Affairs of the Nation

Thomas Leysen

Affairs of the Nation

MEDIAHUIS: ROGER CASEMENT’S NEMESIS

LAST WEEK saw a corporate PR initiative designed to highlight the brand name of Mediahuis, new owners of the now defunct Independent News & Media (INM). In cheery, happy-clappy tones,... Read more »
Fingleton Aubrey McCarthy Matt Cooper Parker Green Danny McConnell Gayle Killilea Maura Derivan Ed Honohan INS Arts Council EDAF Emuse Rosslare Golf Club Mairead Casey Colm O’Rourke Stephen Connolly Peter Aiken John Malone Tom Barry Anthony Halpin Ian Kehoe Kevin Bakhurst Geraldine O’Leary Dennis Horgan RUSI Gareth McAllister Ryevale House Joe Macken RUC Omagh Patrick Connolly Paddy Cosgrave The Ditch Newstalk Fake Tan Fred Logue Ian Paisley Sean O’Riordan Margaret Sweeney Jay Bourke Ellie Kisyombe Francesca McDonagh Ted Cunningham National Space Centre An Irish Goodbye Oscar Robert Quirke Ciara Kelly Executive Women Gathering Doug Taylor Florian Haufe Robbie Henshaw Bill Shipsey Breaking the Silence L’Ecrivain Ronan McNally National Lottery Michael Roche Energy Action Balls.ie Newspapers VAT Abbey Theatre Patricia Madden Irish Banking Culture Board Randox Aoife Gallagher Book Dalai Lama Trinity Trevor White RTÉ Chairperson Shane Houlihan Noel Smyth IKC Bob Geldof Landlord Ireland Neutrality Ukraine

Affairs of the Nation

ACTING UP

THINGS ARE heating up off screen over relations between the Irish Equity actors’ union and the lobby group for production companies, Screen Producers Ireland (SPI). Elsewhere in the magazine (see... Read more »
Fingleton Aubrey McCarthy Matt Cooper Parker Green Danny McConnell Gayle Killilea Maura Derivan Ed Honohan INS Arts Council EDAF Emuse Rosslare Golf Club Mairead Casey Colm O’Rourke Stephen Connolly Peter Aiken John Malone Tom Barry Anthony Halpin Ian Kehoe Kevin Bakhurst Geraldine O’Leary Dennis Horgan RUSI Gareth McAllister Ryevale House Joe Macken RUC Omagh Patrick Connolly Paddy Cosgrave The Ditch Newstalk Fake Tan Fred Logue Ian Paisley Sean O’Riordan Margaret Sweeney Jay Bourke Ellie Kisyombe Francesca McDonagh Ted Cunningham National Space Centre An Irish Goodbye Oscar Robert Quirke Ciara Kelly Executive Women Gathering Doug Taylor Florian Haufe Robbie Henshaw Bill Shipsey Breaking the Silence L’Ecrivain Ronan McNally National Lottery Michael Roche Energy Action Balls.ie Newspapers VAT Abbey Theatre Patricia Madden Irish Banking Culture Board Randox Aoife Gallagher Book Dalai Lama Trinity Trevor White RTÉ Chairperson Shane Houlihan Noel Smyth IKC Bob Geldof Landlord Ireland Neutrality Ukraine

Affairs of the Nation

RTÉ’S EMPTY CHAIRS

STILL NO sign of white smoke from the media department, where minister Catherine Martin continues to sit on the names of the nominations from the Joint Oireachtas Committee (JOC) to... Read more »

Affairs of the Nation

Simon Coveney

Affairs of the Nation

CUNNING COVENEY’S CONTORTIONS

FOREIGN MINISTER Simon Coveney always likes to come over as the Palestinians’ best friend in public but his latest pronouncements are especially duplicitous. In an effort to divert from his... Read more »
David Moloney

Affairs of the Nation

BÓTHAR’S FUNDING ROADBLOCK

THE CHARITY Bóthar has been rarely out of the headlines since the story of the misappropriation of funds first surfaced in the High Court last month. It turns out that... Read more »
Eoghan Harris

Affairs of the Nation

HARRIS HOIST

THE DEFENESTRATION of Eoghan Harris by Sunday Independent editor Alan English and publisher Peter Vandermeersch had little to do with sexism and everything to do with the national question, despite... Read more »
Fingleton Aubrey McCarthy Matt Cooper Parker Green Danny McConnell Gayle Killilea Maura Derivan Ed Honohan INS Arts Council EDAF Emuse Rosslare Golf Club Mairead Casey Colm O’Rourke Stephen Connolly Peter Aiken John Malone Tom Barry Anthony Halpin Ian Kehoe Kevin Bakhurst Geraldine O’Leary Dennis Horgan RUSI Gareth McAllister Ryevale House Joe Macken RUC Omagh Patrick Connolly Paddy Cosgrave The Ditch Newstalk Fake Tan Fred Logue Ian Paisley Sean O’Riordan Margaret Sweeney Jay Bourke Ellie Kisyombe Francesca McDonagh Ted Cunningham National Space Centre An Irish Goodbye Oscar Robert Quirke Ciara Kelly Executive Women Gathering Doug Taylor Florian Haufe Robbie Henshaw Bill Shipsey Breaking the Silence L’Ecrivain Ronan McNally National Lottery Michael Roche Energy Action Balls.ie Newspapers VAT Abbey Theatre Patricia Madden Irish Banking Culture Board Randox Aoife Gallagher Book Dalai Lama Trinity Trevor White RTÉ Chairperson Shane Houlihan Noel Smyth IKC Bob Geldof Landlord Ireland Neutrality Ukraine

Affairs of the Nation

PETER KELLY’S ROUGH RIDE

FILINGS IN the Companies Office throw some light on the scale of last year’s collapse of businesses controlled by Ballymore Eustace bloodstock breeder Peter Kelly. He found himself in a... Read more »
Catherine Martin

Affairs of the Nation

FILM BOARD’S NEW CAST

RATHER LATE in the day, the board of the state funding agency for film and television, Screen Ireland (SI), has finally been appointed by arts minister Catherine Martin. Remarkably, the... Read more »
Thomas Leysen

Affairs of the Nation

MEDIAHUIS: ROGER CASEMENT’S NEMESIS

LAST WEEK saw a corporate PR initiative designed to highlight the brand name of Mediahuis, new owners of the now defunct Independent News & Media (INM). In cheery, happy-clappy tones,... Read more »
article-default

Affairs of the Nation

ACTING UP

THINGS ARE heating up off screen over relations between the Irish Equity actors’ union and the lobby group for production companies, Screen Producers Ireland (SPI). Elsewhere in the magazine (see... Read more »
article-default

Affairs of the Nation

RTÉ’S EMPTY CHAIRS

STILL NO sign of white smoke from the media department, where minister Catherine Martin continues to sit on the names of the nominations from the Joint Oireachtas Committee (JOC) to... Read more »

Pillars of Society

Susan Kirby

Pillars of Society

PROFILE: SUSAN KIRBY

SUSAN KIRBY is less than six months in the post as chief executive of the film and TV business lobby group Screen Producers Ireland... Read more »
Susan Kirby

Pillars of Society

PROFILE: SUSAN KIRBY

SUSAN KIRBY is less than six months in the post as chief executive of the film and TV business lobby group Screen Producers Ireland... Read more »

The Young Bloods

Aoife Moore

The Young Bloods

YOUNG BLOOD: AOIFE MOORE

TALENTED, POPULAR in Dublin media circles and unashamedly a Derry Girl, it’s not at all surprising that the Irish Examiner’s Aoife Moore (30) found... Read more »
Aoife Moore

The Young Bloods

YOUNG BLOOD: AOIFE MOORE

TALENTED, POPULAR in Dublin media circles and unashamedly a Derry Girl, it’s not at all surprising that the Irish Examiner’s Aoife Moore (30) found... Read more »

Last Refuge

Ivana Bacik

Last Refuge

KATE GETS DOSE OF THE BLUES

KATE O’CONNELL’S melodramatic wail about a Leo Varadkar leadership faction undermining her prospects of a nomination in the Dublin Bay South byelection is wide of the mark. Until it became... Read more »
Eimear Haughey

Last Refuge

SEÁN LEMASS DOUBLY HONOURED

SO ESTEEMED is the late taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Seán Lemass in the eyes of today’s party members that the party held not one but two events in Dublin... Read more »
Ted Tynan

Last Refuge

THE FIRST (AND LAST) ITEM …

BRENDAN BEHAN suggested that the first item on the agenda of any organisation should be the Split. It seems that this same proposition is appropriate to the endgame as well,... Read more »
Lynn Boylan

Last Refuge

BOYLAN WON’T BE PRESS-GANGED INTO DUBLIN BAY SOUTH

MUCH AGONISING in Sinn Féin about its choice of candidate in the Dublin Bay South (DBS) byelection with electoral asset, former MEP Lynn Boylan an obvious candidate who would put... Read more »
Ivana Bacik

Last Refuge

KATE GETS DOSE OF THE BLUES

KATE O’CONNELL’S melodramatic wail about a Leo Varadkar leadership faction undermining her prospects of a nomination in the Dublin Bay South byelection is wide of the mark. Until it became... Read more »
Eimear Haughey

Last Refuge

SEÁN LEMASS DOUBLY HONOURED

SO ESTEEMED is the late taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Seán Lemass in the eyes of today’s party members that the party held not one but two events in Dublin... Read more »
Ted Tynan

Last Refuge

THE FIRST (AND LAST) ITEM …

BRENDAN BEHAN suggested that the first item on the agenda of any organisation should be the Split. It seems that this same proposition is appropriate to the endgame as well,... Read more »
Lynn Boylan

Last Refuge

BOYLAN WON’T BE PRESS-GANGED INTO DUBLIN BAY SOUTH

MUCH AGONISING in Sinn Féin about its choice of candidate in the Dublin Bay South (DBS) byelection with electoral asset, former MEP Lynn Boylan an obvious candidate who would put... Read more »

Hush Hush

Paul Kehoe

Hush Hush

RTÉ’S BOOT CAMP

SINCE 2019, RTÉ has partnered with Motive Television to produce Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week, and preparations for the third series began last autumn. Described in application forms as Ireland’s... Read more »
Paul Kehoe

Hush Hush

RTÉ’S BOOT CAMP

SINCE 2019, RTÉ has partnered with Motive Television to produce Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week, and preparations for the third series began last autumn. Described in application forms as Ireland’s... Read more »

Bog Cuttings

Bog-Cuttings-Defaul

Bog Cuttings

BOG CUTTINGS

‘Fat Mayo Cunt’ Jason Doherty (34) of Castle Park, Buncrana, appeared before Buncrana District Court in Donegal charged with public order offences. Judge Alan Mitchell heard that the defendant had... Read more »
Bog-Cuttings-Defaul

Bog Cuttings

BOG CUTTINGS

‘Fat Mayo Cunt’ Jason Doherty (34) of Castle Park, Buncrana, appeared before Buncrana District Court in Donegal charged with public order offences. Judge Alan Mitchell heard that the defendant had... Read more »

Fowl Emissions

Darina Allen

Fowl Emissions

ROUND UP THE USUAL LOBBYISTS

THE REVELATION that two of our national institutions – Guinness stout and chef Darina Allen – tested positive for glyphosate, the chemical in Roundup weedkiller, is not a huge surprise.... Read more »
Climate Denial John Fagan Wolf Europe David Quinn Duncan Stewart Data Centre Carbon Emissions Conor Skehan Chris Hazzard

Fowl Emissions

AN TAISCE’S MEDIA DETRACTORS

POLITICAL CORRESPONDENTS mostly do a good job of presenting themselves as objective, analysing the political fray from on high. But occasionally it gets so rowdy they can’t help reaching down... Read more »
Darina Allen

Fowl Emissions

ROUND UP THE USUAL LOBBYISTS

THE REVELATION that two of our national institutions – Guinness stout and chef Darina Allen – tested positive for glyphosate, the chemical in Roundup weedkiller, is not a huge surprise.... Read more »
Climate Action EU Livestock NDC Claude Etchelamendy Ed Brophy Richard Boyd-Barrett Kish Dale Crammond Frank Mitloehner Shell Greenwashing Meta Data Centres Ireland

Fowl Emissions

AN TAISCE’S MEDIA DETRACTORS

POLITICAL CORRESPONDENTS mostly do a good job of presenting themselves as objective, analysing the political fray from on high. But occasionally it gets so rowdy they can’t help reaching down... Read more »

Foreign Frolics

President Deby

Foreign Frolics

IRISH COLONIAL ADVENTURE

TUCKED AWAY at the bottom of page 7 of the Irish Times on April 21 last was a short, innocuous report headlined, “Chad’s long-time president Déby killed after battle with... Read more »
Peter Vangeel

Foreign Frolics

KBC’S IRISH AFFAIR

KBC BANK Group has had a tangled relationship with Ireland since coming here in the late 1970s but, happily, despite rejecting the Irish market it has managed to maintain positive... Read more »
President Deby

Foreign Frolics

IRISH COLONIAL ADVENTURE

TUCKED AWAY at the bottom of page 7 of the Irish Times on April 21 last was a short, innocuous report headlined, “Chad’s long-time president Déby killed after battle with... Read more »
Peter Vangeel

Foreign Frolics

KBC’S IRISH AFFAIR

KBC BANK Group has had a tangled relationship with Ireland since coming here in the late 1970s but, happily, despite rejecting the Irish market it has managed to maintain positive... Read more »

The Hot Air Brigade

Gerry Thornley

The Hot Air Brigade

THE HOT AIR BRIGADE

Ringrose has more creative flair, footwork and passing range than any of the centres chosen. His missed tackle count has always been misunderstood, for in most cases they are good... Read more »
Gerry Thornley

The Hot Air Brigade

THE HOT AIR BRIGADE

Ringrose has more creative flair, footwork and passing range than any of the centres chosen. His missed tackle count has always been misunderstood, for in most cases they are good... Read more »

High Society

Jane Trenaman

High Society

JANE TRENAMAN’S OPERA ROLE

THE LATEST arrival on the board of the National Opera House is Jane Trenaman, daughter of Shrewsbury Road moneybags Fred Trenaman. No doubt, Jane’s fundraising skills will be put to... Read more »
Dermot Smurfit Ballinacarrig Park Club Cosgrave Fitzpatrick Keith Jameson National Gallery Collection Marissa Carter VG Tom Higgins Neil Jordan Laura Bonner Paul Ward Variety Jones Dtat Eathos Sharon Keegan Angela Scanlon Desmond Canouan Bellair Estate Bobby Flay John O’Conor Portrait of Omai Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile Wedding NGI Board Rachel Flynn JP McMahon Ash Quinn Pamela Laird Abdullah Al Naboodah Boundless Ocean

High Society

MAIREAD RONAN’S BUSINESS PARTNER

THERE IS a new name at the Faro Beauty operation co-owned by radio and TV presenter Mairéad Ronan. Mairéad’s marketing pal, Aoife Dunne, has just joined the party. Dunne is... Read more »
Ashling Kilduff

High Society

ASHLING KILDUFF’S DESIGN FLAW

GOLDHAWK WAS surprised to note a creditors’ meeting has been called for the company behind the well-known Design Centre in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. The fashion outlet has been part... Read more »
Jane Trenaman

High Society

JANE TRENAMAN’S OPERA ROLE

THE LATEST arrival on the board of the National Opera House is Jane Trenaman, daughter of Shrewsbury Road moneybags Fred Trenaman. No doubt, Jane’s fundraising skills will be put to... Read more »
Consuelo O’Connor

High Society

MAIREAD RONAN’S BUSINESS PARTNER

THERE IS a new name at the Faro Beauty operation co-owned by radio and TV presenter Mairéad Ronan. Mairéad’s marketing pal, Aoife Dunne, has just joined the party. Dunne is... Read more »
Ashling Kilduff

High Society

ASHLING KILDUFF’S DESIGN FLAW

GOLDHAWK WAS surprised to note a creditors’ meeting has been called for the company behind the well-known Design Centre in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. The fashion outlet has been part... Read more »

Behind the Scenes

Sarah Glennie

Behind the Scenes

NEW FACE FOR NCAD

SIMON HARRIS has advertised for expressions of interest from candidates interested in serving on the board of the beleaguered National College of Art and Design (NCAD), an institution that has... Read more »
Sarah McInerney Irish Movies Paul Murray Arts Council Dublin Theatre Festival TWU Macdara Kelleher Richard Boyd Barrett DADC Cillian Murphy Terry McMahon Media Commission Ireland Kerlin Gallery Creative Ireland Section 481 Christine O’Donovan RTÉ Storyland NMI Board Vacancies IASCA Ossie Kilkenny RTÉ Original Programmes

Behind the Scenes

MARY KELLY’S PRODUCTION

CHANGE IS in the air at Wexford Festival Opera (see p18) but the good news is that the finances have started to look healthier, following a setback in 2018. The... Read more »
Sarah Glennie

Behind the Scenes

NEW FACE FOR NCAD

SIMON HARRIS has advertised for expressions of interest from candidates interested in serving on the board of the beleaguered National College of Art and Design (NCAD), an institution that has... Read more »
Susan Bergin Marlowe Mullingar Film Studio RTÉ Self-Employment

Behind the Scenes

MARY KELLY’S PRODUCTION

CHANGE IS in the air at Wexford Festival Opera (see p18) but the good news is that the finances have started to look healthier, following a setback in 2018. The... Read more »

Sport of Kings

Jim Bolger

Sport of Kings

JIM BOLGER’S DAWN RAID

JIM BOLGER has pulled off one of his finest coups in his 80th year with the repatriation of the stallion Dawn Approach. A former 2000 Guineas and four-time Group 1... Read more »
Thomand O’Mara Peter Keatley Timmy Hyde Coolmore All About Sunday Colin Keane Ronan Whelan JP McManus Jessica Harrington Dundalk Racecourse Paul Hensey Irish National Hunt Horse-racing Doping Paddy Walsh Tom Kelly Suspension

Sport of Kings

SAM CURLING’S SURPRISE

WHEN THE Sam Curling-trained Call Me Freddie appeared in the declarations for a low-grade hurdle at Cork recently, his credentials for a successful outing were reflected by the 50/1 opening... Read more »
Henry Beeby

Sport of Kings

BEEBY ROLLS THE DICE

THE NEWS that Goffs is wheeling out its tried and tested ‘Million’ formula this year came as something of a bolt from the blue but the auction house was desperate... Read more »
Jessica Harrington

Sport of Kings

COVID CASH BOOST

SINCE RACING resumed after the Covid enforced break in June last year, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) has been coming down hard on those who may have breached the... Read more »
Jim Bolger

Sport of Kings

JIM BOLGER’S DAWN RAID

JIM BOLGER has pulled off one of his finest coups in his 80th year with the repatriation of the stallion Dawn Approach. A former 2000 Guineas and four-time Group 1... Read more »
Mick Bailey

Sport of Kings

SAM CURLING’S SURPRISE

WHEN THE Sam Curling-trained Call Me Freddie appeared in the declarations for a low-grade hurdle at Cork recently, his credentials for a successful outing were reflected by the 50/1 opening... Read more »
Henry Beeby

Sport of Kings

BEEBY ROLLS THE DICE

THE NEWS that Goffs is wheeling out its tried and tested ‘Million’ formula this year came as something of a bolt from the blue but the auction house was desperate... Read more »
Jessica Harrington

Sport of Kings

COVID CASH BOOST

SINCE RACING resumed after the Covid enforced break in June last year, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) has been coming down hard on those who may have breached the... Read more »

Reviews

Podcast - My Therapist Ghosted Me

Podcasts

MY THERAPIST GHOSTED ME – VOGUE WILLIAMS / JOANNE MCNALLY

IF WATCHING her shilling laundry capsules during every second TV ad break isn’t enough Vogue Williams for fans, a new podcast has now launched. As Williams co-hosts it with comedian... Read more »
WHITE CITY - KEVIN POWER

Books

WHITE CITY – KEVIN POWER

IT HAS been 13 years since the publication of Kevin Power’s debut novel, Bad Day in Blackrock (subsequently filmed as What Richard Did). The book tapped into aspects of social... Read more »

Moneybags

Sean Corkery

Moneybags

DATALEX BANKING ON POST-PANDEMIC BOOST

THE PANDEMIC has traumatised the airline industry. With Datalex’s revenue dropping 38% last year from $45m to $28m (following a 30% fall in 2019), it is impressive that the group... Read more »
Ger Rabbette

Moneybags

UNIPHAR NEEDS RIGHT PRESCRIPTION TO JUSTIFY ITS HUGE RATING

IT IS impressive how Uniphar has come through the worst of the pandemic. Some other players in the field struggled, such as the McCauley chain, which turned in a €3m... Read more »
Sean Corkery

Moneybags

DATALEX BANKING ON POST-PANDEMIC BOOST

THE PANDEMIC has traumatised the airline industry. With Datalex’s revenue dropping 38% last year from $45m to $28m (following a 30% fall in 2019), it is impressive that the group... Read more »
Ger Rabbette

Moneybags

UNIPHAR NEEDS RIGHT PRESCRIPTION TO JUSTIFY ITS HUGE RATING

IT IS impressive how Uniphar has come through the worst of the pandemic. Some other players in the field struggled, such as the McCauley chain, which turned in a €3m... Read more »

The Hot Water Brigade

Dudley Dolan

The Hot Water Brigade

UCD COMPANY FAILS TEST

IT’S THE end of the road for Q-Validus Ltd, a UCD-backed company that emerged on the back of what was called the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), a 1990s computer... Read more »
Hibernian Hotel

The Hot Water Brigade

IAN SKEFFINGTON’S BIG PLANS

A PLANNING application has been lodged by a company called Flodale Ltd for the retention of accommodation at the Hibernian hotel in Abbeyleix, which operated these days as a direct... Read more »
Sheila O’Riordan and Nina Gillett

The Hot Water Brigade

NINA GILLETT’S KEY TO SUCCESS

DOCUMENTS FILED in the Companies Office by Nindav Ltd show a loss for its first six months to the end of 2019 of €60,000. This turns out to be an... Read more »
Newbridge College Peter Wilson Sporting Emporium Chris Wholey O'Kane God’s Creatures Film Tax Relief Anne Rossi Desmond Live Nation ESCADIA LTD Al Porter Comeback Gordon Elliott Clayton Love Ivan Wilde hot-water-brigade Parnells GAA Lawsuit

The Hot Water Brigade

A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE

THE ACCOUNTS just filed for Principle Management (the firm that was incorporated after Live Nation acquired Paul McGuinness’s company of the same name in 2013) reveal an impressive €5.5m was... Read more »
Alan Hynes

The Hot Water Brigade

MORE TUSKAR CREDITORS

DOCUMENTS JUST filed by the liquidator of Tuskar Property Holdings Ltd (TPH), Myles Kirby, reveal that unsecured creditors were owed a hefty €3.5m when it was wound up in March... Read more »
Dudley Dolan

The Hot Water Brigade

UCD COMPANY FAILS TEST

IT’S THE end of the road for Q-Validus Ltd, a UCD-backed company that emerged on the back of what was called the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), a 1990s computer... Read more »
Hibernian Hotel

The Hot Water Brigade

IAN SKEFFINGTON’S BIG PLANS

A PLANNING application has been lodged by a company called Flodale Ltd for the retention of accommodation at the Hibernian hotel in Abbeyleix, which operated these days as a direct... Read more »
Sheila O’Riordan and Nina Gillett

The Hot Water Brigade

NINA GILLETT’S KEY TO SUCCESS

DOCUMENTS FILED in the Companies Office by Nindav Ltd show a loss for its first six months to the end of 2019 of €60,000. This turns out to be an... Read more »
EOG Fergal Naughton hot-water-brigade def

The Hot Water Brigade

A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE

THE ACCOUNTS just filed for Principle Management (the firm that was incorporated after Live Nation acquired Paul McGuinness’s company of the same name in 2013) reveal an impressive €5.5m was... Read more »
Alan Hynes

The Hot Water Brigade

MORE TUSKAR CREDITORS

DOCUMENTS JUST filed by the liquidator of Tuskar Property Holdings Ltd (TPH), Myles Kirby, reveal that unsecured creditors were owed a hefty €3.5m when it was wound up in March... Read more »