News Opinion

MICHAEL WOLSEY: Every time the Government takes aim at a problem it shoots itself in the foot

By Kilkenny Now 14th August 2021 0

The Government says it will examine the system for appointing  Special Envoys to the United Nations. That shouldn’t take long because there isn’t one. Ministers identify an issue they want to highlight at the UN and come up with someone they think would be perfect for the job. If they can get the Cabinet to […]

News Opinion

DR RONAN GLYNN: Getting vaccine like wearing safety belt in a car

By Kilkenny Now 12th August 2021 0

In recent weeks we have seen increased commentary, both nationally and internationally, relating to infections in people who have been fully vaccinated. It is important when analysing these data that they are placed in the context of the proportion of the whole population who have been vaccinated. Uptake of vaccination has been remarkably high in […]

News Opinion

MICHAEL WOLSEY: You’ve missed your chance, as the parent said to the bishop

By Kilkenny Now 4th August 2021 0

A mother went on radio to tell how her daughter had suffered from stress because of the uncertainty about when First Holy Communion ceremonies would be allowed. They hadn’t been able to book a hotel,she explained. They had thought of calling in caterers for a celebration at home but could not do even that because […]

News Opinion

MICHAEL WOLSEY: Smaller, shorter, cheaper … that’s my Olympic dream

By Kilkenny Now 28th July 2021 Post a comment

I am enjoying the Olympics much more than I had expected. The lack of real audiences takes away some of the atmosphere and it must be disappointing for the contestants who have worked so hard to get to Tokyo only to find it a city under lockdown. There is no Olympic village for them to […]

News Opinion

MICHAEL WOLSEY: I want to be green but I’m seeing red instead

By Kilkenny Now 21st July 2021 0

There will soon be more plastic than fish in the sea, says the World Economic Forum. I wonder who is doing the counting? Indestructible plastic drifts from beach to beach and it is  hard to get those pesky fish to stay still. But it’s no laughing matter.  A scientific group called the Ellen MacArthur Foundation […]

News Opinion

MICHAEL WOLSEY: Fading away … the decline and fall of Fianna Fáil

By Kilkenny Now 14th July 2021 0

Micheál Martin narrowly avoided the dubious distinction of being the first Fianna Fáil leader not to become Taoiseach. That unwanted title seems likely to fall on whoever succeeds him as head of the party. I never rule out anything in  politics, but it is hard to see Fianna Fáil ever again becoming the senior partner […]

News Opinion

MICHAEL WOLSEY: Would you wear a mask if you didn’t have to?

By Kilkenny Now 7th July 2021 0

Will you still wear a mask when the Covid restrictions are finally lifted? This has become a hot issue in England, where Boris Johnson is preparing to abandon all the Covid rules at one go. It has divided that country between those who cry “Right on Boris – give us back our liberty!” and those […]

News Opinion

MICHAEL WOLSEY: This isn’t a reopening policy, it’s a shambles

By Kilkenny Now 30th June 2021 0

For fifteen months I have supported the Government’s regime of Covid restrictions. But enough is enough. The latest pronouncement on indoor eating and drinking isn’t a policy, it’s a shambles. The damage it will do goes far beyond pubs and restaurants. It has killed the mood of optimism that was growing in step with the […]

News Opinion

MICHAEL WOLSEY: Why we need a law to keep us safe from scooters

By Kilkenny Now 23rd June 2021 0

I was shocked to read that Lisa Banes, the actress from Gone Girl and Young Guns, had died after being hit by an electric scooter. Ms Banes was on her way to dinner in New York and was on a pedestrian crossing when the scooter, which had been driven through a red light, struck her […]

News Opinion

MICHAEL WOLSEY: A musical lesson from Arlene for Van the Mad Man

By Kilkenny Now 16th June 2021 0

In 1964, Ivan Morrison formed a band with four other lads from around Belfast. I knew a couple of them. We weren’t mates, for they were a few years older and, in your teens, three or four years  is a huge gap. But I knew them to see, was friends with somebody’s brother, and I […]