Affairs of the Nation

Michelle O'Neill

Affairs of the Nation

SINN FÉIN’S WOES

Mary Lou McDonald is fire-fighting on several fronts: north and south, in the media, the Dáil and the Stormont assembly. But the real battle is in the south. In the... Read more »
Budget Jack Chambers Nicki Minaj B’Tselem Phil Hogan UCD IRTA DIGI Katy Brown Rory Godson Pallonji Mistry Shark Hanlon Frances Ruane Taste of Dublin Listowel Writers’ Week Paddy Curran Harvey Norman Anton Savage Paul Hourican Enda O’Coineen PfP Red C Poll IFTA Ben Gilroy Luke Comer Sue Spence Fingleton Aubrey McCarthy Matt Cooper Parker Green Danny McConnell Gayle Killilea Maura Derivan Ed Honohan INS Arts Council EDAF Emuse Rosslare Golf Club Mairead Casey Colm O’Rourke Stephen Connolly Peter Aiken John Malone Tom Barry Anthony Halpin Ian Kehoe Kevin Bakhurst Geraldine O’Leary Dennis Horgan RUSI Gareth McAllister Ryevale House Joe Macken RUC Omagh Patrick Connolly Paddy Cosgrave The Ditch Newstalk Fake Tan Fred Logue Ian Paisley Sean O’Riordan Margaret Sweeney Jay Bourke Ellie Kisyombe Francesca McDonagh Ted Cunningham National Space Centre An Irish Goodbye Oscar Robert Quirke Ciara Kelly Executive Women Gathering Doug Taylor Florian Haufe Robbie Henshaw Bill Shipsey Breaking the Silence L’Ecrivain Ronan McNally National Lottery Michael Roche Energy Action Balls.ie Newspapers VAT Abbey Theatre Patricia Madden Irish Banking Culture Board Randox Aoife Gallagher Book Dalai Lama Trinity Trevor White RTÉ Chairperson Shane Houlihan Noel Smyth IKC Bob Geldof Landlord Ireland Neutrality Ukraine

Affairs of the Nation

ZUZANA’S ZATISFACTION

CONGRATULATIONS TO Co Waterford developer Shane Houlihan and his American wife, Zuzana Ratajova (previously a senior finance executive at the giant Turner Entertainment group and vice-president at CNN). They have... Read more »
Sue Gray

Affairs of the Nation

A SPOOK NAMED SUE

AS GOLDHAWK commented recently, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recently deposed chief of staff (C/S), the spooky Sue Gray, had become a target for a variety of top Whitehall mandarins... Read more »

Affairs of the Nation

Eoin Drea

Affairs of the Nation

DREARY EU RHETORIC

EOIN DREA wrote in Politico.ie last May that, despite the Ukraine war, “there’s one [EU] member country that won’t be helping to defend Europe any time soon. That country is... Read more »
Mick Smurfit

Affairs of the Nation

IN PRAISE OF SIR MICK

MICK SMURFIT must have been delighted with David Whelan’s gushing Succession documentary on him for RTÉ last week. Goldhawk was disappointed that it missed out on Sir Mick KBE’s most... Read more »
Budget Jack Chambers Nicki Minaj B’Tselem Phil Hogan UCD IRTA DIGI Katy Brown Rory Godson Pallonji Mistry Shark Hanlon Frances Ruane Taste of Dublin Listowel Writers’ Week Paddy Curran Harvey Norman Anton Savage Paul Hourican Enda O’Coineen PfP Red C Poll IFTA Ben Gilroy Luke Comer Sue Spence Fingleton Aubrey McCarthy Matt Cooper Parker Green Danny McConnell Gayle Killilea Maura Derivan Ed Honohan INS Arts Council EDAF Emuse Rosslare Golf Club Mairead Casey Colm O’Rourke Stephen Connolly Peter Aiken John Malone Tom Barry Anthony Halpin Ian Kehoe Kevin Bakhurst Geraldine O’Leary Dennis Horgan RUSI Gareth McAllister Ryevale House Joe Macken RUC Omagh Patrick Connolly Paddy Cosgrave The Ditch Newstalk Fake Tan Fred Logue Ian Paisley Sean O’Riordan Margaret Sweeney Jay Bourke Ellie Kisyombe Francesca McDonagh Ted Cunningham National Space Centre An Irish Goodbye Oscar Robert Quirke Ciara Kelly Executive Women Gathering Doug Taylor Florian Haufe Robbie Henshaw Bill Shipsey Breaking the Silence L’Ecrivain Ronan McNally National Lottery Michael Roche Energy Action Balls.ie Newspapers VAT Abbey Theatre Patricia Madden Irish Banking Culture Board Randox Aoife Gallagher Book Dalai Lama Trinity Trevor White RTÉ Chairperson Shane Houlihan Noel Smyth IKC Bob Geldof Landlord Ireland Neutrality Ukraine

Affairs of the Nation

EAMON MARRAY’S SILK ROAD

CONGRATULATIONS TO commercial barrister Eamon Marray, who got the thumbs-up earlier this month to ‘take silk’, joining the ranks of the handsomely remunerated senior counsel who populate the Law Library.... Read more »
Jeroen Proos

Affairs of the Nation

HUMAN + UNKIND

VISITORS TO the website for the vegan, cruelty-free cosmetics brand Human + Kind might not notice a single sentence at the end of the home page that refers to the... Read more »
Margaret Thatcher

Affairs of the Nation

THATCHER’S IRON PRINCIPLES

IN THE last edition of The Phoenix, Goldhawk reported how three former Irish diplomats had rallied to defend the reputation of the late Robert Armstrong, Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet secretary. And... Read more »
Kenny Smith

Affairs of the Nation

IRISH ‘ACTIVE CLUBS’

Last October The Phoenix (see edition 20/10/23) detailed the activities of Comhaltas na nGaedheal (CnG), which is a local manifestation of the global network of right-wing combat sports groups or... Read more »
Jim Browne

Affairs of the Nation

JIM BROWNE’S HEALTH CHECK

CHILDREN’S HEALTH Ireland (CHI) – the outfit that runs the paediatric hospitals at Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght – is also closely connected to the development of the controversial €2bn... Read more »

Pillars of Society

Phil Hogan

Pillars of Society

PROFILE: PHIL HOGAN

HE’S BACK. The most driven politician in Ireland – former EU commissioner Phil Hogan – has returned from Brussels to a crucial, albeit backstage... Read more »

The Young Bloods

Shane Moynihan

The Young Bloods

YOUNG BLOOD: SHANE MOYNIHAN

WITH FIANNA Fáil still hovering on a disappointing 15% poll rating in Dublin, the party is desperate to find extra seats and is placing... Read more »

Fit to Print?

Keir Starmer

Fit to Print?

BRIT SPIES TARGET RUSSIAN SPIES

THE SUNDAY TIMES has over-reached itself with that story about a Putin “agent in the Oireachtas”. Stories about the use of a honeytrap – “a striking looking female agent (used)... Read more »
Jackie Goodall

Fit to Print?

ISRAEL’S ALLIES

ISRAELI DIPLOMATS and PR spinners are aghast at the Irish response to the carnage in Gaza but they may have been pleasantly surprised at the benign treatment their state and... Read more »

Last Refuge

Ivana Bacik

Last Refuge

KATE O’CONNELL’S INDEPENDENT GAMBLE

FINE GAEL handlers are being stingy with the truth when they claim that Kate O’Connell was not asked to run for the party at the upcoming general election in Dublin... Read more »
Mary Lou McDonald

Last Refuge

MARY LOU NOT NOW IN FIRING LINE

MARY LOU McDONALD’S leadership is under enormous pressure, according to the media, which is more ferocious even than Government parties in its pursuit of Sinn Féin over TDs Brian Stanley... Read more »
Terry George

Last Refuge

TERRY GEORGE’S PICKET PLOT

THERE WAS consternation among Palestinian solidarity groups in Galway when famed film screenwriter and director Terry George ignored a picket placed on the G hotel, which hosted the World Conference... Read more »
Rossa Fanning

Last Refuge

INFALLIBLE ATTORNEY GENERALS

GOLDHAWK IS not one bit surprised at former foreign minister Simon Coveney’s complaint about a “lack of balanced debate” regarding the Middle East conflict and that it was “driven by... Read more »

Hush Hush

Helen McEntee

Hush Hush

‘FUTURE TERRORISTS’ ALERT

EU authorities have recently reached agreement on when a person should be regarded as a “potential terrorist” or as a “violent extremist threat”. Member states are being encouraged to enter... Read more »

Bog Cuttings

Bog-Cuttings-Defaul

Bog Cuttings

BOG CUTTINGS

DUG A HOLE A man who waved a shovel at gardaí in Cork city centre has been sentenced to three months in jail by Judge Philip O’Leary. Cork District Court... Read more »

Fowl Emissions

Steven Matthews

Fowl Emissions

GREENS’ AN TAISCE PLANNING BILL

“A shameful attack on [An Taisce’s] good work has been massively defeated.” So said Green TD Steven Matthews last week on X, celebrating the defeat of a vindictive bill that... Read more »
Climate Disinformation Coillte Climate Action EU Livestock NDC Claude Etchelamendy Ed Brophy Richard Boyd-Barrett Kish Dale Crammond Frank Mitloehner Shell Greenwashing Meta Data Centres Ireland

Fowl Emissions

MATT COOPER’S HOT AIR

One of the features of our post-truth, Trumpian world is the increasing confidence of some commentators to disregard science, logic and other boring stuff peddled by what one of George... Read more »

The Hot Air Brigade

Paschal Donohoe

The Hot Air Brigade

THE HOT AIR BRIGADE

A budget that is not too hot and not too cold [is an] extremely rare economic achievement. Paschal Donohoe speaking at a Business Post/Davy event We know in the short... Read more »

High Society

High Society

Vincent Crowley

High Society

VINCENT CROWLEY’S COMFY PILE

ONE OF the more impressive properties to come on the market in recent weeks is a 3,700 sq ft redbrick Crampton-built pile on leafy... Read more »

High Society

IHT CHL The Lion in Winter Racing Royalty Le Brocquy City of Troy Fitzwilliam Square AIRO Dermot Smurfit Ballinacarrig Park Club Cosgrave Fitzpatrick Keith Jameson National Gallery Collection Marissa Carter VG Tom Higgins Neil Jordan Laura Bonner Paul Ward Variety Jones Dtat Eathos Sharon Keegan Angela Scanlon Desmond Canouan Bellair Estate Bobby Flay John O’Conor Portrait of Omai Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile Wedding NGI Board Rachel Flynn JP McMahon Ash Quinn Pamela Laird Abdullah Al Naboodah Boundless Ocean

High Society

MARTINA BYRNE’S PR SKILLS

THE BOARD of the National Gallery of Ireland (NGI) is back to its full complement following the appointment by arts minister Catherine Martin of... Read more »

High Society

John Magnier

High Society

SHEIKH MOHAMMED V JOHN MAGNIER

THERE WAS some unexpected evidence at the recent Goffs Book 1 Orby yearling sale of increasing dominance for Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum’s Godolphin operation in its regular head-to-head with John... Read more »

Behind the Scenes

Louise Crowley

Behind the Scenes

CRAWFORD GALLERY’S NEW LOOK

ARTS MINISTER Catherine Martin is seeking to appoint a director to the board of the Crawford Art Gallery (CAG) in Cork but the successful applicant will be arriving immediately after... Read more »
Tailored Films Screen Ireland Perspectives DCCI Crescine Tarka Russell Lara Hickey Reality Check Sarah McInerney Irish Movies Paul Murray Arts Council Dublin Theatre Festival TWU Macdara Kelleher Richard Boyd Barrett DADC Cillian Murphy Terry McMahon Media Commission Ireland Kerlin Gallery Creative Ireland Section 481 Christine O’Donovan RTÉ Storyland NMI Board Vacancies IASCA Ossie Kilkenny RTÉ Original Programmes

Behind the Scenes

BAD BEHAVIOUR

THOSE HOPING for some real nitty-gritty in Susan Liddy and Fergal Rhatigan’s Screen Ireland-funded report for Women In Film & Television Ireland (WFT) – Behind the Scenes: Exploring Harmful Behaviours... Read more »

Sport of Kings

Suzanne Eade

Sport of Kings

CHAMPIONS WEEKEND WOES

WHEN REVIEWING the recent Irish Champions weekend, bookmaker Brian Keenan stated: “I was bored at Leopardstown and I love racing.” Keenan’s sentiments were echoed by his rails colleague, Brian Graham,... Read more »
Ed Dunlop David Dunsdon Sarah Lynam Rebecca May Wayne Hassett Eoin O'Brien Michael Burke Aine O’Connor Ashroe Diamond Thomand O’Mara Peter Keatley Timmy Hyde Coolmore All About Sunday Colin Keane Ronan Whelan JP McManus Jessica Harrington Dundalk Racecourse Paul Hensey Irish National Hunt Horse-racing Doping Paddy Walsh Tom Kelly Suspension

Sport of Kings

JOORABCHIAN FLASHES THE CASH

HIGH-PROFILE football agent Kia Joorabchian hit the headlines at Tattersalls when purchasing the second-highest ever priced yearling at the sale for a whopping 4,400,000 gns. The Frankel filly was acquired... Read more »

Moneybags

Moneybags

Moneybags

GLANBIA SHARES UNFAIRLY RATED BY MARKET

SIOBHÁN TALBOT clearly made an impact at Glanbia over the decade of her reign up to last year and her successor, Hugh McGuire, has... Read more »

Moneybags

David Horgan

Moneybags

CLONTARF ENERGY’S LITHIUM LONG SHOT

IT IS still not clear why John Teeling stood down as executive chairman of Clontarf Energy three years ago. It may be that he... Read more »

Brief Cases

Jerry Buttimer and Michael Mulcahy

Brief Cases

MULCAHY’S FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

FANS OF Goldhawk will be familiar with Cork businessman extraordinaire Michael Mulcahy, who has quite the talent for organising awards ceremonies and hanging out with celebs and politicians (see The... Read more »
Tham Nguyen

Brief Cases

THAMMY NGUYEN’S WORKOUT

GOLDHAWK SPOTTED last week that a company with the innocuous name of CFBD Ltd has gone into liquidation on foot of its liabilities. This turns out to have been the... Read more »
Kevin Dundon

Brief Cases

KEVIN DUNDON’S NEW RECIPE

SO-CALLED ‘celebrity chef’ Kevin Dundon was rather modest during one of his (very) frequent media appearances recently, telling the Irish Examiner that his hotel was “treading water”. In reality, unlike... Read more »
Michael McElligott

Brief Cases

DAWSON STREET DETOUR

A COMPANY that had planned to completely redevelop the high-profile Dawson Hotel on Dublin’s Dawson Street is now going into liquidation. In 2022, the firm – backed by big guns... Read more »