Opinion

FURTHERMORE  By Gerry Moran Last week I wrote about my brother John who passed away on May 7. This week’s column is an edited version of John’s daughter Aideen’s beautiful eulogy which offers a more intimate portrait of my brother, a proud Kilkenny man, who many people, apart from classmates, cousins and neighbours, did not …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR We are nearly halfway through the year and before we know it Budget 2026 will be upon us. Pre-Budget submissions are being, and have been prepared, on behalf on many bodies who wish to influence Government decisions when it has come to the Budget. Brokers Ireland which is the voice …

BY CLAIR WHITTY The sun is out but during these warm and sunny spells it is important to think about safety in the sun, not just at the beach or on a sunny holiday. We need to think about protecting out skin when out and about and in our gardens too. Overexposure to UV rays …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON One man’s adversity can be another’s gain, goes the saying. But the same man can benefit from adversity too. American academics and researchers who have lost jobs or funds due to Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) measures may land plum jobs here. This is …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD Abstract Art, far from having its origins in the 19th century, dates back more than 60,000 years. Research shows that Ancient Man, despite his presumed backwardness in so many other respects, made impressive art. Much of it involved symbols and patterns not far removed from those that we see in modern works by …

Chemicals that you produce naturally in your brain that are powerful pain relievers By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie). There is a drug cabinet in your brain. Within this drug cabinet is one of the most powerful pain-relieving drugs of them all – and you have the power to make use of …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD You may have read about people who experienced “time slips.” This is when you visit a place with a past that tends to “visit” the present now and then… as with phantom air battles, the sound of shellfire at the Normandy beach or knights and damsels roaming about in a vivid image …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS There was a time when every Irish mother wanted a ‘good job’ for their blue-eyed boy. A ‘job for life’ but one that commanded respect in the community, so the mammy could hold her head high. If the priesthood was not the calling, and the education not …

FURTHERMORE  By Gerry Moran My brother passed away last week. My big brother. John was the oldest of our family of five; I was the youngest with three girls, Frances, Mary and Eadie (RIP) in between. Because of the age gap between us, almost a decade, John was more of a father figure to me ...

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Six months back at the table and the Government is stricken with inertia when it comes to solving the ongoing problems of health, special needs education, asylum seekers, still high energy costs and the crisis that is homelessness and the lack of affordable housing. Indeed, the lack …