Opinion

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Meath West TD Damien English will not be standing in the General Election. Last year, he resigned as a junior minister following controversy over property declarations. His announcement brings to 17 Fine Gael TDs who will not be running again. The departures not only raises questions about …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR The European Central Bank (ECB) has once again lowered interest rates, cutting them by a quarter of a percentage point for the second time this year which will have an immediate impact on both borrowers and savers across Ireland. As the ECB tries to take a balanced view between controlling …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS A hoarding disorder is where a person gathers a huge amount of items and stores them. This is usually in a chaotic manner and results in amounts of clutter that are difficult to manage. Hoarding can be a significant problem if the amount of clutter interferes with …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON In England in medieval times stocks were a form of public punishment. The miscreant would be locked in a device on the village green where passing folk could hurl abuse and rotten eggs at the culprit. In the modern equivalent cars are clamped and the abuse gets hurled …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD The city celebrates a special “birthday” this month 21 years ago, Treasures of Kilkenny saw the light of day. The stunning publication offered us a look at some of the old charters and civic records of Kilkenny City, dating back to the 13th century. The Kilkenny City Archive is the oldest set of such records in Ireland after Dublin. Its …

THE LAST WORD By Pat Coughlan I am sure that our family was no different to any other family when it came to the sound of post dropped to the hall floor. There was a mad dash to pick it up and bring it to Mam. In later years, watching rugby I remembered those hallway …

FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I loved being sick when I was young, when I was maybe 12 and in 6th class in Primary School. And I loved being sick for a three reasons: one, I didn’t have to go to school and school was tough. We had a Brother Grennan, known as ‘Jack’ because of …

BY CLAIR WHITTY From the exciting moment of your child’s first words through to their first day at school, it’s amazing how quickly a child’s brain grows and develops. By the age of 6, the brain has already reached 95% of its peak size! We can’t overstate the importance of supporting a child’s development during …

THE LAST WORD By Pat Coughlan Pedestrianisation, the act of converting streets for the exclusive use of pedestrians, is a hot topic in urban planning. It promises cleaner air, safer streets, and a boost for local businesses. But, like a double-edged sword, it can also disrupt traffic and accessibility. So, is it a blessing or …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Almost half a million drivers across the country are paying hundreds – and in some cases more than a €1,000 – more than they need to on car insurance cover because they have penalty points on their licences. According to a recent cost comparison analysis by motor insurance experts at …