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Leo Varadkar

VARADKAR’S ABORTIVE MOVES

Date: December 4, 2015 - Affairs of the Nation

WHAT an unusually moderate and discreet stance Leo Varadkar took during Fine Gael’s abortion row last week. That row was triggered by James Reilly’s dramatic interview but it was Frances Fitzgerald and Paschal Donohoe that pushed Enda Kenny into a compromise (although they both disagreed with Reilly’s public solo run on the issue). Varadkar, meanwhile,… Read more »

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Dermot Desmond

DERMOT DESMOND’S BAD BET

Date: December 4, 2015 - Affairs of the Nation

DERMOT DESMOND is digging in his heels in an attempt to stymie the proposed merger of betting giants Ladbrokes and GalaCoral. Behind his public anger is the fact that Dermo’s own bet on Ladbrokes has come up well short. Current developments also make an eventual takeover of Ladbrokes by DD and his pals far less… Read more »

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David Agar

DAVID AGAR’S SEMI-D

Date: December 4, 2015 - Affairs of the Nation

  THINGS are looking bleak for poor David Agar, the auctioneer and property developer who hit the headlines following a prescient interview in 2012, in which he complained that Nama was treating property developers “like dirt” and moaned that the agency “will not be happy until every developer in this country is living in a… Read more »

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michael-martin

FIANNA FÁIL’S ‘NO’ TO GOVERNMENT

Date: December 4, 2015 - Affairs of the Nation

THAT disavowal of coalition government by Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelleher is as devious as it is amusing. FF talking about rebuilding the party from the opposition benches and spurning power is rich. And rejection of both Fine Gael and Sinn Féin is disingenuous. One of Micheál Martin’s problems is the clever strategy of Enda Kenny… Read more »

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Kevin Bakhurst

Kevin Bakhurst

Date: December 4, 2015 - Pillars of Society

WHILE former BBC executive Kevin Bakhurst (50) affects to be ”thinking” about whether to apply for the vacant RTÉ director general’s job, the hacks at Montrose are betting he will get it. At Montrose, many programmers believe BBC is best and Bakhurst’s appointment as RTÉ head of news and current affairs had much to do… Read more »

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Alan Hanly

Fresh Legal Woes For Alan Hanly

Date: November 20, 2015 - Briefcases

NAMA developer Alan Hanly of the Hanly Group has fresh legal woes to contend with and is currently being sued by various owners of cottages on Kilronan estate in Co Roscommon, an estate that includes the Hanly Group’s Kilronan Castle Hotel. Meanwhile, the company is currently trying to offload the Roscommon hotel and its other… Read more »

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Brian Goff

Brian Goff’s Court Date

Date: November 20, 2015 - Briefcases

VETERAN Dublin restaurateur Brian Goff – one of the founders of the Insomnia coffee chain – is one busy man and is currently involved in a number of ventures, including a trendy burrito outfit. But one of the businessman’s previous ventures is causing him a legal headache. Goff currently faces the possibility of being restricted… Read more »

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Rick Larkin

Rick Larkin And The Taxman

Date: November 20, 2015 - Briefcases

SOME bad news for highflying developer Rick Larkin. His family owned company, Vieira Ltd, which trades as Twinlite, has just come out on the losing side of a Supreme Court tussle with the Taxman over a VAT assessment of more than €3m. Vieira was incorporated in 1998 and is probably best known for the massive… Read more »

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David Cullen

Mary Cullen On The Warpath

Date: November 20, 2015 - Briefcases

FANS of Goldhawk will recall that earlier this year, Dublin publican and hotelier David Cullen – who was on the receiving end of a whopping €29m judgment by Nama in 2013 – was discharged from bankruptcy by the London High Court, having been declared bankrupt in 2014. That’s far from the end of the matter,… Read more »

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Arnold Fanning

Arnold Fanning’s Bank Blues

Date: November 20, 2015 - Briefcases

BIRR-BASED businessman Arnold Fanning, the principal in Midland Web Printing Ltd (MWP) – which came close to buying Buy and Sell last year, but was beaten by Denis O’Brien’s Demerica Ltd – is in a spot of bother and is currently involved in two separate legal rows with his company’s bankers. The 2012 accounts for… Read more »

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Greg Kavanagh

‘Ronaldo’ Kavanagh’s Own Goal

Date: November 20, 2015 - Briefcases

DEVELOPER Greg Kavanagh of New Generation Homes has been making plenty of waves in the business pages in recent months and is currently involved in a vast array of projects in the Dublin area. But it hasn’t all been good news for the young businessman. Kavanagh has described himself as the “Ronaldo” of the property… Read more »

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Dermot Weld

DERMOT WELD’S NEW NEIGHBOURS

Date: November 20, 2015 - Sport of Kings

RACEHORSE trainer and Curragh resident Dermot Weld, whose Rosewell House yard borders the proposed €55m redevelopment of the Pádraig McManus-managed Curragh racecourse, is not too happy with the arrival of his new neighbour. However, there is little chance of him throwing a spanner in the works as this could upset his biggest patrons The relationship… Read more »

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Joseph O’Brien

JOSEPH O’BRIEN’S TWEETS

Date: November 20, 2015 - Sport of Kings

IN A BID to “clear things up a bit” amid the speculation surrounding his future plans, ex-Champion Jockey, Joseph O’Brien, recently released a confusing statement on Twitter that ruled everything in, but nothing out. The 600-plus character tweet bypassed the 140 character limit by posting a photo of a carefully worded statement, which shed little… Read more »

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John Moloney

JOE KEELING’S MEDIA MOVE

Date: November 20, 2015 - Sport of Kings

THE ASSOCIATION Of Irish Racecourses (AIR) and Galway racecourse supremo John Moloney have lost the battle to retain control of the all-important media rights committee of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI). Fans of Goldhawk will recall (see The Phoenix 2/7/15) that after an emergency general meeting of AIR held in Kildare, the independent body threatened legal… Read more »

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GETTING TO THE POINT

Date: November 20, 2015 - Sport of Kings

THERE WAS very little cheer for the Bowler Hats in Simon Coveney’s new Horse Racing Ireland Act 2015, but one battle they did manage to win was the fight to retain financial control of the issuing of Hunter Certificates. Goldhawk’s fans will recall (see The Phoenix 26/3/15) that Denis Egan had threatened legal action if… Read more »

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Fiona Muldoon

Muldoon’s new boom boosts outlook for FBD

Date: November 20, 2015 - Moneybags

FIONA MULDOON has had a significant impact at FBD Insurance. The former Central Bank exec was only appointed finance director of FBD in January of this year, but in July was appointed interim chief executive to replace Andy Langford, and had this position confirmed at the beginning of last month. Her actions so far have… Read more »

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Eimear Mulhern

Goffs proving itself a thoroughbred

Date: November 20, 2015 - Moneybags

THE LATE Charlie Haughey’s only daughter, Eimear Mulhern, has tended to keep a relatively low profile but she put her head above the parapet 10 years ago when taking on the chairmanship of Goffs Bloodstock Sales, before being appointed chairman of the overall group, Robert J Goff & Co (which includes Goffs Bloodstock Sales and… Read more »

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Power Play

POWER PLAY – DÉAGLÁN DE BRÉADÚN (MERRION PRESS)

Date: November 20, 2015 - Books

  THE RISE of Sinn Féin from political obscurity to its current position as a major player is one that has caused equal measures of horror and bewilderment, as the mainstream media try to grapple for an explanation. For the most part these ‘explanations’ consist of demonising the party, dismissing its democratic credentials and pushing… Read more »

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Lucy Morton

THE LEGEND OF LONGWOOD – DIRECTED BY LISA MULCAHY

Date: November 20, 2015 - Movies

IN ITS opening scene, where American teen Mickey Miller (Lucy Morton) recklessly urges her horse to an ill-judged jump, The Legend of Longwood packs a punch and sets the tone for a promising adventure. There are probably not enough live-action films (and certainly not enough Irish ones) for the lucrative pre-teens market, which also happens… Read more »

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Fiach Mac Conghail

FIACH Mac CONGHAIL’S CURTAIN CALL

Date: November 20, 2015 - Behind the Scenes

THE NATIONAL Theatre unintentionally kicked off a storm in an online teacup last week with the announcement of its 2016 programme, when writers and actors raged against director Fiach Mac Conghail for excluding female playwrights. The noise served as a distraction from any real discussion of what will be on stage when the Abbey marks… Read more »

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David Davies

NO IRISH NEED APPLY

Date: November 20, 2015 - Behind the Scenes

INTERESTING to see Michael Dervan in The Irish Times querying the lack of Irish involvement in the 2015 Wexford Festival Opera, which concludes this week. Of course, the agency that controls the purse strings here is the Arts Council, but while it turns out that there are ongoing discussions between the Council and the David… Read more »

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Humphreys Picks Modern Chair

Date: November 20, 2015 - Behind the Scenes

MINISTER for the Arts Heather Humphreys has turned to experienced troubleshooter David Harvey to chair the new board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma). Her move marks something of a shift in the type of heads chosen for the national cultural institutions, which have been almost exclusively the preserve of senior barristers and… Read more »

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STILL COUNTING CROWES

Date: November 20, 2015 - Behind the Scenes

IT IS exactly a year since James Hickey’s Irish Film Board (IFB) announced its intention to put together a brave new five-year ‘Strategic Plan’ for its future (see The Phoenix 7/11/14). So what has happened since? The IFB press release stated, “The overall strategic plan, the development of the key questions and the industry consultation… Read more »

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Beneath The Earth

BENEATH THE EARTH – JOHN BOYNE (DOUBLEDAY)

Date: November 20, 2015 - Books

OVER THE past 15 years, John Boyne has established his reputation as an ambitious and versatile writer. Success came in 2006 with The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, a short novel for younger readers about the forbidden friendship between two boys living in the shadow of Nazism. Most of his fiction since then has concentrated… Read more »

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Louise Kennedy

ACCOUNTING FOR LOUISE KENNEDY

Date: November 20, 2015 - High Society

FASHION designer Louise Kennedy must have been delighted with the puff piece in the Sunday Business Post last month, where she outlined her plans for her business. Reading like an advert for the company, the article noted that Kennedy is looking to expand and even appoint a non-executive board. Any potential candidates for this board… Read more »

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JOHN FARRINGTON’S SATISFACTION

Date: November 20, 2015 - High Society

CONGRATULATIONS to Drury Street antique jeweller John Farrington, who did rather well out of the sale of contents of his Capard House pile. He has just registered a satisfaction of the hefty €1.1m Revenue judgment with which he was hit just over a year ago. The high-profile Farrington has had a fair few run-ins with… Read more »

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Seamus Ross Jr

SEAMUS ROSS JR SELLS UP AGAIN

Date: November 20, 2015 - High Society

THERE WAS plenty of coverage of the impressive Georgian house on Wellington Place in the heart of Dublin 4 which came on the market, again, last month, with a price tag of a hugely reduced €4.65m. Rather less was said about the ‘Celtic Tiger cub’ who had overhauled the property and who has had a… Read more »

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Greg Ryan

Young Bloods – Greg Ryan

Date: November 20, 2015 - The Young Bloods

LIMERICK businessman Greg Ryan (31) pulled quite a stunt last month when he organised a topless photo shoot on Dublin’s Harcourt Street, featuring contestants in his beauty pageant, Miss Bikini Ireland, which took place later in October. The businessman claimed the goal of the shoot – which, predictably, created some controversy – was to “raise… Read more »

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BERNARD O’BYRNE’S BASKETBALL BUST-UP

Date: November 20, 2015 - Beyond the Pale

BASKETBALL IRELAND, the governing body for basketball in Ireland, is currently involved in a bitter dispute with a number of coaches and officials in the north east, who were members of a division of Basketball Ireland called the North East Basketball League (NEBL), but who split to form a breakaway league. The dispute is currently… Read more »

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bog cuttings

Bog Cuttings

Date: November 20, 2015 - Bog Cuttings

MAN WHO DEFECATED IN DERRY CITY CENTRE SHOUTED ‘UP THE RA’ AS TROUSERS FELL DOWN A MAN who defecated in Derry city centre shouted ‘up the RA’ when his trousers fell down. Ryan Charles Doherty, of Glenabbey Drive, was fined £400 at Derry Magistrates Court. The court heard CCTV operators alerted police after Doherty defecated… Read more »

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Karl Brophy

Karl Brophy

Date: November 20, 2015 - Pillars of Society

IMPENDING danger or conflict is one meaning of the phrase ‘red flag’ and the head of Red Flag Consulting, Karl Brophy, is certainly no stranger to conflict. Karl’s perennial source of conflict in recent years has been Denis O’Brien, who was in charge when he left the premises of Independent News & Media (INM) three… Read more »

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Claire Brock

UTV HACKS’ GRIM FUTURE

Date: November 20, 2015 - Fit to Print?

THE galaxy of broadcasting stars and pretty faces lined up by UTV Ireland, which faces likely extinction when ITV completes the purchase of UTV north and south, will be recalling ruefully the bombastic claims of UTV Media’s CEO, John McCann, two years ago. The list of TV personalities include Pat Kenny, who has had a… Read more »

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Colum Kenny

PROF KENNY AND SINDO

Date: November 20, 2015 - Fit to Print?

IS it really possible that the Sunday Independent can dumb down under the post Anne Harris editorial regime? Apparently so, judging by the despairing exit from the Sindo of Professor Colum Kenny after 20 years columnising for the paper. A former member of the Broadcasting authority of Ireland and professor of Communications at DCU, author… Read more »

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Free and Independent Press?

Date: November 20, 2015 - Fit to Print?

HOW heartening to see the Sunday Independent is prepared to take on those bullying corporate moguls who abuse their untrammelled wealth and power to stifle a free media by use of the libel laws. A fortnight ago, the Sindo published two articles bemoaning the “libel lottery” that inhibits freedom of expression and news gathering. And… Read more »

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Alan Kelly

AK47 OUTGUNNED BY ALL SIDES

Date: November 20, 2015 - Last Refuge

ENVIRONMENT minister Alan ‘AK47’ Kelly is facing not only vastly superior fire power from the much bigger guns on Fine Gael finance minister Michael Noonan’s side, but also appears to have been fragged by his own comrades in Labour. Labour’s deputy leader has been abandoned by party leader and Tánaiste Joan Burton, as well as… Read more »

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Dara Murphy

BLUESHIRT SPLIT IN CORK

Date: November 20, 2015 - Last Refuge

ENDA KENNY has gone out of his way to support his beleaguered junior minister for Europe, Dara Murphy, in Cork, as well as Europe but he is risking the sole Fine Gael seat in Cork North-Central in the process. As it is, the local Blueshirts are just short of hand-to-hand fighting in the constituency organisation,… Read more »

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