Opinion

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS It would be laughable if it were not serious. I think of The Three Little Pigs, the story I tell my granddaughters, and how the Big, Bad Wolf “huffs and puffs and blows their house down”. There was a lot of political huffing and puffing when the …

By John Fitzgerald (Part three) (Carmel Kealy’s recollections of life in early 20th century Callan provide a fascinating insight for people of present and future generations. Part one and two can be read on the Observer website.) Trades and crafts flourished in Callan. Carmel admired even as a youngster the skilled woodcarving evident in the …

BY CLAIR WHITTY The festive season is upon us and you might be trying to find an interesting and different gift for a loved one, a friend, your neighbour, or your Secret Santa. Don’t despair, we have lots of ideas to share with you. Let’s start with a Gift Voucher. These can be purchased from …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton The festive season is nigh and it’s a sad fact that violence against women is a serious feature of Irish society. For many women, home is not safe. During lockdown, countless women and children were stuck in houses with bullies and domestic violence soared. The statistics for Women’s …

By John Fitzgerald (Part two) (Carmel Kealy’s recollections of life in early 20th century Callan provide a fascinating insight for people of present and future generations. Part one can be read on the Observer website.) It was Carmel’s father, Pat Maher, who built the houses on the Callan Green in 1914-at the behest of the Town …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton I was going to write about homeless, when it occurred to me that we could all be homeless if we don’t look after our one true home…. Mother Earth. This is where everything we hold precious has ever happened. All our ancestors, achievements, events in history, cultures…. It’s …

BY CLAIR WHITTY Trilogy is known for its natural skincare formulations, and as most of you know, I love this skincare range. It has been my go-to skincare product range for many years now. I love this time of the year because Trilogy always bring out a lovely range of Limited Edition and great value …

By John Fitzgerald (Part One) Carmel Kealy’s memories of Callan in the first part of the 20th century provide a valuable record for present and future generations of townspeople. She has inspired young and old alike with her multi-faceted word pictures. Carmel Maher was born in 1906 in Modeshill, located halfway between Callan and Mullinahone. …

BY CLAIR WHITTY As the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop, nourishing comfort food becomes a priority, and for those with specialty diets, that doesn’t mean compromising on flavour or variety. At Natural Health Store, we’re proud to offer a wide range of delicious, high-quality foods that support vegan, gluten-free, and whole-food lifestyles, perfect …

FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran And so, my good wife and I headed off to sunny Spain on a long, overdue break, taking with us too many clothes, no mosquito repellent and my ex-girlfriend! That’s right – my ex-girlfriend, Anne, who I went out with for about three years when we were students in Dublin. Anne …