Opinion
Is living happily ever after a myth?
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON If I have wished friends and contacts happiness once over the festive season, I have done it hundreds of times in greetings. But what chance is there of living happily ever after like Cinderella with her Prince? Even though we know that real life isn’t like that and …
Ireland’s Prawn Cocktail Revolution
THE LAST WORD By Pat Coughlan A few weeks ago, we chatted about the dreaded Brussels Sprout. Did the article change your mind about the “little verdant orb”? Was it on the menu in your house? This week I am going back to a starter that had its birth in Ireland in the 1960s and …
Light of hope in an ever-changing street…
BY JOHN FITZGERALD This is often a time for looking back over the past year. As I happened to be researching Callan in a bygone era I couldn’t help but cast my mind further back…far beyond my own lifespan, to how different the town looked a century ago, The raising of the festive lights in Callan illumined a town …
Time to reassess your budgeting and debt
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR The start of a new year, much like any other, brings its own mix of challenges and opportunities. Now is the time to reassess and realign your budgeting and debt management strategies. Ignoring the incoming Christmas bills will not help. You need to take charge. Use some or all of …
Reflections on 2024
BY CLAIR WHITTY Here at the Natural Health Store, we’ve had a rollercoaster of a year. Happy times and new milestones reached were sadly interwoven with several bereavements amongst ourselves and our staff. However, there is also hope amongst this sadness in the form of the birth of Natural Health Store’s first baby, a beautiful …
Can we restore threatened Nature in Ireland?
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON Meadows and hedgerows were a thing of wonder when I was growing up. They were starred with wild flowers with evocative names: Ragged Robin, Lady’s Bedstraw, Scarlet Pimpernel, Bird’s Foot Trefoil and Cowslips. When I walked on the short turf by the sea in Co. Down I trod …
Think less about posture
Think less about posture and more about regular movement By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie). Posture is not all that important when it comes to back pain and health. So many other things are much more important to consider if you wish to care for your body in the long run. I …
Marianne leads the way to the Christmas Cribs…
By John Fitzgerald The Kilkenny Heritage Walkers rounded off a year of enthralling and highly informative talks and walks in festive style: The group organized a beautifully choreographed visit to some of the much-loved churches of the City, with special emphasis on the cribs to be seen within these hallowed centres of devotion. Marianne Kelly brought all …
2024 SPORTING REVIEW OF THE YEAR
BY MICHAEL O’LEARY 2024 was one of the great years for Sport with so many great memories, highlighted by the wonderful success of the Irish at both the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris. Willie Mullins achievements throughout the year were extraordinary even by his highest standards, and in March he trained nine winners at the …
Some random memories of mine from 2024
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran Let’s start with the little old lady in Dunnes Stores car park who politely asked if I could spare 20 cents to release a trolley. “But trolleys require a euro,” I said. “Twenty cents works,” she informed me. She was right. What’s this they say – you learn something new every …
