It is time to ban all use of vapes or e-cigarettes, according to former Mayor of Kilkenny and candidate in this year’s local elections, Seán Ó hArgáin. The Carlow/Kilkenny constituency motion he proposed to Labour Party conference at the weekend was overwhelmingly passed by the conference and accepted by party spokesperson, Duncan Smith TD. Speaking …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR For many, the journey to owning a home is a significant milestone and the amount to be borrowed can be the biggest investment in most people’s lives. It’s marked by various checkpoints and during the excitement it’s crucial to address essential tasks, one of which is having mortgage protection in …

PART 1 BY JOHN FITZGERALD A botched ambush on Kilkenny’s Friary Street in 1921 left three men dead: two rebels and a civilian. It was one of those “heroic failures” that litter the sad turbulent course of Irish history. A plaque commemorating the event was erected some years ago beside the Capuchin church on Friary …

FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I’m doing a bit of a clean-out of my study these days. I’m not so sure I’m succeeding as every second newspaper, magazine, poster, painting or book that I mean to throw out or discard simply gets moved to a different spot. It really is difficult, and challenging, for me to …

A CHARTERED PHYSIOTHERAPIST’S PERSPECTIVE By Paul Bolger. Nano Physiotherapy www.nanophysio.ie Here are two different approaches to life – which one do you think is more likely to lead to healthy habits and fulfilment? We’ve heard it before – exercise is great for our health. But how many of us exercise enough? Most of us don’t. But …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Ironically, despite the recent rise in traffic fatalities, Ireland remains one of the safest countries in Europe for road use –albeit 52 people having died on Irish roads so far this year, 10 more than for the same period in 2023. In February more than half of …