Opinion

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS In the hamlet where I lay my head, when Russia invaded Ukraine my neighbours opened their doors and hearts to refugees fleeing for their lives. Committees were set up, as were social media pages dedicated to finding a home, a refuge, to women and children who had …

BY CLAIR WHITTY It’s that time of the year when the dreaded note about head lice comes home in the school bag, telling you that you will need to check your children’s hair. Lice are small insects that measure about 3mm – they can be yellow, brown, or white in colour. Nits are the empty …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD Callan has said goodbye to a saintly nun who was also an exceptionally gifted teacher and author. Sr. Assumpta Saunders was for decades a leading light at the Convent of Mercy in Callan. She passed to a better world at the age of one-hundred on October 19th while in the care of Waterford …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Exactly a year ago I had a routine DEXA scan to check the density of my bones. I have always had a good diet, am extremely active, have always danced, neither drink nor smoke and was shocked to learn that I had severe Osteoporosis. Big shock! However, there …

This poem, as they say, is inspired by real events but peppered (well peppered) with poetic licence. I wrote the poem for one of Kilkenny’s leading actors (and directors) Mary Craddock. Mary recited it in a seductive French accent wearing a short black mini-sat an event called ‘King of the Castle’. Alice I’m called – …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR We are a nation of savers. We save 12.8% of our disposable income with €168 billion sitting in banks and credit unions, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Yet, more tan half of us earn less than 1% interest, while inflation eats into the true value of our cash …

If you have tried to book a repair job or a service for your car or your central heating boiler you are likely to have to wait weeks if not months. I got given a date in December for the boiler repair and another six weeks ahead with my regular garage to have the car …

I had just turned 13 when my father stopped me in the hallway one day and pointed to the family cat. “See how Topsy has put on weight. That’s because she is going to have kittens. It’s the same with humans. Do you understand?” I nodded, his face flushed… and he moved on. It turned …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Over a beer, my publisher Dave tells me: “I’m still in denial over the end of summer. It’s more than officially autumn, and I feel like I’ve forgotten to do something. There’s this crumpled mental checklist I’ve been trying to unfold, something I’d tossed to the back …

FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran As I get older I find myself becoming more, and more, forgetful. Not uncommon for folks of my vintage but I’d be telling a lie if I didn’t say I’m concerned as my brother John had Alzheimers for several years before he passed away last May. And so I read with …