Latest news with #MichaelCullen
BBC News
14-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Irish trawler sunk by Nazi U-boat found off Donegal coast
The family of a young Irish seaman killed when his trawler was sunk by a German U-boat in 1940 say they hope the discovery of the wreckage will finally allow them to give him a Christian Duggan's uncle, Michael Cullen was one of a crew of 11 who died when the Leukos, an unarmed neutral Irish vessel, was attacked without warning by submarine wreckage was found in the Atlantic Ocean about 30 miles (48km) off the coast of County Donegal in the Republic of Duggan said they always knew Michael, who was 17, had been "lost at sea" but never that he had been a victim of Nazi Germany. For her, it was "very sad" that Michael's body had never been recovered after 85 years and may be lying at the bottom of the ocean. She said she was amazed the wreckage had now been found."Foremost in my mind is just, maybe, getting the remains of my uncle," Ms Duggan said."My [late] father, my [late] grandparents would, I'm sure, be delighted to know that a shipwreck has been found and maybe there's a possibility of having a burial for Michael."It might be just something I could do for my dad; he was his brother." Why did the U-boat attack the Leukos? The Leukos had been fishing alongside five British trawlers off Tory Island on 9 March 1940 when the submarine surfaced and opened fire with its deck a neutral country, all Irish ships, including the Leukos, were unarmed and clearly has never been proven why U-38 fired at the unarmed neutral Irish trawler, and left five British vessels his log, the U-boat captain Heinrich Liebe wrote: "I decided to administer a warning to one of them with the (deck) gun."At 21:13, and within about 200m of the target, the U-boat fired a single round at the ship, hitting her in the engine U-boat withdrew, staying on the surface for about one hour, until the ship are several theories about why it was singled out by the German is that the Leukos had positioned herself between the fleeing British trawlers in the hope that the U-boat would respect Irish that she tried to ram the is the view taken by the Irish Seamen's Relatives Association which holds that the Leukos attempted to ram the U-38 as it threatened the British fishing fleet. They maintain that this "selfless bravery" should be acknowledged by the British government. Downing Street has been asked for certificates for the lost crew were not issued until Leukos was only reported missing three days after the attack, when it failed to return to crew included skipper James Potter Thomasson, William Donnelly, Patricio McCarthy, Alexander McLeod, Thomas Mulligan, Andrew Pill, PJ Scanlon and Bernard teenagers were also on board, including James Hawkins, Michael Cullen, and Robert were from the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland), England and name and those of his fellow shipmates are included on a monument unveiled by President of Ireland Patrick Hillery at City Quay in Dublin in 1990 to commemorate all Irish seafarers killed during World War was attended by the teenager's sisters, Dora Dobbyns and Winnie Sheehy, and Mary Duggan's mother, May Tierney.A painting of the Leukos is kept at the National Maritime Museum in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. Former Irish Naval Service diver John Kearney, who found the shipwreck, believes the crew "died trying to save the lives of seamen in nearby British vessels".He found the wreckage about 12 nautical miles off Tory Island at the end of May and said a team of international forensics experts had authenticated the used an Atlantic Submersible 2, which took him and a diving buddy to the seabed."I could see the rudder, the propeller, the engine space but the wheelhouse had gone," he said. Mr Kearney described the crew of the Leukos as an "easy target" for the German navy because they were unarmed."They were the same age as my own children, they were young kids going to sea for the first time," he said."What they did was they saved a lot of lives on the other (British) boats that were there."They left Dublin looking to go fishing off the north west coast with an Irish-registered vessel and they paid for it with their lives."
The Guardian
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘It's not happy-clappy': the extraordinary story of Speedo Mick
When the lights went down on the final scene of Speedo Mick – the Musical, Michael Cullen had tears streaming down his face. He wasn't the only one. On the face of it, the show about his life, which opened at Liverpool's Royal Court theatre this week and runs until July, is a knockabout romp about a local character known for raising money for charity by strutting his stuff in a pair of bright blue budgie-smugglers. But it is also a story about addiction, depression and hitting rock bottom. It's about finding purpose and becoming a hero, but losing yourself along the way. Fundamentally, says the 60-year-old the morning after its opening night, it's a story about hope. 'It's not happy-clappy,' says Cullen. 'But it is funny. It's got music, it's got love, it's got breakups. It's got hope and perseverance and heart.' In short, it tells Cullen's extraordinary story with clear-eyed honesty. For 20 years of his life the Liverpudlian sank deep into addiction, abusing drugs and drink and ending up homeless. In 2001, with the help of a friend he credits with saving his life, he managed to get clean. 'When you're wrapped up in addiction, you become a victim to your own circumstances,' he says. 'You stop taking responsibility […] there's a lot of shame and guilt. I've had to work hard to become the person I am today, who actually shows himself some compassion and love. I've had to rebuild life, one day at a time.' Part of that rebuilding was the invention of Speedo Mick, a one-man fundraising machine, who carried out feats of endurance wearing Everton-branded Speedos and little else. In 2014 he swam the Channel, despite never having had a formal swimming lesson. After becoming attached to his bright blue trunks, the lifelong Evertonian started turning up half naked at Goodison Park on match days, cheerily shaking a charity bucket. He was asked in those early days what he wanted to achieve: raise £1m was the answer. 'People looked at me like I was nuts; I was dreaming too big for them,' he says. 'But if your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough. I love that saying.' Then – with a wrecked shoulder and aching knee – he took his now-famous kecks on a series of monumental charity walks: from John o'Groats to Land's End in 2020, a 2,000-mile Giving Back Tour in 2021, then up Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike in 2023. Occasionally, like when Storm Ciara nearly blew his trunks off, he donned an Everton scarf along with a swim cap and goggles. In the process Cullen raised – and he has the precise figure – £1,036,000. But behind the celebratory news stories his life was beginning to fray at the edges. Without a manager and doing his own social media, he said yes to every request, on one occasion jumping on to a train to turn up in his Speedos at an Evertonian's wedding. Since recovering from addiction he had been searching for a purpose, and looking to pay back the people who had helped him survive, he explains. 'I thought the purpose was to give and it is,' he says. 'The giving back process is a beautiful thing. But you can't draw from an empty well, and I was doing that for years. I found the purpose, and I lost myself.' After his last walk – and months of hugs, cheers and beeping horns as he trudged on through the biting cold – he got home, and his mental health collapsed. His relationship broke down and he ended up in a clinic for six weeks. It is a part of his story that the producers of the musical have not shied away from. The Liverpool actor Paul Duckworth has said the role explores Cullen's complexities and vulnerability. The show's writer, John Fay, told the BBC that while Speedo Mick seemed superhuman, Cullen wasn't. Like all of us, he was fragile. The theatre's stated mission is to tell scouse stories with a scouse accent and Cullen is grateful his story is being told in his home town. 'This is where I fell, and this is where I rose again,' he says, before laughing at himself for sounding 'a bit Jesus Christy'. But he is also insistent that as well as his triumphs, it's important to show audiences his darkest moments. 'You can't just see me running around getting medals and being on the telly. It's not going to inspire anybody, they're not going to connect to it,' he says. 'The connection is, hopefully, for everyone who hasn't found recovery yet. We're shouting from the rooftops that hope is there for you. If there's hope for me, there's hope for you.' He insists that he is now taking greater care of himself. He struggled at school, and as an adult was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but he's now training to be a counsellor ('I had a lot of fear going back into a classroom, but man! It's been a delight.') and is writing a book about his life. The tears he shed on the opening night were also tears of pride and happiness at the love he felt surrounded by, he says. 'I never get used to that. And it's great that I don't, because it's brand new every time. I don't take it for granted, the love and affection. It's massive, man. It holds me.' Until 5 July at the Royal Court theatre, Liverpool
BBC News
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Speedo Mick: From rock bottom to seeing life story on stage in Liverpool theatre musical
Michael Cullen went from sleeping rough in Liverpool to raising £1m by doing charity walks in all weathers in just his swimming trunks. His story is now being celebrated in a stage as Clark Kent turns into Superman when he changes into his famous red underpants, Michael Cullen transforms into Speedo Mick when he pulls on his tight blue trunks."I got a little inkling of what Superman feels like when he puts his knickers on," Cullen laughs."I do feel different when I'm in my Speedos. Something happens. There's a change. I get a little bit more fearless."Speedo Mick doesn't have Suerpman's tights and cape - just a pair of walking boots and, if it's cold, an Everton FC scarf and woolly has criss-crossed the British Isles bare-chested for charity come rain, shine or snow. His most extreme challenge was walking between, and up, the tallest mountains in England, Scotland in Wales in mid-winter."Minus 18 at the top of Ben Nevis. I walked to the top of it and survived it. I never got hypothermia," he marvels. "So something happens when I put my Speedos on. I get a completely different frame of mind. I'm just so determined to get through the day without putting my clothes on." In photos, Speedo Mick often pulls a tough-guy bodybuilder pose for the cameras. But that bravado is part of the in a rehearsal room where actors are preparing for a musical that will tell his story, Cullen, 60, is fully clothed, softly spoken and first pulled on the Speedos to swim the English Channel in 2014, despite never having had a formal swimming lesson until he booked the support boat."It was miraculous that I got across because I was training with men who were born in a pair of Speedos," he jokes. "They were faster swimmers than me, better swimmers than me, their technique was much better than mine."But I had something that they never had, and that was a determination..." He trails off. "I'm just getting a bit emotional... a determination and a will to complete something of that magnitude." That determination comes from "the same place that my negativity comes from", Cullen suffered "a lot of turmoil" during his childhood in Liverpool, using and abusing drink and drugs from his teens, and becoming homeless."I just got lost in it all, to be honest," he says. "It was a sad life. It was terrible and it was torturous, and I was doing it to myself. But I just couldn't stop."He finally got clean in 2001, and resolved to turn the negativity in his life into something positive."It used to hold me down for a long, long time, but now it propels me forward. That's my engine. I suffered for a very long time, and now I just don't want to do that any more."After defying expectations and a shoulder injury to swim across the Channel, Cullen "wanted the world to know that this had happened".So he ordered a pair of blue trunks with the name of his beloved football team on the back, and "went to all the matches after that with 'Everton' emblazoned on my bum". "The fans were so generous," he says. "I could have got ripped to shreds at any point. But they were all applauding and passing money, and putting it in my bucket, and putting it in my knickers. There were not very many other places that you could put it!"His scantily clad presence started raising smiles and funds at away matches, too."I had a front row seat as far as seeing all the generosity, all the kindness, and all the love that people could give," Cullen says."There's a lot of negativity going on in the world, and I was just seeing all this positivity. It was making a massive difference to me, as well as everyone else."Seeking new challenges, more money and bigger reactions, Cullen embarked on a series of increasingly ambitious charity walks - to Everton matches in Wembley and Lyon, then 1,000 miles from John O'Groats to Land's 2021, he traipsed for five months and 2,000 miles between London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dublin and Belfast; before climbing Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell didn't always welcome the sight of a middle-aged man in skimpy swimming trunks, however."There was some really negative stuff as well," he adds."I got spat at, pushed to the floor, had a pint thrown over me, got thrown out of a few pubs after trying to go in to get a bit of food."Which was funny because I hadn't had a drink for 16 years and I was still getting thrown out of pubs." Highs and lows Speedo Mick's 2023 walk took the amount raised for charities supporting mental health, disadvantaged young people and homelessness past £ that was his final major outing. "I knew I only had a certain timeframe for me to carry on doing it in my Speedos. You can't be doing it when you're 80."And despite their similar taste in underwear, Speedo Mick is not gruelling challenges took their toll, having "a massive detrimental effect on my mental health and my personal relationships", Cullen mission has been followed by "a big comedown", he says. "After the last one, I hit the ground at 1,000mph and I ended up in a clinic because I had a big breakdown."Looking back now, I wasn't managing myself. It feels like I paid a massive price by doing all that stuff. It was too much for me. It was all too much." The stage show, which opens at Liverpool's Royal Court theatre on Tuesday, has given Cullen a new the surface, it is about a "total hero" who "took on lots of big life-affirming tasks and completed them and raised lots and lots of money", says Boff Whalley, formerly of rock group Chumbawamba, who has written the music."But the real story is why he wanted to do that, and at what cost was he doing that."It's saying, 'He's like you, he's got problems and he's struggled with addictions and mental health problems, and this was his way of finding a way through those'."The show's writer John Fay agrees. "He's a very inspirational and charismatic man. He can walk into a room and just make people smile. And the stamina of the guy, and the things that he's achieved, can seem superhuman."But the most important part about him is that he's extremely human. He's got his own fragility. He's like everyone else in the world."Liverpool actor Paul Duckworth is playing the title role, and says Speedo Mick is "a local legend"."We all have our complexities and our vulnerabilities. He's a very thoughtful, very sensitive guy." 'Nowhere to hide' As well as attempting to capture Cullen's character, Duckworth must pull off the Speedo Mick look."There's only a few moments [in the show] when he gets to throw on a T-shirt, because most of his achievements were all done in his Speedos," the actor says with a hint of trepidation. "There's nowhere to hide."It was quite a shock when I put them on the other day. Michael was the only person who saw me in them. In Mick's words, 'You've got to own the knickers. You've got to own the Speedos, mate.' I'm trying to get that mentality."The show is the story of an eccentric, big-hearted but fallible character, although Cullen had reservations about putting it on stage."I was a little bit anxious over the fact that I'm making myself vulnerable again, because I'm telling everybody about my personal life," he says. "They're going to see a completely different side here."However, he hopes the show will start conversations about addiction, mental health, overcoming challenges, and recovery."But the biggest message I hope people take out of it is that it's OK to be you, all of you, whatever's gone on in your life - it's OK to be you, and to take hope."Take hope from this story because you never know what's going to happen. I've got a play about my life on at the Royal Court theatre, and that's a win right there. It's amazing."Speedo Mick The Musical is at the Royal Court in Liverpool from 3 June to 5 July.
NZ Herald
19-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Labour's Chris Hipkins calls Greens' budget ‘huge spend-up', ‘unrealistic' – but agrees with some elements
'If they will not rule it out, they are saying they are prepared to govern like a circus,' she said. 'That is almost a Soviet manifesto in terms of the confiscation of wealth, income and business that it promotes. For Labour not to rule it out, is a real sign of how far they have departed from economic common sense. [Former Labour Finance Minister Sir] Michael Cullen would turn in his grave to see Labour even consider policies this radical and this stupid.' But asked again on Monday evening whether there were any aspects he was now willing to rule in or out, Hipkins told the Herald that he believed 'as a package, it was unrealistic'. 'There are many elements of it on the surface I would look at and say, 'look, I agree with that on the surface of it', but I think putting them all together in such a huge spend-up like that is unrealistic,' he said. Hipkins refused to say what specific aspects he agreed with. 'We will set out our policy before the election what we would do as a government. The Greens are welcome to have their own views, but I think we also have to be reasonable that I don't think you can responsibly make massive changes like that in such a short space of time.' He said the plan included a lot more than just taxes. 'There was a lot of spending commitments in there as well,' Hipkins said. Among the proposals from the Greens is reinstating the 10-year bright-line test, banning interest deductions for residential property, raising the companies tax, bringing in a new income tax rate, doubling mining royalties and taxing private jets. The party's overhaul of the tax system is expected to generate nearly $89b, the vast bulk of which comes from a wealth tax. That would see individual net wealth over $2 million taxed at a rate of 2.5%, with 1.5% on assets in private trusts to prevent tax avoidance. The revenue would help fund free GP and nurse visits nationwide, free dental care, community care clinics in high-need areas like South Auckland, an expansion of 20-hours free childcare, an income guarantee for students and the unemployed and several other policies. The party also promises significant borrowings for investment not funded by taxation. The borrowings would take net core Crown debt to 53.8% of GDP by the end of the decade. In 2019, Treasury said debt levels below 50-60% of GDP were prudent for New Zealand and warned that higher debt would make it more challenging to borrow during economic shocks such as earthquakes. 'This is a budget for a country that belongs to and works for New Zealanders,' Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said. 'We believe in fairness and common sense. A Green government will rapidly reduce emissions, reduce the cost of living and improve our quality of life.' Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said her party had given Labour a 'heads-up' about the plan but 'we didn't go into detail'. They hadn't had any conversations with Labour about what policies it might accept, Davidson said. 'We know it is the people who have the power to choose this plan. We know it is going to be hard. We know we are breaking some awesome ground here in putting out a Green budget that shows we can actually take care of everyone and that is why it is important we affirm that power of the people in getting out across communities to talk about that.'
Irish Independent
15-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Most advanced radiotherapy machine in Ireland will cut need for open brain surgery, say specialists
The unit will be in the private Beacon Hospital on the southside of Dublin, it was announced today. The institute was developed over two years and will dramatically increase the number of patients with brain conditions who can be treated. Specialists said it is hoped it will also lead to better outcomes. The Beacon Hospital said it is investing €30m into its neurosurgical and neuroscience services as part of an ongoing commitment to innovation and the delivery of modern medicine in a state-of-the-art medical campus. The planned investment will include a state-of-the-art neuroscience centre, Beacon Brain Institute and can treat 10,000 patients annually. It will be Ireland's only private hospital to offer the complete neurosciences services including neurosurgery, neurology, neurophysiology, diagnostic neuroradiology, interventional neuroradiology and neuro-oncology including stereotactic radiosurgery. Consultant neurosurgeon Prof Mohsen Javadpour who heads the department said: 'As you can imagine the treatment of brain conditions such as brain tumours is exceptionally time sensitive, so this investment by Beacon Hospital to open a dedicated Brain Institute will dramatically increase the number of patients that can be treated and result in better outcomes. 'We are fortunate to have an incredibly distinguished and talented team of neurosurgical and neuroscience consultants and nurses working here at Beacon Hospital. I'm proud to be leading a team that's setting new standards and capabilities for neuroscience treatment in the country. 'From my own surgical perspective, it will be hugely beneficial to work with the very latest in technology in particular the ability to take real time MRI images of the surgical site during open brain surgery.' Michael Cullen Beacon Hospital chief executive said: 'This investment reflects Beacon Hospital's commitment to provide world-class care and bringing the latest technologies to patients in Ireland. "While Beacon already provides complex brain surgery, our new Institute will set a new benchmark for the delivery of neuroscience services in the country and support the ever-growing demand for these types of services. A spokeswoman said that over the next two years 'this significant investment will allow the hospital to develop a dedicated biplane neuro-interventional radiology suite and a hybrid biplane neurovascular operating theatre which will allow for the most advanced diagnostics and treatment of all types of blood vessel abnormalities in the brain -such as aneurysms- as well as cutting-edge treatment of stroke'. It will also include the addition of a dedicated neurosurgical operating theatre with intraoperative MRI which will enable surgeons to take detailed images of the brain during the procedure.
