There is a distinct sense of unreality about growing union demands for pay rises for tens of thousands of civil servants.

As any Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO, MA (Oxon) worthy of his or her Leinster House access-all-areas pass will confirm, the best way to kill off persistent, difficult ideas is to exile them to the never-never land of consultation, to divert them up endless cul-de-sacs and, eventually, watch them drown in a quagmire of earnest, impractical reports or costings.

It is always nice to share good fortune with your neighbours so the announcement that GAA fans around the world will be able to watch all this summer’s All Ireland Championship matches via the internet is an occasion to celebrate and put our best foot forward.

This has been a particularly gruelling week for Joe and Rosie Dolan, from Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim, but no more challenging or heart rending than any of the near 30 months that have passed since their son Andrew, a successful and optimistic 20-year-old college student, died after a random, drink-fuelled attack by three strangers on the streets of Mullingar.

The management, the protection or the sharing of information gathered by the State or private companies on individuals, and that person’s right to easily access that information, are hardly issues that have set current election campaigns alight.

The Delhi durbars, those great carnivals of ostentation and submission that marked the coronation of British monarchs when they ruled India, surpassed the welcome afforded to property tycoon Donald Trump in Clare yesterday, but only just.

It would be hard to exaggerate the financial boost for tourism over the weekend as 200 elite cyclists raced from Armagh to Dublin on a scenic route of the Giro d’Italia. For thousands of spectators who braved the elements on winding country roads on a wet and windy Sunday, it was not to be missed.

Ireland is very good at producing reports but hopeless about taking action. Regrettably, the reality is that official probes by or into agencies of the State usually end up gathering dust on ministerial shelves.

It is hard to conceive of a more damning indictment of former justice minister Alan Shatter, the dysfunctional Department of Justice, or of the Garda Siochána, than barrister Seán Guerin’s scathing report on their cavalier handling of, and failure to properly investigate, allegations of wrongdoing brought to light by whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe.

How Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s Government uses the opportunity presented by Alan Shatter’s resignation to restore integrity to the administration of justice and our police service will define its legacy as much as its response to the economic crisis.