Opinion
The Christmas that left me with years of guilt
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS The week before the Christmas of my 17th year school was breaking up. On my walk to my bus home I was joined by Micheál, a boy in the same year as me but not the same class. He lived in a neighbouring estate. Although at 17 I …
Hurlers on the rack!
By John Fitzgerald Hurling had been played in Ireland for centuries. The 5th century Brehon Laws mentioned it, and the legend of Cuchulainn enshrined it as a game of great skill and sportsmanship. Its actual origin is still a mystery, but one theory is that Celtic tribes that arrived in Ireland in the remote past …
When Harry met Meghan… the sequel
AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON The first three of the Harry and Meghan docuseries released on Netflix has been greeted with howls of derision and criticism. On the one hand, the pair are seen as over-privileged whingers and, on the other, as seeking unfortunately-timed royal revenge. Is this fair though? The pair have been …
Looking after your hands this winter
BY CLAIR WHITTY This time of the year your hands can need a bit of attention. They can become dry with the colder weather whether you leave the house or not. Household chores can leave your hands dry and rough. Or if you are using hand sanitiser regularly your hands are probably suffering and in …
A few good ‘money’ reads for Christmas
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR As with last Christmas I have researched a few last-minute book buys for Christmas with a financial bent. Again, so many just drive our fears and needs and are openly greed driven. So, what I thought was let’s look at a few good books that would be worth reading over …
Off the coast of Western Australia, our Maniki crew reluctantly save Rednose from rocks and sharks
BY NED EGAN Part 1 The wind was “piping up”, as our skipper would say. Three o’clock in the morning. I was on the hilltop above Jurien, on Skipworth’s farm, and I could hear the ‘big ones’ booming in, all the way from India three thousand miles away – and slapping onto the island in …
Carnegie, conception and me!*
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I was not born in a library. And I am not aware of anyone who was born in a library! I have read about babies being born in taxis, on trains and even 40,000 feet up in the sky on long-haul flights. But not in libraries. Nor was I conceived in …
Christmas not about the presents, but the presence
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS The build-up to Christmas, despite its joy and celebration, can be an expensive time as banking figures annually show. Despite it leaving large holes in many pockets, we yearly throw caution to the wind with the quip, Sure feck it, it’s Christmas! And nowhere more so than the …
When hurling was a crime in Kilkenny!
By John Fitzgerald Kilkenny had the dubious honour of serving as the venue for sixteen parliaments between 1293 and 1408. The best known of these was the one that convened in 1366. It enacted the hard-hitting and notorious Statutes of Kilkenny, which aimed to clamp down on the intermingling of English and Norman settlers with …
Snow Goose!
BY NED EGAN Part 2 – his nose pointed towards the cold Northern sky: “Buhrrd!” he growled, warningly. The children stopped their game – and their eyes followed his nose, his hard stare. They finally spotted – long after Doggo – against the dirty washing lines of threatening clouds – a ducking and swerving object. …
