Kid’s Songs and Games, Belfast 1971

Lots of wonderful songs and games from the streets of Belfast 1971. Absolutely superb. Do these songs and games still exist? How much poorer we are now, if all the children have are phone screens with artificial rubbish.

How to make quince jelly - illustrated

Is this thing working? Hello? I really don't know how Moran has time to produce something like that when he can't lift a finger to help our flagship newspaper blog. Give me patience! Will you give him a rocket please Feargal. (Red, via AudioBlagger™)

Affinity Water - leak at Sudbury Hill for several days

Water leak at Greenford Road near Sudbury Hill, 27 February 202

This leak has been running for several days. According to Affinity Water’s “report a leak” map, the leak was reported on 19 February and has been investigated and located by one of their technicians on 25 February. (See details below.)

Screenshot of the leak on the “report a leak” page (detail)

Update Friday 28: Still bubbling up, water spreading across the road etc.

Update, 1 March: Still the same. To call it a puddle is a bit of an understatement, it's spreading across Greenford Road. Video today: 

Digging out sheep from under snow

* The Big Snow of 2025 on the Galtees * Brothers Tom John William & their nephew Billy Cunningham along with their Hill Sheep Farming Neighbours are out on the Galtees with the last few days digging out their sheep who have been trapped in what has been the worst snow fall in decades.

[image or embed]

— Carlow Weather (@carlowweather.bsky.social) January 10, 2025 at 8:31 AM

Extraordinary video from Carlow Weather on Bluesky

Farewell to Storyville

The End of the Road

We are now closed indefinitely for submissions of short stories. It’s been fun.

Take care. Be good. See you around!

Ed.

Trailer: “Reawakening” – a new film written and directed by Virginia Gilbert

“Reawakening, starring Jared Harris, Juliet Stevenson and Erin Doherty, is the powerful, psychologically piercing and searingly emotional second feature from BAFTA-nominated writer-director Virginia Gilbert.” (Facebook)

Some of you might remember when Virginia Gilbert’s short story “Winter Lambing” won the Willesden Herald short Story competition in 2012, as judged by Roddy Doyle. There is even a video of the awards presentation at the old Willesden Library Centre [with Mourny three sheets to the wind. Ed]

Reawakening had its US premiere at the Newport Beach film festival last week and has already been nominated for awards and included in other film festivals.

Message to US Republicans

"What will you tell your kids?" Strong case made against Donald Trump by the Lincoln Project, Republicans in the tradition of Abraham Lincoln and against the would-be tinpot dictator and puppet of Vladimir Putin, friend and admirer of Kim Jong Un and other obnoxious men of that type.

Three poems from Day of the Flying Leaves (audio)

Bookmovie from Fonoteca de Poesia - Stephen Moran

1. The Hunter-Gatherer Children of Dublin
2. Eleven Homes
3. Visiting Molly

The text is displayed smoothly to look like book pages turning. My reading, I don't know, not too bad. I'm grateful to Fonotexa de Poesia for this, which I consider an honour. (Steve)

Poor Paddy Works on the Software - lyric video

Apparently Moran has been moonlighting again. A recording of this monstrosity, the words of which are somewhere in our back pages. They are also under the YouTube video for convenience. If you like this video, tell your friends. If you don't like it, don't tell a soul, they'll never know. (Ed)

The Leaving of Ballymun

This is a lyric video of a humorous parody and the words are included in the description on YouTube. You can see them in a recent post on this blog as well.

Zadie Smith – Tufton Street – More Evil Than Climate Denial

21 April 2023: Zadie Smith addresses a climate crisis demo in Tufton Street. A closely reasoned speech, touching on the thought processes of people in denial compared to those of people who know exactly what they're doing. People in denial must recognise the horror of what they deny, or they wouldn't be moved to deny it. Others, she argues, such as Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, are not in denial, rather they know there is a climate emergency but they just don't care. All that lot care about, in short, is their own wealth. Her conclusion evokes an emotional response from the crowd. (Ed.)

Short Story Competition 2022 - Results and Book Launch

It's been a long time in the editing but here at last is the podcast/slideshow/video/audio thingummy from the competition results event and book launch for New Short Stories 12. (Ed.)

NOV 8, LONDON: Who will take the coveted one-off Willesden Herald inscribed “The Willesden Short Story Prize 2022”? All will be revealed on the night. Plus ten cash prizes to the writers of the stories in New Short Stories 12. From The Performance Space, upstairs in The Library at Willesden Green. 

With special thanks to Katy Darby, Claire Lacey and Liars' League

Willesden Herald New Short Stories 12 - unboxing

Makes a good present for Christmas or Hannukah. International, all sorts of stories, well worth reading. More

2022 Writers, Don't Let Me Down! Ed.

Your forebears could hunt an epiphany through the great forest of Um without breaking a twig and spear it with words sharpened on the soles of their feet. Arise, put on your leotards and send in your short stories, ye of this century…(Enough, thank you. Get to the music. Ed.)

Links 

• Submit via Submittable.com  
• Willesden Herald New Short Stories website on WordPress

It's polling day in the local elections (May 5 2022)

New! Cassetteboy vs The Tories May 2022. (contains a swear) pic.twitter.com/3y0Dl4HLLU

— Cassetteboy (@Cassetteboy) May 4, 2022

It's a nice day in London for kicking the Tories out of office.

The indomitable spirit of Ukraine

Little girl singing "Let it go" in a shelter#UkraineRussianWar #Ukraine #UkraineUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/6gfcUoiwJJ

— Ankita Jain (@Ankita20200) March 6, 2022

➽ Links to Donate
– Disasters Emergency Committee (UK)
– List of organisations providing support Ukraine

Cartoons by Zoz, by jingo

 A homemade slideshow of cartoons by Zoz, aka Smoran. Now with added pleasant music, courtesy of YouTube Studio, credit unspecified.

Petticoat Lane, London, c.1900 (film)

Men and women around an east end market in London, possibly Petticoat Lane (Middlesex Street) around 1900 at this time a predominantly a poor Jewish working class area.
Credit: Huntley Archives pic.twitter.com/qtW523br9t

— Historygirl (@janeyellene) November 28, 2021

Wonderful scenes down Petticoat Lane market in the East End of London, circa 1900. Does that sort of joy even exist anymore? (Ed.)

The fight for the soul of Spitalfields

Save Brick Lane - BBC London News https://t.co/Lkpq0z2DnT

— Spitalfields Life (@thegentleauthor) September 14, 2021

"Tonight, Tuesday 14th September, Tower Hamlets Council’s Development Committee makes its decision upon the Truman Brewery’s controversial planning application for a shopping mall with four floors of offices on top, as the first step in the redevelopment of the entire brewery site into a corporate plaza." (More)

Chemist shop: "Covid tests available" (Sudbury Hill)

CuraPharm chemist shop, 154 Greenford Road. Scrolling sign says "Covid tests available" 16 January 2021 (video) #CovidUK #SudburyHill pic.twitter.com/RuJHcECXp2

— Stephen Moran (@stephen_j_moran) January 17, 2021

CuraPharm chemist shop, 154 Greenford Road. Scrolling sign says "Covid tests available" 16 January 2021. (Twitter video). N.B. You can get a free test. Google "Covid tests near me" or visit this official site to request a free test online.