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Michéal Martin

THE BUDGET: GUNS OR HOUSES?

Date: July 12, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

MICHEÁL MARTIN and his party face an interesting dilemma in the run-up to the October budget as opposition TDs are mobilising against a sharp rise in defence spending as demanded by Ireland’s membership of Pesco, the EU military alliance. Up to 50 TDs and senators have signed up to a pact organised around defence of… Read more »

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Declan O'Callaghan

DECLAN O’CALLAGHAN’S EXIT

Date: July 12, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

IT MAY not come as too great a surprise to hear that controversial Ballaghaderreen legal eagle Declan O’Callaghan has decided to step down as chair of an organisation called Council for the West (CfW). Although he is still before the courts, the revelations to date concerning “excessive” fees are unlikely to have gone down well… Read more »

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Deirdre De Burca

JACK HITS THE ROAD

Date: July 12, 2018 - Beyond the Pale

WICKLOW would normally be an easy bet for any Labour Party general election candidate, especially one who is chairman of the party and who was for years the face of Siptu, the country’s biggest union. But former union boss Jack O’Connor is finding it tough in a constituency that returned a Labour TD in every… Read more »

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WRONG SIGNAL

Date: July 12, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

RACO (the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers) keeps up with military events at home as well as abroad and most members of this elite officer corps would approve the government signing up to the EU’s expanding security and defence organisation, Pesco. This, of course, has led to disquiet among the civilian population about the threat… Read more »

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Leo Varadkar

NORDIES’ VIEW OF LEO VARADKAR

Date: July 12, 2018 - Bird's Eye View

LEO VARADKAR has probably uttered millions of words since he became Taoiseach. But the words that set little men lepping around inside Northern nationalist heads, banging gongs and whooping, were uttered in December last year. That’s when An Taoiseach addressed the North with the words: “You will never again be left behind by an Irish… Read more »

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Frances Fitzgerald

FRANCES AND PRECOCIOUS VLAD

Date: July 12, 2018 - Last Refuge

THERE’S INGRATITUDE and ingratitude and then there’s Frances Fitzgerald’s attitude to her leader, Leo Varadkar. Fragrant Frances quipped at a fundraiser for Mary Newman – sister of TD Kate O’Connell who was added to the Fine Gael election ticket in Tipperary last week – that she “didn’t wake up at 15 and decide to become… Read more »

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Liadh Ní Riada

SINN FEIN’S PRESIDENTIAL DELUSIONS

Date: July 12, 2018 - Last Refuge

HAS Mary Lou McDonald driven Sinn Féin into a no-win situation with her demand for a presidential election and the proposal that SF will fill the void either with its own candidate or support for an Independent Few SF members outside Mary Lou’s circle of advisers and confidantes are enthusiastic about the proposition. This is… Read more »

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Catherine Noone

FINE GAEL SEARCHING FOR WOMEN

Date: July 12, 2018 - Last Refuge

THE DAMNED gender quota for general election candidates coupled with the current feminist upsurge is causing serious problems for the lads in the Blueshirt leadership, locally and nationally. One way round it is to stuff election slates around the country with token women to fulfill the gender imperative. Repeal the 8th icon Senator Catherine Noone… Read more »

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Gilad Erdan

ISRAELIS FIX IRISH MEDIA POLLS

Date: July 12, 2018 - Fit to Print?

THE ISRAELI propaganda machine is flushed with victory after overturning for the second time an Irish poll which, before being targeted by the Israelis, showed a two-to-one majority in favour of Palestinians. Last year an Irish Times poll asked readers if they supported Dublin City Council flying the Palestinian flag above City Hall and the… Read more »

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

OFFENDING ALAN SHATTER

Date: July 12, 2018 - Fit to Print?

THERE was apprehension, on both sides ahead of a meeting between Irish Independent editor Fionnan Sheehan and Alan Shatter to discuss terms of a settlement over erroneous Indo comments on the former justice minister. In his analysis of Judge Charleton’s Disclosures Tribunal the Indo’s John Downing had remarked that Shatter’s legal challenge to an adverse… Read more »

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‘FAKE MOOS’

Date: July 12, 2018 - Fowl Emissions

ASTONISHING progress has been achieved by the Irish dairy sector in the last few years in massively increasing production while simultaneously almost flat-lining emissions. As Agriculture Minister Michael Creed said in a written reply to a Dáil question in April: “In the five-year period 2012-16, dairy cow numbers have increased by 22% and corresponding milk… Read more »

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Evelyn Cusack

VARIABLE EVELYN

Date: July 12, 2018 - Fowl Emissions

THE ONGOING heatwave seems to have got people over at Met Éireann HQ in Glasnevin a little hot under the collar. With the unflappable Gerry Fleming no longer at the helm, its new head of forecasting Evelyn Cusack was clearly unhappy when challenged over her ongoing refusal to engage with the obvious fact that climate… Read more »

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Bog Cuttings

BOG CUTTINGS

Date: July 12, 2018 - Bog Cuttings

DRUNK FARMER’S TROUSERS FELL DURING PURSUIT A DRUNK farmer who hitched a lift from his son on the back of his tractor exposed his backside after his trousers fell down during a pursuit by gardaí. The driver of the Massey Ferguson tractor, Charlie McFadden of Dooballagh, Letterkenny, appeared before Letterkenny District Court in Co Donegal… Read more »

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Patrick Doran

PATRICK DORAN’S HAPPY FAMILY

Date: July 12, 2018 - High Society

A NEW planning application has been submitted for Fintragh, one of a number of houses on Shrewsbury Road that has changed hands over the last couple of years. The house was reported to have been bought by low profile packaging moneybags Patrick Doran, but it turns out the valuable D4 property is owned by his… Read more »

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Belinda Kieswetter

KIESWETTER V O’BRIEN

Date: July 12, 2018 - High Society

WHILE COVERAGE of the Irish Derby weekend at The Curragh was dominated by the exploits of brothers Joseph and Donnacha O’Brien there was also lots of excitement in the Juddmonte Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes. South African Craig Kieswetter, who played cricket for England and who is now trying his luck as a professional golfer… Read more »

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Rebecca Moynihan

A SMASHING PLAN!

Date: July 12, 2018 - Behind the Scenes

IN MARCH this year, the wheels came off Filmbase when Tom Murray was appointed liquidator but the story is far from over. For example, the Comptroller & Auditor General was brought into the loop by the Arts Council due to concerns about how finances were handled at Filmbase, including the failure to pay over Arts… Read more »

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Josepha Madigan

JOSEPHA MADIGAN STARTS TO BUILD

Date: July 12, 2018 - Behind the Scenes

IT’S FAIR to say there are few surprises in the expensive film industry review commissioned by Heather Humphreys in November 2016 from London consultants OlsbergSPI. In fact, the real surprise concerns the figures not in the report. OlsbergSPI is headed by former film producer Jonathan Olsberg, a regular on the festival circuit and well-placed to… Read more »

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Kevin Manning

KEVIN MANNING’S MISTAKE

Date: July 12, 2018 - Sport of Kings

NORMALLY when a rider appears to ease up prematurely in a race and loses a placing (possibly as a result of those actions), then that rider could easily have a case to answer for. Even more so when the horse is just pipped for third place, thus scuppering each-way bets. Kevin Manning seemed to stop… Read more »

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Dessie Scahill

AFTER DESSIE SCAHILL

Date: July 12, 2018 - Sport of Kings

AFTER NEARLY half a century as Ireland’s chief race commentator, Dessie Scahill will call his last race at the end of this month. Scahill’s contract is up for renewal at that time and the Association of Irish Racecourses, headed by chief executive Paddy Walsh, has decided the time is right to hand the baton over… Read more »

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Luke Comer

LUKE COMER JNR SHOWS THE WAY

Date: July 12, 2018 - Sport of Kings

AS HIS father’s lengthy quest to train a winner continues, Luke Comer Jnr got his own training career off to a decent start when Great Grey gave the rookie handler his first winner when scoring at Tipperary in late June. Comer Jnr has set up shop in Dunboyne at one of the many family properties,… Read more »

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Garry O'Gorman

WILLIE MULLINS’S BELLE DU JOUR

Date: July 12, 2018 - Sport of Kings

THE IRISH Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) senior flat handicapper Garry O’Gorman has come in for criticism after a minor race at Leopardstown where the little known Willie Mullins-trained filly Bronagh’s Belle recorded her first victory. The main source of the aggravation came from runner-up trainer, Monaghan-based Anthony McCann, who believed the Mullins runner should not… Read more »

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Simon Cook

DRAPER ESPRIT GROWS BUT STILL IMPOSSIBLE TO VALUE

Date: July 12, 2018 - Moneybags

NO PRIVATE equity groups are quoted on the Irish Stock Exchange besides Draper Esprit (DE), which floated off on the ESM two years ago in June 2016 when it raised €90m at €3.78 a share. With this month’s €35m commitment to one of Earlybird Digital’s venture capital funds and an agreement to share dealflow, resources… Read more »

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Louis Coetzee

KIBO MINING COULD REWARD PATIENCE

Date: July 12, 2018 - Moneybags

KIBO MINING, set up in 2008 by Galway geologist Noel O’Keeffe, mainly focused on gold exploration in Tanzania around Victoria Lake. After years of exploring and discovering significant gold reserves with the help of chief executive Louis Coetzee and his Irish chairman, Christian Schaffalitzky, the company has gradually refocused on sub-Saharan coal reserves in Tanzania… Read more »

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Sonya Lennon

SONYA LENNON’S STYLE GUIDE

Date: July 12, 2018 - The Hot Water Brigade

CLOTHING designer (sorry “fashion guru”) and all round do-gooder Sonya Lennon popped up in Leinster House last week to highlight the growing number of what she calls “gender pay gap deniers”. She was there as a founder of Dress For Success, which launched a cross-party parliamentary group on workplace equality. While some might wonder how… Read more »

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Orna Madden

JIM AND ORNA’S DAY IN COURT

Date: July 12, 2018 - The Hot Water Brigade

ONE OF Goldhawk’s old pals, dentist-turned-developer Jim Madden, popped up in court last week where he had to pay a fine for some dodgy pharmaceutical dealings. Also in trouble was his legal eagle daughter, Orna Madden. Jimbo was no ordinary dentist and he sought to develop a chain of high tech private clinics in the… Read more »

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Hot Water Brigade default

PETER KELLY’S KENTUCKY SURPRISE

Date: July 12, 2018 - The Hot Water Brigade

LAST MONTH saw the registering of a hefty €2.73m judgment by the Yank outfit Keeneland Association Inc against Emerald Equine Ltd in Kildare. The latter is an Irish bloodstock operation incorporated by Ballymore Eustace-based Peter Kelly (also a director of the loss-making Mullaboden Farms Ltd). According to the last accounts filed, Emerald had accumulated profits… Read more »

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Peter Gaynor and Clodagh McKenna

PETER GAYNOR’S BAD DISH

Date: July 12, 2018 - The Hot Water Brigade

THERE HAS been a lot of changing of ingredients at the Capital Foods Group, the Peter Gaynor/John Collins operation behind familiar names like Beeftro and Clodagh’s Kitchen (fronted by celebrity chef Clodagh McKenna). The latest news is that one company in the group has collapsed into liquidation. Gaynor’s name surfaced most publicly in early 2017… Read more »

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Hot Water Brigade default

ANGELA OMAN’S ANTIQUE ACTION

Date: July 12, 2018 - The Hot Water Brigade

BACK IN the good times, James Oman – whose day job was running the high profile Oman Antiques Gallery on Capel Street, D2, with his wife Angela – developed a substantial retail/apartment scheme adjacent to the operation. Having been backed by AIB on the project, last year the bank took possession of Oman’s gallery property… Read more »

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Brian de Staic

BRIAN DE STAIC’S JEWELLERY CASE

Date: July 12, 2018 - The Hot Water Brigade

THIS WEEK is set to witness a pow-wow between the parties in a High Court action taken by well-known “jeweller to the stars” Brian de Staic (who claims the likes of Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts among the fans of his Ogham Stone jewellery collection) and two former employees. The latter – Jerry and Aideen… Read more »

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Sharon Horgan

THE HOT AIR BRIGADE

Date: July 12, 2018 - The Hot Air Brigade

In Ireland, where I lived, there was no such thing as a streetlight, so you looked outside and your own imagination would decide what was there. Sharon Horgan remembers growing up in 19th century Ireland, Vulture.com You could say it was the twinkle in his eye, his default Ulster earthiness, or the armchair-by-the-Aga warmth in… Read more »

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Brendan Duke Adrian Murray Mick Bailey

WINDING UP XENOBIA

Date: July 12, 2018 - Sport of Kings

THERE WERE a lot of surprised punters in Fairyhouse last weekend when the Bill Farrell-trained 12/1 shot Xenobia rode to victory ahead of Aidan O’Brien’s odds-on favourite, Could It Be Love. This contrasted sharply with the poor performance of Xenobia (owned by Paolo Neri) in recent outings, most notably the fifth out of six finish… Read more »

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Brian Hayes

FINE GAEL’S WAR GAMES

Date: June 28, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

CAREFULLY crafted PR spin on Tánaiste Simon Coveney’s attendance at the EU foreign affairs council this week referred to Ireland’s active role in shaping the EU’s security and defence policy. With the council’s agenda composed of the EU’s “engagement in the Horn of Africa/Red Sea region” as well as Jordan and the “EU Global Strategy”,… Read more »

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Dery Desmond

FIVE GUYS, ONE CRITIC

Date: June 28, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

GOLDHAWK certainly enjoyed Catherine Cleary’s demolition of the new Five Guys burger joint in her Irish Times review earlier this month. It turns out that she has form when it comes to the culinary ventures of Dermot Desmond’s scions. Five Guys is the posh (ie expensive) fast food burger chain that opened its first Dublin… Read more »

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Eamonn Rothwell

EAMONN ROTHWELL

Date: June 28, 2018 - Pillars of Society

THE BOTCHED arrival of the giant WB Yeats car ferry represented a bloody nose for Eamonn “Rottweiler” Rothwell, the loaded chief executive of Irish Continental Group (owner of Irish Ferries). The public relations disaster set to cost the company millions of euro has not fatally… Read more »

Angela Nagle

ANGELA NAGLE

Date: June 28, 2018 - The Young Bloods

IRISH WRITER and self-promoter extraordinaire Angela Nagle (34) has been fighting for her reputation recently. After a remarkable 12 months that saw her career take off in a flash, the author of the well-timed Kill All Normies (KAN) – a short but controversial study of online right-wing subcultures – has been accused of peddling other… Read more »

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Shane Ross

FG AND JUDGES STILL FIGHT SHANE ROSS

Date: June 28, 2018 - Last Refuge

THE rearguard action by judges and their Fine Gael supporters against Shane Ross’s Judicial Appointments Bill has reached the stage of political and legal hand-to-hand fighting with several strikes against the Minister this month alone. Recently, the government acceded to ex-FG minister and current president of the Court of Appeal “Boy George: Birmingham’s virtually unprecedented… Read more »

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