Opinion

BY JOHN FITZGERALD Part 1 The advent of cement streets and pathways made it easier to keep Kilkenny swept clean and to keep litter at bay. But it wasn’t so easy back in 1336 when things were decidedly rotten in Cat City. In that year, Gilbert Fort was Sovereign- or Mayor- of the town and …

FURTHERMORE  By Gerry Moran Question: where on High Street can you purchase a pint of milk or rather a litre of milk? Think about that for a moment or two. And the answer? You can’t! You can buy a pint of Guinness, a pint of Smithwicks, a pint of whatever you’re having yourself but you …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Do you remember back in the day when you had to visit the bank manager for whatever reason, review your overdraft, apply for a loan, you put a bit of effort into your appearance for the visit? Now you don’t have to get out of bed to conduct most business …

BY CLAIR WHITTY It’s important that we support and protect our muscle and joints particularly as we age. If we don’t and it’s left untreated it can lead to further loss of joint and muscle movement. This discomfort is associated with wear and tear and is mostly caused by deterioration due to cartilage breakdown. A …

AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON Headlines warning of a tsunami of nursing home closures earlier this month must have sent waves of concern coursing through thousands of families in Ireland. The crisis in the nursing home sector arises because of a shortfall in funding in the Fair Deal scheme, leaving vulnerable older folk and …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS So, Robert De Niro, the Method actor of his generation, has become a father for the seventh time at age 79. And the news has caused a furore not seen since that infamous Will Smith slap at last year’s Oscars’ ceremony. Flora Gill, daughter of London Times journalist …

BY EOIN EVERARD Some articles are for reading and some are for doing. This is intentionally short this week as I want you to think how you can improve these aspects of your life. Tick below the parts that you are doing right and ones that you can improve on. Here are 5 keys to …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD Paddy O’ Halloran was the barber to whom Callan lads of all ages turned to for a haircut from about 1950 onwards. His shop in Bridge Street remained an integral feature of the street- and the town- up to the day of his passing in 1995. Paddy became apprenticed to a barber …

FURTHERMORE  By Gerry Moran This week, some interesting facts about Kilkenny. St Ledger’s Cross was the name given to the intersection of Walkin St, Parnell St, New St and Friary St. It was called after Thomas St Ledger who had built a house on the site towards the end of he 16th century. Scald Crows …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD A teacher who transformed the lives of many pupils via his enlightened approach to learning has bid goodbye to the world. Last week, hundreds of his past pupils in Callan and district were saddened to hear that Tim Kennedy, who taught for decades at the CBS in West Street, and later at …