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Michael McGrath(right)

BERTIE’S COME BACK DEAD IN THE WATER

Date: December 14, 2016 - Bird's Eye View

THE interminable factionalising of Bertie’s Good Old Boys (BeGOBs) in trying to resurrect the glory days were given the kiss of death by his chief lieutenant, Chris Wall last week. Wall told The Irish Times that Micheál Martin was “the worst minister for health we ever had”, adding, “maybe it’s time for him to move… Read more »

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Jim O'Callaghan

O’CALLAGHAN’S LEGAL BRAIN

Date: December 14, 2016 - Last Refuge

FIANNA FÁIL’S increased poll ratings may or may not have something to do with the party’s new, more responsible (rightward) turn on various issues. But Micheál Martin appears to be increasingly reliant on justice spokesperson, barrister Jim O’Callaghan, whose legalistic view of politics has led the party away from the left-wing programme that revived the… Read more »

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Regina Doherty

REGINA’S SOFT SPOT

Date: December 14, 2016 - Last Refuge

IS government chief whip, Regina Doherty, a secret admirer of Fidel Castro? Did the teenage Regina have a Che Guevara poster in her bedroom? Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were united in their opposition to Dáil time being set aside for statements on the late Cuban leader, last month – eventually – but Doherty’s initial… Read more »

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Catherine-Byrne

CATHERINE BYRNE’S MEMBERS REVOLT

Date: December 14, 2016 - Last Refuge

CATHERINE BYRNE is a loyal, supine supporter of Enda Kenny which qualities earned her the position as minister of state for communities and drugs. But neither Fine Gael HQ nor many members of Byrne’s Dublin South-Central (DSC) organisation share Enda’s estimation of the rare auld Dub who will likely lose her seat at the next… Read more »

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RTÉ SPOIL SPORTS

Date: December 14, 2016 - Fit to Print?

RTÉ Board chairwoman, Moya Doherty told Irish Times readers last weekend that the public will get the media it pays for under a headline, “RTÉ’s financial model must be reviewed”. Moya was rowing in behind director general Dee Forbes’ campaign for more public revenue to bail out the station. But one part of the plan… Read more »

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Declan-Kelly

DECLAN KELLY’S ENEMIES

Date: December 14, 2016 - Fit to Print?

SUNDAY INDEPENDENT hack, Maeve Sheehan did quite a hatchet job recently on transatlantic PR supremo, Declan Kelly, brother of Labour TD, Alan Kelly. Sheehan described Kelly’s “naked ambition” (an anonymous source) and someone that has “made powerful friends – and powerful enemies”. But despite the many links and encounters between Kelly and various Irish-American heavy… Read more »

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GAA’S SOUR NOTE

Date: December 14, 2016 - Fit to Print?

GAA president Aogán Ó Fearghaíl did not shoot his mouth off without any PR preparation when advocating that the organisation abandon the Irish flag and national anthem. Ó Fearghaíl ‘s statement – made, significantly, from an All Stars visit to the Gulf – was not made out of the blue. The Irish Independent reacted a… Read more »

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Denis Naughten

Denis Naughten

Date: December 14, 2016 - Pillars of Society

Once regarded as a potential leader of Fine Gael, then expelled from the party five years ago, Denis Naughten has managed to claw his way into cabinet as an Independent. Naughten is heading towards reconciliation with FG but as an Independent he can hardly bid for the leadership in the near future. However, at just… Read more »

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Mary Robinson

TCD GOES WITH THE FLOW

Date: December 14, 2016 - Fowl Emissions

WHEN a student society at Trinity College declared last month it was “standing in solidarity” with Native American protestors blocking an oil pipeline in North Dakota, it may have sounded like the kind of worthy but symbolic action students are great at. In fact, the protest by Fossil Free TCD exposed an €88,000 investment by… Read more »

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Bog Cuttings

Bog Cuttings

Date: December 14, 2016 - Bog Cuttings

Curious case of the Invisible Female Driver A BALLYDEHOB man was fined €500 for failing to give details of an ‘invisible female driver’ who crashed his car. Eamonn Smith of Ballybane West, pleaded guilty at Clonakilty District Court to failing to provide information about who was driving his car when it was involved in a… Read more »

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Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor

Date: December 14, 2016 - The Young Bloods

After conquering the world in the ring and achieving his dream of becoming a dual world champion, 2016 was the year that Conor McGregor (28) became a household name on both sides of the Atlantic. Outside the ring, his cash pile continues to grow at a phenomenal rate as the mouthy Dub sets about investing… Read more »

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John Osborne

JOHN OSBORNE’S JOB

Date: December 14, 2016 - High Society

AFTER ALL the aggro at Horse Racing Ireland over the reappointment of Brian Kavanagh as chief executive for a third stint (see The Phoenix 17/6/16), the Irish National Stud (INS) has decided to go about things the right way and has opted to advertise John Osborne’s job, seven years after he landed in the saddle… Read more »

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Sarah Gill

“PERFECT 10” SARAH GILL

Date: December 14, 2016 - High Society

CONGRATULATIONS TO Sarah Gill, proprietor of the Seagreen fashion boutique in Monkstown, south County Dublin, who has developed an uncanny knack for attracting glowing coverage in the pages of the Sindo. Her husband must be delighted too. Certainly, Sarah has impressed the hacks at Talbot Towers and most recently was the subject of a glowing… Read more »

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Oliver-Peyton

OLIVER PEYTON’S HUMBLE PIE

Date: December 14, 2016 - High Society

SURPRISING TO see such silence this side of the Irish Sea on the recent trials and tribulations of London restaurateur, TV personality and high society fixture, Oliver Peyton. Irishman Peyton moved from Mayo to the UK as a young man before making a name for himself in the 1980s with a string of popular trendy… Read more »

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Des-Bishop-This-Is-Ireland

THIS IS IRELAND – RTÉ2

Date: December 14, 2016 - ReviewsTV

FRONTED BY stand-up comic Des Bishop, This Is Ireland has been much hyped by RTÉ as the country’s answer to The Daily Show, with the implicit suggestion that such a format is what domestic audiences have been crying out for. Despite its lofty reputation, however, the US series can often be a tiresomely predictable affair,… Read more »

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Karen-McCartney-and-Donal-Gallery

THE HEIRESS – GATE THEATRE

Date: December 14, 2016 - ReviewsTheatre

HISTORICAL PERIOD dramas sport a few familiar storylines. One classic narrative features a moneyed woman in a difficult romantic situation, or a dishonest lover, who turns the tables to her advantage. The Gate is on its second such plot of the year. The first plot of this ilk, W Somerset Maugham’s Constant Wife, unfolded in… Read more »

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Crime-of-Passion

CRIME OF PASSION – JOHN BOORMAN (LIBERTIES PRESS)

Date: December 14, 2016 - BooksReviews

JOHN BOORMAN’S debut novel at the age of 83 is (unsurprisingly) set in the world of movie-making. The Irish-based director of Deliverance and The General apparently chose the novel form because he lost interest in a non-fiction book he was trying to write about film-making. The story’s central character is Daniel Shaw, another respected director… Read more »

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PUNTING PADraig PEARSE

Date: December 14, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

FANS OF Goldhawk will not have been too surprised by the failure of the state to bid for the Padraig Pearse surrender letter auctioned by Adam’s earlier this month. It will be recalled (see The Phoenix Annual 2016) that when the same surrender letter first came on the market at the top of the boom… Read more »

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Caroline Downey

DOWNEY STEPS DOWN

Date: December 14, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

GOOD TO see Caroline Downey, wife of promoter extraordinaire Denis Desmond and co-owner of MCD, taking the opportunity to put in a good word for singer Hozier last month. It turns out that she has plenty to sing about herself. Downey – who is well known for her charity fundraisers – was the subject of… Read more »

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Neil Murray and Graham McLaren

IN AND OUT AT THE ABBEY

Date: December 14, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

THE NEW directors of the Abbey Theatre, Neil Murray and Graham McLaren, have been waiting in the wings for more than a year since their appointments were revealed in July 2015. The duo finally made their public appearance with the launch of the 2017 programme this month in a production that somewhat overshadowed Fiach MacConghail’s… Read more »

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Gordon Elliott

GORDON ELLIOTT Vs WILLIE MULLINS

Date: December 14, 2016 - Sport of Kings

WITH HALF the jumps season already completed, ‘trainer title’ chat has begun to heat up with increasing numbers convinced this is Gordon Elliott’s championship to lose. However, the self-made Meath man is doing his best to play down his chances, despite his current €500,000 advantage over perennial champ, Willie Mullins. If there is a new… Read more »

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stud farm blues

Date: December 14, 2016 - Sport of Kings

THE YEOMANSTOWN Stud family team of Gay, Annette and their son, David O’Callaghan, have each pleaded guilty to possessing unauthorised animal remedies at their Naas stud, which is home to their cash machine stallion, Dark Angel (see The Phoenix 9/9/16). Action against the trio was taken by the Department of Agriculture after a department representative… Read more »

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John Mcstay pic

JOHN MCSTAY’S STUD FEES

Date: December 14, 2016 - Sport of Kings

THERE IS an interesting figure buried in the 2015 accounts that have just been filed by the Irish National Stud (INS). In a note, it is revealed that the INS earned income of €4.5m “from syndicates in which a company connected with the company secretary has interests”. This essentially relates to the income generated by… Read more »

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TOM TAAFFE’S COMEBACK

Date: December 14, 2016 - Sport of Kings

FORTUNES RISE and fall all the time and despite all the despondency coming from trainers’ camps these days, they can be a pretty resilient bunch. Take Tom Taaffe for example who is hitting form but surely needs a good Christmas to see him into the new year in decent shape. It’s not all that long… Read more »

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Market cools as INM soap opera turns ugly

Date: December 14, 2016 - Moneybags

THERE IS a certain logic to INM diversifying into digital media by acquiring the Newstalk radio station from the Communicorp Group. Both are mid-market news organisations and putting two such businesses together would, on the surface at least, appear to be logical, offering opportunities for synergy, and cross-promotional benefits. But Denis O’Brien’s personal interest in… Read more »

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Tom O'Mahony

Opaque figures make it hard for Origin investors

Date: December 14, 2016 - Moneybags

LAST YEAR was a challenging one for Tom O’Mahony’s Origin Enterprises group. It wasn’t just that trading profits of €74m fell back to less than these were eight years ago but it was the first full year that the apron strings with its original parent, Owen Killian’s Aryzta group, were finally cut, after the latter’s… Read more »

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Eamon de Valera

Winding up De Valera’s communications company

Date: December 14, 2016 - Briefcases

A CREDITORS meeting took place earlier this week to appoint a liquidator to M&C Communications Ltd, the long-suffering medical communications company owned by Irish Press PLC, where Eamon de Valera remains in situ as CEO. The proposed liquidation will bring an end to the saga of this interesting little company, which will be familiar to… Read more »

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Judge-David-Keane

George Beggan goes on the counter

Date: December 14, 2016 - Briefcases

THERE was an interesting judgment in the High Court last month relating to Meath developer and farmer George Beggan, against whom Danske Bank is seeking judgment for a hefty €4.3m. While the main case rattles on, Beggan took a separate action to the High Court to amend his defence but he had a tough day… Read more »

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Barry Monaghan

Developer Monaghan falls foul of vulture fund

Date: December 14, 2016 - Briefcases

SPARE a thought for developers Barry Monaghan and Michael Doyle whose company Monaco Properties Ltd has just had a receiver appointed to it by US vulture fund Cerberus. Tom O’Brien of Mazars was appointed receiver on foot of a 2007 charge created by Bank of Ireland and secured against a commercial development in Carlow Town… Read more »

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Brendan Whoriskey’s tax troubles

Brendan Whoriskey’s tax troubles

Date: December 14, 2016 - Briefcases

SPARE a thought for Donegal publican Brendan Whoriskey who just can’t catch a break from the taxman. Whoriskey owns and operates the Traveller’s Rest pub in Cashelard near Ballyshannon and he had a judgment for €155,000 registered against him by the Revenue in November. The pub made headlines in 1998 when, in a speech to… Read more »

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David Downes

Early Christmas present for tax defaulters

Date: December 14, 2016 - Briefcases

GOLDHAWK spotted a couple of interesting professionals on the Revenue’s latest list of tax defaulters, some of who have had their share of headaches in recent years. Michael Curneen, a solicitor with an address in Cabinteely, was fined a meagre u3,000 for failing to file income tax returns but it’s old ground for the legal… Read more »

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iad2017

A Date for Your Diary

Date: December 14, 2016 - Briefcases

IT’S FAIR to say that Goldhawk’s investigations would be a lot more difficult if it wasn’t for the indispensible Institute of Public Administration (IPA) diary. The IPA’s Ireland – A Directory 2017 is out now and it’s crammed with incredibly useful information and details of around 9,000 public and private sector organisations, including local authorities,… Read more »

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Millennium Park saga winds down

Date: December 14, 2016 - Briefcases

AN END is finally in sight for the long-running saga of the Naas Millennium Business Park, after the pair of companies at the centre of the 2006 deal moved to wind themselves up earlier this month. Naas Millennium Park (NMP) Ltd and Osberstown Developments Ltd both appointed Patrick Horkan of KPMG as liquidator after a… Read more »

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vol34no23

Vol.34 No.23

Date: December 1, 2016 -

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shane-ross

SHANE ROSS AND THE JUDICIARY

Date: December 1, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

ALTHOUGH Shane Ross may appear an unlikely champion of the new politics, his stand on the judicial council is fully justified in the interests of the promised transparency and accountability in Irish public life. What has hardly been mentioned in the windstorm whipped up by media and politicians against Ross is that his demand for… Read more »

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OWEN SWAINE’S ABUSE OF PROCESS

Date: December 1, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

GOLDHAWK’S OLD pal Galway legal eagle Owen Swaine got quite a kicking from Judge Seamus Noonan last month after the solicitor appealed a negative finding from the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. A former Irish Army captain, Swaine has been in and out of trouble with the Law Society over a number of different issues in recent… Read more »

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