ON the first day of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s visit to Ireland they had lunch at Áras an Uachtarain, invited by President Mary McAleese as part of a small group that included Michael Ó Muircheartaigh, the GAA commentator.

IT’S hard to get excited about the increasingly odious English Premier League soccer competition that begins this weekend, rioting and police response permitting.

IN A less civilised country, Michael Fingleton might be “doing time”, but in lawful Ireland — where rights seem paramount compared to responsibilities — the former boss of the now defunct Irish Nationwide Building Society gets to watch time instead on a €11,000 time-piece presented to him as a going away present in 2009 by his fellow directors.

MY two friends are in the pub, sharing a couple of pints.

ENDA KENNY might have floated to Brussels yesterday instead of flying.

IF I run into Roscommon TD Luke “Ming” Flanagan in Roscommon next Sunday at the Connacht Senior Football Final he’ll find that I’ll be dressed in a suit, what might be called a “business suit”.

ONE of the most condescending putdowns I ever heard made by a lawyer about a colleague who had been appointed to the position of judge was that he “was the first to get a pay rise on the promotion”.

YOU wouldn’t put it past Michael Healy-Rae to try to turn events of recent days to his own advantage.

AS Rory McIlory walked from the 18th green on Sunday evening to the scoring room to present his card for the final round of his victorious US Open golf tournament somebody from the crowd threw a tricolour at him.

IT LOOKS like we never learn in this country, no matter what. What other country grants planning permission for a €460 million development that depends for its financial success on the inclusion of something that is not legal?