Affairs of the Nation

Bono

Affairs of the Nation

BONO: IRELAND’S SECRET WEAPON

THE embarrassing gimmick of a Bono concert in New York to support Ireland’s bid for a United Nations Security Council seat must have had diplomats from Canada and Norway, Ireland’s... Read more »
David Hall

Affairs of the Nation

DAVID HALL’S PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS

INTERESTING to see the name of David Hall thrown into the presidential election ring. The high profile mortgage activist appears to have already kick-started his campaign, with the rhetoric turned... Read more »
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Affairs of the Nation

MILITANT BLUESHIRTS

MICHEÁL MARTIN knows well that if he does refuse Leo Varadkar’s latest offer – a two-year free pass for Fine Gael – then Vlad may decide to call an election... Read more »

Affairs of the Nation

Sean Gallagher

Affairs of the Nation

SEAN GALLAGHER’S COMEBACK

HAVING gone through the seven stages of grief at the presidency being snatched from him via RTÉ’S Tweetgate in 2011 – anger at RTÉ, suing RTÉ, damages and apology from... Read more »

Affairs of the Nation

JOHN ARKINS’S ADVERSARIES

A NEWS report of a contretemps involving John Arkins of the Irish Film Workers Association (IFWA) at Ardmore Studios last week no doubt reflects the fallout from the union’s appearance... Read more »
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Affairs of the Nation

NIALL MELLON’S TAX BILL

SPARE A thought for philanthropist and one time Celtic Tiger poster boy Niall Mellon, who has just managed to fall foul of the Revenue. These days, Mellon is pretty much... Read more »
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Affairs of the Nation

MARK BURKE’S HOLIDAY MAKERS

THOSE HAPLESS holiday makers stranded on the Black Sea coast last weekend after the collapse of a travel agency represent the latest setback for Santry-based businessman Mark Burke Burke is... Read more »
Dr Michael Smurfit

Affairs of the Nation

MICHAEL SMURFIT’S BEDSIDE MEDIA

THE LAST fortnight has seen Michael Smurfit’s name bandied about in the High Court where he faced demands for him to be sub-poenaed in the case that has heard a... Read more »
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Affairs of the Nation

SLASHING AT THE IRISH TIMES

LAST WEEK The Irish Times reported on its own 2016 accounts, claiming a “€2m profit in a challenging market”. The actual story was rather different and there was yet more... Read more »

Pillars of Society

Shane Ross

Pillars of Society

PROFILE: SHANE ROSS

WILL Fianna Fáil be provoked into a general election by Leo Varadkar? If not, will Fine Gael go to the country without a contrived... Read more »

The Young Bloods

Laura Kennedy

The Young Bloods

YOUNG BLOOD: LAURA KENNEDY

SOCIAL MEDIA buzzed last week with the news that Irish Times philosopher princess Laura Kennedy had interviewed Canadian psychologist and transatlantic self-promoter extraordinaire Jordan... Read more »

Fit to Print?

Gemma O’Doherty

Fit to Print?

ICONIC HACK GEMMA O’DOHERTY

GEMMA O’DOHERTY has become a media icon for some and she is regularly referred to as one of Ireland’s foremost investigative journalists. Or, as she explains on her website: “Gemma... Read more »
Diageo Dana An Garda Síochána IT Trust No Stone Unturned Irish Times Black Friday Vicky Conway

Fit to Print?

BLACK MARK FOR IRISH TIMES

MEDIA EFFORTS to portray July 12 celebrations in the north as happy clappy family affairs are perennial, especially in The Irish Times which depicted this year’s re-enactment of the Battle... Read more »
Liam Kavanagh

Fit to Print?

SMOOTH TALK AT THE IRISH TIMES

THE nervous souls at the Irish Examiner and Evening Echo were treated to a soothing session from managing director Liam Kavanagh and IT editor Paul O’Neill recently on foot of... Read more »

Last Refuge

John McGuinness

Last Refuge

FIANNA FAIL FLEES VULTURE FUNDS

EXTRAORDINARY scenes occurred in the Dáil chamber recently when outspoken Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness rose to introduce his private members’ bill, the Affordable Housing and Fair Mortgage Bill 2018,... Read more »
Nial Ring

Last Refuge

THE REBEL MAYOR NIAL RING

NEWLY elected Lord Mayor of Dublin Nial Ring was a perfect gent when hosting royal couple Harry and Meghan in Dublin’s Docklands recently. Minutes earlier the pair had been subjected... Read more »
Ged Nash

Last Refuge

HOWLIN’S HOPEFULS

LABOUR leader Brendan Howlin laid out his candidate stall recently, naming nine contestants that would sweep into the Dáil at the next election. There are those – in Labour and... Read more »
Catherine Noone

Last Refuge

DUBLIN FINE GAEL POLL SURGE

ONE reason why some Fine Gael ministers want to force a general election is that their own polls say the party is riding higher than those commissioned by the media.... Read more »

Hush Hush

Gerry Adams

Hush Hush

GERRY ADAMS AND STOREY ATTACKS

REVELATIONS in the recent British House of Lords report on police use of underage CHIS (covert human intelligence sources) is directly relevant to recent events in the north, including attacks... Read more »
Ian Paisley

Hush Hush

IAN PAISLEY’S AGENDA

WHEN Ian Paisley told an unnamed Sri Lankan government official over a lavish dinner in 2013 that he had useful contacts in the global oil industry, the cost of the... Read more »

Student Life

Ciara 'Jo' Hanlon

Student Life

LIMERICK STUDENTS DITCH ‘UNION’

THOSE most sensible student politicians at the University of Limerick have decided to rebrand their union (ULSU) in a bid to increase engagement. A spectacular row has ensued with scholars,... Read more »

Bog Cuttings

Bog Cuttings

Bog Cuttings

BOG CUTTINGS

Garda got a pizza her mind A WOMAN who threw a full pizza at a garda has been fined in court. Amanda Murphy (26) of Oak Grove, Millfield, in Buncrana... Read more »

Fowl Emissions

Vladimir Putin

Fowl Emissions

SEAN KYNE AND PUTIN

WHEN Donegal Independent TD Thomas Pringle’s Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill passed its final stage in the Dáil earlier this month, headlines around the world feted little old Ireland for again... Read more »
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Fowl Emissions

PUTIN’S ECO AGENDA

DONALD TRUMP said last week he didn’t see “any reason why” Russia would have interfered in the 2016 US presidential election – before clarifying that he meant to say the... Read more »

Bird's Eye View

Bonfire night, July 11

Bird's Eye View

NORTHERN POLICE FORCE BIAS

OVER the July 12 period, six consecutive nights of attacks terrorised the tiny unionist ghetto on the Foyle’s Cityside called the Fountain. Youths and children, some as young as eight,... Read more »

The Hot Air Brigade

Una Mullally

The Hot Air Brigade

THE HOT AIR BRIGADE

Great to chat with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, about Repeal and the importance of her feminist activism. So important to have people in her position championing women’s rights. Total... Read more »

High Society

High Society

Jenifer Matuschka

High Society

JENIFER VON MATUSCHKA’S SURVIVAL KIT

THE LATEST addition to the board of worthies who make up the Irish Historic Houses Association (IHHA) is Jenifer Grafin von Matuschka of Moone... Read more »

High Society

Consuelo O’Connor

High Society

ADRIAN FITZGIBBONS’S ISLAND

FORMER FINANCIER Adrian Fitzgibbon, who lives with his wife Deborah in Rathgar, D6, has also spent a lot of time on his island off... Read more »

High Society

Mark and Karl Slattery

High Society

KARL SLATTERY’S GAMBLE

WITH INVESTMENT in horseracing on the up again following a huge retreat by the moneybags during the downturn, one family taking a punt is the Slattery family, which is behind... Read more »

Behind the Scenes

Monica Spencer

Behind the Scenes

MONICA SPENCER’S LATEST ADDITIONS

AFTER a short break in spending, the Arts Council has been adding to its sprawling collection with the purchase of 11 new artworks from eight artists. Presumably in an effort... Read more »
Susan Bergin Marlowe Mullingar Film Studio RTÉ Self-Employment

Behind the Scenes

RUTH McGOWAN’S FLEXIBILITY

WHILE THE Dublin Theatre Festival has had difficulties offstage with the Arts Council, which cut this year’s funding by €25,000 to €825,000, Ruth McGowan et al at the Dublin Fringe... Read more »
Colin Teevan

Behind the Scenes

MORE MOOLAH FOR ‘REBELLION’ MARK II

THE TAXPAYERS’ latest handouts to Irish TV and film producers, for the April-June period, is the usual exercise in opacity because the Revenue is barred from revealing how much each... Read more »

Sport of Kings

Seamie Heffernan

Sport of Kings

TARGETING SEAMIE HEFFERNAN

A RIDER who felt the venom of keyboard warriors recently was Seamie Heffernan when Coral Beach, trained by his boss Aidan O’Brien, was beaten by a nose at Fairyhouse earlier... Read more »
Dermot Weld

Sport of Kings

CAN WELD BOUNCE BACK AT GALWAY?

WITH GALWAY on the horizon and the economy on the up, the skies around Ballybrit are likely to resemble Vietnam with the constant hum of choppers. On the racing front... Read more »
Brendan Duke Adrian Murray Mick Bailey

Sport of Kings

JOOSTE’S ONGOING OFFLOADS

MARKUS JOOSTE, the South African busted tycoon who was welcomed into the Coolmore fold some years ago, continues to dissolve his bloodstock interests, following the accounting scandal that forced him... Read more »
Matt Mitchell

Sport of Kings

MATT MiTCHELL’S LONG RACE

INCOMING Tattersalls Ireland chief executive Matt Mitchell knows all about the ups and downs of mergers and acquisitions. Having been the casualty of one in the past, he has come... Read more »

Moneybags

Moneybags

Alan Walsh

Moneybags

ALAN WALSH NOW HAS THE DOSH TO GROW IPL

THE FLOTATION of IPL Plastics (IPLP) on the Toronto Stock Exchange along with the issuing of new shares to raise fresh capital of $178m... Read more »

Moneybags

Dennis Francis

Moneybags

TIME TO PULL THE PLUG ON PETRONEFT’S RUSSIAN DISASTER

PETRONEFT has been one of the biggest disasters on the Irish Stock Exchange, with its shares going from a high of U0.90 in January... Read more »

Brief Cases

Globe House

Brief Cases

ASYLUM MILLIONAIRE’S VULTURE WOES

A VULTURE fund has swooped on a company linked to moneybags asylum centre operator Seamus Gillen. Goldman Sachs subsidiary Beltany has just appointed Deloitte’s Peter Allen as receiver to Mid... Read more »
The Century Bar

Brief Cases

PAT KERLEY’S SOUR DISH

SPARE a thought for veteran Dundalk restaurateur Pat Kerley whose company Quaglino’s Ltd has just collapsed into liquidation. This is the entity behind the restaurant of the same name, as... Read more »
Angela Farrell

Brief Cases

ANGELA FARRELL’S ‘VICTORIAN TIME WARP’

SIGHS of relief were practically audible from Blackhall Place last April when bankrupt former solicitor Angela Farrell’s application to be reinstated to the Roll of Solicitors was struck out. High... Read more »
Daniel Kickham

Brief Cases

DAN KICKHAM’S UPS AND DOWNS

IT’S BEEN a bit of a mixed bag of late for Datapac founder and chief executive Dan Kickham. The serial entrepreneur’s successful IT services company secured new contracts worth €5.5m... Read more »
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Brief Cases

MAXWELLS’ TIMELY SNAP

THE government’s go-to photographers had a narrow escape last week. Drumcondra outfit Maxwell Photography Ltd, co-owned by brothers Tony and Mark Maxwell, was listed for striking off the company’s register... Read more »
Abbeyfield Hotel

Brief Cases

PAUL COLLINS’S LOST CONTRACT

INTERESTING to see the Department of Justice has decided not to renew its contract with the Abbeyfield Hotel in Ballaghaderreen to house Syrian refugees. The loss of the contract is... Read more »
Patrick Enright

Brief Cases

PATRICK ENRIGHT BACK IN BUSINESS

CONGRATULATIONS to Kerry solicitor Patrick Enright, who had a stellar result in the High Court recently. Fans of Goldhawk will recall that the Castleisland legal eagle was struck off the... Read more »
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Brief Cases

LAST ORDERS AT THE GOLDEN GRILL

BAD news for the northwest as legendary Donegal nightclub and music venue The Grill had a receiver appointed to it recently. Seaconview DAC has just installed Declan McDonald of PwC... Read more »
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Brief Cases

MICHAEL HEALY-RAE’S PITTANCE

GOLDHAWK had a glance at the scheme of arrangement that was put in place earlier this year at Kerry engineering outfit Denis Moriarty The Kerries Ltd (DMTK). The company —... Read more »