Opinion
WILLIE MULLINS
BY MICHAEL O’LEARY This weekend in Punchestown, two of Willie Mullins stable stars are set to make their seasonal debut as both Champion Hurdle winner State Man and dual Gold Cup Champion Galopin Des Champs are declared in The Morgiana Hurdle and Durkan Chase respectively. This is the time of the year that The Champion …
Are women the worst critics of women?
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Donald J Trump has returned as the 47th President of America having beaten Democratic rival Kamala Harris by nearly five million ballots and a good majority of the electoral ballot. Elvia Trossman, my friend in New Jersey, a professional and mother of two and a Coloured woman, …
MIRIAM WALSH
BY MICHAEL O’LEARY In October, Miriam Walsh retired from Inter-County Senior Camogie following a highly successful career in which she won 3 Senior All-Ireland Medals, 5 National League Medals, 3 All-Stars and was also named Camogie Player Of The Year in 2022. Having joined The Senior set-up in 2011, Miriam played a key role as …
Love is good for your health
Childhood experience can leave a mark on our biology – but love and care protect us By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie). Over the past two weeks we have learned that childhood maltreatment has negative effects on health much later in life, that our body’s systems learn and adapt to this, and …
The Clonygarra Murder – Eviction ends in tragedy
BY JOHN FITZGERALD PART ONE The events surrounding the murder of Callan man, Patrick Devereux, in 1828, and the hanging of two men convicted of the crime, still cast a shadow over the town. The multiple tragedy was sparked off by a series of brutal evictions in Clonygarra, a townland in Coolaghmore parish, just outside Callan. In the spring of 1828, Viscount Clifden decided that five families …
Natural Help for Sore Throat
BY CLAIR WHITTY As the colder months set in, I am seeing many customers asking for solutions for the discomfort of sore throats. A sore throat can be extremely painful. It can feel scratchy, and you may have difficulty swallowing. There are some natural solutions to help relieve the discomfort. You might like to try …
Do warnings about democracy hold water?
THE LAST WORD By Pat Coughlan Democracy, to me, is more than just a system of governance; it’s the bedrock of our freedoms and rights. It ensures that every voice, no matter how small, is heard. As Thomas Jefferson once said: “The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live …
Dissolving agents and ticking the boxes
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran On November 8 last President Michael Higgins dissolved the 33rd Dáil. DISSOLVED! Kept thinking about that word. Being an imaginative and creative sort of person I had this image in my mind of each one of our 160 TDs lining up in single file, walking into Áras an Uachtaráin and being …
How children’s pocket money today adds up
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Today the way we give pocket money to our children has changed dramatically, moving from cash to digital transfers through various digital apps. According to a recent survey commissioned by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland Credit Union (TUICU), Irish parents typically begin giving their children pocket money around the age …
What gets us to turn out to the polls on time?
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON We have barely recovered from Trump’s resurrection and now our own General Election is underway. These are different times. The old certainties and party loyalties no longer apply as politics become more volatile. Many voters haven’t yet made up their minds, if the previous election is anything to …





