News
Predictions past, present and to come
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran January is not just the month for resolutions, new beginnings and sales; it is also the month for predictions — predictions for the year ahead and beyond. Old Moore’s Almanac has been making predictions for the past 259 years (and who could have predicted such longevity for such a small magazine) …
Revive and Go Immunity
BY CLAIR WHITTY Let’s spring into action and support the immune system. A healthy diet and digestive system will help, but stress, lack of sleep, a highly processed diet, and inadequate rest will put strain on it. Antioxidants like vitamin C, E, Beta Carotene, and Selenium are found naturally in food. They assist in protecting …
Still, no cure for ongoing hospital ills
AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON One thing that strikes me about the current screaming headlines over the crisis in the Health Service is that there is absolutely nothing new about this. The situation in our hospitals has been dysfunctional for years, particularly chaotic in emergency departments with long, distressful waits on trolleys before patients …
Overworked, undervalued: the angels saving our lives
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS A Friday in July last year, the summer sun two hours from going to bed. I made my way home through crooked country roads from a neighbouring town where I had had dinner with a friend I hadn’t seen in 30 years. I was driving with just one …
Lyng’s reign starts brightly
BY NIALL SHERRY SPORTS EDITOR Post-Cody era starts with Walsh Cup win over Offaly Walsh Cup John Locke Park, Callan Kilkenny 2-19 Offaly 0-21 Kilkenny hurlers recorded their first win under new bainisteoir Derek Lyng as they defeated a gallant Offaly side by 4-points in Callan last weekend. Emeralds club man Lyng’s first senior selection …
Put yourself in her shoes
“Taking a backseat behind the chaos and a back track to the reason behind it all, we take a deep dive into the mind of Debbie Brennan and how she ended up being a drug mule at only seventeen.” We, at The Kilkenny Observer are delighted to kick off 2023 with part four of the …
Allen Larkin R.I.P.
On December 24th, word spread around Kilkenny city and county of the death of Allen Larkin. A former employee of Smithwick’s Brewery, Alan was a very well-known and liked man, with a particular passion for GAA, and a special devotion to his club James Stephens. The following is a report sent to The Kilkenny Observer …
Off the coast of Western Australia, our Maniki crew reluctantly save Rednose from rocks and sharks
BY NED EGAN Final part Yep, worse. With the wind and the full weight of the big swells and rollers now directly in our rear, and the narrowing inlet being pressure-pumped by the three thousand miles of Indian Ocean between Jurien and Mauritius, the scene rapidly turned into a real rocky horror show. The Dutchie’s …
Are you ready for the Mock exams?
BY CLAIR WHITTY The mock exams are just around the corner both junior cycle and leaving cert exams are starting on 26th January. You might be feeling the pressure now that the exams are so close. Some of you will take them in your stride and be nice and calm about them. While some of …
The poet Ryan and Tim Dwyer’s tractor
By John Fitzgerald Jim Ryan of Coolagh, outside Callan- better known as the Poet Ryan- composed a lengthy poem in honour of the first tractor to see service in Coolagh, near Callan. The arrival in wartime of the famous tractor shook the district, some would say quite literally, to its foundations. Jim was something of …





