Affairs of the Nation

Mairead McGuinness

Affairs of the Nation

SEE NO ARMY, SPEAK NO ARMY

ANGELA MERKEL’S visit to Dublin underlines the EU’s determination to protect its borders, but this is only part of Germany and France’s strategy of post-Brexit EU integration, something that involves... Read more »
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Affairs of the Nation

AIRBNB’S POLITICAL TARGETS

THE rejection by Dublin City Council last week of Friends First’s planning application for the change of use of its city centre property to short-term letting represents the latest setback... Read more »
Peter Casey

Affairs of the Nation

PETER CASEY’S RETREAT

PETER CASEY’S proposed reversion to the European elections rather than the Dáil has more to do with headlong retreat from Donegal than any gap left by Marian Harkin in the... Read more »

Affairs of the Nation

Eleanor O'Mahony

Affairs of the Nation

TCD BUGGING BACKLASH

A FORTNIGHT’S a long time in student politics. Just two weeks ago, The University Times (UT) —newspaper of Trinity College’s Student Union (SU) — was raising eyebrows over its role... Read more »
Tony O'Reilly

Affairs of the Nation

INM-IRISH TIMES LINK-UP

IRISH TIMES media commentator, Laura Slattery, went through Independent News & Media’s (INM) business and editorial plan with a chainsaw this week, even suggesting that “INM may no longer be... Read more »
Boris Johnson

Affairs of the Nation

COOPERATION IRELAND AND DUP

COOPERATION IRELAND receives by far the greatest stipend yearly from the Reconciliation Fund, which in turn is bankrolled by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). But the political... Read more »

Pillars of Society

James Flynn

Pillars of Society

PROFILE: JAMES FLYNN

A GRIPPING legal drama returns to the schedules this month, when German lawyer-turned-movie maker Winfried ‘Winni’ Hammacher goes head to head with two of... Read more »

The Young Bloods

Ruairí Ó Murchú

The Young Bloods

YOUNG BLOOD: RUAIRÍ Ó MURCHÚ

The largely unknown Dundalk councillor, Ruairí Ó Murchú, will attempt to replace the rather well-known former Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams, as TD in... Read more »

Fit to Print?

Robert Pitt

Fit to Print?

INM ‘HACKERS’ FOR HIGH COURT

INDEPENDENT NEWS & MEDIA’S (INM) legal and corporate strategy is clear from the decision to take High Court action against former chief executive, Robert Pitt, following a similar action against... Read more »
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Fit to Print?

INM EXITERS

VETERAN EDITOR, Colm MacGinty, has just exited from the Sunday World and is to be followed this month by Sunday Independent executive editor (operations) Campbell Spray. Both were mould breakers... Read more »
Jeremy Corbyn

Fit to Print?

CORBYN AND JIMMY SAVILE

A FRISSON ran through the RTÉ newsroom shortly after 7am last Thursday, following the usual Morning Ireland slot, It Says in the Papers by John S Doyle. Doyle described the... Read more »

Last Refuge

Mark Durkan

Last Refuge

GOODBYE MUIRSHEEN DURKAN?

FINE GAEL’S supposed coup in recruiting former SDLP leader, Mark ‘Muirsheen’ Durkan, as their Dublin Euro candidate looks like bombing, despite Leo Varadkar’s initial hubris in putting one over on... Read more »
Noel Rock

Last Refuge

KEEPING UP WITH NOEL ROCK

IT’S NOT often that a backbench TD makes three of his own party’s government ministers, including the Taoiseach, look foolish and out of touch, but Fine Gael Tory boy, Noel... Read more »
Alice Mary Higgins

Last Refuge

LEFT, LEFT AND LEFT AGAIN

THREE OF the four Dublin EU seats are predictable with Fine Gael’s Frances Fitzgerald, Fianna Fail’s Barry Andrews and Sinn Féin’s Lynn Boylan widely expected to win out. But the... Read more »
Anne Rabbitte

Last Refuge

RUN RABBITTE RUN FOR DÁIL AND EU

RUNNING TWO candidates in the Midlands-North-West (MNW) European constituency in 2014 split the Fianna Fail vote (between Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher and Thomas Byrne), causing no little angst and recrimination... Read more »

Hush Hush

Martin McGuinness

Hush Hush

BRIT SPOOKS IN THE REPUBLIC

THE MEDIA’S gullible lionising of ex-British Army under cover operative, ‘Sean Hartnett’ (not his real name) and his second book, Client Confidential, shows a remarkable willingness to sanction much dubious... Read more »

Bog Cuttings

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Bog Cuttings

BOG CUTTINGS

Garda was no hurler on the ditch “IT WASN’T a swim job. It was a paddle job,” said Judge Patrick Durcan at Kilrush District Court upon hearing of local man... Read more »

Fowl Emissions

Brid Smith

Fowl Emissions

REVOLVING DOORS

As the saga of Brid Smith’s Climate Emergency Measures Bill – to ban new oil and gas exploration licences – drags on, Goldhawk has been perusing the lobbying register (www.lobbying.ie).... Read more »
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Fowl Emissions

RICHARD BRUTON’S TO DO LIST

When Enda Kenny set up the Citizens’ Assembly in 2016, it was to be an exercise in democracy, or perhaps in can-kicking. It wasn’t meant to change much. Three years... Read more »

Bird's Eye View

Jeffrey Donaldson

Bird's Eye View

GREEN ALLIGATORS AND UNICORNS

‘Unicorn’ has become a popular word recently to describe Brexiteers in England who, in desperation, spot mythical creatures like German car manufacturers opposing the EU’s Withdrawal Agreement so as to... Read more »

Clerical Errors

Eamon Casey

Clerical Errors

BISHOP CASEY TO BE REINTERRED?

ANGER OVER fresh allegations of child sexual abuse and other improprieties going back to the 1960s against disgraced former Bishop Eamonn Casey have been ramped up by his ex-lover, Annie... Read more »
David Quinn

Clerical Errors

DAVID QUINN’S POLITICAL PROBLEM

DAVID QUINN, director of the high profile Catholic advocacy group, the Iona Institute, could find himself having to go to Confession if the Charities Regulator frowns on his call for... Read more »
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Clerical Errors

IONA INSTITUTE’S NEW FACES

WHILE DAVID Quinn has been busy preaching to the converted, his Iona Institute has been on something of a recruitment drive and has just added four new directors to its... Read more »

The Hot Air Brigade

Kate O’Connell

The Hot Air Brigade

THE HOT AIR BRIGADE

It’s not nimbyism, it’s simply appealing for a more considered, sensible solution within our existing built heritage. Fine Gael TD and Rathgar resident Kate O’Connell on objections to a proposed... Read more »

High Society

High Society

Elizabeth Oakes

High Society

LIZ OAKES’S EYEBROWS

AS BUSINESS ideas go, eco friendly water-based cremation is one certain to provoke interest. The woman behind the plan to bring this technology to... Read more »

High Society

Consuelo O’Connor

High Society

CIARÁN MURRAY’S HOUSES

IT WAS pointed out in The Irish Times recently that former Icon plc boss Ciarán Murray and his wife, Denise Ronan, managed to purchase... Read more »

High Society

Lisselan House

High Society

SPRING CLEAN AT LISSELAN HOUSE

A YEAR after Colette Twomey – the woman behind Clonakilty Black Pudding – snapped up the splendid Lisselan House outside Clonakilty, Co Cork, the company that previously operated the sprawling... Read more »

Behind the Scenes

Barbara Dawson

Behind the Scenes

BARBARA DAWSON’S PLAN

IT’S SLOW ahead at the Hugh Lane Gallery, where director Barbara Dawson and her board are looking to implement a rather ambitious strategy. Big bucks will be needed, but as... Read more »
Josepha Madigan

Behind the Scenes

JOSEPHA’S BURSARIES MK II

THIS MONTH, applications close for the ‘Markievicz bursaries’ (mark II) and it promises to be pretty competitive given that the potential field has doubled in size. What is interesting about... Read more »
Mel Gibson

Behind the Scenes

THE TAXMAN COMETH… EVENTUALLY

BACK IN November 2014, Goldhawk put a few queries to Revenue as the country’s film luvvies were wishing farewell to the old ‘investor’ form of Section 481 tax relief while... Read more »

Sport of Kings

Jim Bolger

Sport of Kings

BOLGER’S BLAST OFF

NAAS RACECOURSE welcomed the Irish flat season back recently and while there was the usual domination by the ‘establishment’, there were also examples of how the ordinary punter can mix... Read more »
James Gough

Sport of Kings

HEAVY GOING AT AIRO AGM

THE ASSOCIATION of Irish Racehorse Owners (AIRO) held their AGM last week, and the going was far from good. There could be changes afoot here. The beleaguered association, run by... Read more »
Brendan Duke Adrian Murray Mick Bailey

Sport of Kings

RICH RICCI’S PR COUP

RICH RICCI has pulled off something of a PR coup after personally teaming up with BetVictor to honour antepost bets that had been voided as a result of the £15m... Read more »
Mick O'Leary

Sport of Kings

MICK O’LEARY’S CAST OFFS

MICK O’LEARY has never been one to miss a marketing opportunity in his professional life and it looks like his racing arm will exploit an interesting angle in the build... Read more »

Moneybags

Moneybags

Peter Jackson

Moneybags

PADDY POWER’S US BET MAY NOT PAY OFF

AFTER PEAKING at a crazy €136 back in February 2016, it has been a pretty bumpy ride at Paddy Power Betfair (PPB), especially for... Read more »

Moneybags

Gavin Slark

Moneybags

WILL GRAFTON TAKE OUT CRH’S EUROPEAN BUSINESS?

SINCE TAKING over as CEO at Grafton Group in 2011, Gavin Slark has too partially fulfilled former boss Mike Chadwick’s ambition to lessen the... Read more »

Briefcases

Roger O’Sullivan

Briefcases

O’SULLIVAN’S DAMAGED FLEET

SPARE A thought for Roger O’Sullivan and his scuppered hospitality, catering and tourism vehicle, Ignition, which is being wound up. The group was based in the Galway seaside village of... Read more »
Ciaran Desmond

Briefcases

DESMOND’S MANY TALENTS

THE LEGAL eagle at the centre of a high profile court case – featuring allegations that Nolan Transport was defrauded of €7m – has had trouble before. Goldhawk can reveal... Read more »
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Briefcases

PEEL AVIATION’S CRASH LANDING

INTERESTING TO spot a High Court winding up petition last week in relation to a company called Peel Aviation Ltd. It has taken the petitioners almost two years to get... Read more »
Peter Charleton

Briefcases

PHILIP DORAN’S LOAN

THE SUPREME Court has sent a near ten year legal dust-up back to the High Court. The dispute between plaintiff, Damien Stapleton, and defendant, Phillip Doran, revolves around €300,000 loaned... Read more »
Jay Bourke

Briefcases

JAY’S FIRE REGULATIONS

Goldhawk’s old friend Jay Bourke has been in the news again. His new bar, Penny Lane, didn’t open as planned last week after failing to comply with fire regulations. Regular... Read more »
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Briefcases

TAX BILL FOR CIVIL SERVANTS

SPARE a thought for Deirdre Costello and Catriona Kelly who were hit with judgments of €110,000 each by the dreaded taxman. The pair have the same address at Lea Road,... Read more »
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Briefcases

SAILING FOR LABARDIE FISHER

Goldhawk can reveal that the fishermen at the centre of a high profile defamation case have decided to pull in their nets and cash in. The two Cork natives, Leonard... Read more »