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Octocon 2017
The National Irish Science Fiction Convention, Octocon 2017, is taking place this coming weekend. Here’s my schedule for the convention: FRIDAY 06 OCTOBER 08:00 PM ‘You Don’t Scare Me Anymore’ in the Salusa Secundus room Paul Anthony Shortt, Maura McHugh, Frank E Whelan, Lynda E Rucker SATURDAY 07 OCTOBER 06:00 PM ‘Plug In to Fear’ in the Salusa Secundus room Esther MacCallum-Stewart, Nik Vincent-Abnett, Frank E Whelan, Dan Abnett, Maura McHugh 07:00 PM ‘David Lynch Panel’ in the Salusa Secundus room Phil Dyson, Maura McHugh, R B Kelly, Lynda E Rucker SUNDAY 08 OCTOBER 02:00 PM ‘Golden Blasters’ in the Arrakis room I’ll be attending this event as a member…
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Shamrokon schedule
Tomorrow marks the start of Shamrokon in Dublin, the European science fiction convention (Eurocon) which is held in a different country each year. After all the fun and frolics at Worldcon in London last weekend, I’m approaching this event with anticipation, tempered with a little fatigue. Here’s my schedule: Made In Ireland: Fantasy Classics By Irish Authors: Friday 15:00 – 16:00, D. Ulster Le Fanu Track: Vampire Lovers – Le Fanu and the Silver Screen: Saturday 15:00 – 16:00, C. Munster Le Fanu Track: Dracula vs. Carmilla: Saturday 16:00 – 17:00, C. Munster Women of 2000AD: Sunday 12:00 – 13:00, C. Munster Golden Blasters: Sunday 14:00 – 16:00, B. Lansdowne…
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knotting threads
There have been a number of dangling threads I haven’t knotted off lately, so here are a few things I should mention. First off, FantasyCon in Brighton at the end of last month was a fun and enjoyable convention. I love the city, and a wonderful crowd of people attended. The fire alarm in my hotel went off at 3.30am one morning, and after a late night in the bar this was not a fun wake-up call. I have never heard such a terrible din. My cognitive faculties weren’t the best, but the alarm seemed designed to disrupt any ability to think. I looked like a demented hobo as I…
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Octocon 2012
In a few hours I’ll be heading to Dublin for Octocon, the Irish National Science Fiction convention. It’s always a fun event and I’m looking forward to meeting people. Here’s my schedule: Saturday, 13 October Noon in the Abbey Room – Brains, Brains and Brains! With Emmet O’Cuanna, Derek Gunn, and Lynn Moran 1pm in the Pavilion Room – Masterclass in Modern Science Fiction. With Peadar Ó Guilín, and Carol Connolly 5pm in the Tivoli Room – Serialisation vs graphic novels. With C.E Murphy, Michael Carroll, Alan Nolan, and Rob Curley Sunday, 14 October Noon in the Tivoli Room – Why so violent? With Oisin McGann, Heather Turnbull, Celine Kiernan,…
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Übermensch
If you would like to watch ‘Übermensch’, which won the Golden Blaster for Best Short Film at Octocon, here it is: https://dailymotion.com/video/xdm0p6?width=480&iframe=1&additionalInfos=0&autoPlay=0&hideInfos=0 ÜbermenschScreenplay by Daniel Poole, adapted from a short story by Kim Newman; Director: Simon Temple. For those who were at Octocon you can now watch the closing title sequence in full, which I recommend.
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Octocon 2010
This weekend I’ll be a guest at the 2010 Octocon convention in the Camden Court Hotel, Dublin. The Guest of Honour is George R.R. Martin, best known as the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels. The first novel in the series, Game of Thrones, is currently being filmed in Northern Ireland as a HBO mini-series. Its tone has been described as ‘Sopranos with Swords’, and since HBO rarely does anything badly, this could be the fantasy television series of a generation. It’s a considerable coup for an Irish convention to have such an established author as a guest, and I hope there will be a…
