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Vol 37 No 15

Date: July 25, 2019 -

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DAVID COLEMAN’S JUDGMENT

Date: July 25, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

GOLDHAWK’S old friend, legal eagle David Coleman, has suffered a setback at the hands of one of those dreadful vulture funds. The high-profile solicitor, who made his name acting in multi-party actions such as the Hepatitis C litigation, has been hit for a whopping €3.4m by Feniton Property Finance (affiliated to US giant CarVal). Coleman… Read more »

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VLAD CULLS NO-HOPE CANDIDATES

Date: July 25, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

WITH NO obvious signs of mutiny after the de-selection of one or more general election candidates, Fine Gael’s director of organisation and director of elections, Paschal Donohoe, is intent on a further round of blood letting. There is much speculation about the potential political assassination of two non-performing female candidates in Dublin, namely Ellen O’Malley… Read more »

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ARJUM WAJID’S ERROR

Date: July 25, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

PALESTINIAN SUPPORTERS were seriously embarrassed at the blunder by NUJ executive member Arjum Wajid, who had been the target of Irish NUJ executive member Ronan Brady and Dublin NUJ head office worker George Kiely for alleged anti-semitism. Following an Israeli air strike that killed a Palestinian woman and her 18-month-old child in Gaza last August,… Read more »

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THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING!

Date: July 25, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

THE ANTI-RUSSIAN campaign in the so-called ‘Irish’ edition of the Sunday Times is reaching Cold War proportions and reflects the obsessions of Whitehall rather than the Irish government. A front page lead story in the ST this month berated tánaiste and foreign minister Simon Coveney in a story headlined, “Coveney backs Russian trade in face… Read more »

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PATRICIA RYAN’S PROMOTION

Date: July 25, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

THE RECENT handover of the presidency of the Circuit Court from Judge Raymond Groarke to Judge Patricia Ryan was met with high spirits by legal eagles and court staff as noted, with respectful amusement, by the national media. As the Irish Times reported, a chorus of, “Oh Ray, Oh Ray, Oh Ray” rang out from… Read more »

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DANSKE TAKEN TO CLEANERS AGAIN

Date: July 25, 2019 - Hush Hush

Just when Danish banking giant Danske Bank thought the heat over the money-laundering scandal at its Estonia operations (see The Phoenix, 21/9/18) was beginning to cool, it has been hit by another furore, this time in Denmark itself. Last month Danish television’s TV2 network revealed the Danish Fraud Squad had raided a number of premises… Read more »

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GUNTHER FALKENTHAL’S TAX BILL

Date: July 25, 2019 - Hush Hush

INTERESTING to see the dreaded taxman registering a judgment against number cruncher Gunther Falkenthal. The German accountant should be familiar to fans of Goldhawk. Last month the Revenue Commissioners hit Falkenthal for €128,000, which is not the kind of trouble that accountants should find themselves in. Recently, he has been out of the headlines, but… Read more »

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THE HOT AIR BRIGADE

Date: July 25, 2019 - The Hot Air Brigade

‘Hallowed’ featured May within the “sensory space” of an illuminated, reflective cube in the festival’s woodland, where she wrote both within and on the fractured glass wall. Billed as an exploration of the singer’s recent transformation, her management said, “She [opened] up her private world, offering a unique honest reflection of the artist through a… Read more »

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‘TAKING ON’ THE UVF

Date: July 25, 2019 - Northwind

The north’s ‘culture wars’ continue, but at a manageable level. Fundamentally, the problem is that there is no overarching legislation about the display of flags and emblems or the construction of bonfires – all indispensable manifestations of Unionism. A Stormont committee has been examining the matter for three years at a cost of £750,000, but… Read more »

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CHOPPING MARIA BAILEY

Date: July 25, 2019 - Last Refuge

FOLLOWING recent adverse developments, Maria Bailey has lost her role as chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, but the axe could fall even further. Leo Varadkar has been agonising about taking the almost unanimous advice of close cabinet colleagues and parliamentary party members to take her off the Dún Laoghaire general election ticket. He… Read more »

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TARGETING RICHARD BOYD BARRETT

Date: July 25, 2019 - Last Refuge

With colourful political drama in Dún Laoghaire dominating headlines, the real political news has been submerged – namely, the rise of the Green Party and the serious threat to People Before Profit (PBP) Richard Boyd Barrett’s Dáil seat. In the three local areas that largely make up the Dún Laoghaire Dáil constituency – Blackrock, Dún… Read more »

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MICHELLE’S MAYO MADNESS

Date: July 25, 2019 - Last Refuge

FINE GAEL farming members, a mainstay of the party for generations, are not enamoured of their Galway West TD, the fragrant Hildegarde Naughton, but they do rather like their party’s Mayo senator, Michelle Mulherin. Hildegarde is chair of the Oireachtas joint committee on climate action and she has delivered much progressive rhetoric and support for… Read more »

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FALLING STAR DEIRDRE KINGSTON

Date: July 25, 2019 - Last Refuge

THE REAL political drama in Kingstown involving Fine Gael TD Maria Bailey, as well as other high-profile candidates (see p10), was eclipsed briefly last week by the most contrived, politically correct storyline for some time. Labour’s Dún Laoghaire Dáil candidate, Cllr Deirdre Kingston – described by the Irish Independent as “a Labour rising star” and… Read more »

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GENDER IMBALANCE IN CORK FG

Date: July 25, 2019 - Last Refuge

LEO VARADKAR and Fine Gael general secretary Tom Curran have a serious gender problem in Cork City and County with not a single woman being selected to run in the general election in Rebel Cork. Julie O’Leary had been added to the FG ticket in Cork North-Central, but her abysmal performance in the local elections… Read more »

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CLIFF RICHARD FOR HIGH COURT

Date: July 25, 2019 - Fit to Print?

AN UNPRECEDENTED action being taken by John Browne (brother of Dana Rosemary Scallon), who was acquitted of all charges of child abuse in an English court in 2014, is that of malicious prosecution against Independent News & Media and the Irish Independent’s then journalist, Greg Harkin. Brown is also suing another sister, Susan Stein, as… Read more »

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WHEN IN ROME…

Date: July 25, 2019 - Fit to Print?

IRISH TIMES management’s triumphal declaration of victory over its 28-year-long Rome correspondent, Paddy Agnew, last February may have been a bit premature, judging by a recent letter to IT freelancers from managing editor Cliff Taylor. When the newspaper ran a coach and horses through his wages and conditions, Agnew failed in his unfair dismissal case… Read more »

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BIG PHIL’S ‘FAKE NEWS’

Date: July 25, 2019 - Fowl Emissions

Since the removal of EU milk quotas in 2015, Ireland’s dairy herd has grown by more than a quarter, sending carbon emissions – as well as water and air pollution – from the sector skyrocketing. This has happened despite heroic spin about ‘efficiency’ from agriculture minister Michael Creed and co. Much of this glut of… Read more »

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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

FICKLE FARMERS

Date: July 25, 2019 - Fowl Emissions

The howls of outrage from the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) at the recent Mercosur trade deal with South America included its slogan, “One burned every minute”. This relates to the shocking destruction of an area of rainforest the size of a football pitch every 60 seconds for cattle grazing and ranching. The IFA’s touching new-found… Read more »

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BOG CUTTINGS

Date: July 25, 2019 - Bog Cuttings

‘FUCKING EEJITS’ A BALLYROAN woman who was drunkenly falling over and abusing gardaí by calling them “fucking eejits” was convicted and fined in Portlaoise District Court. Linda O’Donnell, 20 The Cross of Newtown, Ballyroan was charged with being intoxicated in a public space and threatening and abusive behaviour. The gardaí were dealing with an assault… Read more »

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DENIS BROSNAN’S WRITE-OFF

Date: July 25, 2019 - High Society

FORMER Kerry Foods boss Denis Brosnan has had a myriad of interests since he went his own way in 2003. One constant down the decades, however, has been horse racing, but the Brosnan bloodstock business took something of a tumble last year. These days, Brosnan focuses much of his energy on his role as chairman… Read more »

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O’DONOGHUE DELIVERS FIRST REPORT

Date: July 25, 2019 - Behind the Scenes

THE CASH-STRAPPED Irish Heritage Trust (IHT) is advertising for a general manager at one of the handful of properties for which it is responsible – Fota House in Cork. The 2018 annual report has also just been published – the first for chief executive Anne O’Donoghue – but the figures are less than encouraging. Fota… Read more »

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Susan Bergin Marlowe Mullingar Film Studio RTÉ Self-Employment

NGI SEEKS NEW FACES

Date: July 25, 2019 - Behind the Scenes

TWO SEATS on the National Gallery of Ireland (NGI) board are up for grabs and would-be directors have until August 15 to apply for selection by Minister for Culture Josepha Madigan. The two new vacancies arise following the expiry of the terms of Margaret Glynn and Suzanne McDougald, both appointed in 2014. A third 2014… Read more »

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JOSEPHA MADIGAN’S UPLIFTING TIMES

Date: July 25, 2019 - Behind the Scenes

JUST AS culture minister Josepha Madigan was emerging unscathed from swing-gate, a happy distraction arrived in the form of a nihil obstat from the EC competition directorate for even more state moolah for the nation’s film moguls. Cue breathless PR from Madigan and Pascal Donohoe, but not too much detail of the Revenue’s ‘film regulations’…. Read more »

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CRISTINA PATINO’S WINNING STRATEGY

Date: July 25, 2019 - Sport of Kings

FANS OF Goldhawk may not have been too surprised by the debut victory of the Ger Lyons-trained Brunelle in a maiden at Leopardstown on July 18. The result has raised eyebrows given that the winner cost just €800 as a yearling. The win offers hope to owners and trainers operating on restricted budgets that a… Read more »

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RICH GETTING RICHER

Date: July 25, 2019 - Sport of Kings

FLAMBOYANT OWNER Rich Ricci had an up-and-down year last year and there were times when people were predicting his days as a free-spending owner were limited, especially after business setbacks, such as the Betbright voided bets debacle. Instead, he came out of the Betbright story with his reputation intact and finished his racing season on… Read more »

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NEW CURRAGH RACE CARD

Date: July 25, 2019 - Sport of Kings

NEWS THAT the Curragh racecourse board will be seeking to install a new chief executive to oversee the operation of the (very) expensively refurbished facility will no doubt grasp the attention of plenty of current and wannabe racecourse managers. An opportunity like this doesn’t come around often. Clearly, outgoing CEO Derek McGrath has done all… Read more »

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VINDICATION FOR BEEBY

Date: July 25, 2019 - Sport of Kings

GOFFS CHIEF executive Henry Beeby has finally managed to dispense with online pest Jim Carney, but he had to head to the High Court to do so. Wicklow-based Carney had been a persistent thorn in Beeby’s side, conducting an anti-Goffs Twitter campaign that wrongly accused Beeby and the company of underhand activities regarding the sale… Read more »

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FRANCESCA MCDONAGH’S PROBLEMS AT BANK OF IRELAND

Date: July 25, 2019 - Moneybags

THE CHIEF executive of Bank of Ireland (BoI), Francesca McDonagh, has overseen a total clear-out of all the top management inside the bank since she was appointed in October 2017. This is pretty drastic stuff and the relatively inexperienced CEO will need all her wits about her in the wake of such a shake up…. Read more »

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HUGH SCULLY SINGS FOR HIS SUPPER

Date: July 25, 2019 - The Hot Water Brigade

FORMER DJ Hugh Scully is no stranger to soft-focus plugs in the media for his music venture, Dublin Vinyl. So Goldhawk wasn’t too surprised to see the Dublin entrepreneur pop up recently alongside his business partner, Donagh Molloy, in the Irish Times to announce their latest attempts to fund the company behind their vinyl pressing… Read more »

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Castleknock Hospitality BAL Susan Bergin Tixserve EOG Fergal Naughton hot-water-brigade def

HALES NOT SO HEARTY

Date: July 25, 2019 - The Hot Water Brigade

SPARE a thought for husband-and-wife duo John and Mary Hale, who had another tough day out in the Four Goldmines recently. A vulture fund moved one step closer to having the Dublin couple declared bankrupt on foot of a E1.9m debt after a High Court judge struck out their motion to have the bankruptcy proceedings… Read more »

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IAN LUCEY’S LATEST GLITCH

Date: July 25, 2019 - The Hot Water Brigade

GOLDHAWK’S favourite tech investor, Ian Lucey, is dealing with some major bugs at one of his companies. Already locked in a High Court battle with developer Philip Gannon, Lucey Technology Ltd (LTL) has just had yet another judgment registered against it by a creditor, this time by the dreaded taxman. LTL is Lucey’s investment vehicle,… Read more »

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JOHN FARRELL’S SUPER MISS BLUES

Date: July 25, 2019 - Moneybags

DISGRUNTLED creditors of trendy Dublin 2 restaurants Super Miss Sue and Luna have cooked up some trouble for the directors and shareholders. A group of former employees and suppliers have successfully applied to the High Court to have John Healy, of Kirby Healy Chartered Accountants, replace Portmarnock number cruncher Patric Black as liquidator of Super… Read more »

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JOHN MURPHY’S PAIN MANAGEMENT

Date: July 25, 2019 - The Hot Water Brigade

A VISIT to the dentist is a harrowing experience for many, although Dr John Murphy of Vevay Dental in Bray, Co Wicklow, has a reputation for calming patients down. He may have needed to take some of his own medicine last month, however, when AIB moved to register some painful judgments against the dentist, who… Read more »

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DECLAN CREGAN’S ‘TAX EFFICIENT EXIT’

Date: July 25, 2019 - The Hot Water Brigade

ON PAGE 5 of this issue, Goldhawk takes a look at the intriguing tie-in at Shannon Airport between Declan Cregan’s company, US Air Flight Support Ltd (US Alliance), and the US military, the CIA and other US agencies. Although in business since 2008, a significant restructuring took place last year involving the arrival on the… Read more »

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JOHN SWAN’S DEFENCE

Date: July 25, 2019 - The Hot Water Brigade

MORE ON Carlow wholesaler Swan Fruit Ltd, where liquidator PJ Lynch is trying to have former directors John, Niall and Alex Swan disqualified in the High Court. The matter was back in the Four Goldmines this week, where the court heard that the three Swan boys are now to enter a defence in the proceedings,… Read more »

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