Safeguards the future, but at what cost now?
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Budget 2026 was revealed by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers on Tuesday. It painted a picture of fiscal restraint wrapped in “strategic priorities”. Gone are the flashy give-aways of €2,000 to €3,000 to the middle earners. Instead, this is a Budget that whispers “not yet” …
Kilkenny Home of Halloween 2025
Discover our month-long programme of family-friendly events, live performances and night-time spectacles from 17th of October to 9th November. The festivities incorporate our long-standing Savour Kilkenny Food Festival, Kilkenny’s Toil and Trouble festival, and includes flagship family friendly activities throughout the county such as the “Witches and Wizards” Festival at Castlecomer Discovery Park, and Halloween fun at …
Fab four battle for final placings
Loughs and Shamrocks tipped to claim final berths BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE St. Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling Championship Semi Finals After a summer of nail-biting action, four teams remain in the hunt for senior glory as the St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling Championship reaches the semifinal stage. Current holders of the …
One down – and two to go! What next?
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran And so the Big Day looms – Presidential Election Day. Am I excited or what? Let’s just say What. In my entire voting life (more elections than I care to remember) I have never been so unenthused about casting my vote. To be honest I couldn’t care less if I never …
Why have poor children in a rich country?
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON The issue of child poverty has been hitting the headlines recently but what lies behind those two words? There are questions that demand answers. Why have the numbers involved increased despite promises made in the last 10 years and why in one of the world’s richest countries 45,000 …
Silence is not always golden!
CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Very few people seem to be talking about it, but the memory of Covid still looms large for so many who are still living with the trauma of their experiences from that time. Everyone’s professional and personal lives were subject to massive upheavals. Some more than others. There …
Hold the front page! Story may be fake
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS The American essayist Mark Twain noted: “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Someone else said that tell people something often enough and they begin to believe it. In this age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and so-called …
St John’s bid farewell to Fr Raymond
The St John’s parish community gathered recently in the parish centre to bid a fond farewell to much-loved priest Fr Raymond Dempsey. After four years of dedicated service, the Kilmacow native leaves St John’s to embark on the demanding ministry as chaplain in St Luke’s hospital. A time for gratitude The St John’s parish community is …
Mother Knows Best comes to Gowran
Gowran Little Theatre is thrilled to announce its autumn production, Mother Knows Best, an out-and-out comedy written by the Irish playwright Jimmy Keary. The play runs at Gowran Parish Hall from October 17th to 20th, 2025, and promises audiences an evening of laughter from beginning to end. Directed by the experienced and much-admired Declan Taylor, …
Waterford Road Pedestrian and Cyclist Improvement Scheme Moves to Construction Phase
Kilkenny County Council is delighted to announce that the Waterford Road Pedestrian and Cyclist Improvement Scheme is progressing to construction, following the completion of the detailed design and planning process under Section 38. The project forms part of the wider Active Travel Programme for Kilkenny City and is one of the key radial routes into …
