All posts tagged Ireland

Posted:
May 15, 2013
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CP-Logo-2013

Castlepalooza 2013 Ticket Competition

The Castlepalooza line-up was announced on Monday and it really does have us looking forward to the first weekend in August down in Charleville Castle (which was designed by the same lad who designed the GPO – there’s your geeky fact for the week).

We’re going to assume you don’t know every act on the line-up (if you do congrats, you’re cooler than us) so with that in mind there’s a Deezer playlist below with a selection of those announced, enjoy.

So how do you enter for a pair of Castlepalooza weekend passes you ask? Simple, just tell us the name of the Fight Like Apes song included in our playlist. Email your answer to hello@huntercommunications.ie. We’ll announce the winner next week!

Posted:
May 13, 2013
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Social Media Award Nominations

The finalists for the Social Media Awards 2013 were announced this morning and it provided a lovely start to the week for the Hunter team. We’re up for best agency and best business blog (this blog, right here!).

Some of our clients also got in on the act with Carphone Warehouse picking up two nominations; for best customer care on social media and for best facebook page for a business (non campaign).

Bord na Móna Short Story Long Night got a nomination for best online PR campaign. While Brown Sugar Hair and Beauty is also up for best business blog, pitting two Hunter generated blogs against each-other  it’ll be like Sophie’s Choice – but with business blogs.

So, whatever the results, May 30th in Clyde Court Hotel should be an enjoyable night for the Hunter team, we might see you there!

Posted:
May 7, 2013
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Carphone Warehouse Samsung Galaxy S4 lockdown

Smartphones are beginning to rival films and computer games in terms of the excitement their launches can generate. And so it was when Carphone Warehouse unveiled the S4 ahead of the rest of Europe back on April 26th. With #gs4lockdown trending on the day, it’s safe to say the ‘Lockdown’ events got people talking about the most anticipated phone of 2013.

In Cork comic actress Hilary Rose brought the S4′s translation features through its paces with the help of her ‘Irinka’ character. Cork’s Eoin Cadogan set some hearts a flutter… and, you know, spoke about the phone. Red FM’s Stevie G pitched in having run a successful competition for the handset in the build up to the Lockdown. And the Cork Independent’s Peter Horgan gave a journalists perspective on the device. You can check out the Cork video here…

Back in Dublin we had comedian PJ Gallagher, 2FM’s Rick O’Shea, Mike Sheridan from Joe.ie and Elaine Burke from Silicon Republic into Carphone’s Dundrum store. All gave the S4 a test run and spoke about some of their favourite features. Both events attracted a combination of tech addicts, experts and some lucky competition winners and brought home just how big a deal a smartphone release now is.

Posted:
April 18, 2013
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Five reasons to be excited about Samsung Galaxy S4


It’s now eight days until the Samsung Galaxy S4 hits stores and in the weeks since the New York unveiling there have been plenty of facts and figures released about Samsung’s flagship phone.

But rather than hit you with more stats (does the term Android 4.2.2 really mean that much to you?) we put together five easy-to-understand reasons why this phone is one to get excited about.

It raises the bar for Apple

Competition is a good thing and the more innovative Samsung (and, in fairness, HTC and Sony) are, the more Apple will be pushed with the next addition of their iPhone. Where a couple of years ago the iPhone threatened to make a monopoly of the smartphone market now everyone has an opinion about what’s the best option. The S4 will only make the competition more fierce.

We’re getting closer to ‘Minority Report’ technology

Air Gestures and Air View allow users to scroll and preview items without touching the screen. And for anyone who has watched the Tom Cruise sci-fi classic that must be viewed as a reason for excitement.

Gaming on smartphones is taking a big step forward

A few false starts aside, the history of gaming on phones goes; Snake, Angry Birds…and that’s it. EA Sports’ deal with Samsung means we are finally going to start seeing major game titles getting their own bespoke smartphone release consistently.

No more lost in translation

From a business standpoint the S Translator app will be a major problem solver when travelling abroad. For those of us with Leaving Cert French or German it will be a fun app to test out the few remaining phrases we remember.

It might even get us off the sofa

The S Health app turns the S4 into a fitness tracker, something we could do with given the amount of games we’ll be playing on the device.

Posted:
April 17, 2013
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Kodaline

New Irish music

Every year is an exciting year for Irish music – or any music for that matter – so we won’t go overboard about 2013, but still; there really is a lot to look forward to over the coming months.

We put together five Irish albums we’re particularly looking forward to here. And that’s without even mentioning new albums from Ham Sandwich, Fight Like Apes, Codes, Solar Bears and, possibly, Adebisi Shank. Along with the host of albums from new Irish bands, like Come On Live Long, who we have only heard murmurs from as of yet.

You can also listen to some of the bands mentioned (plus a few more) on the free Deezer playlist below. We might even see some at Castlepalooza later in the year…

Kodaline

By the end of the year these Swords lads are almost definitely going to have fulfilled the promise of their Sound of 2013 nod from the BBC. Their album is out in June 10th, expect to hear plenty of tracks featured on plenty of shows.

O Emperor

Album of the Year nominees back in 2011, this could be the album to put them over the top. Hopefully we’ll catch them at a few festivals – on top of their solo appearances – later in the summer.

Bell X1

Without knowing how ‘Chop, Chop’ will sound yet, it’s an achievement in itself for an Irish band to be big enough to launch an album in the National Concert Hall (June 29th).

Little Green Cars

Kodaline have probably edged ahead in the race for column inches, but the other Irish band to get a place on the Sound of 2013 shortlist look set to fulfill their promise – starting with an album release on July 13th.

Enemies

May 25th brings an important date in the calendar for Ireland’s healthy instrumental rock scene with the release of math-pop foursome Enemies second album.

Posted:
April 12, 2013
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Golf

Best golf apps

With the Masters up and running and the weather (hopefully) going to get better we thought it was time to go through some of the best golf apps on the market at the moment. From watching to playing to gaming here are five of our favourites.

Flick Golf

There are a huge amount of golf games available on smartphones but Flick is our favourite because a) it’s free and b) it’s a simple, addictive game. Like with all good smartphone games it doesn’t strive for total realism, but it doesn’t bring some of the satisfaction – and frustration, of playing golf.

The Rules of Golf

Whether you’re out on the course or just having an argument in the pub, this free app can resolve any dispute that can come up. It also works for those who wish to start an argument…

PGA TOUR

Great for keeping up-to-date with all the tournaments stateside with live leaderboards. You can also customize your leaderboard so you will always know – for example – how the Irish lads are doing.

Scorecard

There are many, many apps around claiming to make you a better golfer, though none struck us as particularly reliable. Maybe best to stick to using you’re phone to become a more reliable scorekeeper.

Yardage

With a surprising amount of Irish courses covered this would suit any golfers who like to course-hop. There is a fee though, so make sure it covers the courses you are likely to be playing.

Posted:
April 5, 2013
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Best sports apps

So many apps so little time, as the summer slowly starts to kick in we can expect some pretty sports heavy weekends over the coming months. So what apps are best to keep you updated? We put together our five favourites to cover all your sporting needs, though the Geek Squad over in Carphone Warehouse are sure to have a few more recommendations.

Football

We kind of cheated here as Sky Sports does loads of apps. Depending on your mobile internet plan you can get live video updates or just live text score feeds. Any are ideal if you are the type of person who likes watching Matt LeTissier watching a monitor of a Saturday afternoon.

GAA

The official GAA app has come on leaps and bounds in the past couple of years, available free and can be found by searching ‘official GAA’ in your app store. With score updates it will suit those Dublin fans who miss the first 10 minutes of their matches…

Horse Racing

While most of the bookmakers have great apps it might lead to a few less impulse bets if you just download the Racing Post’s comprehensive app. Good for this weekend’s Grand National and for the upcoming flat season.

Golf

Another sport which can reel you in with constant updates. The PGA Tour app may only cover events across the Atlantic, but with the time difference it can help you stay informed of Rory’s progress while out on a Saturday night.

Rugby

There should be a good official Lions app available later in the year but for now the Irish rugby app will keep you updated on developments at home with clubs, provinces and the national team.

Posted:
April 3, 2013
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Awesome April albums

It’s the calm before the festival storm this month and it’s also a great time for album releases. April sees some big names get back in the game like James Blake, The Knife and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, along with some exciting debuts from Willy Moon and Charlii XCX.

Wiley, Flaming Lips and Tyler The Creator already have their new albums streaming on Deezer at the moment, but we’ve also put together this playlist with tracks from each of  NME’s 12 April Albums to Get Excited About.

Posted:
March 27, 2013
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The snowbound summer playlist

Where’s our sunshine? We’re used to the Irish summer being a bit unpredictable, but we’re also used to some unseasonable sun around this time of year. The kind of temperatures that cause us to rush outside in our temperatures while tourists from warmer climates shake their heads in shock.

Instead what do we have? Snow, and that’s just not as fun in late March.

So to remind us that sunshine is (hopefully) on the way at some stage soon we put together this free Deezer playlist with some of the office’s favourite summer songs. We’ll warn you; it’s eclectic. Eclectic, but very, very good!

 

Posted:
March 22, 2013
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Festivals

Festival Wishlist


We’re still excited to hear the Castlepalooza lineup announcement later in the year, but with the confirmation of the Body & Soul and Sea Sessions line-ups this week we’re closer to formulating a fully formed plan for our summer shenanigans.

And while there are plenty of big acts snapped up there are still a few big fish for the remaining festivals to land. We’ve put together a list of some of the acts we’d like to see pop up at an Irish festival this year.

We’ve put together a free Deezer playlist (below) with our picks. But who would you like to hear?

The Big Names
Possibles
My Bloody Valentine – Yet to announce an Irish date, but surely we’re set to see them this summer? They’ve already announced appearances at seven different festivals including Primavera.

Depeche Mode – Taking in plenty of festivals this summer as part of their European Tour, though they will be in North America by mid-August…

Outside Bet
Daft Punk – No dates confirmed yet – or even a tour for that matter – but could be a late (and welcome) addition to a few line-ups.

Small, But Great
Possibles
YACHT – Great and underrated electropop band from Oregon, would be brilliant addition to a smaller festival. No European dates announced yet, we live in hope.

Pokey LaFarge – Great live bluegrass act, as anyone who saw them on Jools Holland’s 2012 Hootnanny will testify. Playing European dates in August, so they’ll be in town.

Outside Bet
Wu Tang Clan – No tours scheduled yet, but there hasn’t been much in the way of hip-hop scheduled so far and this lot would get a great reception at an Irish festival

Dreaming
Rolling Stones – Not a hope in hell, unless you’re talking Glastonbury, but wouldn’t it be great to get them out of a stadium and into some nice, muddy festivals?

LCD Soundsystem – Possibly even less chance than Rolling Stones, but maybe, if we wish really hard, James Murphy will wake up bored one morning and decide to go back on that whole retiring LCD business.

 

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