NEARLY every family in this country has a tragic story to tell about how their world, their ordinary, contented lives were overturned by alcohol abuse.

THE accusations levelled against Government by Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave are so serious that they cannot go unanswered.

THOSE who might oppose measures enabling gardaí or the DPP to apply to a court to have offenders electronically tagged can expect little enough sympathy — even if there is a perception that criminals are far more active than they actually are.

THE Rugby World Cup that ended with a New Zealand victory on Saturday was a triumph in more ways than one.

THE lives of Irish women today would be utterly unrecognisable to the women who marked the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising almost 50 years ago.

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny is not the first politician to use folksy parables as a framework for sharing policy ideas. When Mr Kenny describes meeting a man on the way to the Dáil, he is using a device used by politicians — and other comedians — for centuries: “On my way to the forum... etc. It is a recognised convention of communication but one with certain pitfalls.