The biggest story of the week has to be The Irish Daily Star rather losing its shine after publishing controversial pictures of a topless Kate Middleton, a.k.a. future Queen the Duchess of Cambridge. Richard Desmond, well-known for his penchant for publishing -cough porn cough-, and 50% share owner has decided to cut his losses with the Irish branch of his newspaper empire after what Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte called its “lapse in taste”. Rabbitte who was rampant on RTE’s John Murray show claimed Desmond had overreacted before suggesting the Star knows what taste is.
The best things in life are free, including a University degree or so one student in Mayo thought. Anna Marie Flanagan, a mature nursing student has been banned from attending lectures at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology after failing her first year but continuing to show up.
Despite being ineligible to continue the course Ms Flanagan was not deterred and still attended lectures and lessons in what has been described as a “disruptive for other students”. She has subsequently had an order placed on her to prevent her doing any further study or turning up at GMIT.
She may be the first of many students on the make if Phil Hogan’s new incentive is approved. The Environment minister has given the go ahead (“didn’t ask” but “fully supports”) to local councils to withhold vital grants for third level students whose parents have not paid the household charge.
Did you enjoy the London 2012 Games? Did it inspire you to make some summer resolutions, get fit for Christmas? Don’t get your runners out too quick. Before you get carried away apparently the Olympics will have no impact in inspiring us to get off the sofa or on obesity levels long-term. Previous Games have not caused an “Olympic effect” according to Doctor Niamh Murphy, director of the centre for health behaviour research at Waterford Institute of Technology. Former international athlete, Dr Murphy said efforts to tackle obesity in Ireland were short-term, disconnected and uncoordinated; “everyone is doing stuff in their own silos”. As London 2012 fades from our minds so too will any ideas about taking up judo, javelin or becoming a Jamaican sprinter.
Wednesday saw the tenth anniversary of ’Speak Like a Pirate Day’ on which people are encouraged to add the odd oohh arr aye shipmates into everyday conversation. County Wexford took this literally by becoming the smuggling hub of the country. A €1.5 million haul of smuggled cigarettes was found in Enniscorthy town giving them the unofficial title of smuggler’s cove. County wide cigarette sales are down up to twenty percent, which is being blamed on illegal trade. So if a man with a parrot on his shoulder offers you some cheap fags tell him to walk the plank.
A one happy couple in Cork have watched their relationship go down like a sinking ship, like the Titanic actually. Hungarian national Zoltan Panka and ex- Carmel McGrath, are caught in a vicious dispute over who gets their handmade, 16ft, Titanic replica. Ms McGrath accused MR Panka of taking the ship from her house without permission whilst Mr Panka counter claimed owner-ship (get it?!) Ms McGrath then stated it was she that paid costs to build the boat and has secured a court order to prevent him from selling it. Mr Panka claims he has since received abusive text messages from McGrath and had no intention of selling the ship which is worth about €70,000. For goodness sake, Rose and Jack they ain’t this feud will go on and on.
George Clooney isn’t from Abbeyleix. I know, I know, it’s devastating. This “news” comes from genealogy company Eneclann, based at Trinity College, and is in dispute with earlier genealogists who traced George back to Co Laois. It was believed George’s relatives were forced to leave their ancestral home in Kilkenny due to the famine but what do you know? They weren’t. We’ll all sleep well tonight.
Unless you have a sore head. It turns out people who take pain killers could in fact be giving themselves headaches. Nice, (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) highlights new research showing those that use painkillers more than ten days out of a month, in cases of ’medication over-use’, can exacerbate tension headaches and migraines. Not so nice.
Irish News Review 