There could be only one winner to our competition for two humans and a dog to stay at pet-friendly The Dunloe, Killarney, Co Kerry (which re-opens on April 6)

Sinéad Breen’s dog Jesse (above).

Sez Sinead:

Thank you so much, we’re so excited! Jesse is 13 years old, she’s a cross between a Collie and a Labrador. We rescued her from puppy rescue when she was 8 weeks old, she was the last of her litter, nobody wanted her because of her one white paw.
Last year we noticed a lump on her back leg, it can’t be removed because it’s right on her knee and we didn’t want to remove her leg because she’s old, recently it’s gotten really sore and she’s prone to falling.
Jesse is senile as well (this is really annoying but you can’t stay mad at her for long) she barks to go out and when you get up to let her out, she’s forgotten why she was barking, and as soon as you sit down she remembers and starts barking again!
 .

And some of the runners-up.

Tom Red “My dog and I deserve a break because my dog, Jessie, is a rescue dog who was very cruelly treated and having experienced the bad things in life, it’s time for her to experience the good!”

Rory Cronin “My dog and I deserve a break because he is a very old retired guide dog who doesn’t get breakfast in bed often enough. His overworked owners like the sound of the Dunloe also!”

Patrick “My dogs deserve a break because they actually have jobs, work hard Monday to Thursday visiting schools, educating children about good doggy behaviour and could do with a few days in the country to wind down over Easter.”

JakenIzzy “My two boxers deserve it…Jake was rescued from a cruel owner who didn’t feed him and chained him up in a cage (sadface) and Izzy was dumped at the side of the road at approx 10 months  old. Later we found out the reason was she was pregnant with 4 gorgeous puppies!! They are the best dogs in the world and we are so glad we rescued them…they are very easy to please and would love to roam the fields in Kerry for a night or two.”

Darren Healy “My dog deserves a break because he recently lost his son and wife to emigration (they’re gone to France with my mum) and now sits by the doorway every night looking out to see if they will be home! I think a good weekend away in the Dunloe might get his mind off his loss and maybe find himself another furry friend!”

Shannon “My dog and I deserve a break because my mum won’t stop nagging. Its all get your calcium, you’ll fry your eyes on that laptop, less of that junk. She won’t let Jessie sit on the sofa either. And Jessie loves the sofa.”

Thanks all.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs3YtES5IQM&feature=youtu.be

Heart-gladdening.

Gavin Hartigan writes:

I recently finished a short video on the first St.Patrick’s Day parade in the village of Moycullen, a small village just outside Galway City. It was great fun to film and the whole day couldn’t have gone better. The pub we shot in is called The Crossroads and they have cool beers and delicious food.

Minister OF State Lucinda Creighton has said the Government should avoid inviting businessman Denis O’Brien to another economic forum in Dublin due to the findings of the Moriarty tribunal.

…Ms Creighton was then asked whether it was at odds with the Government’s investment drive that the winner of the phone licence in the circumstances criticised by Moriarty was going around as one of Ireland’s chief promoters. “That’s a fair point,” she responded.

O’Brien Should Not Get Forum Invite, says Creighton (Irish Times)

However…

Irish recruiter Saongroup, which is majority owned by Denis O’Brien, is planning to invest €25 million and expand its presence in China to 130 cities by the end of 2013.

The investment was announced overnight at Saongroup’s Beijing office by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton during Enterprise Ireland’s trade mission to China, led by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

 

O’Brien’s Saongroup Planning To Expand (Irish Times)

Financial advisor Brendan Burgess of AskAboutMoney.com.

I would imagine that the vast majority of people support the household charge and other taxes, even if they don’t like paying them.  But the protests by the vocal minority who oppose them get a lot of attention. How would those of us who support the charge campaign in its favour? Here are some ideas –
Maybe organise a day in mid March “Pay your Household Charge today”
Issue stickers “I have paid my household charge”
Help relatives and neighbours who don’t have internet access to pay online.
Put up posters.

Alternatively, you can repeatedly play this video of Brendan from 2008:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2q7bBVAo74

Bryan Dobson: “You advise people on what they might do with their money…Irish bank shares are down to what they were in the mid-1980s, is that a buying opportunity?”

Brendan Burgess: “Irish banks are very well regulated, Irish banks are very sound….. we’re going to look back in a few times at the state of Irish banks [and ask] how did we not fill our shoes with those shares?”

Oh.

Bertie Ahern’s article pleading innocence of wrongdoing (Opinion, March 26th) is composed of 773 words.

It contains the word “I” 51 times and “me/my/myself” a total of 22 times. Is this a record?

 

Irish Times Letters

Thanks Miriam Cotton

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

Also: too young to join in.

Joe Donnelly writes:

Here’s my son John (almost 3) at his older brother Ben’s under 6 hurling training yesterday evening. No wonder Kildare hurlers are in crisis if they won’t let the younger generation get a look in.

Broadsheet.ie