Opinion

THE LAST WORD By Pat Coughlan In the heart of Kilkenny, a glaring issue casts a shadow over the city and its people, particularly people with a disability. On January 15 last, the local authority reduced the car parking benefits applicable to Blue Badge card holders. Some people raised their voices in opposition but it …

BY CLAIR WHITTY When it comes to buying supplements, you want to know that you are buying ones that you can trust with quality ingredients. We feel the same way and today I want to tell you about Solo Nutrition. We have stocked them from the day we opened our store over 10 years ago. …

PART 2 BY JOHN FITZGERALD Last week, you’ll recall that I described how Callan man Jim Bolger was driven to Tan HQ in Woodstock, near Inistioge after being taken from Tom Nolan’s bus on the Kilkenny/Callan Road. As the ambush team at Friary Street was believed to have escaped on bikes, the Tans suspected Jim of possible involvement because he was …

Kicking off this week with a wee quiz, and by no means simple I have to admit. As with the headline of this column all you have to do is find the common denominator that links the following list of words. Now some of you will know the answer straightaway while most of you, like …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Things are looking up for the Irish economic landscape according to Ernst and Young’s forecasts for this year and next, with GDP poised to rise by 2.2% in 2024 and 3.8% in 2025. Why is Ireland expected to outperform other major economies, even surpassing forecasts for euro area neighbours and …

BY JOHN FITZGERALD A former bacon factory in Callan played host to a most unusual artwork last week. The Quickening by Artist Deirdre O Mahony drew a capacity audience to the Power House on Mill Lane. It’s a film that conveys a heart-felt plea to change our ways as we arrive at a critical phase in the ever-worsening ecological and …

PART 1 BY JOHN FITZGERALD Last week I completed the story of the botched ambush attempt in Friary Street, Kilkenny, back in 1921…but there’s a postscript: Though none of the ambush team members were arrested or captured- having escaped on their bikes from the scene- others who had no involvement in the affair were picked up …

FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran If music be the food of love there’ll be fair feasting this May Bank Holiday in the Marble City thanks to The Roots Festival one of our most popular and successful events. And so, it’s music, music all the way in harmony with the rhythm of the weekend! * Donovan on …

AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON One of the striking sights in a TV programme about the incredible race to restore Notre Dame cathedral was the felling of magnificent oak trees. Nearly 2,000 have been used to rebuild the beams and the spire which fell when the iconic building went ablaze in Paris five …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS After decades of unimaginable, unbearable hurt for the families of the 48 young people who never came home, the Stardust inquest jury recently returned an unanimous verdict of unlawful killing – akin to manslaughter – for each person who was snatched from under our watch that St …