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Dearbhail McDonald

Dumb Dearbhail

Date: July 2, 2016 - Fit to Print?

Goldhawk wrote last February that Dearbhail McDonald was agonising about taking the group business editor’s post at INM because of the delicacy of commenting on boss Denis O’Brien’s business affairs (see The Phoenix 15/1/16). Dearbhail eventually took the job in late April but she could hardly have expected that she would have to grapple with… Read more »

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Loveable loyalists

Date: July 2, 2016 - Fit to Print?

The impeccable behaviour of the Irish soccer fans has provoked a cross community response from some quarters that argues the Norn Iron fans are just as loveable, if a bit cheekier. Determinedly PC in its coverage of Norn fans in Europe, The Irish Times reported approvingly this week on its banner in the Parc des… Read more »

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Brendan O’Connor

Brendan O’Connor

Date: July 2, 2016 - Pillars of Society

Brendan O’Connor should be an editorial has-been by now, a casualty of Denis O’Brien’s new regime at Independent News & Media (INM), which ousted the O’Reilly family and their loyal supporters at the Sunday Independent four years ago. O’Connor was perhaps the most belligerent attack dog in the fight waged against O’Brien by his former… Read more »

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Kevin-Toland

DUBLIN AIRPORT CLIMATE PICKLE

Date: July 2, 2016 - Fowl Emissions

FALLOUT from the Brexit vote may prove something of a gift for the Dublin Airport Authority’s (DAA) ambitious plan to have a second runway built and ready for business by 2020. The huge cloud of economic uncertainty now parked over Britain may put the kibosh on its own 2015 Airport Commission recommendation for a third… Read more »

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Bog Cuttings

Bog Cuttings

Date: July 2, 2016 - Bog Cuttings

Cannabis grower’s scientific approach A cannabis grower told Ennis District Court that he was cultivating eight cannabis plants for personal use to help him sleep and “not to get a buzz out of it”. Gardaí told the court that John Conneely from Corofin, Co Clare, had a “sophisticated way of growing without the use of… Read more »

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Niall-Harbison

Niall Harbison

Date: July 2, 2016 - The Young Bloods

Niall Harbison (37) has carved out a prominent space for himself among Dublin’s business and media melieu in the last several years. His Lovin Dublin (LD) lifestyle website and the connected brand, coupled with his brash persona, have helped catapult ‘Harbo’ to particular notice in enterprise circles, and notoriety elsewhere. Harbo’s genius has been most… Read more »

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PRINCE KHALID’S IRISH STUD

PRINCE KHALID’S IRISH STUD

Date: July 2, 2016 - High Society

WITH TRAINER Dermot Weld having completed the Epsom-Curragh Derby double last weekend with the Aga Khan’s Harzand, his bank balance will have got a nice boost. However, the trainer has other big spending clients, which include Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khalid Abdullah Al Saud. The billionaire’s main business vehicle is Mawarid Holdings, one of Saudi Arabia’s… Read more »

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Sara-Moorhead

SARA’S CULTURAL CREDENTIALS

Date: July 2, 2016 - High Society

BAR COUNCIL insider Sara Moorhead SC is busy these days working for the Dáil as a result of that case taken by Denis O’Brien against the Committee on Procedures and Privileges (CPP). While encounters with O’Brien can be dramatic, Moorhead prefers to listen to opera. Last month, the CPP held a meeting to discuss its… Read more »

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THE SLATTERYS’ RETIREMENT HOME

Date: July 2, 2016 - High Society

THERE HAS been plenty of good news for former GPA hotshot Domhnal Slattery, who has been cashing in big time and, along with his wife, Elaine Slattery, has got the go-ahead for a controversial “ultra modern” new house in Co Clare, to where the couple plan to retire, eventually. After a bruising legal spat with… Read more »

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a-time-for-torment

A TIME OF TORMENT

Date: July 2, 2016 - BooksReviews

JOHN CONNOLLY – (HODDER & STOUGHTON) THE DUBLIN author (and former Irish Times journalist) John Connolly is best known in the US, where he sets his supernatural crime fiction. He has already written 14 best-selling books featuring his iconic private detective, Charlie Parker, starting with Every Dead Thing back in 1999. This latest novel will… Read more »

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the-constant-wife

THE CONSTANT WIFE

Date: July 2, 2016 - ReviewsTheatre

GATE THEATRE THIS 1926 W Somerset Maugham play is the Gate’s bread and butter: a light comedy of manners, bordering on farce, that dabbles in social commentary without ever laying anything serious on the line. It tickles its audiences by pretending to challenge their beliefs while staying within their moral comfort zones. This production is… Read more »

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Donal Skehan

FOLLOW DONAL

Date: July 2, 2016 - ReviewsTV

RTÉ 1 THIS LATEST cooking and travelogue series sees Donal Skehan visiting major cities around Europe, accompanied by local guides. Made up largely of various re-hashed film clips compiled over recent years, these short programmes are little more than an extension of the presenter’s popular blog. There’s nothing new about combining cookery with travel to… Read more »

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Heather-Humphries

HEATHER HUMPHREYS’S PRIORITIES

Date: July 2, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

WITH Heather Humphreys coming under fire for the apparent downgrading of the arts portfolio in her department, she has finally moved to appoint the boards of both the National Concert Hall and National Museum of Ireland. However, there remain a host of unfilled arts seats across the sector. The Minister needs to pull her finger… Read more »

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GRÁINNE SEOIGE’S WINDING-UP

Date: July 2, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

SPARE A thought for RTÉ siren and high-profile Gaeilgeóir Gráinne Seoige, who has had a tough time recently. The latest news is that a creditors’ meeting has been called for her company, Grace Productions Ltd, which is being wound up this week. Seoige was marked out as a top talent at Montrose many moons ago… Read more »

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CASTING DELAY AT FILM BOARD

CASTING DELAY AT FILM BOARD

Date: July 2, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

ONE OF the various state boards with a long-standing vacancy is the Irish Film Board (IFB). In December last year, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys advertised the vacancy at the Irish Film Board caused by the death of chair Bill O’Herlihy in May 2014. Board member Annie Doona – president of… Read more »

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STRADBROOK CASHING IN

STRADBROOK CASHING IN

Date: July 2, 2016 - Sport of Kings

THE NEWS that Stradbrook Acquisitions – owner of Ireland’s racing bible, the Racing Post – is cashing in its chips is good news for the group, which includes Racing Post chief executive Alan Byrne. Two years ago, the group bought back the company’s U180m debt at a discounted rate and now Exponent Private Equity has… Read more »

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Dessie-Scahill

SCAHILL WINDING DOWN

Date: July 2, 2016 - Sport of Kings

THE FAMILIAR tones of racing commentator Dessie Scahill are set to become less frequent as the summer progresses. The 68 year old’s contract with the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) will expire after the Galway Races next month. Scahill, who did his first commentary for RTÉ in 1973, is set to have a new scaled-down… Read more »

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Harry Sweeney

SWEENEY TAKES ACTION

Date: July 2, 2016 - Sport of Kings

LOUTH MAN Harry Sweeney – a vet by trade and highly successful thoroughbred breeder – who is suing the University of Limerick (UL) and two of its former students, has been a trailblazer in the Far East for many years. Sweeney owns and runs the much respected Paca Paca Farm in Hokkaido. Based in Japan… Read more »

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Henry De Bromhead

POTTS ‘SIZING’ UP TRAINERS

Date: July 2, 2016 - Sport of Kings

IT LOOKS like the relationship between trainer Henry De Bromhead and his former major backer, Alan Potts, is nearing breaking point. Maybe a win at Ballybrit will lead to détente. The pair have enjoyed tremendous success over the last 10 years, highlighted by the exploits of Sizing Europe, the Potts-owned nag that won twice at… Read more »

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EAMONN ROTHWELL

ICG shareholders set for turbulent waters post Brexit

Date: July 2, 2016 - Business NewsMoneybags

EAMONN ROTHWELL took the helm of Irish Continental Group (ICG) 24 years ago and might be expected to be preparing his personal exit strategy. Indeed, his recent cashing in of one million share options could well be phase one of this. However, the current sailing of ICG into significant debt is a more immediate issue… Read more »

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Aidan Brogan

Market has pushed Datalex shares sky high

Date: July 2, 2016 - Business NewsMoneybags

IT MAY COME as a surprise but Datalex’s shares have almost doubled over the last year to the current E3.15, with the company now capitalised at E230m. Moneybags identified these shares as seriously undervalued as far back as five years ago, when they stood at a modest 25c (see The Phoenix 22/4/2011) but did not… Read more »

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Leigh Wrafter

The Wrafters’ raft of woes

Date: July 2, 2016 - Briefcases

THERE’S more trouble in store for Goldhawk’s old pals, the Wrafter clan. One of their property businesses, Carnsen Ltd, had receivers appointed last month on foot of two Anglo Irish Bank mortgages. The principal at Carnsen is Gillian Wrafter, while her husband John and fitness-fanatic son Leigh are listed as directors. Carnsen owned the business… Read more »

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the-admirals

Profits sink for the Admirals

Date: July 2, 2016 - Briefcases

LOUTH publican James Carter has had a 2016 to forget with three of his pubs appointing liquidators in May. Carter is the principal at West Gate Inns Ltd and Stonehouse Inns Ltd, and a third company, Admirals Inn Ltd, which was already in receivership when it had its creditors’ meeting. A closer look revealed that… Read more »

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Tanyia Deane

Carlow fashionista’s rates bill

Date: July 2, 2016 - Briefcases

A FASHION boutique in Co Wexford, operated by a very interesting fashion designer and entrepreneur named Tanyia Deane, has been hit with a second judgment in as many years for unpaid council rates. Confusingly, Amber Sky Ltd, which operates the Amber Sky women’s clothes shop in Bunclody, had the €11,000 judgment registered against it by… Read more »

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Kerry developers

Kerry developers have day in court

Date: July 2, 2016 - Briefcases

SPARE a thought for Co Kerry property developers William ‘Billy’ Moloney and Eamon McCarthy, who have had a whopping E11m judgment registered against them in the High Court by AIB. The decision, handed down last month by Judge Michael Twomey, relates to money the pair borrowed to develop houses at a location outside Dingle at… Read more »

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Premia faces winding-up petition

Premia faces winding-up petition

Date: July 2, 2016 - Briefcases

A COMPANY called Premia Developments Ltd (PDL) are facing a winding-up petition in the High Court by ISOL Financial Ltd. ISOL is a financial consultancy co-owned by Michael Humphreys, a director at Davy’s in London, and Adrian Dunne, a director at Headford Capital PTE Ltd. But while the precise grounds for the petition are not… Read more »

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Revenue gets tough with developers

Date: July 2, 2016 - Briefcases

GOLDHAWK’S old friends, developers James Cummins and Michael Walsh, popped up on Revenue’s most recent list of tax defaulters. After an audit of their two unincorporated property partnerships, Abbey Court Homes and Preston Brook Homes, they were found to have underdeclared VAT and the taxman is now after them for a combined €560,000 between the… Read more »

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O’Leary’s powerful friends

Date: July 2, 2016 - Briefcases

MORE on Monkstown modernist Michael O’Leary (not that one), whose new house in south Dublin has locals in a tizzy (see The Phoenix 17/06/16). O’Leary is a director of several Irish companies, but one outfit, an energy company called VP Power Ltd, caught Goldhawk’s eye. Set up in 2005, O’Leary is in situ there with… Read more »

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Vol. 34 No. 13

Vol. 34 No. 13

Date: July 1, 2016 -

Content here

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Roger O'Callaghan

TALLY-HO’S BAD LUCK

Date: June 28, 2016 - Sport of Kings

IT HAS been a tough breeding season for the O’Callaghan family of Tally-Ho Stud. The Westmeath farm, owned and run by Tony and Anne and their sons, Roger and Henry, had high hopes for its new stallion recruit G Force at the beginning of the year, but the rookie was lacking one major requirement for… Read more »

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DUBLIN’S GANGLAND WAR – TV3

Date: June 28, 2016 - ReviewsTV

JOINING THE conga line in over-the-top documentaries focusing on the continuing Kinahan-Hutch feud, this latest attempt went through the familiar motions of what now passes for serious popular journalism. The programme was introduced by Donal MacIntyre, who loitered nervously beside a routine Garda checkpoint and insisted: “They’ve never known anything like this” and “You can… Read more »

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PUSSY-FOOTING WITH PHONEY PHARAOH

Date: June 17, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

FOR almost three years now an Irish boy has been incarcerated without trial by the Egyptian military regime and all diplomatic attempts to have Ibrahim Halawa released and repatriated have been met with nothing but contempt. It’s time to apply different pressure on the Egyptian regime. In 2004, the Egyptian government was happy to sign… Read more »

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Marc MacSharry

MacSHARRY JUNIOR SHAFTED BY MARTIN

Date: June 17, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

MARC MacSHARRY’S sulk in refusing Micheál Martin’s offer of the chair of the finance committee – because he was not given a front bench position – is deeply ironic given the relationship between the two men and also between Martin and Marc’s dad, former finance minister Ray MacSharry. In the dying days of the Brian… Read more »

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Jim O'Callaghan

O’CALLAGHAN OUT OF PROCEDURE TALKS

Date: June 17, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

THERE have been further knowing looks within Fianna Fáil at the absence from the Dáil Committee on Procedure (CP) of the party’s legal advisor and justice spokesperson, Jim O’Callaghan. The committee’s immediate and urgent task is to deal with Denis O’Brien’s High Court action against the committee for finding that Catherine Murphy had not abused… Read more »

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lynn-hiller

TURF CLUB’S DRUGS CZAR

Date: June 17, 2016 - Sport of Kings

THE TURF Club is getting serious about weeding out drug cheats, with the appointment of Lynn Hillyer as chief veterinary officer and head of the new anti-doping unit. Hillyer will begin her role in September, having previously worked in a similar area for both the British Horseracing Authority and the Jockey Club. The appointment comes… Read more »

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Joseph O'Brien

NEW WORLD ORDER?

Date: June 17, 2016 - Sport of Kings

IT WILL not come as a surprise to fans of Goldhawk that Joseph O’Brien, son of Aidan, has officially been granted his trainer’s licence by the Turf Club. It will be recalled that retired champion jockey Tony McCoy had hinted at the move by young Joseph into daddy’s business and also that JP McManus was… Read more »

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