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Denis-OBrien

O’BRIEN’S MEDIA GREEK CHORUS

Date: February 11, 2016 - Fit to Print?

THE preferential treatment and soft soap interview that Newstalk Breakfast host Chris Donoghue gave to disgraced former minister, Michael Lowry, last week is just one more example of station owner Denis O’Brien’s influence on the media. But the manner in which the story was rapidly transformed by the Irish Independent into a quite different story… Read more »

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MICHAEL RING’S WESTPORT HEADACHE

Date: February 11, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

WITH COUNTLESS local battles being fought around the country as the election gains momentum, in Mayo the issue of Westport House has garnered more than its fair share of headlines, not least due to the very unusual timing associated with the sale. Junior minister Michael Ring was not impressed but neither were many of the… Read more »

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LisaChambers

FIANNA FÁIL ON A ROLL

Date: February 11, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

HAVE Fine Gael strategists been seduced by their own propaganda? The notion that they are fighting for civilisation and seats against the Provo-Bolsheviks of Sinn Féin is nonsense as both parties are fishing out of entirely different pools. But FG is contesting for votes and seats with Fianna Fáil and the Blueshirts may have taken… Read more »

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PEGIDA TO RUN IN ELECTION?

Date: February 11, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

THE leader of the Aryan super race in Ireland, Pegida founder Peter O’Loughlin, has until High Noon today (Thursday) to declare his intended general election candidacy in Cork North Central. Having recently collected nomination forms, O’Loughlin loftily declared to the Cork City Sheriff’s office that he would revisit the office by 12 noon on Thursday… Read more »

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Donegal Councillors court date

Date: February 11, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

THE CURRENT chairman of Donegal County Council, Fianna Fáil’s Ciaran Brogan, is due before Letterkenny District Court next month on a drink-driving related charge. The charge relates to an alleged incident last June at Ballymacool, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, in which Brogan was arrested in connection with an offence under Section 5(2) of the Road Traffic… Read more »

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michael-orourke

RADIO INTERFERENCE FOR SETANTA

Date: February 11, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

THERE WAS plenty of back-slapping going on this month after the announcement of the deal that sees Frank Gleeson’s Mercantile group of bars and restaurants ‘merge’ with the Capital Bars group, controlled by Setanta Sports founders Michael O’Rourke, Leonard Ryan and Mark O’Meara. O’Rourke was also recently toasting a multi-million euro deal that will see… Read more »

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joan-burton

COALITION DIRTY TRICKS

Date: February 11, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

PAT RABBITTE (in)famously remarked that politicians say certain things during election campaigns, but Enda Kenny and Joan Burton’s cynical response to the gangland shootings is remarkable, with the Tánaiste in particular abandoning all semblance of traditional Labour values. Their remarks are also an effort to deflect public anger at the Government’s responsibility for the Garda’s… Read more »

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Lucinda

KATE O’CONNELL Vs LUCINDA IN DBS

Date: February 11, 2016 - Last Refuge

ENDA KENNY and most of Fine Gael in Dublin Bay South would be ecstatic if they were able to retain two seats in Sir Garret’s old Dublin South-East constituency. But they would all die and go to heaven if they took out renegade Lucinda Creighton in the process. To this end, party handlers, along with… Read more »

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sean-dorgan

MICHEÁL MARTIN’S FF MACHINE

Date: February 11, 2016 - Affairs of the Nation

IT’S back to the future for the Fianna Fáil election campaign with most of the core group of handlers being long time party strategists going back at least a decade and more. Peter McDonagh, aka the Child of Prague, due to his part-time domicile there, has been heavily involved in the last five general elections,… Read more »

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Brian Hayes

Brian Hayes MEP

Date: February 11, 2016 - Pillars of Society

HOW did Brian Hayes, Member of the European Parliament, end up as Fine Gael’s director of elections? And why did he opt for the removed political world of the European Parliament in the first place, away from the domestic political arena in which any ambitious, would-be leader – and Hayes definitely falls into that category… Read more »

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MartinHeydon

Martin Heydon

Date: February 11, 2016 - The Young Bloods

FINE GAEL Kildare South TD Martin Heydon is expected to walk back into the next Dáil after this month’s general election, but he is very closely watching his back. His running mate is the formidable Cllr Fiona McLoughlin Healy, a newcomer on the political scene who doesn’t like being messed about. McLouglin Healy is in… Read more »

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tania-banotti

TANIA BANOTTI TO CHAIR FILM BOARD?

Date: February 11, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

WITH the general election campaign under way, time is running out for the Government to appoint a safe pair of Fine Gael hands to the chairmanship of the Irish Film Board (IFB). Replacing the late Bill O’Herlihy, the unpaid position was finally advertised on December 2 last, with an application deadline of Jan 4. Goldhawk… Read more »

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Vol. 34 No. 02

Vol. 34 No. 02

Date: January 29, 2016 -

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frank-otoole

Planning Corruption In Wicklow

Date: January 28, 2016 - Briefcases

THERE was good news earlier this week for former Wicklow town clerk, Frank O’Toole, who avoided a trip to the slammer when he was given an 18-month suspended jail sentence, having previously been found guilty of corruption at Wicklow Circuit Court. The conviction related to a letter sent by O’Toole that incorrectly stated that development… Read more »

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Fresh Legal Woes For John O’Donnell

Date: January 28, 2016 - Briefcases

INDEPENDENT councillor from Donegal John O’Donnell is up to his neck in legal problems and featured in last month’s programme from RTÉ’s Investigations Unit, Standards in Public Office. As Goldhawk previously reported, O’Donnell is being chased by ACC Bank in the High Court, but now it turns out his fellow councillor on Donegal County Council,… Read more »

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Jay Bourke

Jay Bourke’s Good News

Date: January 28, 2016 - Briefcases

FINALLY some good news for Goldhawk’s old friend, Jay Bourke, the Dublin businessman who has been involved in all manner of legal disputes in recent years (see The Phoenix 28/3/14). One of the legal squabbles Bourke was involved in concerned a row over money allegedly owed to Phonographic Performance (Ireland) Ltd (PPI), the body in… Read more »

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Fergus Appelbe

Nama Sues Solicitor’s Wife

Date: January 28, 2016 - Briefcases

THINGS aren’t getting any easier for the Appelbe family of Bandon, Co Cork, which is headed by the under-fire solicitor and property developer, Fergus Appelbe. The latest misfortune to bedevil the family comes courtesy of Nama, which has recently issued High Court proceedings against Appelbe’s wife, Georgina Appelbe, seeking judgment for €4m. The case is… Read more »

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Date: January 28, 2016 - Briefcases

US legal proceedings involving Nama and low-profile developer John McCann – who was landed with a €114m judgment by the agency in 2013 – are heating up. The agency had accused the developer of disobeying a court order requiring him to disclose financial information related to his US companies. Nama had asked a court in… Read more »

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Vogue Williams

Ed O’Flaherty’s Bad Publicity

Date: January 28, 2016 - Briefcases

DUBLIN businessman and dentist Ed O’Flaherty of Seapoint Clinic Ltd (SCL) knows a thing or two about drumming up publicity for his clinic, with the likes of Rosanna Davison, Georgia Salpa and Nicky Byrne having given testimonials endorsing his practice. One publicity stunt – involving model and DJ Vogue Williams – resulted in a trip… Read more »

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Donal Spring’s Fees

Date: January 28, 2016 - Briefcases

SOLICITOR and former international rugby player Donal Spring – brother of former Labour party leader, Dick Spring – is set to tackle the trade union, Unite, which is being sued by Spring’s firm, Daniel Spring & Co, over alleged unpaid fees. Spring is an expert in employment law and his Dublin firm also specialises in… Read more »

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Greg Kavanagh

Blackrock Planning Row

Date: January 28, 2016 - Briefcases

NEPTUNE HOUSE, a listed building in Blackrock, Co Dublin, is steeped in history and now looks set to be renovated and converted into an apartment and housing development. The house was the subject of a most unusual planning decision last month by An Bord Pleanála (ABP), which granted permission for the development, even though its… Read more »

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Pat McCann

Checking out of Dalata Hotels?

Date: January 28, 2016 - Moneybags

PAT MCCANN got off to a bad start in Dalata Hotel Group from the time he established it in 2007 up to 2013, losing a hefty €50m on the tiny operation. But, with the support of Davys, he convinced UK investment institutions to funnel truckloads of money into Dalata on foot of a promised recovery… Read more »

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Colm O’Nualláin

I-res Reit benefits from Nama’s strategy

Date: January 28, 2016 - Moneybags

THE RECENT sale by Nama of 442 apartments in Tallaght for €83m to the Irish Residential Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (I-res Reit) is the largest single apartment block deal ever carried out in this country, and marks the latest phase in the astonishing growth of this fledgling operation. I-res Reit is now one of… Read more »

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GROUP 1 JOB AT THE CURRAGH

Date: January 28, 2016 - Sport of Kings

NO LESS THAN 19 runners have declared in the race to win the lucrative prize of first place in the state sponsored ‘Irish Racing Gravy Train Stakes’. Applications have closed for the job as chief executive of the Padraig McManus-chaired Curragh Racecourse Ltd, which now administers all functions and operations at the Curragh racecourse and… Read more »

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John Malone

JOHN MALONE’S EXPANSION

Date: January 28, 2016 - Sport of Kings

CASTLEMARTIN STUD – the 750-acre spread formerly owned by Tony O’Reilly, which was controversially disposed of by AIB bank to land loving American billionaire John Malone for U28 million – is back in the bloodstock business. Goldhawk understands that young horses were moved into its empty stables earlier this month and Malone plans to build… Read more »

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Hugo Palmer

HUGO PALMER’S MUSCLE PROBLEM

Date: January 28, 2016 - Sport of Kings

EARLIER THIS month at Bowler Hat HQ, Turf Club chief executive Denis Egan had the red carpet, cucumber sandwiches and Ferrero Rocher out for the visit of British aristocracy to the club’s Referrals Committee. Hugo Palmer, son of Lord Adrian Palmer from the stately Edwardian pile, Manderston House in Berwickshire, was up before Judge Tony… Read more »

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Ruby Walsh

RUBY WALSH WANTS THE MONEY

Date: January 28, 2016 - Sport of Kings

WITHIN the tight circle of Irish Horse Racing, the Walsh family are not known for their meek personality. The adjective ‘outspoken’ tends to be bandied about in any descriptions of bolshy trainer Ted Walsh, and it seems the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree with regard to heir apparent, Ruby Walsh, who spoiled the… Read more »

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Erskine Childers

EXECUTION – TG4

Date: January 28, 2016 - TV

AS PART of the 1916 Centenary, TG4 has produced several new series as well as re-screening some impressive documentaries from recent years. Execution (directed by Jerry O’Callaghan) traced the extraordinary life of Erskine Childers from staunch British imperialist growing up in Co Wicklow to hardline Irish republicanism. Childers (father of the country’s fourth President) was… Read more »

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the-little-red-chairs

THE LITTLE RED CHAIRS – EDNA O’BRIEN (FABER & FABER)

Date: January 28, 2016 - Books

SINCE WRITING The Country Girls in 1960, Edna O’Brien’s somewhat controversial reputation has been built on emotive feminism and a resonant prose style. Her new novel (the first in ten years) is receiving extravagant praise and has even been hailed as her “masterpiece” in a cover quote by Philip Roth. Divided into three unequal parts,… Read more »

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Ruth McKenzie

OPEN AND CLOSED AT THE ARTS COUNCIL

Date: January 28, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

WITH BUCKETLOADS of cash being dished out to various artistic and cultural projects under the 1916 centenary umbrella – Culture Ireland is the latest to announce a round of funding – Goldhawk decided to shine a light on the process through which almost U1m was shared out among artists and organisations by the Arts Council…. Read more »

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Sally Hawkins

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…

Date: January 28, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

IN ANTICIPATION of the Irish run at the Oscars on February 28, there has been much editorial hot air expended on the case for giving James Hickey’s Irish Film Board (IFB) more cash. That the price of eight Oscar nominations could be the circa U1bn shelled out by the Irish taxpayer to film and TV… Read more »

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NO DRAMA FOR IRISH TIMES AWARDS

Date: January 28, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

SPARE A THOUGHT for the theatre industry luvvies who, just over a month from now, will squeeze into their fancy frocks and file into the National Concert Hall for the Irish Times theatre awards. (Not to mention the hapless television viewers, if the IT manages to get the annual knees-up aired again.) This looks like… Read more »

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Beatrice Tollman

THE TOLLMANS’ TAX BILL

Date: January 28, 2016 - Behind the Scenes

HAVING acquired Ashford Castle on 350 acres in Co Mayo back in 2013 for a handy looking €20m, South African hotelier Beatrice Tollman and her hubby Stanley have invested a reported €50m refurbishing the property. It looks like it will be quite a while before the operation turns a profit but then the Tollmans have… Read more »

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DEREK O’LEARY’S ‘SYLVAN GEM’

Date: January 28, 2016 - High Society

HAPLESS property developer Derek O’Leary must have been delighted with the puff piece in the Sunday Business Post last weekend extolling the virtues of his sprawling Foxrock pile, Oakmount, which he has just stuck on the market with a hefty looking €2.25m price tag. His name will be familiar to fans of Goldhawk. Headlined “A… Read more »

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Tynte Park

TYNTE PARK’S WINNERS AND LOSERS

Date: January 28, 2016 - High Society

INTERESTING to see the impressive Georgian pile, Tynte Park on 145 acres in Co Wicklow, coming back on the market with an asking price of €3.25m. Once the abode of the colourful Miss Violet Tynte, the estate, outside Dunlavin, has passed through various hands since the 1830s. However, for the most recent owner, it has… Read more »

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Jennifer Cuffe

Jennifer Cuffe

Date: January 28, 2016 - The Young Bloods

FIANNA FÁIL’S Jennifer Cuffe is a true blue south Dublin woman who, having initially sought a place on the FF general election ticket in the Dún Laoghaire constituency, has since been parachuted into Wicklow on the instructions of party HQ. On one level, this move is an act of political masochism, given that poor Jen… Read more »

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