The week that was at a glance.
Artistic licence
Possibly affronted by the indignity of having the standard of their music judged, only 16 musicians have applied for the controversial busking licences to perform at the Cliffs of Moher. Those who pass the quality control test must play music that reflects the "culture and traditions" of the Cliffs of Moher. Does that include hard rock, then?
Artistic test
Street performers posing as living statues on Barcelona's Las Ramblas this week ridiculed a plan for "artistic tests" proposed by Barcelona City Council, which are aimed at rooting out "those who are not up to standard". The human statues, who range from angels to corpses, are still waiting to hear exactly how the council intends testing their ability to remain motionless while in costume. Poking them in the eye, perhaps?
The Numbers
45,000 The number of Smart Telecom fixed-line customers who were cut off this week
303 The number of metres depth at which singer Katie Melua (right) performed in the North Sea
97 The number of years a flat in Dublin's Iveagh Buildings was occupied by the same family. Never altered, it is now on show
In quotes....
It was not illegal or impermissible to have done what I did, but I now regret the choices I made in those difficult and dark times
Bertie Ahern addressing the Dáil about payments he received
We now know
The "British Isles" will no longer exist. Educational publisher Folens is to drop all reference to the term in future editions of its atlas
Dubliners are far less happy than people in rural areas, a UCD survey has found
Since 1991, the number of children cycling to school has dropped by 80 per cent