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shane-mcgowan

The Hot Air Brigade

Date: March 24, 2016 - The Hot Air Brigade

We’re restoring a national treasure with Shane. It’s like someone presents you with the Book of Kells and says “Here you go, this needs restoration.” Dentist Darragh Mulrooney on restoring Shane MacGowan’s teeth, in the TV documentary, Shane MacGowan: A Wreck Reborn From her irreverent early work to ‘volunteering her breasts’ for DruidShakespeare and on… Read more »

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Richard Bruton

REFERENDUM ON EU-US TRADE DEAL?

Date: March 24, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

THE Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP), the trade and investment-protection deal between the EU and the US, threatens to undermine national sovereignties, domestic law and living standards across Europe with its unprecedented corporate power-grab. It has sparked huge public outcry and demonstrations across Europe. Parts of Irish civil society have been up in arms… Read more »

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Kieran Rose

KIERAN ROSE’S CAMPAIGN

Date: March 24, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

CONGRATULATIONS to wily NUI Seanad candidate and impressive self-promoter Kieran Rose. The Dublin City Council senior planner has managed to attract oodles of coverage in the run-up to his first attempt at election to the Senate. Rose has recently clashed very publicly with environment minister, Alan Kelly, over the significantly reduced apartment quality standards introduced… Read more »

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kate-feeney

LABOUR’S SENATE GENDER DEFICIT

Date: March 24, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

LABOUR’S horrendous general election, coupled with its equally abysmal local election results, mean that its Seanad voting franchise – councillors and newly elected TDs as well as outgoing senators – is significantly diminished. The first casualty of this small voting base has been Labour’s preoccupation with gender equality, and its two nominees for the Seanad… Read more »

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MaryRobinson01

MARY ROBINSON’S NEW DIRECTORS

Date: March 24, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

AS PLANS proceed for Mary Robinson’s multi-million euro shrine in Ballina, she had beefed up the board of her new foundation with some familiar faces. It will be recalled (see The Phoenix 15/1/16) that the budget for the Mary Robinson Centre is around €8.5m, with a significant chunk coming from the taxpayer via the Department… Read more »

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Denis-OBrien

DENIS O’BRIEN IN THE GOLDMINES

Date: March 24, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

WHAT now for the media mogul Denis O’Brien and Red Flag, the PR firm that Denis has chased through the courts for alleged defamation and conspiracy via that elusive USB stick containing files on him. On October 16, 2015, Judge Colm Mac Eochaidh ordered that the USB stick be delivered “forthwith” to O’Brien’s solicitors, Eames… Read more »

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feargus-flood

FLOOD/MAHON TRIBUNAL WIPE-OUT

Date: March 24, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

THE fiasco that is the Mahon Tribunal has now climaxed with virtually all findings of culpability against previously named parties being dumped. Estimates of the tribunal’s cost – so far – range between €160m circa to €300m, and yet there is no forum for scrutiny of this unprecedented legal debacle. There is no better example… Read more »

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bob-gunkel

“CURIOUS AND UNSETTLING” IN CORK

Date: March 24, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

A RETIRED chartered engineer, William Bailey, has just won an important and interesting legal battle in the Court of Appeal concerning an unauthorised multi-million euro wind farm outside Dunmanway, Co Cork. A star player here turns out to be former senior planner with Cork County Council, Bob Gunkel, who worked on the controversial planning application… Read more »

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Simon Coveney

SIMON COVENEY MOVES TO SUCCESSION SLOT

Date: March 24, 2016 - Last Refuge

SIMON COVENEY is now playing a central role in Fine Gael’s efforts to construct a rainbow coalition and is acting in tandem with Enda Kenny in talks with the Independents. This happened partly by accident and partly because Coveney and Simon Harris have shown a purposeful intent that others appear to lack. Kenny has assembled… Read more »

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Michael Healy-Rae

Michael & Danny Healy-Rae

Date: March 24, 2016 - Pillars of Society

When the 32nd Dáil first met for the first time a fortnight ago, the real show in town that day appeared to be Healy-Rae brothers, Michael and Danny, throwing a mini concert on the bonnet of a jeep outside Leinster House. The duo from Kilgarvan in Kerry made history by becoming the first siblings to represent the… Read more »

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Jack Chambers

Jack Chambers

Date: March 24, 2016 - The Young Bloods

TWENTY-five year-old Jack Chambers, the newly elected Fianna Fáil TD for Brian Lenihan’s old constituency of Dublin West (and the youngest TD elected in last month’s general election) is not exactly in sync with the ‘left-of-centre’ image projected by party leader, Micheál Martin. He’s young, clean and biddable, but is very much in the new… Read more »

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Vol. 34 No. 05

Vol. 34 No. 05

Date: March 10, 2016 -

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article default

Giraffe’s Neck in the Sand

Date: March 9, 2016 - The Hot Water Brigade

GIRAFFE Childcare – the company behind crèche chain, Giraffe, which featured in the RTE exposé on crèches in 2013 – has taken its eye off the ball, as the company is currently facing the threat of being struck off by the Companies Registration Office (CRO). Giraffe was listed for strike off last month for failing… Read more »

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david-coleman

David Coleman’s Appeal

Date: March 9, 2016 - The Hot Water Brigade

SOME bad news for solicitor and property developer David Coleman, a founding partner in the well-known law firm, Lavelle Coleman, which was split up in 2014. Coleman, who is now the managing partner in his firm, Coleman Legal Partners, has been personally involved in a number of legal disputes in recent years in connection with… Read more »

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Eversheds Ponders Libel Action

Eversheds Ponders Libel Action

Date: March 9, 2016 - The Hot Water Brigade

EVERSHEDS, the Dublin-based law firm, is the latest to join the lengthy list of entities that have recently lodged legal proceedings against supermarket giant, Dunnes Stores, over alleged bad debts. Dunnes Stores boss Margaret Heffernan loves a legal dust-up and in the last year or so, a number of landlords have issued proceedings against her… Read more »

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oisin-hanrahan

Oisin Hanrahan’s Settlement

Date: March 9, 2016 - The Hot Water Brigade

HIGHFLYING US-based businessman Oisin Hanrahan has one less legal squabble to worry about now that a pesky court case taken against him and the company he founded, Handy, has been settled. There was plenty of mud thrown in the dispute, which was taken by two unhappy former workers of Handy, the online booking company for… Read more »

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stephen-cheung

Stephen Cheung’s Conviction

Date: March 9, 2016 - The Hot Water Brigade

LOOKS like the game is up for former liquidator Stephen Cheung, who was accused of stealing around €450,000 from various companies he was the liquidator of over a period from 2009-2013. Cheung – whose liquidator firm was Cheung Consulting – was charged last year with 18 counts under the Theft and Fraud Act, which related… Read more »

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karl-mulvee

Karl Mulvee Gets Squeezed

Date: March 9, 2016 - The Hot Water Brigade

DUBLIN businessman Karl Mulvee has been adept at generating positive press for his juicing business, Pure Green, although this wasn’t enough to make the business a success and the company behind it, Streamhall Ltd, collapsed into liquidation last month. Presumably, a closure order served on Pure Green by the HSE in 2014 didn’t help. The… Read more »

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ivan-menezes

Only takeover talk justifies Diageo’s rating

Date: March 9, 2016 - Moneybags

SINCE Ivan Menezes got the top job at Diageo in July 2013, taking over the reins from the hugely successful Paul Walsh, the chief executive has failed to impress. Rather than build on Walsh’s impressive record, Menezes has delivered falling earnings. Moreover, both he and the chairman who appointed him, Franz Humer, have effectively ignored… Read more »

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siun-ni-raghallaigh

LIGHTS, CAMERA, BUBBLE

Date: March 9, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

TO ALL appearances, it’s full steam ahead for John Kelleher, Siún ní Raghallaigh and Ossie Kilkenny’s Troy Studios play at the former Dell plant in Limerick, whether or not Michael Noonan gets back into the finance ministry. That said, there are signs of a ‘bubble’ of sorts developing, inflated by the amount of soft public… Read more »

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article default

COUNCIL’S “CONCERN”

Date: March 9, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

WHILE THE backlash against the Abbey Theatre’s testosterone-fuelled 1916 centenary programme – ‘Waking The Nation’ – was well-ventilated, it turns out that the members of the Arts Council had their own backlash after learning of Fiach MacConghail’s wrangling of U½m from the Department of Arts for the controversial programme Initially, the Abbey had been counting… Read more »

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article default

Secret Gallops

Date: March 9, 2016 - Sport of Kings

SECRECY continues to surround the traditional after racing gallops held last week at the state-owned Leopardstown racecourse for horses engaged to run at Cheltenham. While racetracks in England are more than happy to inform the public of the identity of the nags taking part in their pre-festival trials, Brian Kavanagh’s Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) prefers… Read more »

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bernard-caldwell

NEW TRACK FOR 2016 AWARDS

Date: March 9, 2016 - Sport of Kings

AFTER CRITICISM regarding the lack of balance on the judging panel handing out the cash prizes and gongs at the Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum-sponsored Godolphin Stable Staff Awards last year (see The Phoenix 23/4/15), Joe Keeling’s Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has responded by moving the €70,000 publicity vehicle to the Dunraven Arms in Co Limerick…. Read more »

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CHELTENHAM CHOICES

Date: March 9, 2016 - Sport of Kings

WITH THE annual Irish pilgrimage to the Mecca of national hunt racing that is Cheltenham set to begin next week, Goldhawk has the onerous task of marking the festival card for readers. Closutton governor Willie Mullins will have a strong hand again this year and all the talk surrounds his Supreme Novice Hurdler, Min, which… Read more »

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john-moloney

MEDIA RIGHT AND WRONGS

Date: March 9, 2016 - Sport of Kings

THE HOT TOPIC of media rights within Irish racing is set to continue as a divisive factor within John Moloney’s Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR). The retired Galway racecourse manager and long-time Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) board member has signed a controversial new five-year media rights deal with SIS, which for the first time will… Read more »

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kevin-cardiff

RECAP: Inside Ireland’s Financial Crisis

Date: March 9, 2016 - BooksReviews

Kevin Cardiff (The Liffey Press) KEVIN CARDIFF was a senior mandarin at the Department of Finance from 2006 to 2010 and secretary general from 2010 to February 2012 – a period which saw the emergence of the banking and economic crises and the faltering, indeed flawed, response of governments to them. As such, he was… Read more »

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THIS LIVING AND IMMORTAL THING

Date: March 9, 2016 - BooksReviews

AUSTIN DUFFY (GRANTA) THE TITLE of this debut novel refers to the remarkable effort cancer cells give to growing and multiplying. Duffy’s story opens with the narrator’s compassionate account of Henrietta’s clinical treatment. After some time, we find out that he is actually describing one of the lab mice. What follows is an unsentimental but… Read more »

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JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK

Date: March 9, 2016 - ReviewsTheatre

GATE THEATRE WHEN IT comes to tenement life in 1920s Dublin, Thomas Hobbes nailed it: poor, nasty, brutish and short. That’s the dominant aesthetic in the Gate Theatre’s grim production, directed by erstwhile bad-boy of Irish theatre, Mark O’Rowe. There are some laughs to be had, but they’re for people who find humour in familiar… Read more »

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article default

Noel O’Callaghan’s Expansion

Date: March 9, 2016 - High Society

WEALTHY property developer-turned-hotelier, Noel O’Callaghan, generated plenty of headlines during his time as a director of both Bord Fáilte and CIE in the 1990s, thanks to assorted controversies. He is now upsetting An Taisce with new plans for 3 and 4 Harcourt Street, D2, the birthplaces of Edward Carson and playwright George Fitzmaurice. In recent… Read more »

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tom-coughlan

THE RETURN OF TOM COUGHLAN

Date: March 9, 2016 - Beyond the Pale

LITTLE has been heard in recent years from the colourful former owner of Cork City Football Club and former Progressive Democrat candidate, Tom Coughlan, who also built up substantial property interests during the boom. Last month, however, a subsidiary of the vulture fund, Cerberus, installed receivers in two of Coughlan’s property related vehicles, Emirates Investments… Read more »

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bog cuttings

Bog Cuttings

Date: March 9, 2016 - Bog Cuttings

CLIMBED CITY CENTRE CHRISTMAS TREE A 22-YEAR-old man climbed the Christmas tree in Derry city centre while ‘baring his rear’ to passers by. Phillip O’Donnell, of Baldrick Crescent, pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour. Derry Magistrates Court heard city centre CCTV operators contacted police after they saw O’Donnell climb the Christmas tree. He had dropped his… Read more »

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article default

UL Ponders Libel Action

Date: March 9, 2016 - Fit to Print?

UNIVERSITY of Limerick president and vice-president, Don Barry and Paul McCutcheon respectively, are weighing up the unpalatable prospect of backing down from the Limerick Leader, against whom the college had lodged High Court writs, including one personally against editor Alan English. This follows an inquiry by consultants Mazars into allegations of inappropriate expenses claims, and… Read more »

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fionnan-sheehan

(S)INDO ELECTION TARGETS

Date: March 9, 2016 - Fit to Print?

THE Sunday and Irish Independent had a bad election in so far as their ‘side’ lost, but they derived some compensation hits against selected targets at a lower level. The Indo’s election day photo spread across the front page of Enda and missus, Fionnuala, was hardly JFK and Jackie, but it summed up the editorial… Read more »

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joan-burton

LABOUR MINISTERS SURVIVE BLOODBATH

Date: March 9, 2016 - Last Refuge

THE most fascinating statistic in the entrails of Labour’s general election massacre is that out of the seven surviving TDs, no less than four are ministers (out of a total cabinet complement of five). While communications minister Alex White lost his seat in Dublin Rathdown, Joan Burton (Dublin West), Brendan Howlin (Wexford), Alan Kelly (Tipperary)… Read more »

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PARTIES’ (MIS)FORTUNES

Date: March 9, 2016 - Last Refuge

THE new Dáil arithmetic occupied the minds of various parties’ leaders and handlers post-election, but attention quickly turned to the knock-on effects on party finances. Fianna Fáil is in line to receive around €1 million a year in additional funds. While nowhere near the amount their historic support levels would have gained them, it will… Read more »

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simon-coveney

Kenny to Survive?

Date: March 9, 2016 - Last Refuge

IS Enda Kenny really a dead duck? Enda may not be Francois Mitterrand or Winston Churchill but he is one of the canniest political operators in the business and the future may not be as bleak for the Taoiseach as it appears. If Kenny is able to form a government with Fianna Fáil then he… Read more »

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