Opinion

Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny is the perfect festive destination this Christmas and New Year. The award-winning visitor experience is open throughout the holiday season, closed only on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day. Last minute shoppers looking for unique gift options such as personalised, engraved Smithwick’s pint glasses and other branded merchandise will revel …

By John Fitzgerald (Part two) Another absorbing pastime in Callan was card playing. In the early years of the century, the only form of transport for the men who gathered to play “25s” was Shank’s Mare. The game was played both indoors- in homes and pubs- and in the open air. It was common up …

BY CLAIR WHITTY Christmas is not for everyone, I say this every year. But it isn’t for everyone and there are many reasons for this. It might be that your family have grown up and left home and there are no children in the house anymore. It isn’t the same without the young ones, the …

FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I am a last minute shopper. I have never been one of those organised people who have everything done and dusted a week before the Big Day. Folks who have presents wrapped, firewood stacked, fairy lights checked, turkey prepped and drinks in (that’s if they drink) and are cool, calm and …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton This year, forget the wrapping paper, the ribbons and the bows. We all have so much stuff… do we really need more? We can all get in a panic about buying presents which increasingly end up being recycled the following year! The best present in my opinion is …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR As the rush intensifies and shelves groan under Christmas tat, think about a gift that endures – books. One year on from last year’s roundup, economic turbulence persists, inflation is still here, crypto continues to surge and fall, and demands for climate action persist. Greed-driven bestsellers continue to exploit our …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON The Italians have a good saying: “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi.” Christmas with family, Easter with whomever you want! That sums up the festive spirit nicely for me. It’s a time for tucking up at home with dear ones around us, for drinking, feasting and …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS The Catholic Church, of all Christian denominations, holds Mary the Mother of God in the highest esteem. The virgin who brought forth into the world the Baby Jesus, Son of God. She is there in the manger, with Joseph by her side, because there was no room …

FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I love a game of cards. Twenty-Fives to be precise. I can’t, however, remember the last time I played nor do I know where you’d find a game going on these days. Time was when card-playing was quite popular – in pubs, note. Not in fancy lounges with exotic drinks and piped …

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 …