As most of us know there are very few things in life as warming, as enriching, as sharing a few convivial drinks with the people we love.

In an unusual reversal of the habitual sequestration of national treasures by our nearest neighbour, we were always more than happy to pretend that Yorkshireman Peter O’Toole was an Irishman, born in Connemara.

A quarterly study issued by iReport.ie) found that black Africans are the main targets for racism in this country, with Dublin and Limerick recording the highest number of alleged incidents.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny rightly condemned those responsible for the mindless bombing outside a busy Belfast restaurant on Friday night.

The escalating scandal around top-up payments at the Central Remedial Clinic ticks nearly all the boxes needed to define it as the perfect Celtic Tiger/Fianna Fáil rotten can of worms.

One of the least attractive aspects of the public discourse provoked by radically changed economic circumstances is how very quickly and stridently some people focus on the cost of social welfare supports, supports that are ever more important to a great and increasing number of people.

The credibility of our police has taken a battering over recent years.

An audit by the Catholic Church’s child protection watchdog has found worrying disparities between dioceses in the way they deal with allegations of sexual abuse. The audit by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church includes a series of reports on dioceses across the island.

The Government insisted in the budget that the worst is over. A leaked report by the European Commission suggests otherwise, hinting that a larger budget adjustment than planned may be required for 2015.

More than 90 world leaders are in South Africa for commemoration ceremonies in honour of Nelson Mandela, the man who went from prisoner to president armed with nothing more than his conscience, his courage, and a steely resolve to achieve freedom for his people.