Opinion
Kilkenny goes to war…against Foot and Mouth…
BY JOHN FITZGERALD (Part two) Last week, I recalled how Sean Holden of Callan observed bees disinfecting themselves to comply with Foot and Mouth Disease restrictions…, On a more serious note…the farmers and their families affected, as well as any farm employees on the site of an outbreak had to be quarantined. Little red flags …
Supplements to Help you Focus
BY CLAIR WHITTY Are you looking for something to help your focus? How many times have you heard, seen, or read something, and five minutes later you can’t recall it? It happens a lot for me. I return to the scene of where I first had the thought and it usually comes back to me. …
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” …
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 …
Mental Wellbeing Support Naturally
BY CLAIR WHITTY Stress, I think most of us feel stress on a frequent basis. I know I do. Mostly we experience short term stresses from busy lives, and life goes on, no major problem or impact on our health. However, if you experience something that is more traumatic, for example, bereavement, illness, buying or …
Budget 2026 unveils €9.4bn plan, restraint dominates
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Next Tuesday, Oct 7, will tell all for Budget 2026. Meanwhile the air is thick with anticipation and a healthy dose of realism. Ministers Paschal Donohoe and Jack Chambers are set to unveil a €9.4 billion package, split between €7.9 billion in spending and €1.5 billion in tax cuts. Coming …
Kirk: Have we reached a tipping point?
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON The assassination of rightwing commentator Charlie Kirk was described by Utah’s Governor Spencer Cox as “a watershed moment”. His words came as a warning to stop, take heed and realise that cataclysmic change is rapidly becoming irreversible. Like Malcom Gladwell’s Tipping Point, ideas can be like a virus …
