Opinion

FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran Autumn – season of mists and mellow fruitfulness –and if you live in this beautiful city of ours a season of marvellous menus, fabulous food, and wonderful presentations about food, of course, by celebrity chefs. Yes, It’s that time of year again, folks, Savour Kilkenny time when the Parade and the …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Back in the day I remember my Granda turning a humble turnip into a lantern. The smell of that turnip burning from the inside out with a candle was something else — a smell that still sticks with me. But today, the pumpkin has stolen the show, becoming the very …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON Apples have quite a juicy reputation ranging from their temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden to their connection with immortality in Celtic mythology. Before burly pumpkins muscled in on the act, apples had a leading role in Halloween tradition: featuring apple bobbing, toffee apples and the …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Mark, the security man at my local supermarket, says: “It won’t be long now.” Mark is an affable gentleman, and sometimes the only human contact I might have in a day – he and the lovely Nichole at checkout. “Long ‘til when?” I say. “Christmas,” he says. …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD PART ONE The day started unpromisingly, with black clouds threatening to unleash a deluge, but these gradually gave way to a clear blue sky and the balm of warm sunshine- real pattern weather, as the man on the gate put it. There was excitement among pattern committee men and women. Donnacha O’ Dualin, Radio Eireann’s noted folklorist …

THE LAST WORD By Pat Coughlan It was 1974. I had moved to Dublin where I had a job and got my first flat. I was getting used to Dublin, and particularly its taste for music. Being from the country I regularly got asked “What do you get when you play a country and western …

FURTHERMORE  By Gerry Moran The sum of €5.60. That’s the price of my pint in my local. My ‘poison’ is a pint of Rockshore Lager. If I head out the door, walk twenty yards to my left that pint will cost me €6.10. Should I head up town, about half way up High Street, that …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON Being asked for directions while holidaying in La Belle France was a surprise. At first, I took it as a compliment, maybe I looked like a Frenchwoman, with that chic, je ne sais quoi air. But non, what made me look like a local was the fact that …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR The Budget introduced changes to the Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) thresholds, marking the first major adjustments in five years. CAT is a tax on gifts and inheritances that many individuals will face on receipt, now exacerbated by the rising property values across Ireland. Thresholds were increased across the three major …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD Before I come to the great Pattern of Coolagh in County Kilkenny, here’s a brief history of Patterns I’ve put together. To understand the appeal of a lovely old tradition that has almost vanished from our modern world, it helps to be aware of the historical background to this peculiarly Irish day-out for the family. …