Opinion
Sinn Fein: why it’s time for second thoughts
AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON Sinn Fein are the most popular party with the prize of forming part of the next Government. However, last weekend a poll revealed that the party’s support had dropped four percentage points. Could it be that voters are having second thoughts? The drop coincides with the playing of taped …
There will be light at the end of this tunnel
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS Okay, so the bad news is that the EU is about to enter recession as growth forecasts for 2023 are slashed due to prolonged inflation and the war in Ukraine. The EU Commission’s Autumn Economic Forecast projects GDP to fall this quarter with the contraction to continue in …
In Jail with John Lacey
BY NED EGAN Part 2 “What am I in for, Ned?” he exclaimed, almost in shock – “I’m in here ‘cause I’m a bloody thief, that’s why, just like all these other chancers!” So Shelton was not, after all, a hot spot on the Amnesty books; nor need we fear recruiting teams from Maynooth making …
Crocks and Beauties
By John Fitzgerald The sideline activities at the Beer Festival are worth a mention too. The Queen of the Land competition attracted hundreds of women, each of them put forward by committees of adoring townspeople, villagers, or the occupants of obscure country lanes, woodlands, and hillsides around the county. With their sixties hairstyles and dresses, …
Back to the future with Madame Helena
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I am walking down the Castle Road towards the Parade when I see a little camper van parked up, outside Rinuccinis restaurant. The notice on the window caught my eye: ‘Madame Helena. Palm Reading. Crystal Ball. Tarot Cards. Step in.’ And in I stepped. Madame Helena is low-sized, blondish, sallow complexion …
Pensions, company profits… and private wealth
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR After all the recent upheaval in the pensions market with the embargo being put-on one-man pension schemes by the pensions authority, insurance providers have at last put in place executive pension arrangements under what is called a Master Trust. Executive pensions continue to be perhaps the most tax efficient method …
Practical Christmas gifts
BY CLAIR WHITTY Do you, like me, prefer to get practical gifts that are bought from local shops or from an Irish company online? For example, Tisserand’s Gift of Sleep, is a limited-edition gift set that’s perfect for someone who can’t sleep. It contains Sleep Better Massage & Body Oil, Sleep Better Pillow Mist, and …
Did colleges turn a kind eye to abuse?
AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON One thing is certain about clerical child sex abuse, like the latest allegations of historical abuse by the Spiritans at Blackrock College and other schools in their charge: a reaction of public revulsion. Much less certain are the questions surrounding the crime, for the sexual abuse of minors is …
When every day seems like a bad news day
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS Back in the late Nineties a new paper began publishing in, I think, Sacramento in California. Its stated mission was to report “only good news”. Happy stories, stories that would bring a smile to your face. Make you laugh. The weekly paper never reached its mandated sales nor …
The Kilkenny Beer Festival
By John Fitzgerald The craic to end all craics. That was the Kilkenny Beer Festival… one of the biggest and brightest projects of its kind ever attempted in Ireland. Its main instigator was a Mr. Bill Finnegan, who was elected Chairman of the Festival committee that helped to organise the Marble City’s annual booze-up and …
