The liveblog side of the house has been relatively quiet lately, so let’s get back into the groove. The Labour Party Conference is happening this coming weekend in Galway.

I’ll post a link liveblog on Friday, so get ready to assume the position. Do interact! The liveblog is what you make it. Loads of bloggers and Twitterer from all political traditions and non-traditions will be taking part.

Thanks to Suzy for setting up the liveblog.

(By the way, if you contribute and want to cross post the liveblog to your blog – let me know)

Image modded from the Labour Party site

And bang, they are off. Voting in the Irish Book Awards kicks off today. The Irish Book Awards are looking for the Irish book of the decade. Supported by Bord Gáis, the Irish Book Awards has shortlisted 50 Irish books published in the naughties in the shakedown to the top award.

While it’s a rather long shortlist, I’m sure there be cries of where’s the Four Angry Men are or what Roy Keane is doing on the list.

Notable nominees include John McGahern, Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly and Ross O’Carroll-Kelly.

Voting is open until May 28th. The awards show is set for November.

A fire has broken out at the New York dry cleaners shop on Middle Abbey Street in Dublin this evening a little before nine o’clock.

Just back from the scene of the fire and grabbed the following video.

Windows in the building were blown out and emotions were running high in the crowd.

Luas red line services were disrupted with inbound trams ceasing at Smithfield. No reports of injuries at present.

More about the reshuffle to come, but check out Harney’s left hand. Broken. Wonder what happened in NZ. A spot of extreme sports for her birthday maybe?

News alert this lunchtime, there’s a bomb alert at the Passport Office in Molesworth Street. The Gardaí have evacuated the building and sealed off the street and are investigating. It’s more woe for the queue of hundreds of people that has  formed since this very early this morning.

Update: 1:48pm – The bomb alert has ended. The incident was a hoax alert. The queuers are back waiting outside the Passport Office.