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Shatter: Garda chief told me about WallaceEmbattled Justice Minister Alan Shatter said the Garda commissioner gave him details about TD Mick Wallace escaping penalty points and that he publicly revealed it to defend the integrity of the force.
Panicked last minutes aboard the Tit Bonhomme revealed at inquest Rarely has a voice ever carried so much panic.
- WORLD
Horror and heroism as tornado wreaks havocThe search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb raked by a massive tornado was almost complete last night.
Chile miner happy to be played by Banderas in filmAntonio Banderas will star in a movie as one of the 33 Chilean miners trapped deep underground for more than two months in 2010, and the charismatic survivor he's playing couldn't be happier.
- BUSINESS
Smooth exit from bailout forecastIreland is heading for a smooth exit from the bailout programme as GDP grows — delivering a huge political and reputational reward for the country, according to the latest Ernst & Young Economic Eye.
Glanbia’s Talbot first woman to take helm at a major Irish food companySiobhan Talbot is set to succeed John Moloney as group managing director of Glanbia, at the end of this year — becoming the first woman to head up a major Irish food company.
- SPORT
Deegan in dock over advantage ruleArmagh's Jamie Clarke has cleared Paul Grimley of all responsibility for Sunday's defeat by Cavan, but questioned referee Maurice Deegan's decision not to allow him advantage in scoring his second-half disallowed goal.
One more year and that’s it, insists O’DriscollBrian O'Driscoll has ruled out extending his career beyond next June.
- LIFESTYLE
Tyranny of the majorityIn the play An Enemy of the People, one man stands for right, says Pádraic Killeen.
Opening a can of wormsThe UN thinks it's a good idea, but what do the Irish think of eating creepy crawlies, wonders Jonathan deBurca Butler.
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Latest ShowBiz
Innocent and Inquisitive, some kids do ask ‘em
By Richard Fitzpatrick
Some well-known writers talk to Richard Fitzpatrick about being perplexed by their kids’ questions
* Marita Conlon McKenna, children’s fiction authorA question my children always asked was how do babies get out? And how do they get in? You obviously had to change the answer depending on their age. There’d always be questions about the Earth. Even on the beach the way they experiment with water and sand, trying to fill this hole. Where is the water going? They would want to know. I wouldn’t actually know technically where it was going. !
* Ken Bruen, crime fiction writer
I have one daughter. She’s 19 now. I remember one time she said, “Where do the bees go in winter?” I wasn’t sure. I said, “They just don’t fly in the winter.” She went back to her class and said to her teacher her father said, “Bees don’t fly in winter.” The teacher said, “Yeah, he’s right.” It was a shot in the dark.
* Sinéad Moriarty, novelist
I have three young children – aged seven, six and three. I’ve been asked all sorts of questions like, “What’s the smallest mountain in the world?” or “where do waves come from?” The most shocking thing about their questioning is their tenacity. Like with a rainbow: where does it start and finish? Where do the leprechauns get their gold? And on and on.
* Judi Curtin, children’s fiction author
I have three children. They’re all teenagers now. I remember we took a trip to Lahinch and we were all sitting by the beach. We left to get something to eat and when we came back the tide had come in and my horrified son asked: “Who stole the beach?”. He was about four. It’s a good age for those awkward questions because they can talk but their logic is funny.