Opinion
Honouring the great James Nowlan…
Over the past few weeks; I’ve recounted the stories of County Kilkenny heroes of the War of Independence. Since last week’s article, I accompanied the Kilkenny Heritage Walkers to Nowlan Park to mark the hundredth anniversary of the death of a great sportsman and patriot, James Nowlan, after whom the mighty venue is named. He was born in Monasterevin in 1862. His father was a …
Will reality hit home in local elections?
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS I could say that most of the contentious issues the public have been enraged about in the run-up to the local elections don’t particularly affect me, given I am in the autumn of my years. But I would be wrong to take such a stance. Let’s do …
Stress & Your Pain System
Stress can sensitise your pain system (and friends can help to desensitise it) By Paul Bolger. Chartered Physiotherapist at Nano Physiotherapy, Kilkenny (www.nanophysio.ie). Knowledge is power. Those following this series to date now know that stress is essential for survival – the ‘fight or flight’ response kept our ancestors alive. We also learned that excessive, sustained …
Recognising Palestine: step in the right direction
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON I’m enjoying a real sunshine feeling, not due to summer weather but to that warm sense when you are proud of your country. Ireland’s recognition of the State of Palestine together with Spain and Norway will hopefully be a stepping stone towards a two- state solution and peace …
Coincidences? It so happenstance …
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I love a coincidence. I think we all do. Something strange, almost magical, or mystical about them. A few weeks back I was looking at an old school photograph wondering whatever happened to a particular individual with whom I was quite friendly and hadn’t seen in maybe 50 years. Lo and …
Palestine: a fighting chance for a fairer tomorrow
THE LAST WORD By Pat Coughlan Was I so surprised when I saw Bibi on the box giving out legions about the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for both himself and the head of Hamas and a few others. The Irish Times described what he said as “he referred to the ICC …
Gender pension gap needs to be addressed
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR New research has revealed that women in Ireland must work an additional eight years to accumulate the same pension pot as their male counterparts. The 2024 Gender Pension Gap Report from Irish Life highlights a significant 36% gap. The report identifies two primary factors contributing to this disparity: salary differences …
Supplements to support your fitness regime
BY CLAIR WHITTY Last week I talked about getting active especially with the bright evenings here now. I mentioned protein and how much we need on a daily basis. The body needs lots of different nutrients to keep support energy, keep your muscles, bones, and joints strong and healthy so that you can achieve your …
Checking in on the future of our tourism industry
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR The tourism sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry and biggest regional employer with up to 254,000 people working in hospitality businesses. Its estimated that €5.3 billion,, excluding fares was spent by international visitors to the country last year with North America the biggest ‘single source’ market. The industry has demonstrated …
Asylum: why are we playing a game of drones?
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON No prizes for naming the main issues raised on the doorsteps in the run up to the local and European elections: asylum seekers and housing. But International Protection Applicants get caught in the negative crosshairs when the crisis in immigration policy and the illogical way we think about …





