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CENSORING THE RUSSIANS

Date: August 7, 2025 -

WITH MOMENTUM building for Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations, it will be interesting to see how developments are reported here. A recent essay published on the website of the state’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, turns out to be damning of censorship actions taken by the EU that may have far-reaching consequences. In partnership with Trinity College,… Read more »

SPY GAMES

Date: August 7, 2025 -

THE RECENTLY reported revamp of the Irish Military Intelligence Service (IMIS) is part of an overall military effort to close the gap with the big boys in Europe, who in turn are trying to close the gap with the really, really big boy, the United States. There will surely be some awkward questions regarding financial… Read more »

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Date: August 7, 2025 -

Dear Goldhawk, As usual, you are talking twaddle (DPP v DPP, issue 25 July 2025). Your readers should know that your claimed “quote” appears precisely nowhere in my book, Sophie: The Final Verdict. You could have consulted it… on (sic) contacted me to check nonsense, but of course you just didn’t bother. As elsewhere in Phoenix, your lazy, sloppy… Read more »

IAN HYLAND’S BAD CALL?

Date: August 7, 2025 -

GOLDHAWK’S FAVOURITE publisher-turned-event-organiser, Business & Finance boss Ian Hyland, has been spreading his wings of late, most recently with the acquisition of the Windmill Lane Pictures business. Much of his energy, however, is expended on dishing out awards to worthies who are lauded at annual shindigs attended by fat cats. Fans of The Phoenix will… Read more »

FEAR OF RACISM OR MI5 COVER-UP?

Date: August 7, 2025 -

The British media is claiming that the South Yorkshire Police (SYP) and other forces in England and Wales failed to halt the crimes of grooming gangs because of concerns they would be labelled racist. The alternative explanation is that powerful state forces, including MI5, tolerated the abuse to create blackmail opportunities to recruit reformers within… Read more »

MYERS AND McGUIRK ON TUAM

Date: August 7, 2025 -

AS WORK commenced at the former mother-and-baby home in Tuam, some of Ireland’s right-wing commentators have distinguished themselves. Kevin Myers and John McGuirk went to great lengths to offer alternative reasons as to why the Office of the Director for Authorised Intervention in Tuam had begun to exhume the almost 800 babies and infants buried… Read more »

IRELAND’S NEUTRAL NATO PARTNERSHIP

Date: August 7, 2025 -

In the same month that the Government underlined its plans to ditch the triple lock governing the deployment of Irish troops overseas, the deepening partnership of Ireland’s Defence Forces with Nato was on display in the Curragh. It will not surprise Phoenix readers that there is no reference on the Óglaigh na hÉireann/Irish Defence Forces… Read more »

THE HOT AIR BRIGADE

Date: August 7, 2025 -

I would certainly want to be fairly remunerated. At a time when Premiership footballers are earning £25m a year… I wouldn’t necessarily think I should be earning that kind of money, but if I’m going to sign up for another four or five years to deliver industry-leading performance – and not just me, the rest… Read more »

TRUMP ENERGY DEAL

Date: August 7, 2025 -

Ursula von der Leyen’s recent trade deal capitulation to Donald Trump was humiliating on several grounds but the most farcical element was her promise that the EU would buy $¾ trillion worth of US energy over three years. This equates to $250bn a year of fossil fuels. The MAGA regime has waged all-out war on… Read more »

LUKE O’NEILL’S RESTAURANT ADVICE

Date: August 7, 2025 -

Media coverage of AI is strong on hype but invariably ignores its disastrous climate impacts. Listeners to Brendan O’Connor’s radio show last Sunday were treated to a half-hour of breathless techno-optimism from RTÉ’s favourite scientist, Luke O’Neill. Apparently AI will save us from everything – even from climate change. Unfortunately, along the way O’Neill told… Read more »

MIAMI MURDERS: LOYALISTS CELEBRATE

Date: August 7, 2025 -

July 31 was the 50th anniversary of the Miami Showband massacre in which members of the notorious Glenanne gang – made up of UVF, RUC and UDR members – killed three of the band. The gunmen were UVF/UDR members. Two of them, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, died when the bomb they were planting in… Read more »

WILL MARY LOU BACK CONNOLLY?

Date: August 7, 2025 -

SINN FÉIN strategists may claim they are engaging in mature reflection about their choice of presidential nominee but the reality is that the widespread consultation of members led to confusing results and then political paralysis. In turn, this firstly allowed Catherine Connolly to take the lead role in discussions about a united left candidate. Secondly,… Read more »

DON’T FUND THE GENOCIDE

Date: August 7, 2025 -

WHILE THE Dáil argues about the Occupied Territories Bill, Palestinian supporters in Galway have decided to make the global local by organising a boycott of the Leonardo group of hotels, which is owned by Israeli businessman David Fattal. The Galway Alliance against War says that Fattal is an active supporter of the infamous Netzah Yehuda… Read more »

‘COMRADES’ MICHAEL D AND CATHERINE C

Date: August 7, 2025 -

GIVEN THE alarming prospect of leader Ivana Bacik’s support for Catherine Connolly’s presidential campaign being rejected by her own party, Labour’s members grudgingly, and definitely not unanimously, decided to accede to her wishes and row in behind the former party member, who once told them they had lost their soul. But it will be interesting… Read more »

LONDON CALLING

Date: August 7, 2025 -

DONALD TRUMP’S threatening mind games in moving nuclear submarines close to Russia is worrying enough but when two of Britain’s most jingoistic newspapers, the Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday, point blank disagree about the dangers inherent in this stand-off, it’s even more concerning. The Irish editions of both titles delivered their verdicts to readers… Read more »

VONA GROARKE’S GOOD NEWS

Date: August 7, 2025 -

GOLDHAWK RECENTLY reported on the appointment of Éilís Ní Dhuibhne as the new Laureate for Irish Fiction – an Arts Council-fronted gig dished out every three years to a worthy scribbler. A less high-profile post that is also doled out every three years is that of Ireland Professor of Poetry and the new incumbent has… Read more »

DREAL DEAL DELIVERS

Date: August 7, 2025 -

DREAL DEAL, a horse with an interesting past and who was once trained by Ronan McNally, returned to something like his best form at Killarney recently, winning the €45,000 Boylesports Daily Moneyback Handicap Steeplechase at long odds under Simon Torrens. The Arvico gelding, who landed a monumental gamble when gaining his first success at Navan… Read more »

PHILIP ROTHWELL’S ALL-CLEAR

Date: August 7, 2025 -

PHILIP ROTHWELL also made headlines at Ballinrobe recently, albeit for all the wrong reasons. His charge, Coolboy Christie, owned by the Geesala Racing Group syndicate and ridden by Tiernan Power Roche, was the subject of a running and riding enquiry following an unplaced finish in the O’Hare’s Bar Maiden Hurdle. The acting stewards on the… Read more »

KIA’S CONSISTENT FORM

Date: August 7, 2025 -

HISTORY OFTEN repeats itself and ‘Glorious Goodwood’ – or not so glorious this year – once again saw the big-spending owners of Amo Racing remove some of their high-profile horses from trainer Ralph Beckett. According to the Oirish Sun, the horses removed included Partying, a £4.6m Frankel filly. Four years ago at the exact same… Read more »

WEE CARE WOES

Date: August 7, 2025 -

GOLDHAWK WAS surprised to see a closure order being served on the kitchen and staff canteen of RTÉ’s creche in Montrose due to extensive rodent droppings. Reporting of the matter may have upset the minted owners of the business behind the creche, given that they don’t like too much attention. The Belfast-controlled Wee Care nursery… Read more »

NEILL HUGHES’ SECOND SHOT

Date: August 7, 2025 -

LAST MONTH a most impressive Co Dublin property was advertised with a chunky €9.25m price tag. Emsworth in Kinsealy will presumably be of interest to those who also took the tour a few years ago when the same owner last tried to flog it. The good news is that a bargain could be on the… Read more »

DCC’S SHARE PRICE UNDERVALUES COMPANY

Date: August 7, 2025 -

IT IS hard to fully grasp CEO Donal Murphy’s conversion last November to stripping DCC down to its energy division by dumping the other divisions (a strategy Moneybags has been recommending for over 20 years) and “transforming to a leading multi-energy business with a clear and resilient strategy”. Although there are question marks over this energy… Read more »

FD TECHNOLOGIES SALE LOOKS LIKE THE DEAL OF THE DECADE

Date: August 7, 2025 -

IT LOOKS like the CEO of FD Technologies (FDT – previously First Derivatives), Seamus Keating, pulled a rabbit out of the hat when flogging off the KX analytics database engine – the last remaining business inside FDT – for a remarkable €655m. The shareholders must be a relieved bunch. Approval was obtained on July 17,… Read more »

PROFESSOR GREEN’S GIGS

Date: August 7, 2025 -

GOLDHAWK SPOTTED some corporate activity by PR operator Justin Green, who will be familiar to fans of The Phoenix for his militant approach to those pesky music hacks who crossed his former employer, Denis Desmond’s MCD, where he controlled the guest list for almost 20 years. In 2011, however, the MCD veteran cut the apron… Read more »

PAT MCDONAGH’S BAD NEWS

Date: August 7, 2025 -

IT’S NOT too often that Pat ‘Supermacs’ McDonagh reports losses of €½m but one of his multitude of investment companies, Cave Projects Ltd (CPL), has just delivered less-than-tasty figures. In this case, however, Pat will be hoping that he can scoop a few million quid from a very lengthy legal battle. Fans of Goldhawk will… Read more »

SINN FÉIN DIVIDE ON MARY LOU

Date: July 24, 2025 -

THE DIVISIONS within Sinn Féin over whether to run party leader, Mary McDonald, for the presidency are multiple and have created political paralysis within the party. Even worse, it has handed the leadership of a united, anti-government presidential campaign to Independent candidate, Catherine Connolly and… Read more »

PROFILE: JAMIE BRYSON

Date: July 24, 2025 -

What manner of man is Jamie Bryson, the man who described placing an effigy of immigrants in a boat on a loyalist bonfire in Tyrone as an “artistic political protest”? Like his political hero Napoleon, Jamie is short in stature and like his unionist ally, TUV… Read more »

YOUNG BLOOD: JENNIFER BRAY

Date: July 24, 2025 -

While Jennifer Bray only took up the position of political editor of the Irish edition of the Sunday Times in March, she is flat out promoting her forthcoming debut fiction novel at present. Although Bray’s thriller, The Lies Between Us, is not due out until February 2026 on Penguin Sandycove — who were the victors after a three-way auction… Read more »

MAURICE REGAN’S OTHER ACTION

Date: July 24, 2025 -

WHILE CONSTRUCTION magnate Maurice Regan is not a party to the high profile litigation between John Magnier et al and Richard Thompson Moore and the other owners of the sprawling Barne estate, the previously low-profile Kerry-born billionaire has featured large in the reporting of the action. Having offered €7m more for the Tipperary property than… Read more »

SOARING AIB SHARES HEADING FOR A €½ BN WAKE-UP CALL

Date: July 24, 2025 -

THE IRISH banking duopoly is back in business, returning combined pre-tax profits of €4.6bn as the competition has cleared off, principally KBC, Ulster Bank and Bank of Scotland (Ireland). AIB has been the star performer, returning jaw-dropping profits and return on equity but all this is set to change as the European Central Bank’s (ECB) cutting… Read more »

MILK WAY

Date: July 24, 2025 -

Fat-filled milk powder (FFMP) is the biggest Irish export you’ve never heard of. While it can’t be legally described in the EU as “milk”, enterprising Irish dairy PLCs have sold over 415,000 tonnes of the “nutritionally mediocre” stuff into West African markets in just the last four years. Bord Bia has spent €170,000 in taxpayers’… Read more »

NÍ DHUIBHNE’S NEW PLOT

Date: July 24, 2025 -

LOTS OF coverage for the new Laureate for Irish Fiction, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, whose appointment balances the male/female ratio as expected, with Anne Enright having been installed as the first laureate in 2018, followed by Sebastian Barry and Colm Tóibín. This is a nice gig, with a pretty undemanding schedule and oodles of kudos. Nevertheless,… Read more »

EOIN KEENAN’S WELLNESS BOXES

Date: July 24, 2025 -

LONDON-BASED Trinity College graduate Eoin Keenan must have been delighted with the extensive coverage generated earlier this month for Goodrays, the cannabidiol brand he co-founded. The news blitz was on foot of a £5m fundraiser backed by investment house Guinness Ventures, although boasting a share register that includes Vernon Kay and Tess Daly naturally helped… Read more »

BEYOND PR

Date: July 24, 2025 -

BACK IN 2000, energy giant BP announced that in future its initials would now stand for ‘Beyond Petroleum’, rather than the outdated ‘British Petroleum’. As part of this radical rebrand, its logo was changed to that of a sunflower. At the dawn of the new century, BP set itself firmly on course to break radically… Read more »

EDDIE IRWIN’S TRACK RECORD

Date: July 24, 2025 -

HAVING MANAGED to keep a low profile for decades, it will have come as no surprise to John Magnier’s “fixer” (sorry Coolmore finance director) Eddie Irwin to find himself tagged in the extensive media coverage of the High Court action involving his boss and the disputed €15m sale of Barne Estate. It has been alleged… Read more »

VOL 43 NO 15

Date: July 24, 2025 -