some MAGAs do ‘ave ‘em

There's nothing worse than when the weather breaks when you're on the way back from the bookshop:

Oktoberfest in Galway:

At long last, a campaign slogan I can fully get behind:

Why are there suddenly loads of stories about me, wonders man who just announced he is running for president.

If yer man had a spark of sense he’d know he needs to canvas SF or FF for a nomination instead of having his ego stroked by sycophants with online polls. He probably thinks a presidential campaign would be no more of a challenge than an interview with Ryan Tubridy: www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

One thing that’s shocked me ever since the Brexit vote in 2016 is how oblivious and ignorant people are about how trade and supply chains work. You see it a lot with tech and finance “bros”, but even people working in manufacturing aren’t immune:

Well, at least we have a Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with his finger on the global pulse and who’s doing everything in his power to adjust the country to the new geopolitical reality?

Is there anyone in Fine Gael who realises Simon Harris needs to be given a good shake and an even bigger b*****king? Nothing to do with Gaza, its about how unserious and juvenile his entire approach to governing is: www.thejournal.ie/simon-harris...

Thanks to a FF stroke in 2016 Dublin is also the only EU urban city region without domestic water charges. This government deserves to find itself running for reelection during a period of wet weather AND water rationing: www.businesspost.ie/infrastructu...

I’m old enough to remember when this lad thought that writing long, boring articles in the broadsheets was the mark of a political failure: www.thetimes.com/world/irelan...

If I win the lotto this week I won’t tell anyone, but there may be signs: www.independent.ie/regionals/ga...

It’s probably a sign I’m getting old, but I’m developing a taste for the pint bottle off the shelf drank at room temperature:

So much for the notion that FF in government can just get housing "done" in a way FG could never manage to do. You'd have a smidgen of sympathy for James Browne, but none for his boss, who appointed a neophyte with no relevant experience to the most critically important ministerial position:

Oh FFS!! 😡🤬 The partial pedestrianisation of the West End has been a welcome feature of the Summer months in Galway for years now, and all of a sudden one gobdaw has a problem with it because of “cycling access”?? www.independent.ie/regionals/ga...

“The pope will be from Chicago” sounds like an 1880s Republican’s dire prediction for if we don’t stop Irish immigration

Why we can’t have nice things because our planning laws aren’t fit for purpose, # 3,516

Prime Time exposed a pair of shakedown merchants posing as environmentalists, who were accepting payments in exchange for withdrawing their objections to planning applications. It still hasn’t occurred to the govt that vexatious planning objections are a problem: www.thejournal.ie/investigates...

There’s always one: www.balls.ie/golf/joe-bro...

Of course he does: connachttribune.ie/galway-city-...

That's enough Internet for today, if not all time:

For St Patrick's Day. Ladybird books were published in many different languages - including Irish

So this Simon Harris brainwave is aging as well as you’d expect:

It’s bizarre that some people still think Bertie Ahern should be accorded some sort of senior statesman role by the Irish state: www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Incredible: www.rte.ie/news/munster...

A reminder that closing pubs and off-licenses on Good Friday was an offence against both common sense and religion:

It feels a bit like the 2007-2008 economic crash. The global situation has changed, but not without there having been plenty of warning signs in advance, and it appears the people whose job it is to anticipate and prepare for such a scenario have been snoring away at the wheel for years.

I keep reading that Zelensky shouldn't have risen to the bait. The man is human. He's seen tens of thousands of Ukrainians murdered, their cities blown apart & their children stolen. He was sitting by a man who's looting his country's minerals & praising Putin. And for 40 minutes, he held it in.

It just rolls off the tongue: www.rte.ie/sport/hurlin...

Reassuring to see that in a time of geopolitical and economic uncertainty Dáil Éireann can be trusted to get it’s priorities right: www.rte.ie/news/politic...

I’m old enough to remember during the pandemic when an “Independent Scientific Advisory Group” described the Covid-19 vaccination program as a fetish:

Me: “Nobody could say anything as stupid or ill-judged as Miggeldy when he decided to criticise NATO member states for increasing their defence spending at the Young Scientists competition” Micheál Martin: “Hold my Mi-Wadi!” www.rte.ie/news/ireland...

This new Sunday Times columnist is full of interesting ideas on everything from Dáil reform to security and defence policy. Has he ever considered running for elected office himself, where he might have the chance to put his ideas into effect? www.thetimes.com/world/irelan...

It’s not that long ago that if you wanted a sit down meal in East Galway the canteen in Ballinasloe mart was about your only option. As of this evening Bullaun has a Michelin star restaurant. www.independent.ie/irish-news/t...

Not very often you can enjoy an Al Fresco pint in Galway in February:

By most accounts Simon Harris expected Foreign Affairs to be a handy enough gig, bless his heart. m.independent.ie/irish-news/n...

Woken at 3.45am by the worst winds I can remember and the house shaking a bit.

One thing I’ve really noticed this year is the benefit of the flu vaccine. The dose going around this winter seems to be particularly severe, but anyone who got jabbed seems to be avoiding the worst of it.

Very good news for Galway, the medtech sector and the economy in general.

“the group is in good spirits, keeping warm by fires, playing games and enjoying the pub's ample food and beer supplies while awaiting snow clearance”. If I was in their position I wouldn’t be selfish and put the snow clearance team at any undue risk: www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-n...

It’s hard to credit how our approach to the EU Commissioner role could’ve been so amateurish and complacent. I remember a time when Fianna Fáil politicians actually enjoyed a bit of aggressive campaigning.

Vaccines are amazing. www.bbc.com/news/article...

For some reason Justine McCarthy thinks it’s great when an Irish President infuriates Unionists, EU officials and critics of Fidel Castro. The IT might think Miggeldy is the second coming, but the problem is he only tends to be noticed abroad when he says or does stupid stuff.

If you've enjoyed a Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada beer at any stage then raise a glass and toast Jimmy Carter, who legalised homebrewing at federal level and without which US beer would still be all about Bud and Coors: eu.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

I'm old enough to remember when senior government figures (permanent and elected) took the same approach to warnings about the housing market in the mid-2000s: www.thetimes.com/world/irelan...

Stephen Donnelly was a truly awful politician and we’re lucky to be well shot of him. The hospitality sector is struggling, so Egghead’s bright idea was to put another 20c on the price of a pint that had already increased by 50-80c over the past 2 years: www.independent.ie/irish-news/h...

Nollaig Shona Daoibh Go Léir!

Accepting this Newstalk report as written there's a huge public health concern about publicans doing the 12 pubs thing. I'd share that concern if it means they're to drunk to pull my pint: www.newstalk.com/news/this-is...

A very good and informative thread that sets out the practical difficulties for the UK and EU in reaching a definitive agreement on trade and market access. It’s one thing to “decide your own laws”, another thing to expect someone else to compromise theirs to suit you: