Opinion
Galway Races
BY MICHAEL O’LEARY Next weeks Galway Racing Festival is one of the great Sporting and Social Highlights of the summer, and over the years it has produced so many magical memories particularly from a local perspective. Not surprisingly, the Mullins family have had plenty of success including the featured Races, the Galway Plate and the …
School days: Mixed memories
BY JOHN FITZGERALD Part 2 Starting school back in the 1930s didn’t fazeMartin Lynch. He loved every minute of it. After this first year of “babies’ class in Callan’s Convent of Mercy school, he found himself in “Sixes” and it was while in this class that he made his First Communion. First Confession was an …
Guns, golf clubs, baseball bats and a hurl!
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran You win some, you lose some. That said, there are some you really don’t want to lose, hate to lose – not least to a team who are frothing at the bit to emulate your precious record of having won four All Ireland Hurling finals in a row (along with Cork …
Scams: be sceptical and exercise caution
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR In today’s fast-paced digital world, we are not immune to the rising threat of fraudulent scams targeting all of us through text messages, emails, and phone calls. These clever schemes have become a significant concern for people of all ages and backgrounds, leading to significant financial losses, emotional distress, and …
A new solution for a good night’s sleep
BY CLAIR WHITTY Are you finding it difficult to get to sleep or to stay asleep? Are you constantly waking up throughout the night? Are you looking for a solution to help with deeper more satisfying sleep? Irish Botanica Seésta is a new supplement that could help. It’s an Irish brand and is formulated by …
Confessions of a late convert to GAA
AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON Blue, I used to think, was a peaceful colour, until my life took an unexpected swerve. The change of direction started innocently enough. Himself went to fetch the newspaper and was gone quite a while, returning in triumph with a couple of tickets to Croke Park for Saturday’s football …
AI for the better is part of human endeavour
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS At the centre of the Hollywood writers’ strike is the fear of the potential role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cinema and streaming – in short, ask AI chatbot ChatGPT to write the next box-office smash, or use AI to create crowd shots and so ‘extras’ no longer …
My All Ireland escapades – with Jimmy
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran As soon as the final whistle blew and Kilkenny had defeated Clare in the All Ireland Hurling semi-final, I lifted the phone. “How are you, Jimmy?” “Good now. How are you, Gerry.” “Not a bother and you know, of course, Jimmy, what this is about?” “Tickets, I assume.” “Spot on. And …
School days: Mixed memories
BY JOHN FITZGERALD Part 1 Schooling in the 1930s and 40s was a different proposition from today’s sophisticated education system. Most children walked to school every morning, the poorer ones in their bare feet. It could be a long enough walk for the country kids, though they might be lucky and catch a lift with …
Weighing up ‘reward’ at end of working life
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR According to the oxford english dictionary a promise “is to tell somebody that you will definitely do or not do something, or that something will definitely happen”. At one time, a defined benefit pension was such a promise; after 30 or 40 years of working industriously for the company you …
