Opinion
Pensions: why no one size fits all
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR In years past retirement meant one thing – handing over your pension pot to an insurance company in exchange for an annuity which is a guaranteed income for the rest of your life. That changed in the 1990s with the arrival of Approved Retirement Funds (ARFs), and today retirees face …
How the BBC betrayed Princess Diana
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON Ingrid Bergman once said: “Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better.” The star of Casablanca died in 1982 at the age of 67, relatively young by today’s standards. Today we – the fortunate ones, that …
Let’s Celebrate Natural Beauty Not Cosmetics for Kids!
CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Great… just in time for Christmas! Make up for kids as young are 4. Another gullible market to exploit!! Do kids need make up? Definitely not. Why are companies creating it? Profits of course. This is such an uncomfortable issue with many ramifications for mind, body and spirit. …
The 17-year-old living inside this old man
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Ingrid Bergman once said: “Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better.” The star of Casablanca died in 1982 at the age of 67, relatively young by today’s standards. Today we – the fortunate ones, …
Recreation in Old Callan
By John Fitzgerald (Part one) In previous articles I recounted the exploits of the barefoot hurlers on Callan’s Fair Green in the early years of the 20th century. From late springtime, all through the summer, and for most of autumn, budding and experienced hurlers practised day after day, honing their skills. The same venue played host …
Gifting with Irish Gifts this Christmas
BY CLAIR WHITTY Are you looking for an Irish brand product for a friend or loved one. Here are some of our favourite Irish brands. Local honey is always popular; you might choose one from our selection of Wexford honeys or we can create a beautiful hamper with two or three from our range. Holos …
The people’s trial of Denis Joseph Carey
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran You f****d up DJ. F****d up real bad. You lied to people. Stole their money. Abused their trust. Exploited their generosity. Their humanity. And their vulnerability. You’ve been labelled as evil. I don’t think you’re evil, DJ Carey – I think you’re a flawed human being like most of us but, …
What fuel are you putting in your body this winter?
CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton You are what you eat. If you eat junk food, you construct your cells with rubbish. No wonder there is so much chronic illness globally, followed by medical prescriptions to try to heal the symptoms. It’s an unending, tragic revolving door of cause and effect which doesn’t deal …
Time to rein in the deer population
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON We are being told to eat less red meat for environmental reasons. But there is an alternative, with a forest-to-fork appeal, which we could eat more of with a clear conscience. Venison, once a staple in Irish diet, is making a comeback. “Definitely, in the last two years, …
The whipping boys of our changing climate
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS It used to be that the only two certainties in life were death and taxes. Now, we can add two more. One, the heavy rainfall across Kilkenny and other counties recently is not necessarily enough to offset damage being done to farming by drought: and, second, as …





