Affairs of the Nation

Affairs of the Nation

SIMON COVENEY IS THE REAL FAVOURITE

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... Read more »
john and-gayle-brady

Affairs of the Nation

JOHN BRADY’S DAY IN COURT

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... Read more »
Anne-Marie-Waters

Affairs of the Nation

Water Celebrates Leave Result

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,... Read more »

Affairs of the Nation

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Affairs of the Nation

Console Unawarded

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... Read more »
Lelia Doolan

Affairs of the Nation

GALWAY’S €9M HORROR SHOW

FANS of Goldhawk will recall that Galway City Council manager, Brendan McGrath unveiled a deal to get Lelia Doolan’s expensive Solas ‘Picture Palace’ cinema finally finished and into the welcoming... Read more »
Tony Walsh

Affairs of the Nation

TONY WALSH’S FERTILE FERTILITY CLINIC

A NOTICE was published on June 30 announcing the planned striking off of the Companies Register of three businesses – The Sims Institute Ltd, Sims EDE Ltd and Zentra Labs.... Read more »
Michael Wright

Affairs of the Nation

ROBBIE AND MICK’S MYTHICAL BAR

GOLDHAWK is happy to report that the stand-off between solicitor-cum-property developer, Ivor Fitzpatrick, and the promoters of a proposed ‘mythical bar’ off South Anne Street, D2 – Michael Wright of... Read more »
katherine-zappone

Affairs of the Nation

Zappone sinks Wallace bill

ALPHA male Shane Ross was likened to Boris Johnson and his Independent Alliance ministers have also been condemned for sticking to their opposition stance allowing for abortion in the case... Read more »

Pillars of Society

Charlie Flanagan

Pillars of Society

Charlie Flanagan

A very bad fortnight for Enda Kenny saw minister for foreign affairs and trade, Charlie Flanagan, also ship collateral damage in the matter of... Read more »

The Young Bloods

Gary Gannon

The Young Bloods

Gary Gannon

Councillor Gary Gannon (29) has had a meteoric rise in Dublin Central, from the margins of the Tony Gregory Group of independents to a... Read more »

Fit to Print?

Pat Carey

Fit to Print?

PAT CAREY’S PRIVACY CASE

THE mother of all High Court cases is coming down the tracks in the form of ex-minister, Pat Carey’s action for breach of privacy. That Carey’s action is jointly and... Read more »
Colette Fitzpatrick

Fit to Print?

New Presenter for Drive Time

BRAVELY, Sarah McInerney, due to co-host Newstalk’s new Drivetime programme in September, has left The Sunday Times to take up her new job. The same cannot be said for two... Read more »
kevin-myers

Fit to Print?

KEVIN MYERS’ WAR

“Just to be clear. I thought then and think now, that the moral argument in favour of America intervening in Saddam’s Iraq was overwhelming”, was Sunday Times columnist, Colonel Myers’... Read more »

Last Refuge

enda-kenny

Last Refuge

ENDA KENNY GIFTED A REPRIEVE

BAD politics and even worse journalism combined to give the Taoiseach a lifeline, however temporary, last week with RTÉ and The Sunday Times being the worst culprits. But the political... Read more »
Regina Doherty

Last Refuge

REGINA DOHERTY’S SELF CONFIDENCE

A revealing insight into government chief whip, Regina Doherty’s self esteem came in a most supportive Irish Times article last weekend. Revealing a detailed awareness of Regina’s thinking, journalist Sarah... Read more »
31/01/2011. Statement of Micheal Martin TD Leader of Fianna Fail Announcement of Frontbench and Deputy Leader. Pictured are appointees not currently elected to the Dail These include are Averil Power, Political Reform(left) and Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick with Spokesperson on Financial Sector Reform Michael McGrath(right) Housing and Urban Development out side of the Dail. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

Last Refuge

BERTIE STILL LURKS IN DUBLIN CENTRAL

WITH Fianna Fáil flying high in the polls, the battle in Dublin Central between last February’s candidate, Mary Fitzpatrick and the BEGOBs (Bertie’s Good Ol’ Boys) champion, Brian Mohan has... Read more »
Frank Feighan

Last Refuge

FRANKIE FEIGHAN’S FIGHT-BACK

RUN out of politics because of his loyalty to Enda Kenny (or disgraced because of broken pledges to retain Roscommon hospital’s A&E unit), Senator Frank Feighan is plotting his Dáil... Read more »

Bog Cuttings

Bog Cuttings

Bog Cuttings

Bog Cuttings

KERRY RIVER CHANGES DIRECTION A BUILD-UP of gravel in the River Laune in Killorglin, Co Kerry, has caused the river to change direction. The Killorglin Rowing Club is looking into... Read more »

Fowl Emissions

John Hume Jnr

Fowl Emissions

MONSANTO GETS ROUNDUP EXTENSION

AS a ‘good week to bury bad news’, the one following the Brexit vote was hard to beat. As it happened, the timing was probably more fortuitous than devious for... Read more »

Bird's Eye View

Arlene Foster, Acting Northern Ireland First Minster, arrives for her first day in office at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. In an emotional statement Monday, First Minister Peter Robinson said he would step aside for a few weeks to answer questions about his wife's romantic and financial dealings with the 19-year-old for whom she helped raised tens of thousands of pounds (dollars) when she was 58. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Bird's Eye View

BREXIT SOFTENS ORANGE COUGH

IT looks as if Brexit and its consequences will dominate political discourse in the north for the foreseeable future remarkably even pushing the ‘Twalf’ and Orange marches to the sidelines.... Read more »

Wigs on the Green

Darren Lehane

Wigs on the Green

BAR COUNCIL POLITICS

“INDEPENDENCE, Expertise, Integrity” are the watchwords of the Bar Council which proclaims its members to be readily accessible and bound by an ethical code of conduct for the Bar of... Read more »

The Hot Air Brigade

Mark Little

The Hot Air Brigade

The Hot Air Brigade

“Twitter changed my life. I mean, I loved Twitter before it was even invented. I used to sit around in places like Afghanistan wanting to plug in to the outside... Read more »

High Society

High Society

Sandra Murphy

High Society

SANDRA MURPHY BOUNCES BACK

THIS WEEK, fashion blogger and accomplished self-promoter, Sandra Murphy (“one of Ireland’s most fashionable women”) popped up on TV3 to shoot the breeze on... Read more »

High Society

Patricia Tsouros

High Society

Tsouros makes a sale

CONGRATULATIONS to Patricia Tsouros, who looks to have made a few bob from the sale of her art venture, set up in the aftermath... Read more »

High Society

Margaret Downes

High Society

‘TROPHY’ Dublin properties

WITH ‘TROPHY’ Dublin properties selling at increasingly inflated prices, the record for this year has been set by former Paddy Power boss Paddy Kennedy’s purchase of 19 Temple Road in... Read more »

Behind the Scenes

Rhona Byrne

Behind the Scenes

IMMA’S EXPANDING COLLECTION

THIS WEEK sees the opening of an exhibition at IMMA featuring four works by Irish artists that have been acquired by the Hennessy Cognac-funded ‘Art Fund for IMMA Collection’. The... Read more »
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Behind the Scenes

TENDER TIME

A COUPLE of tenders have been advertised this month in the arts world – one for the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) and the other for the Arts Council. The... Read more »

Sport of Kings

John Oxx

Sport of Kings

OXX NOT DONE WITH YET

NOT SURPRISINGLY, there has been much lauding of Irish Derby winner, Harzand, its owner the Aga Khan and trainer Dermot Weld. Spare a thought, however, for a certain master trainer,... Read more »
Dermot Weld

Sport of Kings

WELD’S WOES

TRAINER Dermot Weld reached a landmark last month when he trained his 4,000th winner, with Sea Swift winning at Naas on June 22. The sense of occasion was boosted by... Read more »
James Lambe

Sport of Kings

LAMBE SEEKING RETURN

ARMAGH-BASED Jimmy Lambe has had a turbulent few years but the trainer is hoping to bounce back, having reapplied for his trainer’s licence. Lambe declared himself bankrupt earlier in the... Read more »
Derek McGrath

Sport of Kings

REDUCED FIELD AT THE CURRAGH

WITH NEWS that planning permission for the huge Curragh racecourse redevelopment project has being granted. it is a tad disconcerting that 7,000 less people attended the Irish Derby this year... Read more »

Reviews

Aisling O’Sullivan

Reviews

THE WAKE – ABBEY THEATRE

MOST THEATRES use their summer programming slot as a cash cow, targeting tourist audiences with predictable crowd-pleasers by Friel, Wilde, or Boucicault. The Abbey started bucking this trend under director... Read more »
Luigi Iafrate

Reviews

BYPASSED – RTÉ ONE

HAVING ENTERTAINED us no end with the Conor McGregor series, Notorious, the production company, Motive TV (Jamie D’Alton, Catherine McLoughlin and Michael Pilsworth), has made a documentary that could not... Read more »
Nothing on Earth

Reviews

NOTHING ON EARTH – CONOR O’CALLAGHAN (DOUBLEDAY)

DUNDALK-born O’Callaghan is better known for his poetry, but here he tries his hand at Gothic fiction. The result is a haunting debut novel whose dysfunctional characters play their parts... Read more »

Moneybags

Moneybags

Simon Cook

Moneybags

Draper Esprit’s potential comes with health warning

BOTH Jim Flavin’s DCC and Shane Reihill’s Trinity Venture Capital (TVC) floated on the Stock Exchange as venture capital vehicles but failed to make... Read more »

Moneybags

Kirill Golovanov

Moneybags

Polymetal stake should boost Ovoca

THE BIGGEST challenges for shareholders in Ovoca Gold have been the company’s changing nature and the disjoint between its current dominant Russian shareholders and... Read more »

Briefcases

Eamon DeValera

Briefcases

De Valera’s Irish Pressures

IRISH Press PLC finally filed its 2014 accounts last month after a long wait, which saw it listed for striking off the Companies Register for the second time in under... Read more »

Briefcases

Michael O’Reilly’s Danske woe

CELBRIDGE-BASED businessman and ex-director of construction giant Pierse Contracting Ltd, Michael O’Reilly had a €247,000 judgment registered against him by Danske Bank in June. The judgment is yet another headache... Read more »

Briefcases

Receivers swarm on Redhill

A COMPANY called Redhill Properties Ltd last month had its fifth receiver appointed to it in three years on foot of a tranche of mortgage charges created by Anglo Irish... Read more »
John McCormack

Briefcases

John McCormack’s huge losses

IT’S been a summer to forget for former Sligo Businessman of the Year John McCormack, with Bank of Ireland (BoI) appointing a receiver to his fuel and garage empire. Some... Read more »

Briefcases

Bad news for the Butler boys

GOLDHAWK recently spotted an interesting set of accounts filed in June by a company called Entertainment Enterprises Restaurants Holdings Ltd (EERH), one of the entities in Colum and Ciaran Butler’s... Read more »
Laurence Shields

Briefcases

Worrying Numbers for Michael Peirce

SPARE a thought for Oransay Developments Ltd (ODL), which had a receiver appointed to it last month on foot of a mortgage charge created by Bank of Scotland (BoS) back... Read more »