Opinion

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Last week, I went for a walk in the countryside and because I always see other people’s rubbish scattered along the way, I took a plastic glove and a large black sack. There were plastic bottles and sweet wrappers tucked beneath hedges, takeaway containers abandoned beside a gate, …

By John Fitzgerald (Part three) Continuing the story of Callan in Seamus O’ Brien’s youth, when Upper Bridge Street was the busiest street in town… Fennelly’s house in Upper Bridge Street was at number thirteen…two doors from Seamus’s home at number eleven. It was a spacious two-storied building with an archway and a large farmyard …

BY CLAIR WHITTY With only weeks to go until marathon day, the hard work is largely done. Now is the time to train smart, support your recovery and arrive at the start line feeling strong, healthy and confident. Your longest run will usually fall around three to four weeks before race day. After that, it’s …

By John Fitzgerald (Part two) In his childhood, the future newspaper correspondent and historian Seamus O’ Brien ran errands for a Miss Phelan to McEvoy’s shop on the West Street side of the Cross in Callan, where Barrie Henriques’s pub and Mellow’s restaurant stood in later years; and to the post office and grocery shops. …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton I recently wrote about the pressure that seems to descend upon students as exams approach. Suddenly, their lives feel as though they have been reduced to memory tests of quotes, facts and figures. Months, sometimes years, of learning are crammed into a few hours at an exam desk, …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON It’s a story we see thousands of times, young people leave Ireland in search of greener grass elsewhere, only to return when they have families of their own. They want their children to grow up here with the benefit of an Irish education. So what’s so remarkable about …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Here’s a fact: There has been an “explosion in crimes” against retailers in recent years involving “gangs of feral youth” and “crime, fraud, abuse, theft and shoplifting happen every day in [our] stores” an Oireachtas Committee heard when retailers appeared recently in front of them to discuss …

By John Fitzgerald (Part One) I’ve quoted the late Seamus O’ Brien many times in articles. Throughout his life, Seamus promoted all aspects of Callan’s heritage and was a tireless community activist. He loved sport and served on local committees dedicated to reviving the sporting fortunes of the district. He was a long serving secretary …

BY CLAIR WHITTY What a fantastic summer we have had this year, it’s one that I think we will all remember for a long time. And with all that sunshine you would imagine that you would be all be well powered up for the year ahead, especially anyone that is heading back to work or …

Whatever age you are, it’s important to take time to appreciate how far you have come. It’s easy to forget to acknowledge the progress we have already made. Equally, we can overlook the accomplishments of those around us, missing valuable opportunities to encourage, inspire and strengthen our relationships. Celebrating achievements, our own and others’, is …