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Pete Smyth

Who will buy the Business Post?

Date: January 25, 2018 - Fit to Print?

CONOR KILLEEN, owner of The Sunday Business Post, will have been disappointed that the Irish Times interest in the newspaper did not result in any offer, but some interesting bidders are still circling with intent. The most colourful of these is Irish-American moneybags, Kenneth Dean Peterson, chief executive of Columbia Ventures Corporation (CVC), a private… Read more »

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Mary Lou McDonald

Profile: Mary Lou McDonald

Date: January 25, 2018 - Pillars of Society

CORONATIONS, as the British establishment knows well, require a carefully staged build-up to a climactic occasion and a strong message about a new era. Thanks to MP Barry McElduff’s crass clowning, Mary Lou McDonald’s investiture as Sinn Féin president has been blighted just weeks beforehand sending out the message that there is no difference between… Read more »

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John Connors

Young Blood: John Connors

Date: January 25, 2018 - The Young Bloods

THERE’S nothing typical about Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) awards nominee John Connors (28). By force of his charm and talent, the outspoken activist, actor and writer has managed to become something of a darling of the Irish media, which over the years has had few scruples about giving space to anti-Traveller racism. But… Read more »

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Mary Harney

MARY HARNEY’S PRESCRIPTION

Date: January 25, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

FORMER health minister Mary Harney will need to update her sprawling personal website following her appointment as chancellor of University of Limerick. But where does she find the time for all her endeavours given her significant (and presumably lucrative) commitment to working with the pharmaceutical private sector? Harney’s website highlights her as a woman of… Read more »

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3602-FP

Vol.36 No.02

Date: January 25, 2018 -

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Frances Fitzgerald

DUBLIN: CAPITAL OF CYBERCRIME

Date: January 25, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

RECENT REVELATIONS of computer hacking and surveillance at Independent News and Media (INM) are not the only strong hints that the dark arts have been practised in Irish media circles. Though hardly mentioned here, an out-of-court settlement in the UK late last year between News International and former British army Force Research Unit (FRU) soldier… Read more »

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Matt Carthy

SINN FÉIN FACTIONS

Date: January 25, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

WITH Mary Lou McDonald still to be formally endorsed by an ard fheis and Gerry Adams barely out the door, the factionalising inside Sinn Féin has already begun. MEP Matt Carthy’s abortive challenge to northern SF leader Michelle O’Neill as vice-president indicates that factions in the party will flourish under Mary Lou and gather around… Read more »

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Justice Mary Laffoy

‘EXPERTS’ TO GUIDE REFERENDUM VOTERS

Date: January 25, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

IT CAME as a surprise to most people that the Citizens’ Assembly brought forward to this month its deliberations on The Manner in Which Referenda are Held. It had been due to discuss this in May as the last topic on its agenda, but assembly chair Judge Mary Laffoy suggested on September 30 last that… Read more »

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Kevin Keane

Kevin Keane’s ‘COURTESY’ Meeting

Date: January 25, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

MORE on the boycott by UCD and Trinity students of direct provision centre operator Aramark. Fans of Goldhawk will recall that students on both campuses are trying to force their colleges to decline a renewal of food services contracts with the US company, which also operates three controversial reception centres for asylum seekers in Athlone,… Read more »

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Justin McAleese

McALEESE DYNASTY ON THE CARDS?

Date: January 25, 2018 - Affairs of the Nation

THE two wings – polar opposites – of Fianna Fáil have both kept a beady eye on gay campaigner Justin McAleese, son of ex-President Mary McAleese and her hubby, ex-Senator Martin McAleese. Bertie Ahern’s old guard in Dublin Central, anxious to find a candidate, any candidate, to stop Mary Fitzpatrick from taking the Dáil nomination… Read more »

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Dolores O'Ríordan

The Hot Air Brigade

Date: January 25, 2018 - The Hot Air Brigade

Rest In Peace, Dolores O’Riordan. She and the Cranberries were so overtly pro-peace and her voice unapologetically Irish. Just a month and a half after she first sang Zombie, the IRA declared a ceasefire. Maybe not a coincidence. Tweet, since deleted, by American venture capitalist Chris Sacca Bono stood in the line-up too. We don’t… Read more »

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Karen Bradley

NORTHERN TALKS CHARADE

Date: January 25, 2018 - Bird's Eye View

THE NORTH has a new secretary of state, Karen Bradley (47), an accountant first elected in 2010. Bradley is precisely the type of mouse-like creature British prime minister Theresa May likes to rely on to do her bidding. She is out of exactly the same mouse hole as her already forgotten predecessor. She served, as… Read more »

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Mattie McGrath

MATTIE McGRATH’S LEGION OF THE REARGUARD

Date: January 25, 2018 - Last Refuge

FRESH from his mischief making at the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment, Mattie McGrath is now creating discord in Fianna Fáil following Micheál Martin’s mould-breaking (party breaking?) statement on abortion. Mattie has been tic-tacking with those FF TDs like Bobby Aylward who are aghast at Martin’s conversion to the right to choose position and… Read more »

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Leo Varadkar

LEO THE PROVO

Date: January 25, 2018 - Last Refuge

SURPRISINGLY little comment followed the sharply contrasting responses in the Dáil from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin to blundering Sinn Féin MP Barry McElduff. Following McElduff’s belated resignation, Martin lambasted SF for everything from the Kingsmill slaughter to the Enniskillen bombing and singled out Arlene Foster for praise in her efforts… Read more »

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Israeli Embassy

Date: January 25, 2018 - Last Refuge

THE withdrawal of the Israeli Embassy from Dublin indicates just how ineffective the government’s softly-softly diplomacy on recognition of the Palestinian state has been. Meanwhile, the belligerence of Israel and its chief ally, US president Donald Trump, continues unabated with various peaceful Palestinian lobby groups, including Palestinians in exile in Ireland, banned from returning to… Read more »

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Paschal Donohoe

SAVING PASCHAL DONOHOE

Date: January 25, 2018 - Last Refuge

THE recent nomination of Mary Fitzpatrick as sole Fianna Fáil candidate in Dublin Central at the next general election marked the final rout of the BEGOBs (Bertie Ahern’s Good Ol’ Boys), most of whom stayed away from the convention. This means Fitzpatrick will likely take a much needed Dublin seat for FF at the election… Read more »

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John Ryan

Ryan Airbrushed

Date: January 25, 2018 - Fit to Print?

MEANDERING back to the rare and rarefied auld times is a favourite device of Sindo columnist Zozimus aka Liam Collins, who recently devoted much space to the sad demise of Sister Íde Ní Riain, her distinguished family tree and its literary connections. But the normally pedantic Collins omitted to mention one prolific writer in the… Read more »

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The Sheriff

Date: January 25, 2018 - Fit to Print?

Independent News & Media (INM) titles fulminated last week about the treatment of Joanne Hayes and how she so richly deserved apologies from the gardaí and the state. But apologies would perhaps also be due from INM for publishing the unreconstructed and unapologetic views on Ms Hayes of Detective Gerry “The Sheriff” O’Carroll. The Sheriff… Read more »

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George Lee

CLIMATE: IT’S GOOD NEWS WEEK!

Date: January 25, 2018 - Fowl Emissions

WHEN IT comes to addressing climate change, the twin buzzwords are mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation means doing what the science demands to slow down or halt climate change, while adaptation involves making plans to cope with the impacts, like rising sea levels, that we can’t avoid. This month the government published its National Adaptation Framework… Read more »

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horses

Horsey Hubbies

Date: January 25, 2018 - High Society

INTERESTING TO see that the directors of a company called Hollymount Bloodstock Ltd have decided to wind up their operation, which has a few bob in the coffers. While the players here may not exactly be household names among fans of the sport of kings, the same cannot be said of their hubbies. Hollymount was… Read more »

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sue-raethorne

DAVID RAETHORNE’S WHISKEY DRINKERS

Date: January 25, 2018 - High Society

THE AMBITIOUS project being undertaken in Sligo by low-profile serial investor David Raethorne got a big boost the week before Christmas when just over €5.5m was raised for the proposed revamp of Hazelwood House and development of a whiskey distillery. Almost €4m of this came from investors taking advantage of the tax-efficient Employment and Incentive… Read more »

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Denise Van Outen

SPRING SEASON SCHEDULE – TV3

Date: January 25, 2018 - ReviewsTV

DAMP SQUIB would be a polite description for the launch earlier this month of TV3’s spring schedule. Coming so soon after the Ballymount broadcaster went overboard with the razzmatazz for its autumn line-up – much of which has yet to appear onscreen – a similar splurge of hoopla for its springtime offerings was unwise. At… Read more »

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BLOOD TIDE - CLAIRE McGOWAN (HEADLINE)

BLOOD TIDE – CLAIRE McGOWAN (HEADLINE)

Date: January 25, 2018 - BooksReviews

THIS IS the fifth book in Claire McGowan’s “Ulster noir” series which sees Northern Irish forensic psychologist Paula Maguire investigating the disappearance of a young English couple who have recently moved to the ominously named Bone Island, off the Kerry coast. Matt is a biologist overseeing local marine welfare and Fiona, his fiancée, is a… Read more »

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Woody Harrelson and Frances McDormand

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI – DIRECTED BY MARTIN McDONAGH

Date: January 25, 2018 - MoviesReviews

MARTIN McDONAGH’S Three Billboards… arrives in Ireland garlanded with four Golden Globes (best drama, screenplay, actress, supporting actor) and, at time of writing, a US box office take of $30m and counting. Here in Ireland, where McDonagh’s better known for his plays, the film took a hefty €418,000 on its opening weekend. For a film… Read more »

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Arts Chiefs

Date: January 25, 2018 - Behind the Scenes

THE APPOINTMENT of Lynn Scarff as director of the National Museum of Ireland continues the trend in recent years of women holding the bulk of the top arts positions in the country. Scarff will answer to a board chaired by Catherine Heaney and the announcement was welcomed by current Minister for Culture Josepha Madigan, who… Read more »

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Aine Moriarty

IFTA’S CASTING GROUCH

Date: January 25, 2018 - Behind the Scenes

THE LIST of nominations for this year’s Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) awards (part 1 – film and TV drama) resulted in a bout of recrimination following the revelation that only three candidates could be found who merited nomination for the gong for best leading actress in a film. The criticisms were all focused… Read more »

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Donnacha O'Brien

DONNACHA O’BRIEN’S HEAVY GOING

Date: January 25, 2018 - Sport of Kings

IT WOULD appear jockey Donnacha O’Brien is beginning to lose his battle with the scales if a steward’s inquiry at Dundalk recently is anything to go by. O’Brien weighed in 1.2lbs overweight after riding Irish Minister for his brother Joseph earlier this month and when stewards asked the former to explain the anomaly, he informed… Read more »

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Willie Mullins

MULLINS RUNNING OUT OF TRACK

Date: January 25, 2018 - Sport of Kings

WILLIE MULLINS finds himself in a tricky situation at the moment regarding the defence of his Irish trainer’s title. With the upcoming Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown providing huge prize money it is likely the outcome of those 14 races will have a major bearing on whether Mullins or Gordon Elliott is crowned King after… Read more »

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Bog Cuttings

Bog Cuttings

Date: January 25, 2018 - Bog Cuttings

The Man from Monte Carlow A GLOBETROTTING thriller with Carlow at its heart is the latest work by Carlow author Ray Keane. The Man from Monte Carlow was launched by his friend, Carlow/Kilkenny junior minister John Paul Phelan, at Eason’s in Carlow last month. It tells the story of a former Reddy’s barman who emigrates… Read more »

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John Ryan

FOGGY STYLE

Date: January 25, 2018 - Sport of Kings

IT APPEARED fairly straightforward that when Devine Star got lost in the fog at Clonmel a few weeks back, resulting in her rivals setting off for the race before she got to the start, she would be declared a non-runner to allow anyone who backed her to redeem their stake. This did not happen on… Read more »

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Hughie Morrison

HUGHIE MORRISON’S SOFT HANDLING

Date: January 25, 2018 - Sport of Kings

HORSERACING’S ongoing efforts to portray the sport’s clean image and to maintain a zero tolerance policy on the use of steroids has hit a few speed bumps in the past few months. And in the UK, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has done itself no favours in handing trainer Hughie Morrison a paltry £1,000 fine… Read more »

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Aidan Brogan

Datalex investors experience serious turbulence

Date: January 25, 2018 - Moneybags

WHEN THE airline booking engine Datalex was last featured in Moneybags (see The Phoenix 21/4/17) – with the shares standing at €3.75 – this was noted as “a frothy rating … Major question marks hang over its accounting tactics which have significantly added to what… Read more »

Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch’s radio signal

Date: January 25, 2018 - Brief Cases

FANS OF Goldhawk will not have been surprised to read last week that Rebekah Brooks had confirmed the interest of her boss, Rupert Murdoch, in Denis O’Brien’s radio stations. And for Dinny, the news that the bidder hasn’t gone away you know will be most welcome. It was a rather strange gathering of characters that… Read more »

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Marie Baker

Thomas Ryan’s ‘acrimonious’ scrap

Date: January 25, 2018 - Moneybags

MORE details are emerging from Quesada Developments Ltd where an examiner was appointed last autumn after a toxic bust-up between the directors. After much wrangling between the sides, a scheme of arrangement was finally put in place at the insolvent company recently but a High Court judgment published last week reveals the extent of the… Read more »

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Darryl Kavanagh

Darryl Kavanagh’s tumbledown Shack

Date: January 25, 2018 - Brief Cases

MORE on the sudden closure of the Seafood Shack restaurant in Cardiff, Wales last month where Waterford businessman Darryl Kavanagh has popped up. Former developer and publican Kavanagh is the majority shareholder at the restaurant that shut up shop on December 29 after he claimed a cyber attack on its booking system had crippled the… Read more »

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Peter Conlon

More Pembroke problems for Peter Conlon

Date: January 25, 2018 - Brief Cases

IT’S BEEN a tough start to 2018 for Geneva-based charity tech guru Peter Conlon after the High Court ordered the liquidation of one of his Irish companies on foot of a Revenue petition. Conlon, a former fixture on the rich list, will be familiar to fans of Goldhawk for his other high profile ventures like… Read more »

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