AS hundreds of thousands of people have come to live in this country, tens of thousands of Irish people have been leaving it. Emigration has not ended. It just gets missed in the net figures we’ve taken as one of the soundest indicators of our economic boom.

But the situation changes somewhat when Bono takes it upon himself to chastise the Government over the amount of foreign aid it devotes to Africa.

Ahern’s oft self-declared financial modesty is in tatters these days. This man of simple tastes — who wants nothing more than a few pints of Bass, a stroll through the (free-to-enter) Botanic Gardens and the occasional trip to Old Trafford — is far more interested in money than he ever let on.

MARY HANAFIN told me there’s no compulsion or obligation to pay the money and that anyone who doesn’t want to do so or cannot afford to do so should have no difficulty in saying no when asked for it.

CORK needs an ambassador in Dublin. This somewhat surprising suggestion was made last week by Dr Michael Murphy, the UCC president, at the annual conference of the Cork Chamber of Commerce.

UNFORTUNATELY, we’re unlikely ever to know what Bertie Ahern and John Delaney said to each other as they sat side-by-side in Croke Park last Wednesday week, watching Ireland’s dismal European championship performance against Cyprus in the game that sealed Steve Staunton’s fate as the soccer team’s manager.

THE Irish attitude towards the English is going to be tested tomorrow evening. Our nearest neighbours go into the rugby World Cup final to play against a country with whom we have very limited links, yet some people — possibly a large number — may cheer for South Africa simply on the basis that they’d prefer to see anyone but England win.

ON THE first Wednesday of December, Brian Cowen will deliver his fourth, and possibly last, budget as Minister for Finance. He appears closer than ever to taking over from Bertie Ahern as leader of Fianna Fáil, and then as taoiseach, and likely before this time next year.

I WOULD like to apologise to readers for my seriously inaccurate column that appeared on this page on the first Friday of September.

WHAT must the super-rich in Ireland make of Chuck Feeney? The American billionaire has put it up to them by giving away more than €1 billion to support worthy causes in this country and he wasn’t even born here.