Opinion

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Budget Day is set for Tuesday, October 6. That gives us roughly seven weeks to get our own finances in order before the minister stands up in the Dáil. The Government has already indicated that this is likely to be a tighter Budget than we’ve seen in recent years. Around …

CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Last week, Kilkenny and its surroundings overflowed with creativity during Arts Week. There was so much to see and do, with creative energy flowing in every direction. It is a wonderful annual event for both artists and the public, and it is deeply inspiring to see so many …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON The latest plans to promote gender equality have been greeted with derision and had fun made of them. A bit unfortunate, but they have come across like a well-intentioned but misguided auntie giving out unasked-for advice and furthermore barking – or rather advising – up the wrong tree. …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS The human rights activist Malcolm X said: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Former Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, speaking back in the mid-Noughties, said: “The education system will have changed enormously in the next 20 …

By John Fitzgerald For decades one of the first lessons that every Callan schoolchild learned was that a great Ard Ri (High King of Ireland) drowned here in the mid-ninth century, which is how the King’s River got its name. The fact that a community in another part of Ireland also laid claim to the …

BY CLAIR WHITTY If you’ve ever shopped for a magnesium supplement, you’ve probably wondered why there are so many different types. Bisglycinate, citrate, malate, taurate and L-threonate all promise different benefits, but what do those names actually mean? The answer is surprisingly simple. Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in hundreds of processes throughout the …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR The latest figures from the Department of Finance tell us something we have heard before. The State is still taking in huge amounts of tax, but that does not necessarily mean the public finances are as strong as the headline numbers suggest. Tax receipts for the first seven months were …

As the threat to food security posed by climate change and war hits the headlines, what can be done to help protect Irish consumers from the rising price of the weekly shop? The answer to preventing cost-of-living shocks for fresh foods could lie at home, helped by a change in policy. Our food production is …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Out walking the other day, I spotted a local man I know by sight. Just before Covid on December 27, 2019, having drunk 15 pints throughout St Stephen’s night, this man knocked down a younger man walking home from celebrations. He was jailed for five-and-a-half years. In …

By John Fitzgerald A three-hour feast of storytelling, verse, and historical reminiscence will unfold at Fennelly’s of Callan on August 15th. Historian Philip Lynch will join Joe Kennedy of Callan Heritage and other luminaries to present talks, recite poetry, tell folk tales, and display a collection of vintage local maps. An extensive question and answer …