article .

For more information on Amy’s win yesterday, please see Womenscycling.ie.

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The Bell – Kiera Dignam

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04/12/2013 – This night found me heading into the city center to a pub I’d never been to before, called Arthur’s Pub on Thomas Street, but I wasn’t able to stay. Why? I had an appointment back in Blanchardstown – where I found myself at the local Blanchardstown watering hole – The Bell Pub.

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The Bell is local here in Blanchardstown, and is a good sized pub with a front pub area, a back pub area (nicknamed the old man’s pub) and a side room for events and hosting carvery on the weekends. It’s comfortable, and on the weekends fairly hopping with the local clientele who come here before heading out elsewhere.

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Tonight’s entertainment was a young lady named Kiera Dignam. Kiera is a petite lady, standing maybe to my shoulder, but has a big voice that she uses to get the pub rocking to retro tunes with her partner singing backup. She has a pretty good range – covering everything from Stevie Wonder all the way to modern R&B hits. Most of the evening, she manages to get the pub singing along with her, and having a great time.

For Kiera Dignam’s facebook page, please click here.

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For more photos, please see my flickr site here.

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Arthur’s Pub – T’anks General

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04/12/2013 – This night found me heading into the city center to a pub I’d never been to before, called Arthur’s Pub on Thomas Street. The Pub is two floors, with the bottom floor having large windows, a fireplace and bar flanking the inside wall. The people inside looked happy with the food they were eating, and seemed to be having some nice chats. What I was interested in, however, was up the staircase – an upper bar area with a stage at one end.

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While I didn’t stay the entire night, as the gigs started way too early (7pm) and I had an appointment somewhere else, I did get to see two bands. The first band was, naturally, T’anks General. I have known these guys for a while now and they’re my colleagues at work. Despite the lowest crowd numbers (really – who starts a gig at 7pm on a Friday!!) – it was only myself and 2 bar tenders – the guys put their hearts into playing, even though they were a band member short (he was still at work). Luckily this talented crew can play their music as a 4 piece or a 3 piece!

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For more information on where they’re playing next, check out their facebook page here.

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For more pictures from the evening, checkout my flickr site here.

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