I’m sad to say now it’s the norm,
For the chap who does Public Reform,
When he asks folk to say,
That they’ll give up their pay,
To get answers that aren’t very warm.

John Moynes

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

Andrea writes:

Have just seen on Facebook, Ticketmaster Ireland advertising for Chris Brown’s concert date in December. Have a feeling this might cause a bit of a stir. One guy has already asked “What’s next? – Larry Murphy in The Olympia?”

Yes, that letter.

From Leaders’ Questions this morning (In response to a question from Gerry Adams).

Enda Kenny: “Now, Clare County Council made its own decision here, Deputy Adams. And it took the decision to issue letters in relation to the dispersal of the Higher Education grant for this year, and asked, in that letter, for applicants to indicate if the household charge had been paid in respect of the relevant household. And that was in addition to questions that are normally asked by councils on a routine basis, asking in letters about, in relation to payment of other charges, including the non-principal, private residence, water rates and commercial rates, as is appropriate and as apply.
“So the Household Charge question was added in order to facilitate Clare County Council’s information-gathering about who has actually complied with what is a requirement to pay the Household Charge. And I understand that Clare County Council also felt it appropriate to emphasise that the Household Charge is funding local services and local facilities for people in Co Clare. And, as you’re aware, it’s unfair that Neighbour One can say: ‘I’ve paid my charge but you didn’t pay yours and you think you can get away with it’.
“I might say to you that Section 7 of the Local Government Act of 1983,  Deputy Adams, provides that where a sum is due to a local authority, under any enactment, and at the same time another sum is due by the authority, to that person, the former sum may be set against the latter. But I can confirm to you that no monies have been withheld by Clare County Council, in respect of Higher Education grants. I think it’s entirely appropriate Deputy Adams, it’s entirely appropriate that as public monies, as public monies fund the processing of these applications that the local authority is entitled to find out whether Persons X has paid the household charge or not.”

 

The following is from Malcolm McArthur’s statement taken at Dun Laoghaire Garda station on August 14, 1982, following his arrest at the home of the then Attorney General Patrick Connolly (from Garda files via Sunday World). McArthur had returned to Ireland from Tenerife on July 8.

“I affirm that I am responsible for the deaths of Miss Brigid Gargan and Mr Donald Dunne.I would first like to tell you about the Miss Gargan incident in the Phoenix Park on July 22 this year.

A little while before that day – it may have been a week – I bought a heavy builder’s hammer in Lenihans of Capel Street. It was a female who served me and she was in her early twenties. The reason why I bought this all goes back to money. For the past two years my finances have been diminishing. This was something that I could not cope with.

…I wanted this hammer to injure somebody, to get a car, to travel down the country to get a gun because I had no transport. In turn I had planned ahead to stick somebody up and the object was to get money. I had been reading in the newspapers about all the robberies and this seemed a way out of my obsessive financial situation.

Part of that plan also involved a shovel because my attitude was that I wanted this venture to succeed and if by chance I did kill anybody in this venture I would use the shovel to dispose of the body.

At first I want to mention an imitation firearm which I made for myself out of a pistol crossbow which I purchased at Garnet & Reegan in Parliament Street. This thing cost me twenty-two or twenty-three pounds. I did not have much faith in this weapon so I cut part of the barrel off to make it look more like a pistol and I built up the top of the barrel with plastic car filters. I sanded it down to put a fine finish on it and I painted it black….around this time I started to grow a beard and I purchased a fisherman’s hat with an orange or brown feather on the side.

…I walked up the Quays to the Phoenix Park. I entered the park through the Conyingham Road entrance at approximately 4pm on that evening.

Before I entered the park I bought an orange in a small sweet shop on the Quays. When I entered the park I put down my luggage and peeled my orange between the Wellington Monument and the Main Road. I stayed there for a couple of minutes. From there I walked along by the cricket grounds. I walked along the joggers’ track carrying the items which included the holdall bag. I carried the shovel wrapped in plastic in the other hand.

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGmlNnKgInE

John Gallen writes:

Irish artist Barry Jazz Finnegan completes a 1.4 metre X 2 metre charcoal portrait of Bruce Lee to the soundtrack of ‘Bullrun’ by Dublin band Travega. (Sadly Travega are no longer together).


Athy based Anthony Murphy who, along with his wife Kim, produce The Catholic Voice newspaper have sent text messages to people in the Athy area urging Catholics “to strongly oppose the reckless attempt to undermine the sanctity of marriage”.
Mr Murphy told the Kildare Nationalist: “We have spoken with a number of people in the town who, like us, want to protect the sanctity of marriage. In the past we opposed the Civil Partnership Bill. The term marriage equality is a wrong term to use because marriage, as defined by nature and morally, is between a man and a woman. We are against any kind of legal recognition of any moral evil.”

 

Protest Expected At Same Sex Marriage Debate In Athy (Kildare Nationalist)

Thanks unimaginativename

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