It's been an interesting year, and I must thank my regular readers for staying with me through it all. I also have to thank the people who stumbled across this site in recent times and who have been good enough to contribute their views and opinions. I'm grateful. Without your support, this site would just be one more compendium of half-arsed dunken babbling, but instead it's a compendium of half-arsed drunken babbling that some people read now and then.
This year, we had items sublime, ridiculous and infuriating in fair and equal measure. We had scandal, murder, outrage, abuse and a bit of laughing, all of which leaves me with a problem. What to leave out and what to put in?
Some stories pick themselves. Where would we have been without the peerless Leonard Cohen, who uplifted and enriched us? [Leonard Cohen in Dublin -- Concert Review].
And of course, nothing could match the PC World story for its longevity and bizarre contributions, including a threat from a PC World employee that went badly wrong and left him looking like a complete fool. Oh, how we laughed! [PC World Sold Me A Piece of Shit].
Being from Limerick, I could hardly leave out my post on Munster winning the Heineken Cup, now could I? Of course not. I knew you'd be happy to see the pictures again. [Heineken Cup 2008 - Pictures]. And while we're at it, let's not forget the All Blacks in Thomond Park. [Munster 16 — All Blacks 18].
For sheer disgrace, one story this year stood alone. The murder of Andrew Hanlon in Oregon by a bad cop and his accomplices. The disgraceful cover-up that followed was done in the most brazen, indifferent way I have ever seen. An entire public administrative apparatus circled the wagons to make sure the truth about Andrew's murder was suppressed. [Andrew Hanlon].
I can't leave Bertie out either, the slithering, lying prick. Bert took up a good chunk of my effort and left me several years older as a result. [Bertie].
Josef Fritzl got a huge following [Echoes of a Concentration Camp] as did this story: [Joke Post Escapes].
I mustn't forget a disgraceful murder that rocked our town and left all of us feeling numb and saddened. [Shane Geoghegan].
Towards the end of the year, a visit to Auschwitz made a big impression and I got a lot of feedback, both on this site and personally, from people who felt touched by it, so I think it deserves to go up front, here. [Auschwitz].
Of course, no round-up would be complete without mentioning the collapse of the world's banking system and the ludicrously inadequate response of the Irish government. [Banks, Money, Crooks and Economic Collapse]
People laughed at me for this, but I didn't mind too much. [The Machines Revolt].
Apart from that, we had a few more bits and pieces that might be worth a look. I'll add in another couple before I'm done.
January
Société Générale and Rogue Traders
February
What Is Desmond Connell Trying To Keep Secret?
PC World Sold Me A Piece of Shit
March
Reports On Irish Health Scandals Published
Irish Blog awards Weekend
Madeleine McCann: British Press Apologises At Last
April
Bertie Ahern's Resignation Statement — First Draft
Wild Garlic, Music and a Glass of Wine
Niall McElwee and the PC Gestapo
May
Limerick Holiday Weekend 2008 – Part 1
June
The Mayo Echo — A Filthy Rag Published By Gobshites
Irish Economy Fucked — Official!
Eucharistic Congress for Dublin in 2012
Croatian Flag in the European Championship
Cóir . Youth Defence. Schutzjugend. You Decide.
July
The Oil Company, The Crooked Politician and the Theft of Ireland's Energy Resources
Karadzic. Who Did They Really Capture?
Bosnia. The Legacy Of Karadzic And Mladic
August
Life In President McCain's White House
Gary Glitter At The Duty-Free Shop
I'm Getting Old. My Hip Hurts Me.
Thieving Bastard Steals Bock's Phone
More Cardiology: Having An Angiogram, Part 1
September
What Am I Going To Do With All This Beer?
Bock's Dog Knocked Down
October
November
Barack Obama Acceptance Speech
Harvey Norman Insults Ireland's Famine Victims
Remembrance Day — 11th November
Sharon Collins — One Hand Convicted Of Clapping
December
John Magee, Bishop of Cloyne — Resign You Fucking Bastard
How Do You Pronounce Feng Shui?
Irish Association of Anger Management
Israel Murders 200 People in Gaza
Thanks Bock , happy Christmas. Always like to read your blogs. First one for me was … "PC World sold me a piece of shit" , that made me laugh i can tell you.
Have the christmas you want Bock, PC world was the best blog, have a drunken new year
HOLIDAY LOVE TO THE BOCKMEISTER and his "core crew" of contributors~ this is one amazing gathering place. thank you for consistantly taking the high road and creating a forum for thoughtfulness, laughter, tears, politics, music, history, mischief~ for enriching my life, i am grateful to count each one of you amongst my friends. looking foreward to what we will share in the year ahead~
and bock: please keep your latest "injured dog story" (from september) in archives, it was popefarting funny!
An excellent summation of the year. I often forget that many of my opinions on current news topics are garnered from reading the likes of Bock the Robber (damn site better than the Indo) and while I don't often comment, I want you to know I always read and am stirred by what you write.
Happy New Year, Bock! For the country's sake I sincerely hope you have far less material to get worked up about in 2009, but from a reader's point of view, I hope a child abusing ex priest, who became a cop, shoots a baby in the head…inspiring deepening recession…