Tag: competition

10 Green Questions With Comedian Paddy Courtney

Post author By Peter Donegan
Post date August 10, 2010
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I met with Paddy Courtney in Portmarnock recently. Anything for the great outdoors is always my attitude and when I realised I could ask Paddy my 10 new green questions and also have a giggle at the same time I was all for it.

The other reality is that I really like what 7up are doing in the context of the great outdoors. Makes me want to make my own list…. either or you have to admit it’s encouraging in the context of get outside and have a laugh😉 Here’s the deal…

Basically 7Up Free have gotten Paddy Courtney, to head out on a Roadtrip to uncover 7 things you have to do before the summer is out; it’s like a Bucket List for a summer in Ireland. Paddy’s going to be trying out everything from wakeboarding to surfing, from horse riding to abseiling, if it’s fun, he’s trying it.

They are also running competitions on the site over the next few weeks to win all sorts of prizes including a deluxe BBQ with a performance by Paddy in your house, Polaroid Pogos and cocktail shakers. All you have to do is go onto the 7up website and submit your story. They are also on Facebook.

Tags 10 green questions, 7up, 7up free, bbq, competition, edelman, outdoors, paddy courtney, People, Business, peter donegan, Portmarnock

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I’m going to compete in the Irish Conker Championships

Post author By Peter Donegan
Post date September 21, 2009
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yes you read it correctly… 😉

This coming October bank holiday weekend sees the Irish Conker Championships, now in their 10th year take place in Freshford, County Kilkenny.

I spoke with Main Orgainser Brenda who explained to me that whilst some may find the event a little on the trivial side… there are those who do take it quite serious. I explained to Brenda I was one of the more serious. Brenda laughed slightly and asked how long I had been in training for….? hmmmm

The area where the competition takes place is surrounded by 52 conker trees so its perfect for the event. It is from here the local primary school, will start in about 2 weeks time collecting conkers every day after school and at weekends. In total about 25-30,000 conkers will be used.

Brenda also explained that to avoid any ‘tom-foolery’ all and only conkers supplied by the association along with leather laces supplied by local shoe maker Michael Rossiter can be used on the day.

The holes are then drilled by some of the 70 volunteers on the Saturday and then laced on the Sunday ready for the competition starting that day at 12pm.

I’ve formed a picture in my head of the 118 50 kind of Flahavans 1980’s type tracksuit complete with cotton sweatband of course…. I’m wondering also if I need a Rocky Balboa group of trainers to stand in my corner and a nick name for when I am announced entering the ring….

Either or… I’ve been off the competitive conker circuit for close on 21 years now and I need to get into training…. 😉

If you want to find out more visit the Irish Conker Championships website. Also on the weekend will be about ’80 musicians and the Kilkenny Flower Show along with the usual fares, stalls and stands. It costs €6 for an adult to enter and €1 to use the practice arena.

Any thoughts or advice for me – leave a comment. I need all the help I can get 😉

Could this be a nice opportunity to raise a little sponsorship for a good cause…?

Tags Aesculus, africa, competition, conker, conker championships, Conkers, Freshford, horse chestnut, irish conker championships, kilkenny, niall mellon, peter donegan, Society and Culture, south africa, Track and field athletics

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Bloom 2007 – The Morris Minor Garden

Post author By Peter Donegan
Post date May 24, 2009
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No Rubber Soul. Silver Medal Winner. My Garden for Bloom 2007.

I love this garden. I really do. I had no sponsor. I was advised not to do it. Nobody knew what Bloom was really and although I had won awards for garden design and landscaping, this was my first *show* garden. I don’t even think I knew what a weblog was when I did this garden so there really doesn’t exist that many photographs of ‘No rubber- soul’ the garden. For some reason or another it became know as the Car-Den. Enjoy!

Peter Donegans garden design ‘No Rubber- Soul’ won silver in the large garden category in the inaugural year of Bloom in the Phoenix Park Friday 1st June 2007. During the 20 day deadline over 1,500 plants; 50 square metres of rolled lawn; 4 tonne of recycled compost; 5 tonnes of recycled bark chippings; 6 tonnes of recycled tree stumps one 1965 morris minor and an outdoor flat screen television.

Despite the rainfall over the bank holiday weekend over 50,000 people still flocked to see the unsponsored garden. No decking, no paving, no additives or preservatives…. Imagine sitting within two thirds of a 1965 Morris Minor, watching the television, smokes plumes through the front grill of your car and you sit back and watch nature and plant life grow around you. This is the garden that has no rubber but lots of soul. Built from 100% recycled and/ or recyclable products. Take a trip back to 1965 when men used shovels and gardens had soul.

Built to commemorate the many Irish men with initially, great intentions who promise to restore and rebuild projects but sometimes are never fully completed; it has been slightly adapted to via audio visual equipment to become an entertainment area of sorts and it should give the appearance that whilst unwillingly forgotten, the life of the garden continued to flourish around it.

….and of course there was this. genius.

Also:

bloom 2007 – the pr media list