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January 10 - January 23, 2025
Affairs of the Nation
BONO BENDS TO BIDEN
BONO’S FAWNING behaviour towards US presidents and other powerful western leaders while simultaneously crying peace and freedom have become too much even for many U2 fans. But his latest blessing... Read more »
BERNARD MCNAMARA’S CREDITORS
BOOM-TIME BUILDER extraordinaire Bernard McNamara has slowly but surely been building back up his business despite the odd setback. Now a couple of his firms are set to be liquidated.... Read more »
DEIRDRE VELDON’S FUNERAL NOTICES
THERE HAS, not surprisingly, been a fair deal of whingeing about the impact of the takeover of RIP.ie by the Irish Times, on foot of the hefty €100 charge for... Read more »
Sponsored Content
Forestry as a Smart Investment for 2025 and Beyond
As global markets continue to face uncertainty, many investors are seeking stable and reliable options that offer strong returns and long-term growth potential. In 2025, Green Belt Ltd is... Read more »
NIGEL FARAGE’S IRISH ALLY
REFORM UK leader Nigel Farage may have lost the support of Elon Musk but his ally in the north appears to be rock solid. Farage’s policy on Ireland is influenced... Read more »
WUFF JUSTICE
WITH HEATHER Humphreys’ regulations banning the breeding and resale of XL bully dogs coming into force next month, it is not surprising that the ongoing rearguard action by animal charities... Read more »
NOT SO MAGNIFICENT €7M PROJECT
THERE IS no sign of the Arts Council’s 2023 annual report, which was supposed to have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas by arts minister Catherine Martin months... Read more »
ENTRAPMENT STORY A POLITICAL TRAP
Last October the Sunday Times published an article asserting that ‘Cobalt’, a serving member of the Oireachtas, was a Russian agent. Cobalt denies this. Within days, the country was consumed... Read more »
‘IRISH’ RACISM
ONE OF the most prolific publishers of antisemitic books in Europe is Omnia Veritas Limited (OV), which has been based in Ireland for over a decade. OV has a modern... Read more »
Pillars of Society
PROFILE: OLIVER SEARS
DESPITE IRISH people’s revulsion at Israel’s continued slaughter of Palestinian children and other civilians in Gaza, the ‘paper of reference’, the Irish Times, has... Read more »
The Young Bloods
YOUNG BLOOD: ALBERT DOLAN
IS THE success of 26-year-old Albert Dolan in taking Fianna Fáil’s seat in Galway East – displacing incumbent Anne Rabbitte in the process –... Read more »
Whelehans Wines Leads the Way with Green Initiatives and Industry Recognition
Whether you’re a seasoned wine enthusiast or a novice, Whelehans Wines offers a personalised experience that brings the world of wine to your doorstep. As a leading wine retailer,... Read more »
Fit to Print?
MAYOR BLAIN’S MEDIA EXPOSURE
NEWLY ELECTED Dublin lord mayor Emma Blain recently told readers of the Sunday Independent, her old employer, that people should “get over” her past as one of the newspaper’s O3... Read more »
VIRGIN MEDIA’S NEWS BLACKOUT
THE GOVERNMENT’S refusal to accede to Virgin Media’s demand for a slice of the licence fee when it bailed out RTÉ last year has been cited by management as the... Read more »
JOHN ‘UNIONIST’ BRUTON
IRISH TIMES revisionism of national politics and modern history is one thing but revising the message purveyed in its own newspaper is pushing it a bit. Last week’s editorial attempt... Read more »
Last Refuge
JIMMY CARTER’S IRISH POLICY
IN THE second public reference recently to his stewardship of Anglo-Irish policy at home and abroad, Seán Donlon wrote in the Irish Times about the late US president Jimmy Carter’s... Read more »
INDEPENDENT SUPER JUNIORS
LITTLE OR NOTHING was discussed between the two big Government parties and Independent TD groups over Christmas, despite insinuations and hints to media of serious policy negotiations. But Fianna Fáil... Read more »
NORMA FOLEY’S POOR HOMEWORK
EDUCATION MINISTER Norma Foley is expecting to either retain her current role or be moved sideways in Cabinet and with party leader Micheál Martin likely to have eight Cabinet places,... Read more »
VENGEANCE BEJAYSUS IN NORTH CORK
FIVE YEARS ago the failure of Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin to reward one of his most loyal followers, Cork North-West’s Michael Moynihan, with a junior minister’s job provoked a... Read more »
Northwind
‘STINKING STATUS QUO’
Huge traffic congestion each evening in Belfast’s rush hour in the run up to Christmas seemed an appropriate metaphor for the north’s politics. Buses didn’t turn up, delivery drivers couldn’t... Read more »
Hush Hush
MURKY DEPTHS OF IRISH MILITARY
MicheÁl Martin and Dame Louise Richardson’s Forum on International Security Policy in June 2023 did not allow for unbiased debate and was widely seen as such. This has resulted in... Read more »
Bog Cuttings
BOG CUTTINGS
BATHROOM BREAK A man who entered a Garda station at 5:50am to use the toilet became aggressive towards gardaí after relieving himself, Portlaoise District Court has heard. The defendant, Gary... Read more »
Fowl Emissions
DRILL, BABY, DRILL!
Just before Christmas Donald Trump ordered the EU to step up imports of US oil and gas. “Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!” he warned. The US president-elect’s ultimatum... Read more »
NIGEL’S ‘ENERGY INDEPENDENCE’
Last summer Tullamore company Lumcloon Energy drummed up widespread community support in Coolpowra in east Galway for a supposed solar farm but then caused great upset by instead applying for... Read more »
The Hot Air Brigade
THE HOT AIR BRIGADE
I spend a lot of time working in Zurich, and Kronenhalle is just about the best place to have smoked salmon blinis and a glass of Champagne while soaking up... Read more »
High Society
MAGNIER’S LAUGHING WATERS
WHILE THE increasing appetite of John Magnier’s Coolmore operation for agricultural land has become something of a talking point here in the last couple... Read more »
SIMONE’S ‘SUBVERSIVE WORLD’
FASHION DESIGNER du jour Simone Rocha will be hard-pressed to top her performance in 2024, which started with her outfits on show at Jean... Read more »
ALLEN KRAUSE’S MADRID MOVES
GOLDHAWK’S FAVOURITE Mexican-English millionaire, Allen de Jesus Sanginés-Krause – the squire of Killua Castle in Co Westmeath, where he lives much of the year with his glamorous wife, Lorena –... Read more »
How to Improve Your Chances of getting a Bank Loan for Your Business
First impressions matter. It is important for SMEs to make the best possible case when applying for credit from financial institutions. Banks assess each business application on a... Read more »
Behind the Scenes
BIG BUDGET PÁLÁS FLOP
THE LATEST plot twist in the tortuous tale of Galway’s Pálás arthouse cinema (controlled offshore since 2020) is the decision of Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe to call ‘cut’ on... Read more »
Sport of Kings
DINEEN V NICHOLLS
CORK PUNTER and racing pundit Johnny Dineen recently expressed his opinions on social media regarding the lack of success of the Paul Nicholls string, most especially at the Cheltenham festival.... Read more »
HOLIDAY CRACKERS
WILLIE MULLINS and Nicky Henderson faced off at Kempton Park on St Stephen’s Day, when the Rich Ricci-owned Lossiemouth challenged Michael Buckley’s Constitution Hill in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Christmas... Read more »
Moneybags
DALTON PHILIPS’S LIMITED HORIZONS AT GREENCORE
IT MUST be surprising for those 10,000 stranded passengers who tried to fly out of Dublin Airport in May 2022 to see the Irish... Read more »
C&C’S BEWILDERING PERFORMANCE AND FIGURES
THE UNFORTUNATE shareholders in C&C Group have had a torrid time since the company’s shares peaked at £11 in 2007 and it was not... Read more »
GuGo: Irish Activewear With Purpose
GuGo is an Irish activewear brand with a clear mission: to support women and girls to move, train, and thrive at every stage... Read more »
Brief Cases
ZAHRA PUBLISHING’S RED INK
GOLDHAWK WAS interested to see that a company called Zahra Publishing Ltd (ZPL) entered the Scarp company rescue process just before Christmas. The move comes not long after the principals... Read more »
ROCHA FAMILY OVER THE MOON
ELSEWHERE IN this issue (see p18) Goldhawk looks at the high-flying, high-fashion phenomenon that is London-based Simone Rocha, recently crowned British Womenswear Designer of the Year. While she has been... Read more »
DR EVA’S NEW REGIME
FANS OF health guru Dr Eva Orsmond had a nice start to the new year thanks to the Indo giving the celeb lots of space to plug her new book,... Read more »
FRANNO’S SCORES
INTERESTING TO see a judgment mortgage registered against a company called KC Property Developments Ltd (KCP) by Killarney-based plant and tool hire company Allosales, following an outing in Mallow District... Read more »
Trump Tariffs Threaten Gold
Since his election, President Trump’s tariff policy has tended to focus on China and the EU. Last week his attention turned to Switzerland, bringing a particular spotlight on the... Read more »
Popular Stories
DERMOT DESMOND’S INTERVENTIONS
NOT SURPRISINGLY, billionaire Swiss tax resident Dermot Desmond got plenty of blowback ...
BANISHING BANVILLE
POOR OLD Jawn Banville must be wondering what he did wrong when ...
RONAN RYAN’S NEW MENU
IT HAS been a while since the name of one-time ‘celebrity chef’ ...
DIVERSITY DRAMA
THERE MUST have been a little discomfort at the Irish Times when ...
O’CALLAGHANS GET BACKSIDES KICKED
The loaded O’Callaghan family of Tally Ho Stud opted for a high-profile ...
CIARA DONLON’S THIRD TIME LUCKY?
HAVING HAD a couple of pops at establishing an environmentally friendly underwear ...
BEACON HOSPITAL PROFIT
Accounts have just been filed by a company called Barrelridge Ltd, revealing ...
SHEIKH FAHAD’S FINANCES
THE SPORT of kings is a rich man’s game, where even the ...
TALLY HO TO YORK
THE OWNERS of Lady Iman – the Tally Ho branch of the ...
EMMET’S IMPROVERS
KILKENNY TRAINER Emmet Mullins appears to have unearthed another ‘improver’ from the ...