Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England in the late 1960s from the British mod scene. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound.
The northern soul movement, however, generally eschews Motown or Motown-influenced music that has met with significant mainstream success. The recordings most prized by enthusiasts of the genre are usually by lesser-known artists, released only in limited numbers, often by small regional American labels such as Ric-Tic and Golden World Records (Detroit), Mirwood (Los Angeles) and Shout and Okeh (New York/Chicago).
G8 and EU leaders line up for a photograph at Lough Erne. Left to right are European Commission president José Manuel Barroso, Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe, German chancellor Angela Merkel, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, British prime minister David Cameron, US president Barack Obama, France’s president Francois Hollande, Canada’s prime minister Stephen Harper, Italy’s prime minister Enrico Letta and European Council president Herman Van Rompuy
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G8 Live Stream
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Today:
After the conclusion of the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland, the Obamas leave for Germany at 5:30 Irish time (12:30 EST)
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The headline in The Sun – of course!
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…. with PM Cameron and Taoiseach Kenny – @PeteSouza
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…. with President Putin and PM Cameron
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…. with PM David Cameron and President Francois Hollande
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… with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
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Irish Times: US first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters had a private guided tour of the Wicklow Mountains National Park as their whistlestop tour of Ireland draws to a close.
The sun beamed down on the hills above the twin lakes at Glendalough as Ms Obama and Malia and Sasha walked through the famous monastic site. The girls were given a lesson on the ancient ruins by local tour guide George McClafferty. The valley, in the heart of the Wicklow mountains, offers some of the most popular rural landscapes in Ireland and is a well-worn tourist path for visitors to the east coast.
The president’s youngest daughter, 12-year-old Sasha, batted swarming midges away from her face as the trio learned about the legendary Deer Stone …. Sasha was given the honour of closing the door to the ruins of St Kevin’s Church, which dates back 1500 years. The teenager was handed a key and she locked the door, before turning to her older sister and giving her a high five.
Meanwhile, the usually-quiet village of Dalkey has seen an influx of visitors this morning following reports that Ms Obama and her daughters will have lunch in Finnegans’ pub with Bono.
George McClafferty, manager at Glendalough: “I just melted….”:
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Bono and his wife Ali Hewson arrive at Finnegan’s pub in Dalkey this afternoon for lunch with Michelle Obama and her daughters Malia and Sasha. ‘I thought this was supposed to be a secret,’ Bono said to the crowd.
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….. with (left to right) Moya Dohery of Riverdance, the Taoiseach’s wife Fionnuala Kenny and Sabina Higgins, wife of President Michael D Higgins at a special Riverdance performance at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin
Mooooooooorning everyone, just a few photos and videos to start your day, will try to catch up later with all the newsie stuff and more from Ireland and Germany.
President Obama attends more G-8 meetings at Lough Erne
The First Lady, Malia and Sasha go walking in the Wicklow Hills on the morning and visit the local lakes and Glendalough (see here).
They will then rejoin President Obama for their visit to Germany
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The signatures of British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama on a patchwork quilt made by students working on a school project about the G8 summit
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First Lady Michelle Obama with her daughters Malia and Sasha in the crowd at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin for a special performance of Riverdance
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Cracked. Me. Up:
BBC: A young boy was rendered speechless when he met First Lady Michelle Obama in Dublin on Monday.
The boy, named only as Billy, was dumbstruck with shyness when he met her backstage at the Gaiety Theatre.
…. Rebecca Morgan, aged 11 and a pupil in Moneygall National School in County Offaly – US President Barack Obama’s ancestral homeland – revealed her classmate’s embarrassment.
“She is so beautiful and very tall,” the 11-year-old said. “She looks even prettier in real life than on TV.
“A boy in my class was really embarrassed when she touched Billy’s hand because he thinks she is so beautiful. He was so shy.”
Niamh Farry (5) sampling some of the G8 ice-cream on sale at Lilley’s garage in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh
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12:0 EST: The First Lady will join Irish youth for a special performance by the Riverdance company at the Gaiety Theatre. Sabina Higgins, wife of President Michael D Higgins, and Fionnuala Kenny, wife of the Taoiseach, will also attend. The First Lady scheduled to deliver brief remarks before the performance
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Heads up:
Irish channel RTE will have a 30 minute special on the First Lady’s Dublin visit starting at 12:0 EST – here
Hi @TheObamaDiary Yes, it will be available worldwide! We’ll make it available as soon as possible after broadcast @RTEDigital@rte
First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters, Sasha and Malia with Dr Patrick Prendergast, President and Provost of Trinity College Dublin, during their visit to view the Book of Kells and archives documenting the Obama’s Irish ancestry
….. viewing the Obama Family Collection, with Fiona Fitzsimons, director of genealogy research service Eneclann
Irish Independent: The US First Lady and her two daughters were given a presentation on their family genealogy and connections to Ireland when they visited Trinity College today.
At Trinity, the Obamas visited the Old Library and were shown the Book of Kells, a ninth-century, elaborately decorated gospel manuscript made by Irish monks.
Mrs Obama, Malia and Sasha were also shown the birth registry of President Obama’s Irish ancestors from around the village of Moneygall and old maps detailing the family’s homestead in Co Offaly.
….. President Obama’s distant Irish cousin Henry Healy – who the US leader jokes is known as Henry VIII because of their family ties – presented Michelle and the girls with gifts during their visit to Trinity.
He said both daughters were delighted to get their certificates of Irish heritage. “Both of them were pretty amazed with the certificates,” Mr Healy said. “Competing with their friends, now they can prove they’re more Irish than them.”
President Obama, the First Lady and their daughters Sasha and Malia are greeted by Joan Christie, the Queen’s official representative in Northern Ireland, upon their arrival at Belfast International Airport
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FLOTUS to students: "I don't just see a bunch of teenagers, I see the people who will be moving our world forward in the years ahead." #G8
President Obama and his wife Michelle, pictured with First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
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Snippets of Pres. Obama’s speech:
“Hello, Belfast. Hello, Northern Ireland. Well, now you know why it’s so difficult to speak after Michelle. She’s better than me.”
“I want to thank two men I’ve hosted at the White House on many a St Patrick’s Day for their warm welcome – First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.”
“I spend the whole year trying to unite Washington around something, and they come visit on St Patrick’s Day and do it in a single afternoon,” Mr Obama says.
Mr Obama said he only found out a few years ago that his great-great-great-grandfather was born in Ireland. “When I was first running for office in Chicago, I didn’t know this. I wish I had,” he said.
“But in Chicago, it worked out okay – they’d look at my last name and say, ‘oh, look, there’s an O’Bama from the homeland running on the South Side – but what kind of name is Barack?”
The president says that while in Moneygall, County Offaly, he met his eighth cousin, Henry, known affectionately as Henry the Eighth.
The President, the First Lady and their daughters depart for Belfast, Northern Ireland tomorrow (Sunday) at 9:20 PM.
They arrive in Belfast on Monday morning.
The First Lady will introduce the President at an event at the Waterfront Convention Centre in Belfast where he will deliver remarks.
While the President then travels to Lough Erne for the G8 Summit, the First Lady and her daughters will leave for Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.
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Handy map:
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The President’s Northern Ireland schedule:
Monday: Arrives Belfast. Delivers remarks at the Waterfront Convention Centre in the city when he will address his support for the peace process in Northern Ireland.
Meets Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of the G8 Summit. Later, he attends the G-8 Summit at Lough Erne.
On Monday evening, the President will hold a bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
Tuesday: In the evening, following the G-8, the President and the First Family will travel to Berlin, Germany.
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The First Lady and her daughters will visit Trinity College shortly after their arrival in Dublin Monday, lunchtime (local time)…..
(…. remember one of our fave pics from the President’s speech in Dublin? That’s Trinity College behind the veryvery excited young women)…..
The Obama Diary 
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