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November 3 — November 16, 2017
Affairs of the Nation
HALAWA: THE FRENCH CONNECTION
FOLLOWING Ibrahim Halawa’s release from a Cairo prison last week the government’s Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) and Iveagh House diplomats carried out a self congratulatory blitz on the media that... Read more »
Brian Kingham goes to court
WHAT A surprise to see the name of Brian Kingham surface as one of two parties (along with Blessington Sailing Club) taking a High Court challenge against Wicklow County Council... Read more »
Lucy Gaffney’s selfie
US SINGER, record producer and all-round internet phenomenon DJ Khaled is a rather well-known character, at least among the yoof. But his popularity clearly extends across the generations, which must... Read more »
Sponsored Content
Ireland’s Economic Moment: Ibec Calls for Bold Action Ahead of Election
IBEC, the group representing Irish businesses, believes that Ireland’s current economic strength offers a generational opportunity for the next government to address barriers to growth and tackle areas that... Read more »
Kerry’s Hack
GER COLLERAN has been editor and managing director of the Irish Daily Star and was at various times tipped to be editor of the Sunday Independent, Irish Independent and the... Read more »
RORY GODSON’S ADVENTURES
WHAT an exciting, not to say dangerous, sequence of events Powerscourt PR boss Rory Godson endured last month in just 48 hours. On October 12, Godson hosted a private dinner... Read more »
STUDIO SEQUELS
AFTER BUYING the defunct Galway Airport at Carnmore in June 2014, Galway city and county councils sought views, commissioned reports and generally agonised over what to do with the place.... Read more »
LYNSEY McGOVERN’S AMBITIONS
LAST MONTH, Lynsey McGovern, independent councillor in the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown constituency, tweeted: “Great to see real progress made in healthcare.” It was in reply to a post from Leo... Read more »
Demolition Job
A JUDGMENT mortgage has been registered against Slaneygio Ltd, a company controlled by some members of the wealthy Germaine family of Baltinglass, Co Wicklow. The plaintiff was a barrister, Elaine... Read more »
Pillars of Society
Profile: Emily Logan
CHIEF Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) Emily Logan recently made the most forthright statement on abortion at the Oireachtas... Read more »
The Young Bloods
Young Blood: Stefanie Preissner
WRITER Stefanie Preissner (29) is everywhere these days. The Cork woman is having a moment after the success of her RTÉ series Can’t Cope,... Read more »
Protecting Your Wealth with Merrion Gold
Used to store value and as currency for thousands of years, gold has consistently provided long-term returns for investors looking to protect their wealth. In recent years, many have... Read more »
Fit to Print?
DENIS O’BRIEN TO THE ‘RESCUE’
TWO Sundays ago, Sunday Independent hack Liam Collins suggested that Independent News & Media’s new chief executive, Michael Doorly, should bid for the Irish Examiner. There is no way a... Read more »
JOHN CONCANNON STRIKES BACK
MICHEÁL MARTIN has been accused of making too much of Leo Varadkar’s Strategic Communications Unit (SCU) as a €5m propaganda machine for Fine Gael in government. Even Martin’s internal party... Read more »
Last Refuge
VARADKAR WHIPS RINGER INTO LINE
HAVING finally made it into cabinet as rural affairs minister, Michael Ring has become disillusioned to the point of rebellion against his new leader and Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar. Reports have... Read more »
MICHAEL McDOWELL GIRDS HIS LOINS
SEANAD leader, Fine Gael’s Jerry Buttimer, was quick to point out to the House that Michael McDowell had recently circulated a full colour brochure in the Dublin Bay South (DBS)... Read more »
TERRY LEYDEN’S DYNASTY BID
SENATOR Terry Leyden (aka El Tel) is busy master minding what he describes as the saving of the single Fianna Fáil seat – held by Eugene Murphy TD – in... Read more »
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor In your edition (20th October) you suggested that I have “flitted around the Left, including Sinn Féin, in recent years but always settled back into the Labour camp”.... Read more »
Little Confidence
MICHEÁL MARTIN and the Fianna Fáil leadership have become increasingly anxious to reassure Fine Gael ministers that the party will adhere to the confidence and supply accord for years to... Read more »
Bog Cuttings
Rat-arsed chef GETS INTO hot water A DRUNK chef jumped into a Galway canal to rescue his pet rat which had escaped from his pocket. Gardaí called to the scene... Read more »
Fowl Emissions
UNCONSTITUTIONAL CLIMATE
WHEN ALL else fails, take them to court. Yet again, it falls to the poorly supported, barely solvent environmental NGO sector to try to force the state to do its... Read more »
Bird's Eye View
GROUNDHOG DEADLINES
TO NO ONE’S surprise the DUP and Sinn Féin sailed through northern secretary James Brokenshire’s sixth “deadline” last Monday night. Many people thought Brokenshire’s predecessor Theresa Villiers – sacked after... Read more »
Wigs on the Green
SUPREME COURT GALA PERFORMANCE
CHIEF JUSTICE Frank Clarke and most of his peers turned in an impressively choreographed performance for the cameras last week in the historic first-ever televised sitting of the courts. M’luds... Read more »
The Hot Air Brigade
We were uncouth; we were like wild beasts. We didn’t know how to pose for a photo, we were only there at events for the free booze. You’re judged now... Read more »
High Society
CROWDING OUT CASTLETOWN HOUSE
THESE ARE anxious times at the impressive 18th century Castletown House in Co Kildare, birthplace of Arthur Guinness. A proposed controversial large scale property development, linked to a planned new... Read more »
AIDAN O’BRIEN’S NEXT RECORD
THERE WAS, not surprisingly, acres of copy churned out praising the impressive feat achieved by racehorse trainer Aidan O’Brien last weekend when he broke the world record for the number... Read more »
Innovating Wellness with Cutting-Edge Technology
Eden One, Dublin’s premier health club and spa located on Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, is an elite destination redefining wellness. It seamlessly integrates cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art equipment, and meticulously curated... Read more »
Behind the Scenes
John McAuliffe’s broadside
FANS OF Goldhawk will not have been too surprised by the attack on culture minister Heather Humphreys and her Creative Ireland programme, penned by Arts Council member John McAuliffe in... Read more »
Selina Cartmell’s Good News
WITH the Gate Theatre’s new director, Selina Cartmell, now well ensconced in her office, the good news is that the financial picture looks rosy. Certainly, her predecessor Michael Colgan has... Read more »
HANDOUT TIME AT THE IRISH FILM BOARD
WHILE THE global film business focuses on Harvey Weinstein’s unmasking, it was business as usual at Annie Doona’s Irish Film Board (IFB) where the third quarter of 2017 favours have... Read more »
Sport of Kings
Sean Mulryan’s partner
AS SEAN MULRYAN gradually increases his re-involvement in racing, it is interesting to note that he is helping to boost Horse Racing Ireland’s new ownership figures by pulling in some... Read more »
ELLIOTT OUTPACES MULLINS
WILLIE MULLINS is going through a rare quiet spell at the moment and his chief rival, Gordon Elliott, is certainly taking full advantage of the champion trainer’s (presumably) brief slump.... Read more »
BRENDAN DUKE’S BAD NEWS
AFTER a few turbulent years, things had been going swimmingly in recent months for Curragh trainer Brendan Duke but all of sudden he finds himself on the backfoot. Duke benefits... Read more »
Reviews
POSTCARDS FROM THE LEDGE – GAIETY THEATRE
WHEN THE curtain rises on the latest Ross O’Carroll Kelly play, the ‘Ledge’ stands in front of a tiny derelict house, and describes it in estate agents’ fluffy marketing-speak: a... Read more »
Books
THE WARRIOR’S CODE – JACKIE TYRRELL (TRINITY MIRROR)
JACKIE TYRRELL is selfish. That’s not Goldhawk’s assessment, it’s Tyrrell’s own. On no fewer than 12 occasions in his new autobiography does he make this assertion, and it’s hard not... Read more »
Roddy Doyle’s ‘Smile’
THROUGHOUT his successful writing career, Roddy Doyle has been associated mostly with candid depictions of Irish family life, energetic prose and vernacular dialogue. His latest novel addresses the very familiar... Read more »
Moneybags
Kingspan’s share price at highrise levels
THE GRENFELL apartment block disaster in London earlier this year highlighted the importance of building facades from a safety point of view. Some Kingspan insulation material was used in the... Read more »
Profits at Goffs galloping ahead
EIMEAR MULHERN – the late Charlie Haughey’s daughter and wife of the late John Mulhern – has been chair of Goffs for over a decade. Her chief executive is Henry... Read more »
Gold Surges to New Heights: Why Now is the Time to Invest
“PRICE OF gold bar hits $1m for the first time!” This was one of the many striking headlines last month, soon followed by “A gold bar is now worth... Read more »
The Hot Water Brigade
Jay Bourke’s latest judgment
HARD luck to Goldhawk’s old pal Jay Bourke who has just had a hefty judgment registered against him by the taxman. It comes hot on the heels of a recent... Read more »
Niall Harbison’s Manchester moves
CONGRATULATIONS to Goldhawk’s old pal Niall Harbison whose Lovin media group is continuing its social media expansion. Harbo’s lifestyle outfit is in the process of setting up franchises in far-flung... Read more »
Paul Stenson’s mixed results
THE company behind thin-skinned social media personality Paul Stenson’s Charleville Lodge hotel in Dublin 7 has just filed a revealing set of accounts. Stenson is the manager of the popular... Read more »
Ian Lucey’s latest row
INTERESTING to see that Blackrock businessman Ian Lucey’s Lucey Technology Ltd has been hit with another judgment by a creditor. Lucey Technology is the serial entrepreneur’s investment company, which funds... Read more »
Hammond Lane’s metal fatigue
HAMMOND Lane Metal Company Ltd (HLM), the Dublin-based subsidiary of metal-recycling operation Clearway Disposal, is having its mettle tested. The company filed its annual accounts recently and the details will... Read more »
Bryan Wixted’s medical problem
SPARE a thought for Bryan Wixted whose DMC Medical Ltd is facing a winding up petition in the High Court courtesy of a creditor, Deal Partners Logistics Ltd. DMC is... Read more »
Hotel hangover for the Creaven brothers
HARD luck to Galway hoteliers John and Joseph Creaven who were landed with matching tax judgments for €100,000 last month. The pair owned the well-known Hayden’s Hotel in Ballinasloe with... Read more »
Lifeline Ambulance Service Leading in Patient Care
Lifeline Ambulance Service holds the position of the second-largest ambulance provider in the state. Established in 1998 by CEO David Hall, Lifeline operates from 11 different bases nationwide, with... Read more »
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ROSEMARY COLEMAN’S SKINCARE EDIT
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MICHAEL WALL’S BAD REVIEW
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DUKE DELIVERS
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PADDY LOU’S LOLLY
EARLIER this month (see The Phoenix 9/8/24), when no 2024 quarterly ...
GETTING UP FOR DOWN UNDER
RICH RICCI’S rarely seen bonce got an outing at York when the ...
BREEZE DOWNS?
BRENDAN ‘BLARNEY’ Holland of Grove Stud – the newly elected chairman of ...