Opinion

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON It’s a familiar story. It’s holiday time, you are out and about in an unfamiliar place, when nature calls. When you have to go, you have to go … but where? This is the point where calling toilets public conveniences can be an oxymoron. They may be far …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS There can be no one who has not been moved to tears and outrage and a sense of helplessness by the daily images coming out of Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, of the thousands of innocent souls caught in the nightmare that is war. There too, in the …

By John Fitzgerald (Part two) Last week I recounted how Fr. Bob (not his real name) led morality patrols around Callan and district in search of courting couples he believed to be in need of salvation. Another big issue in those days was the vexed question of what exactly was a sin. While many sins were …

Last week I recounted how Callan PP, Canon Carrigan pursued courting couples with his horse and trap in the 1920s. In the nineteen forties and fifties, the town had other crusading priests who were committed to preserving morality in the parish. Fr. Bob (not his real name) was one of them. Like Canon Carrigan, he …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Where in the world are women banned from public places and denied basic rights like going to the playground with their children? Answer: Afghanistan! Some time ago, Brian Redmond invited me to speak on KCLR Radio on any topic that interested me. I could have chosen many things, …

BY CLAIR WHITTY The perimenopause/ menopause is something that thankfully we are starting to talk more and honestly about. But we talk even less about the impact of hormonal changes on men as they get older. The male menopause is often referred to as andropause, which describes the gradual decline in testosterone levels that occurs …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON If Andy Burnham wore underpants over his trousers and donned a cape, he could hardly seem more like a superhero in the making… for now. The British PM-to-be has charisma, good looks and an optimistic, easy-going way with him. He even wears heavy horn-rimmed glasses like Christopher Reeve’s …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Many of the 3,500 publicans represented by the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) can arguably identify with the horse who walks into a pub and the barman says: “Why the long face?” Understandably so, as their federation tells an Oireachtas Joint Committee that rising costs are contributing …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Irish shoppers ordering from sites such as Temu, Shein and many UK retailers are starting to feel the impact of new EU customs rules introducing a €3 charge on many low-value imports from outside the bloc. It marks the end of a system that allowed millions of small parcels to …

By John Fitzgerald Last week I recounted how the bells in Callan parish church rang out for all the sad and happy occasions…tolling to remind people of their religious obligations. But other bells rang out an altogether different, less welcome message. They were the ones that jingled on Canon Carrigan’s pony and trap when he …