On Morning Ireland today there was a short piece previewing tonight’s Prime Time Investigates programme on lending practices in Ireland. It seems that one of the reasons why financial institutions are so eager to shower us with cash is that the punishment for bad debtors can end up like something out of a Dickens’s novel. […]

From page 41 from the 700+-page charge sheet against Charles J. Haughey that is the Moriarty report:”The reference to a debt of honour outstanding free of interest in the sum of �110,000.00 to be paid within a reasonable time throws an interesting light on the true meaning of both the letter and the terms of […]

As fears over the impact of climate change mount (the Arctic to be ice free by 2040?), we are being barraged with messages to change our ways. Various concerned parties (many of them, oddly, large oil companies) tell us: enough with the frivolous short-hop flights, how about a hybrid?, and turn the damned lights off […]

Online poll question over at RTE.ie:”Are you concerned about the level of gun crime in Ireland?”Would a “no” seem a bit complacent?

A spectre is haunting the Web–the spectre of the comeback. The off-hand comment and the casual dismissal will be noted, and, if erroneous or slipshod, you will sooner or later be brought to book. For example, several weeks ago, I made a fairly niggling criticism of Claire Messud’s novel, The Emperor’s Children, on the basis […]

The Grauniad and the Torygraph both feature stories about the Rt Rev Tom Butler, the Bishop of Southwark, who apparently became rather tired and emotional after attending a Christmas drinks function at the Irish Embassy in London. According to eye witnesses, the bishop was afterwards found in the back seat of someone else’s Mercedes, chucking […]

From The Brown Daily Herald:The audience at Production Workshop’s “The Flies,” which is slated to run from Dec. 8 through Dec. 11, will feature an element perhaps more appropriate for the hit NBC show “Fear Factor.” As they gather to watch Jean-Paul Sartre’s 1943 adaptation of the Greek drama “The Oresteia,” audience members will be […]

In a misjudged effort to hear some “analysis” of Budget 2007, I tuned in last night to Vincent “Vincenzo” Browne’s show, broadcast at 10PM on RTE Radio One. What a shambles… The guests, especially the array of political hacks, were bad enough as they squabbled over percentages like trainspotters disputing a locomotive’s serial number. But […]

Back from a very enjoyable, and predictably pricey weekend in London. As dutiful bourgeois, Moira and I shelled out for a bit of the Great Wen’s cultural attractions, in the form of the Vel�zquez exhibition running in the National Gallery and Trevor Nun’s “musical theatre” adaptation of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. I am glad […]

My blogging output in November has been, I acknowledge, slightly erratic. Aside from fulfilling the righteous duties associated with being a modern father, I’ve been reasonably tied up with work, as the software company that gives me a monthly cheque reaches the end of its release cycle. (Contrary to all the Web 2.0 hype, most […]