Now that the justified euphoria surrounding our medal winners at the London Olympiad has subsided just a little, maybe it’s time to take a more hard-nosed, less emotional look at how Team Ireland performed.

Tomorrow Enda Kenny will become the first sitting Taoiseach to address the annual Béal na mBláth commemoration in West Cork.

The swings and roundabouts of history are truly amazing.

The controversy over the household charge of €100 is rumbling on amidst the continuing posturing. There is no real sign of resolution.

Etihad Airways, which already owns 3% of Aer Lingus, has indicated that it would be interested in purchasing Ryanair’s 29.9% stake in the national carrier.

Ireland was one of the first countries to introduce comprehensive legislation to discourage smoking, a fact often related with more than a little — justified — pride by our legislators.

Earlier this week the children’s charity Barnardos announced that, because of funding difficulties, it had decided to withdraw its services for a week and put its staff on unpaid leave.

As the gold-dust settles on one four-year cycle — the London Olympiad — another — the American presidential race — intensifies as its Nov 6 day-of-reckoning approaches.

It’s not always easy to understand the beliefs of the past. Sometimes what was once considered normal can seem bewildering, sometimes cruel and inhumane.

Tomorrow the 53,700 young people — and some not so young — who sat the leaving certificate at the start of the summer will get their exam results and know if they have realised their immediate ambitions.