News
The Battle of Widow McCormack’s Cabbage Patch
BY JOHN FITZGERALD At the height of the Great Famine, the Young Ireland movement committed itself to repealing the act of Union with Britain. Similar movements on the Continent inspired its radical ideology. The Young Irelanders aimed to convene an Irish Parliament to tackle the ravages of hunger, poverty, and oppression. “We’ll restore the land …
Darwin, Dylan, fatherhood, and me
Fatherly wisdom Every Saturday little Jack and his parents took the train to visit his grandmother an hour and a half away. They did this religiously for years until Jack turned thirteen and asked his parents to let him travel alone on the train to visit his gran. Jack’s mam and dad didn’t think this …
Novel late opening proves successful for West Street reading
Jbsphotoskilkenny “There are little gems around us that can hold glimmers of inspiration”. So said American writer Richelle Mead. The Book and Coffee shop on William Street being a case in point. Apart from selling books, tea, coffee and some lovely nibbles, the shop also regularly hosts readings, music gigs and open mic’ nights. And …
Stay steady, recall the past, weather the storm
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR The economy feels like a whirlwind lately, tariffs, inflation, and wild GDP numbers dominating headlines leaving many of us dizzy. From Trump’s trade threats to Ireland’s to good to be true economic statistics, it’s hard to know what to believe and there is a sense of powerlessness in the way …
Superfoods That Are Trending Right Now – What to Look For and Why They Matter
BY CLAIR WHITTY If you like to stay up to date with natural health, you’ll know that superfoods often go in and out of fashion. Here are some that our customers are talking about. One area of interest now is fermented foods. These foods have been around for a very long time, even so, I …
Support for Mind and Body
Feeling supported and giving support to others benefits health and pain By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie). No man, or woman, is an island. We are all interconnected. This has been the case for as long as we have been on this planet. It’s been a fact for so long that it …
Smells – do we really need a cover up?
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON Smells can be the most wonderfully evocative things. A whiff of golden gorse or peat smoke bring me right back home to Ireland when I have been away. But I am less than sure about the great waft of products advertised on our screens which are designed to …
Is Leaving Cert worth the papers it’s written on?
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS So, here we are and another year. And a week plus into it. A time that, 50 plus years on, still makes me break out in a cold sweat. That realisation that I just haven’t put enough into it, enough preparation to sit a good Leaving Cert …
Board of Guardians debate the evils and benefits of drink
BY JOHN FITZGERALD (Part two) In the early 20th century a meeting of the Board of Guardians of Callan Workhouse became heated when a motion was tabled calling on the Board to back a protest against the drinking of imported booze in the county. Pat Keating vigorously opposed the motion. He was a fanatical teetotaler: a …
Forget three, five is a magic number
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran This week’s column is all about numbers. And starting with home, according to the 2022 Census, here is a list of the population of Kilkenny’s towns and villages. Kilkenny City: 27,184. Ballyhale: 184. Ballyragget: 1,116. Bennetsbridge: 664. Callan: 2,678. Castlecomer: 1,496. Clogh: 298. Fiddown: 410. Freshford: 593. Goresbridge: 317. Gowran: 847. …
