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Bob Geldof

The Hot Air Brigade

Date: July 28, 2016 - The Hot Air Brigade

“We don’t do Abba. We don’t do Robbie f*****g Williams. Brentwood, we are the Boomtown Rats. We are mega.” Bob Geldof fooling nobody at Brentwood gig, VIP Magazine, submitted by reader “But, just as America got its head around a basketball playing president, and Canada has gotten its head around its yoga-practising premier, we should… Read more »

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Marion Coy

FINE GAEL’S ELECTION POST MORTEMS

Date: July 28, 2016 - Last Refuge

BRIAN HAYES is the most likely to be targeted in the two Fine Gael election post mortems – if they ever see the light of day. The first, initiated by the parliamentary party, was in effect conducted by four TDs: Maria Bailey, Peter Burke, Alan Farrell and Kate O’Connell. The second was launched by FG… Read more »

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Alan Kelly

ALAN KELLY RELOADED

Date: July 28, 2016 - Last Refuge

ALAN AK47 KELLY has neither gone away nor been decommissioned and after a temporary ceasefire is firing off salvoes against the government in a bid to reassert himself again. But his real target is party leader Brendan Howlin. It may or may not be a good idea to become the Sunday Independent’s Labour poster boy… Read more »

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Lucinda Creighton

Renua’s money

Date: July 28, 2016 - Last Refuge

RENUA HAS no TDs or senators but is being kept alive by state funds of €250,000 a year and is already making preparations to fund a full time party leader and also a candidate coordinator. Offaly councillor John Leahy is likely to be elected leader in September and the job description has already been drafted…. Read more »

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Micheál Martin

MICHEÁL MARTIN’S LONG-TERM GAME PLAN

Date: July 28, 2016 - Last Refuge

FINE GAEL’S Brendan Griffin is not the only member of his party terrified of Fianna Fáil suddenly pulling the plug and racing to the country. Griffin exaggerated the danger in order to increase party paranoia about either having Kenny as leader at such an election or having a leadership contest on the eve of an… Read more »

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General El Sisi

EOGHAN HARRIS HOUNDS HALAWA

Date: July 28, 2016 - Fit to Print?

AS IF Ibrahim Halawa, jailed for three years in Egypt without trial and facing a possible death penalty, had not enough to contend with, his release campaign has now been attacked by Eoghan Harris in the Sunday Independent. In an extraordinary article recently, Harris began by praising former Portuguese dictator Salazar, suggesting that EU countries… Read more »

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article default

MCD’s blacklist

Date: July 28, 2016 - Fit to Print?

IS Irish Independent feature writer and music critic John Meagher the latest disrespectful hack to fall foul of omnipotent music promoters MCD Productions? Goldhawk recently reported on how MCD blacked another music critic, Ed Power, following his scathing critique of Hozier (managed by MCD director Caroline Downey) as the best example of all that is… Read more »

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Dee Forbes

DEE FORBES’S GOODBYE KISS

Date: July 28, 2016 - Fit to Print?

RTE’S NEW director general Dee Forbes gave her “enormously talented” charges a corporate pep talk via a memo to staff when she landed at her desk a fortnight ago. But behind the luvvy lingo – “you should be proud of … [RTE’s] unique place in Irish life” etc – the real message was that of… Read more »

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Paul Williams

Paul Williams

Date: July 28, 2016 - Pillars of Society

CAN Paul Williams save Newstalk from disaster as Denis O’Brien’s station faces life without Ivan Yates, with George Hook heading towards the door and RTE stealing listeners as well as backroom staff? There is an air of desperation at Newstalk as indicated by the choice… Read more »

Bog Cuttings

Bog Cuttings

Date: July 28, 2016 - Bog Cuttings

‘Beyoncé could have slipped on her backside’ KILRUSH, Co Clare, has been buzzing with the rumour that Beyoncé was a recent guest to the area. Locals were convinced the singer was one of several individuals who landed at Aylevarroo, Cappa, on a luxury yacht some weeks ago. Many say they saw blacked out cars collecting… Read more »

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Brendan Griffin

Brendan Griffin

Date: July 28, 2016 - The Young Bloods

Brendan Griffin (34) TD was the only Fine Gael backbencher to call openly for the resignation of Taoiseach Enda Kenny in the latest anti-Kenny bout of dissent. The Kerry Blueshirt has crafted a public image in the last five years as a straight-talking and rebellious backbencher, willing to be a thorn in the side of… Read more »

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Pat and Una McDonagh

RENVILLE HOUSE’S NEW OWNER

Date: July 28, 2016 - High Society

THE NEW owner of Renville House on 130 acres outside Oranmore overlooking Galway Bay is burger and chips millionaire Pat McDonagh of Supermac’s fame. He lashed out €3.2m for the property at the auction in Galway’s Radisson Blu Hotel, a cool E1.2m above the guide price. The Georgian Renville House had been in the ownership… Read more »

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Michael-colgan

Colgan’s property pals

Date: July 28, 2016 - High Society

THE HIRING of the Gate’s Michael Colgan as an arts adviser by boom-time developer Sean Mulryan (who has now exited Nama) is the kind of move that suggests the old ways may be returning. Colgan, who previously described Mulryan as “special”, has form in this area. A couple of years ago, the outgoing Gate Theatre… Read more »

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Greg Broderick

GREG BRODERICK’S CLEAR ROUND

Date: July 28, 2016 - High Society

SHOWJUMPING has been in the news thanks to the Irish Horse Show at the RDS but there has also been another story garnering attention in the media – the selection of Tipperary’s Greg Broderick to represent Ireland at the Rio Olympics next month, ahead of the dashing young 20-year-old Wexford-born superstar, Bertram Allen. As it… Read more »

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Second Captains

SECOND CAPTAINS SUNDAY – RTÉ RADIO ONE

Date: July 28, 2016 - Reviews

IN THIS latest version of their old Newstalk Off the Ball programme, presenters Eoin McDevitt, Ciarán Murphy and Ken Early aim to attract a wider weekend audience than traditional sports fans. With music, chat and interviews, the lads have temporarily replaced Miriam O’Callaghan’s regular10am Sunday slot with a tried and tested format that offers few… Read more »

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James Hickey

FILLING THOSE TOP ARTS JOBS

Date: July 28, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

WITH THE renewal of the contract of James Hickey as chief executive of the Irish Film Board (IFB) this month, a pattern is starting to emerge in the manner in which the previously understood “fixed-term” contracts for the heads of the national cultural institutions are quietly renewed without any advert. Hickey follows hot on the… Read more »

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Kirsten Sheridan

NOW THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT

Date: July 28, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

THEY SAY “there’s no business like show business” and this is strongly supported by the latest healthy flow of public money into the coffers of the country’s mendicant film and television producers, totalling U28.2m. Second quarter figures for the Section 481 tax break (U17.5m), James Hickey’s Irish Film Board (€6m) and at Michael O’Keefe’s Broadcasting… Read more »

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Larry-Nanci-and-Jaime-Roth

Jim BOLGER’S US friends

Date: July 28, 2016 - Sport of Kings

OVER THE last 10 years, Jim Bolger has generally relied on himself rather than outside owners to produce the raw material to train. But he has also shown quite a knack for following the money, Bolger has developed a large broodmare band that provides the Master of Coolcullen with an annual influx of yearlings to… Read more »

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Paul-Gilligan

GILLIGAN VS THE BHA

Date: July 28, 2016 - Sport of Kings

PAUL GILLIGAN, the Galway-based trainer who sent out Bertie’s Dream to win at the Cheltenham Festival in 2010, is continuing to lock horns with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) over his six month suspension handed down in March this year. Gilligan was found guilty of running a horse at Uttoxeter Racecourse in 2014 that had… Read more »

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BRIAN KAVANAGH: WINNER ALRIGHT?

Date: July 28, 2016 - Sport of Kings

AS PREDICTED by Goldhawk (see The Phoenix 17/6/16), Brian Kavanagh has been reappointed chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland for third time, without any advertisement for the position. However the race to the finish proved rather bumpy one for Kavanagh and HRI chairman, Joe ‘Strawberries’ Keeling. A stewards’ inquiry would not be out of the… Read more »

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Rupert Murdoch

Moguls taking on Denis O’Brien

Date: July 28, 2016 - Moneybags

IT IS now much clearer what strategy was behind Eir’s decision to buy Setanta Sport. It was not just the building up of a better “quad play” – offering mainline telephony, mobile phone, broadband and TV content – but also as an asset to take on one of its main broadband competitors: John Malone’s Virgin… Read more »

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Michael O’Leary

Michael O’Leary’s tax woes

Date: July 28, 2016 - Briefcases

SPARE A thought for Michael O’Leary (not that one) who just had a judgment for €54,000 registered against him by the Revenue in July. O’Leary, a Co Wexford-based accountant and auctioneer, also dabbled in property developing and will be familiar to fans of Goldhawk because of a legal spat with an ex-business partner of his…. Read more »

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Revenue gets tough with solicitors

Date: July 28, 2016 - Briefcases

THE REVENUE has registered judgments against no less than five solicitors since the start of June. The legal eagles will now have to explain themselves to the Law Society as per its rules for tax defaulters. Of the five, Brendan Walsh from Blackrock, Co Louth, had the largest judgment registered against him by the taxman… Read more »

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Bad times get worse for O’Connor brothers

Date: July 28, 2016 - Briefcases

THERE WAS bad news in July for Kerry developers and builders WK O’Connor & Sons Ltd (WKOC) which had a receiver appointed to it on foot of eight Anglo Irish Bank mortgages, some dating back to 2001. The company, which is already in NAMA, also showed some eye-watering losses in its latest set of accounts…. Read more »

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Solicitor Condon’s saga of litigation

Solicitor Condon’s saga of litigation

Date: July 28, 2016 - Briefcases

DUBLIN solicitor John F Condon was the subject of a judgment by the president of the High Court, Judge Peter Kelly, last week, which provided an interesting insight into the solicitor’s practice. Condon was refused his appeal against a decision by the Law Society to grant him a solicitor’s practising certificate for 2016 subject to… Read more »

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Peter McCann

Another bad day in court for Peter McCann

Date: July 28, 2016 - Briefcases

GOLDHAWK’S old pal Peter McCann had a rough day in court last week when the High Court upheld a ruling that he intended to defraud a solicitor out of €411,000. But McCann, the Dublin-based developer behind the dissolved Lance Group of property companies, already has a lot on his plate and will be familiar to… Read more »

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Some good news for Peter Lavelle

Date: July 28, 2016 - Briefcases

CONGRATULATIONS to property investor and financial markets trader Peter Lavelle, who had a great day in the High Court last week in front of Judge Marie Baker. A Luxembourg-controlled vulture fund, called Stapleford Finance Ltd, was refused summary judgment against Lavelle for €6m and the court ruled that Lavelle is entitled to a full hearing… Read more »

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the-priviliged

THE PRIVILEGED – EMILY HOURICAN (HACHETTE IRELAND)

Date: July 28, 2016 - Reviews

THIS DEBUT novel by Sindo hack Emily Hourican explores the lives of three female protagonists, focusing mainly on dysfunctional relationships between friends and lovers. Stella, Laura and Amanda have known one another since their teens and share the usual schoolgirl interests. None of them is likeable, but Amanda (“a fully fledged movie star”) is exceptionally… Read more »

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Garrett Keogh

THE WEIR – PAVILION THEATRE

Date: July 28, 2016 - Reviews

LOOKS LIKE Andrew Flynn is on to something. The Galway-based producer-director is wrapping up his first major show of 2016. As usual, it has been a national tour, this time of Conor McPherson’s breakthrough 1997 play. It has all the echoes of last year when Flynn raised eyebrows – and packed bums onto seats –… Read more »

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Michael Creed

BREXIT IS BAD FOR THE PLANET

Date: July 28, 2016 - Fowl Emissions

“A MORE flexible approach to environmental protection” – this Orwellian promise from UK farming minister George Eustice ominously sums up the likely direction of UK environmental policy post-Brexit. Eustice, a Leave campaigner, speaking three weeks before the fateful referendum was implausibly claiming the UK could develop better environmental protections by going it alone. His real… Read more »

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SINN FÉIN’S ‘TRANSITIONAL LEADERSHIP’

Date: July 27, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

SINN FÉIN’S new 10-year plan, currently being put to members at meetings around the country, has yet to be fully decoded by the media. When the penny drops it will be seen that apart from hints of “transitional leadership”, the real change is in SF’s attitude to future coalition. The party is preparing to drop… Read more »

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Vol. 34 No. 14

Vol. 34 No. 14

Date: July 15, 2016 -

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SIMON COVENEY IS THE REAL FAVOURITE

Date: July 15, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

LAST week’s poll showing that Fine Gael members favour Leo Varadkar above Simon Coveney by 43% to 29% is misleading. FG’s leadership colleges are composed of the parliamentary party, which has 65% of the vote; party members 25%; and county councillors 10%. It is the parliamentary party that will decide whether glamorous Vlad or boring… Read more »

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john and-gayle-brady

JOHN BRADY’S DAY IN COURT

Date: July 15, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

THE FULL ruling, just published, from Judge Max Barrett on a case taken by Sinn Féin TD John Brady and his wife, Gayle, against Wicklow County Council, makes for interesting reading. Certainly, there are aspects of the case that raise serious questions about the Council’s modus operandi. Moreover, the spat has added to the Council’s… Read more »

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Anne-Marie-Waters

Water Celebrates Leave Result

Date: July 15, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

DUBLIN born but British based Brexit campaigner, Anne Marie Waters, exultant after the Leave vote, is making waves in British right-wing circles with her membership of UKIP and also Pegida, a virulently anti-Islamic organisation originating in Germany. Anne Marie warned followers recently that a Brexit victory was only the first step in reclaiming British and… Read more »

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article-default

Console Unawarded

Date: July 15, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

THE unforgiving organisers of the People of the Year Awards were quick to demand that ex-Console boss, Paul Kelly, return his award in order to protect the standing of the awards. The Rehab group have organised the awards for over 40 years and Angela Kerins, former Rehab chief executive, was chairperson of the adjudication committee… Read more »

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