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NOW THAT’S GAS!

Date: February 7, 2019 - Fowl Emissions

Last month Goldhawk warned of the gas industry’s attempts to bamboozle us with an evermore elaborate mix of gas types, as ad campaigns herald the era of “renewable gas” – based tenuously on the introduction into the gas network of minuscule amounts of methane from slurry (see The Phoenix, 11/01/19). As if to prove the… Read more »

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Bog Cuttings

BOG CUTTINGS

Date: February 7, 2019 - Bog Cuttings

The Guards are ‘FAT PIGS’ A 35-YEAR-OLD man who approached gardaí and started shouting insults – like “the guards are pigs, fucking pigs and fat pigs” – is due to come under the scrutiny of the probation service. Dean Vize of the Funky Skunk, apartment 1 Glengarriff Road, Bantry, was legally represented by Ray Hennessy,… Read more »

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Consuelo O’Connor

NEW OWNERS OF PETER WHITE’S FORMER PILE

Date: February 7, 2019 - High Society

THE COUPLE who made a killing on the sale last year of postal software operation Escher – Liam Church and Fionnuala Higgins – turn out to be the new owners of Peter White’s former pile on the corner of Wellington Road and Elgin Road in the heart of D4. Moneybags White offloaded the impressive house… Read more »

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Susan Bergin Marlowe Mullingar Film Studio RTÉ Self-Employment

VAL RUTTLEDGE’S CHOCOLATE SURPRISE

Date: February 7, 2019 - Behind the Scenes

INTERESTING to see Dublin City Council (DCC) getting exercised about a plan by an arts centre to develop a property near Kilmainham Goal into a commercial venture. There was barely a peep for a number of years as the plans unfolded. The matter is in the hands of legal eagles, as highlighted by Goldhawk a… Read more »

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Deirdre Donaghy

DEIRDRE DONAGHY’S PLOT SPOILER

Date: February 7, 2019 - Behind the Scenes

THE OIREACHTAS Budgetary Oversight Committee had a recent session on tax expenditures (wake up down the back! – Ed), which uncovered some of the least-transparent areas of public spending – the tax credits and reliefs that aren’t costed in the annual budget estimates. Some consider these measures, assiduously lobbied for by industry representatives, forms of… Read more »

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Aubrey McMahon

AUBREY McMAHON’S APPEALING BEHAVIOUR

Date: February 7, 2019 - Sport of Kings

AMATEUR JOCKEY Aubrey McMahon obviously felt aggrieved over a five-day ban handed down by the race-day stewards at Tramore following his ride aboard Batcio (owned by his father, Luke McMahon) in a maiden hurdle on New Year’s Day. McMahon left no stone unturned in his approach to the appeal. The rider was ultimately unsuccessful after… Read more »

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Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum

SHEIKH MOHAMMED’S WEIGHT WATCHERS

Date: February 7, 2019 - Sport of Kings

GOLDOLPHIN, the racing entity of Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum, has had a change of heart over its heavy-handed approach to work riders. Early in the New Year, exercise riders were given notice that monthly ‘weigh-ins’ would commence and any rider weighing over 67kg would have to cease riding out and would be assigned yard duties… Read more »

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Ross Kierans

TROUBLE AT THE TOTE

Date: February 7, 2019 - Sport of Kings

HORSE RACING Ireland (HRI) recently announced the industry statistics for 2018 and, as expected, the figures pertaining to the betting sector made for unpleasant reading. There were extenuating circumstances surrounding the 33% fall in the Tote’s turnover. This was mainly because the Israeli government banned its citizens from betting into the Irish pool, but the… Read more »

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Nick Rust

NICK RUST’S ROUGH RIDE

Date: February 7, 2019 - Sport of Kings

IS THE British Horseracing Authority (BHA) – where Nick Rust cracks the whip – actually managing to bring the sport it is charged with governing and promoting into disrepute? A minor incident at Uttoxeter recently saw low-profile trainer Henry Oliver fined £140 for waving his hands at his horse, Burrenbridge Hotel, who was proving reluctant… Read more »

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Stephen Glancey

TOASTING STEPHEN GLANCEY AT C&C

Date: February 7, 2019 - Moneybags

THE DECISION by C&C to bring in Stephen Glancey and his pals from Scottish & Newcastle a decade ago, to help sort out the mess Maurice Pratt had walked the group into, looked to have backfired as a result of the disastrous €400m investment to expand C&C cider in America. It appears, however, that the… Read more »

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Jamie Heaslip

INVESTORS IN THE DARK AT PRIME ACTIVE CAPITAL

Date: February 7, 2019 - Moneybags

LATER THIS month, the Prime Active Capital (PAC) AGM will be held in Dublin and it is set to be a heated affair. Investors here, many of them Irish, have been left in the dark about a couple of odd-looking deals in recent times and the general underperformance of the company. CEO Stephen Barton has… Read more »

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Hot Water Brigade default

JONATHAN O’CONNOR’S CONDUCT

Date: February 7, 2019 - Briefcases

SPARE A thought for Wicklow accountant Jonathan O’Connor, who has recently been whacked by the Disciplinary Tribunal of Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI). The Bray bookkeeper’s timekeeping issues had stoked the regulator’s ire, specifically in relation to the liquidation of a pair of Dublin jewellery businesses. The two companies in question were DTRM Ltd and Renaissance… Read more »

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COURT ROOM DRAMA

Date: February 7, 2019 - Briefcases

A FORMAL complaint against a senior judge is the talk of the Four Goldmines at the moment. Complaining of alleged mistreatment by a beak in the Superior Courts, a judicial assistant filed an allegation of bullying and harassment with the HR department of the Courts Service just before Christmas. Goldhawk understands that this level of… Read more »

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Ray Norton

RAY NORTON’S NEW SHOP

Date: February 7, 2019 - Briefcases

THE bizarre Click.ie saga took another turn recently with the opening of a new shop in Dublin. This is despite the company behind the tech retailer, Cantec Office Solutions Ltd, collapsing into liquidation last April, leaving creditors out of pocket to the tune of €1.5m (see The Phoenix, 20/4/18). A raft of Cantec customers, who… Read more »

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Hugh Scully

HUGH SCULLY’S SWEET SOUNDS

Date: February 7, 2019 - Briefcases

DUBLIN entrepreneur Hugh Scully is hitting all the right notes. Companies Office filings reveal that the former DJ recently managed to tap the coffers of several high-fliers to the tune of €350,000 for his vinyl pressing business, Dublin Vinyl, which began operating in Glasnevin last year. Before pivoting into manufacturing records, Scully was better known… Read more »

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PAUL ALLEN’S LOSSES

Date: February 7, 2019 - Briefcases

DUBLIN PR suit and lobbyist Paul Allen hasn’t been able to put a good spin on recent results at his company. Allen is a well-known operator in the capital and his website boasts testimonials from the likes of former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and Tony Blair’s spin doctor, Alistair Campbell. Readers will also recall… Read more »

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Vogue Williams

VOGUE WILLIAMS’S NEW PARTNER

Date: February 7, 2019 - High Society

THE VERY real business of fake tan has been attracting more and more players into an increasingly crowded but lucrative market. The latest name looking to turn bronze into gold is the ubiquitous Vogue Williams, who has teamed up with a 30-something Cork moneybags. The two most high-profile players in the tan wars here are… Read more »

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Henry Fitzsimons

TAXMAN BITES HENRY FITZSIMONS

Date: February 7, 2019 - Briefcases

THE taxman is trying to bring colourful canine trainer Henry Fitzsimons to heel. Meanwhile, the Dundalk native has just brought another case against RTÉ, who he is suing in the Four Goldmines over a 2015 radio broadcast about his controversial dog training operation. That company, Service Dogs Europe Ltd (SDE), has just had a judgment… Read more »

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JERRY DONOVAN’S BUSINESS PARK

Date: February 7, 2019 - Briefcases

THERE was some activity (of the wrong kind) at Nama developer Jerry Donovan’s Irish and European Properties Ltd (IAEP) recently. The property vehicle, a high-profile victim of the crash, has had yet another receiver appointed to it by a vulture fund, this time on foot of a 2006 Permanent TSB mortgage secured against property in… Read more »

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Elliot Hughes

PORTERHOUSE’S BRAY HANGOVER

Date: February 7, 2019 - Briefcases

THERE was good news for craft beer fans recently when the Porterhouse group released its annual results, with accumulated profits up by over €1m, from €19m in 2016 to just over €20m at the end of February last year. One company in the group that might be cause for concern is Wavecrest Inn Ltd. This… Read more »

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PATRICK MCCABE’S BANK BEEF

Date: February 7, 2019 - Briefcases

SPARE a thought for Louth farmer and businessman Patrick McCabe Jnr, who has just had his eye wiped by AIB in the High Court. The Blakestown native is the son of Patsy McCabe and Alicia McCabe, whose row with IBRC landed them in the thick of it during the crash. Cows and cars are what… Read more »

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Maurice Manning

SECRET CENTENARY PLANS PRISED OPEN

Date: January 24, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

THE OIREACHTAS commemoration of the first Dáil passed off without controversy, but the government’s failure to disclose, until this month, any details whatsoever about its own commemorative programme for the Troubles was remarkable. It was just 11 days before the centenary of the seminal moment in Irish democracy – the meeting of the first Dáil… Read more »

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Denis O'Brien

DINNY’S DWINDLING ASSETS

Date: January 24, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

DENIS O’BRIEN must have been chuffed with the guesstimate of his wealth that appeared in last weekend’s Sunday Independent Rich List. The title, where he still holds a near 30% stake, didn’t focus too much on Digicel, which is the single biggest source of his reported €4.7bn wealth. But is that company worth anything at… Read more »

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Graham McLaren

PROFILE: GRAHAM MCLAREN

Date: January 24, 2019 - Pillars of Society

EARLIER THIS month, a letter signed by no less than 312 theatre practitioners was sent to the Arts Council, Minister for Culture Josepha Madigan and Abbey Theatre board chair Frances Ruane complaining about the lack of opportunities at the national theatre under its current masters. It has kicked off yet another offstage drama at the… Read more »

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Jackie Healy Rae Jnr

YOUNG BLOOD: JACKIE HEALY-RAE JNR

Date: January 24, 2019 - The Young Bloods

JACKIE HEALY-RAE Jnr (23), son of sitting TD Michael Healy-Rae, is slated to become the next member of his family to throw his hat into the political arena by running for Kerry County Council in May’s local elections. In his arsenal, he has the family name and a well-oiled local machine to get him across… Read more »

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Mary Hanafin

KINGSTOWN LADIES AT RISK

Date: January 24, 2019 - Last Refuge

MARY HANAFIN’S unquenchable ambition has not been dulled by her 30 years in politics, some of it in cabinet. She intends running for Fianna Fáil in all three pending elections — general, European and even local. But the school marm’s real target is the Dáil. Most FF activists believe that Hanafin’s belated entry into the… Read more »

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Graham Linehan

TABLOID TALKING POINTS ON ‘PRIME TIME’

Date: January 24, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

TRANS RIGHTS and gender recognition are trendy, emotive and complex issues and it wasn’t going to be too long before Prime Time blundered into them. In a clever move to boost the buzz around the programme, Montrose announced Twitter addict and occasional comedy writer Graham Linehan – who was given a verbal harassment warning by British police… Read more »

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Ian Lucey

IAN LUCEY’S SMALL MERCIES

Date: January 24, 2019 - Briefcases

THERE was finally some good news for tech investor Ian Lucey recently. His investment vehicle, Lucey Technology Ltd, has managed to satisfy a small €30,000 judgment registered against it by a creditor, but fans of Goldhawk will be well aware of Lucey Tech’s recent woes. Tinstring, a tech consultancy owned by Dermot Casey, had registered… Read more »

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Dee Forbes

RTÉ BALANCING ACT

Date: January 24, 2019 - Fowl Emissions

IT’S NOT every day you get to find out what the taoiseach had for dinner, but Leo Varadkar recently fessed up to putting away “a very nice Hereford steak last night” in a frantic effort to assuage the Fine Gael faithful that he hadn’t gone all vegan on them. Leo had earlier let it slip… Read more »

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3702-FP

Vol 37 No 02

Date: January 24, 2019 -

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Josepha Madigan

THE ABBEY’S BAD TIMING

Date: January 24, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

IN THIS issue (see p14), Goldhawk profiles the man at the centre of the Abbey Theatre’s latest offstage drama, director Graham McLaren, and investigates the complicated relationship between the national theatre and a nervous Arts Council. And it turns out that the timing of the Abbey debacle could not have been worse. The Abbey is… Read more »

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Leo Varadkar

VARADKAR’S YELLOW PERIL

Date: January 24, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

WHAT A strange, strident initiative Taoiseach Leo Varadkar made on behalf of Ireland during his visit to North Africa’s Mali and Ethiopia recently. In the longest expedition outside Ireland – a week during the escalating Brexit crisis – since becoming taoiseach 18 months ago, Vlad sounded more like a visiting colonial statesman than leader of… Read more »

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Charlie Flanagan

ROSS VS JUDGES: INJURY TIME

Date: January 24, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

IS SHANE Ross’s Judicial Appointments Bill in its final stages of enactment or will there be extra time in the Seanad and Dáil? Threats this week from Independent senator Gerard Craughwell to prolong the bill’s progress with several more months of filibustering indicate another lengthy delay by the Parnellite pygmies. Meanwhile, justice minister Charlie Flanagan… Read more »

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GARY KAVANAGH’S PALS

Date: January 24, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

THERE HAS been quite a surge in activity in recent weeks at right-wing “think tank” the Edmund Burke Institute (EBI), where Gary Kavanagh has been appointed to the board – the first new director in 16 years – and the boys are busy tapping fellow libertarians for a few bob. Kavanagh, a management consultant based… Read more »

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Ian Paisley

PAISLEY’S JUNKET

Date: January 24, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

CO-OPERATION IRELAND, which funded Ian Paisley’s first-class junket (£6,327 in travel and accommodation) to New York last year, is headed by a former senior RUC man who headed the PSNI’s Crime and Intelligence department. Co-op Ireland chief executive Peter Sheridan is one of the few Catholics to have held a senior command post in either… Read more »

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Colm Murphy

LAW SOCIETY WARS

Date: January 24, 2019 - Affairs of the Nation

MAYO SOLICITOR Daniel Coleman has just emerged from a decade-long joust with the Law Society. He was successful in an appeal to the Supreme Court, which struck out two orders against the legal eagle and ordered the original case against him to be reheard in the High Court. In 2010, following the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal… Read more »

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