IssueM Articles

Archives: Articles

articles
Nick Ashmore

NICK ASHMORE’S SUCCESSOR

Date: February 11, 2021 - Affairs of the Nation

THE SEARCH is on to find a new chief executive at the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), the little known agency that has doled out a whopping €1.7 billion of taxpayers’ money to lenders. The new person in the hot seat, however, should be advised that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is taking an… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Judy Woodworth

JUDY WOODWORTH’S APOLLO MISSION

Date: February 11, 2021 - Briefcases

THE LEGAL action lodged last year by Wicklow farmer David Egar against the Alfred Beit Foundation (ABF) is winding its way slowly through the system. But, while ABF chair Judy Woodworth and her board were successful in their application for an interlocutory injunction last month, the legal costs associated with the overall process will be… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Ruby Walsh

DENIS EGAN’S HEADACHE

Date: February 11, 2021 - Sport of Kings

THERE HAS been a full agenda for the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) in recent times. In addition to dealing with a high-profile appeal from Charles Byrnes among other issues, head honcho Denis Egan has also had to figure out how to deal with a situation involving one of his own employees. A farcical start… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

article-default

CARI’S JUDGMENT

Date: February 11, 2021 - Affairs of the Nation

GOLDHAWK WAS surprised to see Fingal County Council registering a judgment for a paltry €6,100 against Cari’s Closet Ltd, which has been the main trading company for red carpet designer, Instagram influencer and fashionista Lisa Duffy. This is not her first spot of bother, however. Duffy is one of the new breed of fashion business… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

3903-FP

Vol. 39 No. 03

Date: February 11, 2021 -

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

article-default

TENI’S PRESCRIPTION

Date: February 11, 2021 - Affairs of the Nation

THE IRISH College of General Practitioners (ICGP) found itself under the spotlight last week after having to withdraw its online guide for doctors treating transgender patients. The issue focuses attention on the role of Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI), which provided advice to the medics and is referenced numerous times in the guide. TENI is… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Stephen Lovegrove

BREXIT INTEL

Date: February 11, 2021 - Affairs of the Nation

THE SURPRISE last-minute switch in the appointment of a new national intelligence adviser in the UK has bigger implications than the fact that Brexit negotiator and ‘hawk’ David Frost was removed from the post just as he was about to take his seat. The role has instead been given to the far more diplomatic Stephen… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

article-default

FARMERS’ FUMING

Date: February 11, 2021 - Affairs of the Nation

WHILE most lobbyists at least pay lip service to caring about climate action, the Irish Farmers Association has no such compunctions. At its recent conference, the IFA claimed that farmers were facing a 30% cut in basic EU handouts. The dastardly plot by Brussels mandarins involves redeploying about a third of CAP support for farmers… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

George Bermingham

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

Date: February 11, 2021 - Wigs on the Green

A DECADE-LONG legal offensive by barrister Eugenie Houston against members of the Bar Council, the Professional Practices Committee (PPC), the Professional Conduct Tribunal (the tribunal) and the barristers Appeals Board over her alleged treatment at their hands has finally been seen off. The legal saga was… Read more »

Niall Mellon

MELLON LOLLY

Date: February 11, 2021 - Wigs on the Green

NO DOUBT, like other charities, the fundraising activities of the Mellon Township Trust operation, set up by Niall Mellon many moons ago, have been banjaxed by the pandemic. Happily though, Nialler has just managed to satisfy an old Revenue judgment that had been registered in his own name. Former Celtic Tiger poster boy Mellon, who… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Daniel McClean

DISSIDENTS TRICKED?

Date: February 11, 2021 - Hush Hush

THE RECENT, highly professional execution in Belfast of Daniel McClean, a former member of the so-called Óglaigh na hÉireann (ONH) dissident group, is being presented as a ‘purge’ by ONH itself. PSNI briefings, though, have added fuel to the fire by suggesting that the victim was preparing to take out ONH figures before they got… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

HushHush-def

SPY COPS

Date: February 11, 2021 - Hush Hush

The so called Spy Cops bill currently being debated in Britain’s parliament gives agents being handled by UK covert forces the right to murder in certain circumstances. This ‘Covert Human Intelligence Sources’ (CHIS) legislation seeks to drive a coach and horses through human rights safeguards by giving official sanction to covert state agencies to commit… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Tanya Sweeney

THE HOT AIR BRIGADE

Date: February 11, 2021 - The Hot Air Brigade

Take note, Stephen Donnelly: the ‘thumbs-up’ emoji is the most passive-aggressive of all. Tanya Sweeney, Irish Times When O’Connell swept into his Irish forwards coaching job just weeks ago it was wearing his player-warrior super hero suit: a leader, a captain, figuratively and physically substantial. Johnny Watterson and Gavin Cummiskey, Irish Times That’s where I… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Arlene Foster

DUP PANICS

Date: February 11, 2021 - Northwind

CRISES IN the north never come one at a time. Just as it seemed that the crisis at the ports of Larne and Belfast that divided unionists and nationalists was being resolved a much bigger crisis in policing loomed, with both sides taking up predictably sharply opposing positions. As it turns out, the ‘threats’ to… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Willie O'Dea

MARTIN’S CRITICS

Date: February 11, 2021 - Last Refuge

WILY WILLIE O’Dea used his Sunday Independent platform recently to have a go – ostensibly at the Green Party – for obstructing the road through Moyross in his Limerick city constituency backyard. Deriding the Greens’ attitude, O’Dea said caustically that Green Party leader Eamon Ryan “says he doesn’t like roads!”. However, as O’Dea developed his… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Eugene McCartan

EUGENE MCCARTAN’S COMRADES

Date: February 11, 2021 - Last Refuge

DISSENT IN the Communist Party of Ireland (CPI) has seen factions from Belfast and Cork focus their dissent on the perennial figure of Eugene McCartan who has been general secretary of the party for more than 10 years. Eugene – aka ‘the Georgian’ – and his supporters at the CPI’s Essex Street HQ are accused… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Gerry Horkan

FIANNA FÁIL’S CUNNING PLAN

Date: February 11, 2021 - Last Refuge

WITH 13 Fianna Fáil Seanad hopefuls vying for the nomination to replace Sinn Féin’s Elisha McCallion on the Industrial and Commercial Panel (Fine Gael has already chosen Limerick ex-senator Maria Byrne for the Agricultural Panel), the real battle is between aspirants from Dublin Rathdown and Dublin Mid-West. This is because these are the only two… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Dee Forbes

RTÉ’S DAMNING STATISTICS

Date: February 11, 2021 - Fit to Print?

AS GOLDHAWK predicted, much revisionist accountancy speak has been heard from RTÉ management as it demands the latest round of cuts from its benighted staff – not all of whom are on bloated, six-figure salaries (as in the top 10 of broadcast celebs). But while… Read more »

Diageo Dana An Garda Síochána IT Trust No Stone Unturned Irish Times Black Friday Vicky Conway

MARK PAUL’S POLEMIC

Date: February 11, 2021 - Fit to Print?

A PLEA for a raft of state subsidies to prevent newspapers being wiped out by ‘big tech’ was made to the Future of Media Commission by the Irish Times and then reported in newspaper last week. 24 hours later it was promptly torn apart by its contrarian, rather right-of-centre journalist, Mark Paul – again in… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

John Burns

LOYAL SUNDAY TIMES

Date: February 11, 2021 - Fit to Print?

THE AAWRISH edition of the Sunday Times editorialised with sweet reason last weekend about how the north was working its way through the NI protocol until the EU “crassly” threatened to trigger article 16 of the protocol, causing mayhem. It argued that the DUP had been spooked by a poor opinion poll and “low-level shape… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Marie Donnelly

CLIMATE COUNCIL CHANGES

Date: February 11, 2021 - Fowl Emissions

SWEEPING CHANGES at the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) bode well for future climate action, especially with far fewer economists being involved. In Ireland as elsewhere, economists are deferred to like few other professional groups, with the underlying assumption being that they, uniquely, bring reason and scientific rigour to their analysis. Hence the fact that… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Bog-Cuttings-Defaul

BOG CUTTINGS

Date: February 11, 2021 - Bog Cuttings

“Ride Their Mothers” A man who was intoxicated and abused gardaí in a Boylesports betting shop in Naas was handed a three-month custody order in Naas District Court. Gardaí confronted Jamie Byrne (28) of 43 The Willows, Castlefen, Sallins, in the betting shop after the defendant was reported for being intoxicated. Byrne, who was carrying… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Conn Clissman

CONN CLISSMANN’S CHARGES

Date: February 11, 2021 - High Society

A LEGAL challenge brought by some local residents in south Co Dublin has put a spanner in the works for the developers behind a proposed 300-apartment scheme on the site of one of the finest private homes in Dublin, Dalguise House. The applicants are Lulani Dalguise Ltd, a business controlled by some names familiar to… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Consuelo O’Connor

JUDY WOODWORTH’S NEW FACES

Date: February 11, 2021 - High Society

THERE WAS some relief in Russborough last week when the High Court ruled in favour of the Judy Woodworth-chaired Alfred Beit Foundation (ABF), ordering local farmer David Egar not to trespass on the grounds of the 220-acre Blessington demesne. The main issue, however, remains to be heard, with Egar claiming a lease on part of… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Douglas Erskine-Crum

WHAT NEXT FOR JUDDMONTE?

Date: February 11, 2021 - High Society

THE DEATH of Prince Khalid Abdullah Abdulrahman last month at the age of 83 will have been noted by racing fans who had witnessed and followed some of the many equine stars bred and raced by his Juddmonte Farms. The question now is, will the show go on? Horses like Dancing Brave, Frankel and Enable… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Sally Rooney

DIFFERENT ELEMENTS

Date: February 11, 2021 - Behind the Scenes

WHEN PRODUCER Ed Guiney of Element Pictures appeared by Zoom on RTÉ News last week to gush about the Golden Globe nominations for the adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People, there was no helpful caption to inform the viewers of his whereabouts.  Guiney may have been in Element’s offices in Dublin, London or Belfast. Or… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Susan Bergin Marlowe Mullingar Film Studio RTÉ Self-Employment

COMMISSION CALL

Date: February 11, 2021 - Behind the Scenes

A LITTLE late in the day culture minister Catherine Martin has got around to seeking to fill the half dozen vacancies in the Irish Manuscripts Commission (IMC). Perhaps filling the board will result in the odd annual report being published. The last one available is the 2017 document. Unlike other boards, the members of the… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Naked truth

NAKED: TEN TRUTHS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE – CAROLINE FORAN

Date: February 11, 2021 - BooksReviews

THE LUCRATIVE literary genre of personal development continues to flourish – particularly during the current lockdowns, as stressed-out readers search for answers about coping with uncertain times. In response, supposedly enlightened gurus keep queueing up to tell everyone how to improve their lives. Caroline Foran’s first book, Owning it: Your Bullsh*t-Free Guide to Living with… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Amer Abdulaziz

ABDULAZIZ UNSADDLED IN DUBAI

Date: February 11, 2021 - Sport of Kings

THE BELEAGUERED Phoenix Thoroughbreds were dealt another blow recently when the racing authorities in Dubai began refusing entries for Phoenix-owned horses. This effectively rules the nags out of competing in the prestigious Dubai Carnival, which runs until March, culminating with the $10m Dubai World Cup. Dubai is the third jurisdiction, following Britain and France, to… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Patrick Mullins

HANDICAPPING PATRICK MULLINS

Date: February 11, 2021 - Sport of Kings

IRELAND’S TOP amateur jockeys face an anxious time as they await to hear if a ban on amateurs riding in England will be lifted in time for the Cheltenham Festival next month. The British Horseracing Authority decided recently that amateur riders do not come under the category of ‘elite’ sport and thus has denied them… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Joseph O'Brien

CLAIM GAME

Date: February 11, 2021 - Sport of Kings

THE ANTIQUATED nature of the system put in place by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) for owners and trainers to lodge claims when seeking to purchase a horse from a claiming race was brought into sharp focus again recently. The most recent claiming race at Dundalk was won by the Syndicates Racing-owned and Joseph O’Brien-trained Tonkinese,… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

" Photo: https://thewordpoint.com/ "

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Date: February 11, 2021 - Letters to the Editor

Muppets in Naas Having been subjected to the populist rantings of Messrs Ruby Walsh and Kevin O’Ryan, during the course of the TV coverage of Naas Races on Saturday, January 30, I was reminded of The Muppets: Statler (Ruby) and Waldorf (Kevin). On behalf of fans of balanced broadcasting. Yours etc., JR, Foxrock, Co Dublin 

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Robert Etchingham

APPLEGREEN SHAREHOLDERS HAVE THE POWER TO SHOOT DOWN POOR OFFER

Date: February 11, 2021 - Moneybags

BOB ETCHINGHAM and his partner Joe Barrett have made Applegreen a real success, with 559 petrol station forecourts and service centres spread between Ireland, the UK and US. The group is now being taken out through a combination of management and private capital in a €700m buyout. At €5.75 a share this looks poor when… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Urs Jordi

GOOD TIMES AHEAD FOR ARYZTA SHAREHOLDERS?

Date: February 11, 2021 - Moneybags

FORMER ARYZTA chairman Gary McGann effectively signed his own death warrant when he pulled off a hugely damaging 10-for-1 rights issue in September 2018 at 88c a share, representing a near 90% discount on the pre-rights price of €8.50. He is now long gone and big questions remain to be answered about Aryzta’s future direction…. Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Greg Alken

ALKEN BROTHERS CORKED

Date: February 11, 2021 - Briefcases

THE HAPLESS Alken brothers, Anthony and Greg, suffered another setback recently when the High Court ordered the winding-up of one of their companies, Emile Investments Holding Ltd. The Alkens were riding high until the crash when the high-profile Febvre & Co wine importing and distribution business was hit by reduced consumption of vino and increased… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber

Chay Bowes

CHAY BOWES AND THE ‘SHADOWY FORCES’

Date: February 11, 2021 - Briefcases

IT’S BEEN a surprisingly quiet start for Health Reform Ireland (HRI), Chay Bowes’s new think tank that will, in his words, fight “the shadowy forces that operate on the fringes of our heavily politicised health system”. Hopefully, the operation fares better than one of his former interests. Bowes made a pretty big splash onto the… Read more »

To access this content, you must be a Phoenix subscriber.

Get access to The Phoenix online for as low as €1.50 per week. Read all the regular online only Phoenix stories AND receive the packed digital edition every fortnight (25 per year). Great value for so many inside stories!

Subscribe Now! I’m a Subscriber